Stay with Me | Hermione Granger x Female OC (Book 4)

We Won

After the beheading of Nagini and the ultimate defeat of Voldemort, the remaining survivors retreated to the Great Hall to regroup. Harry was immediately bombarded with cheers and applause. Ron and Hermione entered with smiles on their faces, the sun rising to illuminate the castle. McGonagall replaced the house tables, but not a single student sat in their respective house. The professors and parents finally met again, boasting of the students' bravery.

The golden trio hugged each other tightly, and after years of trauma and havoc, it felt as blissfully as it did in their early years at Hogwarts. Hermione was the first to break away, her eyes scanning the room for her girlfriend, a giddy smile of happiness still lingering.

"Where's Ellie?" Hermione questioned innocently.

Ron and Harry looked around, but there was no sight of the Hufflepuff. Hermione immediately approached Ellie's mother, worry beginning to sink in.

"Where's Ellie?" she repeated as she grew serious, the smile disappearing from her face.

"I thought she was with you," Amelia answered with a raised eyebrow. "I told her to go help you. Why? Is she not here?"

"No, she's not," Hermione frowned before scanning the Great Hall once more, being careful to not overlook anyone.

"Ellie?" Hermione called out, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. "Ellie!"

Soon, Ron and Harry joined in, and the students looked at them with odd expressions. Amelia screamed for her daughter, urging the adults to follow suit in search for the missing girl.

"She's not here, Hermione," Ron announced gravely.

"What do you mean she's not here? She has to be!" Hermione snapped frustratedly as she began pacing back and forth, running her hands through her hair nervously.

Hermione's heart started to pound rapidly as she looked around frantically. Her hands grew clammy from her uneasy state as Harry and Ron continued to call out Ellie's name helplessly.

"What are you two still doing here?!" Hermione yelled angrily, causing Ron and Harry to cower back at her change of tone. "Go on, then! Don't just stand there! Look for Ellie!"

"Are you not coming with?" Ron questioned.

"Does it look like I'm coming with?! Obviously not," Hermione spat. "Find my girlfriend! I'll wait here if she comes back."

Harry and Ron quickly scurried out of the Great Hall, terrified at Hermione's anger. Having heard the conversation, Draco slipped out the room and extended the search on his own. In the Great Hall, a majority of Ellie's friends called out the Hufflepuff's name, until the chant echoed across the stone.

Harry and Ron sprinted down the empty halls, searching for any sign of their friend. They too, grew worried as every hall turned up empty, not bothering to check in obscure places.

"Potter! Weasley!" Draco barked as he crouched beside a large piece of rubble. "She's over here!"

Harry and Ron shared confused expressions, considering they had just ran past the area without seeing any sign of Ellie. Nonetheless, they jogged to where Draco kneeled and saw Ellie's shoes poking out from under the debris.

"Help me get her out!" Draco ordered.

It was evident that Draco was uneasy too, though he tried to hide it with his usual snarl. As the boys moved the rubble out of the way, they found Ellie laying face down, sprawled out as blood leaked from her head.

"No, no, no..." Ron rambled as he stepped away from the body, bringing his hands to grasp his hair.

Harry turned her over, and both he and Draco gasped at the gruesome sight. Ellie laid there, her entire scalp and forehead covered in bright, crimson blood. The blood leaked rapidly from a massive gash that ran down to her eyebrow, dripping to her closed eyelids. Nobody would have recognized her if they hadn't known her well, but the boys felt their throat clench at her state.