the_debt_of_time

After what felt like an eternity, Ron, Harry, and Hermione finally exited the Ministry
in a great haste. Sirius immediately caught sight of the Death Eaters on their tail; he shifted
to his human form and grasped Harry's hand as Harry took hold of Hermione, who gripped
tightly to Ron. It was dangerous and stupid, but they had little choice in the matter as
Yaxley reached for Hermione. Mid-Disapparition, Hermione managed to shake off the
Death Eater, but only after he had seen the entrance to Grimmauld Place.
Side-Along Apparition with another person was risky. Taking two people was ill-
advised. Three was suicidal.
Hermione landed them in the forest where the Quidditch World Cup had been
held—as Ron hastily explained to Sirius—and the men all fell to the ground, wincing as air
pushed its way back into their lungs.
Harry and Ron were on their knees, bleary-eyed and dizzy. Sirius, too, had a hard
time regaining his senses, but the first that came back was his sense of smell. He breathed
in a faint coppery odour and knew immediately that someone had been splinched.
His head swivelled as he followed the scent, only to discover it was Hermione that
was gravely injured. Sirius cradled her blood-covered form to him in order to retrieve her
small beaded bag, and then he began rummaging through it. He threw the contents of the
bag across the ground until he found the bottle of dittany she had used a month earlier on
Remus in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place.
Sirius heard Harry gasp, watching as he pieced Hermione's back and shoulder
together. A long cut slashed along her right arm, wound across the back of her shoulder
blade and down beneath her blouse. He tore the garment away, revealing nothing but
severed skin. He applied the dittany carefully, using his wand to close the wounds as quickly
as possible.
"There's a tent; get it up," he ordered brusquely with a cold tone that told both
Harry and Ron he wasn't going to stand for any hesitation.
While the tent was being pitched, Sirius moved around the boys, constantly
attending to Hermione's small unconscious form, never looking either of them in the eye.
The boys, in turn, did the same.
Sirius was angry; somewhere along the line they had gone and buggered it all up,
and now Hermione was suffering. Each wizard took his fair share of the blame silently,
though Ron and Harry were more comfortable talking with one another about it.