A/N: So, this is going to be a new thing for me. I haven't written in a while, and I wasn't quite sure how to go about the beginning of this story, so I apologize if this first chapter is confusing. Please review if you have any suggestions or criticisms.
One
The deafening sounds of battle rained down from every fragmented corner of the world. At that moment, Hermione's universe felt disturbed, shattered, as if it had been abruptly and unceremoniously rocked from its pedestal and cast off into the abyss, taking her with it. Never before had she felt so completely and utterly shell-shocked.
Everything was complete chaos – people dying, dead, wounded, screaming; a horde of death eaters stampeded past her as she lay on the floor, paying her seemingly dead body no heed. As they rounded the bend of the corridor out of sight, a great tremor shook the castle. A number of stones fell from the ceiling, and a blast of cool air to her left informed her that a great portion of the outside wall had recently been blown away. Brought to her senses by the uncomfortable motion of the quaking floor, she forced her eyes to blink, and hurriedly scrambled to her feet.
The entire grounds appeared to be in chaos. The organized ranks of fighters from hours ago seemed to have been abandoned as Death Eaters and Hogwartians alike fled to safety. All thoughts of unity had been forgotten; the battle had turned into an impossibly chaotic free-for-all. Curses and jinxes sailed past her, disconcertingly close, in flashes of red and green light. For a moment, she almost laughed as she realized the irony; they were Christmas colors.
A day ago, she would never have dreamed that she, Hermione Granger, would be fighting a major role in the greatest battle the wizarding world had ever seen.
In fact, all things stable seemed to have suddenly been turned on end. Ron and Harry were missing, attempting to steal the final Horcrux from who-knows-where. Ginny had left the Room of Requirement hours ago, and had not been seen since. Arthur and Molly were battling Yaxley and Dolohov. The whole world was falling to pieces, and Hermione was alone.
Gripping her wand tightly, she edged along the side of the open corridor, peering cautiously around corners as she made her way to the open-air bridge that led out to the center of the grounds, where the Death Eaters had first come from. Surely the area would be abandoned by now; she could send out a Patronus informing Luna that she was safe. She would have liked to have sent it to Harry, but if he was as close to approaching the snake as she hoped he would be, the spell would be likely to reveal his presence to Voldemort. At this crucial point, they couldn't risk him discovering that they knew of his last remaining link to immortality.
Coming to the end of the corridor where the castle met the bridge, she paused, and her heart sank.
The entire bridge was filled with battling students and Death Eaters; curses flew past her hair, and she ducked down to avoid them as she quickly took in the complete pandemonium that met her eyes. Hannah Abbot was battling beside Neville, both of them intent upon bringing down their attacker, who Hermione instantly saw to be Greyback. Slipping past several feebly stirring bodies on the ground, she aimed a stunning spell at the werewolf's back as she passed. As usual, her aim was precise, and Neville turned, beaming, only to see Hermione disappear into the screaming, yelling, flashing crowd. As she ran, her eyes darted frantically across the faces she passed, hoping against hope that one might be Harry's, Ron's, Luna's, Ginny's, or anybody else's that she knew.
She was so intent upon her search that she almost didn't hear someone screaming her name. Swiftly, she turned, only to see Draco Malfoy running towards her in a full-out sprint, wand clutched in a death grip, his mother at his heels. Entirely befuddled, she stood stock-still as the two Death Eaters bore down upon her, scarcely realizing their intentions until, reaching her, they had both seized her by her arms, almost knocking her clear off her feet. Draco tugged roughly at the neck of her robes, yanking at her so harshly that he didn't even break speed as she was caught up along with them. Before she'd even realized what was happening, they'd broken through the edge of the crowd and were tearing through the open air towards the end of the bridge, where a solitary hooded figure stood waiting.
At the exact moment that Hermione came to her senses and lashed out, attempting to struggle out of her captor's vice-like grips, the hooded figure had latched itself upon Draco's free arm and twisted upon the spot, and the four of them were enveloped in crushing darkness.