She doesn't know what to do because there's nothing she can do. All she knows is that she has never felt so much pain. She lays upon the ground, little tears escaping her tired red eyes, her head throbbing. Her deep brown eyes sting with tears. Her hair is sprawled out around her like a matted mess. Her mascara runs, leaving an endless river of black down her face. She twitches, her face motionless. She wants to run and find him but she's too scared and weak to move. Her mind drifts slightly, believing these to be her last breathing minutes. She remembers watching him being dragged away, seeing him try to fight back in the corner of her eye. But then there was the stench of Bellatrix's breath and the darkness that followed and everything merged into one big bruise.
She spots a glimmer in the dark. She tries to move. She can't reach it. A sharp glimmer of diamond like the last strand of hope inside her on the rock solid floor beneath her. The secret they'd kept from everyone, the promise to run away and get married and be okay together. To forget the pain and the death and to have each other. She tries to stand but collapses into herself. Her breaths become frantic as she clutches herself, shielding herself from the blinding light of her discarded engagement ring. Her ears ringing, heart pounding. She swallows hard, her throat on fire, dry and crisp and her chapped lips tremble awaiting interrogation.
She lays in a dusty room, trying to block her ears without her hands. Curled in the blackness, her arms hanging loosely. She can't breathe for the pain, and her body is wracked with tortured sobs. Scars begin to throb, her arm gushing blood from each letter spelling out MUDBLOOD. Tears burning, heart pounding. And all the while she stares at the ring, the ring which should be on her finger where it had been loving placed. It was a time of happiness and freedom and new beginnings. Her mind is racing away but she can't help but be amazed by something so pretty, the way the light dances over the clear diamond casting tiny shadows everywhere. Her eyes sting from the concentration but her fingers are digging into her palms to keep herself awake, terrified that if she closes her eyes she won't open them again. She begins to panic because she senses her own heart beat slowing and then something moves through the darkness at her. She has no energy to scream or cry she is a puppet, unable to lift a limb.
"YOU FILTHY LITTLE MUDBLOOD!" a shrill voice screeches at her, sending every hair that isn't scorched or covered in her own blood on end.
She screams breathlessly and then she begins to sob again. She shuts her eyes to the pain as more torture comes from the darkness. Cruciatus after cruciatus. The pain is so intense it's like she's being burnt alive, stabbed with thousands of sharp needles and drowning in poison. She's screaming again but it's no use, nothing hurts as much as knowing that the future with Ron is a distant fantasy.
Something quickly shifts in the distance, something bright but that's all she can see before she blanks out. It's all a fast blur because people are sending bright curses at each other but she can barely make out the faces. And then something cold is at her neck and she's squirming as she's pulled up to her feet. Bellatrix mumbles something but her senses have stopped functioning. She's shutting down and she's delusional. She stops moving as the silver blade is pushed against her skin. The dark figures in the room talk, but her eyes are facing the ceiling and all she can do is wait. Wait for rescue, wait for pain, wait for death.
All of a sudden something loud smashes sending shards of glass everywhere. Bellatrix lets go. She feels blind. It's like slow motion and she is sure she'll hit the floor and smash her head on the dark tile. However, something catches her in strong, familiar arms.
And then she's awake because he is there. He's scared for her. And she's sobbing into his chest, breathing heavily, hands grabbing at him. He grips her just as tight, feeling the heat from her skin on his body. He gently strokes her curls. Inhaling, she notices Ron's strong scent and falls further into him, her fingers gripping his shirt like an escape from her nightmares. Hermione tries to speak, but nothing can express her terror and Ron holds her tighter to stop her from shaking.
"Just another nightmare, she's not here, I'm here. She's dead Hermione, she can't hurt you anymore, I won't let her."
He looks into her eyes, knowing she's going to be okay. He's lost in her and he knows he'll never awake from this trance of how beautiful she is to him. Even in her darkest moments, he is fascinated by her flawless skin and soft lips and dark curls. They lay in a soft silence in their bed, hearts beating together like they always do. His big arms circle her in a gentle protection whilst she calms down and his lips lay beside her left ear. She exhales heavily, as if coming out of the nightmare.
"Hey," she mumbles, her thick eyebrows creasing together as she pulls her sleeve over her terrible tattoo courtesy of Bellatrix Lestrange.
He pauses and breathes in sharply. "You okay now?"
"Yeah, oh god. God, I'm sorry." she says, moving to kiss his soft lips.
"It's not your fault 'Mione." he states with a little smile. He plants a long lingering kiss on her forehead.
"I love you. I love you. Oh, god."
He kisses her gently, nursing her back to the present. "I love you too, you're gonna be okay. We're going to be okay."
She runs her finger over her engagement ring, just to check it's still there like she always does. And all the while she stares at the ring, the ring which is on her finger where it had been loving placed. It was a time of happiness and freedom and new beginnings. Her mind is racing away but she can't help but be amazed by something so pretty, the way the light dances over the clear diamond casting tiny shadows everywhere. All she knows is that she has never felt so safe.