Remnants of Life
Disclaimer: The Characters aren't mine, only the Plot. Characters are from the mind of J.K. Rowling.
Rating: PG-13
===Note===
Hm, a lot happening in this chapter. I'm rather angst driven right now cause I was watching The ButterFly Effect, and well that movie scared the hell out of me. Anyways, read and review please.
Chapter 4: Save Me in the End
Hermione discovered soon enough that Malfoy's words had been indeed correct. As soon as night descended on the castle, the noises outside ceased. Their fires, which had burned all day, were diminished also, shielding them from onlookers in the school.
Had she been naïve, Hermione would have hoped the silence was a favorable sign. But hope caused her more harm than good these days, and the idea was dismissed before it was actually examined.
It dawned on her as soon as the eerie quiet settled on the castle, that the enemy was most likely doing exactly what Malfoy had predicted. They were using the darkness as a weapon. Under its sheltered wing, the grotesque creatures would seek a convenient way into the castle. The thought caused Hermione to shudder.
The structure itself was one of their only remaining defenses now, she realized. Its stone walls protected them from the surrounding evil. She wondered at their other defense, and what the Headmaster was doing to prepare for the attack.
The students still had not been allowed to leave their common rooms. And, disregarding the brief moment she had spent at the window that morning, Hermione had obeyed the order passively.
She didn't know what was expected of them when the dreaded time came. She wasn't even sure if they were to fight at all. It was doubtful however that Dumbledore should surrender without resistance. The man was aging, and his strength failing, but his spirit remained the same. Hermione just hoped it alone was enough to conquer this.
There were few remaining in the common room now. Many of the Gryffindors had been removed from school by their families. Hermione sat alone by the fire which had once been a lively meeting place. The flames danced merrily reminding her of better times when her deepest concern was nearing exams.
Nothing was left of the past, she realized, there was only a hateful future of destruction. It was all the result of man's greed and desperate desire for power. It was the same story which had retold itself time and time again long before her birth.
Hermione hadn't moved from her place beside the fire since her return to the common room. Some time in the late afternoon she had fallen into a troubled sleep only to be woken by a hysterical scream within the castle.
The sound blended from reality into her nightmare until she couldn't quite tell if she was in a conscious state. Swiftly, Hermione stirred from her seat when the scream was followed by several more. She realized then that the room was too chilly to be a figment of her imagination.
She ran to the entry way of the common room and pushed open the portrait blocking the way. The sounds heard instantly magnified and made her cease her breathing. Screams echoed through the corridors and caused her limbs to become numb. They were accompanied by running footsteps which seemed to vibrate the very stones of the castle.
Hermione knew without contemplation that they were within the school now and taking their time as they wandered the halls searching for victims. The cries of the innocent brought her to her knees on the cold hard floor, but she felt it not. There would be no one left in the end, Hermione realized as the tears trailed down her face and crashed on the stone silently.
Others were beside her now, but she stayed quite still as they brushed past her into the hall. Panicked, no one knew which way to run. Hermione watched silently as some hurried off to the right while others the left.
The hall she knelt in became empty and forlorn in the dark as they left her. The activity had not yet reached her level, and with sudden swiftness Hermione pushed herself to her feet and crept out into the open. Despite the danger outside, she knew it would be worse to be cornered in the common room.
She paused briefly to listen to the clamor as it drew nearer before turning and running in the opposite direction. Her eyes had yet to adjust to the dim lighting and she stumbled along the way. In her haste, Hermione's foot caught on the edge of a rug and she crashed to the ground with a grunt. Stinging pain instantly spread from her knees until she lay panting for breathe.
Panic rose in her then when the sounds of devastation reached her ears from a much closer location, and hurriedly she staggered to her feet. She turned in time to see blinding light round the corner and she shielded her eyes with an arm.
"Granger!" Hermione heard her name and removed her obstruction to see Malfoy running toward her with his wand tip lighted. He was followed by a small group of students a few paces behind him.
Ignoring her pain and blurred vision, Hermione allowed relief to flood through her system at the sight. Though there were few, she felt a slight trace of hope rise at the fact that there were at least some survivors.
"Granger! Don't stand there like an idiot!" Malfoy grabbed her arm as he passed and pulled her into motion. Hermione soon began panting in her efforts of keeping up with his pace. The portraits flew by them and urged them on in shrill voices. Malfoy's wand provided the necessary light and she saw that the hall they were running through was desolate and lacked windows.
"Where are we to go!?" She managed to choke out in between breathes. He was most likely leading them into a dead end. "There's no way out of the castle!"
Malfoy jerked her arm to increase her speed and gave her a frustrated look. "Just keep moving, Granger. There's nothing behind us but death." Hermione's breathe ran out and she couldn't have responded even if she knew what to say.
The footsteps of their small group seemed almost deafening in cold corridor. They were accompanied by those of their pursuers. Screams reached her ears and drained strength from her countenance. She felt cold terror stab at her heart almost causing her to halt her steps. Fear captured her mind and took her away from her body. Faintly, Hermione was aware that they were still in motion, yet she couldn't feel the solid stones beneath her feet.
Upon reaching the end of the hallway, Hermione was snatched from her hellish fantasies when Malfoy abruptly pulled her to the right and up a spiraling set of stairs. That's when the first curse hit.
The scream which emitted from the victim caused her to look back. If she had known what she would see however, Hermione probably would have refused to turn her head.
A young girl lay sprawled with her cheek against the floor. Her eyes were open but they lacked the light of life. Hermione drew in a shuddering breathe and didn't even realize that she no longer was running. Never before had she witnessed death. And, to see it clouding someone so young left her in a state of shock more powerful than her fear.
Another curse hit the wall beside her and wrenched her from the spell she was under. Malfoy yelled something unintelligible and seized her wrist to brag her up the steps by force. Hermione complied without resistance but her eyes lingered on the still form until it was blocked from sight by the stone wall.
Distinctly, she recognized the spiraling staircase as one she had climbed many times before. They were heading up to the astronomy tower, the tallest in the castle. Had she not been in such a bewildered state of panic, Hermione would have argued that this was disadvantageous place to flee. There was no other entrance to the tower besides the one they were currently nearing. In other words, they would be cornered and executed without ever having a chance of escape.
She opened her mouth to notify their leader of this, but found her words drowned by further blasts from wand tips behind them. She heard herself scream and covered her head with her arms. Another thud reached her ears but Hermione didn't dare turn her head to see who had fallen.
With her vision shielded by her own limbs, Hermione misjudged the next step and collapsed on the stairway. Her leg collided with a hard edge and she felt herself slide back down a few steps.
He grabbed hold of her before she was able to tumble down the rest of the way. With Malfoy supporting her, Hermione managed to steady herself. She hadn't even caught her breathe yet when he began to half carried, half dragged her the remainder of the way.
They reached the wooden door of the room panting and with fewer people than before. Hermione felt an unknown Hufflepuff student grasp her robes for security. The group huddled together at the top of the stairs fumbling with their wands, unsure what to do next.
Hitting her wand against the door handle, Hermione opened the lock with a charm and felt herself being pushed forward into the room by those behind her. She fell to the ground and felt others follow suit. She looked up through her tangled mass of hair to see Malfoy slam the door shut behind them and relock the door.
Hermione pulled herself out of the tangled pile of limbs. The others too were scrambling to their feet. She swept her eyes over them and realized they were at least three short of they original number. Some of the students were so young, hardly past their third year. She realized they must have had the same terror stricken appearance as herself. Their robes hung ruffled and streaks of tears stained their faces.
Feeling a sob escape her, Hermione slowly backed up toward the wall opposite the door. She bumped into Malfoy and turned to see him standing frozen with his eyes on the entryway.
"The door won't hold them." She began quietly.
"I know." He replied almost calmly.
Hermione clutched onto his arm in an attempt to steady herself. Her legs weakened and she wondered how she had any strength remaining at all.
Instead of supporting her, Malfoy slowly sank towards the ground. Hermione had no energy to resist and copied his action. They lowered themselves onto their knees, their eyes never leaving the doorway.
Hermione's breathes came in small gasps and she noticed her hands tighten their hold. Malfoy didn't seem to be bothered by the crushing grip however, because his attention was solely focused on where the enemy would emerge in possibly mere minutes.
With her eyes still staring unblinkingly at the entryway, Hermione reached out to her old rival seeking one last shred of comfort.
"So this is the beginning of the end?" She muttered with her lips barely moving.
Malfoy placed a steady hand over hers before responding. "We haven't yet reached the end, Hermione."
===Note===
I like cliff hangers. Well, I like writing them anyway. Stay tuned for more. And, review please.
-Captive