Dark Days

Sorry this has taken so long, and thank you to the people who have reviewed me. Please bear with me for the other chapters, I seem to have loads of things to distract me at the moment, but they will be coming shortly. And please keep reviewing, I love hearing what people think!


Dark Days Chapter Four – They all fall down

The city was deserted. At least that’s how it looked from a distance. In actual fact it was crawling with witches and wizards getting ready to do war upon each other. Voldemort’s death eaters skulked in the dilapidated houses on the east side of town Dum Dumbledore and his troops were spread out through the rest. The city had been chosen as the final place in which they would do war. It wasn’t ideal, neither side wanted it there, but in the end it had to happen, they could not put it of until a better site had been found.

A fine drizzle rained down from ominous black clouds making everything grey and gloomy. A nervous tension ran high among those waiting to fight and die for their beliefs. No-one really knew what they were waiting for. In a cold cellar Dumbledore sat round a table with the leaders of the Order of the Phoenix. Hermione stood very close to Severus trying to ignore the disapproving looks she was getting from Harry and Ron. She was shaking with nerves. No matter how many times she had to face these situations she would never get used to them. Severus took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. She clung to it desperately, drawing strength from him into her.

Aden den explosion from above told them in no uncertain terms that the battle had begun, cursing Harry and Ron raced up the stairs and the others began to apparate out to get to there forces. Severus turned to Hermione.

“I don’t want you to be here.” he said simply.

“I’m staying,” she announced stubbornly. “I’ll be okay.”

He looked doubtful but knew that it was pointless to argue and in any case, they didn’t have time. So he merely bent to kiss her, held her close for a second and then released her and turned to go. “Be careful!” he shouted back over his shoulder and then disapparated with a crack. Hermione took a deep breath, turned to Tonks, who was the only person left and the two raced up the stairs to join the fray.


* * * * * *

Lord Voldemort stood atop a large crumbling wall, shrouded in an invisibility cloak to observe the battle around him. Moments earlier his Death Eaters had sent a large wave of liquid fire across at the town hall where they suspected Dumbledores cronies may have been cowering. The explosion it had caused had been quite astonishing and Voldemort relished in the screams. He’d always particularly enjoyed watching people on fire. For some reason they always seemed to run, which of course only made it worse. He laughed a cold high laugh which made the blood of those near by freeze with fear. Then he swirled his cloak dramatically and moved to join in himself.

* * * * * *

The scene that met Hermione and Tonks was horrific. The battle had only just begun and already they met with almost total devastation. The Town hall was blazing close by and new explosions were flaming up every few minutes as the fire hit gas pipes. The stench of burning flesh almost made you want to vomit, and on top of that was the smell of blood and gas and burning.

“Oh God!” cried Hermione, her eyes taking all this in in a matter of seconds.

Just then she was dragged backwards by Tonks, whom she landed on top of. A man ran past them screaming and burning before falling and writhing on the floor exactly where Hermione had been moments before. It seemed like an eternity that he kicked at the floor with his heels, his face contorting in agony, and no amount of spells could have saved him.

Hermione and Tonks stood up, pale and shaking. “Thanks,” murmered Hermione.

“Don’t mention it. Come on lets go.”

Somehow seeing that man had strengthened Hermione’s resolve, and it was with a heart brimming with anger and loathing that she raced forward to fight. But it was with a heavy heart that she did so, and every order that she had to give, every life that must be sacrificed to save the whole tore at her heart. Some seemed too much for her, again and again she longed to give in, to curl up and die somewhere so that at least she would not have to witness any more. But Hermione had never been one to quit.

At about midday she and a group of twelve others were battling in the remains of what had once been a children’s play park. They seemed to have been there for hours, never moving, never gaining an inch, never quitting. But no matter how many they killed the death eaters numbers never seemed to diminish. At length a large group of death eaters joined those that they already fought, and Hermione, seeing that there were now more than they could realistically fight ordered the retreat.

“Everybody get away! Now!” she called desperately, dodging a curse.

Before she coappaapparate a shrill scream caught her attention. Padma had darted down behind the climbing frame clutching at a body. Hermione turned and ran towards her. Padma was curled up cradling her sister Parvati. One glance told Hermione that Parvati was dying, but Padma would not let go.

“Padma, come on we need to go!”

She shook her head, “I won’t leave her!”

“Then you’ll both die!”

Death eaters were closing in around them now. “Padma please!”

Weakly Parvati raised her head, “Go Padma!” she croaked. “Please, Go! Live! For me!”

At last Padma let go of her sister and apparated, her face was stricken as she left behind her sister, still alive, but condemned to death. The glare that she directed at Hermione could have frozen the Sahara. Quickly Hermione laid a hand on Parvati’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she murmered, and planted a quick kiss on her forehead.

The last thing she heard before she disappeared from the scene altogether was an agonised scream from Parvati.
The deaths and destruction of that one horrible day seemed to merge seamlessly into one huge catastrophe in Hermione’s mind. Though only a few events stood out clearly in her mind, the burning man, fighting Lucius Malfoy only to have him escape, Parvati and Padma, and Colin Creevy. She had rounded a corner not long after leaving Parvati to find him fighting off three Death Eaters, a fourth already lay dead at his feet.

“Avada Kedavra!” she screamed at the nearest man to her. He stiffened and fell, a silent curse dying on his lips even as he said it. The ministry had long since allowed the use of the unforgivable curses against Death Eaters. Horrible as it was, it was the only way to ensure the resistance members a chance to survive. At this time it was kill or be killed.

A second man turned to her but he too collapsed to the ground dead, even as he raised his wand to curse Hermione. The last Death Eater, a woman with pallid skin and limp dirty blonde hair sneered contemptuously at Hermione, but being now outnumbered she quickly disapparated with a loud crack. Hermione turned to Colin who had now slumped against the wall.

“Colin?” He did not reply. Hermione dashed to his side and crashed to her knees beside him. His face was pale and his eyes partially closed. Now that she was closer she could see the great gaping cut that ran the width of his stomach. Only his clutching hand was holding the flesh together.

“Oh my God! Colin!” Dazedly he focused his eyes on her face, tears stood in his eyes.

“Help me.” he murmured. But Hermione could see that he too was already beyond help. She put a comforting arm around his shoulder, her own eyes were now filled with tears. He opened his mouth to say something else, but instead of words only blood came out, he coughed and choked on it. ioneione held him close not wanting to tell him that there was nothing that she could do yet wanting to get as far away as she could from the sickening smell of his scorched and torn flesh. She could fell his body shaking in her arms. Every shudder wrenched at her heart. Finally his eyes glazed over and he died, but as he did he called out to his mother. Gently Hermione laid his body down on the ground and went to rise, but her knees buckled and she collapsed again, vomiting across the cobbles.

The anger that she had felt before when seeing the burning man die was nothing to what she felt now. First Parvati now Colin, all in the space of a few minutes. Black rage boiled from within her. Viciously she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, gently closed Colin’s eyes and ran to find more Death Eaters to kill, screaming her defiance as she did so. Her face was stainith ith sweat and blood and dirt and tears, but her eyes were hard as agates, and her expression resolute.

* * * * * *

Severus leaned back against the blackened remnants of what was once a monument to some famous muggle or other, enjoying a brief lull in the fighting. A heavy boot resounded behind him and he spun around quickly wand ready.

“Hey, hey!” called the man, “It’s me!” his hands held in front of him. It was Harry. Severus lowered his wand and nodded his greeting. Harry looked exhausted, no doubt he’d been flinging himself into every fight he could see thought Severus, hopeless or otherwise. He always did love to play the hero. He sneered at the thought.

Harry noticed and wondered briefly what the hell Hermione saw in this git. But that wasn’t the point. “Dumbledore sent me to find you.”

“What is it?” asked Seveus quickly, “Is it Hermione?”

“No, she was fine the last time I saw her.”

“When was that?” he asked, his voice full of concern.

Amazing thought Harry, the old bastard really sounds like he actually cares for Hermione. “About half an hour ago, off that way somewhere.” He jabbed his head in the direction of the dilapidated cinema.

Severus’ eyes creased in worry, he hadn’t seen her since the battle had started. If only he himself could see her, just to know that she was okay. “What does Dumbledore want?”

“He wants to see the leaders in the diner where we were before. I think were losing this battle and he wants to pull out. I’m not sure though. I have to find the others, get there as quick as you can.” With that he disapparated, leaving Severus feeling even worse than before. He always was an insufferable little brat, just like his father. It twisted his insides to have to take orders from a mere child with a serious case of wannabe hero.

He turned to race toward the diner to find himself face to face with Lucius Malfoy and a large group of his Death Eater lackeys.

* * * * * *

The atmosphere in the diner was one of utter dejection and defeat. Everyone of the people gathered there bore signs of battle. Hermione gazed around at the people beside her. Ron’s arm was in a sling, but he largely ignored that fact as he gesticulated wildly. Harry limping slightly on his left leg, Tonks had a black eye and a cut on her arm that would not seem to stop bleeding. The others were in similar states of ill-health.

“Harry,” Hermione asked breathlessly, “Where’s Severus?”

Harry shrugged, “I saw him about five minutes ago, he said he was coming straight here.”

Hermione’s eyes grew fearful, but she could not continue her inquisition as Dumbledore had begun to speak.

“My friends I fear that this day has been a mistake. We have not the strength to hold this city and flush the Death Eaters from it.” He paused and sighed. “Our losses have been horrific already and I feel that it would be futile to continue to throw lives away. What do you all think?”

“We can’t just give up!” yelled Ron “After all we’ve been trough today, and not just today, we can’t walk away until we know we’ve done our best.”

“Haven’t we done our best though?” asked another voice. “What more can we do? Should we wait here until we’re all dead and give you-know-who free reign.”

“We can’t surrender this city,” yelled Ron angrily. “If we do that then he’ll have complete control of Scotland.”

“But we’d still be alive to prevent him from taking England as well.” interupted another angry voice. “We have no alternative.”

“We have to retreat until we can find more people willing to aid us, we just don’t have enough man-power.”

Hermione was not really paying attention to the arguing around her, she was looking around desperately for Severus, hoping that he’d appear at any moment. But he did not.

Arthur Weasley saw her looking and moved across to her. “Are you looking for Severus?”

She nodded mutely. He sighed, looking distraught. “What? What is it?”

“Hermione I saw him not long after Harry gave him Dumbledore’s message. He was surrounded by Death Eaters. I tried to get to him but I was attacked myself. I’m sorry, but I saw him go down.”

Hermione’s throat felt tight all of a sudden. She no longer heard the arguing around her, she could see Arthur’s lips moving, but it was as if someone had cast a silencing spell on him, as she didn’t hear a word of what he was saying. Her brain didn’t seem to comprehend what she had just been told. It was too much to take in. She momentarily wondered how Arthur knew about her and Severus, before remembering that Ron was his son, or maybe it was just because he knew that they were friends. Her brain flitted from one thought to another, avoiding at all costs the image of Severus dead. But it kept coming back to that.

In her mind’s eye she saw Colin, but then Colin was Severus. It was he who she had watched die; his entrails that had spilled out across her as he had called out to his mother. But no, not his mother, it had been her name that he had called. She looked down at her hands to find them covered in blood, Severus’ blood. Without realising it she collapsed again to the floor, unnoticed by the rest of the room, who were still arguing over whether or not to retreat.

She was back in Severus’ house walking through endless corridors whose walls were stained with blood. Everywhere she turned was blood. Running now she pushed her way through doors until she reached the breakfast room. The pictures on the mantelpiece no longer moved, they all showed Severus’ corpse. Except the one of his mother, who was screaming at her. “My son! It was you, filthy little whore. Bitch. Scum of the earth. It’s because of you that he died!”

She tried to call out that it wasn’t her, she had nothing to do with it. “I couldn’t help it! It’s not my fault!!”

The next thing she knew Tonks was shaking her. “Hermione. Hermione, come on. We have to go.”

Hermione looked at her blankly.

“Hermione, Dumbledore’s ordered the retreat the others have gone out for one final push, we have to get out of here before it’s too late. You-know-who’s got re-enforcements from somewhere.”

What was she saying? The words were meaningless.

“Hermione!” Tonks shook her violently by the shoulders. From somewhere high above Dumbledore’s voice magically magnified boomed out. “Retreat. Everybody get out. Now!”

It was just noise. It didn’t mean a thing.

Voldemort was laughing. His laugh of victory echoed through the streets as members of the order began to disappear. It was a chilling sound.

“Hermione come on! For God’s sake!”

Come on where? What did she mean?

“Oh never mind!” exasperatedly Tonks grabbed a broken piece of wood. “Porteous!”
The keeping tight hold she pressed Hermione’s hand onto it as well. Seconds later the dingy room around them blurred and faded. When Hermione looked up she was inside a huge cave. That seemed to bring her back to her senses some how.

“Oh Tonks!” she cried and flung herself into the older woman’s arms.

* * * * * *

Harassed medi-witches ran frantically around the cave, desperately trying to find places for all who need to be treated. Many of them would have to stay in the caves for several days, even weeks until they were well enough to go home. Many more would never leave. One young witch, new to the profession couldn’t take it anymore. She had never seen so many people with so many horrific injuries before. Harassed and not sure whom to treat first she broke down in tears. Her short strawberry blonde hair partially hid her tear stained face as she pushed passed people trying to get out, to get away from the horrors within. It was Minerva McGonagall who found her cowering in a corner sobbing her heart out. She kindly took the girl outside, made her a portkey and told her to go home and get some rest. The girl flashed her a quick grateful smile, marred only slightly by the pained expression in her eyes, and then disappeared from the horrible aftermath.

* * * * * *

Hermione stood all bemused in the centre of targearge cave watching the bustle around her. She was feeling completely numb. She had cried until all her tears had run dry and Tonks had held her, murmuring soft words to her, but then Hermione had told Tonks to go, she didn’t want to keep her here. Tonks was reluctant to leave her, but Hermione had insisted. “I’m fine! I’ll be okay!” she had ensured the woman many times before Tonks finally relented and took Hermione’s leave.

She couldn’t see any of her friends anywhere. Where they still alive? She honestly couldn’t remember. What had happened after Arthur had told her about Severus? Had they gone back out as most of the others had? Did the come straight here? Were they lying dead somewhere like so many others?

The caves around her echoed with the groans and the screams of the wounded and the dying. In a dark corner sat a man with long black hair and dark skin. He looked completely confused as he abstractedly tried to stick his right hand back on to his wrist. His clumsy fingers dropped it and he scrambled to pick it up again, holding it loosely in his left hand.

She wandered aimlessly towards a slightly smaller cave to her left, on her way a woman grabbed her robes, “Don’t leave me.” she called, “please stay with mBut But a moment later she was writhing in her sheets and calling out to people who weren’t there. “I told you no! You can’t have cake before dinner!” she shivered, “How dare you! No! No! Get away from me; no! Please, please don’t!” She screamed and Hermione, unable to bear it any longer bolted.

Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes again. She never remembered feeling so wretched and full of despair.

“Hermione!” The sudden shout made her jump and spin around. She felt arms wrap around her and looked up into brilliant green eyes.

“Harry! Thank God you’re alive!” she clung to him desperately and choked back a sob. “Ron…?” she almost feared to ask the question.

“Alive. He got a few burns before he got away, and you saw his broken wrist, but he’s okay. Nothing too serious!”

“What about you?”

He cast her a lopsided grin, “I’m fine.” Then his face became serious, “And you?”

“I’m not hurt, but, Severus. I can’t find him!”

Harry looked slightly shocked, but artfully hid it. “Hermione, you know… Arthur saw…He went down Hermione. We haven’t seen him since.” He looked worried, Hermione knew this he had heard Arthur tell her.

Hermione’s lower lip trembled. “I know he’s alive!” she assured Harry. She had decided this earlier as she was sat with Tonks. “I can feel him.”

Harry looked dubious.

“I’d know if he were dead Harry. I’d just know!” she asserted stubbornly, pushing the thoughts of his corpse out of her mind. “He’s alive.”

“Well then we’ll find him.” he answered, although his face remained doubtful.

Desperately they searched through cave after cave but there was no sign of Severus, and no-one remembered seeing him.

“Hermione…” Harry stumbled, he didn’t know how to broach the subject. “He’s not here.” He said finally.

“He is.”

“Hermione, please, lets go. Let me take you home. I need to get Cho out of here, let me take you too.”

She shook her head. “I have to find him. Or at least…what happened to him. He’ll turn up!”

He didn’t know what to say to that. He didn’t want to get her hopes up, but then he didn’t want to crush her either.

“Go,” she said with a wan smile. “Get Cho out of here.”

He didn’t try to argue, but kissed her liy ony on the forehead and walked away. Part way across the room Cho joined him, casting worried looks back at Hermione. Hermione saw Harry hold her close for a while, then take her hand in his own and lead her out away from the devastation.

She searched for another half hour until she eventually reached the cave where the man was still deliriously trying to stick his own hand back on. There were not enough beds for all the people who had come in so they were slumped on the floor, the groaning injured among the inert dead. People with burned flesh and missing limbs were everywhere and the room reeked of scorched flesh, stale sweat, blood, urine and vomit. Hermione felt ill, and at last traces of despwerewere creeping back into her heart. How was she ever to find Sev in this?

“I need to get out of here,” she whispered despairingly.

“Me too…” said a voice.

She spun around.

“Severus!” She flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his hair. His strong arms engulfed her and she sobbed into his shoulder.