I'll give you hope;
Keeping your faith when it's gone.
The one you should call
Was standing here all along.
Hermione could feel Harry's eyes watching her as she turned from him and observed Tonks trying to heal Remus Lupin's wounds, though her own injuries restricted her from much movement. Though her broken leg had been repaired, Tonks still had many deep cuts and bruises on her arms and her face. Deciding that standing around wouldn't solve anything; Hermione took a step toward the young woman, only to be held back by someone grabbing her arm. Turning around, she found herself looking at Harry yet again.
"Hermione?" he asked, letting go of her arm quickly as though he was hurting her.
"Yes," she replied, dropping her arm to her side. Though he might have thought it, Harry hadn't been hurting her. In fact, she welcomed the gesture. She'd welcome any gesture of friendship in these dark times, even something as small as what Harry had just done.
"Thanks," he said, as he turned and approached Tonks and Lupin, pulling out his wand.
Hermione smiled sadly and walked toward Ron, who was now trying to haul Ginny off of Neville, without much luck. Ginny wasn’t going to move, even though Ron was now using most of his strength in an attempt to pry her body from Neville's.
"Leave me alone, Ron!" Ginny cried, wiggling out of her older brother's grip. “You don’t understand!” She turned and glared at him, and Hermione saw the raw emotion in her friend's eyes. Ginny, unlike Hermione and Ron, hadn't heard Neville declare that he would do anything to avenge the torture of his parents. Ginny didn't realize that, to Neville, it wouldn't end unless the Lestranges were killed. Ginny didn't understand that, in order for that to happen, Neville would have to sacrifice his own life.
Hermione saw Harry watching his former flame out of the corner of her eye, and felt a pang of regret for Ginny. The girl, barely eighteen years of age, had finally found love in Neville Longbottom, only to have her heart played with and torn apart like it was some sort of toy. That thought alone made Hermione angrier than she had ever been in her life. For the past three years, Ginny had been slowly falling in love, and now, only a mere two months after she finally told Neville about her true feelings, he had been ripped from her life.
"Ron," Hermione said quietly, as she took one more step toward her friend.
Ron turned to face her and Hermione thought she saw a glimpse of panic in his eyes. He quickly regained his composure and Hermione wondered if her own former flame would ever be the same. Their relationship had grown during their sixth year at Hogwarts and Hermione had found herself infatuated with him. They tried to work on a romantic relationship but quickly discovered that their personalities were too different. The relationship quickly fizzled and the two walked away with new perspectives on what they wanted in a relationship. Their friendship, however, had grown stronger and Hermione had begun to respect Ron more than she ever had before.
Hermione shook her head, attempting to clear her the murky thoughts clouding her mind. "Leave her," she said. Her voice was nary a whisper. "She needs a bit of time, Ron. Leave her."
Ron glanced back at his sister, sighed, and walked toward Harry, who was now watching the scene, his face unreadable.
Hermione watched as the two of them began to converse, and though she was out of ear-shot, she knew what the topic of conversation was just by watching their faces. They were talking about the battle that had just ensued. Ron’s face often showed much emotion, and now he looked thoroughly shocked. Harry’s face was hard and solemn, but Hermione knew that he was thinking about something. She often had to guess what one of them was feeling. Though Ron’s emotions were easy to uncover, Harry had become more and more secretive about his feelings over the years. His eyes, though, still conveyed the emotions that Hermione knew he was trying hard to hide. She often looked him in the eyes when she was talking to him, just to understand what he was feeling.
She approached them slowly, trying to hear their conversation, but instead found that they were watching her walk toward them, the expressions on their faces stony.
“Hermione,” Harry said when she got close enough to hear him properly. “Lupin just told me that two more Death Eaters escaped.”
Hermione’s ears perked up. “Who?” she asked, not wanting to hear the answer.
“Greyback and Yaxley,” Ron answered for his friend.
“We’re going after them,” Harry continued. “Whether you join us or not is your choice. You can take some time to think about it.”
“I’m going,” Hermione said. She didn’t need time to think about it; she hadn’t let Harry down and she definitely wouldn’t, now that he needed her the most.
Harry nodded as though he knew that that would be her decision. “Fine. I’ll be speaking with Luna when I get the chance; she’s with Ginny right now.”
Hermione nodded, but Ron looked puzzled.
“Luna? Why Luna?” he asked.
“She’s a part of this just as much as we are,” Hermione answered.
“Yaxley killed her father,” Harry said. “She wants to be a part of his undoing. I think it’s only fair that she accompany us.”
“I’ll talk to her,” Hermione said. She hadn’t spoken to Luna since they went into this final battle, and she wanted to speak with the girl again. Though the two were by no means, close friends, Hermione had come to appreciate Luna and the bit of light that she always seemed to shine in the darkness.
“What about Ginny?” Ron asked.
Hermione and Harry shook their heads.
“Look at her, Ron,” Hermione said, nodding her head toward Ginny, who was slowly getting off of the ground, tears still streaming down her face. “Do you really think that she’ll want to leave again to look for more Death Eaters?”
Ron shook his head. “I suppose not, but what will she do while we’re away?”
“Charlie offered to take her to St. Mungo’s to be looked over by a Healer,” Harry said. “She’ll be spending a few weeks at the Burrow after that. He didn’t think it was a good idea for her to return to her house, they know where she lives.”
Ron nodded solemnly.
“She’ll be fine, Ron,” Hermione consoled, though she silently added, ’We’ll all be fine.