A/N: Sorry this was posted later than expected, and in the unexpected place. I started something and ended up writing this scene. It fit the missing link between chapters 24 and 25. Forgive any blasphemies :)

She only wished the world would stop spinning so fast. Maybe then she'd find the will to get up off of the floor.

Or that's where she hoped she was lying. Yes, something was poking her in the back, and there was something heavy across her legs.

Her ears were still ringing.

Hermione coughed out the dust that seemed to fill her throat and nose. It was distasteful.

Experimentally she wiggled her fingers and toes, tried to move her arms and neck. Nothing hurt too much, so it was safe to assume nothing was broken.

She slowly opened her eyes. Vision, check.

Although she did have a splitting headache, and she was pretty sure her forehead was bleeding.

It was nearly reminiscent of the Department of Mysteries fiasco. Hermione shuddered. Best not to go there.

Footsteps. Hermione sprung to her feet, ignoring the headache and slight dizziness. The scones were out, or destroyed, whatever the case, and the darkness gave her good cover. For now, anyway.

Slinking into the nearest undamaged alcove, she cast concealment charms on herself, and controlled her breathing, that seemed loud to her ears in the eerily quiet corridor.

Two people, judging by the footsteps, and they were too light to be full grown men, but she wasn't taking any chances. There were Death Eaters in training at Hogwarts anyway. Hermione thought of Draco darkly.

"I swear, she was here!" a worried female voice floated over her thoughts. She shook herself back to the present. Ginny.

"You don't think, she was," a pause, "taken, do you?"

Siblings Weasley.

Wordlessly, she cast a large containment barrier around the two people. It was being paranoid, true, but they just had the castle attacked by death eaters; she was allowed to be paranoid.

"What the hell?" she heard Ronald (or whoever it was) yell, being thrown back from the barrier wall, "we've walked into some trap!"

Both contained people drew their wands and stood with backs to each other. She had played long enough.

"Who are you?" she called from her hiding place, surprised at how hoarse she sounded. Ah, yes, the strangulation hex the big blonde bloke had thrown at her. She massaged her throat gingerly.

"Bloody clearly students," Ginny remained quiet, probably working out how to get out.

"Tell me, Weasley," her voice dripped sarcasm, "how do I believe you are who you seem to be?"

"For me to know, and you to find out," he replied mutinously.

"My, my," she chuckled and winced at the scratchy sound, "not very co-operative, are you?"

"Bollocks! This from someone who hides in the dark. Afraid you might lose to us children, you filthy coward?"

Point to Ronald, she thought, trying to flush the game, eh? By now, she was mostly sure there were no more following. A wordless revealing charm had turned up nothing. Ah well, there was little else she could do.

Keeping her back to the wall and shield glowing in front of her, she stepped forward, till the dim moonlight from a shattered window illuminated her just enough to be recognisable.

Ginny spotted her first. "Hermione!"

"The barrier allows for no spells to be fired, I wouldn't advise testing that theory, if I were you," she said coldly.

"Hermione! It's us!" Ginny pleaded, looking to Ron for help, "Do something Ron!"

"I repeat," Hermione said slowly, "how do I know you are who you seem to be?"

With narrowed eyes, Ron watched her, probably thinking of some way to identify himself, and her at the same time. "Don't you remember all the times we spent with Hagrid's brother?"

Ginny looked suitably puzzled.

"I would remember better if you told me what Gwarp tried to do when we met him."

"Make you his girlfriend," Ron smiled, and Hermione let the barrier down, wincing as she was nearly crushed in his arms soon after.

"Let her go, she's hurt, Ron!"

Hermione smiled at Ginny and Ron looked sheepish. "Sorry 'Mione," he gave her a relieved grin, "I'd started to fear the worst when you didn't turn up at the Great Hall. Our luck did run out at the end."

"It did," she gestured at herself, and Ron's face grew concerned at her injuries.

"Where's Harry?" she asked, and the siblings exchanged glances.

"He ran behind the Death Eaters screaming like a madman," Ron answered her.

Wordlessly, they ran as fast as they could to the entrance hall, where people were moving outside.

One of the students told them there was a commotion at the base of the Astronomy tower, and that someone had been killed.

"What?" Hermione suddenly was afraid. She had barely seen Severus, and he had spared her a look that spoke volumes, while he ran alongside Draco. Had something happened to him?

The thought spurred her forward and she ran all the way to where the crowd had gathered. People were openly crying, but apart from the sobs and the sniffles, it was too quiet.

She felt momentary relief, sure that students would hardly cry their heart out for Severus; well, apart from her, at least. But then dread came to claim her heart. It had to be someone well loved or respected. Hagrid? Or one of the other professors?

Ron was already pushing his way through the crowd, Ginny at his heels. Hermione followed them, not caring to excuse her behaviour. With each step, the sorrow seemed more profound, and unwittingly, more names came to her mind. Remus? McGonagall?

No. Her heart thudded to a halt. It couldn't be!

Ginny went forward, to comfort Harry, who was kneeling beside the body, no, not body, person. Hermione's knees buckled under her, and she collapsed to the grass. Ron was by her side in an instant, holding her, while she cried silently.

She couldn't believe it. He was gone. The greatest wizard in the world was dead. She knew he had been with Harry, and Harry had gone charging from the top of the astronomy tower, but she never saw Dumbledore leave.

Dumbledore just lay there, a look of intense relief frozen on his face, and she knew that he had fallen from the tower. But there was no evidence that the fall had killed him. It looked as if he had just decided to lay there for a nap because the grass was softer and thicker.

Which meant that he had died before he fell.

Hermione's mind reeled through images of the Death Eaters leaving the tower, Severus running with Draco, and that look he had given her suddenly made sense.

Intense regret, self-loathing and hatred.

If she wasn't already sitting down, her knees would have given way again. Severus. No.

Her mind was numb, and so were her limbs. She didn't realise it when Ron gathered her up and made way for the body. No, the person.

Dumbledore. Dead.

And Snape had killed him.