A/N: I don't own Harry Potter

Word Count: 637

The world fell that night. Around her, she could hear screaming, could hear crying. She didn't scream. She didn't cry. Instead, she walked out the remains of the door, her eyes wide in shock. Step after step, she made her way from the castle.

Almost on auto-pilot, she arrived at Hogsmeade. The streets were deserted. It was too dark to see anything, see anyone. She stood there, in the middle of the town before finally blinking, suddenly aware of her surroundings. Her legs buckled beneath her and she collapsed to the ground on her knees. She rocked back and forth, wailing loudly. Finally, someone put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione?" he asked. She stopped rocking. Her entire body trembling.

"We need to go inside. It's cold out here," he said, gently walking to face her. He reached down and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. She stared at him with unseeing eyes.

"You've had a shock. You need to be checked out, make sure that's all it is. There's blood on your jumper."

"Not mine," she stated, her voice raspy from screaming.

"You could still be hurt and not realize it. The body prioritizes things, right now, I think it's working on shutting down your mind. Here, I've got you."

"I can't... I can't..." she sobbed, going limp against him. He held her for a moment, letting her cry. Slowly she raised her head. Her eyes were red rimmed, her hair was plastered to cheeks. She stared at him as if not even realizing who had been helping her.

"Charlie? Wait, what?" she asked.

"I came as soon as I heard what was happening. There are a lot of people looking for you right now, Hermione."

"Ron... Ron's..."

"Injured, but not dead. He has a minor head injury. He'll recover alright. Everyone is alright, Hermione."

"No, I saw, no no no. I saw, there was blood, so much blood. I'm wearing his blood," she whispered, the realization sending her to start hyperventilating.

"Head wounds bleed a lot. You know that. He's recovering. I can take you to see him. Would you like that?" Charlie asked, looking at the witch before him. She was in shock, he could tell that much. From the way she was holding her arm, it was probably broken. There were various cuts on her face. He could see blood soaking through the shoulder of her jumper. It looked fresh.

"Alright," she finally said, allowing him to help walk. She was limping a little. They'd only taken a few steps when her legs gave out. Charlie caught her easily enough.

"I'm going to carry you, alright?"

She nodded, allowing Charlie to scoop her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her face buried against his shoulder. The walk back to the castle was slow, but Charlie made sure Hermione stayed awake. He couldn't rule out her having a head injury. They reached the gate.

"You found her!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed as Charlie carried Hermione inside.

"Hogsmeade, in shock. She thought Ron was dead. Can someone get me a bed for her?"

"I'm fine," Hermione murmured as Charlie laid her on the summoned bed.

"Just want to double check. Here, I'm going put your bed next to Ron's. You can see him, he's fine. See, his chest is rising and falling?" Charlie asked. Hermione looked over and smiled. Ron was sleeping, his head wrapped in bandages, but he was breathing.

"I love him," she whispered, before Madame Pomfrey started examining her, declaring she didn't have a head wound and needed rest while her arm healed.

"I'm sure he loves you too," Charlie stated. Hermione smiled as she was given a sleeping draught, a smile on her face as she watched Ron sleep in the bed next to hers.