Chapter 2 – Children of War

Harry and Ron were nowhere in sight. They said to meet here. People were fighting everywhere. Hermione embraced what little Gryffindor courage she had left and ran into the midst of battle, eliciting a battle cry. The enemy were coming at her in seemingly endless waves. The constant fighting was beginning to wear on her body but her mind was being driven by the adrenaline that was pumping through her veins. Hermione was taking them down in all directions but one of the more experienced Death Eaters ducked and rolled as Hermione shot at him. He swung up and kicked her right in the jaw.

"Shit!" Hermione cried out as she felt her jaw click.

Hermione retaliated by hitting him. Her punch glanced the Death Eaters chin. He noticed too late. When her knee made contact with his stomach he doubled over and expelled the last bit of chocked air from his now wounded stomach. Before he had a chance to stand straight Hermione shot him with a powerful confringo and he suddenly combusted. Hermione took her current pain out on the remaining Death Eaters surrounding her. There was a metallic taste in her mouth, the impact of the kick must have reopened the cut on her lower lip.

"Hermione!"

She spun around looking for the source of her name while still fending of the enemy. There stood in the large doorway leading to the entrance hall was Harry and Ron both panting and leaning on each other for support.

"Oppugno!" shouted Hermione, causing a two Death Eater who were blocking her way to turn against one another, they were both throwing killing curses at each other as she ran past them. She bolted towards the boys, stupefying anyone who got in her way. Harry ran out gathering Hermione up in his arms.

"I was so worried when you weren't waiting for us. We waited a few minutes but then Ron noticed you fighting in the crowd" Harry mumbled into Hermione's shoulder.

"Yeah Hermione, I don't think that I coul…" Ron was suddenly cut off by an eerie, ethereal voice on the air.

"You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery," came his cold, slithery voice. Everyone stopped, listened. Though they remained on guard. "Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately."

Those Death Eaters that were in the courtyard began to apparate out of the vicinity. Bellatrix, whose eyes were fixed on Ron, Harry and Hermione lingered long enough to smirk at them before she too apparated.

"You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured. I speak now, Harry Potter, Directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

Silence. No-one dared to say or do anything. Slowly all those in the courtyard look to Harry. Some with remorse, others with conflicted feelings and those few like Neville and Ron showed sheer determination on their faces. Ron wasn't going to let Harry leave, but Hermione deep down knew that Harry would go to protect those he loves and that there was no stopping him.

"What's that in your hand Harry?" Hermione had just noticed a small vial containing a grey smoke like substance.

"That's a memory, isn't it." Hermione had seen memories before, when Severus was teaching her how to extract her own memories for safe keeping.

"I got it from Snape…" Harry's voice was bitter though he seemed to hesitate a bit before continuing in a monotonic voice, "Snape's dead. Voldermort commanded Nagini to kill him, but before he died he gave me this memory."

Sadness washed over Hermione. She closed her eyes and took a quiet moment of respect for her fallen comrade. A man whose best side was hidden from the world, a world that owes so much to him, though they probably will never know. Hermione believed that Snape was probably the bravest man she would ever know. She opened her eyes to meet identical confused and slightly suspicious expressions on Harry and Ron's faces.

"Come. We should go to the Great Hall and pay our respect for the fallen and recoup," Hermione said whilst walking towards the Great Hall. The boys jogged to catch up with her and then fell into pace with her.

Upon entering the Great Hall their visions encompassed rows and rows of bodies. Some surrounded by friends and loved one and others that had been unceremoniously dumped and left alone. Hermione made it her mission to attend to each of those that were alone. Closing the lids over their lifeless eyes and saying not a prayer but a farewell to each of these fallen comrades and thanking them for their assistance in fighting for the greater good & that she personally would ensure that they had not died in vain.

Whereas Ron, made a beeline straight for his family. All of whom were standing around a body. The mangled body of Fred that Hermione had seen earlier. Everyone left the Weasley family alone to mourn the loss of one of their own.

Hermione only just caught a glimpse of Harry's retreating figure when she looked up after saying a farewell to another lone comrade. Her first instinct was to go after him, but then she registered that the vial was still in his hand, and realised that he must be going to see what Severus thought was important enough to share with him in his last living moments. She too was curious as to what the memories pertained to, but respected the man enough to not insist that Harry let her see too.

When she had finished tending to the fallen, Hermione hesitantly made her way over to the Weasley family. Mr Weasley was the first to notice her presence and embraced her as if she was one of his own children. One by one each Weasley, even Percy, hugged Hermione as she made her way to Fred. She knelt next to Ron, taking his hand in hers to support him. While using her other hand to close Fred's eyelids and closed her eyes as well, silently saying a farewell to a boy she considered an annoying but wonderful brother & promised that she would never forget him.

Hermione gave a little tug on Ron's hand and met no resistance so she helped him pick himself up and brushed him off before pulling him into a bone crushing hug. He hugged her back just as firmly to the point that it was starting to hurt Hermione, but she didn't say anything, letting her best friend find comfort in her embrace. After a few minutes Ron loosened his grip and Hermione slowly pulled away grabbing his hand again and walking him away from his mourning family and towards the place Harry was sure to be right at that moment.