disclaimer: see chapter one
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"Hermione!"
She felt her shoulders being jerked around roughly.
"Wake up, Hermione. Wake up!"
Hermione sat up quickly, knocking Harry onto the floor. She didn't notice. The field of bodies played over and over in her mind, His laughter echoed in her ears.
"Ow! Hermione, I think you broke my nose!" Harry was still on the floor where he had fallen, his hand over his nose.
His cry of pain brought her back to Number 12 Grimmauld Place from her dream.
A dream.
Only a dream.
"Harry! Oh, I'm so sorry!" She grabbed her wand and knelt by her friend, "Move your hands, I'll heal it for you."
Harry's hand fell from his face, covered in blood. She froze, unable to move as her dream flashed before her eyes, the images of her friends playing on an endless reel.
"Hermione?"
She snapped back to reality and flicked her wand. Instantly, his crooked nose straightened and the blood stopped. With another flick, the red flow was gone.
"Thanks." He gently poked his nose, testing it out.
"No need to insult me." Hermione gently slapped Harry's arm as she pretended to be offended.
He grinned as he picked himself up and summoned a chair. Hermione sat on the edge of the bed, knowing full well what Harry was about to ask.
"Hermione…"
"Forget it. It was only a dream. Just a bad dream."
"Are you okay?" He worried about her. Ever since the war started four years ago during their last year at Hogwarts, she would have terrible dreams, yet never talk of them.
"I'm fine." She brushed aside the topic as if it were nothing and asked, "Are you the only one here?"
Harry nodded, "Mr and Mrs Weasley are packing up essentials from the Burrow. Bill and Ginny went with them. It isn't safe there anymore so they're moving here. If Sirius were here, he'd be throwing fits like a two year old; Mrs Weasley's planning another cleaning spree. Be warned.
"Fred, George and Ron went to Diagon Ally to get some supplies, and the rest are at Hogwarts. There weren't that many injured, but they're still short on help."
Hermione smiled grimly. It was only a matter of time before Lord Voldemort's forces attacked the Burrow. Most were surprised he held off for so long, seeing as the Weasleys were considered blood traitors.
She stood up and stretched. "Well, I'd better head over to Diagon Ally. I doubt the twins, much less Ron, would know what to buy besides pranks and sweets. We'll all starve if we leave it to them." Taking her wand, she gave Harry a quick hug and, before he could say a word, Disapparated.
XxXxXHermione appeared behind the boys as they were paying for a huge bag of candies.
"Now, I do hope that's not all you are going to buy," she said in Mrs Weasley's firm, strict tone.
All three jumped and cried in unison. "Of course not Mum, we were just—HERMIONE!"
"Aw, c'mon, don't mess with us like that!" Ron whined.
"Come to chaperon us?" George added.
"What are you doing here? You took one hell of a beating at yesterday's battle and your body needs to rest from all that healing," Fred asked, concerned. "You do know what 'rest' is, right?"
"Don't you start mothering me. I'm here to make sure you buy some good food. Just think of it as life insurance."
"How's your leg?" Ron questioned.
"It's fine."
"You broke it in three places!" George exclaimed.
"It's FINE."
"YOU'RE fine, your LEG isn't."
Fred and his infinite wisdom, Hermione complained to herself.
"I'm here to baby sit you whether you like it or not so deal with it." Hermione was grateful for their concern, but she didn't want them to treat her like a porcelain doll.
She had to admit her leg was paining her, but it was nothing a Pain-killing Potion couldn't take care of.
"You start limping and I'm taking you back, whether YOU like it or not," Fred retorted and added, "Mum'll skin us for sure if we let you hurt your leg again."
Diagon Ally seemed deserted as they made their way to each shop. Ron and George had gone back to Number 12 Grimmald Place with the groceries and left Hermione to look for some potion ingredients they desperately needed. Fred decided to stay with her, knowing that she wouldn't go easy on her leg.
A biting gust of wind engulfed the pair, forcing them to turn into the nearest side ally to find refuge. The darkness flooded Diagon Ally in a wave. Hermione and Fred could sense the eyes watching. Plotting.
The pain in her leg intensified when she shifted her weight as they hid from the wind. The air was thick, like right before a storm. The air pressure suddenly changed and the ally filled with cloaked figures.
Somewhere, a woman shrieked.
"Oh shit," Fred muttered.
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"So, who missed us?" George announced his and Ron's arrival.
"It was really nice until you came back," Harry grinned, leaning against the kitchen door.
"Well then, I'll just take this food and--!"
"HARRY! HERMIONE!" Remus Apparated into the middle of the kitchen. "Good, you're here too," he added when her saw Ron and George.
The werewolf sat down then stood and paced, unable to calm down.
"Remus, what's wrong?"
"Where's Hermione? And Fred?" He ignored Ron's question as he searched the room, "Where are they?"
"Calm down man, what's happening?" George grabbed his former professor's shoulder.
"Another attack," Lupin managed to say.
"Where?" Harry's face hardened. All joking in his voice earlier was gone.
"Diagon Ally."
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