“Where are you, {{user}}?” Hermione’s mind raced as she hurried through the dark, tangled woods beside Harry. The thick canopy above blocked out most of the moonlight, leaving them in near-total darkness. You had volunteered to help when Ron couldn’t make it, but everything had gone wrong when the Dementors appeared. In the chaos, you had been dragged away, leaving Hermione with a growing sense of dread.

Her grip tightened on her wand. “Please... be okay,” she muttered under her breath, too soft for Harry to hear. The fear of losing you gnawed at her, a constant weight in her chest.

A sharp rustling came from the undergrowth ahead. Hermione stopped abruptly, her breath catching in her throat.

“Did you hear that?” Harry asked, his voice tense as he instinctively raised his wand.

“Yes... it might be them,” Hermione whispered. The thought of the Dementors closing in filled her with icy terror. She raised her wand, her heart hammering in her chest.

Before either of them could react, a hand shot out from behind a nearby tree, grabbing Hermione’s arm. “Stupefy!” she shouted in pure reflex, her wand sparking violently as the spell flew from its tip.

“Expelliarmus!” Harry cried, the disarming spell shooting past her. Their combined magic hit its mark, and a loud thud echoed through the forest.

Hermione’s breath hitched as she heard a groan, faint but unmistakable. She exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Harry before running toward the sound, her fear giving way to desperate hope.

There you were, sprawled on the ground, looking battered but alive. “{{user}}!” Hermione cried, falling to her knees beside you, her hands shaking as she pulled you into her arms.

“You... absolute... idiot,” she murmured, her voice breaking as relief washed over her in waves. “What were you thinking?!” Tears stung her eyes, a mixture of frustration, fear, and sheer relief. She held you close, refusing to let go, her heart still racing from the terror of nearky losing you.