Stolen magic

The Messenger of Death

The gas. It was everywhere. The intangible killer. Crawling inside Hermione's nose and eyes. Filling every pore of her skin. Slowly killing every living creature within its reach. Everybody around was screaming in pain and panicking. There was nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. They couldn't get outside the house. It was too late. Hermione didn't know what was worse. The gas under her skin, filling her lungs, or hearing her friends crying for help. It was useless. Nobody would help them.

She'd tried everything. Apparating away wasn't an option. The wards wouldn't let her. She tried to run away, but her legs felt like they'd been attached to the ground. Like when you have a nightmare and someone is chasing you, but you simply can't move. So you just wait for your body to wake up. But this wasn't a bad dream. She won't wake up.

Tears were falling uncontrollably from her eyes. Her system trying to push the gas from her lungs. After the Battle of the Hogwarts she'd survived almost nine years of never ending war. She experinced hunger, measles epidemic, countless of injuries from all sorts of weapons. Mostly from the dark curses. She survived longer than most of her friends. Only a handful of Order members remained. And this gas? This would be her unenvitable end. She knew it. She could feel it in her bones. The last few minutes of her life. Life that wasn't long enough.

The life full of grief, fighting and despair. Not a kind of life one would dream of as a child. But it was still her life. Those tough times taught her how to cherish every good little thing, every bright detail, every second with her closest friends. She was grateful for every night without nightmares, Even though there were fewer and fewer of them. Waking up not covered in sweat and tears was rare. She was also grateful for every meal she got and every hug she received. The war took almost everything from her at that point. And now? It would take her life too. She was almost knockin' on heaven's door.

The gas was simply everywhere. Nobody was safe. Nobody except the Death Eaters. Their masks worked like a gas masks. Thanks to them they could move around the house and kill the remaining Order members without any difficulty. In their masks and robes they looked like evil spirits from hell. Cheating the death itself.

The last thing Hermione could remember doing was casting as many Bubble-head charms around her as possible. She hoped that some of them would hit her friends and protect them from the gas. But she was too disoriented and weak. She wasn't even sure, if she was casting any spells at all.

When she got to the point when her lungs were completely filled with the deadly gas she dropped on her knees. Coughing and crying the gas out, until she couldn't breathe anymore. She slowly laid down and waited for death. Like a trapped animal waiting for it's slaughter. The last few shallow breaths and it all would be over. She would be reunited with her loved ones. Ron, Neville, Parvati, Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, Fred, Hagrid, Fleur and Bill, Remus and Tonks. The list could go on and on. She would see everyone again. She could only hope that Harry and the others made it to the safe. But it would be just a matter of time when the Death Eaters would find them again. It was all pointless.

Suddenly a pair of strong arms grabbed her under her armpits and lifted her from the ground. Somebody was dragging her somewhere. Outside! She was outside. She could feel the air again. But who was the one helping her? She tried to look up at her savior. But her eyesight was blurred. It must had been a man. Strong and tall. "Dad?" She coughed just before she completely passed out.

When she regained consciousness everything was fuzzy. Like standing in the fog. Her head hung on her neck like if it weighed several times it's normal weight. She dimly made out a pair of leather boots next to her dirty shoes. Somebody was standing behind her and supporting her so she wouldn't fall. Or ran away.

She heard muffled voices around her. At least five or six different voices. From the way they resonated she could tell, that they were inside. But she felt cold, her body was trembling. She could smell dirt, blood, mold and a hint of fear in the air. What was that place?