The Unexpected
It was a rainy night, the night of the trip to Hogwarts. The weather depicted how Hermione felt. It had been three long and restless weeks since she the encounter she had had with Malfoy, but the way he had made her feel still lingered in her memory. She'd been keeping herself busy by trying to arrange the Gryffindor Trio's days. It was easier now than when she was not at the Burrow. When she finally go there she made sure that they all had something to do every second of every day. There was a lot of complaining, but she was head strong. The real problem was at night. When she would get in her bed and lay her head on the pillow, she wouldn't fall asleep right away. She never did. All the thoughts she tried keep away during the day would present themselves as soon as she was under the covers.
There were many things that Hermione did not want to think about, one of them being the dream she had only a month ago. The other was to be expected, Malfoy. She should be so ashamed of herself. Her Mother had warned her about men like Malfoy. She should be disgusted with Malfoy and hate him, but she couldn't. There was just something that she couldn't quite place. Something that her heart seemed to tug at. She wanted to see Malfoy even more now. The way that his arms had felt around her. She wondered if he thought about her. That was a stupid thought. Malfoy didn't care if she was alive or dead. He was only having a little fun that day in Diagon Alley. She was stupid to even think of Malfoy liking her. At all!
Hermione got up in the middle of the night, throwing her blankets off stood by an open window in Ginny's room. Hermione felt the breeze caress her face. It was cool breeze that reached deep down into Hermione's pining heart. She didn't know why she was making a big deal about it. That was a lie. She did know why, but she wasn't going to admit it to herself. Not yet, anyway. She knew what the agony in her heart was saying. It was still raining and Hermione could feel the rain on her face as it blended in with her tears. She heard Ginny roll over on her bed. Hermione quickly wiped her tears away.
"Hermione is that you?" Asked Ginny, straining her eyes in the dark.
"Yeah. Go back to bed." Hermione told her.
"Ginny looked at Hermione once her eyes had focused. "Are you alright? I can't see, but it looks like you've been crying."
"No, it's raining out. I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep that's all." Hermione replied.
"Don't worry about him." Said Ginny as she rolled over on to her side and quickly fell back asleep.
Hermione stood by the window just starting after Ginny. Did she know about her feelings? Or did Ginny just think that she had a fight with Harry or Ron. Hermione remembered the way Ginny had looked in her dream. She shivered and closed her eyes.
Hermione sighed, there was no way that Ginny could possibly know about her feelings for Draco. Or was there? She decided not to think about it anymore and got up and made her way to her bed. She pulled back the sheets and climbed in. It seemed like a lifetime before she could fall asleep. Her mind was swimming with images of Hogwarts suddenly being consumed in a blinding light and Ginny crooking her finger towards the wall in the Common Room, when she was wakened by the sounds of screams. Hermione burst upright and looked around. She had to steady herself as a wave of nausea caught up with her. When her eyes adjusted to the dark she noticed that Ginny was out of her bed and the door stood ajar. Trying to stay calm and not jump to conclusions, Hermione she got out of bed and put her robe and slippers on before walking out of the room. She looked down the hallway, but everything seemed normal. There was a smell in the air that Hermione couldn't place. That was what had caused her to feel sick when she had woke up. Hermione took a big whiff, coughed and gagged when she realized what it was. It was the smell of death. Hermione took out her wand and carefully walked the length of the hallway. When she came to the staircase she heard voices coming from below.
"We've got a girl and three boys all ready to be taken back, my Lord." Said a haughty voice.
"Is Harry Potter one of them?" Hermione shivered as the man talked. His voice went deep into her bones and turned her blood cold. There was only one person who had that effect on people. It was none other than Lord Voldemort.
"I don't think so, my Lord. Some of the others who were in the house made sure he got away." The other voice said. "There was nothing we could do." He added. Hermione knew who this voice belonged to. The arrogance shown through, so it was only possible that it was Lucius Malfoy. They were no doubt looking for Harry. Thank God they had not found him, but they had captured some, but who? She hoped that they were still alive but she doubted that Voldemort would keep anyone alive. But there was still hope, she had to have faith. The only thing for her to do was to help them escape. But, how could she go up against Voldemort?
"Idiot! I knew that I could not trust an imbecile like you to do an easy task like this!" Voldemort fumed. "What I want you to do is to take the prisoners to our lair and bind them to the chairs I have put there. I hope that I will be able to trust you with a task as simple as this, Lucius." His last statement was deep with apparent threats.
"Of course, my Lord." He said and turned into the living room.
Hermione sighed in relief as she heard them talking about her friend who were still alive. Well, at least four of them were. Hermione watched Voldemort disapparte. She plucked up all her courage and walked down the stairs slowly and quietly. It felt weird actually being the one saving her friends when usually it was Harry who was saving her. She skipped the last stair knowing that it was the one that creaked. If she could only just sneak up behind Lucius, then she could hit him with a stunning spell. Hermione got braced herself silently and peeked her head around the corner into the living room.
Lucius was standing over Ginny, Ron, George and Fred. Ginny, Ron and Fred were out cold and tied up on the floor. Hermione took a quick look at Ginny, but she wasn't bloody like she was in her dream. Hermione said a silent prayer and then turned her attention to George. He was putting up quite a struggle. Every time Lucius tried to hit him with a stunning spell he would lean to the other side of his chair that he was tied up to. Either George was working some kind of magic or Lucius was just tired because he was having a hard time stunning George. Hermione knew that this would be her only chance to attack. She stepped quietly out from behind the corner and raised her wand.
"Stupify!" She bellowed. Lucius turned around as soon as he heard her scream and raised his wand. It looked as if he was going to block the spell when George threw himself at his back causing Lucius to be propelled right into Hermione's spell. Lucius dropped to the floor with a loud thud and a second thud as George hit the ground with such force that the chair broke and he was free.
Hermione ran over to him to check if he was ok. "Are you alright, George?"
With a groan from the pain he raised himself off the ground. "Peachy. Thanks. You save us from right state." He said with a look of gratitude.
Hermione smiled and pulled her attention to the others who were still stunned. "What happened here?" She asked George as she said the counter curse to unstun everyone.
"I don't know. All I remember was hearing someone scream and then waking up and finding someone stun me as soon as I opened my eyes. Maybe the others will know more." He said with a fearful look at Ginny slowly waking up.
When everyone was awake and untied they started to ask questions about what had happened. Fred had been stunned just before George, but only George had woken up down in the living room. Ginny had woken up when she heard Harry screaming for everyone to get out. She had made it down the stairs where she was then stunned. She apologized profusely to Hermione for not waking her up. She was just too scared to think. Ron kept quiet the whole time. When Hermione asked him what had happened to him he broke into sobs.
"Dad came in and got us. He told us that we had to get up. Said that Mom was getting the girls. Harry and I got out of bed and followed him halfway down the stairs when Lucius stunned Dad. Harry and I pushed past him and ran the rest of the way down while he shot spells after us. We ran to the back door. When I turned around a person…or something came out of the shadows and grabbed Harry. It was dressed in all black. It was so dark I didn't see its face. It took him…and it was gone. I just stood there. I let him be taken by whatever that thing was. I was still in shock when I got hit in the back with a stunning spell. I just let him…" Hermione sat down by Ron and put her arms around him.
"It wasn't your fault, Ron. There was nothing you could have done." Hermione told him.
"I could have cast a spell. But I just stood there and let it happen." He buried his head in Hermione's neck.
"Listen Ron. It wasn't you fault. None of this is our fault. When I came out of my room I heard Voldemort…" Ginny gasped and the other Weasley's flinched, but Hermione went on, "talking to Lucius. They said that they hadn't caught Harry. That they only caught a girl and three boys."
"Do you think they were telling the truth?" Ginny said with her down on her knees.
"I'm not sure, but I don't see why they would lie to each other. When Lucius said that he didn't catch Harry Voldemort had a cow." Hermione replied remembering all to well.
"They could've known that you were there and they were just covering it up." Chimed in Ron.
"That doesn't make sense though. They would have killed me if they knew I was there. Why would they cover it up anyway? Wouldn't they want us to know they had Harry?" Hermione seemed to be lost in thought when she realized something. "Oh my God! Ron didn't you say that Lucius stunned your Dad on the steps?"
"Yeah, but he rolled down afterwards I think." Ron said.
"Do you think he's still there? I mean I saw Voldemort leave and Lucius is out cold. Unless there were other Death Eaters here then your Mom and Dad might still be in the house." Hermione stated.
All of them got up quickly and ran to the staircase. Sure enough Mr. Weasley was curled up by the edge of the staircase. It was amazing how Hermione missed stepping on him. His leg was bent up in a most unusual way that would only be possible if you were double jointed or if you'd broken your leg. Assuming that Mr. Weasley wasn't an acrobat she knew that he had broken his leg in the fall. George and Fred went over to their Dad and checked his pulse. They said he was still alive, but he was losing a lot of blood. Hermione wet to unstun him, but Fred said no.
"We need to straighten his leg out and make a tourniquet. It will be easier for us and Dad if we do it while he's out." Fred and George, who obviously knew some First Aid, conjured a tourniquet. Both grabbed Mr. Weasley's leg and looked up at each other. "One, Two, Three." On three they both snapped his leg back into place. The noise was spine-chilling. Wiping sweet from his forehead, Fred tied the tourniquet in place. All the while there was silence upon all of them. Hermione suddenly felt a chill behind her. She slowly turned around and was relieved to find nothing. A small glint of light outside the door caught her eye. Hermione walked to the window and looked out. She suppressed a gasp.
Outside the Burrow hundreds of Dark shapes were standing in a circle around something. Perhaps it was Voldemort, Hermione thought, but a closer looks would have told her it was not. This something was fighting against the vampires, ogres, and other demons that were surrounding the Burrow.
"Fred! George! We need to hurry up and wake your Dad." She said in a panic tone as Ginny walked down the steps supporting a half awake Mrs. Weasley.
"Ok. Ok Hermione. Malfoy's been stunned. He's gonna be out for awhile. We have time." Fred said calmly, unaware of the danger that was lurking outside their home.
"No we don't. There's a whole crowd of Death Eaters and other creatures out there. I believe Voldemort is. We can travel by Floo Powder to some place safe. Mr. Weasley can tell us where that is when you wake him up. Hurry, they're getting closer."
Ron, who had been quiet for the past 20 minutes suddenly got his voice back. "They're up on the porch!" He yelled. "We've got to get out of here now!" Ron rushed over to help Fred and George with their Dad. When Mr. Weasley was awake Ron asked where a safe place to go would be. He mentioned the possibility of Floo Powder when his Dad told him that it was impossible to get there with out Apparating.
"Dumbledore's home. Just speak Dumbledore into the fire. It should get us there." Mr. Weasley said in between grunts of pain.
All six Weasleys and Hermione made their way to the fireplace just in time to here the door creaking under the weight of many bodies being thrown up against it. It wouldn't be long before it couldn't take it anymore. This put a little extra urgency in their steps. Fred and George, who were helping Mr. Weasley, were at the back of the group. Mrs. Weasley was doing fine, but Ginny was persistent in holding her arm as they stood in front of the fire. The door was on the brink of collapsing and they had to be quick or all would be lost. Mr. Weasley went first, after a heated debate that lasted until Mrs. Weasley gave him an unnerving look, and he was consumed by the fire. Next went an unhappy Mrs. Weasley and who was then followed by Ginny and next Fred. Hermione was about to go next when she heard the door crash and saw the creatures enter the living room. George screamed for Hermione to go and he would follow, but she was rooted to the spot. Rotting bodies stood before her. The once dead were alive and walking towards her. Vampires bared their elongated canine teeth and Ogres came thudding into the room. George knew she wasn't about to move and they only had seconds. He grabbed a surprised Hermione and they both were launched into the fireplace.
"Dumbledore's!" He screamed. Hermione felt herself being pulled up at a force that made her heart drop to her toes. The fit was tight and she was constantly bumping her elbows on the wall. Hermione lifted her head back to look up when her head hit something solid and she blacked out.