Hermione heard the curse come from the room down the hall and her heart fell. She couldn't tell if it was a male or female voice that had called it out, and her mind was filling in the blanks giving her the worst scenario. For a long moment she couldn't get her legs to move, her whole mind had gone numb. She felt a hand wrap around hers suddenly and realised that Ron hadn't moved either.

"He's fine, I know it, he's too strong to let go," he whispered and Hermione knew he was trying to convince himself just as much as her.

As they walked down the hallway it seemed to take days. Both of them could hear their heartbeats in their eyes and as they drew closer to the doorway it only got worse. Ron pulled Hermione behind him not wanting her to see exactly what had happened until he was sure it was safe. She didn't protest with him, knowing he was only protecting her and slid in behind him, still holding his hand. Ron also knew that if the worst had happened it would fall to them to stop Lexis so as he pushed the door open slightly he pulled his wand from his pocket.

The first thing he saw was Lexis slumped over the bed. She was in such and awkward position that it was obvious that she was dead. As he stepped forward pulling Hermione with him, he could see her empty starring eyes. Harry had obviously hit her with the curse, but as his heart beat began to steady his blood ran cold.

Behind him Hermione let out a strangled scream and feel hard against him. He wheeled round catching her up in his arms and held her to his chest. Behind the door, sheltered from their first glances was Harry. He was in a heap on the floor his back slumped against the wall. His wand had slipped from his fingers and now lay a few centimetres away from his body.

Neither Hermione nor Ron could make out any movement in the dim light and the thought the worst. Hermione spun around away from the horrific sight and buried her head in Ron's chest. She cried gently there as he held tightly to her shaking body. Ron himself couldn't tare his eyes away form the site in front of him. He couldn't believe what his eyes were telling him was true. Harry couldn't be the one that was slumped down there, but he could see his tell tale hair, messy as always. He could make out the thin line of a burse under his eye where Ron had punched him earlier. He could also see a slight trickle of blood running down his chin.

Ron couldn't piece everything together. He had seen plenty off people fall in the many battles he had fought side by side with Harry, but he had never had chance to stop and study them. He had only ever seen the bodies of his friends after the battle had finished and by then they had taken on the tell tale signs of death. Harry had none of those. His checks were still rosy, and his hair still stuck out all over the place. He didn't have the pale look that Ron associated with death and so he couldn't bring himself to the conclusion his head was screaming at him. His heart didn't want to know that his best friend, someone that had become his brother, was lying there dead.

All he could think of was Ginny, and how he would have to tell her that the man she loved, the father of her children, wouldn't be there anymore. He knew she wouldn't live on without Harry and he worried about his niece and nephew. Would she hold out long enough to have the children or would she slip into despair and he would lose them all. Ron felt himself shake then. Felt the tears he had tried to hold back fall from his eyes. He clung to Hermione knowing if he let her go he would just collapse to the floor. How could they let this happen how could they have left Harry go it alone. They should have been at his side like always, Harry had never been at a battle without the two of them, and they had let him down.

Slowly he felt his knees buckle and he feel to the floor with Hermione still wrapped up in his arms. She nestled against him pulling herself as close to him as she could possibly managed. She wanted to curl up and die then, she had failed her best friend and she wanted to die there with him. She finally managed to steal a glance at him and her breath caught in her throat. For a long moment she thought that her eyes were seeing something that wasn't there. That her grief stricken mind was reaching out for possibilities that couldn't be true. But as she slowly watching him, not even breathing for fear that what she was seeing would be interrupted, his chest rose and feel.

"Ron!" she screamed, breaking hold of him and crawling to Harry.

Sure enough as she reached him she could hear his raged breaths, make out the laboured rise and fall of his chest. He was alive, her mind screamed with the fact. But as she reached him and laid a hand softly on his cheek, she realised just how bad he really was. He felt cold to the touch and his skin was beginning to loose colour.

"Ron we need help, he's not going to last much longer," she cried as she carefully pushed Harry's head back.

His eyes remained closed and she willed with all her might for him to open them. She wanted so badly to see the emerald of his eyes sparkle at her like they had done countless times. But they remain closed and the happiness she had felt at learning he was alive began to slip from her.

"Ron!" she screamed again and this time she felt him rise to his feet.

A second later there was a loud pop and he was gone.

Hermione held Harry's hand willing him to feel her, to know she was there and would never leave him, but he didn't even show a flicker of movement. As the seconds ticked by his breathing became more and more laboured and Hermione began to slip into despair. She was loosing him and she had no idea what to do.

There was another loud pop behind her and suddenly strong arms swept her up and away from Harry. For a moment she struggled against them, not wanting to leave Harry, but she soon realised it was Ron that was holding her. She turned her head and watched as to midiwitches looked Harry over. Soon they had conjured a stretcher and were floating him onto it. Before they could leave Hermione caught on of their arms.

"Send more of you, Ginny is still around here somewhere and I have no doubt that she's hurt."

She only nodded her face grave and with another pop all three of them were gone. Ron and Hermione stood there for a moment just holding each other, each to scared to venture out into the halls.

But both were snapped back to reality as they heard voice calling them. They instantly recognised them as the rest of the Weasleys.

Hermione stumbled out into the hall and called out as loud as she could, "we have to find Ginny now!"