Chapter 15.
A/N: This chapter contains a direct quote from the seventh book 'The deathly Hallows.' Sorry if you guys don't like I quoted it. But I deemed it necessary so as to stick to the story line.
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Hermione watched the figures approaching and gripped her wand tightly. Draco helped his mother up as she composed herself.
"D-Draco…" Hermione stuttered.
Draco looked up and saw the figures running at full speed towards the lake.
He too gripped his wand tightly and stood in front of Hermione protectively.
As the figures neared the edge of the icy lake they called out.
"What are you guys doing on the ruddy lake?" Screamed Ron.
Hermione let out a sigh of relief as they made their way carefully over the slippery surface back towards the bank.
"Where's Ginny?" Harry said anxiously when they had finally landed in the soft snow.
"What? Isn't she with you?" Hermione asked in desperation.
"No! We thought…" They looked towards Draco.
"She stepped through the fire I swear!" Draco said. "She had the Diadem and she stepped into the floo and that's the last I saw of her."
"C'mon she's probably in the castle. Lets… Let's just go and check." Hermione said and began to head back towards the castle hastily.
They entered the great hall. to find it was abuzz with students, aurors, and Order members alike. Hogsmeade residents had made there way to the castle and were all inside. At the opposite end of the hall Headmistress McGonagall was bellowing orders to the room's occupants.
"Professor!" Hermione yelled over the crowd and weaved her way towards Professor McGonagall.
"Hermione dear! Thank goodness you're alright and you Mr Malfoy." She said smiling curtly to him.
"Have you seen Ginny Weasley? Is she here?" Hermione asked anxiously.
McGonagall shook her head ferociously.
"I haven't seen hide nor hair of the girl. Merlin I hope she's alright."
(A/N: Direct quote starts here!)
Suddenly an icy voice filled the hall. It was high, cold and clear. There was no telling from where it came. It seemed to issue from the walls themselves. Like the monster it once commanded, it might have lain dormant there for centuries.
"I know that you are preparing to fight." There were screams amongst the students. Some of whom clutched at each other, looking around in terror for the source of the sound. "Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."
There was silence in the hall now, the kind that presses against the ear drums, that seems too huge to be contained by walls.
"Give me Harry Potter," Said Voldemort's voice, 'and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded.
'You have until midnight.'
(A/N: Quote ends here! I think it was necessary!)
"Oh Merlin." Hermione said under her breath as she looked towards Harry. They needed to find Ginny. Get the diadem and destroy it.
"Mr Potter we are ready to fight." The Headmistress said.
"Those of you who are underage or do not wish to fight shall be leaving now…" McGonagall's voice trailed off as Hermione raced over to Harry.
"'Mione where do you think she would be?" Harry said.
"I… I'm sorry Harry I don't know. Where ever she is meant to be… I guess."
"But she is s'posed to be here!" He screamed making a few people look around.
"C'mon Harry keep your head on straight! This is not the time!" Hermione yelled.
Draco came up behind her. "Hermione can you get in contact with her? Using your coin thing?" He asked.
Hermione smacked herself in the head for her stupidity.
'Of course!" She cried shrilly. As she swivelled around and kissed Draco fully on the lips attracting many surprised faces from onlookers.
Draco grinned manically at her and felt a tad hot under the collar.
She pulled the coin out from beneath her cloak and quickly scribed a message to Ginny.
Where are you?
Hermione.
She waited anxiously for a reply. The coin glowed warmly in the palm of her hand.
Not quite sure. A room full of old junk?
I have the diadem. Help.
Ginny.
"A room full of junk? What is she talking about? Is she even in Hogwarts?" Hermione cried looking up questioningly at her friends who had crowded around the coin.
A room full of junk… A room full of old… of course!" Harry cried and quickly turned to race out of the room.
"Harry!" Hermione screamed taking chase after him. Ron had quickly darted after Harry and Hermione.
Draco struggled through the crowd in a failed attempt to locate the direction the trio had vanished in. He saw them flee out the doors of the Great Hall and disappear from sight. Draco felt jealousy consume him. Was she always going to leave him behind to go off with those two?
He pushed his way through the overcrowded room towards the door and looked searchingly for Hermione's bushy head and saw it disappear upstairs. Quickly he took chase after them only to have his path blocked by two bulky figures…
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Hermione and Ron chased after Harry and were panting heavily before he came to a stop in front of a bare stretch of wall.
"What? Harry… The Room of Requirement?"
Harry began pacing in front of the stretch of wall thinking of where he wanted to be.
I need the place where everything is hidden.
Suddenly a door appeared and Harry entered a room which seemed to be full of dusty old…junk.
"Ginny!?" Ron called out.
"Ron? Ron where are you!?" Ginny's voice called back.
Ron and Harry ran off in the direction of Ginny's voice, calling out for her to talk every now and then.
Hermione stood at the doorway deep in thought. What was going on? 'Why was Ginny meant to be in here?' She thought. Hermione heard someone's muffled cries behind her and peered out of the doorway in search of the source.
"MM-NNEEE!" Came the voice again.
Hermione stepped out side and saw someone's legs poking out of an alcove.
Hermione tore over to the niche and found a distressed Draco in a body bind. Hermione flicked her wand and released him.
"C-Crabbe and .. and G-Goyle!" He panted.
"What?" Hermione choked out staring at him frazzled.
Hermione heard Ginny scream from inside the open door of the room of requirement and jolted up. Draco clambered to his feet and they raced in.
From the centre of the room black smoke was billowing up towards the ceiling. Hermione and Draco sprinted as fast as their legs would carry them towards the source and stopped abruptly. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle came hurtling towards them and passed them without even taking notice. They focused ont he direction the boys had come and saw Ginny, Harry and Ron racing towards them being pursued by a ferocious fire which swerved and dived like serpents of the deep.
Hermione noticed Ginny didn't seem to have the diadem any more as they were just about to reach the spot in which they stood. All of a sudden they were cut off by a strip of fire which tore in front of them encircling Harry, Ron and Ginny.
"Hermione help!" Cried Ginny.
Hermione searched around for some way to help them when she noticed a bunch of dusty old brooms leaning up against an old wardrobe.
"Accio brooms!" She yelled and they landed in her arms. She quickly levitated them over the rising flames to her trapped friends. Licks of fire leapt for them but the brooms swerved just out of there reach and landed safely in the arms of Harry.
The three Quidditch players kicked off the ground and soar into the air just as the flames engulfed the placed they had been standing.
Now Hermione and Draco were left to flee as the flames attempted to seize them. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione noticed a glinting tiara. 'The diadem!' Hermione thought. She abruptly stopped and turned back towards it.
"Hermione!" Draco yelled in frustration as he raced back after her.
Hermione reached the diadem when all of a sudden a stack of hidden junk came crumbling to the ground swallowing her.
"NO!" Draco screamed as he reached the junk. The fire now blazed dangerously close and Draco was trapped within it, but he wasn't leaving without her. If she couldn't get out than he couldn't either.
"Hermione can you here me!? Hermione! Accio Hermione!" He shouted in a hopeless attempt. She was trapped.
Draco began to remove the objects which surrounded her by hand and throwing them into the hungry blaze which gulped them up instantly.
Hermione could hardly breathe. She held onto the Diadem tightly and waited for her lungs to collapse. The assorted junk which had consumed her was heavy and pressing powerfully against her. She heard a crack and felt stabbing pains in her chest. Any minute now she would be gone. Her vision became fuzzy and her thoughts blank apart from one. Draco.
She imagined she could hear him screaming her name as she blacked out thinking of nothing but his face…
A/N: Oh no!!!!!!! Since there is no way I am mean enough to leave you with a cliffie like that I'm posting the next chapter. The last chapter... review pweez. xoxo