I was shaken roughly awake by a frantic Emma.

"Kat! Kat, wake up!"

"Urgh," I groaned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and sitting up groggily. "What is it?"

"Death Eaters. They're attacking the school," said Emma, her face pale and frightened in the moonlight filtering through the crack in my curtains. I snapped instantly awake, and swung myself out of bed, slipping my feet into slippers and tugging on a robe. "Where?" I asked urgently.

"I don't know. The heads of houses have been waking up all of the students, and telling them to go to the Great Hall."

"Fat chance," I said, and without even thinking about it, I knew I was going to fight. Death Eaters would take the school over my dead body. Emma seemed more reluctant. "Kat, it's dangerous," she said, as I grabbed my wand from my nightstand.

"I know."

"You could get hurt!"

"You coming or not?"

Emma hesitated, then her face filled with resolve. "Alright. I'll get Steph and Lucas and some others." She dashed off, bare feet padding over the carpeted floor. I tied the robe tightly and followed her, lit wand held ahead of me so I could see in the dim lighting. Emma met up with Steph, Lucas, the entire quidditch team, a few of my classmates that I only knew the last names of, and a handful of Cho's seventh grade friends. Others were confused, rushing into the corridor to head to the Great Hall, or staying in the relative safety of their dormitory. Our group stepped out into the dark, quiet corridors. Other than a few stragglers racing to the Great Hall, it was empty.

"Where are they?" I whispered, in case they were somewhere close.

"I don't know," started Emma, but she stopped abruptly as the sound of a distant boom made us all gasp. I took off down the hallway, towards the sound of the blast, Steph right on my heels. "Kat, we should wait for the teachers."

"They're probably already there," I said, rounding a corner. I knew all of the shortcuts in the castle after years of finding the optimal route between classes. Or at least, I thought I did, before Dustin said, "Through here," and swung aside a portrait of a lady in an extravagant wedding dress beneath an arch of flowers to reveal a passageway. He ducked inside, and we all followed. The pass spit us out in an empty classroom, and we let Dustin guide us right into the heart of the battle.

Flashes of light were flying everywhere, and instinctively I yelled, "Protego!" letting the shield deflect the stray hexes coming our way. Cho leaped straight into the action, engaging in a fierce duel with a lumpy, pasty-faced death eater whose mask had gone askew. I aimed a jelly-legs jinx at the nearest figure, who whirled around, snarling behind his silver mask. I managed to deflect his first spell wordlessly, but his second was fired off so quickly I had to jump aside to dodge it, and even then it was so close it ruffled my hair. "Stupefy!" I cried, and the spell caught him in the chest and he slid to the ground. Dustin, to my right, was locked in combat with a Death Eater that clearly outmatched him- it was all he could to to jump and duck out of the way as the robed figure laughed- "Crucio- come here, my little pet, crucio!"

"Expelliarmus!" I shouted, and his wand soared from his hand. Dustin hit him with an unpleasant jinx that made little tentacles grow out of his face and he clutched his head obvious discomfort, squealing with shock and pain.

"You alright?" I asked breathlessly. "Yeah," he said, turning away. No time for words.

In the utter chaos, it was a miracle I didn't get hit with a rebounding curse- Emma slumped to the ground, stunned, and while Steph knelt over her, muttering "Enervate," she, too, was hit by the same jet of red light. "Rictusempra!" I shouted, and the nearest Death Eater was suddenly overcome with giggles, squirming with discomfort. I spun back around, wand aloft, ready to defend myself, but for some reason the fight seemed to be gone- or moving at least. There was shouting and movement, and a very familiar blond head appeared, ushered on by Snape, flapping along in his sweeping black robes. I assumed he was there to help us fight, but when Harry Potter hurtled down from the stairs a little ways up, yelling something incoherent and clearly in their pursuit, I realized something was wrong and ran after the fleeing Death Eaters. I raised my wand to send a stunning spell in their direction, but as I opened my mouth I was suddenly slammed off course and sent skidding along the stone floors very painfully. The terrifying face of Fenrir Greyback hovered over my own, leering unpleasantly, yellowed fangs inches from my throat. I had enough air left to scream before there was a terrific bang, a blow to my head, and stars swan in and out of my vision. Pain daggered through my skull, and I was left reeling. Grasping the wall for support, I staggered to my feet, and tried to walk. It became immediately obvious that it would be easier said than done. My vision was blurry, the world spun around me like a merry-go-round on steroids, and I was extremely disoriented. I took one step, fell to my hands and knees, and passed out cold.

When I awoke, for a moment I was disoriented and thought I was still trapped under the grasp of the werewolf, and I lurched up, shoving my arms to push him off my chest, but met nothing but air. I looked around wildly, and saw Dustin crouched by my side. "What happened?" I asked, panicked. "Did he bite me?"

Dustin shook his head, and relief flooded my body. "Thank Merlin. Then what happened?"

"I saw him attack you and tried to stun him, but I missed and hit a pillar. Thankfully, it had been beat up pretty badly already, so it crumbled and fell over. One of the chunks of stone hit him in the head, but I think one hit you as well. You have a pretty bad lump on your head."

Sure enough, now that my adrenaline had faded, my head was swimming and there was a throbbing pain in my temple. But I was so relived to be alive, that I sat up all the way and kissed Dustin, taking him by surprise. His hands, caressing my face, were surprisingly gentle. Like butterfly wings. I didn't care that this was most definitely not the time nor the place to be making out with him, nor did I bother to check to make sure there were no other people around (there weren't, thankfully). I was too exhausted and relieved to give a hoot. Dustin pulled his face away from mine after a few moments, looking concerned. "How's your head?"

"It's fine," I said, which was the truth. "I don't think anything hit too hard. I'm just a little dizzy, but I'll get over it."

"Okay, but just be careful."

"You be careful," I said, and pulled him in again for a fierce kiss, like I needed to make sure for myself that he was still here, well and alive. I buried my face into his shoulder, reassured by the steady ba-bump of his heart and the lingering scent of cinnamon. "We were so lucky."

"We should go back to the dormitory. Emma and Steph, they'll be worried about you," said Dustin, but I felt my stomach turning. "I don't want to go back to the dormitories," I whispered. "It feels wrong. Just going to sleep after all this. I mean, I don't even know what happened, with Snape and Malfoy. What were they doing?"

"I don't know. Alright, we can head back to the common room in the morning. Follow me." Dustin stood, helping me to my feet, and I walked unsteadily for the first couple of steps before regaining my balance. "Where are we going?" I murmured. The castle was dark and silent once more, and I assumed that the teachers had ushered everyone back into bed when the battle was over.

"The Room of Requirement. I don't really know where else to go."

"Oh," I said softly. Then, after a beat, "We can go back to the dormitories, if you want. It's okay."

"No, I don't want to go back, either. I would never be able to sleep," said Dustin, taking my hand. He led me up several flights of stairs to a dead-end hallway with a tapestry of trolls doing ballet. After pacing back and forth three times, a door appeared in the wall- he turned the knob and we walked in, closing the door behind us. The room was small and cozy, lit by flickering fire and a few candles. There was a small table with two mugs of hot chocolate, a couch with cushy looking pillows, and a platter of sandwiches. A stack of books lay on the floor next to the couch.

"What did you wish for?" I asked, approaching the table and breathing in the delicious scent.

"A place to rest," was Dustin's reply. I held my hot mug close to my chest and sipped, letting the warmth fill me down to my toes. Already my eyelids felt heavy, and I stifled my yawn, setting the steaming cup back on the table. I kicked off my slippers and curled on the couch next to Dustin, letting his arms wrap around my shoulders as I rested my head against his chest. He tilted my face towards his and kissed me softly, careful to avoid hurting the painful lump on my head. "Go to sleep," he whispered, but despite my tired body screaming for rest, I forced my eyes open. "Hey, Dustin?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm thinking... I don't want to try out for quidditch next year."

Dustin looked surprised. "You don't? Why?"

"Because- because, I'm tired of this. The secrecy. It was fun at first, but I don't want to have to hide."

"But you love quidditch."

"I know, but I never intended to play, you know, professionally. Besides, it'll be just another thing. We'll have NEWTs and there will be so much pressure, and-" I broke off, wanting to gauge his reaction before I continued, but he was silent. "You know what I mean?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah, I guess," he replied after a while. "Did you know that you were the whole reason I joined quidditch in the first place?"

"What?"

"Yeah. I had this super big crush on you during third year, so when I heard you were trying out for the team, I went, too."

"No way!"

"I thought you might notice me or something. I dunno. I guess it didn't work."

"Well, it sort of did," I murmured, snuggling closer into his warmth.

"Sort of."

This time, I failed to hide my yawn, and Dustin noticed. "Go to sleep," he repeated, and this time I was only too happy to comply.

When I woke up again, sore but well-rested, the first thing I noticed was how freaking adorable Dustin looked when he was asleep, I mean how unfair is that?! His chest rose and fell as he slept, warm breath ruffling my hair with every exhale. Careful not to wake him, I slipped off the couch and put my slippers back on. The cups on the table were still hot, so either they were magic or I had only fallen asleep for, like, half an hour. Poking my head through the door, I could see sunlight slanting through the windows, so that answered that question. As much as I wanted to just curl up and drink hot chocolate with Dustin, I figured it was about time we went back to the dormitories and figure out what had happened. Not to mention that I had no idea what time it was and didn't know if I should be at my classes already.

"Dustin," I whispered, shaking his shoulder. "Wake up."

"What?" he said groggily, stirring.

"It's time we headed back to the common room. You know, do some sleuthing."

"Ugh. Do you know what time it is?"

"No, but it's definitely daytime."

Dustin pulled himself up and off the couch, stretching, and planted a kiss on my forehead. "Well, good morning."

"Good morning. Shall we?" I replied, holding open the door for him. "We shall," he said, ducking through.

The hallways were empty as we walked through the castle. Only a few students could be seen, and they had their heads down and didn't seem to be going anywhere in particular. I shot Dustin a puzzled look as we passed a first year sobbing behind a statue of a one-eyed witch. When we finally arrived at the common room, it was packed to the brim. I was struck by how somber and silent the mood was. Emma noticed me enter the room, and sprang to her feet. "Kat!" she cried, her eyes looking red. "I was so worried! Where were you? What happened to you? Did you get hurt?"

"No, I'm fine... why is everyone here?" I asked quietly, keeping my voice down because the room was so eerily silent. "What happened?"

Emma clapped her hands to her mouth. "You don't know?"

No..."

Tears sprang to her eyes. "Kat, Dumbledore is dead."

"What?"

"Snape killed him," whispered Emma, before a fresh round of tears overtook her and Lucas put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. My head was spinning and I suddenly felt very dizzy again. The air suddenly felt very cold, like there was ice blossoming in my chest, spreading through my blood, and I wobbled on my feet. Dustin was there in a second to steady me. "I think you might have a concussion. Let's get you to the hospital wing," he said, and scooped me up. "Ow," I groaned, as my head began throbbing again. I didn't want to go to the hospital wing. I wanted to run right out of there and hunt down Death Eaters, I wanted to knock down that slimy little Malfoy and beat him over the head with a broomstick. I struggled to free myself form Dustin's grip. "Let me go!"

"No, you're hurt."

"I said, let me go!" I yelled, thrashing around, struggling to escape his vice-like embrace. "Let me go!" I must have been a little crazed, because he only walked faster. "I have to go," I sobbed, abandoning all attempts of escape. "I have to leave."

"No, you don't. I'm taking you to Madame Pomfrey."

I tried one more time to wriggle out of his grasp, but pain shot suddenly through my head and I fell back with a yelp, and passed out cold.

When I woke up, I was laying in the hospital wing, head swathed in bandages. Nothing hurt, really, but I was impossibly exhausted and I don't think I could have lifted a finger for the life of me. Faces swan into focus- Emma, Steph, and Lucas all peered down nervously at me. "Ugh," I groaned. "Don't hover like that."

"Sorry!" squeaked Emma, who looked pale and anxious. Her eyes were red like the last time I had seen her. When she told me. Dumbledore was dead. I closed my eyes again, but not out of drowsiness, trying to shut out my thoughts, which were all flooding back unbidden. The school was no longer safe- it had been breached once, and it would be again, especially now that the headmaster was gone. Who else had died, I wondered.

"Did anyone else..." I croaked, unable to finish my sentence. Steph seemed to understand my meaning. "Only a couple of Death Eaters. One of the big ones was firing killing curses everywhere and he got hit when they rebounded. None of us died. Only, you know..." She trailed off. "How do you feel?"

I licked my lips with a tongue as dry as sandpaper. "Thirsty."

"Here," said Lucas quickly, handing me a cup of water from the bedside table. I took it and lifted it to my lips with a trembling hand. "So... what now?"

Emma tilted her head, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the school isn't safe, that's for sure. What's going to happen?"

"I don't know," Emma whispered. Steph bit her lip. "Well... Kat, you know, you're muggle born," she said slowly, as if I didn't know that already. As if I wasn't reminded of it almost every day by a sneering Malfoy. "So?"

"There's been talk... that muggle borns might have to go into hiding. If Death Eaters take over the school next year. It would be a bad place for you to be."

I was vaguely aware that my mouth was hanging open. "What? You want me to leave Hogwarts? Where would I go?"

"I don't know! It just might not be safe. My parents have already sent me a letter saying they don't want me to come back next year, and I'm a half blood!" exclaimed Steph. "You know what they're capable of, Kat."

I folded my arms across my chest stubbornly. "There is no way in hell that I am leaving Hogwarts," I said. Steph opened her mouth to protest, but Emma grabbed her hand. "It's Kat's choice," she said. "And we'll protect each other no matter what." Lucas circled his arms around Emma's waist protectively, as if in agreement. "Just be careful, Kat," he added. I felt a sudden and overwhelming surge of affection for my friends and it was only my sluggishness that prevented me from strangling them all in a grateful hug.

"Thank you," I whispered, tears springing to my eyes. I was so, so tired.

"We'll let you rest now," said Lucas, and Emma squeezed my hand before they all shuffled out, leaving me to drift off to sleep once again.