Chapter Thirty Six

A/N: No reviewers.

There were so many curses flying through the air that Scarlette could barely raise her head long enough to know who was friend and who was foe. Not that she was certain of those concepts in the first place. All around her, Hogwarts students fought with a ferocity she had never seen before. Somewhere in the castle, Nymphadora would be battling Death Eaters, Remus by her side. Out near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Harry's footsteps crunched against the branches. The outcome of the battle was being decided with every small movement. All except for hers.

When the Death Eaters stormed the castle, Scarlette had taken refuge with Ginny and the others in the Room of Requirement. The room had been filled with groans and shouts of protest when they had been told to remain, but the brunette could not have been more thankful. Of course, it did not last. Nymphadora had been the first to go, running to find her husband, then Ginny had followed close behind. If it had been anyone else, Scarlette would have cowered longer, taken the easy way out. But not them. She could not do it to them.

So she had made her way out into the hallway and her first curse had sent a Death Eater flying into a nearby wall. The first thing she did was examine their face, looking for any familiar features. The brunette might have sighed in relief, had she had the time. She did not know the, as she had feared she might- the last thing she wanted was more guilt weighing on her conscience.

As she made her way through the courtyard, Scarlette dodged curses from students and dark wizards alike, both sides attacking her but neither coming to her aid. 'It's apt, really.' Scarlette observed. 'I don't really belong with any of them anymore, at least not as far as they're concerned.'

Eventually, she found a small alcove to crouch in, taking shelter from the barrage of sparks for just a few minutes while she tried to figure out what to do next. She was not going to make a significant difference sending stunning spells and blocking curses from the Death Eaters, even well-trained as she was. There must be something else she could do. If only Harry was here to help her, but the boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Lettie!" The call broke through the chaos of battle and Scarlette could not help but smile a little. Even a battleground would not stop Ginny yelling to get her friend's attention. "There's so many of them."

"That's not all of them." Scarlette pointed out, hunched over as she panted. Her fear was not helping her catch her breath. "They're just the foot soldiers- Snatchers, werewolves, Dementors. The Dark Lord's trying to clear as many of us out as he can before he storms the castle with the Death Eaters. Besides, he only wants Harry."

"Well, he's not going to get him." Ginny growled. Scarlette smiled gently. It was a relief to see something familiar in all this danger; the redhead still loved Harry as much as ever. "I haven't seen them."

The statement came so out of nowhere that it took the brunette a moment to realise what she was talking about. She nodded slowly. "They'll be with the Dark Lord. Or she will be, at least. My dad might be valuable enough to send out as cannon fodder, but he wouldn't do it to my mum."

Ginny did not respond, not trusting herself not to spark another argument. Instead, she asked the question that had been weighing so heavily on her mind. "And what are you going to do then?"

Scarlette shrugged her shoulders, feeling tears begin to well in her eyes. The sounds of the battle around them seemed to fade into silence, the battle inside her mind too loud to be overcome. She could not lie to Ginny, but she could not tell her the truth either. In fact, she was not quite sure what the truth was.

"Lettie… you know that we love you, don't you?" Ginny was looking at her as if they were the only two people in the courtyard, as if people were not dying around them in their dozens. "If you choose to fight with the Dark Lord, then I can't stop you, but if you're only doing it because you think you have no one else to turn to… you've got us. We're your family too."

A tear streaked down Scarlette's cheek, leaving a trail that shimmered with the reflection of the fires burning through the courtyard. She looked up at the edge of the hill, where some Death Eaters were still assembled, waiting for their chance to attack when the second wave came in the morning. Her parents would likely be stood among them, looking down on the battle. She wondered if they were looking for her, to see if she was in danger. She wondered if they even cared.

Finally, her decision was made. There was only one way forward.

"I'm going to go to the Death Eater camp." Scarlette announced. Ginny looked up at her, her mouth falling open in shock. "I'm not joining them, Ginny. I just think I might be able to find out something that could help us. Anything's got to be worth a try, people are dying all around us."

"But if they figure out you're on our side, they'll kill you!" Ginny protested. Her eyes were pleading and Scarlette's gaze fell to the floor. She could not bear to look at the redhead any longer. "You can't defend yourself against a whole group of Death Eaters, Lettie. If they want you dead, then you're dead."

"I guess it's a risk I'll just have to take." Scarlette replied, and the argument was finished. There was no chance Ginny could change her mind. She could see the young woman biting her lip, trying to keep silent, or to keep her tears at bay. Either way, there was no reassurance she could be given. "It's the only way."

Scarlette leant forward, wrapping her arms around Ginny's shoulders. For a minute, it was just like five years ago, when the two had met for the first time and found friendship even across the great divide between them. It was a comfort to know that Ginny Weasley would stand by her in the end, no matter what obstacles they faced.

When they broke apart, the brunette did not linger, turning on her heel and heading for the hill where the Death Eaters had amassed. If she looked back, she would lose her nerve, because she would see what she was fighting for, what she stood to lose.

'This isn't about me.' she convinced herself, as the ash fell around her. 'This is about them, all of them. I'm the only one who can save them, and I can't let fear get in my way. If it's me or the world, it's not a choice.'

At least, that was what she told herself. It made it simpler to believe.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter, the story's getting into the home strait. Please review!