"No," Aly breathed.
Adam was on the ground, near a pile of collapsed rubble.
"Incarcerous!"
Aly ducked, but Kylie was attacked by ropes. She fell to the ground, yelling. He used the silencing charm. Aly whirled around and stopped. John stood in front of her, grinning sadistically.
Boom. "NO! FRED! NO!"
Aly couldn't swallow.
"Thank you for letting me live," he said, bowing. "If you had decided to let me die, I wouldn't be here."
Aly looked down at Adam briefly, wincing as she saw the gash on his side. Suddenly, she could feel the phoenix tears in her back pocket. Kylie wiggled on the floor in fear.
"Just let me heal him," she pleaded. "You can have me, if you like."
"Pffh. No. That blood traitor deserved it," John laughed.
"Let him live," Aly growled. "Or I'll kill you."
"I'd like to see you try," John smiled. He opened his arms. "Avada Kedavra. Right in the chest. Go ahead."
"I don't resort to dirty death eater methods to kill people," Aly spat, clutching her wand. "I have other ways."
"Good luck with that."
Adam groaned behind Aly.
"Bloody...Stupefy!"
"Protego." The spell was bounced back. Aly leapt to the side and jumped. "Confringo!"
"NO!" she exclaimed, ducking as the wall began to collapse. She jumped over to Adam and shielded him as the wall crumbled.
The crumbling stopped and Aly looked up hesitantly. She groaned as she realized that the wall formed a little cave around them. She heard John laugh and disapparate. She looked down at Adam, whose face was contorted into pain. He groaned.
"Oh, geez," Aly said rapidly, reaching into her back pocket. "Please be there."
To her extreme relief, the bottle of phoenix tears was still in her back pocket. Breathing rapidly, she uncorked the bottle and bent over Adam's wound. His shirt was ripped where the wound was. Choking back her tears, she poured a few drops on the wound.
She sat down and watched as Adam's wound healed completely. Sighing with relief, she looked down at the bottle of phoenix tears. Thank you.
Below her, Adam sighed with relief. "Thank you. I think I was about to die."
"And you said you were ready," Aly said, teasing slightly. "What happened?"
"Sectumsempra," Adam winced as he sat up and leaned on the wall. "John caught me and Kylie off guard."
Aly smiled slightly, helping him up.
"Funny. I don't feel anything wrong now," he smiled. "It was burning from the inside before."
"I figured," Aly grinned. She sighed. "Shall we get out of here?"
"Wait. I hear something."
BOOM! Aly shielded her eyes as the wall crumbled around them. She blinked slightly, peered through the dust, and grinned at Kylie.
"Hey!"
"Jesus!" Damien exclaimed, running over to Kylie. "That bastard!" His face was dirty and had a few cuts.
"Nice brother," Adam winced, standing up and walking out of the rubble. "Nearly killed me."
"Thank God she gave me these tears," Aly said seriously.
"You have fought. Valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery."
"Dammit!" Kylie swore, looking around. "Now what?"
"You, Harry Potter, have let your friends die for you. One hour, you have. I shall enter the fray. Every man, woman and child who has protected you will die. One hour."
"Over my dead body!" Aly spat at the ceiling.
"Honey, you will be one if you don't shut up," Kylie said. "Let's go."
"Go where?" Aly asked with confusion.
"Great Hall," Damien answered. "Everyone is there."
They disapparated.
"Professor Lupin..." Aly mouthed wordlessly. "Tonks..."
Fresh tears poured down her face as she watched families crowd around their dead. Damien looked away as he led them down the line.
"Aly!"
Aly!"
Aly looked up in confusion as she heard two vaguely familiar parental voices. Her eyes widened as she saw Joy and Darien standing with her friends.
She looked down at their feet and gasped. Declan was on the ground, his face peaceful. Joy laid next to him.
"He's...dead?" Aly whispered. Darien took her into his arm with consolation. "He died trying to save Julian, honey."
"It's my fault," Julian whispered, sitting next to Declan's body. "I was caught by a trip jinx and he turned around to save me...and then...the killing curse...it's my fault."
Bev reached down to hug him. Char, Damien, Julian Hayden, Amanda, Adam and David grieved silently.
"What happened to Joy?" Aly choked.
"Deprimo," David said, his tears wet. "I saw it. One came up from behind her. Completely off guard."
"What're you two doing here?" Aly asked, looking at Joy and Darien.
"I heard some news that a battle was going on," Darien smiled. "We could hear it from Kilbride."
"I came because if I know you, you'd go in," Joy said, trying to smile. She hugged Aly. "Oh, I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault," Aly mumbled. "You just came up. What've you to be sorry about?"
Joy smiled. "For sending you away."
"It was fun," Aly smiled. "I graduated, by the way. Valedictorian."
"Congrats," Joy said, pulling back to wipe her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'd be more excited...but..."
"It's a time to mourn," Darien finished, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I know." Joy smiled slightly at Darien.
"I've missed you," she smiled.
"You too," Darien said gently. "How's everything?"
Aly took this time to walk over to her friends, who stood staring at their friends' bodies.
"He didn't even know," Julian said, wiping his eyes.
"Her dad?" Bev asked quietly.
"Yeah. She just snuck out one night to come here with us," David mumbled. "And now she's dead. How will he take it? She was my girl."
"At least Declan's family knew," Bev muttered. "He knew what he was getting into."
Aly kneeled next to Julian and hugged him softly while he cried.
She was perfectly content to hold him for the next hour.
