"What happened? Where were we hit? Hermione, I need a damage report now!" Ron yelled. Hermione ran off to investigate.
She returned later with tears in her eyes. "We got hit near the canons. Dean and Parvati are down there now. Ginny and Lavender will be there soon. I think the firing's ceased." Another canon ball soon made its way a foot from Hermione. Both their eyes widened and they made quick of their plans.
Dean quickly ran back to the canons as fast as he could. She would know what to do..hopefully. He heard quiet sobbing on the ground and looked down.
Lavender's blonde hair was plainly recognizable. Not knowing what to do he just stared feeling quite stupid.
Luckily Ginny had come in at that moment. Though at first Ginny seemed about to hug him, she stopped herself.
"Come on Lavender. It will be alright. You cannot cry now. Get up please." It was not a request. Lavender, Dean and Ginny loaded the canons in preparation for the many more bound to hit the S.S Superior.
Sucking her teeth, Hermione began climbing the rope ladder to the crow's nest. It was nearly morning. She climbed to the crow's nest faster and more determined, even as the canons rocked the ships.
Luna was getting claustrophobic in the little circle on top of the pole. She was clinging to the railing. Her spyglass was swinging wildly around. "Holy fuck it's them, holy fuck it's them, holy fuck it's them!" She screamed louder and louder.
Neville had taken charge of the crow's nest and was ordering Cho to angle her own Spyglass in different ways and tell him what she saw, because he had lost his glasses and could not see properly.
"Neville!" Hermione screamed as she neared the top. "Neville, who is it?"
"The British Navy is upon us!" Neville snarled in a very un-Neville-like voice. "We have to give it all we've got."
Hermione's eyes widened. Memories of past dealings with the Navy, one ship in particular -- The Interceptor -- were flooding through her mind. Battles, nasty remarks, and gunshots. She tightened her lip, yelled encouragement to Neville, and ran off to find the captain.
"Ron!" Hermione shrieked, spotting him finally at the steering wheel of the ship. "Ron, Parvati's dead, we can't keep fighting. We're going to be captured, and we're going to lose our food supplies."
Ron whirled around. "I have never ran away from a battle, Hermione. I don't plan to start now."
"This is a massacre!" Hermione shrieked, balling her hands into fists. She heard footsteps behind her but didn't turn around. "We're being BOMBARDED by enemy fire! The Interceptor is out there, Captain, and you need to get us away as fast as we can! Is there no way we can outsail them? Is this not the famous S.S. Superior, able to outsail any ship the British Navy has to offer?"
"I told you, I have never run away from a battle. We are staying."
Hermione's mouth opened in horror. "You've got to be kidding."
Hannah came up behind her. "You've got to, Captain! Parvati is dead! If we keep fighting, Luna will not be able to properly sew her up in a sack. Our ship is being blown to pieces as we speak!"
"Parvati's dead?" Percy growled, coming up from behind.
"Parvati is dead?" Seamus asked softly, coming out of the planning cabins.
Luna, who Neville had ordered from the crow's nest several minutes ago so she would stop screaming, also came up from behind. "Parvati is dead," she confirmed.
Ron sighed. Parvati's passing was indeed untimely.
"Fine," he growled, balling his hands into fists. "These sons of bitches will eventually pay for what they have done to us. Tonight, we run, but the next day, we stand."
Ginny clapped a hand on Ron's shoulder. Maybe her brother wasn't so dumb after all.