Captured

Chapter Forty-One: Nightmare

A/N: Disclaimer: Some of the quotes in this chapter are pulled straight from book seven, as there is again some overlap between canon and the fic here. Any quotes pulled from the book are not my writing, and not owned by me.

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This was a nightmare.

Hermione was in a nightmare.

Because this couldn't be real. This couldn't be her waking life.

She slipped on a dark pool of liquid that looked alarmingly close to blood, but Ron grabbed her arm to steady her before she could fall. She didn't let herself think about who that blood might have belonged to.

Which one of her friends it might have once inhabited.

They flew past Dean and Parvati, McGonagall and Neville, the Creevey Brothers.

But no sign of the other Weasleys. No sign of the other members of the Order or Dumbledore's Army.

She felt as though she was running in slow motion, as if time itself had slowed to show her the utter destruction taking place around them, to show her how many had already fallen on both sides.

The castle was falling around them as they ran, hurrying the remaining distance to the ground floor of Hogwarts, dodging the flashing light of spells being unleashed all around them, skirting around falling debris and bodies.

A particularly large acromantula flew past them, slamming into a wall of portraits before sliding to the ground.

No one seemed to notice the three of them, so entranced in their individual duels, and the few times any of the Death Eaters realised who was hurrying past them, it served only as a momentary distraction so one of those fighting for Hogwarts could get in another strike.

Draco, Draco, Draco.

His name beat within her with every thud of her broken heart.

Luna, Luna, Luna.

Her fallen friend's memory flashed with every footstep.

She had no idea how many others she loved had already fallen. How many she would later find out had already died by now.

They ducked as a crash nearby sent glittering, shimmering jewels raining over them. The shining emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds flying through the air might have been beautiful in any other circumstance. If the screams around them didn't remind her that their friends were dying around them. If the roars echoing throughout the grounds didn't make her wonder if the broken hourglasses were an ominous tiding of how the battle was going.

They slipped on the gems as they rushed down the final, marble staircase to the entrance hall.

A body slammed to the floor as if thrown from the landing above them.

Hermione gasped, veering from their path as she ran for Lavender Brown, groaning and bleeding on the floor in front of them.

She didn't make it in time.

With a savage roar of satisfaction, Fenrir Greyback landed on Lavender before she could get there.

"NO!" Hermione screamed, and Greyback looked up from Lavender, who was gurgling beneath him as blood poured from her mouth and the wound on her neck. Greyback gave Hermione a vicious, bestial smile. Lavender's blood dripped from his sharp teeth, down his chin, smearing on the dirty floor beside her slowly dying body.

He moved as if he would lunge for Hermione next and she let out a scream of rage as she blasted him back with a curse that had him slamming into the side of the marble stairs.