This is the first in a series of chapters about the Battle of Hogwarts, so enjoy!


Chapter 56

Katherine surveyed the room and was happy to find all of the students staring determinedly at her. They were going to fight with Katherine and Katherine was happy about that.

"Luna, I want you to help Harry find something." Katherine said when she spotted the blond haired Ravenclaw. Luna nodded and moved over to Harry. "Ron and Hermione, you two go down to the Chamber. Neville, you and the Patil twins need to go distract Snape. Hannah, go get Professor Sprout. Seamus, go get Professor Slughorn. And Corner, go get Professor Flitwick. Colin, get the other professors who are still on our side."

The mentioned people nodded and were about to leave, but Katherine stopped them.

"I am going to get Professor McGonagall and we'll take care of the Carrow twins. Neville, Pavarti, and Padma, you need to make Snape come out of the headmaster's office. Then return back here. Those who are getting the professors need to come back here and tell the professors to meet in the Great Hall. Once they have returned, all of you will wait five minutes before slowly going down to the Great Hall. Everyone, understand?" Katherine said.

They all nodded and Katherine dismissed them.

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione, we will meet at the entrance of the Room of Requirement in a half hour, alright?" Katherine asked.

They nodded. Katherine smiled, and then made her way out of the Room of Requirement, walking like a victorious general.


Professor McGonagall downed her second shot of Firewhiskey. Usually, she avoided the stuff like it was the plague, but it had been a very horrible year. Her students were tortured mercilessly and she could not stop the tortures. She never felt so powerless before.

She let her head fall into her arms as she waited impatiently for the Firewhiskey to make everything go away.

"Who knew that you wouldn't be able to survive with me?" A voice said teasingly.

Professor McGonagall raised her head, scowling at the insolent student, but the scowl left her face as she saw Katherine Peters standing before her. Professor McGonagall's face twitched in what was supposed to be a smile.

"You think too highly of yourself, Miss Peters." Professor McGonagall said, pursing her lips.

Katherine tipped the bottle of Firewhiskey back in order to read the label. Katherine's lips twitched.

"Sure." She said sarcastically. "So, during the year that I do not return, Professor McGonagall decides to become a drunkard. Coincidence? I think not."

"Be quiet, Miss Peters." Professor McGonagall said, but Katherine just smiled. "And this is the first drink I've had all year."

"Well, I'd love to argue, but we don't have time." Katherine said.

"And what, pray tell, are we doing?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"We're taking back the castle." Katherine smiled.

"Just us?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"We can do it. I mean, after all, you've got me on your side." Katherine smiled to let McGonagall know she was kidding.

"I'm hoping that you have a plan and this is not some reckless adventure you and your friends seem to like having." Professor McGonagall said.

"I have somewhat of a plan." Katherine answered with a small smile.

"That's better than nothing." Professor McGonagall said as she stood up with wand in hand. "I'm in."


Katherine and Professor McGonagall snuck around the halls of the castle. When they reached the floor where the Carrows' office was, Katherine hid behind a suit of armor and McGonagall went to go knock on the office door. The door opened and the twins growled at McGonagall.

"What is it, McGonagall?" Alecto asked.

"I overheard that some students were planning on taking over the castle. I thought it was best that you handle the situation." McGonagall lied.

"Can't 'andle the ickle students, Minerva?" Amycus mocked.

"C'mon, brother. This will be fun." Alecto said with a murderous look in her eye.

Amycus and Alecto walked out of their office and turned their backs on Professor McGonagall and Katherine, who was slowly moving out of her hiding spot. McGonagall quietly pulled out her wand as Katherine silently joined her. Katherine held up her hand and wordlessly counted down from three.

"Stupefy!" McGonagall and Katherine shouted.

The Carrow twins dropped and Katherine stuffed them in a closet and bound them tightly. She turned around to Professor McGonagall and smiled.

"Two down, one to go." Katherine said as an explosion rocketed throughout the castle. "I believe that's Neville."

Katherine and McGonagall ran until they reached the hall where the explosion had gone off. A very angry Snape was reviewing the damage. McGonagall moved into Snape's line of sight.

"Your time as headmaster has come to an end." McGonagall said.

McGonagall fired spells at Snape, who just deflected them or produced shields; he didn't attack. After a moment, he disappeared and left the castle.

"I'll meet you in the Great Hall later. Did you call the Order?" Katherine asked.

"Yes, but you do not believe that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will come here, do you?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"He will come because Harry's here." Katherine said. "He will come and there will be blood."


Katherine was waiting in front of the entrance to the Room of Requirement. The students that had been hiding in it had left and were now waiting in the Great Hall for her. She heard footsteps and saw Ron and Hermione coming, holding hands and looking extremely happy. They let go when they saw Katherine.

"I assume that the Chamber of Secrets was fun." Katherine said, her green eyes glinting in amusement.

Hermione blushed and Ron looked up at the ceiling. Katherine smiled broadly in amusement.

Then they heard more footsteps and saw Harry and Luna hurrying over to them. Harry looked slightly frustrated.

"So, what happened?" Katherine asked.

"The Horcrux is Ravenclaw's diadem, and we're just about to go find out where it is. But let's kill this Horcrux first." Harry said.

Ron handed Katherine a Basilisk fang and Hermione placed Hufflepuff's Cup on the floor in front of the Room of Requirement. Everyone backed away as Katherine knelt before the Cup with the Basilisk fang in her hand.

"It will fight back, Katherine." Harry warned.

"I can handle it." Katherine said over her shoulder.

Katherine took the Basilisk fang and brought it down with all of her power into the Cup. The tip of the fang barely touched the Cup, when a concussion of air blasted all five off of their feet and nearly threw Katherine down the stairs.

Katherine rolled over to see a cloud of black swirl around the Cup. A figure walked out wearing robes of royal purple, a bejeweled crown, boots and gloves made of dragon hide, and a gold handle rapier on its hip. The figure opened its eyes and they were green like Katherine's. A face began to appear on the figure and revealed itself to be Katherine's.

"I have seen your inner most desires, Katherine." A silky voice said, reminding Katherine of young Tom Riddle's. "I have seen your ambitions, though you try to hid them. I have seen how you crave power and extravagance."

"Look at what you could become." Riddle-Katherine said, moving her hand enticingly down the robes. "Look at all that you can behold. Look at the riches which can be yours. Look at the power that you can have. It can all be yours, but only if you join Him."

"Join me, Katherine." Young Tom Riddle's voice said silkily. "I can give you everything."

"Can you bring back Cedric?" Katherine shot.

The Riddle-Katherine and Tom's voice hesitated. And the hesitation was all that Katherine needed to know to reveal that the Horcrux was lying. Katherine ran forward and stabbed the Cup, but barely penetrated the surface.

Riddle-Katherine grabbed Katherine and threw her into the wall. The Basilisk fang flew from her grasp. Riddle-Katherine picked up Katherine and smashed her repeatedly into the wall. Then Riddle-Katherine, wearing a ring similar to Cedric's, punched Katherine in her bruised cheek. Katherine's sucked in her breath in pain only to have Riddle-Katherine slam her fist into Katherine's stomach.

Then Riddle-Katherine screamed in pain and dropped Katherine. Fighting off the stars that were claiming her vision, Katherine saw Hermione pushing the fang further into Hufflepuff's Cup. Riddle-Katherine tried to attack Hermione, but Katherine jumped and tackled the Horcrux figure.

Riddle-Katherine screamed louder, and then disappeared. Hermione slumped to the floor in exhaustion. Ron ran to her and gently helped her to her feet. Harry helped Katherine.

"Katherine?" Harry asked upon seeing Katherine's furious expression.

"It couldn't kill it." Katherine said through gritted teeth.

"It's alright." Harry said, but Katherine ignored him.

"Clearly, I'm not meant to help you with this adventure." Katherine said angrily. "Obviously, this is a Harry-Ron-And-Hermione-Only thing. No room for anyone else."

"Katherine," Hermione started to say.

"It doesn't matter." Katherine said briskly. "You kill Tommy and I'll lead the army. Good? Good."

Katherine turned on her heel and walked away before any one of them could say anything.

I got beaten up by my imagination.