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Chapter 25
Draco grabbed Hermione's arm and tried to push her behind him, but she resisted. They're after you, she wanted to hiss at him. Instead, she reached out to where she had last seen Persephone. When her hand caught the girl's robes, she tugged down, her other hand pulling Draco with them.
Persephone squeaked.
"It's me," Hermione whispered, and the girl stopped struggling.
Hermione tugged her companions towards the wall, pushing back her fear to focus on what had to be done: get out of the line of fire, away from where their attacker had last seen them. She lifted a hand, ready to cast a shield charm—without a wand, it might not be powerful enough to completely block the spell, but she had no other options.
The scrape of footsteps on stone echoed through the hallway, and a chill prickled Hermione's skin.
"I only want one of you," hissed the voice.
With her free hand, Hermione gripped Draco's arm. The other attacks had left their victims with survivable injuries, but Hermione knew there was no guarantee with him. Draco had the Dark Mark on his arm. No matter what he was now, no matter the excuses, he had undeniably been a Death Eater.
The footsteps drew closer.
She could do this.
She had to do this.
Draco tugged at her arm, as if reading her thoughts. Hermione shoved him. As he fell backwards, she sprung forward.
"Expelliarmus!"
A jet of red light shot from her hand.
"Protego!"
A small shield managed to block the spell, but Hermione sprung below the collision of light, wrapping her arms around a pair of legs as the attacker garbled out another curse.
"Reducto!"
The spell flashed as Hermione tackled the hooded figure. The crack of stone and a scream filled the hallway.
"Hermione!" Draco shouted as they tumbled to the ground.
She ignored him, scrambling up the body beneath her, searching frantically in the dark for the attacker's arms.
"Confr—" the person spat, but Hermione cut them off with a clumsy hit to the cloth-covered face.
As the attacker gasped, she finally found a hand and clawed at the fingers curled around three wands. Just as she pried them away, the attacker managed to sneak a leg between them and kick her in the chest. Hermione tumbled away.
Stupefy, she thought, pointing the first wand she grasped.
Hermione's spell shot over the figure's shoulder. Springing to her feet, she took off down the hallway.
Arresto momentum.
Her spell lit the hallway as it bounded away, revealing a cloaked figure darting around a corner. Hermione followed, nearly tripping as her shoe caught on an uneven section of floor.
"Lumos maxima," she whispered, hurling light down the hallway.
It was empty.
Running footsteps sounded behind her, and she whirled to find Draco.
"We have to follow," said Hermione, thrusting a wand into his hand.
Darting away, they stumbled upon the Grand Staircase. The steps before them groaned as they shifted directions. Hermione craned her neck looking up and down, but nothing moved on the stairs and landings within sight. She cast the counting charm Remus had taught her. The number two glowed at the end of her wand.
"Shit!" Hermione hissed, beginning to climb the steps.
"They're gone. Send a patronus to McGonagall," said Draco, grabbing her arm. "We should get back to Jones."
Anger bubbled through Hermione's veins. She was right on top of the attacker. Literally. She should have caught them. She was the bloody brightest witch of her age.
The phrase rang through her mind.
She wanted to hurl a hex at the wall and break something to tiny pieces.
"Come on, Hermione," Draco said more softly. "She's injured."
Hermione reluctantly raised her wand. She found it more difficult than usual to recall a happy memory, but she finally managed to produce a silvery otter that bounded up through the columns of stairs.
They found Persephone descending into shock, blood trickling down her forehead and chunks of the castle wall scattered around her. The girl stared straight ahead and didn't seem to notice their presence. Draco sealed the cut on her head with his wand, while Hermione paced back and forth, shoving curls out of her face and huffing audibly occasionally.
"They were probably young," she said. "Younger than us, at least."
"What?" asked Draco, leaning Persephone's head onto the ground.
"Couldn't do wordless magic," Hermione explained. "Of course, with an expelliarmus like that, they can't be that young."
Draco scoffed. "We were just attacked and you're compiling a case file in your head."
He lifted the younger girl's legs onto his lap while he spoke. Hermione paused in her pacing to regard him.
"How do you know to do that?" she asked.
Draco shrugged. "She's in shock."
Hermione shook her head. She didn't have time to contemplate Draco's muggle medical knowledge.
"Ms. Granger?"
"Here!" Hermione called out to the headmistress's voice.
Before the others arrived, Hermione turned back to Draco.
"The body wasn't very big either," she said. "It has to be a student, and they're obviously after you."
Draco merely stared at Persephone's legs.
"You should be upset," Hermione said.
"It's expected."
Before she could argue, the headmistress appeared.
"There you are," McGonagall said, jogging down the hallway in her robe and nightgown. "I've sent for Madame Pomfrey and the rest of the staff."
The headmistress stooped to examine Persephone.
"It's a student," Hermione said.
McGonagall looked up at her.
"The attacker. I'm sure of it," she continued. "I tackled them. I could feel them."
After a moment, McGonagall nodded.
"Part of me had hoped that a child could not be capable of such things," the headmistress said. "But this would not be the first time."