Although she had already prepared herself for the possibility that this route would not go smoothly, when the moment truly came, she still could not stop a helpless panic from rising in her heart.
In truth, if not for the responsibility on her shoulders, and if not for knowing that she absolutely could not show fear right now, she would never have been able to make a calm judgment in that first instant.
The moment Hermione gave the order, this thought flashed through her mind.
In any case, the instant she recognized who stood opposite them, Hermione reacted with sharp accuracy.
"Take cover!"
"Goyle, take your people and do what you're supposed to do!"
"Delacour, you go with them too!"
"And... snap out of it, Ginny Weasley!"
While peering around the corner to observe the enemy, Hermione also grabbed Ginny's arm, trying to pull her out of that stunned, confused state.
Although Hermione could not share Ginny's feelings at such an urgent moment, and had no time to comfort or guide her, she knew what to say to convince Ginny right now.
Pulling her head back to avoid the Killing Curse that sliced through the air, Hermione said without turning around, "Think about it. What kind of spell can control a person?"
"A spell... a spell... the Imperius Curse, or some potion with a similar bewitching effect... Right, Ron must have been controlled by some kind of dark magic. You must have noticed something, right, Hermione?"
"..."
If there was any girl Ginny admired and respected most, it would undoubtedly be Hermione, the girl who knew almost everything and cared for her like an older sister.
Beautiful.
Clever.
Although not truly omnipotent, she was certainly someone worth relying on.
That was why Ginny, who had been so uneasy, was able to pull herself together again after just a few words from Hermione.
But Ginny seemed to have overlooked one thing.
From the beginning until now, Hermione had not met her eyes once while speaking.
It was as if she was avoiding something.
...
The terror of the Death Eaters had long been rooted deep in people's hearts.
This was not only because of the Dark Lord behind them, but also because of how utterly unrestrained they were.
The fact that they treated the Killing Curse as an ordinary weapon was enough to make most wizards unwilling to provoke them at all.
And on the battlefield, these Death Eaters were undoubtedly a deeply troublesome enemy.
Green light.
Explosions.
These Death Eaters had no tactics or strategy to speak of. They simply advanced while firing ghastly green Killing Curses in Hermione's direction.
In the eyes of Alecto Carrow and the other Death Eaters, this alone was already more than enough respect for a group of young wizards with no experience killing anyone.
"Run! Run! Run all you like!"
"The resistance is collapsing. We're about to take control of the situation. The great Master will definitely reward me!"
Under the glow of the Killing Curses, Alecto Carrow and the other Death Eaters' expressions grew more and more frenzied.
From strolling forward, they gradually quickened into a brisk walk.
Before anyone realized it, Hermione and the others had already retreated into the Hogwarts Great Hall.
And midnight was only moments away.