"Well that sounds ridiculous. Zombies? I've never even heard of those things." Draco scoffed, confusion behind his hard exterior.
"Well," Hermione started ", the term has roots in muggle mythology. The concept of zombies was discovered by muggles and made into fictional entertainment. There are plenty of movies and books dedicated to the subject. Lots of muggles love this type of media."
"Yeah, but what are they, 'Mione?" Ron asked.
"They are a, supposedly, fictional monster. Depending on the lore of the movie or book, they can be different. Some can sprint really fast, some are really smart, and some are portrayed as slow and shambling. No matter the type, all zombies have one thing on their minds; the desire to eat human flesh." Hermione felt her stomach churn at the mere words.
"Human flesh? That's how muggles enjoy spending their time? That's just sick." Draco spat, but was ignored by the rest of the group.
"Why do they eat people?" Ginny asked, mortified.
"No one is certain. Up until now, I never thought zombies were a possibility. They've always been fictional, actors wearing makeup. There's no information or science on zombies." Hermione shrugged, unsure of where to go from there.
"The only widespread knowledge shared by all zombie based muggle-media is that, in order to slay them, you must remove the head or cause damage to the brain." Professor Snape contributed.
"It might not as hard as it sounds, either. We saw that guy at the end of the hallway. They're pretty slow." Hermione offered up, hoping to bring some confidence to the group. Everyone just shrugged and nodded, clearly at a collective loss.
"So, how do we handle this?" Harry asked, looking to Ron and Hermione specifically.
"I think we should wait. The ministry will be informed of what's happened here any moment now. Staying put is our best chance at staying safe." McGonagall said.
"I don't know about that, Professor…" Hermione said with a sigh.
"How are you so sure?" Professor Snape asked, not out of spite or malice. He would never admit it, but in between her incessant finger-wiggling when she knew the answer and know-it-all spiels, Hermione Granger was the brightest witch of her age. If anyone had a prayer to stand alongside him in a battle of mythical beings, it was her.
"The longer we wait, the bigger the hoard can become. We surely can't be the only ones left alive in this castle. If those people, or even ourselves get caught by one of them, we're just adding to the amount of zombies in the castle. We should stay for a while, to rest and build a game plan. But that plan needs to end with us leaving this castle and going somewhere safe within the next twelve hours." Hermione reamed off what she figured was the best course of action.
"I'm on board with that." Harry agreed.
"Me too." Ron smiled up at the young witch.
A round of quite yes' and noises of agreement came from everyone except Malfoy, who continued to pout about the situation.
"They got him right in front of me. They could've grabbed me, but they grabbed him." Luna whispered, making herself smaller in the corner she chose to sit in. She pulled her tiny knees to her chest, folding herself over just to feel safe.
Professor McGonagall stood at the nearly inaudible noises coming from Luna, walking over and resting against the arm of the couch. Despite her old bones telling her no, she bent over and placed a hand upon Luna's hand. Luna, finally having the footing under her feet, gripped her hand back.
"Tell us what happened, dear. We want to help you work through it." The professor used her most calming, gentle voice.
"Neville, they grabbed Neville. We were just standing outside the Ravenclaw dorms when a mass of screaming people started to run by. Once we realized exactly what was happening, we started to run too. We were trying to make it to the commons so we could find Harry, Ron, and Hermione. But when we turned the hall, one of those things was waiting. It stumbled onto Neville by chance and started… feasting." Luna felt bile rising in the back of her throat, but she was determined to tell the story.
"Luna?" McGonagall bent forward with caution.
"At the time, I didn't know what it was. But as soon as Neville was tackled, I saw an opportunity. I grabbed the candlestick off the table and hit the thing in the back of the head. The thing stayed down, but it was already too late for Neville. I tried to fix him… but that's when Snape found me. I knew trying to save him was a lost cause," Luna sighed ", I can still hear the sounds of that thing. It was so depraved, it was so hungry. Like it was blinded by hunger." She picked at the bloodstains on her clothing, not wanting to look at anyone.
Snape pursed his lips. He too has lost a loved one in a tragic event. His heart, what was left, ached for the girl.
"Go behind the bookshelves and change out of that stained shirt and tie. It's a small step, but it'll help… feeling clean." Hermione stood, removing her sweater to reveal a plain tee-shirt, and gave it to Luna. The chilled air of the dungeon quarters was suddenly apparent, but Hermione knew she would eventually be fine.
"Bottom line, we need to get out of Hogwarts. Let's sit and devise a realistic, tactical plan and then figure out where we're headed. Somewhere far away from here." Hermione spoke once more, looking around the room for objectors. Everyone nodded in agreement, except Draco, who simply rolled his eyes. For now, Hermione had to take at as a sign of cooperation.
Everyone needed to be on board in order for everyone to survive.