The attacks began, and I could feel the castle shake.

I gingerly sat down on the settee. Dread settled into the pit of my stomach. A weight pressed on my heart until I could hear it beat in my ears with agonizing clarity. Severus was in trouble. If not now, soon. It was irrational- was it fear?- but I knew it with absolute certainty. I needed to do something, or I would never see him again.

I would join the battle, I decided. I could feel adrenaline rushing through my body, but I forced myself to sit still and think. If Hermione Granger showed up it would be of absolutely no help to Severus. I needed a disguise- a good one.

I went to the mirror and began alterations. "It's always easier," I remember Moody saying, "to disguise yourself looking worse than usual, rather than better." I knotted my hair into a bun and changed the color to black, streaked with grey. I hid my figure beneath layers of ill-fitting tatty robes. I glamoured some wrinkles onto my face, and enlarged the circles under my eyes. I lightened my eyes to a feeble grey. I checked myself over critically. There was still something familiar about the set of my features, but unless you were looking for Hermione I would pass as an aging witch.

I walked toward the door, but stopped and returned to the mirror, checking again to make sure I was unrecognizable. A remembrance of our last kiss tingled on my lips and I shivered, wishing that Severus was here with me, safe. The castle shuttered, and I ran to the door. It was unlocked. I stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind me; it melted into the wall the moment my fingers left the doorknob. There was no going back.

I ran.

The hallways were deserted- even the statues were gone- as I made my way toward the center of Hogwarts. After catching sight of a cloaked figure turning a corner far ahead of me, I slowed my pace and muffled my footsteps. I stole down a corridor toward the central stairways when I heard voices coming toward me. Nowhere to hide… I flattened myself against the wall.

"-and McGonagall nearly saw me. Filthy half-blood." Amycus Carrow's voice floated down the hall.

"We'll just need to do without the statues then." Alecto snapped. "Now where's this bloody room."

Their footsteps were getting closer. They were going to pass through this corridor. With a reckless jolt of excitement, I realized there was nowhere for me to run. I would fight them. There were a few seconds yet…

Filio impendimentum! A tripwire materialized across the hallway. I noted the location of a heavy chandelier above my head. I disillusioned myself just as they came into view. Alecto's face was pinched into a scowl, which changed to surprise as she tripped and fell forward.

"Expelliarmus! Stupefy!" I cried, and then ran toward the other side of the hall, chasing Amycus' wand. The stun hit Alecto squarely, and she did not rise from where she had tripped.

"Confringo!"

The jet of flame cackled through the air an inch from my fingers as I reached for Amycus' wand. I could feel its heat. Amycus must have gotten hold of his sister's wand. "Ennervate," he said.

I turned to face my opponent in time to counter a nonverbal hex. He had finally guessed my location correctly, and now that the spell bounced off my shield he knew exactly where I was.

Amycus and I traded blows as Alecto recovered. As I was dodging a curse Amycus' wand flew toward him. He dropped his sister's wand and caught his own. During the fraction of a second where he was wandless, I managed to singe his leg, but he merely continued with a slight limp, and I could tell his spells were slightly stronger. Alecto crawled toward her wand and sent a stunner whizzing past my ear as soon as it was in her hand.

Now that there were two of them I was on the defensive; it was all I could do to dodge and shield the onslaught of spells. I edged backward, hoping to lure them under the chandelier, but there was still some distance to cover.

A drop of sweat ran down my temple and into the wrinkles around my eyes. Perhaps it had been a poor choice to engage two death eaters by myself. I'll remember that for next time.

Just a few more feet…

Suddenly there was movement behind the Carrows. I focused on the spells accosting me, but they stopped suddenly as a giant, living stone griffin nipped at Amycus' belly with its razor-sharp beak and screeched a battle cry. They both stepped back- right under the chandelier.

I pointed carefully. "Reducto."

The griffin seemed to realize my plan, and stepped back just in time for the Carrows to be caught by the falling mass of glass, metal, and fire. I watched Amycus' head bounce off the ground, hard. For good measure I stunned Alecto. This time, neither of them moved. The thought that perhaps I'd killed Amycus flitted across my mind, but I dismissed it. The chandelier wasn't that heavy. Right?

The last of the sparks cleared and griffin came to me, pawing the ground with agitation. I took a moment to steady my breathing and remove the last of the failing disillusionment. "Are you alright?" I asked. It didn't seem injured, although I'm not sure how injuries would look on a living statue. It lay down on its front paws, putting its torso to the ground. It opened its beak and cawed at me, and ruffled its wings. Was it trying to tell me something? I could hear sounds of battle echoing off the arches of the castle. There was work to be done.

"If you're not injured," I told it, "I'll be going now."

I made toward the battle, but it snorted and leapt in front of me. Again it leaned down on its front paws, lowering its back. Did it… "Do you want me to ride you?" It cawed again, in what I think was a statement of assent.

I approached it, warily. It quieted. Even kneeling, the griffin was a huge animal, and I clambered onto its back rather ungracefully. It was warm, but still felt like stone; I marveled at its moving hide. Then the great stone muscles in its hind legs tensed and the griffin ran and leapt into the air above the staircases, its massive wings unfurling and carrying us toward the entrance of the castle. My stomach rolled and I gritted my teeth against the feeling of nausea. I buried my hands in the stone feathers on its neck, holding on with all my might.

I could see the light from the battle in the entrance hall before we rounded the last corner. I held on with my knees while drawing my wand, ready to shield myself if anyone bothered to look up. We rounded the corner and I gasped as I looked down. There were bodies. I shielded the griffin from a stray curse, but we soared out into the night in seconds. We gained height and I was no longer afraid of someone hexing us from below.

The cold wind stung my eyes as the griffin flew, but I peered down, just for a second, to get my bearings. We were flying toward Hogsmeade, level with the highest towers of Hogwarts. Where is this griffin taking me? I shivered. Impulsively I touched my face and was relieved to find that the wrinkles hadn't faded.

The griffin went into a dive and my heart leapt into my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut and clung to the griffin's back. It leveled off, and we slowed. It landed at last, and folded its wings. I slipped off its back unsteadily, grateful to feel the ground under my feet again, and I looked around. We were at the Shrieking Shack.

It jerked its head toward the building and clacked its beak quietly. "Alright," I whispered, stroking its head. I cast disillusionment again and made my way toward the ramshackle building.

I could hear voices coming from inside and sidled up to a broken window. I could see Nagini slithering in her cage. I shiver ran down my spine as I heard Voldemort's voice.

"You have been a good and faithful servant, and I regret what must happen…"

"My Lord-"

I craned my neck to see where Severus' voice was coming from and leaned in to the window. He was to my right, standing near the wall. I stifled a gasp at his face; it was completely white. He was stricken. As I leaned toward him a board groaned under my weight, and I pulled back. Nagini's head twisted directly toward me, and her tongue flicked in and out. My mouth went dry. Could she see me? I stood perfectly still. Nagini looked away and I could breath again.

"-must master the wand, Severus." Voldemort was saying, "master the wand, and I master Potter at last."

Voldemort swiped his wand through the air, and Nagini's cage flew toward Severus. I raised my wand to do something, anything- but it was too late. Nagini's fangs sunk into his neck.

No. No this is not happening, oh God please…

All I could see was Severus, his face colorless, gasping for breath as blood spurted out of his neck. I scrambled through the window as fast as I could and ran to him. The cage was gone and I covered the gaping holes in his neck with my hands, trying to put the precious blood back into his body. "Severus?" I whispered. "Severus!"

"Who's there?" a voice behind me said. Severus' eyes wandered through me.

I felt the disillusionment being removed. "Who are you?" A voice said. It sounded familiar.

"Vulnera sanentur!" The wound closed for a moment and then reappeared. I put my shaking hands back over the wound. Of course; Mr. Weasley had been bitten by Nagini; her venom causes wounds to resist healing. I suddenly knew what to do.

"Bibbits!" I yelled as loud as I could, "BIBBITS!"

"Her… Hermione?"

My eyes fixed on a tall, gawky man with bright red hair. I know this person! "Ron," I said vaguely.

"Hermione! I thought you were dead!"

"Bibbits!" Severus was struggling to keep his eyes open. Come on, "Severus, stay with me!"

Crack!

"I is sorry mistress, I-"

"Never mind that now; take us to Severus' laboratory."

"Hermione, what is going on?"

"Yes mistress!"

As Bibbits rushed toward us, I looked up and noticed Harry! "Oh it's Harry. I need to heal Severus. Why don't you go kill that awful snake?"

As Bibbits jolted us sideways out of the room, I thought I heard the words echoing behind us, "Severus? Blimey…"