The loud horns of the Hogwarts Express, signaling the close proximity to the illustrious castle of it's name, woke Hermione up with a start. Sweat poured down her face like heavy rain and her wide panic-struck eyes danced about the room, searching for the danger. Searching for green eyes. Her wand was clenched and ready for action.
But there were no eyes. In fact, she was the only soul in that small, yet comfortable train compartment. That loneliness was soon broken when a series of sharp, but not alarmed, knocks alerted Hermione of a presence outside the room.
Still in a flustered state, Hermione only managed to mutter a soft "Come in" before the compartment door was shoved open and the tall figure of Neville Longbottom filled the doorframe. His frame was impressive considering his age of 15, his muscular frame an indication of rigourous exercise and a healthy body. For many young witches, he was the catch, all they needed was a hook.
Still, having known him since her first year at Hogwarts, Hermione was used to his presence. Even though at one time she had a small crush, the steely stare from his eyes denoted that as a thing of the past.
Neville stood there for a second or two, startled from her state of being, before getting on to what he was there to do.
"We're about 10 minutes away from Hogwarts. Remember that as prefects, we have our duty to protect the 1st and 2nd year students while they are transported to the castle".
Finally managing to calm down due to his words, Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Surely you don't think I would forget? I've been reading about this since 1st year. Hogwarts: A History chapter 13 section one point two titled Prefe-"
"Yes, yes. You don't need to give me a whole lecture, just making sure you were ready before we arrived. God, no wonder why I stopped attending study hall with her..." Those last few words were muttered as Neville closed the compartment door and left to his own cabin, complaining all the way.
Hermione let out a small snort in victory. One small step for pride, one giant leap for tranquility. Hermione made sure the door was closed and locked before sitting down, letting out a tired breath in the process. She closed her eyes for a moment. There in the darkness of her eyelids, piercing green eyes stared back. Unblinking, unwavering, and most important, hateful. This is what Hermione saw every time she closed her eyes. When she went to bed. When the sun hit her eyes too brightly and she had to close her eyes to shield from it. When she submerged her head underwater without goggles. When she couldn't bear witness the death and pain of her surroundings. She didn't know what was more terrifying to her.
"I see youuu". Letting out a small joke to an audience of one, Hermione re-opened her eyes and stared out the cold window and into the night sky. Although the darkness made things hard to see, the silhouettes of figures moving about in the sky were still distinguishable. Whether they were there to protect them or attack them was still an open question.
Nonetheless, Hermione stood up and reached for her bag in the small overhead compartment. Neville was right. She had a job to do.
%. %. %.
The journey to Hogwarts was never a safe one, nor a guaranteed one. Ever since the re-emergence of the Dark Lord Voldemort (although most call him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who due to a spell he cast on it back in the Second Wizarding War), the path to Hogwarts has been bloodied with many lives, including children. It was a smart move. What better way to win a war than to have no enemies left to fight you in the future? It was akin to destroying the enemies valuable resources.
The Ministry of Magic did all it could to protect the Hogwarts Express. It sent out a squadron of Aurors to protect the cargo at all times, inside and outside. However, the Ministry couldn't focus all it's forces in one place, so the Dark Forces usually outnumbered the Aurors. Still, the Aurors are professionally trained soldiers and the Death Eaters are nothing but nobles with a bit of fighting experience and the wealth of knowledge that are the many Most Noble and Ancient Houses backing Lord Voldemort. Ministry casualties were usually few, but limited numbers meant that they couldn't be everywhere on the train to watch over the children.
That's were the prefect came in.
Usually volunteers and the exceptionally gifted, prefects had the honorable and brave task of guarding their fellow students while they are ushered into the protections of the Hogwarts. No Death Eater could possibly break through those wards. Still, prefects are still just teenagers, and no matter how good they are in Hogwarts, reality is that they know nothing. So every now and then, an unaware prefect is bypassed or dealt with, leading to the deaths of students. The only saving grace being the difficulty of accomplishing such a task. Deaths usually didn't happen thanks to the quality of prefects and Aurors on guard.
Hermione was definitely up to standards. Brightest Witch of her Age isn't just a complimentary title. Hermione truly was the Brightest Witch at Hogwarts, perhaps only a select few Seventh Year girls were above her level. Her only shortcoming was lack of experience, something that would be amended shortly.
%. %. %
Her palms were starting to get sweaty. The students were lined up based on year (youngest to oldest) near the only functioning exit (purposefully) of the Hogwarts Express, meaning that Hermione was closest to the door along with Neville. Only a pair of Aurors separated her from that door. She looked over at the two dozen or so first years huddling over each other, frightened over the sounds of chaos that reverted outside. A tall figure amongst the first and second years caught her attention before a small nudge from Neville next to her diverted her gaze back to the door.
The screech of the brakes over the rail signaled their arrival. They were here. Hermione gulped and took another glance at Neville. Back when it was her first year, she too was a scared 11 year old, praying for the curse not to hit her. She remembered tears swelling in her eyes when a small hand had grabbed her shoulder. Looking up at the boy next to her, she was stunned at the smile of confidence plastered over his face. He had said "everything will be fine, you'll see" before those doors had opened. No one died that year. Looking again at Neville next to her, she could still see that small smile of confidence. It somehow managed to calm her nerves.
The train was now fully coming to a stop and if someone had peered outside a window, they would be shocked to see a sky lit up with greens, reds, and a myriad of colored bolts shooting at each other. One could not even call it dark anymore, for the amount of power flying about made it seem like daytime. Explosions rocketed in the sky, managing to resonated even in the sound proofed train. It was a full on battle in the sky.
The train finally came to a stop and all turned silent in the line. The two Aurors stood there, waiting for a command. It came in the form of a bear patronus, whispering information only the Aurors could decipher. The Aurors nodded grimly and the bear patronus disappeared.
The Auror on the left, a girl with short pink hair that Hermione could swear she had seen before, muttered "there's more than we thought" before the Auror on the right, a tall man with greasy hair snapped "be quiet" and stared at the students that may have heard. He said nothing else, but the sheepish look on the girls face made Hermione's stomach churn. Something was wrong.
Before she could think any further on it, the Auror obviously in charge gathered the attention of everyone.
"Alright listen up. I don't want any interruptions while I go over your instructions do you understand? Good. In about two minutes we will open this door and you will begin heading towards the castle gate. It will take about five minutes walking but I don't want anybody to get lost or be left behind so you will walk briskly to the gates and you will not stop or delay the line under any circumstance. Am I clear? Good. We will open the door in one minute. Be ready. Be prepared".
Finishing his speech, the Auror didn't say another word. No one did. The explosions and cries outside were getting closer and closer. The Death Eaters were coming for them. The minute was up. The Aurors nodded to each other and opened the door of the train in one go.
Immediately the sounds of spells that sounded somewhat distant and muddy rang clear as daylight. And close too. Very close. Just on the other side of the train Hermione could see about 10 Aurors forming a protective line against an onslought of Death Eater attacks. About 20 or so Death Eaters were pushing against the Aurors, not doing any real damage but obviously pushing the line further back and back, closer to the students.
Paralyzed for a moment, Hermione was brought back to reality by Neville who was urging her to come along. Hermione began to usher to younger students forward, keeping them somewhat composed and making sure no one got lost in the chaos. Although things were shaky and she was worried, the Death Eaters were kept at bay by the 10 or so Aurors. Soon, they would be reinforced by the other two Aurors who stayed at the back.
Along the woods they ran-walk. Hermione darted her eyes about, trying to catch any movement in the trees that surrounded them. Still, the commute was relatively peaceful and they eventually saw the castle gates in view.
Waiting there stood Frank Longbottom, Vice Captain of the Auror Division, Minister Fudge, and Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Three pillars of the Light, shining hope on the darkness that surrounded the upcoming wizards and witches.
Hermione crossed the gate and immediately dropped down to the floor. For some reason, she was very nervous even though things were fine the whole way. Neville too sat down next to her as the students were guided inside McGonagall. The prefect were supposed to wait until everybody entered and the Head Boy and Head Girl accounted for them.
Hermione, gasping for air, gazed at the passing students, happy that her first major role as prefect came to a success. A tall figure amongst the second year students caught her attention. He was walking with them but he didn't seem to be panicked or worried. Almost in a gait, he leisurely walked by.
"Must be that new student we were told about". Hermione nodded at Neville's words, who had also been staring at the too-tall-for-second-year figure. Just then, the man turned around and stared directly at Hermione. Her breath hitched and panic worse than before set her heart ablaze.
Green, piercing eyes stared directly at her. Unblinking, unwavering, haunting...
Green eyes.