Hermione was writhing in agony on the floor of Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix Lestrange's wand pointed at her malevolently. A crazed smile slashed her face in two as she pulled back to throw another crucio at Hermione, except there was an almightly tremor that went through the building and shook Bellatrix off her feet.

She lifted her head weakly from the floor and saw Harry and Ron running up the steps from the basement, where she assumed the others had come from as well. Luna and Mr. Ollivander, as well as an odd goblin, stumbled into the room behind her friends. Ron was running to pick her up from the floor and the others congregated around her. She couldn't hear anything through the pounding blood in her ears, but she saw their mouths open wide, screaming out orders and waving wildly. Suddenly Dobby was grabbing them and they were getting tugged away from the Manor, but not before Hermione saw Bellatrix rise and raise her wand, golden light crackling around her wand as she raised it and threw the spell at their group, not even trying to aim. The group disappeared before Hermione could think to scream a warning.

"Bella," Lucius said shakily, staring at the empty spot where the group had disapperated, curious despite their precarious situation. "What spell was that?"

Bellatrix looked at her wand nonchalantly, sighing breathily. "I don't know. I read something about it in a library, somewhere. The description said something about time and tearing and ripping. Perhaps they'll grow old and be torn apart by the spell! Pity they didn't stick around for me to see for sure," she pouted, turning to walk out of the room as if nothing of import had happened. Lucius watched her go with growing dread, then turned back to where the group of escapees had disappeared.

Hermione felt the spell as it collided with her, and suddenly she realized she was going to die. As they all collapsed on the ground, she shook with pain. Her hand was already starting to shimmer out of existence, she just knew it, even before she lifted it to look at.

"Ron," she gasped, reaching out for him blindly as her vision began to dim. She heard his alarmed shriek and then he was at her side, holding her steadily disappearing hand. "Ron, she hit me. I-I don't think I'm going to make it." She squeezed her eyes tight as an aftershock from the cruciatus passed through her body. Ron tightened his grip, and then she heard him start to cry, dripping tears on her disappearing face and giving her apology after apology.

She cringed, and then calmly cleared her mind, preparing herself for the end. She smiled up at Ron carefully and he smiled sadly back, tears and snot mixing on his face. "It'll be okay, Ron. Just help Harry kill the bastard for me, okay?"

Ron nodded his head and released her hand as it disappeared altogether. The golden light was surrounding her and engulfing her, eating away at her edges until she was gone from sight entirely. Ron sighed shakily, and then he collapsed to the ground in a heap.