A/N: This is my first (and probably only) fanfic. I've had this concept in the back of my mind since seeing some wonderful fan art based on Rabbit Heart by Florence + the Machine. You can find it here: wenbys . tumblr post / 13998224070. Just remove the spaces. Anyway, this story will be told from different characters' points of view during Deathly Hallows and based on songs that include the word "lion" in them. This first chapter takes place right after Dumbledore's funeral. I tried to keep this as true to canon as possible. Most of the dialogue is from the final chapter of Half Blood Prince and belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling. As much as I love the movies, they always short change Ron. He's so great how he stands up to help Harry on the hunt and the movie doesn't give him any dialogue. Not…a…single…line….grrrr…Ok, ending rant. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and please review with your honest opinion.

Update: I screwed up… I needed this to be canon, but I put Hermione in the wrong place during Dumbledore's death. So I wanted to change this and add more detail to her chapter (since it is the shortest out of all of them and I love Hermione).

Dumbledore was gone. Everything had changed. There was no more protection… or at least what was serving as a façade of protection. Hermione and her friends would have to grow up and finish what was begun long before they were born. The night Dumbledore was murdered; she and Luna were separated from the rest of the Order, from Neville and Ginny, and from Ron. She had made a grave mistake. She had let Snape, the Headmaster's murderer, escape to complete his secret mission. As much as the others had tried to reassure her, she still felt incredibly stupid. After her experiences with Umbridge last year, she should have known better than to blindly trust a professor.

She and Luna had found Professor Flitwick collapsed in Snape's office and Hermione had levitated his unconscious body to Madam Pomfrey. It was torturous waiting in the hospital wing; worrying whether her friends were maimed… or worse. She knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if her foolish mistake led to the death of one of her friends. The relief that had flooded her when they entered the hospital wing alive was short lived. When Harry had told them that Professor Dumbledore was dead, she was shocked and confused. How could this have happened? He was too wise to have been outsmarted. He was too skilled to have been outmatched. He had seemed almost immortal. Hermione now realized how childish that notion was. No one was immortal and certainly no one was safe.

There were evil people who wanted to kill her just for being who she was- let alone that she was friends with the Boy Who Lived. She remembered the battle in the department of mysteries only last year. A killing curse paired with a hissing scream of "Die, filthy mudblood!" was shot toward her. If it wasn't for a quick shield charm on her part, she would be dead. With this revelation came great fear…. Not just for herself, but for her parents.

She was a "mudblood" after all and her parents were outsiders to a world from which even she was still held at arm's length. But that wasn't entirely true, was it? The Weasleys had welcomed her into the family with open arms. Especially Ron as evidenced by how she was now enveloped in his arms, scant tears running down his long nose into her hair.

She had jumped with surprise when Ron had grasped her hand during Hagrid's slow procession up the center aisle. She shouldn't have felt so thrilled during a funeral. After the ceremony, Harry had taken Ginny aside to talk to her. Hermione let go of Ron's hand and stood. She hastily wiped the tears from her eyes. She did not want Ron to feel uncomfortable like he usually was when in the presence of a weepy girl. Ron seemed full of surprises, however. He turned her toward him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders; her hands gripping his shirt.

Hermione began to silently sob against his shoulder. Although she felt like she was crumbling on the inside, his arms were holding her together; making her feel solid again. If only he knew what his embrace meant to her. She didn't comprehend how much she missed him over the past months until this moment of comfort. Harry and Ron were her best friends. Harry was the closest person she had to a brother and Ron was… Well, someone very dear to her. She cursed herself for letting her jealousy keep her from one of the most important people in her life.

"If we just stay together, we can do this… I think? I mean, we've faced so many challenges together, but this will be our greatest one yet. Honestly, Hermione, you call yourself a Gryffindor!?" She often pondered throughout her years at Hogwarts why she was sorted into Godric's house. On her first train ride, she thought that she would be best suited for Ravenclaw because she was clever and had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Yet, the sorting hat made her a lion and she was proud of it. She had to be a courageous one now.

Her mind was whirring and it was starting to make her dizzy. It was just another reason she appreciated the strong, freckled arms enveloping her. Usually she could organize her thoughts and draw logical conclusions, but with each new problem came more questions than answers.

"Will we be coming back to Hogwarts next year? Will it be safe with Dumbledore gone? How can I protect my parents? What about Voldemort and his horcruxes? Harry will probably want to go off on his own… well, he can forget that! What about Ron? What about Ron? Was this the right time to tell him why I was so jealous? No, I need to focus on helping the boys with finding the horcruxes. This is not the time for anything that could distract us from the mission. And they won't be leaving me behind, or so help me! At least they finally realize I'm a girl. Be careful what you wish for." She was thankful that her thoughts were interrupted by her ginger friend's soft murmur.

"Hey… Harry's having a chat with Scrimgeour… and by the looks of it it's just as pleasant as the last one."

Hermione lifted her head from Ron's shoulder to watch Harry slowly turn away from Scrimgeour as he stalked away in the opposite direction.

"Won't the ministry ever get it through their heads that You-know-who is taking over? There is a bloody war starting, but they are doing nothing! I can't believe my pounce of a brother is on their side!"

He hugged her tighter, shaking with frustration, but she did not mind.

"I swear, if I see him again, I'm gonna have to smack some sense into him!"

She managed to free one of the hands cramped between their upper bodies and slid it up his upper arm tentatively. She wanted to say something reassuring, but she couldn't find the words. She was really losing her senses! First she couldn't think straight and now she was rendered speechless. Before Hermione could form a reply, he slowly (and she hoped reluctantly) released her and followed Harry; knowing that she would not be far behind.

When they caught up to Harry, he relayed Scrimgeour's renewed offer. Ron couldn't seem to control himself again, "Look, let me go back and hit Percy!"

Hermione grabbed his arm and firmly said "No".

"It'll make me feel better!" he mumbled under his breath.

Harry laughed and Hermione smirked. Ron could always make her laugh even when the situation was serious… it made her feel giddy and exasperated at the same time. She decided that she had to share at least one of her many thoughts and fears that was floating through her head.

"I can't bear the idea that we might never come back. How can Hogwarts close?"

Ron answered, "Maybe it won't. We're not in any more danger here than we are at home, are we? Everywhere's the same now. I'd even say Hogwarts is safer. There are more wizards inside to defend the place. What d'you reckon, Harry?"

"I'm not coming back even if it does reopen," said Harry.

There it was… what she had concluded earlier. Harry was planning a solo mission where he would nobly sacrifice himself for the wizarding world.

"I knew you were going to say that. But then what will you do?"

Harry stated his plan to stay at the Dursleys' for a short time then head to Godric's Hollow to search for clues and visit his parents' graves. He was going to find and destroy the pieces of Voldemort's soul whatever the cost because Dumbledore had given him this task and she knew it was what he was destined to do.

None of them spoke for a while, but Hermione's brain kept talking... "Well, what do you want to do? What do you NEED to do, Hermione Granger? Are you as bright as they say you are? Can you really call yourself a Gryffindor?" She started formulating the plans, organizing the checklists, and reviewing her research. Yes, she was going to join Harry in his hunt…. There was no question. Certainly, she was still afraid… she would be a fool if she was not. But she knew that being brave does not mean that you are not afraid…. It means you face the fear and fight. And she was going to be ready for that fight. She opened her mouth to tell her friends this, but before she could, Ron got there first.

"We'll be there, Harry."

Hermione's heart swelled with pride and affection for Ron. She should have known his plan would be the same as hers, but he could still surprise her with the certainty of his conviction and loyalty. Once again, there was no question…. They were best friends…. Family… they would be together to the end. Harry made to protest (Really, the boy could be so thick sometimes…), but Hermione steeled herself. She would not back down. Her boys would know that she was not going to take a backseat. She and Ron had counted the cost and were willing to pay it.

"No…" Harry was shaking his head stubbornly.

"You said to us once before that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we?"

She beamed at Ron and he returned it with a determined nod.

He turned back to Harry and said, "We're with you whatever happens".

She would be using her books and cleverness to help in the hunt, but her most important assets would be friendship and bravery, hands down.