Disclaimer: I still own nothing to do with Harry Potter.
The silver wolf lunged, her paws digging into the damp, cold earth behind her before she propelled off of the forest floor, the muscles rippling underneath her thick coat in her hind legs and shoulders. Harry mouth was open, his wand pointed, the spell lying on his tongue, just waiting to meet the air. Of course, it was only a Stunner. He didn't want to hurt the wolf, which he knew was still Hermione; he just needed to buy Ron and him some time.
Half of the spell met the air by the time the wolf was in mid-air, her mouth curled into a vicious snarl and a growl deep in her chest. Her sharp teeth were gleaming as the beams of moonlight hit them and saliva hung in thick vines from her mouth.
Something rustled to Harry's left but he paid no notice, he didn't even notice the shadow escaping the bushed as rushing to them. The tip of his wand glowed and just when the silver wolf's paws were almost touching his chest, his spell shot out.
Only it didn't hit the silver wolf.
A giant furry mass knocked into the silver wolf, hitting the she-wolf in her side and making her fly to the right, sliding on the wet ground before her back slammed into a tree while the other wolf landed on the ground. All while Harry's spell flew into a tree, forgotten as Harry watched the dark, brown wolf whip around to look at them.
The wolf was only a little larger that the silver and based on his structure, he was obviously male. His coat was a dark brown (making him blend in with the shadows of the forest) with grey hair littered everywhere, especially his muzzle. He stood facing the two, his muscles tense and tight underneath his coat.
A sharp, brief bark erupted from his throat but it wasn't like a normal dogs bark. It was more like a growl-yelp sound. Harry looked into the familiar brown eyes but froze when he saw the silver wolf getting up from the ground, one side of her fur caked with muddy earth. With a snarl, she lunged, her eyes bright with bloodlust and fury.
"Professor! Look out!" Harry shouted, his voice ringing through the air. Lupin turned around only to get slammed into the ground by the she-wolf. The silver wolf snarled, a few drops of saliva dropping from her mouth, and lunged at Lupin's neck.
Lupin kicked the she-wolf off of him with his powerful hind legs, making her fly off of him and skid on the ground before charging back, her head lowered slightly and her mouth twisted in an almost sinister grin. Lupin's lips drew back, revealing pearl-white fangs, and he charged, leaping into the air the exact same time the silver wolf did.
They met in mid-air and even though they both had the same amount of strength, Lupin's bigger form make them crash to the ground with him on top. The silver wolf clawed and raked at his shaggy stomach, kicking him just as he jumped off of her.
The silver wolf was up instantly and, ignoring the pain from the claw marks on his stomach, he charged and head-butted her away, making her snap at him, catching him on his ear and tearing off a small piece of it.
The silver wolf slide a little but quickly threw Lupin to the ground with one push with her shoulder. The she-wolf whipped around to face Harry and Ron, who were frozen in place with their mouths hanging to the ground on which their feet stood on. She snarled, her mouth speckle with flecks of red from Lupin's torn ear, and made to charge at them when Lupin ran into her shoulder, throwing her to the side.
Lupin turned to them and "barked" again, breaking the two out of their frozen trance. He "barked" again and kicked the she-wolf in the face as she lunged at his hind leg, his nails tearing the skin from the beginning of her nose to just a millimeter away from her eye.
Harry stood there and let Ron grab his arm, pulling him away, his green eyes never leaving the two wolves as they clashed into each other in mid-air, biting and scratching at whatever they could, even though it seemed like Lupin was only doing it in self-defense and so that he and Ron could get away, not wanting to hurt the silver wolf because he knew it was still Hermione, even if the wolf side was in control.
Harry felt Ron's hand leave his arm and he turned around, now facing his red-haired friend, trees now blocking his vision of the two werewolves. They were close the beginning of the forest now, leaving Harry surprised that Ron had dragged him this far, and Harry could hear the explosions and screams still ringing through the air.
"Harry?" Ron said, trying to get his friends attention, "Harry!" Harry turned to Ron and something flashed in his emerald eyes.
"Ron! We have to go back! We have to help! Hermione's back there!"
"No mate. That's not Hermione anymore. She in there somewhere but right now, the beast is in control."
"But she could get hurt! Lupin could hurt her!"
"Mate! Lupin's not trying to hurt her. He's trying to contain her. And he knows what he's doing. He'll be fine," He said reassuringly.
"But we have to go back and help him. She's going to hurt him. She's going to get hurt!"
"Listen Harry," Ron said forcefully, "As much as I want to go back, we have a job to do. We have to destroy the rest of the horcruxes."
Harry swallowed hard and glanced back into the forest. As much as he wanted to go back and help Lupin, he didn't want to see Hermione like that. He knew he wouldn't be much help against a bloodthirsty wolf anyway. And he trusted Lupin not to seriously hurt Hermione or her wolf, even though she was trying to kill him.
"Okay. Then let's go," Harry said, starting to walk to the opening of the forest, stepping over branches and twigs.
"Wait. Where are we going?"
"To the Room of Requirement."
Lupin dodged the silver wolf as she lunged at him, not wanting to hurt her anymore. Her muzzle was bloody but other than that, the silver wolf was fine. Much unlike himself but he ignored the pain and tried to show no signs of weakness.
He needed to stop her from going on and attacking anyone else. She almost got Harry and he had barely made it in time. Hermione was not in control and the beast that was controlling her was bloodthirsty and powerful.
He felt the wolf smash her head into his side and he felt ribs crack while he felt to the ground, pain flaring up in his ribcage. He got up a little more slowly than he would have liked and ths she-wolf charged at him, knocking him over again.
She bit down hard on his shoulder, making him yelp in pain while she tore a piece of flesh and muscle from his body, making the blood on the remaining muscle gleam and start to soak the coat around his shoulder.
He bit down her leg; hard enough to draw blood but not hard enough to do any serious damage. She snarled at him and lunged for his neck just as he kicked her off, not using his full strength.
He got up as quick as he could and lunged at her, tackling the wolf to the ground and growling above her. She thrashed wildly and clawed at his stomach for the second time that night. He growled and sunk his teeth into her shoulder until he felt a few bead of blood bubble out.
The silver wolf snarled and bit down on his front leg hard, snapping his bones like toothpicks and making him let go of her. She rolled on top of him and before he could defend himself, she bit down hard on other shoulder, ripping hard and tearing flesh off before throwing the piece to the side.
Lupin whined underneath the silver wolf and she lunged down on his shoulder again, letting her teeth grind against his bones before crushing them into small pieces. He whined again, softer this time and before the silver wolf could deliver the fatal blow, the bushes to her right rustled.
Harry and Ron ran up the staircase, leaping up two or three steps at a time with Harry in the lead and Ron in tow. They ran up the still staircases, careful to avoid the crashed sides and chunks of castle that had fallen from the roof.
Harry made it to the top and he ran down the long corridor, flying past empty and shredded portraits as they leaned against the walls while some hung crooked on the walls. He skidded around the corner and immediately, his eyes stared at about a dozen Death Eaters battling against groups of students as they defended the Fat Lady's portrait, keeping the Death Eaters from breaking in.
Harry instantly sent two Stunners at the first Death Eaters he saw, catching them off guard and making them fall to the ground. Ron shot two curses off, making one Death Eater fall to the ground with his legs tied tightly with rope and making another Death Eater to fall down with his legs twitching and jerking uncontrollably.
Harry and Ron ran through the hallway, shooting down Death Eaters. They ran past the Fat Lady's portrait and saw Flitwick standing there fighting a Death Eaters who was trying to get into the Gryffindor common room. Harry had no idea how they knew the student were in there but then again, maybe they didn't. Perhaps they were just trying to find them or just cause as much destruction as possible.
"Mr. Potter! Mr. Weasley," Flitwick said, breathless as he finally flicked the Death Eater he was fighting away only to hit a wall and slide down unconscious, "What are you doing?"
Harry just ran past without speaking but Ron turned around, running backwards as he spoke.
"Sorry Professor! Can't talk! Saving the world and all!" And with that, he turned around and followed Harry down the corridor.
The silver wolf looked away from the now unconscious brown wolf below her and to the bushes beside her, her muzzle stained deep with blood from the familiar wolf below her. The wolf felt a tug in her mind and she pushed it back, ignoring the human as she tried to take control again. But the wolf wouldn't let that happen; she was free now and she loved it.
She silver wolf tilted her head as the bushes stopped rustling. All of a sudden, a black mass lunged out at her and made her hit the earth hard. She snapped at the mass on top of her but he growled and dug his claws into her shoulders.
She felt a twin god déjà-vu as his wet dog smell mixed with rotten meat flew into her sensitive nose. She felt his claws cut through the skin in her shoulders. His eyes were fully black but the wolf could see human in them and that alone mad her angry. She growled and snapped at his shoulder, kicking him and ranking her claws down his stomach. His black eyes lit up in a fiery fury and he sank his teeth into her blood-flecked coat, his teeth tearing at the flesh of her shoulder.
The silver wolf howled and raw anger gave her the strength to kick him off of her, making his teeth tear her flesh and hang from her shoulder, revealing muscle coated in gleaming blood. The black wolf lunged at her and his claws ranked down both sides of her flank.
She whirled around and bit down at his front leg, cracking it in one powerful snap of her jaws. The black wolf howled and lunged, grabbing her tail with his teeth and pulling her back hard. The bones in her tail broke and her snarled and dove for the other wolf, her claws catching her shoulder and leaving three long gashed marking his skin while his blood started to seep through his coat, even though you couldn't see it in his black fur.
He snarled, his teeth sparkling like sharp knives in the light and he leaned back in three paws (one of his paws in front elevated from the ground) and jumped at the silver wolf. The silver wolf lunged at him and they collided in mid-air, their jaws snapping at each other's faces while their claws raked down each other's backs, only their back paws on the ground.
The black wolf bit down hard on the silver wolf's ear and torn the entire thing off, making the silver wolf yelp and whine, giving the black wolf the time to knock the other wolf back and bite into her neck hard.
Harry paced back and forth, his hands behind his back while Ron stood watch in case any Death Eaters popped up.
I need a place where everything is hidden. I need a place where everything is hidden. I need a place where everything is hidden, Harry thought.
Suddenly, the door started to form, breaking Harry out of his though. He stopped pacing and stood with his wand in his fist as he waited for the door to appear fully.
"Com'on Ron," Harry said, flicking his head to the door as Ron turned around. Ron walked up and Harry grabbed the doorknob. He turned it and pushed the door opening silently to reveal mountains of miscellaneous and mostly pointless objects and books.
"Harry? What if it isn't in here," Ron asked, looking away from the seemingly endless piles of objects and glancing sideways at Harry, his gaze full of worry and fear.
"Well I suppose we will figure that out after we look through all of this," Harry said, trying to remain with a composed demeanor. Ron nodded and swallowed loudly, cursing under his breath as he looked over the objects that filled the room.
"Well then," Ron said, "I suppose we should get started."
"Okay. You take that side," Harry said, pointing to the right side of the room, "And I'll take the left." Ron nodded and the both walked away from the door, which had shut behind them.
Harry walked to the nearest pile, gazing at the pile of random things. Books piled high on a table while a few dusty cabinets were lined up next to it. Harry opened the cabinet doors and shut them with a small click when he saw that they were empty.
He walked down the narrow path that was made in between the rows of now useless junk. Old Butterbeer bottles lay on one side, most of them standing up but a few were on their sides. A dresser piled high with old brushed, gold and silver combs, and a few plastic tiaras stood on his left. Chairs piled one on top of another sat there with dust collecting on the top seat and the creases on the mahogany backrests.
Rugs that were rolled up and mirrors that had cracks and were covered in grim so thick that you would need a knife to scrape it off stood on both sides of him, staring back at him with shame. Useless and ugly decorations lay on top of a low dresser on his right and rows of bookcases filled with more knowledge than Hermione knew lined his left side.
He passed through rows and rows, her eyes squinted as he searched through the piles, digging through them only to come up empty handed. He didn't know how long they searched for; his only focus was on finding the small golden cup. He didn't even hear the explosions from outside and quite possibly inside the castle.
"Hey Harry!" Ron's voice shouted over rows and rows of random things, making Harry jump as he was jolted out of his focus.
"What!" he shouted back, slightly irritated as Ron interrupted him.
"What does the cup look like exactly?"
"It's small and golden with two handles on both sides and a picture of a badger on the front! Why?"
"I think you might want to come here!" Harry didn't waste any time. He ran out of the row he was in, his shoes silenced by the rug that covered the floor in the row below him. He quickly made it to Ron, who was staring at something in a glass cabinet, the glass preventing any access to the objects inside the cabinet.
Harry followed Ron's gaze and a grin- small and barely noticeable- appeared on his face.
There, starting back at him… was Hufflepuff's cup.
The silver wolf whined as his teeth sank through her skin of her neck and she kicked at him to let go. She wiggled and twisted her body until her neck slipped out of his grasp and she twisted around so she was standing on her feet. Blood dripped from her neck but the wolf knew that he hadn't bit into any major veins; he only got the skin surrounding her throat.
With a deep snarl, her lips slide back over her sharp teeth and her bloody muzzle wrinkled up. She charged at the black wolf, the pain in her body gone and replaced with anger. She knocked the black wolf off guard and they hit the ground.
Before the black wolf could retaliate, the silver wolf bit into his neck hard, her mouth covering as much of his neck as it would allow and she bit down as hard as she could, crushing his windpipe and cutting through his flesh and muscle easily.
His whines became struggles for air and he thrashed around wildly but she held on tight, crushing his neck even harder with her powerful jaws. The wolf recognized him and knew he was bad. She didn't care that she didn't know what he had actually did but she just knew that he was bad. And that thought made her sink her teeth even harder into his neck.
His thrashes were becoming weaker and half-hearted and the silver wolf seemed to grin even though her mouth clung to the black wolf's neck. With one tremendous pull of her head, she tore his neck out. Parts of his muscle, flesh, veins and his windpipe and esophagus ripped out of his neck easily and the silver wolf spit them out of her mouth. His blood now covered her chest, front legs and mouth but she didn't care.
She leap off of the wolf, licking at her wounds, which were still bleeding freely, coating and matting her silver coat, staining it a deep red. She looked over at the other wolf- the brown one- and saw that he was still lying motionless on the wet ground but she made no move to attack him further. She didn't feel the need to kill him like she did with the black one.
A few specks of water fell on her head and she looked up, a few drops falling on her blood-stained face. The grey sky above her rolled and a rumbling sound erupted in the distance, making her one still intact ear move back against her head.
But there was a break in the clouds, a break which was filled up by the full moon, glowing down at the silver wolf. And with that, the silver wolf closed her eyes and howled while the thunder sang along with her.
Harry and Ron stared at the cup, looking through the surprisingly shiny glass and at the golden cup, the badger on the front staring back at them.
"Well," Ron said after a few moments of silence, "how'd you think we get it out?"
"Ummm…" Harry said, looking at the cup. He slipped his wand into his pocket and put his hands on one side of the cabinet, pulling on the glass with all of his might. After a few useless attempts, he let his arms fall to his sides, his jaw clenched in frustration.
"Here, let me try it," Ron said, moving Harry out of the way and pulling on the glass. But it ending the same way, with the cup still trapped behind the glass. Harry took his wand out and pointed it at the glass door.
"Alohomora." Nothing happened. Even after a dozen attempts, it still stayed the same.
"We need to blast it open. We don't have a lot of time," Harry said quickly, lifting his arm and pointing his wand at the cabinet. Ron nodded and backed away slightly, giving Harry some room.
"Expulso!" With one small twist and flick of the wand, an orange blast light hit the glass cabinet, making the glass crack before falling apart in shards of sharp pieces. Harry immediately seized the small, golden cup in his hands.
The metal was cold and smooth without any rust or dents or scratches anywhere on the surface. The handles were twisted around at the top and behind the picture of the badger, the colors of Hufflepuff stood out proudly.
"Great! We have the cup now," Ron announced, coming up to Harry's side, "So now the question is- how do we destroy it?"
Harry took the cup into his left hand and let his arm fall, the cup in his fist.
"I have an idea," he said just as an explosion sounded, making the chandelier above them sway side to side. "But we have to get there fast." Harry glanced at a row of broomsticks to his right and looked back at Ron. They both grabbed a random broom and Ron looked at Harry.
"Lead the way mate," Ron said and Harry nodded, running out of the door with Ron at his heels.
The silver wolf lowered her head, the ghost of her howl still floating in the wind. She sniffed the air and her ears pricked up as she heard sounds of screams and footsteps pounding on the ground. The smell of smoke and blood filled her nose and tickled the back of her throat.
She licked her lips. Blood. And lots of it.
She quickly stood, her fur feeling tight and matted against her skin due to the amounts of blood caked on it. She paid no notice to the gashes and tears that left her skin torn and hanging off. The wolf wanted blood; she wanted to taste it on her tongue and to feel it trickle down her throat, still hot as it ran out of their fragile humans bodies.
With one last glance at the two werewolves lying before her motionless, she kicked off of the ground and ran through the forest, the moonlight falling down on her. Her muscles rippled underneath her blood-crusted coat and her lips drew back, making it look as if she were smiling.
She broke out of the forest and stood with her head held high. She lunged at the nearest human she saw, which was a Death Eater and bit down onto his neck, ripping it out as soon as her teeth sunk into his flesh. The Death Eater didn't even have time to scream; all he did was gasp and widen his eyes.
She lapped at the blood flowing from his broken veins while his glassy eyes stared up into the full moon, never to blink again. The silver wolf was interrupted when she felt something hit her side and she whirled around just as two other spells hit her, on in the chest and one on her leg.
The silver werewolf snarled and bit the empty air in anger as she looked at the small group of humans in front of her. One was a girl with fire-red hair that seemed to blend in with the fire that was burning behind her. Another was a brown-haired boy with big teeth that had a large gash on his forehead right above his left eye. There were also two boys about the same height with the same red hair and identical faces, both covered in dirt and ashes, their clothing torn in places.
One of the red-headed boys shot a ball of yellow light at her, hitting her already torn shoulder. The wolf skidded back a few feet, her head down as she protected her face from the blow. She straightened back up and lifted her head, growling and opening her mouth, her teeth covered in saliva as strands hung from her blood-covered mouth.
She lowered her head and ran at the group of humans in front of her. She jumped at them, her jaws opened wide, and just before she reached their petrified forms, something heavy slammed into her side and sent the silver wolf flying to the left, only to slam into a tree a few feet away.
She got to her feet after a split second of struggling from the pain in her side and turned around, only to see something fly at her and lodge itself into her leg. She reached down and pulled it out of her leg with her teeth, throwing it to the side before looking up again, snarling.
Five giant creatures stood before her. They were human creatures with four powerful legs underneath them. Their tails swished side to side and a few of them scrapped their hooves against the ground. They held a weird looking object in the hands and behind them in a sack, the wolf could see sharp tips. One of them shot something at her again and she felt the sharp tip enter her side.
A growl sounded deep in her throat as she felt the arrow hit her and she charged at the four-legged creatures. The five creatures grabbed the sharp tipped sticks behind them before putting them against the other object. They pulled back and the silver wolf could hear the whoosh of the air as the sharp sticks flew at her.
Two of them lodged themselves into her flesh, one in her hind leg and another in her shoulder. One flew by her face and she easily ducked it. She ran under one on the creatures and knocked into his stomach hard, making him rear up on his hind legs and scream as she bit into his leg.
She twisted around and raked her claws down his flank, raking down his hind legs before he kicked her hard in the side, sending her flying backwards. She slide on her side and tried to push herself up while pain shot through her broken ribcage.
But it was raw anger that made her get up. The creatures (except for the one that was injured) galloped to where she stood and were about to shoot more of those sharp sticks when giant footsteps made the ground rumble beneath them. The creatures looked away and the silver wolf dodged one of the creatures as they were thrown aside by a giant, pale monster that towered over her.
She dodged a giant foot and growled at the giant. The giant roared and was about to pound his fist down on her when dozens of the arrows flew at it, making it roar and forget about the werewolf that was before it.
The wolf tilted her head at the strange beast before her and was about to jump on its giant foot when a familiar smell hit her nose. She knew that this person had hurt her; she knew that this person was evil. She wanted to taste his blood. And without a further glance back at the four-legged creatures or the giant monster, the silver wolf twisted around and ran into the forest behind her.
Harry leaned forward further on the broom, racing down the pipe with Ron close behind him. His hair was blowing behind him and his eyes were squinted so much they looked like they were closed. He flew down the twisted pipe before flying out of the entrance and pulling back on the broom underneath him.
He stopped and floated in mid-air as he waited for Ron to stop as well. They landed on the floor below them, bones of dead rodents crunching underneath their shoes.
"I'll never get used to this," Ron mumbled, looking at the broken skeletons with disgust. Harry just shook his head and walked away from Ron, who still stood in the middle of the room, and over to the mountain of large rocks. Ron came up beside him.
"This is gonna take forever," the red-head moaned.
"Well then…we should probably get started," Harry said, levitating a large rock over to the side. After a dozen or so rocks were levitated away, Ron huffed.
"Why can't we just explode them or something?"
"We don't want to cause another cave in or anything. Just a few more and we can get through."
Soon enough, a small opening was created. Harry looked over at Ron and he nodded. Harry nodded back and climbed up the rocks to the small opening, dropping down on the other side. Water splashed up into the air as Harry hit the ground. He quickly moved out of the way and a few seconds later, Ron dropped down beside him.
Ron lifted his foot off of the wet ground and looked over at Harry, who was staring at the golden cup in his hand.
"Was it always this wet?" Ron asked. Harry just nodded and walked down the corridor. At the end was a giant door with snakes spread out on it. Ron followed and stopped in front of the door, glancing at Harry from the side.
Harry opened his mouth and a strangled hiss met the air. Ron beside him jumped as one of the snakes slide back. One by one, the snakes slide back while one snake circled the door. As soon as the last snake slid back, the door clicked to signify that it was unlocked.
Harry pushed the door open as soon as it clicked and stepped through, stepping down onto the wet stone floor. Large stone snakes lined each side of the long corridor and at the end; the corridor broke out into a wide room.
They walked down the long corridor, Ron gazing at every inch for the first time in his life. The squeak of their trainers against the wet floor was the only sound that filled Harry' ears as they neared the large mass that lay in the center of the room.
"Ughh…what's that smell?" Ron said as they stepped closer to the large rotting carcass, pinching his nose shut, making his voice sound slightly nasally.
"I think that is you answer," Harry said motioning to the large, half-rotten snake in front of them.
"It's that big!" Ron said loudly. Harry nodded and knelt next to the mouth of the beast while Ron looked down the entire Basilisk. Harry set his wand and the cup down next to him and grabbed one of the teeth with both of his hands, yanking on it hard.
The tooth came out easier than he expected but then again, he guessed that the gum had decayed slightly as well. Harry grabbed the cup and put his wand into his pocket before going up to Ron, who was now watching him.
"I need you to hold the cup down. And don't let it move." Ron nodded and knelt on the floor, the water soaking his pants like it did with Harry's. Harry knelt down to the floor as well and looked up at Ron. Ron positioned the cup flat on the ground and held it down tightly. He looked up at Harry and nodded. And with on fluent movement, Harry raised the tooth high in the air and brought it straight down in the cup.
A loud scream erupted from the cup and the cup began to vibrate violently. He heard Ron grunt as he struggled to hold it down and Harry pushed the tooth harder into the screaming cup. Blood began to seep out from the bottom and form a puddle around it, coating Ron's hands in some places.
All of a sudden, the scream reached its loudest and Harry and Ron were blown back into opposite walls. The cup vibrated on the ground, a crack forming from the bottom and spreading its way to the top, right through the badger in front.
Then the screaming stopped.
Harry slowly picked himself up from the ground, rubbing the back of his head where a bump was starting to form. Ron pushed off of the ground and stood, wincing slightly and favoring his left leg a bit as they walked up the cup, which was now lying on its side with a small puddle of blood around it.
Harry reached down and picked it up, turning it in his hands.
"Is it destroyed?" Ron asked. Harry ran his finger over the crack that had appeared and nodded, smiling a little. But as soon as the smile came, it vanished and Harry dropped the cup with a clatter as his hands clamped to his burning forehead.
Harry dropped to his knees, his head feeling like it was being cracked open with a hammer. He could barely make out Ron's voice as he knelt over him. After a few seconds of blinding pain, Harry blinked rapidly as the blurriness disappeared and found Ron looking down at him with concerned blue eyes.
"He knows," Harry panted, "He knows. We have to get out of here. We have to find him."
Ron nodded and helped Harry up, his scar still prickling. Together, they started to run down the corridor, through the door, down the wet corridor, though the small opening, and into the room with the bones.
They grabbed their brooms and together, they pushed off the ground and flew straight up the pipe until they exploded from the entrance in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. They landed with a thud on the floor, forgetting all about the floor.
Harry straightened up, trying to catch his breath while Ron got up from the floor, grabbing the destroyed horcrux that was lying a few inches from his hand. Harry looked around and his eyes narrowed.
"Ron…do you heard that?"
"I don't hear anything mate," Ron said, shaking his head in confused. Harry nodded.
"Exactly."
Harry and Ron walked into the Great Hall. The doors were opened and one of them was burnt on one side. Piles of stone lay in front of the doors, forcing one of the doors to stay open. The entire Great Hall was swarming with somber people and even some centaurs, one of which had gashes on his flank and had favoring one of his hind legs.
The tables were gone, replaced with make-shift beds. People sat on the beds, some with people next to them, while Madam Pomphrey, along with the help of some of the students, teachers, and Order members, tended to people's various injuries.
People sat to the side, some crying both loudly and quietly while people sat around them, sharing in their pain and crying along with them. People, cold and with their eyes closed, lay on mats to the left, looking as if they were merely sleeping.
Harry swallowed hard and clenched his hands into fists. The two of them walked slowly past two people too caught up in their sorrow to notice them and Harry felt guilt well up inside of him, making his stomach clench uncomfortably.
He looked at the people that lay to his left and looked at their white faces. The Patil twins lay side by side, their cold hands touching one another. Harry looked away and saw Lavender sobbing while Seamus comforted her, his own tears in his eyes as he looked at a cold Dean laying a few mats away.
Harry blinked hard and continued, focusing on each heavy step he took. He walked past a few Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students lying motionless on mats with a few people sitting next to them, crying softly.
Harry looked away and saw Neville standing to the side, talking to McGonagall, whose hair had fallen out of her usually neat, tight bun.
"What should we do about the Death Eaters?" Neville asked.
"Leave them there to rot. They deserve it," McGonagall said and Harry felt him smile at her words. But the smile soon vanished when he looked back at the rows of motionless figures.
Moody lay on one of the mats, his face and chest covered in gashes that would never heal and beside him, Hagrid lay with his eyes closed, scratches covering his face and his clothes torn and burnt with a quiet Fang lying at his side, whimpering every so often. Harry stopped and looked down sadly at the next person on the mat. Draco's face was peaceful and his already pale skin looked even whiter. Harry lowered his head as he stood in front of the platinum-haired Slytherin, closing his eyes.
Harry looked away after a while and looked up to see a familiar group of red-heads clustered in a tight group. Harry heart stopped and he heard Ron's breath hitch beside him. Ron ran quickly to his family and Harry followed close behind.
Fred, with a deep gash on his arm, and George, with a cut on his cheek, stood side by side, their arms around each other's shoulder. Ginny had her head buried in Charlie's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Mr. Weasley was kneeling by his wife with his hand on her back, while Mrs. Weasley was bent over, sobbing into her hands. Percy (who had showed up in the beginning of the battle) stood off to the side of the group, staring down at the pale figure before him, his eyes glassy and distant.
Ron ran over and was immediately engulfed in a bone-crushing hug from Ginny and he hugged her back tightly, stroking her hair a few times before he let go. Harry came up just as Ron was hugged by Mrs. Weasley.
Harry was suddenly pulled into a tight hug from Ginny then Mrs. Weasley while the rest of the family patted his on the back and shoulder, their somber eyes burning into his. Harry looked away from them, feeling too responsible to look them in the eyes, and instead looked at Bill, whose red-hair stood out from his white face as Harry looked at his peaceful face.
Harry looked up after a few moments and found the Weasley family comforting each other. He quietly slipped away and walked over to the make-shift beds to the right. People were lying down, wrapping in bandages while some sat up as they were being tended to. Some were being given potions or having Dittany being put of their wounds.
Harry stopped at one bed with Tonks, whose hand was bandaged tightly, standing beside it, stroking brown fur with one hand. Lupin, still in wolf form, lay on his side, bandages wrapped around his beaten body. Harry stepped next to Tonks and gazed down at Lupin.
"He'll be fine," Tonks said, breaking Harry from his trance, "He'll heal in the transformation once the sun comes up."
"When's that?"
"Maybe in half-an-hour or so," Tonks said, playing with a piece of Lupin's fur. Harry didn't say anything else; he just walked away. He walked past all of the crying and somber people, past all of the lifeless bodies of his teachers and classmates, straight to the door.
Harry felt a hand grab his shoulder just as he was about to step out of the Great Hall. He turned around to see a red-eyes Ron standing there, holding the destroyed horcrux in his fist.
"You're not going alone mate," he said, his hand still on Harry's shoulder.
"Ron, you should be with you family right now. They need you." Ron shook his head.
"I promised you that you wouldn't do this alone. I'm not going to break that promise." He gave Harry a small smile and handed the horcrux to Harry, who smiled back. Harry nodded and they walked out of the Great Hall.
Fred, George and Ginny watched them leave, their eyes following them as they disappeared.
"Where do ya think they're going?" Fred asked. Ginny answered, her eyes never leaving the place where Ron and Harry had just been.
"To end it."
"My Lord, perhaps we should go look for him," one Death Eater spoke up.
"Quiet! He will come," the snake-like figure hissed while a giant snake curled around his feet, her tongue flicking out every so often.
The Death Eaters stood behind the snake-like figure; their black robes making them blend in with the shadows of the forest. The red-eyes figure stood with his wand in hand, his last horcrux behind him protectively.
A rustle made all of their heads turn and Voldemort smiled. Two figures made their way through the trees into a small clearing that held the Death Eaters and Voldemort standing proudly in front. The two figures stopped about 10 feet from Voldemort and Voldemort sneered.
"So…the great Harry Potter finally comes," Voldemort said his voice sickly smooth. He looked over at Ron and before Ron or Harry could move, two large beefy Death Eaters came up from behind and grabbed Ron's arms, dragging him away from Harry and over to the side while he struggled uselessly and earned a great punch in the gut.
Harry looked away from Ron and clenched his jaw. He took the horcrux out of his pocket and threw it at Voldemort's feet, making Voldemort bristle with rage.
"They're gone Tom," Harry sneered, "They're all gone except for your snake." Nagini hissed from her spot at Voldemort's feet.
"You will lose Tom!" Harry announce, pointing his wand at the snake and shooting off a sickly yellow light. The snake slithered away as the curse hit the ground, making the grass smoke next to Voldemort. Voldemort smirked.
"You cannot destroy me Harry Potter. You foolish boy! You will die today Harry Potter."
"Sorry to upset you Tom but only one of us can survive and I believe that it will be me."
Voldemort shot a curse at Harry, shot ducked and shot one in return, which he blocked with a mere flick of his wand. Voldemort laughed, a cold heartless laugh, as Harry threw two more spells at him.
"You will lose Harry Potter. You will always lose." He shot a spell at Harry, which hit him in the stomach and made his double over while Ron started to struggle harder, punching two Death Eaters in the face before they got him under control again, putting him in a Binding Spell.
Voldemort shot another curse at Harry, catching him in his shoulder and making him stumble back a few feet while Voldemort kept on laughing, the Death Eaters behind him watching and laughing at the view. Harry gritted his teeth and sent a shower of curses at Voldemort, all of which just bounced off of his invisible shield. Voldemort then threw curse after curse at Harry, making him fall to his knees, bleeding and breathing heavily.
"Say goodbye Harry Potter," Voldemort said, raising his wand to Harry just as a rustle sounded behind him. The Death Eaters and Voldemort turned around just in time to see a silver wolf covered and matted in red blood jump over a Death Eater and land in front of the group of cloaked figures.
Before anyone could move, Nagini shot out and attacked the bloody and injured werewolf, her mouth open revealing venomous fangs. The wolf lunged, her head tilted to the side and her mouth open. The snake's fangs were just about to sink into the wolf's shoulder when the wolf caught Nagini by the neck, biting down hard and ripping the entire head off.
A black cloud of smoke exploded from the headless snake while a face formed in the smoke, its mouth open in a silent scream. The smoke disappeared as soon as the silver wolf jumped through it, her mouth open and paws extended as she jumped at Voldemort.
Voldemort reaching into his robe quickly and just as her fur started to brush his skin, he stabbed something sharp and shiny into her stomach. The wolf howled in pain and landed with a thud at Voldemort's feet. He kicked the wolf, making her roll a few feet away, her whines getting weaker and weaker as blood slowly began to spread across her belly fur.
"No," Harry whispered, his eyes on the silver wolf.
"You see Harry Potter…not even your Mudblood beast can stop me! And now you will pay for everything you have done."
"No," Harry said, his voice getting louder.
"And now Harry Potter, you will join her!" Voldemort shouted.
"NO!" Harry screamed. Power pulsated off of him in one giant wave, making Voldemort stumble backwards.
"NOOOO!" Harry shouted again, pointing his wand at Voldemort. A bright light exploded from Harry's wand, hitting Voldemort in the chest and making him fall to him knees. Voldemort screamed and clutched his chest, his movements slow and his eyes wide in pain and disbelief. Voldemort looked at his hands, his skin starting to peel away in small flakes that looked like little grains of sand.
He screamed as his face started to break apart into small grains of skin and flesh. His scream soon became silent though as his mouth started to fall apart while the entire left side of his body started to turn into small grains, floating away as the wind picked up. His red eyes locked on Harry's while the rest of his body was carried away in the wind.
The Death Eaters stared at the spot where their master had once stood. They all glanced at each other for a split second before they all apparated away in multiple clouds of black smoke.
Harry didn't even bother to try to capture them; he just let them go. He just ran to Hermione, sliding on his knees to her side. Ron dropped to her other side just as Harry rolled the wolf on her back. The knife was in deep, with only the handle sticking out, and Harry could see the flesh around it was blackened and burnt.
The wolf whined and looked at Harry, chocolate brown swirling in the black eyes before the entire eye was a familiar brown color. The wolf's body started to shrink, the bone cracking while the hair disappeared back into the skin, the hair on her head turning a dark brown color.
The wounds that were on the wolf knitted themselves back together and the skin around the knife looked like it was trying to heal but failing. Soon enough, Hermione was lying in between Ron and Harry, blood still covering her and the knife still in her stomach.
Harry quickly pulled the knife out while Ron removed his robe, wrapping it around Hermione's naked form. Hermione weakly turned her head to face Harry, her mouth and neck completely coated in dried blood.
"I'm sorry Harry," she whispered, her voice hoarse and barely audible. Harry clutched her cold hand tightly and a tear slid down his cheek. Hermione weakly reached her arm up and wiped the tear away before letting her arm fall to the ground again. Hermione slowly closed her eyes, feeling herself slowly slipping into darkness.
The last thing she heard was Harry's screaming voice.
A/N: Yay! The chapter is finally up! This is the longest one so far and I'm very sad to say that there is only one more chapter. I will hopefully get it up soon and will probably get it up before school starts (ugghh!) I got this one out as fast as I could and it surprisingly only took two days to write but I wanted to get it out before Hurricane Irene came (stupid name I think). I'm guessing that the power will be out and my computer's battery wouldn't last as long as I would need it so right now, I am very happy that I got it done. But anyway, I hope you all enjoy this very much and I just want to mention that you guys are awesome!
