Saving Hermione Granger

Chapter 4

Hermione Granger

"Tarantallegra!" I cried. What was wrong with me? 'Tarantallegra'? 'Tarantallegra' was the first spell that came to mind when faced with death eaters? Oh I am so going to die during this war. I turned to face Fred, who was equally rooted to the spot, his wand held up at the last remaining death eater. The one I'd hit with my spell was tap-dancing. I knew Fred was going to laugh. I looked at him. He looked terrified.

Okay, maybe he'd laugh about this later.

I reached forward to pull him but there was an ear-splitting cry of "REDUCTO!" and another explosion that sent me one way and sent him the other. He skidded across the dirt, grunting as he tried to stop his fall. Leaves scattered as I slid in the opposite direction, falling on my side. My arm felt like it was burning, but I still quickly rolled onto my front and heard a loud "PROTEGO!" as the curse aimed at me bounced off the protective barrier. My eyes met Fred's for a moment before he nodded, and I got up, running in one direction.

"Damn it, Dolohov. Finite!" snapped the standing death eater. "Go. Get the mudblood."

I could only hope that Fred had gotten to his feet and was running as well. I sneeked a look behind me, and saw him running, a death eater quickly following.

"Impedimenta!" I cried at Dolohov, the death eater following me. Dolohov again. Really?

I ran as fast as I could, trying to avoid trees, avoid roots and avoid falling as I turned and cast more and more spells to slow Dolohov down. I could only hear his curses and ducked my head as either a tree took the damage or the spells whisked past me further into the forest.

"Incendio!"

I stopped with a quick rustle of the leaves as the three trees before me caught fire. The fire spread, turning into a fence, stopping me from going on. I turned to him, feeling the warmth of the fire and the burning in my throat and chest from the running. He was standing on one end, and he'd taken his mask off so I could see his face. He was almost grinning, but also grimacing. He was also very angry. He raised his wand with a jab, and screamed out to me.

"Avada -"

"Impedimenta!" I shouted like a student sputtering out an unsure answer. I'd said it before I could actually think out my plan. He went flying back across the ground, feeling the full impact of my spell. I turned towards the fire and muttered, "Aguamenti!" in a hurry, trying to put out the fire. It simmered down just as Dolohov was about to get up again, so I turned to him and shouted "Expelliarmus!"

But now was not the time for beginner's spells. Now was the time to escape. Yet it worked. His wand flew from his hand. He dove towards it, and I walked forward quickly, wand raised and murmured, "Petrificus totalus!"

He went as rigid as a board, and I picked up his wand. I looked down at him for a moment, then muttered, "Obliviate!" to make things a little harder for Dolohov, I suppose I could dump his wand somewhere he couldn't find it again. I ran, going back to where Fred and I had separated, hoping to Merlin and everyone that Fred was all right. Things were going well so far. We practiced spells, prepared for quick escapes and readied a plan up to find Harry and Ron. We even knew where they were now.

Which I suppose is the only good thing to come out of the death eaters coming over. I ran in the direction I believed Fred had, my breath coming out in short pants as I ran as fast as I could, not daring to stop and take a breath. I half-tripped and fell to my knees, but it didn't even faze me. I just stumbled back onto my feet and kept running, sending dirt flying as I skidded across the earth. I saw Fred at the lake again, cut off by the water, and the death eater. I threw aside Dolohov's wand, and raised my own towards the duel before me.

Fred was covered in dirt and sweating. He looked beaten and tired, but he still held his wand high as they duelled it out. Spells bounced off.

"Diffindo!"

My breath caught in my throat as the spell cut Fred across his right shoulder. Fresh blood began to leak. He bent to his right in pain, grimacing at the spell, and then tried to cast his own, whipping around wildly, the pain screwing up his aim and his casting.

"Stupe -"

"Impedimenta!"

"FRED!" I screamed at the same time.

The spell hit him square in the chest and he flew back, landing in the middle of the lake. He fell into the water, and when there was no splashing as he tried to resurface I felt my blood seemingly drop to my knees. The death eater turned to me. He still had his mask on, so I couldn't tell who he was. Or she. Or whatever. Everything in me was merely focused on Fred. He was in the water. Probably unconscious. He could drown. If that nasty cut didn't...

"Crucio -"

"Protego!" I cried at the same time. "Expulso!" I shouted desperately as the death eater made a half-swish movement. My poor aim hit the ground before the death eater, but it seemed to work just as well as he was blasted backwards by the force. "Petrificus totalus!" I added as I ran towards the edge of the lake. "Obliviate!" I said sharply, hitting the death eater straight in the mask. The mask disappeared then, revealing it to be MacNair. Not that it mattered anyway.

I turned to the lake and managed to spot Fred's floating form. Floating on his back. I could have exhaled in relief, but I was still shaken. The water look tainted under the light of the moon. There was a dark surrounding Fred and a dark liquid staining his clothes.

"Oh, God," I muttered. Blood. His blood. I pointed my wand at him. "Mobilicorpus!" I shouted. Fred began to float midair, the water and blood dripping back to the lake as I guided him to the ground. He landed softly enough, and I bent down, checking his wound. He was bleeding too much. Even in the dark, blood still looked so red and black and scary. I'd never seen someone bleed this much. It left me feeling pale, sick and frightened. Close to shattered.

I could see my hand tremble as I held my wand to Fred's wound.

"Episkey."

Nothing.

Some of the blood disappeared, but the wound was just as stretched as ever, and just as deep.

"Oh, God," I said again, a sob escaping my mouth involutarily. I gripped onto Fred and held on hard, apparating.

He was just as unconscious as he had begun when we arrived. It was dark. We were about a good mile away from the actual site of the Quidditch World Cup a few years ago. Fred was so pale. Oh no. No. No.

"Rennerverate!" I cried, pointing my wand at him. Nothing. There was a flash but he didn't wake up. "Damn it, Fred - Rennerverate!"

I could feel my heart beating against my chest in fear. No. No. Don't let him die. Is he still breathing? Yes. Yes he is. He'll be - oh, God. Too much blood. Too much. Fred. Please, please, please, please. Don't let him die. Don't let him die. The Weasleys would never forgive me. I would never forgive me.

"FRED!" I screamed at him, shaking his arm. I could feel tears springing to my eyes. I didn't even bother to wipe them away. I leaned in forward, pulling my hair back and listened to his breathing. It was coarse, but it was there. He was alive.

Oh, God. Thank you. He was alive.

Seriously injured. Bleeding a lot. But he was alive.

I needed dittany. I needed medicines. I needed. Oh, God. I didn't even know what I needed. I just needed Fred. He was what I needed.

What I needed was Fred to be all right. Awake. I could not be left alone. I could not be left alone. Fred.

I took off the bag and tried to calm myself down. I needed to think straight. I needed to be calm to be able to help him. I opened the bag, and said quickly, "Accio First Aid Kit."

I needed to steralize the wound. That's what they taught in Health, right? Screw this. I didn't take Health. No. I took Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts. No. I didn't have anything that could teach me what to do if your friend is seriously injured and not waking up when you cast the damn 'Rennerverate' spell! Nothing. NOTHING.

I inhaled deeply, opening the kit with my trembling fingers and pulling out some cotton and a bottle of rubbing alcohol.

I dabbed some onto the cotton, feeling the excess liquid fall onto my fingers, which had small cuts on them from the chase and the fight. I hissed as the alcohol mixed with the exposed flesh, and thought for a moment about the pain Fred would soon feel. A hundred times worse, given his wound. But it needed to be done.

It might even wake -

"OW!"

Fred Weasley ressurected.

"OW! WHAT THE - HERMIONE? Hermione?"

I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him on the top of his head. His left arm came around my neck as he hugged me lightly.

"AH. WHY DOES THIS HURT SO MUCH? WHAT DID YOU -"

"Rubbing alcohol. I don't have dittany. Fred. We need to either get you some dittany, or I'm going to have to stitch you up -"

"YOU ARE NOT STITCHING ME UP!" he screamed, feeling the pain of the rubbing alcohol slip through his wound. He gasped for air, and sucked it in before lowering his voice. I was trembling again. Wait, no, I never did stopped trembling, now did I... "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Just. ARRGGHHH."

"Stop screaming!" I screamed at him. Not my brightest moment, but I was panicking. "I need to clean up the wound. I'm sorry, sorry, sorry -"

"ARGHHHH!" He screamed, his teeth gritted together and his scream coming out muffled as I cleaned through his wound, the blood disappearing off his skin and wound and onto my hands, clothes and the cotton. "Hermione!" Another muffled shout. I held him close as I rubbed at the last of the exposed wound. He was breathing harshly, his head leaning against my shoulder as I half-cradled him and half-cleaned his wound. I could hear his breath coming out of his mouth, hoarse. Dry. Parched. I tried my best to hold on my own sobs. Fred was frantic, I was frantic. I could not bear to be the weak one here. Not when he was always so strong for me.

"Accio water bottle!" I said, picking up my wand and pointing it at the bag. A water bottle flew from inside it to my hand and I opened it clumsily, spilling a bit on myself as I held it up to Fred's mouth. "Drink. Fred."

"No. Too much pain. Damned rubbing alcohol."

"Drink. Please."

"Hermione -"

"Fred, please!" I know I sounded desperate. I just needed him to drink it. He needed water in this situation, right? Was that part of this Health class I never took? He surrendered and took a few weak sips, before leaning his head fully onto my shoulder, closing his eyes as he tried to calm his frantic heart beat and his frantic breathing. He reached out for my hand and grasped it loosely. I held on, bending my head on top of his. After a few moments of him trying to steady his breathing and me trying to steady my heart, I said quietly, "I need to bandage you up, Fred."

"No. Don't let go," he murmured weakly, holding onto my hand tightly. His eyes were tightly shut as he jerked slightly against the stinging pains.

"Just let me put the bandage on."

I shifted away from under his weight and laid him lightly on the ground, his head resting on my lap. His eyes were now just half-shut and his chest raised and fell sharply with every breath. "Accio kit."

The kit flew into my hands and I pulled out a bandage and some scissors. I ripped his shirt open with a quick and balanced "Diffindo!" and spread the now useless flaps to the side as I bandaged his wound the best I could, but even I knew he really needed dittany. The cut was too deep, and there were small blots of blood forming on the bandage. He needed dittany. The panic was beginning to rise inside me again.

He was already half-asleep when I tucked the kit away and held onto his hand again. He shifted slightly, his eyes opening tiredly to look at me.

"I won't let go," I swore.

"Love...you..." he grinned sloppily.

My heart jumped at that point. Literally. Organs and all. Okay, maybe not literally. I guess he was feeling confused. Or on a high from the wound. But he was grinning like an idiot as his eyes shut slowly and he drifted off to sleep. "Accio blankets."

We were lucky to be set up near one of trees. I leaned backwards to get more comfortable, my hand still holding onto his. Fred was all I had now. All that was sure and there and concrete. I maneuvered the blankets to cover him most, now with his exposed chest and everything. He needed to keep as warm as possible. I would have gotten out the tent, but I don't think my legs could do with me standing at the moment. Let alone could I do with letting go him. I did swear that I wouldn't.

"Accio bag," I said softly, the bag coming to rest next to me. And then I held my wand up with my free hand and started trailing off protective spells.

I felt my fingers intertwine with Fred's. Thank Merlin for Fred. Fred, who was kind and let me soak off my problems for a week.

"Salvio hexia."

Fred, who said all those nice things. Fred, who looked like it hurt him when I cried. Fred, who held onto me in that closet as I wallowed.

"Protego totalum."

Fred Weasley, and not Fred of the Weasley Twins. Fred the individual. The one who was imaginative and impressive. The one who was more than what I'd known.

"Repello Muggletum."

Fred, who could make me see what was good in me, especially when I was feeling so desperate and broken. Fred, who thought I was gorgeous at the ball, but beautiful and pretty every day.

"Muffliato."

Fred, who could make me laugh. Fred, who could make me feel safe.

I looked down at him, and cast a hot-air charm to warm his clothes so he wouldn't catch a cold.

Oh, Merlin.

"I think I'm falling for you," I whispered to him. Then I leaned my head back against the tree, and closed my eyes.

Fred Weasley

"Er..." I mumbled as I opened my eyes. I could see now. It was daylight. But there was a shadow above me, and I felt a wet cloth touch my forehead. "'Mione -" I grunted.

"FRED!" she shrieked, hugging me, even though it was difficult since I was lying on the ground. She looked so tired when she pulled up. She was pale and there were dark circles under her beautiful eyes. I reached up to touch her face, my hand barely coming in contact with it, but she took it in her own and bent downwards so I could cup her cheek. She was crying then.

"Tears of happiness, love?" I said quietly, a lazy grin on my face.

"You have no idea," she said under her breath. I wanted her to lean in then and kiss me. I was a seriously injured man. I could still feel the numbing pains. I could still feel light stinging. I could also feel a sickly feeling in my stomach. And chills running up my back. I let my hand slide down, and Hermione picked up her wet cloth again, lowering it to my forehead once again. I could tell there was something more there. Well, there was something more from my end atleast. I just loved looking at her.

She was smiling slightly, before she raised her arm and wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"You almost -"

"But I didn't."

"But you might've -"

"But I didn't, Hermione."

She gave me a big smile then, so filled with affection.

"Lie with me, will you?"

She slid down next to me after discarding the basin she'd filled with water. We were in the tent then. I'd just realized as I looked above me and so no sky. Blimey, she was right. It was tiny. She laid down next to me, and wiped the side of my face with the cloth.

"You were great," I said.

"You didn't even see me fight."

"Well, I'm alive, aren't I?" I said simply.

"That's a technicality," she murmured sadly. "We need to get you some dittany, Fred. Rubbing alcohol and bandages won't do it."

"We will, don't worry."

"But where?"

About five houses ran past my mind at that point. There was the Burrow (not if I wanted to keep the family safe), Grimmauld Place 12 (too big a possibility of death eaters and I wasn't going to leave Hermione to fight them off alone), Aunt Muriel's (don't even get me started), Hermione's house (equally impossible) and - "Mad-Eyes!" I cried in triumph.

Hermione looked at me uneasily. "I don't know, Fred...it's...well, it's Mad-Eye's."

"Do you have any other place we could go to then?"

She turned so that she was on her back, and stared at the top of the tent.

"I want to check Grimmauld. They could still be -"

"I know, love, I know."

She smiled then stifled a yawn. "I'm so tired."

"Haven't you been sleeping?"

"Barely. I've been watching over you mostly. You've been out for two days, Fred -"

"Two days?"

"Two days." She turned to me again, and I could see her eyes and I could tell how frightened she must have been. "I was so...I was afraid I'd done something wrong."

"You saved me, 'Mione. I'm not complaining."

"I just...Fred," she said quietly, coming so close my chin rested on top of her head. "I don't want to lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere," I murmured after a moment. She gripped onto my shirt, and I held onto her with my good hand. We stayed like that for a while, her holding onto my shirt and me running my hand through her hair softly.

"Hermione," I began.

"Hmm?"

"Let's try Grimmauld. Just incase Harry and Ron are there. Today."

She looked up at me then like she'd just realized something about me, then she beamed. "We could apparate a block away from the house and try our luck at getting near. Just try to see what's going on. A good visual on the death eaters."

"You're just full of plans, aren't you? I suppose that if we could get that little mind of yours to work on making pranks -"

"Fred?"

"Yeah?" I said, stopping my earlier derailment of thought. She bent down, and kissed me on the cheek again.

"Don't die," she said.

It felt like she was telling me something very personal. Like she was sharing her deepest darkest fears with me. When she leaned away, I could see in her eyes that she was pleading. I smiled at her.

"Never," I said. It sounded like an absurd response, but she needed to hear it and I needed to say it. And I did plan on keeping my end up to the very last string of my lifeline.

She stood up then, and helped me up until we were outside and she let me sit on the grass while she began packing away with her wand. She turned to me, and I gave her a supportive wave, my wand hanging from my hand loosely.

She turned to me, a plan already formulated. A few minutes later we were just as she said we would be - a block away from Grimmauld. Hermione placed a cap on my head, covering my face, and wore a hooded sweater. She gave me a quick hug before leaving me at the corner and walking towards Grimmauld Place 11 and 13. There were, indeed, two death eaters there. I could recognize them from where I was. One of them was definitely related to Crabbe, and the other to Goyle. Hermione turned her head slightly to me before there was a faint pop and she was gone.

She'd apparated to the top step and made her way into the house in a flash. I saw the least of a flash of her sneakers, but the death eaters barely flinched. I was able to breathe after that, and began counting the seconds until she'd return.

Her plan was to enter and search for Harry and Ron. Then she'd come back and bring me in with her. She was only suppose to be in for about five minutes, she told me. So when six minutes passed, I began panicking a little. What if the death eaters had already gotten into Grimmauld Place 12, and were waiting for people to come in? People like Hermione?

Merlin, please...no.

I kept my visual on the place, waiting for her to return. Then there was a pop and three figures came in with a violent apparition. I recognized one as another death eater, Yaxley. The other two caused my heart to drop.

Harry, who was violently trying to shake Yaxley off.

And Ron, my baby brother Ron, who was slowly drifting off and bleeding.

A/N: Review, guys?

P.S. - Song playing in the background as I write these chapters? - 30 SECONDS TO MARS: Kings and Queens

Oh, and I didn't make up any of the spells. They're all from either the books or the movies.