Hermione had arrived at the Burrow nearly two weeks prior to this evening. They had been planning and re-planning tonight nearly every day, running over various schemes and scenarios that could happen, or things that could go wrong. Nothing could go wrong. They had purposefully scheduled this a week in advance, and had given a false tip-off that they would be plunging forward to get Harry out safely alive on the thirtieth, the eve before his seventeenth birthday. Hermione was determined to do everything that she possibly could to make sure that everything turned out, and that she did her equal part. But really? She was more excited to see Harry, and the excitement tended to bubble over at times. But she was very aware that she'd have to keep her wits about her tonight. Especially tonight. They would be able to catch up once they were safe and under protection enchantments, not out in the open like they would be.
And tonight was the night. The night sky was nearly pitch black and looming, though it was void of any clouds or thunder claps. Then again, Hagrid's motorbike could be mistaken for one - it was sodding loud, and was giving her a bit of a migraine already. She had dressed herself in a masculine attire, the clothing fitting her rather loosely (Harry was taller than her, after all), and her hair was in a long plait. She knew it would be short and raven in hue once they got to Privet Drive and took the Polyjuice potion, but at least she had tried to tame it.
For the flight there, Ron had insisted that she fly with him on a broomstick, much to her dismay. But being that his intentions seemed good, she had reluctantly agreed, and pressed her face firmly into his back the entire time there, eyes clenched shut and holding onto him so tightly that even she was surprised that she hadn't knocked the air out of him. Thankfully, the trip hadn't taken that long, and Hagrid's motorbike came into view, as did the backyard of number four Privet Drive. Her eyes snapped open when Ron began to descend, and she had to resist the prevalent urge to scream into his ear - he was going much too fast to be allowed. And yet even in the darkness and various images swirling through and past her vision, she still recognised Harry standing before her. Although her legs felt like jello, she stumbled off of the broom and ran at him, throwing herself into his arms, and wrapping her own around his neck to pull him into a tight hug. She felt Ron behind her, and he clapped him on the back.
"All righ', Harry? Ready fer the off?" Hagrid asked, but then Moody growled and moved forward, holding onto two large sacks. "Change of plan. Let's get undercover before we talk you through it." Hermione followed behind Mad-Eye and Moody into the kitchen, and leaned up against the counter on one side of Harry, while Ron took the other. There was excited chatter echoing through the room as they all tried to catch up in a matter of seconds with him. Tonks interjected and flashed Harry her wedding ring, and immediately apologised that he couldn't be there. "It was very quiet." But Mad-Eye began to speak again, covering things about the Trace, and that Harry needed to understand that he could no longer call this place home, otherwise the trace would not be broken until he came of age. Mad-Eye continued and told him that he would be taken to Tonks's parents, and then will use a portkey to take him to the Burrow, where the rest of them would be arriving at after going to their own safe house.
Hermione reached out and gently gave his arm a reassuring squeeze, though it was more for herself than him. There were fourteen of them in the kitchen, yet only seven of them would be Harry, essentially. And of course, Hermione had elected to take the Polyjuice potion. After Mad-Eye had demanded the hairs, Hermione lined up with the others, of which included Fred and George, Fleur, herself, Ron, and Mundungus, to which Hagrid had to lift up to get him to take the potion. "Ooh, you look much tastier than Crabbe and Goyle, Harry." Hermione caught Ron's quizzical brow, blushed, and quickly corrected herself. "Oh, you know what I mean - Goyle's potion looked like bogies." The moment she drank the potion down with the rest of them, her features began to contort and change. She grew instantly taller, and was thankful for the looser clothing she had elected to wear for tonight. Her hair shot backwards into her head, it seemed, and she suddenly knew what it was like to be a boy. Hermione leaned over to press her palms against her new knees, panting and gasping for air after the transformation. There was nothing like the feeling of a Polyjuice potion, and she hated it. But if it was for Harry? It was worth it.
"I knew Ginny was lying about that tattoo," Ron said while looking down at his bare chest.
"Harry, your eyesight really is awful," Hermione said while pushing a pair of glasses onto her nose. She blinked a few times to readjust them, and was finally able to see. She knelt down to the second sack Moody had brought, and pulled out fake bags and a cage with a stuffed, snowy owl inside of it. Moody began to call out the names of the people who would be riding together, and Hermione was more than pleased to hear that she would be traveling on a thestral will with Kingsley. Though, Ron looked thoroughly disgruntled that he got to ride with Tonks - he didn't look pleased at all.
"An' you're with me, Harry. That all righ'?" an anxious Hagrid asked. "We'll be on the bike, brooms an' thestrals can't take me weight, see. Not a lot o' room on the seat with me on it, though, so you'll be in the sidecar."
"We think the Death Eaters will expect you to be on a broom," Moody explained. "Snape's had plenty of time to tell them everything about you he's never mentioned before, so if we do run into any Death Eaters, we're betting they'll choose one of the Potters who look at home on a broomstick. All right then. I make it three minutes until we're supposed to leave. No point locking the back door, it won't keep the Death Eaters out when they come looking. …Come on…"
"Hold on tight now, Ron," Tonks said, and Ron guiltily put his hands on her waist, sending an apologetic look over at Lupin. Hermione wrapped her own arms around Kingsley's waist, her wand already out just in case. On the count of three, shouted by Moody, she felt the creature beneath her lurch up and into the sky. She winced for the first few seconds, but knew that she'd have to be on her guard. If not for Harry, than also for herself. Suddenly, green lights began to zoom past her out of every which way, and she let out a shrill sort of scream, having not expected it so soon. Arm latched tightly around his waist with one arm, she turned to her sides, aiming her wand this way and that as she shouted out various curses and hexes, her own deeper voice even surprising her.
And so it began.