It was just pure shock that kept Harry from moving at first even when the spell broke. The group of death eaters was already leaving when Harry snapped and stood up quickly.
"What are you doing?" Hermione questioned him but Harry ignored her and started running after them. Hermione had to get up and run after him. She was trying to keep up with him but was still quite behind.
She watched as Harry ran and only stopped to curse Amycus, who was attacking Ginny.
"Thanks."
Ron ran up to Ginny and looked at Harry was turned and started running again.
"Where are you going?" Ron yelled after. Harry ignored everything and just ran past everyone. Harry reached the entrance where McGonagall and Lupin were battling death eaters.
Harry was already gaining on the group of death eaters heading to the forest. Hermione close behind.
Hagrid ran out of his hut and charged towards the death eaters trying to flee.
"YOU SCUM!"
Two of the male death eaters threw curses at him, while Bellatrix laughed coldly and turned her attention to his house. Raising her wand shouted out a curse and his hut was up in flames. Suddenly there was a howl of pain.
"FANG!" Hagrid yelled and ran back to his house not minding the curses hitting him. He reached the door and punched it down running inside.
Harry made it to them.
"STUPEFY!" Harry shouted pointing it directly at Snape.
Snape easily blocked it and turned toward the boy. Harry was about to cast any other spell, but was thrown back by a spell and landed on his back.
Bellatrix laughed playfully and raised her wand at him for more "fun", in her mind.
"STOP! HE IS FOR THE DARK LORD!" Snape shouted at her.
Bellatrix pouted and turned "You're no fun..."
Harry at this point no longer cared if he did die or not as he stood up again and started attacking Snape again. Snape didn't even fight back, just blocked the curses. This made Harry even angrier.
"FIGHT BACK! SECTU-"
"HARRY STOP!" Hermione yelled finally caught up. That's when Snape struck, right when Harry looked at her. Harry fell to the ground once again. Hermione quickly jumped and stood in front of Harry wand drawn, pointed at them all.
"OHHHHH! ANOTHER BABY IS HERE TO PLAY!" Bellatrix smirked and drew her wand again.
"I wouldn't do that. I've had some practice recently with a little spell and if you don't want to be burnt to ashes I would walk away," Hermione finished her magic crackling around her with a sense of pure black in nature at her words and the air around her, showing the true attention of how serious she was. Even Bellatrix decided the best course of action was to not say a word.
Snape nodded and took a breath, "we are done here today...we will be on our way after I say this to Potter. It's not wise to use my own spell against me...I am the half-blood prince."
Snape finished and grabbed Draco's arm, who was looking at Hermione like he needed to say something, instead he was pulled away and disappeared beyond the apparition point.
"Why did you let them go!"
"Harry we have others to worry about now...come..." Hermione pulled Harry up off the ground and they ran back to Hagrid's and started putting out the fire. Hagrid was able to get out with fang who had a few burns on him.
"Harry are you okay?" Hagrid questioned.
Harry shook his head, "Snape killed Dumbledore."
"Not possible...I'm sure once we get back to Hogwarts everything will be settled down..."
Harry and Hermoine shared a look knowing he wasn't going to believe them until he saw, for himself.
After the fire stopped Hagrid pulled them along back to the castle. Once back students were standing on the lawn looking at something on the ground. Both Harry and Hermione knew what it was. Harry stumbled forward to Dumbledore's body, while Hermione stood back.
Blaze, Daphne, and Theo found her and stood next to her as cries started going out across the students.
"It's really starting isn't it..." Daphne said hugging Theo.
"Draco?" Blaze questioned.
"Left with the death eaters...I don't know anything else than that..."
"Did he..."
"No...he didn't do it..."
"The Dark Lord will be..."
"I know...we have to have hope he did enough to not die there," Hermione finished and looked up to the sky at the dark mark.
Hermione sighed pulled out her wand and cast a large light up at it making some disappear. Other students followed suit.
"I might have hated that guy, but that shouldn't be over anyone at their end."
The teachers started ushering the students to go to their dorms. Hermione stayed still.
"You coming," Daphne questioned grabbing her arm softly.
"I have to go find Harry. I'm most likely going to be questioned soon, so there's no point in me going. We'll talk later...I promise."
The three nodded and left. Hermione then walked trying to find Harry when she ended up in the Hospital wing and walked in. There, Ginny, Harry, Ron, Luna, Neville, Tonks, and Lupin were gathered around a bed. She walked up and saw that Bill Weasley was out cold and his face disfigured.
"Will he be a werewolf?" Ron questioned Lupin.
"No. He won't be a full werewolf since it wasn't the full moon. But there will be some contamination of sorts and there's nothing that can be done for his face."
McGonagall walked in and tell everyone that the rest of the Weasleys and some of the Order will be there soon.
"Professor...Dumbledore..."
McGonagall stopped Harry from speaking, "Not now Harry. Wait until everyone else is here."
It wasn't five minutes later that the doors opened and everyone stumbled in.
Molly and Fleur rushed forward to Bill's side crying. Molly cried over Bill, "Please...haven't we been through enough...and now he will be lonely now and never get married."
"What?!" Fleur was furious at that, "what makes you think he won't get married?"
"You would never marry him now."
"You assume a lot, Mrs. Weasley. But I love him. Not his face. I will marry him because he is mine and I am his."
Mrs. Weasley cried more, "I'm so sorry..."
Hagrid entered the room telling McGonagall that he removed Dumbledore and he sent a message to the ministry which was going to be there soon.
McGonagall nodded and sighed. She turned to Harry.
"Who did this?"
Harry just seemed tired now as he sat there not saying anything. Sirius rushed over and held onto his shoulders for support.
Hermione stepped up to help out, "it was Snape."
"W-what?"
Harry nodded, "We saw it happen...Snape did it."
"Then-then that means..." Molly was stuttering out.
"We'll worry about that later Molly. Harry, Hermione...what were you two doing with Dumbledore?" Sirius questioned.
Harry shook his head refusing to say anything.
"Sorry, but we decided that it should remain between us."
Sirius nodded sadly and agreed to let it go for now.
Slughorn entered the room, "McGonagall, the Minister is here."
McGonagall sighed again and turned to the two, "I don't know what's going to happen now. I don't even know if that school will be open next year. But I have decided that Dumbledore should be buried on the grounds and the students should be allowed to attend. Now everyone when you get the chance...please rest..."
McGonagall left and Hermione being drain followed but went straight to her bed knowing that Daphne would likely be with Theo for comfort. She collapsed onto the bed falling asleep.
Days went by and it felt like a loop. Repeating what happened to certain people who asked, to just reading, to walking around aimlessly.
The only change was Dumbledore's funeral. The students watched as Dumbledore was lowered down in purple cloth, in his grave. It was a pretty little island and even the lake's creatures came up to honor Dumbledore.
Harry and Ron left the funeral and Hermione caught up to them.
"Do you think the school will close?" Ron questioned.
Harry shrugs, "doesn't matter I'm not coming back anyway."
"Why?" Ron questioned.
"I plan on spending the summer with Sirius as much as I can and I want to visit Godric's Hollow. The Horcrux...it was a fake...so I'm going to be searching for them now..." Harry said.
"Hope you were going to include me, Potter, in there. Just saying without me I think you would be dead."
Harry nodded, "if you two want you may join me."
"Can we at least return for Bill and Fleur's wedding...you know one last good thing before going around searching for evil objects," Ron questioned.
Harry nodded agreeing. After talking more Hermione moved back to the common room where Blaze, Theo, and Daphne are talking. She slid down onto the couch with them.
"What do you think is going to happen next year?" Daphne questioned.
"Honestly...I don't know. But I doubt it's going to be good. I'm just going to be trying to avoid getting the dark mark," Blaze said.
"No offense Granger...but I don't know if it will be good for you to return..." Theo said.
"Oh, don't worry I'm not."
"WHAT?!" the three shouted.
"I won't be returning, but I also can't tell you where I'm going, or what I'm doing."
"But...but how will I know you are safe..." Daphne cried out.
"You won't."
"BULLSHIT! I ALREADY CAN'T DO ANYTHING FOR ONE OF MY FRIENDS! I REFUSE TO ALLOW MY BEST FRIEND TO GO TO GOD KNOWS WHERE! AND I WILL NOT SIT BACK AND JUST NOT KNOW ANYTHING ANYMORE!" Daphne yelled at her.
"Please don't do that to me, Hermione...I can't stand it. Draco has been distant all year and we don't know if he's going to stay alive or not after his "Failure". I just can't Hermione. You are my best friend...I don't care what we have to do to stay safe I'll do it as long as we can stay in touch somehow and meet when you can."
"Please Granger...we've been taking the back seat all year...we want to do something...just help us."
Hermione thought about it, "the coins...and notebook...we can use that to talk to each other and set meetings up with the coin. The thing is it will be stupid to meet anywhere in the wizarding world. So I recommend getting used to some muggle places. That's all I'm going to say for now."
Daphne smiled agreeing. "Good. I know this sounds improper now...but can we just go down to the kitchens and get some ice cream like we used to. This is our real last day being together completely...so after everything, this year can we just have this moment of peace...even if we're missing one."
Hermione smiled and nodded. Blaze threw his arm around her shoulder and then Theo's. "Well...well...our last little adventure here if we all don't survive what's coming."
"Dark Blaze...dark..." Theo said.
"What! Just being honest!"
Hermione looked at her friends not knowing if she'll truly see them again or not. So for the first time ever, just for today, she clutched onto them tightly. Determined to sear them into her brain like this. Smiling, joking, and some last bits of happiness in such darkness around them.
Just for today, she knew she's okay.