Hermione apparated back into the castle close to where the fight was raging on and vanished her Death Eater robes.

She saw Neville squaring off with a large masked Death Eater while Dean protected his back against another. Seamus had just finished off a smaller one and was turning to duel a second when she saw a flash of blonde hair weaving through the fight, followed by a slightly taller black-haired girl.

“Pansy! Luna!” Hermione screamed.

The two witches stopped and turned; their eyes wide and faces covered in dust and blood.

“HERMIONE!” Pansy cried, running and throwing her arms around her. “Salazar it’s good to see you alive.”

“You too, Pans.”

“Draco told me everything,” Pansy said quickly. “We’re with you. Blaise is here somewhere as well. Whatever you need – we’re with you.”

Hermione smiled, squeezing her friend’s arm.

“I’ve missed you so much.”

“We can finish our tearful reunion after , yeah?” Pansy said quickly as a rumble shook the castle. “What do you need?”

“I need to find Harry,” she said quickly, her eyes scanning the dueling wizards that surrounded them.

She knew she wasn’t going to deliver Harry to Voldemort, but she needed to find him. Needed to tell him about the horcruxes, her role in this whole sodding war, everything – she couldn’t keep him in the dark any longer.

“I think I saw him going up to the headmaster’s office,” Luna said in a dreamy voice. “He looked rather upset.”

Hermione nodded.

“Thanks, Luna,” she said, giving Pansy another squeeze before running towards the Head’s office.

She ducked and dodged curses, finally disillusioning herself so she could slip through the fighting bodies unnoticed, until she skidded to a halt in front of Severus’ office.

The gargoyles that usually guarded the door were laying cracked on their sides, a faint grumbling coming from them. She barely paid them any mind as she jumped over the rubble and took the revolving stairs two at a time, skidding to a halt inside the deserted office.

There, above the desk, sat the very much awake portrait of Dumbledore.

“Where is he!” she demanded, her hair sparking with magic.

Dumbledore’s portrait steepled its fingers together in a very characteristic gesture, his bright blue eyes piercing hers in a way that reminded her of the living Dumbledore and the way he’d always tried to push into her mind.

“By now, I believe he will almost be to your master,” the portrait said softly.

“What?! Why?! ”

Dumbledore leaned forward, his long beard hitting the bottom of his frame.

“You know why, Miss Granger.”

Her mouth dried, mind working furiously.

“He’s… he’s going to sacrifice himself.”

Dumbledore gave her a sharp nod before sitting back in his chair.

“So I was right… all this time, you’ve just been making sure he dies at the right time? His blood must be spilled on the correct altar and you are all but holding the knife.”

Dumbledore’s expression turned cold as he gazed down on her from his lofty height, just as he had done in life.

“If I were you, I would not be pointing fingers,” he said. “ Couteau .”

Anger pulsed within her and once again she did not feel an ounce of regret from killing the wizard in front of her. Even from beyond the grave he was still manipulating people, manipulating Harry. Without another word she turned on her heel, running out the office and down the hallway.

But something had changed while she was in the headmaster’s office… The castle was quiet, the sounds of fighting she’d just heard, gone. As she ran, she saw everywhere the bodies of the dead littered beneath rubble and overtop one another. She spied members of the Order picking up their fallen brethren, or students holding their friends.

Ahead, she saw the shining red hair of Ginny, clutching a sobbing Theo.

No…

“What’s happened?” Hermione asked breathlessly as she ran towards them.

But as she approached, she saw the lifeless form of Blaise laying below.

“Bill…” Ginny said softly, rubbing Theo’s back. “Bill killed Blaise… for Charlie…”

Hermione saw the conflict in her friend’s eyes. Blaise had killed Charlie and Charlie had killed Daphne. Ginny didn’t know what to feel other than grief. Grief for her brother, grief for her friends, second hand grief for Theo.

But tears pooled in Hermione’s eyes as she knelt beside Blaise’s body and she rested a hand on her friend’s chest.

His eyes were open in the vacant stare that only death could bring. She’d seen so much of it – too much of it.

“Blaise Lysander Zabini,” she whispered softly. “May your magic fly free. May you find peace in the hereafter. May your soul rest easy in the beyond.”

Theo dropped to his knees in front of her, wrapping an arm around her waist as she slowly and gently closed Blaise’s eyes, hoping that Daphne had been there to greet him on the other side.

They knelt there for a long time until eventually she realized a set of thin arms wrapped around her chest, black hair falling onto her shoulder. Pansy’s body was shaking with sobs, her face pressed into Hermione’s back. Theo shifted, keeping one hand on Hermione’s shoulder while drawing Pansy between them where they wrapped their arms around each other.

Above, Hermione heard the soft murmur of Luna comforting Ginny.

Eventually they broke apart, Pansy helping Hermione to her feet before turning to take Luna in her arms. They kissed softly, consolingly, Luna whispering something to Pansy that Hermione could not hear.

Theo knelt beside Blaise still, leaning down to lift him.

“We’ll take him to the Great Hall,” Ginny said softly. “I think that’s where they’re bringing the rest of the bodies.”

As the group picked their way through the debris, Hermione stayed beside Theo with a comforting hand on his back. But as they made their way into the entrance hall, a magically amplified voice sliced through the air.

“ HARRY POTTER IS DEAD .”

“No!” she heard McGonagall cry, and turned to see many of them gathered in the front courtyard to the castle.

Carefully, Theo lay Blaise’s body down in a small alcove free of any rubble.

“I’ll be back, mate,” he whispered softly, before turning to grab Hermione’s hand.

The rest of them filed out into the courtyard, Hermione’s heart dropping into her stomach as she watched, through the shoulders of Neville and Dean, Voldemort coming up the long drive – Hagrid carrying a small body in his arms while he wept silently.

“HARRY POTTER IS DEAD!” Voldemort cried once more, his hands raised in triumph.

Behind him, his Death Eaters cackled and whooped – all save for the Malfoy’s whose faces were carefully blank. All had removed their masks and their hoods were down, finally free of their secrecy.

“That is right my friends,” Voldemort said, coming to a halt in front of the group. There was a wide space between them, as if there were a forcefield stopping him from moving any closer. “I caught your savior sneaking out of the castle to run away. Like the coward he is.”

“Liar!” Neville yelled.

Around them other people took up the call, screaming and shaking their fists at him.

Hermione didn’t join, she couldn’t take her eyes off of Draco’s blank face or the way his mouth slightly twitched at the corner.

As if he knew something she didn’t.

“ Silence!” Voldemort called and a magical hush filled the courtyard. “Now begins a new world – my world. Free of the ravings of Albus Dumbledore. Free of sorting and houses. Now all will be Slytherins, all will bow to the snake and to me. Accio sorting hat .”

From behind her the black hat came zooming from a cracked wall in the castle into the outstretched hand of Voldemort.

“Incendio,” he said calmly, watching as flames licked at the hat.

But it did not burn.

Voldemort stared at it for a long moment before canceling the spell, picking it up and handing it to Draco.

“No matter, I will find a way to destroy it one way or another – the same way I destroyed Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter.”

Draco held the hat in his hands and Hermione saw his brows pull together in confusion as he weighed it, turning it until the bottom of the hat faced up and his grey eyes widened. He looked up from behind Voldemort’s shoulder and took a few, slow steps back until he was right behind Nagini, who was slithering around Voldemort’s bare feet.

“I am your new lord – your new Master,” Voldemort continued. “If you swear fealty to me, right now, perhaps I will find a place for you in this new world.”

Then, everything changed very quickly and all at once.