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Hermione looked around in the darkness, frightened. There was no light at all and she could hardly even see herself. Everything was invisible. The room was silent. Suddenly, Hermione managed a brief gasp as a sweaty hand cupped her mouth and pulled her into an irresistible grip. The sensation of something sharp jabbed her against her neck as she struggled to free herself. A wand.
A light switched on and Hermione looked around at her surroundings. Around her she saw her friends, Neville, Ron, Luna, and Harry, right in the center of everything. Hermione wanted to cry at the sorrow in his eyes as he stared at her, sorry. She almost wanted to cry out to him, saying, "I'm alright." But even Hermione knew that that was a lie. She could die here, right there and then, with a wand pressed to her neck and hand blocking her mouth, so she couldn't even scream in pain. A bolt of fear went through her as she looked around at the death eaters, who could end the lives of everyone she ever knew right there and then. Including hers.
Hermione couldn't bear it. She couldn't bear watching the sadness in his eyes as he looked at everyone he ever loved in danger. The death eater mistook Harry's misery for anger, and his grip around Hermione's chest tightened. She thrashed in his grasp, trying to wriggle free, but that only angered the Death eater. He poked his wand harder into her jugular, nearly choking her to calm her down. Hermione immediately stopped.
Hermione heard a desperate groan from Luna as she struggled to get away, but she too failed. The death eater's grip left Hermione's torso, and she almost ran free before a sharp pain in the back of her head as the Death eater pulled her back by the hair.
"Mmm!" Hermione's scream was muffled by his tightened grip around her cheeks. Harry's head snapped back to her. His eyes were glossy and his lips were pursed. Hermione extended her arm out to him, but then dropped it instantaneously when the Death eater tugged on her hair.
Harry's eyes turned away from hers and Hermione shot her eyes in the direction of his. In the corner there was a shabby Sirius. In front of him Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry ripped from the death eater's arms as Bellatrix muttered two unforgivable words.
"Avada kedavra." The death eater's hand was taken away from her mouth and the wand was relieved from her neck. Hermione drew in a sharp breath. A tear was able to escape her closed lids. She heard the screams of anger from Harry as Lupin clutched him, holding him back. The death eater's disappeared, and so did Bellatrix. In the corner of her eye, Hermione could've sworn she saw the dim outline of Voldemort.
Harry ripped from Lupin's grip as he did the Death eater's, and ran after him.
"Harry!" Hermione screamed. He abruptly stopped and turned to look at her. She saw the sadness in his eyes, the torment. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace.
"I have to do this," he said determined. "I just have to."
"You could be killed," she protested. Harry didn't speak for a moment.
Then, after a long silence, her whispered in her ear,
"Did that ever stop Sirius?"
Hermione pulled away to look at him. She finally unclasped her hands from his neck and stood back. He took one last glimpse at her before turning around.
Hermione watched as he ran into the darkness.
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