Desperate exit pt. 1

Hermione's world had narrowed to a single point: the spot where Harry knelt beside Sirius's lifeless body, pain and fury etched into his face. Everything else — the shouts, the explosions of magic, the screams — faded into a hazy blur. Sirius was dead. The reality of it crashed over her like a wave, stealing her breath, leaving her numb and trembling.

But there was no time to mourn. No time to think.

She felt the shift in the air before she saw him — Voldemort's presence was like an oppressive weight pressing down on her chest, suffocating, dark, and absolute. When his voice rang out, sharp and cold, it cut through the chaos like the edge of a knife.

"Enough."

Hermione's head snapped up, her eyes widening as she spotted the Dark Lord standing at the top of the stairs. The room seemed to freeze around him. Every Death Eater fell silent, turning towards their master, their faces hidden behind silver masks that gleamed wickedly in the torchlight. Even the Order members paused, shock and horror flashing across their expressions.

And Voldemort's gaze was fixed on Harry.

"Harry," she breathed, panic clawing at her throat. She scrambled to her feet, her wand clutched tightly in her hand. They had to get out. They had tomove. But Harry just stood there, facing Voldemort with a defiance that made her heart ache.

"I'm not afraid of you," Harry said quietly, his voice steady.

Hermione's breath hitched.Of course you're not, she thought desperately.You never are. But bravery alone wouldn't be enough to save them. Not this time. Not againsthim.

Voldemort's smile was thin and terrible, his eyes gleaming with a dark, terrible amusement. He lifted his wand, and the tip began to glow with a sickly green light.No. No, no, no!

"Avada Kedav—"

"NO!" The scream tore from her throat before she even realized what she was doing. She flung herself in front of Harry, raising her wand, every instinct screaming at her to protect him, to shield him, todo something—

But it wouldn't be enough. She knew that.She wasn't enough—

"Protego Maxima!"

The shield erupted in front of her, a blazing wall of light that swallowed Voldemort's Killing Curse in a flash of green. Hermione staggered back, gasping, her heart hammering wildly. The spell wasn't hers. She turned, blinking through the haze of magic, and saw a figure standing before them, his black robes billowing, his wand held high.

"Get away from them," Snape snarled, his voice low and dangerous.

For a moment, all Hermione could do was stare.Snape?The man she had spent years distrusting, despising, and fearing stood between them and the most dangerous Dark wizard in history, his face set in fierce determination. She still couldn't believe it. But Voldemort understood. His smile vanished, replaced by a look of cold, calculating fury.

"Severus," he murmured, his voice dripping with malice. "What is this?"

Hermione's heart leapt into her throat.

"I am not your servant," Snape said, his voice like steel. "And you will not harm these children."

The words hit her like a physical blow. She stared at Snape, her mind reeling.Not your servant.

But there was no time to think. Voldemort's face twisted in rage, his wand rising. "Traitor!" he spat.

"No!" Hermione screamed, raising her wand instinctively, but she was too slow. Voldemort's spell streaked toward Snape, crackling with dark, vicious energy—

And then the world exploded in white light.

Hermione stumbled, blinded, the force of the magic knocking her backward. She fell to her knees, gasping, her ears ringing. Dimly, she heard Snape's voice, distant and echoing through the chaos.

"Potter, go! Take them andrun!"

Hermione's vision cleared just in time to see Snape hurl himself at Voldemort, a storm of spells blazing from his wand. The Dark Lord snarled, his own magic lashing out like a whip of darkness, the two forces colliding in a maelstrom of power.

And in that instant, everything fell into sharp, crystal-clear focus.

"Harry, we have to go!" she shouted, grabbing his arm, pulling him up. But Harry was staring at Snape, his face a mask of confusion and fury and—

"No," he whispered, shaking his head. "No, I'm not leaving him. I'm not—"

"Harry,please!" Hermione begged, her voice breaking. "We can't—wecan't—"

A burst of red light streaked past them, shattering the wall beside her. She flinched, stumbling back, her heart racing. The Death Eaters were closing in, their wands raised, their faces twisted with vicious glee. They wouldn't last much longer. They wouldn'tsurvivethis—

"Hermione,move!" Ron shouted, his hand latching onto hers. He yanked her backward, pulling her out of the line of fire, his face pale but set with grim determination. "We need tomove!"

And somehow, through the haze of panic and fear, she managed to nod. "Harry,come on!" she cried, grabbing his other arm. "We have to go—now!"

But Harry shook his head wildly, his gaze still fixed on Snape and Voldemort. "I can't—Sirius, he's—"

"We'll come back for him!" Hermione lied, her voice desperate. "But if we stay—if westay, we'll die!"

For a moment, she thought he wouldn't listen. That he would stand there, defiant and reckless and stubborn, until Voldemort turned his wand on him again.

But then his shoulders slumped, the fight draining out of him. He looked at her, his eyes hollow and filled with a pain so deep it made her chest ache.

"Okay," he whispered hoarsely. "Okay. Let's—"

"Stupefy!" A curse streaked toward them, narrowly missing Harry's head.

"Run!" Ron shouted, shoving them both forward.

And then they were moving, sprinting through the chaos, spells exploding around them, the roar of battle filling the air. Hermione's lungs burned, her legs felt like lead, but she didn't stop.She couldn't stop.

Behind them, she heard Voldemort's voice rise in a furious roar.

"Potter!"

But she didn't look back. She tightened her grip on Harr y's arm, pulling him onward, her heart hammering wildly in her chest.

They couldn't stop. They couldn't look back. They had to survive.

Hermione's lungs burned as she sprinted forward, half-dragging Harry beside her, Ron right behind them. The roar of battle raged on behind, spells cracking through the air like thunder. But she couldn't focus on that — couldn't even look back to see Snape holding off Voldemort, couldn't worry about the rest of the Order. All that mattered wasgetting out, getting Harryawayfrom the madness.

"Keep going!" she shouted, her voice barely audible over the din. Her eyes darted frantically around the dark corridors, searching for an exit — a passage — anything that would take them out of this nightmare.

But the dungeons twisted and turned like a maze, every shadow seeming to ripple with movement, every corner alive with danger. Death Eaters were everywhere, black-cloaked figures darting in and out of sight, their voices sharp and cold as they shouted out hexes and curses.

"Stupefy!" Ron bellowed, whipping around to fire a spell at a Death Eater who had emerged from the shadows. The man crumpled to the ground, unconscious, but two more appeared behind him, their wands raised.

"Protego!" Hermione cried, throwing up a shimmering barrier just in time to deflect a volley of curses. The force of it sent her stumbling backward, her arm trembling from the strain. "Ron, hurry!"

"I'm trying!" Ron shot back, his voice strained. He glanced around wildly, his face pale. "We need to get to the—"

"This way!" Harry cut in suddenly, pointing down a narrow side corridor. His voice was hoarse, broken, but his eyes were blazing with a fierce, desperate light. "Come on!"

Before they could respond, he took off, sprinting down the corridor at breakneck speed. Hermione and Ron exchanged a quick, panicked look and then followed, their footsteps echoing loudly off the stone walls.

"Where are we going?" Hermione panted, struggling to keep up. Her heart was pounding, her entire body thrumming with adrenaline and terror.

"There's a—there's a secret passage, here somewhere—" Harry gasped, his gaze darting along the walls. He looked feverish, his face

"There's a—there's a secret passage here somewhere—" Harry gasped, his gaze darting along the walls, wild and desperate. His eyes were dark with grief, but his focus never wavered. "It should be—"

"Potter!" A sharp, breathless voice cut through the chaos, halting them all in their tracks. Hermione whipped around, wand raised, and nearly fired before she saw who it was.