Author's Note: Hey everybody! This is my first Harry Potter fic though I've read hundreds, so it may take me awhile to update regularly.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, all of this is based of the wonderful JK Rowling's fantastic world of Harry Potter.
Chapter One: "Where There's Life There's Hope"
It was the shouting that woke Hermione up, violent curses ringing throughout the air that jolted through her senses, startling her to consciousness. Gasping for breath, she tried to sit up only to cry out at the searing pain along her ribcage where Dolohov's curse had hit her. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to focus on pushing down the pain, as her hand fumbled for her wand next to her.
"Lumos" the soft glow at the end of her wand showed an empty room, the door open ever so to where she could hear the sounds of battle.
Slowly, she pushed herself to a sitting position, and lifted up her shirt to see the jagged burn stretching across her flushed skin. Wrapping it tight with a quick bandaging spell she'd learned during the Triwizard Tournament, Hermione crawled to the door and reached up to the handle, using it as leverage to pull herself to her feet. Shuffling along the edge of the corridor, she followed the shouts until she came upon the open door of the Veil Room.
Lights flashed across the room, green and red mingling in an unholy Christmas vibe that sent chills down her spine. Harry was dueling side by side with Sirius next to the archway while the other Order members held off the endless flood of Death Eaters. Only Harry could get himself into these situations, Hermione shook her head and quietly crept into the room, skirting the edges of the wall to avoid detection by Death Eaters. Bellatrix's high pitch laugh echoed across the room as she joined the fray, circling in on Sirius. Hermione's eyes narrowed in on the godson/godfather duo as they battled against Malfoy and Bellatrix, Harry was holding his own but his eyes were sunken and his mouth tight in exhaustion. Standing a little taller, Hermione raised her wand and began casting shield charms from her spot in the shadows, both at Harry and Sirius, drawing Bellatrix's ire away from them.
"Who's there? One of itty bitty Potter's little friends hiding in the shadows?" she cried out, her eyes flicking around the room in a mad dash.
"Get behind me Hermione," Professor Lupin came out of nowhere, shielding her from sight as he cast a confundus charm on Rodolphus Lestrange.
"Thanks Professor Lupin," she muttered before turning yelling "Reducto" at a Death Eater that was sneaking up behind Ginny and Luna.
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Remus, Hermione," Remus said as he pulled her out of the way of a blasting hex, rubble shooting out to coat them in a thin film of dust.
"Is now really the time Profess-Remus?" Hermione replied as she hurled a Full-Body Bind at Malfoy.
"Well now seems about as good a time as any," his cheeky grin was ruined slightly by a stinging hex, that sent him into a snarl, his eyes glowing amber.
"Constant Vigilance!" Moody snapped as he trudged past them, his staff lashing out to clock Lestrange across the head. "Stop making chit chat with the girl Lupin and start fighting."
"Yes sir," Remus snickered as Hermione ushered him away, her eyes drawn to Sirius and Bellatrix's duel.
Harry had Malfoy on the ropes, and after a perfectly executed Expelliarmus, sent him running.
"Nice one James" Sirius barks, sending a blinding grin across Harry's face.
Bellatrix's shriek of rage was the only signal of her attack and Hermione reacted on instinct. Flicking her wand out she shouted "Stupefy", stunning Bellatrix before her spell left her lips. Sirius' grey eyes widened comically as he watched his cousin take a prat fall face forward onto the ground, showing Hermione standing a few feet behind her, her wand outstretched.
"Well then, I guess I owe you a debt kitten," he smirked as Harry gaped at his fellow Gryffindor.
"I did it for Harry, not you. No offense," Hermione replied as she stumbled over to her best friend and enclosed him in a hug, savoring the small victory for the moment, not realizing the true effects her actions would have later on.