Hermione Granger sat at the base of a tree. Nightfall had once again returned to the arena and the temperature was dropping gradually. But this time Hermione was prepared. She had replaced the pickles into the packet of beef strips and moved the beef strips in with the crackers (she didn't feel like eating pickle-flavored beef); leaving her with an empty jar. Using a little trick she learned in her first year at Hogwarts, she managed to keep herself warm by conjuring up a blue fire that burnt continuously inside the jar. This way, she will be able to escape the cold that night has to offer without having to broadcast her location to all the other tributes.

When she woke up the next day, she felt better rested. Judging from the position of the sun, it was already almost noon. After she ate, she decided to look for some berries or anything else to eat because she was getting tired of pickles, beef strips, and crackers and the food supply was running low anyway.

Hours later, Hermione found herself walking alongside a river. Everything was going well until Hermione saw a figure by the water. She inched her way closer to the figure cooling off at the river when the figure turned her head and spotted Hermione.

"Hermione," Katniss said while standing up with a hostile expression. She did not look that dangerous as she staggered and winced at the pain her burns gave her.

"Katniss," Hermione said. They both stood quietly; weapons at the ready—Hermione with her wand and Katniss with her knife. Both of them had the idea that they would have to kill each other but somehow neither of them had the courage to do it.

"Didn't you want me as your ally? I was actually going to consider that thought until you started getting mad." Katniss said. "It was a good thing it didn't turn out well. You could've killed me in my sleep—friends one day, enemies the next."

"Like it was me who started it. Weren't you the one who—"

They heard footsteps. It was definitely more than one person. As the number of footsteps grew louder, Katniss and Hermione were certain a group was closing in on them.

Katniss swiftly rushed to a tree and started to climb. Even with the burns on her hands she was fast. Hermione followed suit and climbed after Katniss. She was not used to this kind of thing and kept losing her foothold but she always manages to regain her hold before she started pummeling to the ground.

It was not long after when the Careers spotted them in the tree—Katniss was already way up while Hermione was still struggling way below her. Then Hermione slipped and was left hanging on a branch. She reached inside her pocket and was shocked to find it empty. Why did I had to drop my wand at this very important time she thought. Just as her fingers were starting to lose their hold, a hand caught hers and started to pull her upward.

"You know, when you're climbing trees and the Careers are down there waiting to kill you… don't slip," Katniss said with a smile.

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Hermione said as they both scaled the tree together, covering much height before turning to the Careers.

"How's it going down there," Katniss called down at them.

"Well enough. Yourself?" Cato called back.

"It's been a bit warm for my taste," Katniss smiled. Hermione surveyed her burns and had an uncomfortable suspicion. "The air's better up here. Why don't you come on up?"

"Think I will," he replies.

"Katniss," Hermione whispered. "What happens now?"

"Oh, he won't get far."

As if on cue, they heard a loud snap behind them followed by a thud as Cato hit the ground. Glimmer started to climb the tree herself but stopped as soon as she felt the branches cracking under her feet. Then she started shooting arrows at Katniss and Hermione.

"My bow!" Katniss murmured under her breath so softly that it was almost like it were her thoughts speaking.

"Excuse me, what?" Hermione said as an arrow caught itself in the tree. Hermione was startled for a second then she took the arrow. Katniss took it from her and waved it over her head at the Careers. The Careers were starting to get more annoyed now.

"Oh, let them stay up there. It's not like their going anywhere. We'll deal with them in the morning," Peeta said.

The Careers were hesitant at first but they finally agreed. "Fine. But the wi—" Clove stopped herself. "—the District 3 girl is mine!" she said angrily.

The Careers set up camp at the base of the tree. Katniss shifted her position on the branch but she winced as her wounds sent searing pain through her body.

"Are you all right?" Hermione said.

"I'm good." She tried to open her pack then her eyes widened and she turned paler as pain shot through her again. "Or maybe not." Then a small parachute carrying a small package came sailing down towards her.

They both gasped. Katniss opened the package and found some burn ointment.

"This would be tremendously expensive," she said.

"You must have a lot of sponsors," Hermione said, awed.

Katniss immediately applied some of the ointment onto her burns and sighed with relief.

"What are we going to do now?" Hermione broke the silence.

"I don't know. Wait for something to happen?" Small movements in another tree beside theirs were caught in the corner of her eye. Katniss looked and saw a pair of eyes looking back at them.

"Rue," Katniss said—more like whispered.

Hermione turned to the direction where Katniss was looking and saw Rue pointing upwards. She looked up and saw a nest of some sort. Rue was warning them. Katniss nodded and pointed to herself, up at the nest, and down to the Careers. Rue seemed to understand and jumped to the next tree and the next. Katniss then made her way up the tree to the nest. Hermione followed after her.

"It's a tracker jacker nest. Its sting can produce wild hallucinations to the victim, or worse, death," Katniss explained quietly. Hermione nodded. "I'm going to cut it down and hopefully, it will find its way to the Careers. We'll have to cut it when the anthem is playing to prevent them from waking up."

It was a few more moments before the anthem started playing and Katniss set off to work. She started cutting the branch that supported the nest but she wasn't doing a very good job. Despite the burn ointment, her injured hands were still killing her but she tried to cut as fast as she can.

"Here, allow me," Hermione offered. She took the knife from Katniss' and went through the branch, but not fast enough. A stray tracker jacker bit her on the hand and many more were pouring out the nest. Another found her arm. Katniss was bitten a few times too. Finally, the branch was cut and the nest, along with it the hundreds of tracker jackers were sent falling down towards their victims.

Hermione was stumbling down the tree along with Katniss as screams filled the air. The Careers had woken and were running away and waving their hands wildly at the tracker jackers. Hermione struggled to keep Katniss in sight but it was a challenge since the hallucinations were getting stronger. She found her wand on the ground and put it in her pocket. A basilisk was weaving through the trees. She saw Glimmer's skin form lumps because of the tracker jacker venom. The sky turned dark red and it rained blood, blocking her vision and causing her to slip. When she got up, the blood was gone and she saw Katniss retrieving the bow from Glimmer. She remembered running, chasing a hippogriff that was being ridden by her father. Then dementors started chasing her. She fell on the ground and writhed in pain as she saw a death eater perform the Cruciatus Curse on her. It felt like a long struggle before she had finally passed out, not sure which events had really happened and which was only a hallucination.