A/N: Many thanks to my beta, kci47, for cleaning up all of the previously published chapters!
Disclaimer: I'm just playing with the characters; they're all JK Rowling's!
'We've only a half hour until midnight!' Hermione muttered into the ear of Harry Potter.
'I know,' he answered quietly. 'That's why I've got to find the diadem, destroy it, and then get to him before some kind of battle really starts. We've lost too many already.'
'You can't always be the hero, Harry! You don't have to do everything on your own! Let Ron and I help you, please.'
'I appreciate it Hermione, I really do. But this time, I have to do it by myself.'
She felt the slight brush of air as he walked away. Seething with anger, she looked around the crowded Hall, searching for a familiar face. Ronald was standing with the rest of the Weasley clan:she sidled up to him, and caught him by the wrist.
'Harry's just run off looking for the diadem.'
'No surprises there, Hermione,' he replied.
'There must be something we can do!' she whispered furiously.
'There is. Stay here, and hold down the fort until he gets back.'
She fought the urge to stamp her foot like a child, and scream in frustration. Sitting around doing nothing would get them nowhere – and in times like this! They were all on the edge of certain death, and the only thing anyone was worried about was staying holed up here, in the Great Hall.
She had just turned to leave when it happened.
A cold breeze blew through the Hall, rooting her to the ground. Those around her began screaming and yelling in horror, and she plunged her hand into the pocket of her denims, gripping her wand tightly.
A high pitched inhale sounded around her, and the hair on the back of her neck rose at the sound of it.
'I know that you are preparing to fight.' The sound of it grated in her ears, and sent chills of terror down her body. 'Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not wish to spill magical blood.'
It broke off, and for a moment, one shining, hopeful moment, she thought nothing else would be said. She thought nothing else could go wrong.
'Give me Harry Potter,' the disembodied voice hissed, 'and none shall be harmed.'
That flash of hope that had sprung to life within her diminished into a cold, sinking weight. And suddenly, she knew. The icy fear of what was certain to come next gripped her, body and soul, and in the next moment, she watched, sickened, as Harry pulled the Cloak off.
'Enough!' he screamed. 'I'm right here. Come on, Tom!'
Someone screamed his name, hoarsely, and Hermione's heart twinged again for Ginny. Harry stood in the centre of the Hall, panting wildly, spinning round trying to catch a glimpse of the elusive Lord Voldemort.
A crack sounded, and every wand in the place turned on the man who had just Apparated into their midst. Harry let out a strangled oath, clenching his fists.
'Come back, eh? To take me away, Snape?' Harry asked bitterly, his anger barely in check. 'Or are you just going to off me like you did Dumbledore?'
Their former teacher granted no response, merely raised his eyes to meet Harry's. She watched in horrified disbelief as he pulled out his wand and in the most emotionless, dead voice she ever heard, he muttered 'Legilimens.'
They all seemed suspended there, frozen in time as they watched the two men staring into each other's eyes. Her grip on her wand was so tight, sparks began shooting out the end, singing a hole into the bottom of her denims.
With a mild curse, she set it to rights, and when she raised her head once more, the trance was broken. Every wand that had lowered raised again, pointed at Snape. But the look on Harry's face was telling a much different, wholly more terrifying story. His eyes had widened, not in fear, but in something akin to sorrow, and even more so, regret.
'Oh no,' he whispered. 'I was so blind.'
At this, he broke away from Snape's deadened gaze, and glanced around the Hall.
'Lower your wands!' he shouted madly.'Lower them!'
She obeyed without hesitation. Harry looked ready to strike down anyone that defied his last shouted command.
'Mate.' Ron stepped forward. 'You cannot be serious. Whatever he's just told you, or shown you or whatever the bloody hell that was - is a load of dung. George! Remember what he did to George!'
'If you're going to be thick, Ron,' Hermione said icily, surprised at the sound of her own voice, 'just bugger off now. Clearly, Harry knows something we don't.'
The group gathered around them was silent, watching the interaction with interest and bated breath.
'Not you as well Hermione! He'll kill us before we can-'
'We don't have time for this.' Snape cut in tersely. 'Potter, I have to get you and the rest of the Order to a safe house, now. The Dark Lord will be here shortly, and should any of you be found, you'll be killed.'
'You expect us to just leave with you? It's a trap, if I've ever seen one,' Remus spat.
'Let Voldemort come!' someone shouted.
'No!' Snape shouted. 'Potter, with me-'
Hermione watched as the group around her dissolved into a chaotic mess. Loud pops filled the air as Death Eaters Apparated in, and she fought her way to Snape and Harry, the latter of whom was trying to get over to Ginny.
'Potter!' Snape shouted furiously. 'Potter, get back here!'
Hermione dove for him, but it was too late . One of the hooded figures had grabbed Harry by the back of the neck and pressed his Mark before Disapparating, Harry in tow.
She hadn't a moment to process this, when one of the Death Eater's screamed Snape's name and threw several curses towards him. She watched, torn, as the two began a duel. Behind Snape, another Death Eater raised his wand, and before she knew what was happening, she'd thrown herself at Snape and tackled her former Professor to the ground.
The curse blew over their heads, and he looked at her with an expression she couldn't name, just before he Disapparated with a loud pop.