The moment Hermione saw Draco entering the hospital wing, she felt a strong wave of relief wash over her. She couldn't remember ever being as worried about anyone, including the awful time in fourth year when Harry had been entered into the Triwizard Tournament. Not even than compared to how worried she'd been about Draco, therefore the relief was so much more potent. All Hermione wanted to do was rush over and wrap Draco in her arms, but she had enough presence of mind to shoot him a quick, relieved smile as she checked the Slytherins off her list and settle them down on some spare beds.

Harry and Ron had entered the room slightly behind the Slytherins, so Hermione made her way over to them. In the last half hour students and Professors had been returning to school, and she'd been waiting for the people she cared about to return. However, she'd kept her focus and had everything under control at Hogwarts so the staff could tend to the wounded as they made their way back to the castle.

"How are things down there?" Hermione asked after she'd given Harry and Ron a hug.

"Awful," Ron answered. "But there's just Dumbledore and a couple of Professors down there now. The Ministry have finally shown up, and they looked to be taking over."

"That's not right," Hermione said with a frown as she consulted her lists. "We've still got three students unaccounted for. Zacharias Smith, Colin Creevey and Joanne Masters."

"Who's Joanne Masters?" Harry asked.

"Fourth year Ravenclaw," Hermione replied. "A couple of her friends arrived with one of the earlier batches of students, and according to them she was right behind them as they ran into the pub. However, once they were in the pub there was no sign of her and then they were trapped in there."

"I better go and tell someone about this Joanne girl," Harry said, before he darted off to find a member of staff.

"What about Zacharias and Colin?" Hermione called as Harry disappeared in the crowds.

"Zacharias is dead," Ron said softly, as he placed a comforting hand on Hermione's arm.

"And Colin?" Hermione whispered as she blinked back tears. Even though she wasn't overly keen on Zacharias, he'd still been someone she went to school with, and he was just a seventeen year old boy, he didn't deserve to die.

"He was trapped in the pub when it exploded," Ron answered. "Professor Flitwick stayed with him and tried to protect the pair of them. We just have to wait and see if they survived."

"That's so awful," Hermione gasped, praying that both Colin and Flitwick emerged from their ordeal.

"Yes, it is," Ron said with a nod.

Before Hermione had any more chance to digest what was happening, Madam Pomfrey called for her help. Making her way through the crowded hospital wing, Hermione reached the medi-witch's side, where Madam Pomfrey told her the plan. Those who weren't injured were to go down to The Great Hall and stay with the other students, while people with smaller injuries were to remain in the hospital wing and the serious injuries were to be transferred to St Mungo's. It was Hermione's job to make sure comprehensive lists were made of where each student was so that no-one would be lost.

For the next hour, Hermione worked solidly, making sure people were where they ought to be. In that time Harry returned with the missing Ravenclaw, who'd fallen over and twisted her ankle so had hid underneath some boxes in Honeydukes back yard. Pansy, who'd yet to wake up, was transferred to St Mungo's, while Draco and Millicent remained in the hospital wing for further treatment. As for the other Slytherins, they were sent down to The Great Hall, where the elves had started to provide food. Harry and Ron also headed down to The Great Hall, while Hermione stayed and help deal with the injuries in the hospital wing. Once the students had been treated they were either settled in a bed for the rest of the day, or they could also head down to The Great Hall.

By pure coincidence, Hermione was the one assigned to tend Draco, and when she saw his jacket and shirt had both been burnt she was suddenly worried about what her boyfriend had been through. As she helped him remove the jacket and shirt so she could treat his burns, he quickly gave her the low-down on what had happened. Hermione was horrified when he mentioned that he'd twice went into the pub after it was on fire, but she had to admire his courage. Not a lot of people would have risked their life to try and help others.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Hermione whispered as she finished bandaging her boyfriend's shoulder. "I was so worried."

"Join the club," Draco replied. "That was the scariest experience of my life, and one I don't want to repeat."

"I could live without another day like today," Hermione agreed, handing Draco back his ruined shirt and jacket. "You can go down to The Great Hall now that you're all fixed up."

"Are you coming?" Draco asked as he glanced around and found apart from a few people who had to stay in the hospital wing overnight, it was starting to clear out.

Before Hermione got a chance to answer, McGonagall swept into the hospital wing and asked everyone to gather in The Great Hall. Even the students who were due to spend the rest of the day and the night in the hospital wing were asked to head down to The Great Hall so Dumbledore could address everyone. With a feeling of dread building up inside her, Hermione headed down to The Great Hall with Draco at her side.

Once everyone was settled in The Great Hall, Dumbledore began by thanking all the staff and students for their help during the crisis. He then broke the news that Zacharias was dead. Several people burst into tears at the news, and it just got more traumatic when Dumbledore turned to Colin and Flitwick. Luckily the pair had survived the blast, but they'd both been taken to St Mungo's in critical condition. Colin had lost his leg, and at the moment it wasn't known whether he would survive. As for Flitwick, his priority had been protecting Colin, therefore he bore the brunt of the explosion. He was currently in a coma, and like Colin his chances of survival weren't known at the moment.

Dumbledore also announced that anyone who wished to go home were free to write to their parents and inform them of the decision. However, he was determined to keep the school open for those people who didn't want to go home. He also said that anyone who wished to stay at school, could get a visit from their parents to reassure them they were safe.

Following Dumbledore's announcements, the students were free to go their separate ways. Hermione said a quick goodnight to Harry and Ron, before she returned to the head dorms with Draco. After events of the day all either of them wanted to do was go to bed, but Draco was still a mess and he needed a shower.

"Care to join me?" Draco asked, attempting to give Hermione a seductive smile but failing as it turned into a wince of pain as he jerked his shoulder.

"Okay, but only to help you get washed," Hermione replied. "I think what we both need is to curl up in bed and have an early night."

For the first time in their history, the couple shared a non-sexual shower. They then grabbed a quick sandwich in the kitchen alcove, before settling down for a quiet evening together. They steered clear of talking about events of the day for a while, but it was inevitable that eventually the conversation drifted back to what had happened at Hogsmeade. Eventually the couple settled down in Draco's bed and they drifted off to sleep wrapped in each other's arms, grateful that they'd survived the events of the day and still had each other. However, little did they know they would soon be torn apart.


The few weeks following the attack on Hogsmeade were rather frantic at Hogwarts. A small portion of students did decide to leave, but the majority decided they wouldn't be driven out of their school by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. For those that did stay, most of them had a visit from their parents in the couple of weeks following the attack. Draco's parents were amongst those that visited, whereas Hermione had opted not to tell her parents about the attack. She made sure the Order were looking out for them, but she didn't want them knowing the full extent of the danger she faced in the wizarding world.

The day before the Easter holidays were due to start, good news reached the school. Both Colin and Flitwick had woken up, and even though they would both be in hospital for a while, they were both expected to make full recoveries. Of course Colin's recovery would take longer as he had to contend with the loss of his leg as well as recovering from his other injuries.

The news about Colin and Flitwick brightened everyone's mood, but Hermione's good mood was destroyed by yet another argument with Harry and Ron. It all started when the pair made a remark about Easter, and seeing their families over the holidays. Like a lot of the school the pair had decided to go home for the holidays, but they were assuming Hermione was going with them.

"What do you mean you're not going anywhere?" Ron demanded when Hermione mentioned to her friends that she was staying at Hogwarts for the holidays.

"Like I said, I'm not leaving," Hermione replied with a shrug. "I'm using the holidays to get started studying for my exams."

"But with everything that's happened, we thought you would come home with us," Harry said. "Everyone wants to see you and check you're okay."

"They all know I'm okay," Hermione pointed out. "I wasn't in the village that day, everyone knows that. I'm sorry guys, but I'm not going back with you."

"Seriously? With everything that's going on, you're just going to turn your back on the people who care about you?" Ron snarled.

"I'm not turning my back on anyone," Hermione argued. "I've made the decision to stay at school for the holidays so I can study. It's not personal in any way."

"More like you're trying to avoid hearing the truth," Harry snorted. "You know if you come back with us, people will try and talk some sense into you."

"And why do I need sense talking into me?" Hermione questioned, even though she knew full well what Harry was getting at.

"Your ridiculously stubborn attempts to deny the truth," Harry answered. "You need to face up to facts Hermione, you're on Voldemort's hit list. First there was the attack near to where your parents live, and now this. He's sending a message and you're being foolish to ignore it."

"Don't you dare put what happened down in Hogsmeade on me," Hermione seethed. "There is no evidence it was anything other than an attack aimed at rattling Hogwarts. I refuse to believe that had anything to do with me."

"And there's your problem," Ron spat. "You refuse to see the big picture, and you're putting yourself in unnecessary danger."

"And if you're right, which I doubt, hiding won't solve anything," Hermione argued. "You're so convinced he's after me, so what will hiding achieve? He'll just keep coming. The only way to stop him is to kill him. That could take months, and I refuse to hide away until he's dealt with. Hiding isn't the answer, and nothing you can say will convince me otherwise. Now can we please drop this and enjoy our last night together before you two go home? Or do I go back to the head dorms now and I'll see you again after Easter?"

"We're not just dropping this, Hermione," Harry said stubbornly. "You're in danger, and we won't rest until you're safe."

"I'm not safe until Voldemort is dead," Hermione retorted as she got to her feet. "I hope you both have a good holiday and I'll see you when you get back."

Ignoring Harry and Ron's protests, Hermione left the boys dorms which was where they'd been and returned to the Gryffindor common room. Quickly saying goodbye to Ginny, she headed back to the head dorms and she didn't emerged until the next day when the Hogwarts Express had already left. Hopefully by the time Harry and Ron returned in a couple of weeks, they would have once again dropped their insistence of taking her into hiding. Truth be told, the only reason she hadn't gone home with them was that she feared the Order might try and do something stupid and keep her with them against her will. She didn't want anything like that to happen as it would lead to a monumental falling out, so it was best she kept her distance for the time being. With a bit of luck everything would had died down by the end of the year and she could take Draco to the Order without any fuss.