Hermione and Zacharias Smith, accompanied by half a dozen of the NEWT Defence students, hung back slightly from the Slytherins acting as a rearguard to hold off the pursuing Death Eaters. Hermione constantly kept glancing over her shoulder to make sure that there were no Death Eaters in sight. She was surprised therefore when a commotion ahead of them stopped the retreat. "Find out what's going on," she told Zacharias. Zacharias left to consult with Ernie. He returned a few minutes later accompanied by somebody else, a tall freckled redhead that Hermione recognised instantly. "What are you doing here?" she demanded of Ron. "You're supposed to be looking after everyone in the Hufflepuff common room."

"We were worried about you," Ron replied. "You should have reached the common room long before now. Everybody wondered what was wrong. Hannah was more than capable of looking after everybody, especially since she's got all the 5th and 6th year prefects to help her, so me and Padma came looking for you."

"And what would you have done if you ran into Death Eaters?" Hermione asked, incredulous that Ron would have taken such a risk and even more so that Padma had been willing to go along with him.

"We were hoping it wouldn't come to that," Ron said slightly sheepishly, though completely unrepentant, "and it didn't."

"But it could have, Ron," Hermione said exasperatedly. "How would that have helped anyone?"

"Well we're here now," said Padma who had come up while Hermione was berating Ron, "so we might as well get a move on. Standing around here won't do anybody but the Death Eaters any good."

"She's right," Zacharias said. "Unless we get moving they'll catch us."

"All right," Hermione said, "we do need to get to the common room as soon as we can. We will discuss this later though Ron." It was clear from her tone that Ron would not enjoy the discussion. "Ernie!" Hermione shouted to the leader of the vanguard. "Lead on. If we don't reach the common room soon we're in trouble. Everybody, follow the Head Boy."

The group began to move towards the common room again, moving as fast as they could while staying together. Soon enough they were nearing the Hufflepuff common room. "We should get to the common room in a few minutes," Zacharias said. As he said this, there was another commotion at the front of the group. "Wait!" called out Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy?" Ron said. "What's he doing here?"

"How did he get ahead of us?" Zacharias asked. "He was with the Death Eaters. There's no way he should have been able to get ahead of us."

"I don't know," Hermione replied. It can't be good for us though given that he tried to lead the Death Eaters straight to us. I'm going to see what he wants. You three stay here and make sure the Death Eaters don't sneak up on us." Ron, Padma and Zacharias nodded their heads in agreement so Hermione quickly made her way to where Malfoy was talking with several of the older Slytherins. "What are you doing here Malfoy?" she asked.

"I'm catching up with my friends, Granger, what do you think?" he replied sarcastically. "I could hardly wait around in this place on my own could I?"

"So how did you know where to find us?" Hermione demanded. "There wasn't anybody around to tell you."

"My friends left me a note telling me what you planned," Malfoy responded coolly. "Hardly responsible of you Granger, changing Dumbledore's plan like that, especially given the panic I've been told you caused."

"The panic was my fault was it Malfoy?" Hermione said acidly. "It had nothing whatsoever to do with the way your friends," she spat the word sarcastically, "have deliberately delaying us? Or your friends the Death Eaters who want to kill all of us who don't agree with Voldemort's plans?" There was a predictable reaction from the Slytherins listening to the conversation at the mention of the name.

"My friends the Death Eaters?" Malfoy said with obviously false shock. "Why would I be a friend of such people?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong Malfoy, but isn't your father a Death Eater?" Hermione continued. "And didn't you say earlier today that it was about time Voldemort attacked the school?"

"You're taking my words out of context Granger," Malfoy said smoothly, still acting wounded by the allegations. "I don't want the Dark Lord to win this battle. And neither my mother nor I have spoken to my father in over a year, so he doesn't really enter into this now does he?"

"So you didn't leave the Great Hall, a serious dereliction of your duty as a prefect I might add," Hermione said short temperedly, "to lead the Death Eaters straight to the place where the vast majority of the students were gathered?"

"Of course I didn't, Granger," Malfoy replied, completely unruffled. "I was taking a nice gentle walk around the school."

"Well then, Malfoy," Hermione said sweetly, "since you've caught up with us why don't we get moving again. We need to if we're going to reach the Hufflepuff common room ahead of the Death Eaters."

"I don't think so, Mudblood," Malfoy said, his voice full of barely concealed venom. "I'm not sure I believe in these Death Eaters of yours. Has anybody seen them?" he asked his housemates. Their response was a rumbled negative. "Perhaps, Granger, this is all some ploy of yours."

"What are you talking about Malfoy?" Hermione asked, genuinely baffled.

"You aren't exactly fond of Slytherins Granger," Malfoy drawled silkily. "You've had lots of altercations with us. Why, just for starters you've assaulted me, been in fights with Bulstrode on more than one occasion and had multiple loud disagreements with Pansy. You've probably set us all up, with Dumbledore's approval. He's never liked us either, just look at all the ways he's given Gryffindor the House Cup since Potter got here. I bet you and your little army are planning to deal with Slytherin house once and for all."

Hermione stared at Malfoy in shock, her mouth hanging open and her eyes as wide as Luna Lovegood's. "Have you lost your mind Malfoy?" she asked him incredulously. "You think this is some plot to get rid of Slytherin? That's so crazy it wouldn't even get into the Quibbler."

"You should know Granger," Malfoy said grinning wickedly, "Since you spend so much time hanging around with Loony Lovegood."

"Malfoy, that's completely irrelevant," Hermione said wearily. "I would not want to destroy Slytherin, and even if I did I wouldn't try doing it now, while, if you remember, Lord Voldemort is attacking the school, nor would I have such an insanely convoluted plan."

"Now Granger," Pansy Parkinson put in, "I think Draco's got a point. You aren't exactly fond of Slytherin and you have plotted against us in the past. Why, you've hexed Slytherins many times, and just two years ago your plots cost Gryffindor hundreds of points …"

"Only because you took them," Lilith Moon, a Gryffindor and one of the NEWT Defence Against the Dark Arts students, said furiously.

"And," Pansy continued, completely ignoring the interruption, "I've even heard rumours that you smuggled yourself and your friends into our common room, probably as part of a plot against us."

"Parkinson, I can assure you that there is no plot," Ernie said supporting Hermione. "Now, we really do need to be moving again if the Death Eaters aren't going to catch us."

"Why should we believe you?" Theodore Nott asked, although Hermione had noticed him surreptitiously rolling his eyes and sighing in disbelief when Malfoy put forward the idea of a plot. "If there is a plot, you'd be in on it too, especially if Dumbledore approves. If Draco's right, we'd be safer here than if we follow you."

"Nott," Hermione said impatiently, "surely you're too intelligent to believe in this so called plot. I think you're all just stalling for time, hoping that the Death Eaters will catch us."

"Maybe you're right Granger," Malfoy said with a smug grin on his face. "But even if you are what are you going to do about it?"

"Malfoy," Hermione said snappishly, "we really don't have time for this. Now, if you and your friends want to stay here then you are welcome to do so, but we are going and we will take the Slytherins who want to come with us."

"Do you really think we're going to let you lead our housemates into a trap?" Malfoy said, Crabbe and Goyle deliberately looming menacingly on either side of him.

"We are leaving now," Hermione said in a dangerous tone of voice. "Don't try and stop us. I suggest," she continued, her voice louder and more even easily carrying to the other Slytherins, "that those of you who believe in the Death Eaters come with us."

Hermione tried to move away from Malfoy and his group in order to lead the way to the Hufflepuff common room, but Pansy deliberately blocked her path. "You are not going to take a single Slytherin with you Granger," she said.

"We are leaving Parkinson," Hermione said flintily. "Get out of my way or face the consequences."

"I'm not moving Granger," Pansy said, a stupid grin on her face.

Hermione reached for her wand, prepared to force Pansy to get out of her way, but before she could do anything Pansy was unceremoniously shoved aside by a larger girl. "Get out of her way Pansy," Millicent Bulstrode said, her irritation clear in her voice. "If you really believe that nonsensical idea Draco put forth you're stupider than I thought."

"What are you doing, Bulstrode?" Malfoy asked her aggressively. "Now is not the time to oppose us."

"Draco," Millicent sneered, "now is exactly the time to be against you. Granger wouldn't come up with such an insane plot, especially not when You-Know-Who is attacking the school, nor would she tell us there are Death Eaters chasing us if there weren't. She's not the type to make such a stupid joke as you should know."

"Of course she would," Malfoy responded hotly. "Don't you remember that so called 'hippogriff' outside our common room? I'm certain that was Granger's work. Who else is there that could or would do that?"

"Anybody from an innumerable number of people, as I told you at the time. And our head of house agreed with me if you remember," Millicent said sarcastically. "Now, you might want to stay here and face the Death Eaters, but I'd rather take my chances with Granger's lot. And do you two really want to try stopping me?" her last words being addressed to Crabbe and Goyle who had moved to block the route to the common room. Before they could respond, however, there was a noise behind them, the noise of curses being exchanged. "Death Eaters!" Ron cried.

"Well Malfoy," Hermione said, "that settles it, doesn't it. Ernie, lead on. Malfoy, you and your friends can stay here if they want, but the rest of us are leaving along with any Slytherins that want to come with us." Hermione turned to join the battle at the rear of the students, several of the NEWT Defence students going with her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the Slytherins having resumed the race to the common room and that Malfoy and his cohorts were hanging back slightly from the rest of their house. She was surprised when she heard Millicent's voice. "I'm coming with you, Granger," the big Slytherin said.

"Why?" Hermione asked, stopping to stare at Millicent in shock.

"I'll feel safer facing Death Eaters than having Draco Malfoy at my back," Millicent said firmly. "He'll want to get me for crossing him so openly and I doubt most of my housemates would do much to help me when he attacked me."

"All right Bulstrode, you can stay with us. But if you try anything …" Hermione said the outcome obvious in her tone of voice. The two of them swiftly moved to where the fight was taking place. When they arrived, Ron greeted them with a warning. "Watch your feet," he said. "There are Disillusioned snakes around. They got in amongst us before we knew they were there. They've already got two of us." Ron gestured towards two students writhing as a result of the serpents' venom. The trio were then forced to take evasive action to avoid an Avada Kedavra that one of the Death Eaters had sent towards them. Curses flew everywhere about them, ricocheting off the walls and portraits. One student went down, hit by the green killing curse while another was bent double by the same purple flame spell that had injured Hermione in the Department of Mysteries two years previously. Despite these losses and the distraction of the snakes, however, the students had the upper hand. One Death Eater went down, struck by one of Padma's stunners. Another soon followed, petrified by one of the NEWT students while another was temporarily halted by the Impediment jinx.

Ron soon noticed something was odd. "There's only four of them!" he shouted to Hermione before he was drowned out by the noise of one of their fellows being tortured by Rabastan Lestrange.

"What?" Hermione said in surprise. "There can't be only four of them."

"He's right, Granger," Millicent said. "There are only four Death Eaters. Didn't you ever learn to count?" she continued sarcastically.

"How can there be only four?" Hermione asked, confusion evident in her voice. "There were more than that on the map and in the Great Hall when I left."

"I don't know, Hermione," Ron said, "but there are only four here now."

"Is this really the time to discuss this?" Millicent said, pausing briefly to blast a snake with the stunning spell. "Surely we can sort this out after we deal with these Death Eaters."

"Much as I hate to admit it, she's right," Hermione said. "Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, the Death Eater who had been immobilised falling stiffly to the floor. Rabastan, seeing that he was heavily outnumbered by the students, ordered the only Death Eater still standing to retreat. The two of them fled, leaving their colleagues behind them. The students then swiftly dealt with the remaining snakes, but unfortunately not before another two of their number had been bitten. "Damn," Hermione said looking at the four students who had been incapacitated by the venomous serpents. "We need to get them to the infirmary. Lilith, Lisa, Stephen and Sally-Anne," she continued, indicating four of the NEWT students in turn while Ron and Zacharias set about conjuring stretchers for the injured pupils, "take them there as quickly as you can and stay there. Make sure the infirmary stays safe. Bulstrode …"

"I'm not going with them, Granger," Millicent said belligerently. "I'm not going to take the risk of carrying four people who are likely to die anyway through a load of Death Eaters who want to kill me. You may be crazy enough to try it and those four may be daft enough to listen to you, but I'm not."

"It's just as well that I'm not going to ask you to then, isn't it?" Hermione responded tartly. "I want you to stay with me. And they are not going to die Bulstrode, not if they can be got to Madam Pomfrey in time. The four of you need to get a move on. There's not a moment to spare." The four students nodded then set off in the direction of the hospital wing, the stretchers following behind them as quickly as they safely could.

"What now, Granger?" Millicent asked.

"Now we work out why there were so few Death Eaters chasing us. Zacharias, bring the map here." Zacharias obeyed her instructions, spreading the map out on the floor between the four seventh years.

"What's that?" Millicent asked curiously.

"None of your business," Ron said aggressively at the same time as Hermione replied "It's a map of the school. It shows where everybody is and names them. It can't be fooled. Here's us," she continued indicating a location on the map, "and here are the Slytherins moving towards the Hufflepuff common room."

"And here," Ron said urgently, pointing towards a spot not too far from the entrance to the common room, "are the missing Death Eaters."

"What?!" Hermione exclaimed, swiftly looking where Ron indicated. "How can they be there?"

"It's got to be a trap, Granger," Millicent said quietly. "That lot," she continued, pointing behind her in the direction the Death Eaters had fled "must have been sent as a distraction and if they could get any of us that would be a bonus."

"I think she's right Hermione," Ron put in. "And if you look, that's the direction Malfoy came from too. He must be hoping to lead us all straight to Dolohov."

"Ernie's going to let the Slytherins in to the common room," Zacharias said, his face very pale. "Then the Death Eaters will strike and kill everyone who is not loyal to You-Know-Who."

"I wouldn't have thought even Malfoy could let that happen," Hermione said appalled at the idea. "We can't let it happen."

"What can we do, Granger?" Millicent asked, her face showing an unusual degree of concern for the welfare of others. "We are too far away to get there in time. Even if we ran at full speed we couldn't get there before the Death Eaters made their move." A quick glance at the map showed that she was right, the Death Eaters being closer to the Hufflepuff common room and the Slytherins than they were.

"I'm not sure," Hermione replied worriedly, "but we can't let Dolohov kill the students."

"Hold on a minute," Ron suddenly exclaimed, "I think I've got an idea. We can't get to the Hufflepuff common room in time, but we're reasonably close to the kitchens. We might be able to get there before Dolohov makes his move."

"And what good will that do?" Millicent demanded. "We can't do much to help from the kitchens can we?"

"Perhaps we can't," Ron answered, "but we wouldn't have to. In the kitchens there are …"

"House-elves!" Hermione interrupted him excitedly. "That's brilliant Ron, and it might well work. Zacharias, do you want to be with your sister?" After seeing him nod, Hermione continued, "Then you should go there now. Take the NEWT students with you, but don't get yourselves killed if you can avoid it. Bulstrode, go with them."

"All right Hemione," Zacharias said, his relief that he wouldn't have to abandon his sister obvious. "And thank you." He rushed off towards his common room as fast as he possibly could, the NEWT students following in his wake. Millicent, however, remained standing where she was

"I told you earlier that I'm not going to leave your side Granger," she said when Hermione looked questioningly at her. "I'm not sure what you've got planned, but I doubt it will work. Whether it does or not, though, I'm sure I'll be safer with you than anywhere else."

"If you insist," Hermione said. "We don't have time to argue. Come on, we need to get to the kitchens." The three students began to run, racing against time to reach the kitchens before the Death Eaters launched their attack on the students hiding in the Hufflepuff common room. It didn't take the trio long to reach their destination. Ron and Hermione were surprised by what they saw when they arrived. The kitchens were in a much greater state of disarray than either of them had ever seen before, with no signs of food preparation whatsoever. Instead pots and pans were strewn all over the place, as were plates and knives. The house-elves appeared their usual selves, though they were noticeably less eager to please than was usually the case, hardly even noticing their visitors.

Millicent, who was staring around the kitchens with a mixture if shock, awe and disgust, asked "Are they usually like this? If they are, it's a wonder nobody gets poisoned."

"Of course they're not," Hermione replied testily. "The elves would never allow anybody to be poisoned, even when they should. They …"

"Don't get Hermione started on elves," Ron said, interrupting his friend. "If you let her, she'll tell you all about how they're mistreated by wizards."

"Well they are Ron," Hermione said argumentatively. "You know that."

"Maybe so," Ron said, "but now is hardly the time to discuss SPEW is it?"

"I suppose you're right," Hermione said, the fact that she didn't correct Ron clearly showing her agreement about the urgency of the situation.

The discussion between the three seventh years had drawn the attention of the elves towards their guests. Unsurprisingly, it was Dobby who moved to talk to them. "Mr Wheezy, sir, and Miss Hermione, what are you doing here? This is not the time to be paying Dobby a visit, flattered though Dobby is. He Who Must Not Be Named is here, sir and miss, and the house-elves have to help Professor Dumbledore. You should go back to the Great Hall, sir and miss. And who is this with you?" he asked, adding his last question when he caught sight of Millicent who had been ineffectually trying to hide behind Hermione.

"This is Millicent Bulstrode," Hermione said impatiently. "And we're well aware that Voldemort is here." Dobby reacted to the mention of the dreaded name, though much less so than he once would have. "Several Death Eaters have got inside the school," she continued, "and are soon going to be attacking the students in the Hufflepuff common room. We can't get there in time to do anything, but because you house-elves can Apparate inside the school you can. Harry told us how you protected him from Lucius Malfoy after he freed you. Will the Hogwarts' elves help protect the students?"

"It is the purpose of our lives, miss, to serve the school," Dobby replied very seriously. "We are honour bound to protect the students. It is one of the only demands Professor Dumbledore makes when he lets us work here. Dobby knows that the house-elves will help you, miss. Dobby will go and fetch them now." As soon as he finished speaking, the diminutive elf had vanished with a sharp crack. A short while later there were several cracks as the other house-elves in the kitchen Disapparated and another crack as Dobby reappeared. "The house-elves has gone to the common room, miss," he said. "They is going to protect the students. Dobby must go and join them now, miss." Dobby once again Disapparated, but not before Hermione gave him a big kiss in thanks for his and the other elves' help.

"I'd heard you were an elf lover, Granger," Millicent said wickedly after Dobby was gone, "but I never thought they meant it that way."

"What now, Hermione?" Ron asked, the two of them completely ignoring Millicent's comment, much to her consternation.

"We should go to the Hufflepuff common room," Hermione said gravely. "Our assistance might be required there, and even if it's not we should be there. Are you coming with us Bulstrode," Hermione asked sweetly over her shoulder as the two Gryffindors turned to leave the kitchens, "Or would you prefer to stay here?" Millicent, scowling fiercely, followed in their wake.