Stumbling in The Dark
1997
“RON!!!”
Hermione's voice was raw as she screamed into the darkness. She spun, holding her wand up uselessly. She could hear him calling her name equally as desperate from somewhere far away. She stumbled blindly in the direction of the noise, clutching her ribs with one hand. She had barely managed to heal them, not that she was an expert in healing to begin with, but then curses came raining down and they were sent scattering. She cursed herself for not seeing the obvious trap sooner. They’d been herded into this patch of darkness by a gang of snatchers. The deeper they went in the worse it got and right now it was so dense she could barely see the light of her own wand through it.
As if that weren't enough she'd lost Ron somewhere here with an unknown number of adversaries ready to strike at any given moment. No, adversaries was too innocent a word. What they were was murderers. Merciless killers and she'd lost him whilst dodging and darting around the field where this monstrosity of a night had been conjured up. She wondered how big of a spell this was, how deep this really went. How many wizards was it taking to keep it up right then? “Ron!” She called out again, pushing her curiosity of this new spell down. “Hermione!!” His voice came from somewhere to her right. “Hermi-” A sickening crackle of magic cut him off abruptly and Hermione’s heart stopped. She froze in place, terror shot through her. A single terrible thought entered her mind.
'He's dead.]
Dread flooded her system, so deep and awful that she could feel it in her very bones. “Ron…” It came out as barely more than a whisper. The seconds following that felt a lot longer than they probably were. She felt as though all blood had left her body, she couldn't move and she struggled to speak.. “Ron!” She choked out, a bit louder this time. A hand closed around her arm and time seemed to unfreeze. She whirled around, pointing her wand at them instinctively. She could make out some red lockes in the gloom and when she focused she could see Ron Weasley’s pale face. Relief instantly filled her and she threw herself onto him, holding on as if her life depended on it. Her embrace was so tight she heard him wince and pain radiated from her bruised ribs but she paid it no mind.
“Ron!” Hermione could have sobbed. He wrapped an arm around her. “Hermione.” He said softly. She’d have held on forever if they weren’t both in danger. When his arm loosened she took that as her sign and reluctantly let go. The longer they stayed here the bigger the chances of actually being caught with a lethal curse. She kept his hand in an ironclad grip and willed herself to remain steady. She held her wand up, taking cautious steps.
A fiery red hex came flying at her and she barely just managed to push herself and Ron out of its way. They ducked under another spell and before another one could be fired they started sprinting. Her side ached and tears sprang to her eyes as she ran. They moved aimlessly through the darkness. In the distance she could hear one of the dark wizards shouting. She was sure one of them was giving chase, if their heavy footsteps were any indicator. Hermione extinguished her light but still they came, pressuring them forward. The scenario felt familiar.
“Crucio!” She heard someone yell and watched the beam of magic sizzle past her shoulder, between her and Ron. It missed by a hair's breadth and she did her best to pile on the speed. She bit back a whimper. Her vision seemed to be getting worse, the blackness was denser. They were going the wrong way. They were getting pushed to the center.
She had a sinking feeling. Whatever or whoever was creating this, it wouldn't do them any good to run into them. She was almost sure that if they had continued to go straight they'd have encountered a circle of wizards creating this absence of light. Something terrible may have happened to them. They never stayed to find out. They made an abrupt turn as soon as Hermione noticed the change. They slowed down slightly when they finally managed to lose their pursuers. No flashes of magic came at them either. “We're almost there!” Ron said breathlessly. They'd been running for so long now. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off and the scarce hours of drought induced sleep and lack of food these past few days was catching up to her. God, she was tired. If there was anything Hermione wanted in that moment it was to get out and lay in a nice bed. She missed beds, these days it was seen as either a luxury or a death sentence. Beds back at the base were really only used for the wounded or dying.
The darkness began to let up now and she was hopeful. This godforsaken encounter was going to come to an end and they'd hide away somewhere safe. Somewhere with water maybe. Her tongue felt so incredibly dry. The running turned to walking, she let go of Ron momentarily, panting and holding her ribs. She looked up and could see him a bit better now, not needing to shine a light into his face to see his freckled skin and tired blue eyes. “Come on, we have to get out of here.” He pressed. “Believe me I don't like the thought of lingering here either.” She closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on breathing. When she opened them she nodded to him, “Let's go.” He took her hand and together they ran towards the edge of the gloom. It got thinner and thinner the further they got. When they stepped out of it completely it was like breaking the surface of water and fresh air had never felt so good.
She looked to the sky, feeling the sun on her skin. The warmth made her smile despite herself. She looked over to Ron, the corner of his mouth quirked up slightly in response to her. He was about to speak when his eyes noticed something behind her and in one quick movement he pushed her down harshly. She cried out and watched as he was hit with a stream of red square in the chest. His body tensed upon contact and he let out an ear splitting scream, crumbling to his knees. She spun her body to look at the caster of the curse. He had a mad look in his eyes and a cruel grin plastered on his face. He walked slowly as if he had all the time in the world, not lifting the curse, his wand remaining trained on Ron’s body.
Hermione lifted her own wand to him and only then did he look at her. “Sectumsempra!” The spell missed its target but it got him to stop torturing the boy beside her and that was all that mattered. The snatcher redirected his wand at her, ready to fire but she was faster and cast a silent disarming spell.The wand flew from his hand and he dove for it. “Petrificus totalus!” This time she did not miss and when the spell hit him, the man froze in place then his body dropped to the ground.
She turned her focus to Ron. His eyes were screwed shut as he sat there panting, a hand on his chest. She stood up. “Give me your hand.” She ordered. He opened his eyes and looked beyond her to the man on the ground. He gave her his hand. She focused and in an instant they apparated. Grass and dirt was replaced by sand and the smell of the sea. The wind blew her hair back. The beach was just as she’d remembered it from her childhood days. She hadn’t been back here in years. The calmness of it all was drastically different from what they had just experienced mere seconds ago. “Are you alright?” She asked quietly. “Yeah…I think so.” His breathing was back to normal and he really did look ok for the most part, a bit shaken but alive. “What about you? Your ribs- you didn’t finish healing them.” “I’ll get someone to do that later.” She sat down on the sand beside him. The waves crashed up ahead. A beat of silence passed.
“We have to report back to the others.” She said. “I know.” “Those snatchers weren’t supposed to be there.” Ron huffed out a bitter laugh, “There’s plenty of places they shouldn’t be but are.” Hermione shook her head, “I mean it. They didn’t just happen to be there. They were prepared, they had a plan.” They sat in silence for a long time, both knowing she was right. This wasn't an accident as much as they would have preferred to believe it was. No one was supposed to know where they were apart from a few trusted members of the order. The only sounds came from the wind and sea. “What is this place?” He asked finally. “A beach.” She said and glanced at him with a sad little smile. “One my parents use to bring me to, actually.” Ron surveyed the area. “As long as we're out of that forest. Feels like nothing good ever happens in forests.” She didn't reply, just closed her eyes and listened to the world around her.
When she opened them Ron was laying back on the sand. “Do you think Harry is doing alright on his own?” He asked. “Yes.” She decided, after only a short hesitation. “Doesn't it bother you though?” Said Ron, his brows furrowing, “How they separated us like that? I mean, everyone knows we work miracles when it's the three of us.” “But this isn't like school.” She reminded him. “Don't you think I know that? Come on Hermione, I'm not daft. I know this is a lot bigger, a lot darker. We were both there when…when Fred…” He cleared his throat and looked away. “Point is, we've both seen things. You don't have to tell me that this isn't like school.” Her eyes softened, “I'm sorry… I didn’t mean it that way. But to answer your question, yes. It does bother me, I don't like this plan but it's the best one we have. Believe me I've thought about making my own and proposing it but there just isn't time and I don't know all the facts. There's still secrets not even we were allowed in on.”
He scoffed, “They still don't trust us.” “That's not it.” “Isn't it? Look at where we are, Mione. We were sent out weeks ago, told to stand by but what for? They just wanted us out of the way. They dont trust us.” He glared up at the grey clouds, placing his hands under his head. “We could have helped them strategize or fight the actual battle.” He muttered. “Have a little faith, will you? Everyone has a purpose here, Ron. They don't have people to spare, if we were sent out it was because that's where we're needed most. They cant afford to push us away.” She reasoned. “That's exactly what they did.” He argued. She sighed, too tired to keep fighting him. “Just wait, when we show up we'll get berated for it.” “We'll live.” She said airily and carefully laid back, feeling the sand shift beneath her.
She believed her own words to a degree. She was sure that they had a reason for being here but she didn't see how it contributed to the war efforts. But wasn't that what Albus Dumbledore had always been like? Elusive. The new leader of the army must have felt it appropriate to maintain that sense of mystery. Snape always had been good at keeping secrets. Nonetheless Hermione trusted him, at least enough to follow his plan. She believed in Harry as well, in his choices and in the army they had raised. She trusted them all and their efforts. This all had purpose, although it wasn't openly disclosed. She knew it counted towards something. They weren't useless. She watched the wind push at the clouds, finding tranquility in the movement of the heavens.
Five minutes, she told herself. Five minutes then they'd get out of here. She reached out and touched Ron’s hand. One of the few things that brought her comfort these days was his warm touch because it assured her that she wasn't alone. ‘Alive.’ She thought They were both alive. They'd make it out together. No matter what, they survived. Always.