Lavender snorted. "Please. Must you start with a cliché?"
Hermione glared. "Well it was dark and it was stormy damn it." Lavender shrugged and Hermione took a breath. "We were in the common room. We were suppose to be in the Great Hall for dinner, but I wanted to study for our final exams." She smiled a bit. "Harry and Ron were discussing Quidditch strategies for their last game. Ron was so happy about finally getting on the team that year." She sighed a bit in fond memory.
"Anyway Harry had been constantly massaging her forehead. The thing that makes us both feel bad about it is that we were so wrapped up we didn't notice it till Neville walked in and said 'Harry, your head hurting?' We both looked up then and Harry just looked nervous."
" 'It's ok Neville' I'd said. 'Harry's just stressed about the upcoming game.'
"Neville slapped him on the back then 'It's ok Harry, you'll get 'em' then just kinda strolled out and Harry gave me this 'I love you so much for fixing that look'" She laughed a bit. "So then of course we started pounding him with questions about his scar. 'It's ok, really guys' he'd said."
" 'You always say that," Ron'd said "and in the end you always end up being poked at by Deatheaters.' "
" 'Well it doesn't feel that bad. I don't think he's to close' "
" 'You should still go to Dumbledor now, Harry.' I suppose telling him that is what was able to save the few people we did. He agreed easily enough and we snuck up to Dumbledor's office." Hermione's eyes clouded. "It went downhill from there. When we told Headmaster his eyes got dark and worried. I'd never seen Dumbledor's eyes worried before. Then he led us down stairs and..opened a wall."
Lavender's eyebrow lifted. "Opened a wall?"
Hermione growled, "Well damned if I understand it either. The wall was there and then it wasn't ok!"
"B-reath. I believe you. What happened then?"
Hermione took a breath. "He told us to start bringing students down and hiding them in there. He wouldn't tell us what was going on. The storm got worse. We had a few Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and maybe 7 Slytherins hidden when He came."
Lavender's eyes went the size of dinner plates. "He came Himself? Voldmort."
Hermione nodded angrily. "The bastard just strolled right into the Great Hall. He forced everyone into it setting all the corridors on fire so that the choice was either the Great Hall or burn. He set STONE on fire." She shuddered. "And it seemed a dirt flame. Sickly yellow and green with a brown undertone, like it had mildewed. And those that got caught up in it.they didn't actually burn. Their skin just started to melt and slowly drip of their bones." She hugged herself breath ragged "The screams, worse than mandrakes could ever be."
"How'd you hear everything?" Lavender asked trying to detour Hermione's thought. "If you were hidden how did you see and hear?"
"Voldmort must not have known about the tunnel. It led all around the school. Like between the walls. I did a one-way mirror spell. We could see out, they couldn't see in. Voldmort walked to the front of the crowd, almost the whole school and looked out at them smiling. THE BASTARD SMILED!" She looked at the ceiling counting backwards slowly.
"What did he say?"
" 'Ah, how the mighty have fallen. All who stand here before me have a choice.' Then he snapped and Dumbledor appeared in black chains. But how he stood. Proud and tall and calm and magnificent. A pillar of strength and Voldmort snarled and ordered him to bow. Dumbledor didn't move."
"He stood and looked out at the students and glanced around the whole hall and said clearly 'Hope, is in the hearts of those who dare to need it. The fallen, never stay down.'" Hermione teeth clenched. "Then Voldmort pulled out his want. He was going to kill him and then Harry burst into the Hall. He'd went back through the tunnel and no one had even noticed. He went back! And he charged Voldmort. Just charged him and Voldmort waved his wand and Harry......Harry was just gone. Then Voldmort killed Dumbledor and turned still grinning."
" 'Are those your heroes' He'd said. "Are those the ones you thought would save you? Your choice now. I will rule the Wizarding world. The ministry will fall, the schools will fall, all with fall to me. You may choose now, who joins me and lives and who is destroyed." Her eyes glazed over. "I remember the face of every person that joined him. 28 Slytherins, 6 Hufflepuffs, 3 Ravenclaws-" She paused blinking silently.
Lavender looked at her intently. "Any Gryffindors?"
Hermione nodded. "One."
"Who?"
"Ginny Weasley."
Lavender's mouth dropped open. "Not Ginny! Ginny wouldn't! She was sweet and loyal and..." Lavender looked at Hermione sympathetically "and she was loving."
Hermione shook her head her throat tight. "I'll never forget. She walked up to Voldmort and looked him dead in the eye, nodded, and stood behind him placidly. Calm and strong. I didn't even se guilt in her eyes! None! She stood their and watched and Voldmort burned all those who stayed loyal!" Tear cascaded down Hermione's cheeks. "And I will never forgive her for that."
Lavender hugged her gently. "How'd you all get out?"
"We stayed hidden until Voldmort had settled sure that no one was left alive." She smirked. "I followed the tunnel down and it lead to a path under the grounds and into a muggle sewer. We got out there." She raised her head. "And then I remembered Dumbledor's words and I decided what I was going to do."
Lavender watched amazed as Hermione's eyes lit up like a pair of dark suns as she spoke. "I looked at the few who had made it. 'We escaped with our freedom. With out lives. With our loyalty. But not with out pride. We watched while loved ones died for being pure. And we stood by while Voldmort rolled over us. He will take out home or life the life of family and friends and we can't stop him alone of by outward attack. We're small but we can fight. We can take little nicks out of every bit of his forces and power till he's so covered in battle wounds there's no strength left in him. We will bring together all those who would fight, how would rebel, who would defy. I am a defyer. I begin the Defiance. Who will continue it?" Hermione smiled proudly "They all did."
Hermione glared. "Well it was dark and it was stormy damn it." Lavender shrugged and Hermione took a breath. "We were in the common room. We were suppose to be in the Great Hall for dinner, but I wanted to study for our final exams." She smiled a bit. "Harry and Ron were discussing Quidditch strategies for their last game. Ron was so happy about finally getting on the team that year." She sighed a bit in fond memory.
"Anyway Harry had been constantly massaging her forehead. The thing that makes us both feel bad about it is that we were so wrapped up we didn't notice it till Neville walked in and said 'Harry, your head hurting?' We both looked up then and Harry just looked nervous."
" 'It's ok Neville' I'd said. 'Harry's just stressed about the upcoming game.'
"Neville slapped him on the back then 'It's ok Harry, you'll get 'em' then just kinda strolled out and Harry gave me this 'I love you so much for fixing that look'" She laughed a bit. "So then of course we started pounding him with questions about his scar. 'It's ok, really guys' he'd said."
" 'You always say that," Ron'd said "and in the end you always end up being poked at by Deatheaters.' "
" 'Well it doesn't feel that bad. I don't think he's to close' "
" 'You should still go to Dumbledor now, Harry.' I suppose telling him that is what was able to save the few people we did. He agreed easily enough and we snuck up to Dumbledor's office." Hermione's eyes clouded. "It went downhill from there. When we told Headmaster his eyes got dark and worried. I'd never seen Dumbledor's eyes worried before. Then he led us down stairs and..opened a wall."
Lavender's eyebrow lifted. "Opened a wall?"
Hermione growled, "Well damned if I understand it either. The wall was there and then it wasn't ok!"
"B-reath. I believe you. What happened then?"
Hermione took a breath. "He told us to start bringing students down and hiding them in there. He wouldn't tell us what was going on. The storm got worse. We had a few Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and maybe 7 Slytherins hidden when He came."
Lavender's eyes went the size of dinner plates. "He came Himself? Voldmort."
Hermione nodded angrily. "The bastard just strolled right into the Great Hall. He forced everyone into it setting all the corridors on fire so that the choice was either the Great Hall or burn. He set STONE on fire." She shuddered. "And it seemed a dirt flame. Sickly yellow and green with a brown undertone, like it had mildewed. And those that got caught up in it.they didn't actually burn. Their skin just started to melt and slowly drip of their bones." She hugged herself breath ragged "The screams, worse than mandrakes could ever be."
"How'd you hear everything?" Lavender asked trying to detour Hermione's thought. "If you were hidden how did you see and hear?"
"Voldmort must not have known about the tunnel. It led all around the school. Like between the walls. I did a one-way mirror spell. We could see out, they couldn't see in. Voldmort walked to the front of the crowd, almost the whole school and looked out at them smiling. THE BASTARD SMILED!" She looked at the ceiling counting backwards slowly.
"What did he say?"
" 'Ah, how the mighty have fallen. All who stand here before me have a choice.' Then he snapped and Dumbledor appeared in black chains. But how he stood. Proud and tall and calm and magnificent. A pillar of strength and Voldmort snarled and ordered him to bow. Dumbledor didn't move."
"He stood and looked out at the students and glanced around the whole hall and said clearly 'Hope, is in the hearts of those who dare to need it. The fallen, never stay down.'" Hermione teeth clenched. "Then Voldmort pulled out his want. He was going to kill him and then Harry burst into the Hall. He'd went back through the tunnel and no one had even noticed. He went back! And he charged Voldmort. Just charged him and Voldmort waved his wand and Harry......Harry was just gone. Then Voldmort killed Dumbledor and turned still grinning."
" 'Are those your heroes' He'd said. "Are those the ones you thought would save you? Your choice now. I will rule the Wizarding world. The ministry will fall, the schools will fall, all with fall to me. You may choose now, who joins me and lives and who is destroyed." Her eyes glazed over. "I remember the face of every person that joined him. 28 Slytherins, 6 Hufflepuffs, 3 Ravenclaws-" She paused blinking silently.
Lavender looked at her intently. "Any Gryffindors?"
Hermione nodded. "One."
"Who?"
"Ginny Weasley."
Lavender's mouth dropped open. "Not Ginny! Ginny wouldn't! She was sweet and loyal and..." Lavender looked at Hermione sympathetically "and she was loving."
Hermione shook her head her throat tight. "I'll never forget. She walked up to Voldmort and looked him dead in the eye, nodded, and stood behind him placidly. Calm and strong. I didn't even se guilt in her eyes! None! She stood their and watched and Voldmort burned all those who stayed loyal!" Tear cascaded down Hermione's cheeks. "And I will never forgive her for that."
Lavender hugged her gently. "How'd you all get out?"
"We stayed hidden until Voldmort had settled sure that no one was left alive." She smirked. "I followed the tunnel down and it lead to a path under the grounds and into a muggle sewer. We got out there." She raised her head. "And then I remembered Dumbledor's words and I decided what I was going to do."
Lavender watched amazed as Hermione's eyes lit up like a pair of dark suns as she spoke. "I looked at the few who had made it. 'We escaped with our freedom. With out lives. With our loyalty. But not with out pride. We watched while loved ones died for being pure. And we stood by while Voldmort rolled over us. He will take out home or life the life of family and friends and we can't stop him alone of by outward attack. We're small but we can fight. We can take little nicks out of every bit of his forces and power till he's so covered in battle wounds there's no strength left in him. We will bring together all those who would fight, how would rebel, who would defy. I am a defyer. I begin the Defiance. Who will continue it?" Hermione smiled proudly "They all did."