From Wiltshire, With Love

Chapter 34

March 1998

Adrenaline pumping, Hermione rolled on the cold, wet grounds of Paddington safe house, frantically aiming stunners at her attackers while doing her best to avoid their hexes. Gasping for breath, she scrambled to her feet but twisted her ankle in the process. She could see Harry and Angelina's Shield Charms were faltering. Crying out in pain, she cast a Shield Charm at Harry, and flew backwards.

Everything went black.

~

"She's alright!"

Hermione blinked her eyes open to see a smiling Angelina Johnson extending a hand to lift her up. Her ankle was killing her. Ever since the Order learned about the impending raid, combat training was every day, and more brutal, requiring the use of Healers at the end of every evening. Leadership started drilling a defense but hadn't told anyone they were actually expecting a raid, unsure as to how the location of the Order had been discovered.

"My left ankle," Hermione groaned, groggy from being Rennervated. "I think I sprained it."

She clasped Angelina's hand and allowed her to lift her up, careful not to put her weight on her left leg.

"You got George though, before Fred hit you." Angelina winked at her as she gazed across the lawn to see George with his hands thrown out, offended.

"She did not!" he called out.

"You need help?" She bent over to look at Hermione's ankle.

"No, I'll manage," Hermione said with a grimace. "Go have fun teasing George."

Angelina wagged her eyebrows. "Oh, I will."

"Who else needs the Healers?" Auror Pamela Proudfoot's sharp voice echoed across the grounds.

A few Order members ambled over as Cho, Mary and Terry Apparated in. Dedalus Diggle strode across the grounds over to Hermione.

"You okay there, Granger?"

"Yeah." She winced as she experimented with putting more weight on her left ankle, and limped over to the Healers. "Nothing the Ravenclaw Trio can't fix."

The older Auror placed a heavy hand on her shoulder and peered into her eyes. "You make calculations when you fight."

Puzzled, she furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

"You don't even know you're doing it." A grin graced his wrinkled features. "But I've noticed. When you're in a fight, you protect Potter, Brown and Thomas over the others every single time. I'd have thought you'd defend Weasley first."

Hermione blushed. "We're not-"

He waved his hand. "Doesn't matter. Potter's importance is obvious. I don't know what Brown and Thomas are up to but you're valuing their lives over others when in combat."

Her stomach lurched. She had been protecting them on a subconscious level, but he was right. Harry, Lavender and Dean were more important than anyone else right now, so she defended them first. Even over Ron.

She felt slightly sick to her stomach, feeling even guiltier for cutting things off with Ron. He still wasn't talking to her and there was going to be a raid. Anything could happen to anyone. At any time. It was stupid to waste effort on petty fights.

"I hadn't realized," she replied, somewhat mortified.

He squeezed her shoulder and leaned in, answering in a low voice, "Keep doing it. Not everyone will think that way and that's what the Order needs. I'd put your lives ahead of mine."