Mistaken Identities

Hermione dove out of the way of an incoming wave of spell-created razors and came up spitting dirt and blood. With a nasty flick of her wand she fired a spell back and was gratified for an instant at the scream of pain that followed. Her smugness at a well cast spell evaporated as another wave of magic threatened to overwhelm her. The anti-magic spell wavered and held and she breathed a sigh of relief. There was only so much a shielding like this could take.

The battle was raging hard and fast and here on the ground she couldn’t tell if they were winning or losing. There seemed to be an endless number of Death Eaters willing to die under her wand but that was no indication of how it was going. She’d lost track of Draco within minutes of it all beginning and she could only hope he was all right. Doggedly, she headed for the low hill that Voldemort had made his command center. It was where the people she cared most about would be heading.

The plan had worked perfectly. They had met Voldemort at the gates of Hogwarts with a pitifully small contingent. Though surprised, Voldemort had laughed in their faces and ordered his Death Eaters to destroy. Laughter had turned to rage as the numbers hidden under “Abeo” had surged free. They’d split his forces down the middle and flanked him. There was even an airborne group overhead under “Declinas Erasum”. They were the most vulnerable and in need of the far more complicated spell. A chunk of Voldemort’s forces had broken off and taken to the air to combat them.

A phlanx of wizards on broomsticks zoomed overhead and Hermione ducked instinctively until she caught sight of Ginny Weasley’s red hair flying like a banner. Just behind her was the long, sallow face of Viktor Krum. He had arrived, against the direct orders of the Bulgarian government, with a contingent of Durmstrang students. Hermione silently wished them both luck and good flying.
The melee of people broke for a moment and she caught sight of Lucius’ white-blond hair halfway up the hill where she was headed and just behind him stood Voldemort. They were squared off against Dumbledore, Harry, and Ron. The bodies on the field swelled together again and Hermione lost sight of them. She snarled a curse and tried to press forward faster. There were just too many people between her and her friends. She snapped a foot out, breaking a knee cap. The person dropped and she climbed over them, mumbling a binding spell as she went.

Her next view of the hill filled her with panic. Dumbledore was down. So was Lucius. A swath of Harry’s skin appeared to be on fire. She couldn’t hear Voldemort’s laugh or Harry’s scream over the roar of the crowd but they looked eerily similar. Finally, she broke free of the press of bodies and raced full on for the hill. As she ran she saw Ron drop into a fetal position but the fire raging over Harry snuffed out. Harry stood straight, magic actually crackling over his skin in white sparks, and pointed his wand at Voldemort. There was no spell, just a wordless roar that cut through the sounds of battle. It echoed in her brain and Hermione resisted the urge to clamp her hands over her ears. The spitting, crackling magic tore through Voldemort’s shield as if it were tissue paper and engulfed him. He twisted and howled but the magic ate into his skin like acid. Harry had already turned and kneeled by Ron, pulling him into his lap and rocking. Voldemort was still melting when Hermione reached them.

“Harry? Harry!” Hermione called, keeping one wary eye on Voldemort. Harry didn’t respond, he was begging Ron not to leave him. Hermione reached one hand out to touch him and stopped. His skin was raw, bubbled and bleeding. How he was still conscious she didn’t know and she couldn’t even do the most basic of healing spells because she didn’t know what had been done to him. She could make it worse. She looked around desperately for a medi-witch, for anyone who could help her.
Voldeort’s forces were broken. That much was clear from her vantage point. Everywhere she looked they were fleeing or surrendering. A patch of black caught her eye.

“Severus!” She screamed. “Help us!” She ran part way down the hill, almost stumbling in her haste. A stunned looking Severus turned towards her. His dark clothing was dirty and he had a jagged tear down his face and chest but he appeared to have survived with barely a scratch. He blinked his eyes rapidly at the pool of goo that used to be Voldemort as if he couldn’t believe what had happened. Hermione grabbed his arm and tugged. “I don’t know what Voldemort hit them with. I don’t know what to do.” The idea of Harry and Ron dead hurt her so deeply she could barely stand it. Them dying because she had no idea how to help them made her want to lie down and die. It was a testament to Severus post-battle shock that he allowed himself to be dragged up to where Harry and Ron sat. Finally he noticed her hand and shook it off though even that was done with half-hearted irritation.

Severus stared at them for a few moments, walking in a circle around them. Hermione danced from foot to foot but kept her mouth shut and her eyes open for any last minute attacks. Severus growled under his breath and sliced open a circle in the air. Reaching into the dark hole he pulled out a vial of dark blue liquid that pulsed in the light. Unstoppering the container he poured it over Harry and Ron’s head. It spread, oozing around their forms, until they were encased in a purple shell that shimmered like a jewel.

“They will stay suspended until we can find someone to help them. Guard them. I’m going to see if I can help anyone else.” Severus turned his eyes to Dumbledore.

Hermione nodded and stood, wand at the ready over the forms of two closest friends. Inside, she prayed to a God she hoped existed. *Please, please, let Draco be alive.*


A/N Sorry for the wait but this battle scene was less than cooperative. There is one more chapter- the epilogue- so I hope that you all have enjoyed the story thus far. I am also writing a short ficlet about the details/highlights of how Harry and Ron got together...