Chapter 11

For Kel, who has been just wonderful and inspiring ;) xxx

Hermione sat at the mouth of the cave with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. She couldn't sleep. Cocking her head she could just hear the soft snores of the others. For a few glorious, torturous hours she would be alone.

Looking ahead to the full moon that hung like a luminescent pearl sown into the dark fabric of the night sky, she let herself think of Ron. She could feel him in the soft breath of wind that caressed her exposed skin and she shivered in recognition. She could hear him in the quiet whisper of the trees.

Hermione felt it rising like a tidal wave inside her; unstoppable and ruthless her anguish expanded. She let a tear slide down her face. Her cheeks were soon tracked with salt rivulets as she finally let her small frame succumb to the grief of losing Ron.

During the day she could pretend to be fine. She could play at being the ever strong, ever stoic Hermione Granger; rock and pillar to Harry Potter. But at night, when sleep claimed her compatriots and left her rejected and stranded in the cruel grip of insomnia, she would cry.

Tonight, however, was different. She was not alone.

He had not been able to sleep either. Wracked with nightmares of his father's dead eyes and his mother's crumpled body under the apple tree, the tall blonde man preferred lucidity to slumber. He had heard her rising from her makeshift bed next to Harry before quietly stealing outside. Curious he had followed her.

Standing now in the deep shadows of the cave he observed the small figure he could just see outlined against the black of the night. She was silent at first but then he heard the tell-tale sounds of her sorrow. Soft at first and then with abandon he heard her lament the loss of her friend. He should have felt pity.

It was jealousy instead that made an appearance. His envy wound itself round him in a poisonous coil as he watched the girl do what he could not.

The day of his mother's death had been the day Draco had closed himself. He had closed his heart to the world. His mind and his will were very much active but his heart was his own and he would not submit it to vulnerability. No, it would stay safely where he could protect it…protect it from the mind numbing misery he had felt at the sight of his dead mother.

There was one other like him. The tall, dark, beautiful girl. Mel. He could see the same hardness in her. But he was still alone. She had love in her heart. She had Sam. He was still alone.

Draco felt a surge of anger course through his veins at the thought of Sam. What had he done to deserve Mel's love? What had Sam done to be her salvation? If not for Sam, Draco could have had companionship. Someone would have understood him.

Visions of her dark skin and piercing eyes, her long, slim limbs swam before his tightly clenched eyes…

But he was letting his emotions get the best of him. Already he was yearning for human contact. With a snarl he banished thoughts of Mel from his mind. A muggle no less.

Hermione, who had been sitting quietly for some time now, whirled at the sound of Draco's deep growl. 'Hello?' She sent her whispered voice to the mouth of the cave.

Melting further into the darkness of the cave at her voice, Draco quietly went back to his sparse transfigured mattress where he feigned sleep once more.

*

Hours later Hermione still sat, a silent mourning sentry as the cold dawn broke. She looked out over the grey world that they now inhabited and couldn't help allowing an overwhelming feeling of loss and hopelessness engulf her.

How had things gone so wrong? They had finally been happy and now…now everything was fucked up again…everything was a mess.

Her mind was swamped with questions as she attempted to analyse their situation. First; what had happened to Ron's body? The question made a small weight erupt in the centre of her chest…a small but immovable weight that she knew would not soon leave her. Had someone been able to apparate away with him? Had his body been transported to some lonely place by the port key? Was he still lying where he fell at Trafalgar… The weight in her chest became heavier. I need to stop thinking about him.

What had happened to her parents? What had happened to everyone else? She assumed that her friends and the order were scattered around the British countryside. They needed to find everyone…but how they would attempt doing that was something she couldn't even begin to grapple with. I mean, what had happened anyway? How bad was their situation? Hermione yearned for information. Was it a worldwide attack or was it only affecting Britain? Who had organised the Death Eater attack on the muggles? How had the statute been broken?? This last was the most pertinent question and one that she was determined to answer.

Finally feeling overwhelmed Hermione let her mind clear as her eyes again scanned the shell of the town that had once lain before the caves.

'Mione?' Harry's sleepy voice carried from the mouth of the cave, 'What are you doing up so early?'

She put a concerted smile on her face before twisting in her seated position to glance up at him. 'Just looking at the beautiful sunrise.'

Harry took in the bleak grey dawn and puffy, dark ringed eyes and knew she was lying but nodded his head in quiet assent before folding his muscled frame to sit next to her.

'How are you doing? Have your bruises gone yet?' Harry asked with a slight wince. Hermione, Sam and Draco all bore signs of their encounter with the mob several nights before.

Hermione tugged on the sleeve of the knitted black jersey she had pulled on with such high expectations only a week ago, to reveal some yellowing bruises that flowered up her arm from her wrist. 'They're getting there.' She said quietly.

Harry growled but said nothing more on the subject of the bruises. 'We need to find the others.'

'I know.'

'If only we had some way of finding out where everyone is,' Harry groaned, 'This is a disaster…the Order and our friends could all be scattered randomly around Britain!' He ran both hands through his already mussed hair in frustration.

'We could try sending a patronus.'

'I can only send one if I know where it's going. There are some places I could try but I don't want to run the risk of them being intercepted by the wrong people…whoever they are.'

'Oh. Yes, yes of course.' Hermione really needed to get some sleep, she was losing her grip.

'Hermione…' said Harry warily, delicately.

'Mmm?'

'Do you remember the night that- …the night it all happened?'

'Some of it…most of that night is hazy.' Hermione replied with a crease to her brow.

'Because,' Harry paused, it seemed he was trying hard to articulate his thoughts as carefully as possible, '…because you didn't apparate here with me and…Malfoy. We both searched the area around the caves when we first set up a perimeter and you weren't there…' Harry's sentence trailed off into the early morning air. 'What I'm asking is…how did you get here 'Mione? How did you find us and travel here without a wand?'

'I…I don't know,' she said, a frown crumpling her brow as she tried to remember. 'I was in a forest I think…I couldn't move.' She closed her eyes as she concentrated and Harry leaned closer as if urging her on. 'I remember panicking when I couldn't find my wand and all I could think of was finding you. I had to tell you about,' she took a deep steadying breath before continuing, 'Ron.'

'So you were thinking that you needed to find me…and then?'

'I'm not sure…I'm sorry Harry I don't really remember…I just know that one second I was alone and wandless in a forest and the next moment I was with you…I know it doesn't make sense,' she ended miserably, 'None of this makes sense…I wish we could find out what the hell is going on.'

After mulling it over for a few minutes Hermione was becoming more and more frustrated. 'I wish we could just find Kingsley!' She finally exploded. 'Kingsley would tell us what was happening, he would tell us what to do…we need to find him!'

'Hermione…' Harry said in warning tones as she got more and more worked up, 'Hermione calm down, I don't-' He stopped abruptly. Was she rising off the ground…no…it was impossible. Harry looked closer…she at least two centimeters from the ground. Her eyes were closed and she seemed…she seemed to be glowing.

'Mione!!!' Harry reached out to grab her wrist in panic.

With a small yelp Hermione's eyes flew open and she landed back on the ground with a thud. 'What the hell just happened,' she asked a flustered Harry.

'Mione you…you were levitating.'

Hermione arched an eyebrow in his direction. 'Levitating? Harry I don't even have a wand!'

'And…you were glowing.'

At Harry's last statement Hermione paused, 'I was glowing and levitating…Harry are you sure you had enough sleep?'

'In the name of Salazar…'

Harry and Hermione turned to see Draco standing behind them with an unreadable expression gracing his marble features.

'How long have you been listening?' Said Harry evenly, he and Draco were perpetually on thin ice but were both working hard to stay civil.

'Long enough to know that Granger is a fucking Palgrave,' he snarled, and with these enigmatic words Draco turned to stalk back into the caves.