Chapter 14

Their OWLs were upon them. Hermione was in such a state of heightened anxiety that no-one was safe from reprimand when in her vicinity. She had huge bags under her eyes from the sleepless nights- since Fred had left, her already poor sleep had become even worse and her hair was frazzled from running her hand through it so often as she poured over books.

The morning of the first exam, Charms, she was utterly terrified. She tried to give Harry and Ron a smile as they filed into the Great Hall but thought it came across as more of a grimace. She almost tripped up as she reached her designated seat, he heart thudding painfully inside her.

Then, as she took a deep steadying breath she felt him. Fred. His essence surrounded her in a warm embrace and she felt his calm, solid faith in her.

"You've got this" she felt him whisper to her.

More grateful than she could ever imagine she kept her eyes closed revelling in his presence until it was time to start the exam, when she opened her eyes she felt Fred fade, but she smiled as she answered the first question.

The rest of the week passed in a blur of revision and exams. She looked on in horror the night of their astronomy practical, as they watched Umbridge attempt to subdue Hagrid. She was terrified for him and she saw her own expressions mirrored on Harry and Ron's face. They stayed up late talking it over, none of them could believe Hagrid had gone too.

"Now we will have to look after Grawp" Harry said in a resigned voice.

"No way. Hagrid's little brother can fend for himself." Said Ron, "Umbridge won't be around for much longer anyway."

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"Jobs jinxed isn't it. Her year is almost up"

"As a professor. But she could still stay here as Headmistress" corrected Hermione.

"I'm going to bed" said Harry miserably, standing and leaving them alone. Hermione glanced around the common room and was relieved to see Lee Jordon still sitting gloomily by himself. At least there are witnesses she thought wryly to herself.

"Hermione-" began Ron. But she cut him off,

"Ron, I'm really tired. Can this wait?"

"Not really. I need to know what happened with you and Fred that day in the courtyard. When it went all windy and stuff." He had stood and was blocking her path to the dormitories.

"Ron, we've been through this. I don't know what caused that to happen. One second we were talking and the next this freak storm came out of nowhere." As she said this she imagined she was back there, with Fred, in the eye of the storm… Their storm… Their magic..

"And that's it? There's nothing else?" His eyes bored into her. Hermione stared flatly at him. The last time she had tried to spare his feeling she had be assaulted. Lesson learnt.

"There is more. But nothing that's any of your business." she said coldly. Ron just stared at her, his mouth slack.

"More? With you.. and my brother?"

"Goodnight Ron" she said, slightly more gently as she squeezed past him and hurried upstairs.

The final day of their OWLs was History of Magic in the afternoon. She was horrified as Harry fell off his chair and began screaming manically in the middle of the hall. The great hall erupted around him and his face was stark white, his scar livid on his forehead as he was ushed from the hall.

The second she could she sprinted from the hall to find him. He was in a state, he thought Sirius and Voldemort were in the ministry. She looked at her best friend, who's eyes were wide with fear and tried to reason with him. It was all so unlikely. None of this made any sense.

"Shut up Hermione." Snapped Ron. "I believe you mate." Ron gave her a withering look that she returned woodenly. She had expected some sort of backlash from their conversation last night, but was this really the time?

She convinced Harry to check if Sirius was home. Their hastily thought up plan failed spectacularly with herself, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Neville all being caught by Umbridge's squad. She felt a numb terror as they watched Snape leave her office after denying the hag veriterserum. This was it. They would all be expelled. And what had Harry seen in the fire? Where was Sirius? She just couldn't believe that Voldemort had him. Sirius was too clever to be goaded into leaving headquarters. He knew it was only a matter of time before the wizarding world knew Harry and Dumbledore had been telling the truth and his name would be cleared. But the fear in Harry's face had been real, there was no denying what he had seen. But was it real? There was a reason Dumbledore had wanted him to learn occlumency. Well, she thought, the most important goal right now was to get them away from Umbridge and with that thought she started to sob into her hands.

Her plan worked, Umbridge followed them into the forest and was carried away by the centaurs, which had been chased away in turn by Grawp. Once the rest of the group had arrived, they all mounted Thestrals and rocketed into the sky. Hermione was utterly terrified. To be soaring hundreds of feet above the ground, supported by an invisible animal was the most disconcerting feeling. She thought of her last flight, that had been with Fred, with those stolen moments by the enchanted pond deep in the forest. The memory warmed her and she clung to it as they flew.

As they crept through the bowels of the ministry to the black door at the end of a long corridor, Hermione was filled with a sense of dread. This was wrong. They shouldn't be here. This was a trap. But she knew that there would be no reasoning with Harry. So she stayed silent and kept her wand up. When they entered the Department of Mysteries she couldn't help but be curious about the place. This is where Minerva McGonagall thought she should pursue a career?

As they stood in the circular room surrounded by identical doors she couldn't help looking at one I particular. It seemed different from the rest, but she couldn't explain how. It looked the same. But it felt different. She raised her hand to lightly brush her fingers over its surface. There was a faint humming- so indistinct that she could only feel it just beyond the tips of her fingers. She focussed her mind down her arm and towards this strange magic, it felt familiar somehow, like it knew her and she should know it.

"Well?" snapped Ron, "are you going to bother opening that one?" Hermione jerked round, remembering where she was and what was happening. She turned back to the door and lay her palm against it, she could feel the power beyond, and pushed.

Nothing happened. It was locked. She tried a charm, unsuccessfully, and Harry even tried his knife, but the door melted the blade. The rest of the group moved onto another door, but Hermione's gaze kept drifting back.

When they at last made it into the hall of prophecy and hurried down row 97 to find it deserted, Hermione knew that her fears hadn't been unfounded. She peered into the gloom, expecting company any second. The moment Harry took the dusty glass orb from the shelf, the death eaters arrived.

They only just escaped, but were separated in the chase. Hermione, Harry and Neville were trapped in the room of time. She was petrified, her heart was pounding painfully in her chest as they listened to the death eaters split up behind the door. They tried to make their way back to the circular room but were discovered before they could make it. Hermione's wand raised and she fired jinx's, hexes, curses at the hooded figures. Her aim was good, but they were so fast with their defence. Too fast.

Dolohov, whom she had just silenced raised his wand and brandished it like a whip. Purple flames shot out and lashed her across her chest. The pain was instantaneous and absolute. She let out a tiny 'oh' before she crumpled to the floor.