"You idiot," cried one of the Death Eaters.

Sirius fought against all his instincts to get up and rush over to his fallen friends. He was in no shape to take on five Death Eaters by himself. He forced himself to remain perfectly still, hoping his moment would come.

The Death Eaters moved toward Remus and Hermione who were partially covered by the fallen stone wall. "They weren't supposed to be hurt," said another Death Eater. "We were supposed to capture them and bring them to the Dark Lord." They began shifting the stones off Remus and Hermione, slowly extricating them.

Sirius watched, lying as still as he could and gritting his teeth against the pain in his arm. Just as they had nearly removed all the stones, the Death Eaters all grabbed their forearms in unison. They gave each other quick looks and then hurried from the room.

Sirius waited for a few seconds before sitting up. He stood slowly and stumbled over to Remus and Hermione. He did his best to remove the few remaining stones. Remus was covering Hermione so Sirius couldn't see her.

Sirius gave an anguished cry. He wasn't sure whether he should move Remus or not, but in their current positions, he couldn't tell how badly either of them were hurt.

Finally, he took a deep breath and rolled Remus off Hermione. To his relief he could see that Remus was breathing. He surveyed his body and noted the odd angle his leg was in. It was definitely broken and badly at that. He checked to see if Remus was bleeding anywhere and was relieved not to find any blood.

Once he was sure Remus was positioned comfortably he turned his attention to Hermione. There was blood on the side of her face and she was covered in dust. Sirius ran his hand through her hair gently. "Hermione," he choked out. He leaned the side of his face over her mouth and was thrilled to feel her soft breath against his cheek.

He pulled out his wand and whispered, "Enervate," then he waited. "Hermione, wake up," he begged in a weak voice. "Please wake up."

Hermione coughed and then winced at the pain in her side. She opened her eyes slowly. She could see Sirius over her.

"Oh thank God," he said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"What happened?" she asked groggily. She tried to sit up, but found the pain was too intense and lay back down weakly.

"Death Eater's attacked us," said Sirius. "The wall behind you fell. If it wasn't for Remus," he trailed off.

"Remus," said Hermione faintly. "Is he okay?"

"He's over there," said Sirius softly.

Hermione turned her head to her left to see the love of her life lying a few feet away from her, pale and still. Seeing him so still gave her the extra bit of energy she needed to pull herself up and crawl over to him. Sirius followed her slowly, cradling his right arm all the while.

"Remus," she whispered. She put her head down on his chest to listen. She could feel his heart beating reassuringly against her cheek. She looked up into his face and placed her hand against his face. She fumbled for her wand and raised it to revive him.

"I wouldn't do that," said Sirius quickly.

"Why?" she asked.

Sirius pointed at his leg with a grimace. Hermione looked. It was bent at an odd angle, clearly broken. "He's going to be in a lot of pain if we wake him," said Sirius. "And he won't be able to walk."

"We have to go get help," said Hermione weakly.

Sirius nodded in agreement.

"What happened to the Death Eaters?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. I was pretending to be out of it, waiting for the right time to attack. They didn't seem too concerned about me. After that wall fell on top of the two of you, they started to dig you out. A few of them seemed angry at the one who threw the curse. They said we weren't supposed to be hurt. Then all of a sudden they all clutched their arms and then hurried out of the room. Once they were gone, I got up and finished digging you guys out. I was so sure..." he trailed off, not able to finish the sentence. He had been sure he was going to find that they had both been killed.

"They clutched their arms?" repeated Hermione in question.

Sirius nodded. "Why? What does it mean?"

"It's the mark. When Voldemort wants to summon them it burns black against their arms. They're supposed to apparate to him immediately. Of course, they can't apparate in Hogwarts, but I imagine they had a prearranged place to meet if he called them."

"What do you think that means?" asked Sirius.

"I don't know," replied Hermione. "But I don't think it's good." She struggled to her feet, wincing and doubling over against the pain.

"What?" asked Sirius, his voice full of worry.

"I think I cracked a couple of ribs," panted Hermione. "At least I hope that's all I did."

"Maybe you ought to stay here with Remus, while I get help," suggested Sirius.

"As I much as I hate to leave him, I think we have to," she responded. "Your arm's obviously broken. How are you going to defend yourself if you meet up with any Death Eaters? We have to get him help. Besides, I'll seal the door behind us. He should be okay for a few minutes."

"All right, let's go," said Sirius quickly.

They moved outside and Hermione quickly sealed Remus in the room. She lingered for a moment, not certain that she was doing the right thing. Sirius placed his good hand on her shoulder. "He'll be okay. We'll be right back. Let's head to the hospital wing. Hopefully someone will be there."

"And if they're not?"

Sirius shrugged. "We'll do what we can for him."

They moved stealthily through the castle. It was eerily quiet. Every step was agony for Hermione. Sirius watched her carefully. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded. Speech would have required too much energy. They made it to the hospital wing without being stopped, but no one was there. They were about to leave when they heard voices in the hallway. Sirius pulled Hermione back quickly and into one of the potions closets, it was just big enough for the two of them. Hermione had to bite back the cry of pain threatening to burst from her lips.

"The Dark Lord said the girl was still in the castle," one man said.

"How can he be so sure, that boy in Dumbledore's office destroyed the map," responded the other man.

"Because she wasn't among the students we're holding in Hogsmeade," returned the first man.

"How does he know those kids aren't protecting her? She could be right there under his nose."

"You and I both know how persuasive the Dark Lord can be. Trust me, she's not there."

Hermione and Sirius listened in horror. The boy in Dumbledore's office could have only been James and the Gryffindors had been caught in Hogsmeade. Hermione thought she was going to be sick. She had sent all her friends straight into traps. She clung to Sirius, burying her face in his shoulder to prevent herself from crying out. He put his good arm around her lightly, trying to comfort her.

"So then he expects us to search the castle. That Granger girl could be anywhere. And besides, what makes her so important. She's just a student. Why has the Dark Lord become so fixated with her?"

Sirius gripped Hermione tighter and she gasped in pain. They froze and waited, but apparently the Death Eaters hadn't heard them because they continued their conversation.

"That little Pettigrew boy has led the Dark Lord to believe that she might be more than just a student. It seems she has information on who his followers are and what his plans will be."

The other Death Eater laughed derisively. "So now we're relying on information from kids?"

"Don't forget, it was Pettigrew who provided The Dark Lord with the map. We would have never been able to plan such an effective attack on the castle without it. Besides, the other students in the Dark Lords employ confirmed that the girl did arrive rather suspiciously at Hogwarts and our own efforts to discover any information on her came up with nothing. I doubt her name is even Hermione Granger."

"I wouldn't call the attack effective yet. Dumbledore's still out there. I won't be easy until the Dark Lord's dealt with him."

"Dumbledore's gone," said the first Death Eater arrogantly. "He ran as soon as he saw our number."

"Fool," spat the second Death Eater. They continued their conversation, but Sirius and Hermione could no longer hear them because they were moving away.

Sirius opened the closet door slowly and helped Hermione out.

"They've got James and Lily," whispered Hermione.

"I know," said Sirius with a large frown on his face, "and the rest of the Gryffindors too."

"We have to help them," said Hermione. She was beginning to panic. What had Voldemort done to James once he destroyed the map? What was he doing to Lily right now? As Hermione considered all that could have or could be happening to Harry's parents she began to hyperventilate. She had wanted to save them, what if she had cut their lives even shorter.

"I know," repeated Sirius, rubbing his head thoughtfully. Sirius paced for a few seconds before turning back to Hermione. She was as pale as she had been that night they had pulled her from the lake. She swayed where she stood and Sirius rushed forward, holding her up.

"Hermione, you've got to keep it together. They need us, all of them."

"What if they're de..." began Hermione mournfully.

"Don't say it," admonished Sirius. "They're not. We're going to save them. But I need you. You can't give up on me now."

"But it's all my fault. You heard them. They're after me. They don't want the rest of you. They want me. Oh, I wish I'd never come back."

Sirius watched her helplessly. Then he dragged her over to a chair and forced her to sit to down. Once she was sitting, he strode over to the potions closet and rummaged through the many potions Madame Pomphrey kept in stock. He pulled out the Skele-Gro and popped it open, before downing half the bottle.

"What are you doing," yelled Hermione. "You can't take that much potion."

"I don't have time to take the small dose and wait overnight. I need the use of my arm now."

"It's dangerous to take that much," said Hermione.

Sirius was about to reply. But a sharp pain coursed through his arm so strong, he cried out. Hermione jumped up and ran over to him, giving him her hand to squeeze, which he did until she was sure she would need to Skele-Gro to mend her own fingers. It was nearly a full minute before the pain subsided. When the sharpness finally eased itself into a dull ache, Sirius took a slow deep breath. Then he handed the rest of the Skele-Gro to Hermione.

She looked at him doubtfully, but accepted the potion and drank it down without hesitation. She coughed at its bitterness and waited. She wasn't disappointed. The pain hit her like a knife in her chest and she doubled over. Sirius held her as tears leaked from tightly closed eyes.

When it was finally over, she gave Sirius a scathing look. "Feeling better," he asked cheekily. She narrowed her eyes at him and he quickly got up. He went to the potions closet and pulled out another bottle of the Skele-Gro. "I think we ought to invite Remus to join the fun," he said waving the bottle at Hermione. She nodded and jumped up, wincing at the soreness in her side.

They hurried back to Remus, who was still out of it. "I think we should set the leg first," said Sirius grimly.

Hermione nodded slowly. She looked around the room for something to use as a splint. The first thing her eye landed on was one of the boy's brooms. She picked it up and went over to the large desk at the front of the classroom. She brought the broom down hard, effectively splitting it in two.

She hurried back to Sirius who had just finished straightening Remus's leg. He stared at her in horror. "That better not have been my broom."

She rolled her eyes and strapped the broom handle to Remus's leg. "Better wake him up now," said Hermione to herself. She raised her wand and muttered, "Enervate."

Remus's eyes fluttered open and his face immediately contorted in pain. "Shh," said Hermione softly. She ran her hand over his forehead. "I'm here and you're going to be okay."

"What happened," he croaked out.

"That wall over there fell on you," said Sirius. "Your leg's broken."

He nodded. "You didn't have to tell me that," he said weakly. He looked up into Hermione's concerned eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she replied softly. "I'm fine, thanks to you."

"Remus, we need you to take this potion," said Sirius, interrupting their tender moment. Hermione took the potion from him.

"What is it?" asked Remus.

"It's Skele-Gro," explained Hermione. "You need to take about half the bottle."

Remus looked at her skeptically. "Do you know how dangerous that is?" he asked.

She nodded. "Sirius and I have already done it. It's painful beyond all belief, but it mended our bones."

Remus allowed Hermione to help him into a sitting position. She brought the potion to his mouth and he drank it down. Then she put her arms around him and he held on to her tightly. His leg felt like it was on fire, but he rode out the pain.

"Do you think you can stand up," Sirius asked after several minutes. Remus nodded and let both Hermione and Sirius help him up. He tested his weight on the leg, but found he couldn't yet stand unassisted.

"We'll help you," said Hermione. "But we have to hurry."

"Why?" asked Remus. Sirius and Hermione exchanged a look. "What is it?" he asked.

"Voldemort has James and Lily and the rest of the Gryffindors," said Sirius quietly.

Remus took in the news. "What about our teachers?" he asked.

"We don't know," replied Hermione.

"Dumbledore?"

"We overheard two Death Eaters saying he was gone," replied Sirius.

"That can't be," said Remus. "He'd never abandon us."

"We don't think so either," said Sirius. "But all the same, I don't think we can count on him to rescue them. We don't know if he even knows they've been captured."

"Then we'll have to do it ourselves," said Remus resolutely.

"We do know one thing," said Hermione. "James somehow managed to destroy the map, so we can't be tracked through the castle."

"Yeah, but we destroyed our only way into Hogsmeade," said Sirius.

"Not our only way," argued Remus. He and Sirius exchanged a knowing look. "We'll have to be careful. We'd be out in the open all the way to the Whomping Willow."

"We can make it," said Hermione, excited that they finally had a plan.

"Let's not waste any time then," said Sirius. He ducked his head under one of Remus's arms and Hermione did the same on the other side and then the three of them crept out into the hallway.

They made it to the front entrance of the castle without being seen, though it seemed that they nearly ran into about two dozen Death Eaters. They were horrified by the state of the first floor. There were holes knocked into the walls and it was emptier than any of them had ever seen it. Even the air felt too still. Hermione felt like its very magic was being drained away.

"Come on," Sirius urged them quietly. They moved as silently as possible to the Whomping Willow. "Stay here," Sirius commanded. He darted in and out of the tree's swinging branches and stabbed the notch at the base of it. Once the tree was frozen, Hermione helped Remus forward. They slid down into it and made their way up to the Shrieking Shack.

They watched the village from one of the windows and could see two Death Eaters standing outside Honeydukes.

"What do you think?" asked Sirius.

Remus shrugged. "There's got to be more, somewhere, inside maybe."

"But not too many more," added Hermione. "I think most of them are in the castle looking for me."

"What?" hissed Remus.

Hermione and Sirius exchanged a worried look.

"Why do you think they're looking for you?" asked Remus.

"We overheard some of them talking," confessed Hermione. "It seems that Peter's led Voldemort to believe that I'm a spy or something."

"Who knows what's been going on in that idiot's head," added Sirius.

"You can't go out there, then," said Remus to Hermione.

"I have to," protested Hermione. "James and Lily need me. I have to make sure they're okay."

"There's no telling what Voldemort will do to you if he finds you," said Remus fiercely.

Sirius gaped at him and even Hermione's eyes went wide. Remus had never said Voldemort's name before. None of them ever had except Hermione. She felt an unexplained surge of pride course through her and suddenly the fear that she had been feeling began to dissipate. Hermione kissed him solidly, beaming at him. He looked perplexed, but pleased.

Not to be outdone, Sirius added. "Hermione's not afraid of V... Vol... Voldemort." He took a deep breath. "And neither am I." Hermione smiled warmly at Sirius and kissed him on the cheek. Sirius blushed, coughed and then cleared his throat. "We need a plan," he said staring at his feet.

Remus and Hermione nodded in agreement and waited. Sirius sighed. "Well, I suppose they're being held in Honeydukes. We're going to have to get in there somehow. I think we can take care of those two goons out front."

"We have the element of surprise," said Hermione. "We could just go in with our wands out and hope for the best. Voldemort is so cocky. He might not have many Death Eaters by his side. He might not think it's necessary against a bunch of teenagers."

"It's dangerous," said Remus softly. "But it might be our only hope."

"Okay," said Sirius, pulling out his wand. "Let's do it." He went to go help Remus again, but Remus shook his head. He took a few unsteady steps by himself and tried not to show any outward signs of discomfort. He was limping noticeably, but was able to walk without help. Both he and Hermione had their wands out as they followed Sirius out of the Shrieking Shack.

From the protection of a group of trees Remus and Sirius aimed their wands at the two Death Eaters and stunned them. They fell soundlessly and the three friends crept closer to Honeydukes.

They peered into one of the windows and could see the Gryffindors all sitting on the floor of the sweet shop. They could also see a bunch of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs and even a handful of Slytherins in their midst.

"It looks like they're bringing the students here," commented Sirius. "But I don't see James."

"Or Lily," added Hermione.

Remus made a funny noise in the back of his throat. "What?" whispered Hermione.

"There they are," said Remus shallowly.

Hermione watched as a tall imposing figure came into view. He had a hold of James. James looked pale, but defiant. "I still don't see Lily," said Hermione, nearly crying.

"Look down," whispered Remus.

Hermione glanced at Voldemort's feet and could see a slim figure with auburn hair lying very still. "Oh, Lily," she gasped. A fierce anger came over her and she gripped her wand tightly, sending tiny red sparks out of it. She moved away from the window, but Sirius caught her arm.

"There are at least four Death Eaters in there, plus Vol... Voldemort," said Sirius. "We have to be fast and accurate."

"Don't worry," said Hermione coldly. "I won't miss." They moved stealthily to the front door.

"Ready," mouthed Sirius. Hermione and Remus nodded, holding their wands high. Without another word, they burst into Honeydukes and sent their curses flying. The Death Eaters were so shocked that they didn't manage to throw a single curse. The students were yelling and there was total pandemonium within the small confines of the sweet shop.

When the noise level seemed to die down a bit, Hermione looked around to see if they had gotten them all. She whirled around at the sound of a low rumbling laugh.

In all her years she had never been face to face with Lord Voldemort. Harry had done it, too many times, and he had told her what it had been like, but nothing he had said had really prepared her.

Voldemort was tall and imposing. He wore a smile that was something between a smirk and a leering grin. His face was nothing like Harry had described. It was smooth and almost too normal looking. Harry had described a pinched, snakelike face. But this was a Voldemort at the height of his power, before he had been vanquished by a mere baby.

Standing beside him, or to be more accurate, being held up beside him was James. There was blood coming out of the side of his mouth and he was breathing heavily. To Hermione, it was like seeing Harry at his mercy, and it filled her with rage.

"Let him go," she said fiercely.

Voldemort laughed again. "Hermione Granger, I presume. Yes, I can see that Wormtail was right. You are much too powerful a witch to be a mere student." He surveyed his fallen Death Eaters, before flinging James to the floor. He fell next to Lily and crawled over to check her. James ran his hand over her hair, but she didn't move. Hermione's eyes went from James back up to Voldemort defiantly.

"You leave them alone," she said shakily. Every ounce of her was filled with fright, but she was determined not to show her fear, much. She felt Remus and Sirius move next to her and felt bolstered by their support, even though she could feel them shaking.

Voldemort gave her a penetrating stare, before his gaze traveled to her left where Sirius was standing. Hermione could see the recognition in his eyes and felt Sirius stiffen next to him. "I think I knew your brother, boy," mocked Voldemort.

Before she could stop him, Sirius whipped out his wand and aimed it at Voldemort and the next thing she knew, Sirius was thrown off his feet and hit the wall behind her. Remus grabbed Hermione and pulled her behind him. They both had their wands out and pointed at Voldemort, little good it did them. Voldemort turned and before they were prepared he had them both in a body bind curse.

The rest of the students whimpered from where they sat. They were all powerless without their wands and most were immobilized by their fear. Voldemort quickly revived his followers and commanded one of them to pick Hermione up. She felt herself being lifted, but could do nothing to stop them as they carried her out of Honeydukes.

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A/N: That was a very quick update, don't you all think? I think I deserve a reward. All the wonderful reviews you guys wrote inspired me to write more. I have the next two chapters all planned out so hopefully, if time permits, I will be able to keep doing these quick updates. Believe me, I love writing this story as much as you guys like reading it.