Hermione felt desperate. She had used the best concealment charms she could think of, but was fairly certain Madam Pince had noticed something. Every time the woman walked by the Restricted Section, her eyes scanned it with more intensity than Hermione had ever seen. Madam Pince was always intense about books.

Still, they had not been directly confronted, and that was something. The danger of the location and the pressure to avoid being found did not create her desperation. They were byproducts of it, but not the cause. She had to find a way. That was all there was to it. Harry needed to live, and no one had more information about magic than the Hogwarts library. There would be a book here. Maybe they could fool the horcrux into leaving Harry, or he could transfer it to a piece of parchment or… something! So far, nothing had been found.

Hermione noticed an odd motion to her left. George. She had had to tell him what she was looking for. He had put himself in front of her in the tunnel and refused to move out of her way until she opened up. Fine. He could know. But only if he helped. Surprisingly, George had agreed to assist. He wasn't as good a researcher as Harry, but Harry certainly could not be brought into this, not until they had solved it. He would know about it when she had the plan all worked out, all contingencies planned for. Harry would live, and he had no bloody choice in the matter.

A rumble shook the school, and Hermione started, nearly dropping the book she held on lifting ancient curses. It was brief, but strong. If she could feel it here, most of the school would have noticed it. She slipped over to the wall closest to a window, looking out. The grounds had been empty when they had passed the windows earlier, reflecting the early Tuesday she was pretty sure it must be. Most everyone but Filch and the Headmaster would be in class at this point in the day. However, they were not empty now. Dozens of robes figures in black and silver, and maybe some others sprinted towards the school from different directions. They were divided enough in direction that she had to assume they were not friendly.

Then, the spells began to fly between the groups, several still running onward, but a number stopping to fight. The glass rattled from the impact of the heated spells rippling through the air. Hermione looked over her shoulder, seeing that blurred motion. George was seeing this, too.

"What's happening?" he asked, whispering quietly.

"I don't know," she said. "A battle on the grounds. Maybe… maybe we should…"

"You two should leave," an authoritative voice said.

Hermione spun fully about, finding Madam Pince at the end of the row, looking at them. Had she heard them? Was she going to turn them in?

"Whatever is happening down there," Pince said, "it has spilled into the castle. I found a pair of those silver robed men outside the library."

She pointed to a couple men trussed up on the ground just outside the Restricted Section. How had she put them there so quietly?

"Can you remove those spells?" Pince asked. "It's bothering my eyes and won't do you any good out there."

Hermione flicked her wand, saying, "Finite." She could hear George doing the same. The woman didn't look the slightest bit surprised.

"Now, get going," she said. "I left you to it when there was no danger. After all, the Aurors all left this morning, and we had one morning of peace and quiet."

"You knew we were here?" George asked.

"Yes," she stated, simply. Her eyes drilling into his own. "And I knew she would keep you on your best behaviour in there, Mister Weasley. Your purpose must have been dire to break in for it. I hope you found what you needed. Go down the back stairs to the courtyard. Maybe you can avoid the worst of this…"

Another rumble sounded, causing a groaning in the structure. Hermione saw Madam Pince's eyes go wide. She looked around at her precious books and seemed to forget them. George took her hand and tugged, pulling them past the woman and into the open section of the library. Other than the pair of bound men, the remainder of the space was unoccupied.

Hermione looked back at Madam Pince, and the woman had looked at them again. Her eyes were filled with concern and her wand was out. She looked about to say something, but Hermione waved to her.

"Thank you, Madam Pince," she said.

Before the woman could say anything, the pair of them hurried out of the library, wands out. Hermione led the way, slipping down the secret stair they had used to come up here. It was one of several she had learned from Harry. The main stairs could be covered with fighters, and she didn't even know who they were or what they were fighting over. Well, one group in black could be the Death Eaters. They usually wore that colour, but the school robes were black, too. Was it an attack on the school to go after students? Should she rally the DA, Ginny? Was fleeing the better idea?

"Wait," Hermione said as George started for a final stair down to the courtyard. "We need to find out what's going on. Are the students in danger?"

George's face broke into a smile. His worry fell away. "That's mad, that is," he said. "Let's do it!"

"Nothing too mad," she said. "If we find a good vantage of the Entrance Hall, we may be able to see who is there…"

"And use some spying charms to listen to what they're planning," George said, his voice sounding thoughtful. He frowned. "As long as we can do more reckless things after that, I'll be good."

"There's nothing safe about being here today," she said. "We've taken awful risks, already. I just can't leave if the students are defenceless."

"Don't underestimate them, too much," he said. "Still, what Gryffindor would run when the odds were against them?"

Hermione smiled, but didn't answer. They made their way to towards the entrance, hearing the sounds of battle increase. Dozens of booms and thuds sounded ahead, below and above them. Whatever advantage in escaping they might have had, it was swiftly deserting them. The battle had nearly encircled them.

As they turned a corner, Hermione could see the landing on the second floor. Flashes of light flew up the stairwell, but they seemed erratic, inaccurate. Reflected spells or ones clearly missing their targets and flying out into the castle proper. Still, best not to be an easy target for a mistake.

"Protego Maxima!" she said, slipping forward as the shield fell around her.

George mimicked her preparation, and ran ahead of her, his wand ready to fight. He looked as focused as she had ever seen one of the twins, no amount of amusement in his face. She could understand that. He would also be missing his brother.

A few figures flew up the stairs, firing spells at each other. Neither stayed long enough for Hermione to make out who they were, but they also did not slow to look in her and George's direction. Hermione and George continued forward, coming to the landing. The noise had grown, but most of it rose up from the Entrance Hall.

Carefully, Hermione looked over the edge, watching the battle ensue. A few black robed and silver-lined robed figures lay prone, but the floor of the Entrance floor looked the worst for it. Large tears had appeared in the floor, raising up mounds of rock into the space. Sides had formed up behind the magic-wrought stalagmites, and most of the fighting, for the moment, appeared to be quick attacks around the edges that struck the rocks or missed entirely. They were in a fortified position, and neither side was budging particularly.

Hermione squinted, taking a closer look at the figures. The ones in black were definitely Death Eaters. She recognised the look and the terrible white masks they wore. The others were a bit of a mystery. The robes were of a pale, nearly opal colour with a silver lining along the bottom, the sleeves and the hoods that were pulled well over their heads. Maybe the Silver Scions had started wearing more formal robes? She had only heard about them battling from Harry and seen some in disguise before - she was certain. Had their enmity come to a final confrontation? Why was it happening here?

That last bit bothered her. It couldn't be because she and George had come to the school, could it? If it was, wouldn't they have been after the pair of them? She breathed in hard. Maybe they had. Madam Pince had taken out two of the Scions - a feat that terrified Hermione in itself, the woman was certainly fierce. She had assumed the battle had just started moving around, but other than a few going past a moment ago, Hermione hadn't seen anyone else rising. Besides, the Library was hardly a place they would have come moments after the battle began. It was several floors above the ground.

"The Scions are talking about… the boy, a boy that got away from them," George said, looking sidelong at Hermione. "Hermione, I think the Scions were trying to use Harry again. He could be here, somewhere…"

"We should…" Hermione said.

"Wait," he said. "You wanted information, so we should find out why the Death Eaters are here. Maybe the Scions just interrupted their attack on the school."

He flicked his wand to the left, and held a little nub to his ear tightly. One of his and Fred's gadgets, no doubt, for a gag. Still, quite useful in a pinch. They didn't have to come anywhere near the enemy to spy. Hermione looked over. Whatever he was using was too small to spot.

George frowned. "They're just talking about the Scions," he said. "Something… finally… crush… it's hard to hear with all of those spells hitting. Maybe I can…"

A blast knocked them both backwards. Hermione landed hard on her back, and saw the ledge they had been leaning against fall, collapsing as the Reductor Curse shattered it to pieces. Hermione felt her head spin, but it steadied after a moment. The shield charms had protected both of them from the worst of it.

George pushed himself back up, and he held a hand out to assist her in rising. Both of them remained in a crouch, however, avoiding the edge and becoming a target again. Whomever had spotted them was still out there, probably watching. Hermione firmed the grip on her wand, and thought. Was it better to let them battle it out amongst the two groups and then interfere afterwards or try to force them out of the castle? Would they be able to remove them from their positions. Being above gave some advantages, but - as they had just seen - there wasn't any real cover here.

On the other hand, if George was correct, Harry was here, somewhere. Getting him out could be important, too. He could not afford to confront Voldemort, not yet. She had to figure out a solution. There was time yet for that, Hermione was sure of it.

"What are you two doing here?" snarled a voice from behind.

Hermione had just enough time to dodge as a curse flew at the spot she and George had been crouching. As she moved, she saw Alecto, one of the two Carrows, pointing his wand at George. Hermione flung a curse back at the man, tying up his legs and dropping him to the stone floor with a loud slap. Amycus followed his sister, raining spells down on the landing. Hermione flew down the stairs, taking the stairs six at a leap and barely stopping herself from tumbling down towards the ground.

Launching herself into the first floor corridor, Hermione looked back and only saw flying spells from where she had been. Where George had gone, she was not sure. All she knew was that the pair above would be dangerous to face on her own. They hadn't been looking to stun or disarm. The air was green with their hateful spells.

Hermione ducked around a corridor entrance, feeling a spell sizzle past her. Which of them had come for her? Had they left George alone and come together?

Alecto's voice called out, mock childish, "Come out, come out little girl. It won't hurt a bit. If you don't, I promise it will. If you think your little rope trick will work again, you will learn better, however briefly!"

Hermione said nothing, bracing to attack when the woman came into view. She gritted her teeth and firmed her back against the wall. She would not run. There was nowhere she could reach, in any case. Not in time.

Alecto leapt into the corridor, her wand moving with viper quick speed towards Hermione. Glee filled the foul woman's face. Then, before she could cast a spell, her wand changed into an actual snake. The woman shrieked, dropping it to the ground as ropes bound her once more.

Turning around, Hermione almost ran headlong into Professor McGonagall. The older woman was coming out onto the landing with a wand drawn, face taut with tension, eyes scanning for more signs of threat. She looked at Hermione, then, shocked.

"Miss Granger?" McGonagall asked. "Whatever are you doing here?"

"Long story," Hermione said, "but it seems the Scions and the Death Eaters decided to have a battle downstairs that is flooding the school. The Carrows attacked George and me just now, but I don't know if that's related."

"The Scions?" Alecto cried. "Those snakes!"

"Quiet, you," the professor said, gagging the woman with a graceful sweep of her wand. "Miss Granger, Get to my office. I'll see if we can settle this diplomatically. I'm certain they don't…"

Her response stopped as she saw a large chunk of the rotating staircase up to the third floor explode, hailing the space below it with chunks of wood. Hermione put a hand on her old professor's arm.

"I don't think they're in a negotiating mood," she said. "And we can help. Besides, I think Harry's here, somewhere. The Scions were saying something about it, and I won't just hide while he's caught up in this."

"Fool boy," McGonagall said, her voice betraying the worry. "What's he got himself into this time?" Gritting her teeth, McGonagall cast a silvery blue spell that looked very much like a cat. It leapt away in a fuzzy haze, disappearing after a few paces. "I've sent for some help, but you need to be careful. The professors are scattered across the school, and help won't be here for some time, I expect."

"Help, miss?" asked a boy's voice. "Who needs help?"

Hermione turned to see dozens of students emerging from a nearby classroom. She thought she recognised the boy and a few others from DA the previous year. He was a Slytherin, but the group was a mix of Slytherins and Gryffindors. After a second, it clicked in her mind. This was the floor where Defence Against the Dark Arts met for class. If she had heard correctly, the Carrows had been in charge of that class, or one of them. He or she must have gone upstairs after the attack, but why? Perhaps to meet the sibling? Whatever the reason, the students had been left to their own direction.

A few of them noticed her, now, waving and calling out her name. Hermione waved back, but said nothing. She wasn't sure how to answer them. McGonagall stepped between her and them, however.

"Please return to your classroom," McGonagall said. "There is a minor…"

BOOM. The Grand Stair shook sending a vibration through Hermione's teeth. She nearly laughed at McGonagall's insistence that this was minor, and the students clearly were not buying it.

"Hermione," the boy said, "let us help. The DA is always ready to help."

"You're not of age," McGonagall said, sternly.

"Give us detention, then," the boy said, frowning. "When we all get through this safely, I don't think anyone will complain. DA, fall in. Hermione, is Harry or Neville here, too?"

"I think Harry might be," she said, feeling a balloon of hope within. The DA acting could make a difference. "And George Weasley is upstairs. Wh-what was your name again?"

"I'm Francis Bode, sixth year," the boy said. "Where do you need us?"

"Protect the stairs going upward," Hermione said. "And down, from this floor. Most of the students are above us, right? The majority are fighting each other on the ground floor, but they might come up, at least until help comes and the other professors are here. Professor?"

Hermione eyed the elder woman, worried. She was as likely to drag the lot of them - herself included - into a classroom, and have the door locked on them with some magic even Hermione could not break through. And she could do it, too.

"I will contact the others," McGonagall said. "Stay out of the fight below, whatever you do. If I hear a single one of you went charging down onto the ground floor, you will wish I had just given you a detention!"

"Thanks, Professor," Hermione said. "I'm looking for Harry. And," she added to the students as they started to break into groups, "be careful. The other Carrow is above us and they were not fighting to wound. Watch each others' backs."

"We might have to fight a professor?" another student asked.

"It's Amycus," Francis said, dismissive. "If he attacks us, we need to defend ourselves. You remember what he did in those detentions…"

Several of the students nodded together and the other student said nothing in reply. Whatever the Carrows had done to the students in their care, it had not sown much love for them. Having met them, even briefly, Hermione could not say she had an argument against that. She nodded to Francis, the boy who seemed to have taken charge amidst the students. Then, she left, directing herself towards a back corridor stair to the ground level. If she saw Harry down here in the back hallways, she could get him out of harm's way. An image flashed in her mind of Harry trapped, fighting for his life amidst the firefight below.

Fear flooded her mind, as much as she tried to push it away. After breaking in to save him from one danger, he could have run into a completely different one! She came to the ground floor and her attention was dragged away from her reverie. The battle raged nearby, but it was not currently in her corridor. She had re-affixed her shield charms, but proceeded cautiously towards the nearest courtyard. If he was in the Entrance Hall, well, that was not something she could easily extract him from. Though, she would have hoped his presence there would have made a big difference in the on-going battle. Harry was rather good at duelling.

A Death Eater appeared at the end of the hall, mask askew and robe looking singed in several spots. Despite this, Hermione could not be sure who it was. The figure sent a spell down at her, but Hermione stepped out of the way before he had pointed his wand. She countered with a trip jinx, but the Death Eater put up a shield just before it landed. His counter-spell was a horrid purple flash that nearly hit Hermione in the chest.

Then, before Hermione could send a spell at him in response, the Death Eater staggered and stumbled into a wall. Hermione frowned, looking at the figure uncertainly. Was it a trick to get her to come closer? She adjusted the grip on her wand and moved forward. Hermione kept the wand trained on the figure, but also kept an eye out for other dangers. There was a battle still going on behind her.

Before she had gone a dozen paces forward, though, the mystery of the Death Eater's collapse was solved. Tonks, the Auror and Order member came running past. She paused, seeing Hermione, and turned in her path to intercept.

"Wotcher, Hermione," the woman said. "McGonagall said you'd be running around somewhere. Good work distracting him while I took him down, eh? Dolohov would be a beast on his own. Shouldn't be able to rise for a few hours, I expect. Ha!"

"Thanks, Tonks," Hermione said. "Are you alone?"

"The others are heading towards the Entrance Hall," she said.

"Others?" Hermione asked.

"Probably half of the Order, by now," she said. "They heard You-Know-Who is somewhere around, too. Whatever the Death Eaters and Scions are doing, they are here in force. So, we need to be, too."

"Have you seen Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Not yet," the woman replied. "But Sirius sent a message to get all of you kids at least up to floor two. He's got something planned. Not sure what to make of that."

A boom sounded, sending a cloud of dust floating down the hallway towards them. The way into the Entrance Hall was even more hazy than before. Flashes of light still flowed around behind that, illuminating the hallway in an eerie, other-worldly light.

"I'll go warn the students on floor one," Hermione said. "I don't think Harry's down here, not in all this."

"Good, go," Tonks said. "And let other professors know, if you see them."

"Alright," Hermione said, hurrying back to the nearest stair behind a curtain. "See you later. Keep safe!"

"You too," the woman said, brandishing her wand and sending a ball of fire past Hermione into the fray.

What exactly was Sirius planning that required them to leave the Ground and first floor? Something mad, no doubt, if he was anything like the twins. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing in the midst of this. She hurried up to the first floor, and found a half dozen students waiting, wands trained on her when she emerged.

"Sirius sent a message to get everyone up to level two," she said as they relaxed. "I don't know what he's doing, but be careful."

They saluted her and ran off. Hermione might have been amused if the situation wasn't so serious. Being treated like a commanding officer was a strange thing, indeed, even after her work in the DA and in the first few months of hiding. She shook it off and found another upward stair, this one in a crevice behind a statue of some obscure old witch.

A renewed explosion sound caught her ear as Hermione arrived up on three, skipping two for the moment to avoid the remaining Carrow - if she could. Getting caught up in random duels was not her purpose. At a run, Hermione found herself at the Grand Stair looking down. A pair of acromantulas stepped inward, creating a cry of horror from a number of those below. She squinted, though, as she thought she saw…

Sirius Black was riding the front one, crying out, "Get them my pretties!" A few spells bounced off a shield he was maintaining, and a dozen more spells rebounded harmlessly off of the legs and body of the giant spider. Then, the beast charged, and Sirius had all the bearing of a mad king in a fairy tale. Hermione watched for a second as the Scions and Death Eaters scattered, the acromantula knocking the unlucky slow ones down with its swift limbs.

Hermione was wrong. Sirius was worse than the twins. He was insane. Still, if it was directed at that lot, who was she to argue? More people entered the school, but Hermione could not make out any particular robe colour. Perhaps it was the Order group that Tonks had come with. How had they let Sirius do something that ridiculous? Shaking her head, Hermione turned away, continuing her search for Harry.

"HARRY POTTER!" cried a cold, hard voice that reverberated through the walls. "I KNOW YOU ARE IN HOGWARTS, AND I TIRE OF THIS GAME. I HAVE THREE HUNDRED WIZARDS AND WITCHES OUTSIDE THE CASTLE. THEY ARE PREPARED TO WIPE OUT EVERY LAST SNIVELLING MEMBER OF THE SCIONS AND YOUR LITTLE ORDER, IF YOU DO NOT COME OUT TO FACE ME, YOURSELF. YOU HAVE ONE HOUR TO DECIDE. MY FORCES WILL NOW RETREAT AND LET YOU AND THE SCIONS PLAY, NICELY, NO DOUBT. YOU CANNOT CALL FOR HELP AND NO ONE MAY LEAVE. IF YOU HAVE NOT ENTERED THE FORBIDDEN FOREST BY HOUR'S END… WE ARE COMING."

Hermione turned back to the Entrance Hall. Sirius was nowhere to be seen, but the pair of acromantulas raced out of the entry doors, chased by a dozen hooded figures blasting them with heavy spells. Others in black followed, laying heavy spell attacks across the hall, setting fires on anything flammable and sending stone blocks tumbling. Hermione realised she had held her breath, and released it as the Death Eaters departed.

They wanted Harry. He had to face them, to end Voldemort once and for all. He had to… die for it. No. It was too soon! Hermione fumed. What could she do? Maybe they could hold off the Death Eaters. Perhaps the three hundred number was a bluff. But what if it wasn't? In any case, Harry didn't know the truth. She hadn't had time to show him. Or, rather, she had done everything she could to not tell him. Hermione could have gone to him, immediately, on learning the truth. But, she hadn't. She had chosen to go hide from her problem in the library. Now, there was no time. There were no good options. She had to find him and give him the letter. Then, she would lose him.

Pain stabbed her heart at the thought of it. How could it be so? Harry… Hermione looked around as though hoping answers would spring out of the scarred stonework walls. No hope. No way forward. What was she going to do?