The great hall was engulfed in thick black smoke, and for a second everything thing was silent, as bodies scattered the floor, then the shock subsided slightly and screams erupted. Harry searched the area closest to him, trying desperately to find Melanie. He turned to his left and crawled forward. The tables had been thrown about teen feet in the air and now lay shattered across the floor, rubble fell from the high ceiling and the walls started to crumble.

"Melanie! Melanie!" Harry bellowed frantically. He tried to focus his eyes but his glasses were broken and everything was blurred mass. He got onto his hands and knees and scanned the bodies near him, and froze when his eyes landed on red, but it wasn't liquid. He wasn't sure, it could have been the drapes...

Crawling forward Harry reached the body and realised it was Ginny; she was groaning and clutching at her stomach where a piece of glass was embedded. Blood seeped slowly from the wound, covering her previously white shirt.

"It's ok Gin, I got you, it's ok," Harry whispered croakily, his hand closing around her as a form of support, he could see people slowing attempting to move near the entrance, or out of one of the holes in the walls, but really there wasn't that many people actually moving…

"Ha-Harry? Harry, it hurts," Ginny said faintly, her eyes were rolling into the back of her head as she fell into shock, when suddenly a hand reached out to Harry, grasping his shoulder.

"Harry, you need to get out," Dumbledore's voice said swiftly. "Hurry, I'll send Miss Weasley out." Dumbledore said then practically picked Harry up and nudged him out of the great hall, when finally Harry did get out it was only to find about twenty other students strewn across the front grounds of Hogwarts. All were in varying stages of needing medical attention.

But Harry couldn't concentrate on that, he needed Melanie. He needed to know she was safe.

Instead, however, it was Ginny he found himself reaching out to as she was carried out on a stretcher, unconscious now, and getting extremely pale. The blood was a bold contrast against her milky, sweaty skin, her clothes were torn and her hair awry. She was a terrifying sight to see, and yet he dare not move his eyes from her.

Seconds later McGonagall, Snape and Remus appeared each floating two stretchers out of the building which now had smoke billowing from it. The castle seemed to creek and crack as the wall weakened from the explosion, and Harry was fearful that they to get everyone out in time.

Remus lay down his to stretchers and pulled out a small contraption and started to talk to it, Harry couldn't hear what he was saying, but he could see a bit of relief wash over his face, then the man looked up to find himself staring into bright emerald eyes, and his face fell.

"Where's Melanie?" Remus asked Harry once he was by the teenager's side.

"I-I don't know," Harry croaked, he didn't know where Melanie was, not only that but he didn't know where Ron and Hermione were either. "Let me help you, I'm fit enough, and I won't even leave other students, please Remus, you need to let me help." Harry begged.

"No Harry, look after Ginny, she needs someone right now, Melanie will be fine," Remus said then rushed back into the building, leaving Harry to stare down at Ginny in her deteriorating state. And not knowing what else to do he reached for her limp hand and squeezed it lightly.

"Hold on Gin, just a little longer,." He said softly as he realized there was no one able to help the suffering students, and that they would have to wait for help to arrive.

It was almost twenty minutes before Healers from St Mungo's started to arrive with members of the Order; they rushed around and placed students and even some teachers in order of need of medical attention, Ginny was, thankfully, one of the first to be treated, after a blood replenishing potion and the glass was removed and the wound healed she was sent to St Mungo's for internal bleeding.

"Mr Potter will you be going with her?" The healer asked quickly, Harry took a second to scan the ground and when he realised Melanie, Hermione and Ron still weren't out he nodded and port keyed with the Healer.

Meanwhile Melanie lay unconscious under the Gryffindor table, when it had been thrown in the blast she had got caught and was thrown with the table, which was now upturned and resting a top of her, a tickle of blood made its way down her pale skin and her breathing was jagged.

Ron was caught under a beam that had fallen, his right leg was lodged between the wood and stone floor, though and major bleeding was being stopped by the wood still in place. However the pain was unbearable, so painful it was beyond screaming out.

Hermione lay by Ron's side, unconscious with a knife embedded in her arm, thrown in the explosion, she had also broken the other arm which lay out of place and was sickening to look at.

Ron's eyes were clamped shut, and his hearing was unclear but he did hear the sounds of many people entering the room and the sound of rubble being removed, so he took his chance and called for help, hoping it was someone there to help, and not a Deatheater.

"Please! Someone!" Ron called out in a pained voice, and felt a wave of relief as someone placed a hand on his shoulder and muttered a pain relieving spell. He opened his eyes to see the face of Kingsley Shacklebolt looking down worried at his leg.

"I'm going to need some help here!" Kingsley called and soon two others joined him, they looked at the beam only to see if they cut it the other end that was being held up off of the people below would fall, but they couldn't lift it without risking damage to others. "Only you Ron would get yourself into such a predicament." Kingsley said as he reached out to Hermione.

"Is-Is she alright… Hermione I mean, is she alright?" Ron asked desperately, his eyes fearful, and his face even more pale as he caught sight of Hermione.

"She's ok, just passed out," Kingsley said, conjuring a stretcher and levitating Hermione into it. "I'm afraid we'll have to come back for you Ron."

"I don't care, I want Hermione, Ginny and Melanie sorted out first," Ron insisted, though he still kept his eyes off of his leg at all costs.

"Ginny is being taken to St Mungo's but Harry is with her," Kingsley explained as another wizard took Hermione from the site. Ron watched her go, but was suddenly hit but Kingsley's words.

"Why's Ginny being taken to St Mungo's?" Ron asked frantically, trying to move forward, but being held back, he wanted to know what had happened to his sister.

"I don't know, but I have to get the others out of here quick, then we can get to you, Ron. Sorry." Kingsley said then left Ron in search of other students.

Draco had struggled, and was tiring, caught under a table and rubble, but eventually he managed to force his was from under the mass of wood and stone, he crawled out and looked at the damage in fear, he knew not everyone would survive, he turned to his right looking for his acquaintance Theodore Nott and was terrified to see that the boy was not there. However what Draco did see was a girl, only just from his position on the floor, He looked at the girls cloak and saw it was a Gryffindor, but instead of sneering and leaving the girl, he crawled forward and reached out to her, squeezing his arm through the small space. He pushed her hair off of her face to find himself horrified at the sight of Melanie Potter laying there. Dying.