She thought she would be dead when she opened her eyes again. How could a body go through that much pain without succumbing? Or their heart stopping? Unsure what she would see, Hermione ignored the steady throbbing in her ears to look around. She almost shouted when she stared into the wide, unblinking light green eyes that belonged to Rodolphus. Laid out on the floor, unmoving, she knew without question that he was dead. Had he been the black shadow she saw? It was the only explanation that made any sense at all. They were all standing so close together. The moment he realized that she was going to sacrifice herself to save her son, Rodolphus tried to pull her away. In his desperation and his insanity, he moved into the path of the curse and shielded her instead. Though it wasn't his intention, he'd saved them all with his last few seconds of life.