Hermione glowed as she walked through the streets of Hogsmeade with Harry, Ron and Ginny by her sides. The gold chain hung halfway down Hermione's chest with the gold band at the end, swaying side to side as Hermione proudly displayed it outside her robes.
"Wanna get some butterbeer?" Harry asked the group. "My treat."
"Well, how can I refuse?" Ginny said bashfully. Ron rolled his eyes to Hermione while Hermione couldn't suppress a giggle and Harry gave the two a warning glance.
After they finished the butterbeer, Ginny found some of her fourth year friends and departed from Ron, Harry, and Hermione's company.
"Hey, don't you want to go see your boyfriend? I think he would have a present for you for your birthday," Ron said quietly and rather bitterly to Hermione.
"Huh? Oh, you mean Peter? No, we're not going out. I broke it off yesterday," Hermione replied.
"Really? Why?" Ron asked, relieved at this good news.
"Because I realized that I didn't have those feelings for him. Being with him would be wrong. Hey, let's go window shopping," Hermione said, abruptly changing the topic. Hermione didn't want to talk about that stuff right after her revelation regarding her feelings for Ron yesterday, especially when her birthday was going so well. Ron didn't care because he was so happy that she wasn't Peter's girlfriend.
As the trio walked down the streets of Hogsmeade, Ron stole a glance at Hermione and noticed she was gently rubbing the ring unconsciously with her right hand while looking at the storefronts of various shops. He smiled at himself for picking a gift she enjoyed so much, though it did cost him his allowance for probably nine months. He wanted to tell her that it was some form of promise ring, that no matter what happened to them, they'd always be there for each other, but he just could bring himself to say that to her. He didn't know how she'd react to something like that and the fear of the unknown surpassed the desire to tell her tenfold.
While Ron was thinking all this to himself, a loud BANG! erupted a few stores in front of them and people screamed wildly in the confusion. Ron, torn out of his daydream, saw fire spewing out of the store that sold his favorite sweets.
"C'mon, we gotta get out of here," Harry said, deeply shaken by what just occurred. As the trio turned around to go back to Hogwarts, another BANG! burst almost directly in front of them in the street. Bits of cobblestone flew everywhere, irritating Ron's eyes.
"My sister, I've got to find my sister!" Ron cried.
"She'll be alright, Ron. She's probably on her way back to Hogwarts this very moment, like we should be," Hermione yelled above the cries and screams of confusion. People searched frantically for loved ones who got separated when the explosions occurred.
Though Ron felt better after Hermione's reply, he still looked around him trying to locate Ginny, but the smoke from the first blast and the dust from the second made it impossible for anyone to see ten feet in front of himself.
They continued to stumble along the tattered street, trying to get back to Hogwarts. More shops exploded around them as Harry tried desperately to see who or what was causing the bangs. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw the dark robes and masks of a band of Death Eaters walking down a street perpendicular to where Harry and his friends were standing.
"Death Eaters," Harry said quietly.
"WHAT?? Death Eaters?? Are you serious Harry?" Ron cried. Harry didn't think anyone could hear him with all the raucous around them, but Hermione's eye's widened at the name as well.
"Yes, Ron, I'm serious. I just saw them. There are a lot," Harry said calmly and quietly. Memories from his previous encounter with Death Eaters zoomed through his mind. Cedric's death, Wormtail cutting his hand, Voldermort rising, the pain of the Cruciatus Curse, the duel, the....
"Harry? Are you okay? We have to get out of here!" Hermione yelled, shaking Harry, trying to get him out of his trance. Worry streaked Hermione's face, she knew he was thinking about Cedric and what happened at the end of Fourth year. He never did tell them everything that happened.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, we gotta go," Harry replied absently, tried to separate himself from the memories that wouldn't stay buried. Harry, Hermione and Ron continued their effort to get to Hogwarts.
Ron was thinking about the exchange between Hermione and Harry when Harry walked quickly ahead of them. Hermione stayed behind with Ron because she figured Harry needed space right now.
Just then, the store they were walking past exploded into flames and part of the edifice was falling and was about to hit Ron.
"Ron, MOVE!!" Hermione cried as she pushed Ron out of the way of the falling bricks but could not get herself cleared in time. Ron fell backwards and tumbled a bit after the push and confusion swept over him. He heard her scream and then suddenly stop.
"Hermione!" Ron rushed over to the fallen brick to find Hermione clenching back the pain while trying to get up. Her right leg and arm were crushed under brick and she tried to wiggle her way out of it, but that only made the pain worse. "Hold still, please," Ron said cautiously, assessing the damage. He took out his wand and whispered a spell and the bricks suddenly vanished. Hermione still tried to get up, but it was too painful. "Wait, let me help you."
"Oh no!" Hermione whispered while leaning on to Ron's warm body. Ron followed her gaze to a lump in the rubble.
"Harry!" Ron exclaimed. Carefully, he picked Hermione up and quickly walked over to an unconscious Harry. Guilt swept across him as he realized he was unscathed while his best friends were in pain.
"Put me down on the ground, Ron, I need to get a better look at Harry." Gently, Ron placed her next to Harry and she assessed his injuries. Ron could see pain, fear, and anger on her face while looking at Harry. Hermione fumbled through the right side of her robes with her left hand since her right arm felt broken, and got out her wand. She looked around the street, destruction everywhere and people still screaming. She pointed her wand at a store front and whispered a spell. The glass shattered exposing a flying broomstick in the display case.
"Hermione, what are you doing?" Ron said. Hermione ignored him as she whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa," bringing the broomstick to Ron's hand. He instinctively clutched it when it came to him.
Ron squatted by Hermione looking at her quizzically. Hermione turned her body to face Ron squarely and looked into his eyes. "I need you to get Harry and yourself on the broomstick and back to Hogwarts now," she said to him in a very even tone.
"What? What do you mean? What about you?" Ron asked, surprised. He was so confused. He couldn't just leave Hermione here.
Hermione continued in her even tone, "Harry's injuries are...extensive," she faltered, hoping Ron would catch her drift, which he did. "He needs Madame Pomfrey right now. You must get to Hogwarts now," she became a little more frantic, the wall she tried to build to shield Ron from her fears was slowly disintegrating.
"But you didn't answer my last question. What about you?" Ron asked. The lump in his throat told him the answer he was expecting...
"I'll stay here and wait for someone to get me after you tell Dumbledore that I'm here. The sooner you leave, the sooner someone will be here for me," she replied, hoping her logic would convince him, but it didn't.
"No way, Hermione. I am not leaving you here. Death Eaters are all over! That is way too dangerous," Ron resolutely replied. Death Eaters hated Muggle-born witches and wizards and there was no way he would leave her where they could find her and do anything to her...
Hermione's shield broke. "Look Ron, I can't tell exactly how extensive Harry's injuries are, but they're bad, very bad. He needs to get to Hogwarts now! I can't use the broomstick because of my arm and my leg. The grip would be too weak and I could easily fall off, making that suicidal. The Death Eaters are here for Harry, don't you see that? That's what Harry realized. Voldermort wants Harry dead, and I am not willing to let that happen!" She had difficulty getting the last part out between her tears and hiccups.
Ron hugged her gently, making sure he didn't hurt her right side much. She's so much braver than me. He thought about what she said and knew she was right, knew this was the only way. He released her and cupped her tear stained face in his hands, "I'll see you at Hogwarts, okay?" He said that as convincingly as he could through his fears.
"Yeah, in a little bit," she replied quietly. Her brown eyes were no longer tearing, but she couldn't mask the worry in her eyes.
Ron got up, gently picked Harry up and got on the broomstick. He held Harry with one arm and griped the broom with his other hand and legs. He looked back at Hermione and wanted to remember her with her brave face on and tell her how he felt just in case.....no, you'll see her in a bit, Weasley. The last thing she needs now is you telling her you're in love with her. Not the time.
Hermione smiled bravely at Ron and said, "Go." With that, Ron was gone, leaving Hermione to burst into a fresh set of tears.