While she appreciated his sentiment, Hermione took Iskandar's answer to mean that she'd been correct: most had lost hope. Iskandar hadn't been shaken, not yet, but from what she'd gathered among the others she'd spoken to, there weren't many left who seemed to find much of a reason to keep fighting.

"Some people need to fight for something more than a smile," Hermione told him, trying not to let the weight of the situation wear down on her. "You don't risk dying for a torch in the darkness when what you really need is the sun. That's what I've been seeing from most people hereabouts, anyway."