Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling. Just my idea.

A/n: Here's another chapter. I'm super sorry that it took so long to get up, but life got in the way. And on a side note, this chapter was extremely hard for me to write after yesterday. I'm not sure if it made global news but I don't see why it wouldn't; a bunch of five year olds and teachers got killed in an elementary school here in the States on the 14th, so writing the contents of this chapter hurt my heart a bit. If you were affected by that story, hold off on reading this for a bit. It's not exceptionally gruesome, but while writing it that story was all I could think about :( Enjoy and don't forget to look at my facebook page! Thanks to my beta Tessa Cresswell!

Draco Malfoy is one of the most difficult people I know. We finally got Ginny to talk, and everything she said slowly broke my heart. The only reason that there are any survivors at all is because the Death Eater's needed someone to question, and with the absence of Ron and Harry, Ginny became the best target. That's why she is separated from the others, because interrogating her seemed to be their goal. I think that they are hoping that something will slip from her lips after the torture, and they can possibly find a sneakier way into Hogwarts.

She told us that everyone else is one floor up in a different room, at least the last time she saw any of them. I can tell that her memory is foggy, and I hope that we can get her and the others out soon. If they are in the same state as her then I'm not sure how many will come out alive with us. She couldn't recall who was up there, just that the amount is terrifyingly small. Many were killed in the initial attack.

But Malfoy continues to be a pain. We have already gone over many options after speaking to Ginny, and it's obvious she cannot be alone. But he is persistent that I cannot go searching alone either. Merlin, he's bloody difficult.

"We don't know who else is still here," he argues. "Rabastan did not get everyone out of here, as we have clearly seen. We don't know how many remain."

"And the longer we stand here the less time we will have to benefit from your spell. The effects are wearing off as we speak, and we need as much time as we can get. You don't know this place like I do, so sending you is ridiculous. Moreover, aside from a few limited people, everyone on the Order's side still believes you are a Death Eater. No one will trust you if you do find them. Ginny can't remain here alone in her condition, so you must stay."

His eyes narrow at me. "And how do you propose I find you later? If something goes wrong neither of us will know until it's too late."

I shake my head slowly. "It's a chance, but there isn't much we can do. Leave if you want to take a safer road Draco, but I will not leave all these people to die." I move to walk past him, but he catches my arm.

"We are going off the vague statements of someone who was nearly killed. She isn't in her right mind right now Hermione. There could be no more survivors for all we know; she could be the last one."

And this is something I can simply not tolerate. Jerking my arm away, I turn and look up at him again. "Don't say that," I snap, balling up my hands, "I need to believe there is still someone here to save." Slowly, I back away.

"You're really intent on doing this then," he sighs, running fingers through his hair. "You're determined to go alone?"

I nod. "If circumstances were different than you would be coming with me, but Ginny has been a friend of mine for years and I won't leave her alone to suffer again; at least you will have a wand- Circe knows where hers is anymore." I glance back at the door. "But we will have time to discuss this once I'm back. We have to keep this room guarded. Throw up some shielding charms so the Death Eater's are deterred from coming in here again. You have to know some powerful ones."

His eyes flash, and I suppress the urge to comment on that fact. It's been a while since either of us have been on our own in a dangerous situation, and it's a bit nerve-wracking to think about going back to it. The last time I had to fend for myself, I lost my ability to see. Merlin knows what horrors he has seen inside that Manor, but I doubt it was anything pleasant. The run to this place was terrifying enough, and it is a bit disheartening to think about leaving his side again. I prefer the comfort that is given with strength in numbers, something that will be absent the moment we split apart. But ignoring the survivors here simply so I can be comfortable in the presence of others just won't do. There's not exactly a guarantee that we will see one another again, but then, there never was. The concern I can see in his eyes just makes me more afraid of branching out on my own. But I am Hermione Granger, and I can't just leave people here. Hopefully, his absence from my side will be short lived.

The next moment though is something I wasn't predicting. This cold hearted being reaches two arms out to lock on my shoulders, dragging me from my current position into his chest, those same arms locking around me in a hug. Stunned, it takes a moment for me to respond and hug him in return. Of all the people I have shared comfort with, this is the last person I ever expected to show compassion. He's honestly that concerned?

It only lasts for a moment before he releases, and I take this as a sign to step back. As I do, I meet his silver slits once more, the emotion behind them attacking my soul.

"You better come back Hermione."

Wandering alone is a lot more nerve-wracking than I anticipated. Twice I spot another loose Death Eater and prepare to attack, and twice I am thankfully unnoticed. But with all these people wandering around, I worry that Ginny and Draco will be found, since they are just staying in one place. I don't know what kind of dark magic he would use, but will it be enough to keep the barricade up until I return? And what's more, I still haven't completely figured out how to move all of these people down a floor, let alone out of this building.

It's a slow process checking the rooms. Every time I crack a door open my heart beat accelerates, waiting to see if my choice is correct. I have only opened five doors so far in this long stretch, and one concealed a Death Eater- thankfully, he was turned away. I have no idea who he was but I did not linger to find out. It's odd that none of these doors have a lock yet, and that worries me again about Malfoy and Ginny. Now they will surely draw attention to themselves if someone attempts to open the door. Perhaps I don't have as much time to look as I thought.

There's no real way for me to know how long I am up here searching, but slowly the hallway becomes shorter and shorter until I reach the end. There were only a few rooms with Death Eaters, but no captives. I'm beginning to lose hope. After nearly being killed by a Death Eater who almost discovered me, my desire to remain in this dangerous situation is dwindling down to nothing. But there's a final door, and if they are not here I will have to assume the worst; everyone's been killed.

Thankfully, despite the crude attitude many of Voldemort's loyal servants exclude, the place isn't littered with the bodies of the dead. Someone removed them, and I cannot imagine what happened. The bodies could've been burnt; buried, thrown outside and hidden under a masking spell- the possibilities are endless. I'm hoping though that the survivors have not joined the deceased yet.

This door is different from the others- as I get near there is a strong urge to turn away. But I know this has to be a spell of some sort, and I force myself to grip the door handle. A headache is quickly developing in my head; it must be a side effect because I ignored the urge to turn away. I whisper a protection spell, but it only eases the pain in my head a bit. Whatever was placed on the door is powerful, and it certainly does not want me to get any further.

I am surprised when the doorknob turns, but a moment later I'm stumbling back into the wall. The knob itself is searing hot, and won't open. Ignoring the fact that I'm possibly bleeding- or at least have developed a serious mark- I place another hex over my hand and up my arm so that it goes numb. Now I won't be able to feel it if it hurts again.

This time I am able to turn the doorknob, but it refuses to open. Thankfully no one has come to inspect up here, so I must not have made a lot of noise when I stumbled. I rattle down a list of unlocking spells that I know, each more complex than the last. I'm nearly about to give up, when the door gives way and opens a crack. Thank Merlin.

The stench that attacks my nose immediately lets me know that I'm not going to like this. It smells like rotting flesh, and it has my stomach turning as I push open the door and sneak inside. The door pulls out of my grasp and shuts behind me, locking me into this dark, foul space. I hesitate many moments before I finally light my wand to take a look around.

It was a bad idea. If I wanted to know what really happened to the dead, I may have found my answer. The floor isn't littered with heaps of bodies like it would be if everyone that had been killed lay up here. No, some of the blood on the floor is still red and fresh in front of me, and I am thankful that my wand only lights a small space. But I'm biting back a cry as I take in the faces of people I have known for years; the Patil twins lay nearby, and I'm gasping as I suppress the upcoming scream. More than ever, I wish I had brought Draco along. If all I did was find an unfinished tomb, then my search is futile and all the survivors are likely dead.

I force myself to wait, gulping painfully hard in an attempt to calm my nerves. I shut my eyes, almost wishing I was blind and couldn't see, just so I wouldn't have to take in what I am seeing. Yes this is war, but it's always the worst when its people you know- or when it's something horrific. And if the multiple wounds on the girl's faces tell me anything then I know that death was not easy to come by.

Part of me needs to look and see if my friends lay with the dead, but I can't make myself move. I'm trying to be quiet, trying to wait and see if I can hear anything; if someone is still in here- alive- I'll brave the horrors to save them. I can't leave before I know there is nothing here.

Something catches my attention, and I don't want to open my eyes. Nearby shuffling has my ears straining to tell if it's real or not, and I don't want to open my eyes only to find out that the hopeful side of my mind is playing tricks on me.

But there- a groan. I let my eyes open, avoiding looking at the ground best I can as I look around. There's another, and hesitantly I wander in the direction of the sound. Past the door the bodies continue, and I pick out a few Order members I barely ever got the chance to know. It's depressing to think that I will never have another chance to speak to any of them.

My heart nearly stops at what I find a few feet ahead. A body is attempting to drag itself out from beneath another, and it takes me a moment to realize just who it is. And then I'm running, collapsing at his side and daring to shove the lifeless form of someone else from his legs. Tears want to prickle down my cheeks in sheer relief that at least someone can survive such horrors, but I shove them back as I take in his frightened, blood dried face.

"Neville… thank Merlin you're alive."

I can tell he's confused by my presence, and he blinks repeatedly in the light of my wand before speaking. "Hermione… what are you doing here? You can't be here- you'll die."