Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.
A/N: Thanks to MiaCara, who is my beta for this story.
Chapter Fifty
Fighting Part Three
Everything seemed to happen so fast, one second the doors to the room were there and the next he found himself facing five Death Eaters, helped only by one other person. He sent everything he had at the Death Eaters, stalling them for as long as he could so those still behind had time to get out of the room, but he knew he could only hold this up for a few seconds. He was outnumbered and they were stronger than he was, but somehow he was going to have to buy a few more minutes. He cast every single curse that he could think of that would cause a distraction.
"Dad … Neville, everyone's in the tunnel," he heard Hannah shout from behind him, form the corner of his eyes he could see her shield charm protect Dobby, as the elf hurried the last of the younger students through the tunnel. He slowly walked backwards, wondering if he too could escape through the tunnel … or would that be wrong. He probably should stay behind and make sure the Death Eater had to fight him before following the others. That would give them more time …
"DAD!" the cry from Hannah made up Neville's decision for him as he saw Mr. Abbott fall to the ground because of a curse that had a bright yellow color to it.
"Dobby, take Hannah and close the passageway!" he commanded, not even turning to look at them despite the protested he heard from Hannah as he stopped being defensive and charged forward to fight the Death Eaters.
He actually cursed two of the Death Eaters before he was hit by a spell that knocked him off his feet, his wand falling out of his hand as he crushed to the ground. Despite the fact that he was wandless now, he got to his feet, turning to face the three remaining Death Eaters as defiantly as he could.
"You were foolish to try and protect them boy … even more so for staying behind," one of the mask man said. "But I daresay Longbottoms aren't known for making the smart choice."
"Who are you?" Neville demanded, not liking the taunt he just heard one bit.
"Rabastan, Avery, open that passageway," the Death Eaters ordered before looking down at Neville, taking off his mask and Neville saw Rodolphus Lestrange. "You asked who I am … why I'm the man that watched the last glint of sanity leave your parents' eyes."
"You!" Neville growled and tried to charge at the man.
"Crucio," Rodolphus said lazily and Neville felt pain like he had never felt before.
It seemed to go on forever until suddenly it was gone, though his body still ached. He found that he was on the floor and his throat hurt … he must have been yelling.
"Call back that elf," Rodolphus said in an indifferent voice. "Order him to open the passageway … I promise that I will not hurt the children … the Dark Lord doesn't want to destroy the future generation."
"The Dark Lord couldn't give a damn about a future generation," Neville cried out defiantly. "I won't help you."
"An answer I would expect from a Longbottom," Rodolphus commented, "Perhaps you'll find some kind of please with your parents when you go mad as well."
Neville could do nothing but glare at Rodolphus … could do nothing but wait from the curse to come, because he wasn't going to give up the kids no matter what this monster threatened him with.
"Cru …" Rodolphus started to say until there was a flash of black behind him and he groaned as he flew through the air landing a few feet in front of Neville.
"Neville are you okay?" Ginny asked him, she was out of breath and showed obvious signs of being in a fight, but clearly not seriously injured. Neville couldn't answer, he was looking behind him as Luna and Mrs. Weasley fought the two reminding Death Eaters, though they had been caught by surprise as well, they were able to defend themselves before getting taken care of.
"Yeah," Neville muttered in response when he turned back and noticed Ginny still looking at him, before he moved to get his wand. He spotted it a few feet away and as soon as he picked it up he went to help Luna in her fight and was lucky enough to hit the Death Eater with a curse which also made it so Luna's curse hit her opponent as well. He turned to Mrs. Weasley then but noticed that that duel was done with as well.
"The children?" Mrs. Weasley asked, warily.
"Grans is taking them through the passageway with Hannah and Dobby," Neville answered. "I couldn't hold off the Death Eaters …"
"You did well, Neville," Mrs. Weasley said, giving him a weak smile, though it seemed like the best she could managed.
"It seems like they're going to get out near the vanishing wall on the fourth floor," Ginny said and Neville turned to gap at her. How could she possible know that, but he saw that she had a map in her hand, the one that Harry used.
"We better get over there as quickly as we can then," Mrs. Weasley nodded.
"Wait I have to check on Mr. Abbott," Neville said and the three women turned as one to look at the man that was laying unconscious on the floor near them as Neville moved over him. Neville checked his neck and was relieved when he found a pulse. "What should we do with him?"
Mrs. Weasley bent down to examine Mr. Abbott before she started muttering some kind of spell that Neville didn't know. Second later Mr. Abbott's eyes flickered opened and Mrs. Weasley quickly explained what had happened and that they had to leave to get to the fourth floor as quickly as possible.
"I don't think I can move quickly," Mr. Abbott grimaced as he sat up. "Go without me, I'll be fine here."
"If a Death Eater finds you they won't show you any mercy because you're hurt," Neville pointed out, knowing that was true. "I'll help you move, but let's hurry."
"I'll take my chances," Mr. Abbott said, and when they didn't listen to him he said in near tears, "Hannah needs your help more than I do … please make sure that she's okay."
"I will," Neville said, leaning down and helping Mr. Abbott onto his feet, the other man flinching in pain but stood all the same, letting himself be supported by Neville. "But we're all going to go there together … I'm not leaving you behind."
There were no more arguments after that and though they couldn't run, as Neville wanted, to get to the fourth floor, they moved at a quick walk as he supported half of Mr. Abbott's weight.
O
Remus winched as pain shot through the whole left side of his body as he picked himself off the ground. He couldn't tell how long that they had been fighting but there seemed to be more people on the ground now than still standing facing off against each other. There were now gaping holes in the line of defense of Hogwarts as more people fell prey to the attacks and they had already fallen back twice to fill in the gaps.
He wasn't sure if they were winning or losing, and he wasn't sure if he really cared right now as the fight went on. All that mattered was that Dora was still fighting next to him and he could hear Harry and Ron still shouting curses. Whenever he looked over he could see Sirius fighting … that was all he needed to know right now to keep going, despite the fact that his left arm was broken and useless at the moment and his leg felt like it was on fire … a remembrance of a curse he was hit with.
He turned suddenly as he felt his body tense at some unseen threat, his pain seeming to leave his thought as he felt a rage fill his chest. He saw the figured there, running as if on all fours but he was clearly not an animal.
He wasn't sure but he thought he snarled when he went after the beast that was running towards one of the fallen victims on the ground. There was no thought in his head as he faced the man that had nearly ruined his life completely. The curse he sent at Fenrir Greyback however missed … the other man seeming to have sensed Remus just has much as Remus had sensed him.
"Stay away from them," Remus did snarl this time.
"That's right, boy, let that anger out," Greyback smiled, his mouth covered in blood as he grinned. "You're fighting it, but you know part of you wants to join me."
"You're disgusting!" Remus said. "You're not a man at all anymore."
"Why would I want to merely be a man?" Greyback laughed. "I'm stronger … faster … better than they are."
"But clearly not smarter," Remus said, pushing his instincts that were demanding him to fight Greyback hand to hand, back. He had felt this before when he had been around other werewolves, but it was so much stronger facing Greyback that it was all he could do not to pounce on him.
"Go on … attack me boy," Greyback smiled, reading his thoughts easily. "I created you after all … it's only natural you would want to fight me … I'll kill you like all the others …"
Remus sent a curse at him, and Greyback laughed, jumping out of the way. He continued to taunt Remus, trying to egg him on to a physical fight. Remus knew why he was doing this though, in a fight Greyback would likely win, but in a duel … Remus definitely had the advantage.
"Why don't you just go back to the hell you came from!" Remus growled vindictively and he used the most powerful curse that he knew to send the werewolf flying through the air, hopefully broken to pieces. Remus tried again to control himself, the wolf in him never being so close to the surface while he was still a man and he felt a panic go through him as he fear that maybe he wouldn't be able to control it.
Before he could even try to, he heard footsteps closing in on him and he turned around just in time to see the red light hit him and everything faded to black.
O
Narcissa wasn't sure how it came about that she was so far away from Draco, defending some other passageway into Hogwarts when all she wanted to do was be near her son and make sure nothing happened to him. Somehow Sirius had convinced her that she and Draco would be in more danger if they were near each other. It would make their attempt to hide their appearance by transfiguring their features pointless. She wasn't sure she agreed with that, but she didn't disagree either. Everything seemed to be uncertain in this battle.
She knew one thing though, her sister, was going to be looking for her. And it was best that Draco was nowhere near her if and when she was found.
She couldn't really understand how none of the Death Eaters that she had face, and there had only been two of them in the long hours since the defensive had been breached, had not known her for who she really was. Did the fact that her hair was black really make it so no one could recognize her? Or perhaps they had just not cared who they were fighting; they were just fighting for the victory.
"Oh, another defender of Hogwarts," the deadly voice said from behind her, and she felt her body stiffed.
It was clear by the tone and the words that she didn't recognize Narcissa any more than the previous Death Eaters had, but once she turned around would it be a different story … the voice filled her with fear she hadn't felt in years.
"Frozen in place and I haven't done anything yet," a cold and mad tone entered the voice, "have I finally stumbled along someone I was looking for?" as she mused this Narcissa suddenly found herself turned around, her arms unable to move, and she was staring into the craze eyes of her eldest sister. Bellatrix smiled a mad amusement in her eyes, "do you really think that disguise would fool me?"
"No," Narcissa answered softly, knowing full well that she was showing too much fear in her expression. Bellatrix strives on fear, but she couldn't control herself. She had always been hopelessly useless against her older sister.
"Do you realize how many people I had to torture and kill before I got to you?" Bellatrix asked.
"None," Narcissa answered and Bellatrix looked at her incredulously, "you didn't have to kill anyone, but that's never stopped you before."
"Do you think you will be any different?" Bellatrix snapped, clearly angered by the way this conversation was going.
Narcissa brought an humorless smile to her face, of course this wasn't going the way that Bellatrix wanted, she would want pleading … want her to beg for mercy … Well, she might not put up a fight, but this was one things she could do to stand up to her sister in one way at least. "Of course not. You'd do anything he asked you to!"
"DON'T TALK OF HIM!" Bellatrix screeched. "You dare mention that after your betrayal!"
"I was only ever loyal to my family," Narcissa said, and that was the truth. That was why she had ended up with the Death Eaters in the first place, because her parents and sister had been so sure that he was right. And through that she had gotten to know Lucius and that had helped her go even deeper into the whole war. If Draco hadn't changed his allegiance, then she probably would have been standing by her sister fighting with the Death Eaters. Though she feared that she was going to die very soon, she was glad that Draco was braver than she had been … had made the right choice. At least she didn't have any regrets now …
"I'm your family!" Bellatrix said and for one second Narcissa could see the sister she remembered when she was seven, before Bella went to Hogwarts and they had heard of the Dark Lord. She had still been arrogate and cruel, but there had been kindest there too. The look vanished as soon as she saw it and was replaced with a disgusted expression.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Narcissa didn't have time to response as shock went through her … she had been expecting to be tortured … played with … but she'll just die …
The thought had gone through her mind in a second that she didn't realize that she wasn't dead. That the green light hadn't come from Bellatrix's wand at all. That the voice that had shouted the curse wasn't her sister's mad and bitter tone. That Bellatrix was falling, her wand raised as if she was about to throw a curse, and the shocked and angry expression frozen on her face for all eternity as the life slowly dimmed in her eyes.
"Bellatrix," Narcissa found herself saying, still not comprehending what she was seeing, and she got up to move to her sister without conscious thought.
"S- she … s-she was going to k-kill you," the person that had saved Narcissa said in a shaky voice that was farther confusing her muddled mind. The person sounded sorry, but who would be sorry that Bellatrix Lestrange, the most deranged and dangerous of the Dark Lord's followers was dead.
Dead, the word bounced around in Narcissa's mind and she couldn't believe it, and yet the proof of that was right in front of her. She felt tears brim in her eyes as she thought of her sister long ago again.
"I – I killed her," the person said again in a devastated voice, but this time Narcissa recognized it.
"Andy," she croaked out, looking at her other sister … her only reminding sister. The haunted look in Andromeda's eyes made her look so much like Bellatrix had the first time Narcissa had seen her after breaking out of Azkaban. They had always looked so much alike that it was hard to believe that they could be so different in their personalities, but they were nearly complete opposites. Bellatrix could have killed her without remorse. Andromeda, on the other hand, clearly already felt remorseful of killing Bellatrix despite knowing what a truly horrible person their sister was.
"I … she was …" Andromeda said still unable to make sense.
"I know," Narcissa said, picking herself off the ground and walking towards her sister and wrapped her arms around her. "I know … you saved me."
Andromeda didn't answer in words but she seemed to relax almost immediately at the words.
"We can't just stand here …" Narcissa said, her wits returning to her as she remembered they were still in the middle of the battle.
"Of course," Andromeda said, looking at Bellatrix grimacing. "I never got along with her … she tried to kill me and Ted on more than one occasion … she tried to kill my Nymphadora … but I never thought that I would … I'd be the one …" she went on in thick voice.
"I know," Narcissa said again, and then added, not sure if it would help or make things worse, but had to say either way, "at least now she can't hurt anyone else …"
Andromeda nodded her head, spearing one more grim look at her sister and then turned. It was time to get back to the fight and grief will be dealt with later.
A/N: Wow, so the ending of this chapter didn't happen at all like I thought it would. I mean I had planned for Bellatrix and Narcissa to meet (and maybe even fight) and then I would have had Neville and Molly helping but as soon as I had Narcissa thoughts on hearing Avada Kedavra, this is what came up.
Also, I just want to mention that I've been reading the Song of Fire and Ice series for the last month and I blame the way that I have decided to do the last three chapters on that. I seemed to want to do at least one part of the battle in several different characters' pov and show a little of how each of them fight. I don't know if it was the best idea or not, but that's how it worked out. However, the next chapter I'm planning on moving forward with the battle … as in trying to show the bigger picture and not just the fights that have been going on.
