I knelt down beside Harry. His face was ghostly white, and he wasn't moving. I gulped, remembering when Professor McGonagall had been stunned. She had been hit by four Stunning spells straight to the chest, and she hadn't been exactly that young. Well, Harry was, considerably, younger than McGonagall, but 9 Stunning Spells? That might've been enough to cause some serious damage.

While I fussed over him, Ron and the new boy-we had forgotten to ask his name, fought the attackers. I was surprised at how ready the new boy seemed, how confidently he attacked the people who had Stunned Harry.

Ron was amazing. He shot a Disarming spell at the man nearest him, and the man's wand flew high into the air and, extending an arm, he caught it and threw it to the new boy, who had amazingly good reflexes. Since his sword was on the grass, where he couldn't reach it, he used the wand Ron had thrown him to repeatedly hit the man he was attacking.

If Ron was amazing, he was nothing compared to the new boy. His enemy slashed with his wand, the sort of wand movement I had seen Dolohov make before he knocked me down at the Ministry of Magic-Department of Mysteries, nearly killing me. I pulled my wand out, but the new boy was ready. He was actually quite strong, grabbing the wizard he was attacking and hit him hard on the face and shoulders with the wand, which emitted a few green sparks.

I, meanwhile, was tending to Harry. While he was obviously much more damage-resistant than Professor McGonagall, the combined spells might have been powerful enough to cause some harm. His chest was barely rising, and his face was awfully pale, as pale as it had been after his disastrous Occlumency lessons with Snape.

I felt his forehead. It was very warm, which was certainly not a good sign.

I tried very hard to recall what my mother had repetitively told me: When your patient has a very high fever, make him or her drink plenty of fluids, place a cool cloth on his/her forehead to lower his/her temperature, but before all of those, take his/her temperature first. I didn't have a thermometer, so I couldn't take his temperature, and there was only one way for me to be able to procure a cool cloth. I'd be forced to Summon it from the nearest village.

With a heavy sigh, I whispered, "Accio ice cubes" and "Accio clean cloth" hurriedly, then, with a sinking feeling in my chest that had nothing to do with the fact that one of my best friends was possibly injured badly, I watched the Summoned items rise up into the air and land gently on the grass at my feet. I felt strange. I had broken wizarding law. I had exposed Muggles to magic. I had violated the International code of Wizarding Secrecy. But then, my friend was wounded, perhaps badly. I couldn't be sure.

I wrapped the ice cubes with the clean cloth I had summoned, and placed it on Harry's forehead. Then, checking that he was fine, other than having been knocked unconscious by no less than 9 stunners straight to the chest, or anywhere near it, I joined the fight.

The new boy had somehow got his sword back, but that was quite impossible. I didn't know how he did it, because his bronze sword was at least four yards away, a fair distance, and though I knew fighting his opponents would have prevented him from diving for it, I didn't dwell on the thought. I had my enemies to face and beat.

I put a Disillusionment Charm on myself and watched my body disappear. Then I joined the boys.

The feeling of being able to fight in a battle was wondrous. I brandished my wand (not caring that it could be seen) and shot a Stunning spell at the man in front of me, and he toppled over, not knowing who had hit him. Shooting a Full-Body Bind curse at the man nearest him, I marched on, not looking back at the man I had just attacked and saving Ron from the hooded figure who was attempting to Stun him. He whirled around and saw my wand floating in midair, realizing what was happening, who was behind it, and yelled.

"HERMIONE! YOU STAY OUT OF THIS BATTLE THIS INSTANT-"

Ron's voice was drowned by the man behind him yelling, "AVADA KED-"

Instantly, I shrieked out in alarm and Stunned the man before he could finish the spell. Ron looked confused for a moment, and then he grinned.

"Nice one."

And with that, he turned away, continuing to fight. I sighed, and pointed my wand at the hooded figure preparing to cast the new boy.

"STUPEFY!"

He toppled to the ground, not knowing who had attacked him. But the only one left, the meanest-looking one of all, Stunned the new boy, who fell to the ground with a dull thump. And then it hit me. These people were Death Eaters stationed in the Burrow. They were instructed to kill us, not Harry. And they'd stop at nothing to snatch Harry out of our hands.

The shock of finally understanding what was in store for Harry froze me in place. I thought that it was shock making my legs unable to move, but realized, as my eyes traveled to Ron, that both of us had been hit by the Full Body-Bind Curse, so that the lone Death Eater on his feet (whom I suspected might be Antonin Dolohov) could come and collect Harry.

My eyes could only watch as one of my best friends, together with the Death Eater, Side-Disapparated, unconsciously. I couldn't even scream, because my jaws were locked tight together. I couldn't reach out my hands to try to pull him back, because they were paralyzed like stone.

It felt like hours, but finally I could move.

Ron and I collapsed at the ground, me sobbing, he cursing. The new boy was still unconscious.

Finally, Ron ended his series of curses-some of which were new to me-and spoke to me. "You don't think that-that Harry's in big trouble, right?" His voice was slightly hoarse.

I couldn't answer him. My tears prevented me from opening my mouth and forcing out a reply.

"C'mon, Hermione. Let's wake the new bloke up and Disapparate to Malfoy Manor, I heard my attacker yell that they were due there today. Why-what's wrong with my plan?" he asked, because at the mention of Malfoy Manor, I shook my head.

"We have to wait for the new boy to wake up," I said.

"Just point your wand at him and say Rennervate. Come on now, Hermione, you can't possibly care for that guy more than you do for Harry, right?"

"No! Let him rest!" I began, but Ron interrupted me, as he always does.

"Do you know what's in store for Harry? With You-Know-Who out to kill Harry? We'll only have hours left to save him!"

I couldn't argue with him, so I took my wand out, (I had placed it inside my pocket subconsciously) pointed it at the new boy's chest, and whispered "Rennervate." His eyes opened slowly, slightly unfocused. His green eyes were almost like Harry's, but this new boy looked like he was born a warrior.

"Where's that guy?" he asked us.

Tears filled my eyes, and I turned away, hearing Ron's low voice telling the new boy about what awaited Harry. I couldn't bear the truth, because somewhere in England or Scotland, I knew that Harry Potter was being held prisoner.

"So, let's Apparate towards Malfoy Manor. Should take us only a couple of seconds to get there. C'mon," Ron ended, offering his arm for the new boy to take, about the first good thing he had done for the newcomer.

"What's your name again?" I asked.

"Percy Jackson," he muttered, dropping his gaze and pretending to be interested in a gnome, which was peeking at him beside a bush at his feet.

"Percy-like my brother," mumbled Ron.

"What?" asked the new boy I had now come to know as Percy. "What-you have a brother named Percy?"

"Never you mind," said Ron roughly. "Are we going to the manor or not?"

"Of course," we echoed, "we're going."

And, grasping each other's hands, we Disapparated and spun into darkness once more.

Nothing – no one noticed us as we materialized out of thin air. We landed behind two large trees that were more than enough able to hide us all, even the two boys with me, who were so tall I felt like a dwarf next to them.

"Right, so we sneak out of here and try to rescue Harry. You, Percy, you take this." Ron thrust a sharp rock to him, which Percy caught, looking stunned at his stupid-looking weapon. "Oh yeah, I forgot your sword," said Ron absentmindedly. "Give it back to me, then."

"Where's the Invisibility Cloak?" I asked Ron.

"In your beaded bag, remember?"

I took my beaded bag, which I had stuffed inside my pockets, and opened it. Not bothering to grope around for the Cloak, I Summoned it and took it.

"Wow! Does it really make you invisible?"

I had forgotten that Percy was there, and that he didn't know much about our world. He was looking at the Cloak with fervent admiration. I nodded, and pulled it over ourselves. Since we were sitting down, every part of our bodies was covered by the cloak.

"Okay, so let's creep towards the manor, and mind you keep quiet or we'll most certainly die."

"Is that likely?" asked Percy, raising his eyebrows.

"Not really. Hermione likes to exaggerate a bit." Ron grinned at Percy.

"RON!"

"Okay, okay. So let's stay silent and make up another plan if our first plan fails along the way. Percy, you bring up the rear. I'll be in front, and Hermione, you stay between us. Any objections?" We didn't bring up any.

We shuffled as silently as we could, the three of us stooping in order for our feet not to be seen. Ron lit his wand, and I did, too. Percy took his sword (which, he had explained, always returned to his pocket, even when he lost it) and lifted it, casting a bronze glow on us. Together, we made a good team, I thought dryly.

We crept towards the garden, from which we heard a good deal of noise. What I saw made me feel faintly sick.

Harry was being dragged, blood staining the front of his robes, by none other than Fenrir Greyback. He looked rather older, his face more heavily lined and his hair resembling that of an old man's. I recalled Harry describing him as "that bloke who bit Lupin", and knew Lupin had described him as "probably the most savage werewolf alive in the world today." If those were true, then Harry was in trouble.

I was about to whisper to Ron that we needed a backup plan, when he silenced me with a wave of his hand, nonverbally casting the Silencing charm on Percy and I.

"It's been what, ten years since the Dark Lord vanished, and we haven't found a trace of him at all. Are you sure, Selywn, that he will return to us?"

"Yes, yes, I am. Are you not, Travers?"

Ron looked ashen-faced at this. "So these people are Death Eaters. But why are they talking about Voldemort vanishing ten years ago? I thought he was in control of everything in Britain?"

I couldn't answer him, as he had just silenced me, so I just shrugged my shoulders-normally what a boy would have done.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about the ruddy Silencing charm." And with a flick of his wand, he removed the charm from us.

Percy interrupted us. "So what?" he asked, not quite bothering to keep his voice down. Suddenly, everything – even the birds – was quite quiet. I held my breath.

"I heard something, I swear! I think it's Potter's friends!"

"Your ears haven't been right since that we blew up that old warehouse at Dufftown, Yaxley. Or is it your old age that's getting to you?"

"I'll prove myself right, Avery. Homenum Revelio!"

I had that odd sensation again that something-most probably an eagle- was swooping low over us, and I looked up, feeling my body immersed in shadow. Yaxley gave a yell of glee and turned towards his fellow Death Eaters.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" he bellowed. "Attack them!"

And with that, all hell broke loose.

"PROTEGO!" I cried out instinctively, and instantly a shield appeared in front of us, deflecting spells, but I knew it wouldn't stop them from coming at us. I heard Ron do the same, and felt a little braver.

We charged, together. I had to remove my Shield Charm over us and cast another one around myself, for me to be able to move forward. I hoped Ron was thinking about casting one on himself and Percy. The Death Eater I thought was Antonin Dolohov made the same slashing movement he had done to me years ago, but it was repelled by my Shield Charm, and it backfired on him, hitting him straight in the chest, and he fell over, unmoving and unconscious. I didn't stop to see if he was alive.

"RON!" I bellowed. That gave time for a Death Eater – possibly Avery, though his face was in shadow, so I couldn't be sure – to try to aim a spell at him, but I shot a Full Body-Bind at him, and he went down, as had so many of his comrades.

Percy fought like a hero. He deflected curses with his sword, which when hit made the spells bounce back harmlessly. I didn't realize his Celestial Bronze sword (which he had told us about) could do that.

The Death Eater fighting him was a hooded figure wearing robes of purest black, and his hood fell back as Percy was fighting him. He was Rodolphus Lestrange, husband of the late Bellatrix Lestrange, who had once tried to kill me.

"WHERE IS BELLATRIX?" he screamed, pointing his wand at Percy. Percy raised an eyebrow and answered him, somehow sarcastically.

"Well, I don't know who she is, but isn't she the lover of that vampire with sparkly skin? Sorry dude, but you do NOT look like that guy. What was his name? Edmund? Annabeth hates that series so much; she tells me a million reasons why it sucks. Okay, judging from the look on your face, she is NOT Bella-whatever-her-name-really-is. Hey, hey – no need to be violent!" he added, as Rodolphus let out a roar that could be heard by us duelers and flicked his wand towards Percy, conjuring a silver sword and attempting to put it past his sword and into his body. He deflected it easily, though.

"Wow, dude, you are seriously someone who has anger issues. Calm down, man."

Rodolphus looked far from pleased.

"DON'T YOU DARE INSULT MY WIFE!" he screamed again, his face looking like a fierce lion. Percy drew back, looking apprehensive.

"Okay, I didn't know she was your wife – no kidding with the past tense; you look like you've just killed her – hey, I was joking!" he yelled desperately as a jet of green light flew past his head and set the tree it hit on fire. Percy raised an arm, and closed his eyes, during which Rodolphus miraculously didn't try to fight him, and suddenly the water in the pond nearby rose, and seemed to douse the tree on fir, until the fire died out.

"PERCY!" I screamed, fear dripping into my voice. "He was aiming to kill you! Don't just stand there! Move!"

He dived out of the way just as another jet of green light hit the brush beside him, narrowly missing him.

I cast a Disillusionment Charm on Percy, so that he turned nearly invisible. I was about to do the same with Ron, but he was nowhere to be seen, and I had no choice but to move on.

Quite conveniently, I chose that time to turn back to my opponent, one of whom was pointing at Ron, who had reappeared suddenly, and, from the looks on their faces, looked ready to kill him. I whispered Diffindo, pointing my wand at his wand, which snapped into two, having been severed by my Severing charm. He bellowed in rage, but I had the Invisibility Cloak on myself, the two boys having dived out of it to fight our enemies bravely, and leaving me there, struggling to remove my own Shield Charm before going into battle.

I didn't care if he saw me or not. I had spotted Harry lying far from the battlefield, where so many had fallen, and he was flanked by Greyback, Nott, Scabior the former Snatcher, Crabbe Sr., and Goyle Sr.,. How we had escaped the Death Eaters in the coffee shop in Tottenham Court Road, I still remembered. However, Greyback interrupted my train of thoughts.

"He's stubborn, Potter is. Won't answer to anything I ask him. Of course, that was before the dose of pain."

"So he was awake, then? Or did you use the Rennervate spell on him?"

"Y' all know how I act. Surely you know what I must have done?"

I caught my breath. Greyback spoke of torturing Harry in a seemingly offhand way. Harry had been awake, but somehow had fallen unconscious again, possibly due to his new injuries.

In the moment, though, I had more pressing things to worry about. He looked white as a sheet, and his breaths were shallow and irregular. There was a pool of blood beside him, and I was certain that blood was continually staining the front of his robes, meaning he had a chest wound. I felt my insides squirming as I imagined what Greyback must have done to him to make him look and behave that way, even when unconscious. Plus, I had no idea on how I would rescue him. Ron and Percy were still back there, fighting off the hordes of Death Eaters intent on killing them, which meant that nobody was there to help me.

I walked away silently, hoping that nobody heard my footsteps or performed the Human- Revealing Spell again. To my surprise, no one ever did.

I crouched behind a rock large enough to cover three people and listened to their conversation intently.

"Dark Lord won't come back," I heard Crabbe say. "Won't tell you how many times I've pressed the bleeding Mark; he didn't come at all."

"No, no, Crabbe, you are being ignorant! Which you are, already, but should have had the sense not to show it in public. The Dark Lord will come back, and this time, though Bellatrix and Snape – the bloody traitor the latter was – are both dead, along with Karkaroff, another traitor, Rosier, and whoever else died for the Dark Lord, we Death Eaters will be rewarded with the best rewards one can truly hope to receive! Of course, you might not receive that one, Crabbe, considering your attitude. Carry on with that, and woe be gone you when the Dark Lord returns."

"He won't be able to kill any of my family; they're all dead. The Dark Lord won't be able to carry on without us."

"How about your wife, Crabbe? You murdered her?"

"She was being disobedient." Crabbe growled.

"D' ya hear me complainin'? Didn't , ah, know your wife. Y' all know I'm a new Death Eater."

"Shut up, Scabior. You're not new. It's been, what, ten years since you've been branded with the bleeding Mark?"

"Merlin's socks," muttered Scabior, but otherwise remained silent.

"You, Greyback, why don't we revive out dear little friend here?" Nott asked.

He didn't wait for an answer, whipping out his wand and muttering the spell he was planning on using on Harry before I could react. Within seconds, my best friend was awake. At least he isn't really hurt, I thought.

"Vermin, where's the Dark Lord?"

I risked a glance at him. Even from this distance, I could see Harry's eyes, which were slightly unfocused and bleary. I was worried a bit about my safety, knowing that the Death Eaters could overpower me within seconds. Then I remembered I was invisible.

"I don't know," he said heatedly.

Goyle was staring at Greyback, asking for a solution. Greyback, however, smiled.

"Perhaps another dose of pain? CRUCIO!"

Harry writhed on the ground, biting his lip hard so as not to scream. Somehow, I felt that he had sensed me looking at him, and decided to try not to worry me and not give the Death Eaters the satisfaction of torturing him. The sight of him being tortured like that, and still acting brave, sickened me. I was about to charge into battle when a voice behind me said, "Going somewhere?"

I turned around. "Who are you?" I didn't see anyone at all.

"Surely you know me?"

Now I recognized him. It was Percy, all right, and he was under the Disillusionment Charm.

"Where's Ron?"

"Still there. I think he's unconscious."

"Well then, why did you leave him there?"

"I wanted to help you, but never mind then. Hey, who's making all this noise?" he asked, for it seemed as if Harry had finally cracked and screamed for the pain to stop. Suddenly, he made a sound of disgust and horror.

"We have to help him," he said to me urgently. I nodded my head frantically, then realized he couldn't see me. "Get under the Cloak. We need a plan – quickly." He got under the Cloak as I had requested, and I saw that his face bore an expression similar to a person witnessing a murder before his very eyes.

I whispered to him my plan, and he agreed. "But wait, I don't know how he sounds like–"

"Here. Drink this." I thrust at him a bottle that I had got from my bag.

"What's this?"

"Fred's and George's Voice-Changing Elixirs. I think I have to tap your throat with my wand and say, 'Voldemort'."

"Okay, okay."

He drank it, and I watched nervously as he did, shuddering.

"What does it taste like?"

"Never mind. So do I sound like Voldemort?"

He did. His voice had become high and cold, just like Voldemort. The only danger was that he might slip an American term and ruin the whole "Voldemort" plan.

"Now get ready. When I say go–" I murmured.

The Death Eaters were still torturing Harry. The sound of his screams drove me forward. I looked at Percy, and somehow I felt that he was looking at me back, even when I couldn't see him.

Then I whispered, "Go!" and felt him slip out from underneath the Cloak.

"Death Eaters, stop."

The effect was instantaneous. Greyback stopped torturing Harry, looking around for the source of Voldemort's voice wildly. Nott looked bewildered.

"Where are you, my Lord?"

"I choose not to reveal myself to you, my faithless Death Eaters. Do you have any objections, deluded ones?"

"No, no, my Lord. We only seek to appease you."

"Please me by turning your backs on the boy. Haven't I told you that I, and only I, shall be the one who will lay a finger on him? Or have you forgotten the things I have told you in the years since our last meeting?"

"My Lord, we haven't forgotten anything, my Lord, please forgive us for anything we have done wrong!"

"Be quiet," Percy hissed venomously, still imitating Voldemort, for Nott's voice had risen to a scream. "Turn away from the boy. Close your eyes."

They did as he asked them to do, turning away from Harry, who was unconscious once more, and closed their eyes.

Nonverbally, I cast the Stunning Spell at each of them, Nott first, then Greyback, then Crabbe Sr., then Scabior, then finally Goyle Sr., who was easily the stupidest. He leapt foolishly and tried to look for the person who had Stunned his companions before my silent Stunning spell hit him in the chest. He fell and hit the ground.

"Where are you?" I screamed, scanning the surroundings for Percy.

"Over here," he called back, some thirty yards away from me, on my right side. I removed the Disillusionment Charm I had placed on him, and he reappeared. "Help me carry Harry."

It turned out that carrying Harry was a piece of cake, or at least it was, because Percy helped me to. He didn't weigh as much as most boys did, and I saw Percy looking surprised at the new piece of information. Together, we carried him towards the battlefield.

Ron was just beginning to wake up. Lying on the ground, with a few cuts on his face, nothing worse, he groaned, and opened his eyes when we got to him. "Did you get Harry?" he muttered, clutching his chest as he spoke, and grimacing slightly.

I caught sight of his chest, and immediately felt nauseated. There was a wound there that definitely needed healing. I hadn't noticed it at all until he had clutched his chest.

"Ron, stay with me!" I shouted, because Ron's eyes were closing, and his breaths were shallow. His face was devoid of color, which greatly worried me. I knelt at his side and unbuttoned his shirt. The sight which greeted me made me gasp.

There was a deep wound in his chest, right where his right lung was. My hands were trembling and my eyes starting to wet, but I tried to maintain a calm demeanor as I opened my beaded bag and Summoned the bottle I had labeled as "Essence of Dittany". I took a Healer's kit from it and cleaned the wound.

After cleaning it, I opened the bottle and poured some of the dittany on it, seeing it close immediately, and turned my attention to Harry, whose face was surpassing white and turning gray.

It turned out he had the same wounds as Ron did, but in his case, it was much worse, since his wounds were closer to the heart than Ron's were, and just as deep, too, so that might have caused some internal damage. However, I was no Muggle doctor nor anything like Madam Pomfrey, so I could only clean the wound and pour essence of dittany on it, watching the skin regrow and practically close the wound.

It was silent for a while. Percy had watched me heal the boys, not making a sound at all until I had finished.

"Don't you think that we should protect ourselves?"

"Oh, right. Salvio Hexia, Cave Iminicum, Protego Totalum, Muffliato, Repello Muggletum –" My voice trailed on.

"Thanks for the reminder. You were a good fighter back there," I said, and turned my back on him.

I got the tent out of my bag, and erected it. I lifted the boys into their bunks by using a Hover Charm, and finally embraced my tiredness.

"Could you take first watch?" I asked Percy. He nodded.

"Wake me up if Harry and Ron will wake up already, will you, Percy?" I asked him.

"Yes," he replied.

Then I sank into my bed, my pillows waiting for me, and I slept, oblivious to whatever was happening around me, and sinking into my sweet dreams.