The cool summer breeze swept over the Hogwarts grounds and into the open window of the Gryffindor common room. Hermione Granger sat on the windowsill looking intently across the lawn. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for, but she couldn't quell the feeling that something terrible was coming. She kept her wand clenched tightly in her hand as if danger would burst through the door or swoop through the window at any moment. With her other hand she reached into her pocket and subconsciously fingered the half-phial of Felix Felicis and her fake D.A. galleon.

She tore her gaze away from the window for a moment to look at the common room. It was empty save for Ron and Ginny. Ron's chin rested on his freckled hand, but he was alert, as if listening for anything out of the ordinary. Ginny's eyelids were beginning to droop, but her wand remained in hand.

Suddenly a deafening bang shattered the silence of the night and an eerie green glow illuminated the sky. Hermione turned back to the window, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. The Dark Mark was hovering ominously over the Astronomy tower.

Ron was by her side in an instant, wand at the ready. Ginny now stood by the portrait hole waiting for them. Hermione took her gulp of Felix and passed it on to Ron before pulling out her D.A. coin.

DEATH EATERS IN CASTLE

The words appeared around the edge of the coin and it burned hot. With no time to waste, the three of them ran from the common room prepared for battle.

They instantly heard shouts and bangs from below and ran towards them. They reached the fourth floor corridor to see ten or so Death Eaters locked in battle with Lupin, Tonks, Bill and McGonagall. They watched in horror as the Death Eater they knew as Fenrir Greyback launched himself, wandless, at Bill, who was momentarily distracted by Bellatrix Lestrange. Greyback sank his teeth into the side of Bill's face, knocking him to the ground.

Ginny let out a bloodcurdling scream at the sight, alerting the Death Eaters to their presence. Greyback looked up from where Bill lay and grinned at them with blood dripping down his face.

"Impedimenta!" Hermione yelled, sending Greyback flying back. She ran forward into the chaos. A Cruciatus curse missed her by inches and she whirled to see a large, masked Death Eater running at her. "Stupefy!" She shouted, watching him crumble.

A blur of white-blonde hair streaked by her and she turned to see Malfoy making a break for the stairs to the Astronomy Tower. She shot a stunning spell at him, but missed. He waved his wand, speaking an unheard incantation as he bounded up the stairs. Neville ran after him but was thrown back by an invisible force.

Hermione and Ginny tried a number of spells to break the barrier but none worked. Bellatrix Lestrange's killing curse missed Ginny so narrowly that Ginny's hair whipped around her face. Hermione turned to retaliate, but saw that Ron was already running at her in fury.

The Death Eaters were scattering, causing as much damage as they could as they ran down the stairs. Hermione chased after them, sending a stunning spell at one. He turned on his heel and cast a killing curse at her. She threw herself behind a suit of armor just in time and the spell exploded part of the wall where she had stood a split second earlier.

Four more Death Eaters darted past her towards the entrance hall. She managed to stun one as she chased after them. She was about to enter the entrance hall after them when she thought better of it. She turned back up the corridor to see if any of the Order had followed her, but it seemed they were all still locked in battle. She was alone. She knew that running into an open area against four highly trained Death Eaters was suicide, liquid luck or not. But she couldn't let them get away. She had to think of a plan.

She heard footsteps from the dungeon stairs and flattened herself against the wall in the shadows. Snape emerged, wand clutched at his side. He turned at the sounds of the destruction in the entrance hall and spotted Hermione.

Her breath caught in her chest as their eyes locked for a moment. Several unidentifiable emotions crossed his face. He took a half step towards her before pausing, turning on his heel, and running up the corridor to where her comrades were still battling the others.

Alone again, she peeked around the corner and saw the Death Eaters making their way towards the exit, casting spells wildly and destroying the class point hourglasses as they did.

A broken window was next to her; if she could get through it, she might be able to skirt around the castle and catch them by surprise. She looked around once more for anyone who might be able to help her. No one. And no time to waste. She used her elbow to knock the jagged shards of glass from the window and hoisted herself through, landing with cat-like agility on the other side.

Keeping to the shadows and moving quickly, she made her way to the cover of trees just within the Forbidden Forest. She turned and peeked out, looking for the Death Eaters. She spotted them running across the lawn. They stopped and looked back towards the Astronomy Tower.

She followed their gaze and had to cover her mouth to keep from screaming. Someone was falling through the air. The person landed with a sickening thud at the base of the tower. Hermione's stomach churned and bile rose in her throat as Bellatrix Lestrange's blood-chilling cackle echoed across the grounds. The Death Eaters on the lawn laughed and cheered, taking off back towards the castle.

Hermione's stomach gave an unpleasant lurch. She turned and retched into a bush. Someone had just been murdered before her very eyes. She was too far away to see who it was and she couldn't risk being found to go and see.

A moment later, a small sea of hooded figures ran from the castle and headed in her direction.

Heart pounding wildly, she turned and ran as swiftly as she could through the trees. She jumped over downed trees and ducked under branches in search of a hiding place. With a jolt, she remembered her D.A. coin. She could signal the others and tell them where she was. She reached into her pocket and her heart sank. The coin wasn't there. In its place was a hole. She must have ripped a hole in her pocket when she climbed out the window.

"FIGHT BACK, YOU COWARD!"

Hermione wheeled around. It was Harry. She couldn't see him, but his anguished shouts echoed through the trees. He was back, which meant that Dumbledore had returned to Hogwarts. Relief washed over her. Dumbledore was back. They were saved.

"Find the boy!" A Death Eater shouted. "The Dark Lord will want to punish him."

They were close. Hermione ran deeper into the forest hoping against hope that werewolves would be the worst she encountered tonight.

As she darted past a tree, she collided with something tall and alive. A small scream of surprise escaped her throat before the person clapped his hand over her mouth. In the dim moonlight she could barely make out his pointed features, his platinum hair, and his frightened eyes. Draco Malfoy stood before her, his eyes wild with terror, listening intently to the forest.

She couldn't scream for fear that other, more frightening Death Eaters would hear.

"Help me, Granger." Draco breathed in her ear.

Then the realization dawned on her that Malfoy meant her no harm.

"Please." He added.

She looked into his frightened eyes and considered running and leaving him to be found and killed, or worse.

"If they find us we're both dead, Granger."

He was right, and as much as she loathed him, he'd be helpful to have around if they were found.

"Over here!" A voice sounded from nearby. A twig snapped from the other direction. They were closing in.

Draco looked down at her, his eyes pleading. She couldn't condemn him to death no matter how foul he was. She grabbed his hand and dashed deeper into the forest, Draco Malfoy at her side holding fast to her hand.

They darted through the gnarled trees together. The moonlight barely lit their path but they didn't dare light their wands. They could hear footsteps chasing them. How many were there? Two? Three? More than that? How many could they handle if they were caught? Would they be killed immediately if discovered? Or would they be taken to Voldemort to be questioned, tortured, or worse?

They stopped and crouched behind a fallen tree to listen. For a fleeting moment, Hermione thought they'd lost them. Then she realized she could hear Draco's labored breath beside her and someone else's. Not her own, but the rattling breath of a third party. Draco must have heard it too, for he stiffened beside her, holding tighter to her hand. They turned to see the mad eyes of McNair. Without missing a beat Draco silenced him as Hermione stunned him. McNair fell to the ground with a low thud. Hermione looked down in shock. Draco pulled her hand, bringing her out of her stupor and they began running through the trees once more.

The trees got thicker and soon the sounds of chaos at the castle were completely muffled. They were frighteningly alone. All Hermione could hear was her own heart pounding wildly in her chest and Draco's shallow breathing next to her.

For hours it seemed, neither of them spoke or moved. They stood, hand in hand, ears listening acutely for any sound of movement. None came.

"We've got to get back to the castle." Hermione said finally, her voice cutting through the darkness like a knife.

"We can't." Draco choked out, his voice hollow.

"But Dumbledore will have dispensed of the Death Eaters by now. It should be safe."

It was eerily silent for a moment. "Dumbledore's dead."

Hermione's stomach dropped, her insides felt like they'd been doused with ice water. "He can't be," She breathed.

"He is. I…I saw it happen."

A horrible wave of realization and terror washed over her. Her head was spinning and she felt like she was going to be sick again. "Who?" she choked out when she found her voice again.

"Snape," He sounded far away, though he still held tight to her trembling hand. "But it was supposed to be me. I couldn't do it. That's why…" he trailed off.

"That's why they're looking for you." She finished

"So we can't go back, you see."

Hermione's mind raced back to Hogwarts. "But what about Harry and Ron? All the students?" She thought of Harry fighting all those Death Eaters single-handedly. She thought of Ron, locked in battle with Bellatrix Lestrange. Were they okay? Were they even still alive?

"It's too dangerous." Said Draco with finality. "No, Granger. From now on they're on their own. Just like us."