“You know it’s a trap, right?”, Harry looked at Hermione incredulously.

“Probably, yeah”, she shrugged. “We have Ron; come alone to Knockturn Alley tonight at 8PM if you want to see him alive”.

“Probably as in certainly”, Harry grinned. “Let me send a detachment and deal with it”.

“And what if Ron gets killed?” she frowned.

“It’s a possibility”, he conceded. “However, it’s also a possibility that he aligned himself with some dark creatures who want to lure you into a trap and kill you, and he thinks it’s suitable vengeance for you leaving him”.

“That’s really a stretch”, she raised an eyebrow incredulously.

“Is it? With what we know about him, and how he’s been lately?”, Harry retorted. “I wouldn’t put anything past him. Also, you’re pregnant. And even if you weren’t, you’re precious. Risking you for that fool doesn’t sound like a good trade”.

“Maybe, but it’s my call to make”, she insisted.

…

She apparated there slightly ahead of time, and observed carefully, wand drawn. Harry was probably right and she was probably a fool, but she had to do this.

Three shadows moved in front of her, and she felt movement behind. Five.

“You were right, Weasley. She really is that stupid”, a nasty, rough voice laughed. “We caught ourselves the Ministry mudblood.”

“Probably pregnant again with that Bulgarian freak”, it was Ron’s voice, but rough, cold as ice. She shivered. “Time to die, bitch. Avada Ke…”

Hermione felt as if time froze around her as he felt terrible regret for not listening to Harry. As always, he was right. His instincts won them the war and she had to be a smartass and go against his advice. She won’t even get to tell him she’s sorry. Her eyes swam with tears, but then she realised something. Time didn’t just feel like it froze around her. It actually froze. A flash of white light swirled, red light flashed in five spots, at the chests of five thugs, and time suddenly restarted.

White mist materialised as a young platinum blonde woman in jeans and a warm sweater, wandless, completely relaxed as five men crumpled to the floor like sacks of potatoes: safely and permanently dead.

“Lyra?” Hermione was still in shock.

“Might as well earn my pay as your personal goddess”, she smiled. “Also as the head of magical law enforcement”. She snapped her fingers and three Aurors apparated, looking like they mean business. “Would you be so kind as to clean up after me? I’m afraid they were armed, in the process of deploying the killing curse, and I couldn’t risk lady Hermione’s life by using half measures. I’ll do the paperwork in the morning”, she smiled at the men.

“Sure thing, boss”, the closest one nodded respectfully as they started processing the bodies.

“Come, sweetheart. This must have been stressful for you, and you’re pregnant. Let’s go home and have Kreacher make us hot cocoa”, she hugged Hermione and they disapparated with a crack.

…

“He’s really dead”, Hermione spoke dully, wrapped in a blanket, holding a warm cup. “I didn’t want him to die”.

“I’m afraid it was his choice”, Viktor whispered, holding her tightly. “I’ve seen the preliminary report. Those were thugs adjacent to Death Eaters; they did jobs for them, and tried to become important enough to get the Dark Mark; they were on our wanted list, but not a priority. That’s the company he was keeping these days. It must have been his idea to lure you to your death, to curry favour with that scum, make himself important. Had you not come, sooner or later it would have ended similarly, but at least now you got to see what he became”.

“I’m not sure I’m improved by the experience”, she sighed. “Harry, I’m so sorry not to have listened to you. I can’t remember when your hunch was ever wrong, but I was a stubborn fool”.

“You were emotionally compromised by your misplaced sense of responsibility for him”, Harry nodded. “I didn’t want to insist, but I also didn’t want to let you walk alone into a trap, so I notified Lyra and the guys. I held the office, she held the field”, he smiled.

“You were never in danger”, Lyra smiled, massaging Hermione’s feet. “I allowed them to come close to releasing the spell only to make sure that they had lethal intent. Then I dealt with them. Girl, your feet are so cold; you’re in shock. But we’ll thaw you in no time”, she giggled, and Hermione smiled despite her mood.

“Thank you for saving my life, Lyra”, she managed. “I was already regretting not listening to Harry and expecting to die in a second, when time stopped around me”.

“I didn’t want to risk giving them the chance to finish the spell, so that was the only safe way”, Lyra nodded. “Nobody hurts what is mine”, she smiled a smile of fierce protectiveness.