Harry woke up in the middle of the night with the unsettling feeling that something was wrong. His hand went instinctively to his forehead, but his scar was fine. Unable to get back to sleep, he heaved himself out of bed, crept past Ron, who was shouting something about cheese in his sleep, and out through the common room into the corridor.
Wandering aimlessly through the castle, Harry found himself out in the grounds. He shivered in his flannel pyjamas but kept on walking, feeling sure he was going in the right direction. Suddenly a scream pierced the night air and Harry broke into a sprint. As he rounded the corner, he gasped. Someone was hanging from the tower window.
"Harry!" the quavering voice called, "Please… help me!"
Standing at the base of the tower, Harry hurriedly produced his wand and cast 'Lumos', illuminating the frightened face of the girl clinging to the window ledge. Hermione's face. Before Harry had time to react, Hermione's hands slipped and she fell, her arms and legs flailing and her eyes wide with terror. Harry hesitated for a second before casting a desperate 'Wingardium Leviosa', but he was too late. Hermione was flopped like a ragdoll at the base of the tower, her mouth wide open in a silent scream.
Harry collapsed to the floor beside Hermione's crumpled body, frantically checking for the pulse he knew would not be there.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, hot tears streaming down his face, "I'm so, so, sorry." As he was closing her eyes, he heard a gasp behind him. Harry leapt up, wand raised, and saw Ron staring down at the body of his girlfriend, his face deathly pale and his knees shaking violently.
"Harry," he said, his voice cracking on the last word, "is she- is she dead?"
As soon as Harry nodded Ron's face crumpled and he ran over to Hermione, stroking her cheek and planting a delicate kiss on her forehead. After a long while Ron stood up mutely and the two of them picked Hermione up as tenderly as possible and carried her now cold body back to the castle.