Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.

Chapter 20 – The Battle

Chaos. It was the only word that Lucy could think of to describe what was happening in Hogwarts castle at that moment. There were flashes of lights all around her, and chunks of the wall and ceiling cascaded down every few minutes.

But Lucy didn't care. She had to get to someone—had to find someone she knew. She had to know what was going on during the fighting.

"Jones!" a voice yelled, stopping her.

There was a loud bang, and before Lucy could even turn around, she was lifted off her feet and thrown against the stone wall. The breath went out of her for a moment as she crumpled to the floor. Panting painfully, she looked up to see a masked Death Eater standing before her, his wand held aloft and pointed at her.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's dishonorable to attack your opponent while their back is turned?" Lucy snarled, pushing herself into a crouched position, her hands braced on the floor.

The Death Eater laughed before waving his wand again. Lucy rolled quickly out of the way, sprung back up onto her feet, and whipped her own wand out, pointing it towards him. He paused.

When the Death Eater didn't attack again, Lucy demanded, "What are you waiting for?"

"If you come with me quietly, I promise no more harm will come to you," the Death Eater said, surprising Lucy.

"You've already attacked me. Why would you expect me to believe you now?" she asked. She was confused; since when did Death Eaters attempt to take prisoners instead of blindly attacking?

"The Dark Lord is very interested in you," the Death Eater drawled. "Imagine his surprise when he found out that there was another Potter still alive."

Lucy let out a dry laugh, her surprise fading away. "You expect me to come with you so that Voldemort can kill me?"

The Death Eater snarled, "Don't you use his name! You are unworthy—"

"Yeah, yeah," Lucy said, waving her hand lazily at him. "But I'm still right, aren't I? He's either going to kill me, or he's going to use me to lure Harry to him—and then he'll kill me. So, either way, it'd be better if I refused, wouldn't it?"

"Suit yourself," the Death Eater said with a shrug. He rose his wand a little higher. "You'll be going to the Dark Lord, whether you come willingly or not."

"If that's the case, can't I see the face of the man who means to turn me in?" Lucy taunted, although on the inside, she was shaking with nerves. "Or are you too much of a coward?"

The Death Eater didn't hesitate; he reached up and removed his mask. He had dark hair, and his lips were turned up into a sinister smirk. But Lucy couldn't look away from his eyes; she knew those eyes.

"Do you know who I am?" the man asked, and Lucy shook her head as the hand not holding her wand started to shake. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gareth Whitlock—and I believe that you are the girl who has brainwashed my son."

Lucy's heart rate sped up. This was not how she envisioned meeting her boyfriend's father; in fact, she'd never intended on meeting her boyfriend's father, considering his status as a Death Eater. And now, here he was, with his wand pointed at her and threatening to take her directly to Voldemort.

"I see you're speechless," Gareth Whitlock laughed. "Now, be a good girl, and come with me. The Dark Lord has been waiting a long time to meet you."

Lucy finally found her voice as she thought about her friends; they needed her. "Well, he'll have to wait a little bit longer," she stated, raising her wand.

"Very well," Gareth sighed. "I guess I'll have to take you to him by force."

There was a beat of silence as Lucy stared at Jeremy's father, waiting for him to make the first move. Then, as he began to move his wand, Lucy put up a silent Shield Charm so strong that it knocked him off balance.

"Stupefy!" she cried.

Gareth side-stepped her spell, parrying her with one of his own. They danced around each other for a few moments, sending curses back and forth, neither hitting their intended target.

"Give it up, girl," Gareth snarled, finally managing to hit Lucy with another spell that had her falling to the floor in agony. "You're never going to beat me. You're just a child—"

Through the haze of pain, Lucy leveled her wand at him and blasted him backwards. She heard him huff as he landed hard on the floor. Lucy struggled back to her feet and said, "Never start taunting in the middle of a duel."

Gareth sent a spell at her, and Lucy deflected it with a Shield Charm.

"I learned that the hard way," Lucy went on, pointing her wand at the man and successfully Disarming him. "When I had to watch my godfather die, because of your fellow Death Eaters." Gareth let out a growl and lunged for his wand, but Lucy stopped him in his tracks, shouting, "Impedimenta!" Then, her voice shaking, she finished, "And you're all going to pay for it—for all the deaths you've caused."

Gareth laughed roughly, getting back onto his feet. "You wouldn't be able to kill me," he said.

Lucy stated, "Maybe not." Then she sent a Stunner straight into his chest.

Gareth keeled over backwards, landing on his back with a thud. Lucy, breathing a bit hard, glared at him for a moment.

When she saw that he was unconscious, she let out a short laugh. "Well, then," she said with a shake of her head, "looks like you won't be taking me to Voldemort, after all." Then she sprinted off again.

~LJ:TW~

Lucy soon made it back to the main staircase and stopped suddenly when she saw what was happening there. At the bottom of the stairs in the entrance hall, Tonks was in a furious duel with Bellatrix Lestrange. Tonks was holding her own, but for some reason, Lucy couldn't take her eyes away from the fight.

"Lucy!" a voice shouted.

Lucy looked around, and Jeremy crashed into her, sending her onto the floor to avoid a jet of green light. "Jeremy!" she said breathlessly; she had been so preoccupied with watching Tonks that she hadn't been protecting herself.

Jeremy had already gotten onto his feet and was dueling with a masked Death Eater. Lucy jumped up to join him.

It didn't take long before they had Disarmed the Death Eater and then knocked him unconscious. Lucy looked down into the entrance hall, noticing that Tonks and Bellatrix were still locked in their duel.

"C'mon, you can do better than that!" Bellatrix was screaming. "Don't you want to avenge your dear werewolf? I heard Dolohov really made it hurt—!"

Lucy's breath caught in her throat as Bellatrix's words echoed in her head. There was a ringing in her ears as she stared at the duel; Tonks had screamed in frustration and grief, shooting curse after curse at her aunt.

But then Bellatrix caught Tonks off guard—and the duel was finished—and Tonks was falling down—

Lucy knew that she was screaming, but she couldn't help it. She sprinted down the stairs and blasted Bellatrix back so hard that she went flying out the front doors. Then Lucy fell to the floor at Tonks's side, tears dripping down her face. "No…" she sobbed shakily. "No, Tonks—please, no."

"LUCY!" Jeremy put up a shield around Lucy and Tonks's body. "Lucy, c'mon—we can't stay here. It isn't safe!"

"But I can't leave her!" Lucy cried. "I can't leave her—she was like my big sister—my family—I can't—!"

Jeremy hauled her to her feet and pulled her away from Tonks, while she kicked and screamed at him to let her go. He pushed her up against the wall and held her there as she struggled. When she realized that Jeremy wasn't going to give up, she stilled, but she never took her eyes off Tonks.

"Lucy, I'm sorry," Jeremy said hoarsely. "She's gone—she's gone."

"What about Remus?" Lucy asked, and Jeremy remained silent. She turned her gaze to her boyfriend and demanded, "What about Remus, Jeremy?"

"He—I'm sorry," Jeremy murmured, hanging his head. "He fought well, but Dolohov got him."

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She couldn't believe what Jeremy was telling her; Remus couldn't be dead. Her uncle—one of the only links that she had to her parents—couldn't be dead. Then Lucy thought about Teddy—poor Teddy, who was going to be an orphan now, just like her.

She did the only thing she could think of: she opened her mouth and screamed. Jeremy held her for the next few minutes as she let her grief out. But he only let her have a few minutes before he was shaking her gently. Her sobs subsided.

"We need to keep moving," Jeremy said quietly. "There are Death Eaters everywhere—we don't want to get caught off guard."

Lucy nodded, wiping her hands over her face, still breathing heavily. "Let's go," she whispered, with one last look at Tonks in the middle of the floor.

They moved off, heading up the main staircase and sprinting off down the hall.

~LJ:TW~

Lucy and Jeremy continued through the castle, dueling with Death Eaters whenever they met any. Lucy fought furiously, taking out her anger at Tonks's and Remus's deaths on the Death Eaters she faced. She and Jeremy worked well together, weaving in and out between one another as they dueled over and over again.

Eventually, after they had incapacitated another couple of Death Eaters, Lucy said suddenly, "Jeremy, I—I saw your dad."

"You what?" Jeremy asked, staring at her.

"I ran into your dad earlier," Lucy repeated. "He wanted to take me to Voldemort, so we dueled."

"You dueled?" Jeremy echoed, his eyes wide, and Lucy could only nod at him. "I—you—" Jeremy gaped at Lucy for a moment longer before grabbing her and pulling her into a crushing hug. "I'm so glad you're safe."

"Of course I'm safe," Lucy said soothingly; she didn't feel like telling him about how terrified she'd been.

Jeremy pulled away from her, but he took her face in both of his hands. "Why did he want to take you to You-Know-Who?"

"The same reason why they wanted to kidnap you off the train," Lucy reported. "Voldemort wants to use me to lure Harry to him—although at this point, it might also be to get rid of all the Potters once and for all." She paused. "You're not mad at me that I fought with your dad, are you?"

"No," Jeremy said immediately. "All I care about is that you're safe. Lucy, I love you, and if we get out of this tonight, I'm going to spend the rest of our lives proving it."

Lucy frowned in confusion at his statement. "What d'you—?"

"Marry me," Jeremy blurted.

Lucy stared at him, sure that she'd misheard him. When he didn't elaborate, she said, "Excuse me?"

"When this is all over—when we've beaten Voldemort and have peace again, I want to marry you," Jeremy stated.

Lucy eyes widened at his use of Voldemort's name. She remained quiet for a beat while she turned over his proposal in her mind. "Okay," she finally said. "Let's get married."

Jeremy smiled at her. "I promise that I'll ask you properly when this is all done," he vowed. "And I'll get you a nice, shiny ring."

"Nothing too crazy," Lucy warned playfully.

"Never," Jeremy agreed. "I know you well enough that you're going to want something simple." He leaned forward and kissed her lips sweetly. "We should keep going," he added quietly.

"Agreed," Lucy said, and the two of them hurried off.

~LJ:TW~

The battle seemed never-ending, and Lucy had seen more dead bodies than she'd ever wished to see. Her entire being ached, both physically and mentally.

Lucy and Jeremy had just defeated another Death Eater when Voldemort's voice returned, echoing magically around them.

"You have fought valiantly," he began. "Lord Voldemort knows how to value true bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die—one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss, and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful; I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity—treat your injured.

"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you, rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me—have not given yourself up—then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter. I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me.

"One hour."

A heavy silence fell over the castle. Lucy and Jeremy looked at each other, and Lucy knew that—wherever her brother was—Voldemort's speech would have gone right to Harry's heart. Voldemort knew exactly what to say to make Harry come after him.

"What now?" Jeremy asked.

"We regroup with everyone who's left," Lucy replied. "I don't want to follow Voldemort's orders, but treating any injuries should be our top priority, especially if the battle starts up again."

They slowly made their way towards the Great Hall—it seemed like the natural place to meet up with everyone again. As they went, they were joined with other fighters; some of them were carrying either the wounded or dead with them.

When they reached the entrance hall, Jeremy stopped, a strangled sound coming out of his throat. Lucy halted, as well, following his gaze to a small body lying on the floor. It was Mary Poole, her glazed eyes staring unseeingly at the ceiling; she was dead.

"No," Jeremy said with a shaking voice. "No… Mary…" He moved forward and knelt next to her, his head bowed.

Lucy stood next to him silently for a few minutes. "C'mon," she murmured eventually. "We'll take her inside with us."

Jeremy took a moment to gather himself before he got to his feet. Lucy helped him lift Mary's body, and they carried her between them into the Great Hall.

Inside the room, someone had removed the house tables. There was a row of dead bodies beginning to form in the middle of the room, and Lucy and Jeremy added Mary to the line. Jeremy crouched down next to her again, and soon they were joined by Daphne and Jake. Lucy hugged both of them tightly, relieved that they were safe.

There was a loud scream, and Lucy recognized the voice. She turned her head towards Mrs. Weasley, who was staring at the body that Percy and Oliver Wood were carrying into the room. Lucy's heart dropped as they set Fred's body in line with the rest of the dead.

Lucy moved forward immediately, joining the rest of the Weasleys. Mrs. Weasley fell to the ground, draping herself across her son's body—never-ending tears poured out of her eyes. Mr. Weasley crouched down next to his wife, stroking her hair as he also cried freely. George, looking utterly broken, dropped to his knees at his twin's head. Bill, Fleur, Ginny, and Percy remained standing, their heads bowed solemnly.

Lucy went over to George and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind. She hugged him tightly and rested her cheek on top of his head—her tears ran down her face and into his hair. One of his hands came up and grabbed her forearm, grasping her desperately.

The next of the dead to be brought in were Remus and Tonks. When Lucy was finished consoling George, she moved over to them and knelt between both of them. She looked between their faces before taking one hand each; they were cold.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered at them. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you. But I swear—I swear, if I get out of this alive, I will help Andromeda with Teddy. He will have the best childhood that we can give him, and he will never forget what his mother and father fought for."

"Lucy," a voice said softly.

Lucy looked up to see Emmeline Vance looking down at her sadly. Lucy got to her feet and hugged the other witch; she didn't know Emmeline very well, but she knew that Emmeline had been friends with Remus.

"I'm sorry," Emmeline murmured to Lucy. "I know how much they both meant to you."

Lucy sniffed, pulling away from her. "Thank you," she said. "They gave their lives to a cause that they believed in; I just wish that they didn't have to leave their son behind."

Emmeline nodded her agreement before moving on.

Lucy turned back to the Weasleys and saw that Ron and Hermione had joined them. Harry was nowhere to be seen. She walked over to them, throwing her arms around Ron first and then Hermione.

"Where's Harry?" Lucy whispered to her friend as she pulled away.

Hermione frowned, looking around. "I'm not sure," she said. "I thought he was right behind us.…"

Lucy's eyes widened. "You don't think he—?" She stopped abruptly, looking at Hermione's face as it grew pale.

After a beat, Hermione said, "There's one Horcrux left. Just the snake—we have to kill the snake, and then Voldemort will be beatable."

Lucy nodded her understanding. If Harry truly had gone to turn himself in, Lucy knew what she, Hermione, and Ron had to do next: kill the snake, so that someone could kill Voldemort.

~LJ:TW~

People continued to filter in and out of the Great Hall, bringing with them the wounded or the dead. Lucy's grief rose every time a new body was added to the dead, although she also felt relieved whenever she saw one of her friends alive. She immediately felt guilty about that, and overall, she was feeling quite emotional.

Every time one of her friends entered the Great Hall, Lucy ran up to them and hugged them fiercely. The first person she saw was Neville, whom she nearly crushed the wind out of. Then there was Sally-Anne and her boyfriend Oliver Rivers, followed by Luna. She also embraced every member of Dumbledore's Army that she saw, and she shed more tears when she saw Lavender Brown added to the dead.

Eventually, Oliver Wood had brought in a body that had Lucy screaming again. Colin Creevey was placed in line with the rest of the dead, and Lucy ran to him. She fell onto the floor next to him, her tears renewed as she stared down at him.

"Why?" she said shakily. "Why did you come back? Colin—"

Then she was being hugged from behind; someone was trying to console her. She turned to see Daphne standing there, tears running freely down her cheeks. Lucy was stunned for a moment; she had never seen Daphne cry before.

"I'm sorry, Lucy," Daphne said. "I'm so sorry."

Lucy grabbed Daphne and clung to her, letting herself cry on the other girl's shoulder. She cried for everyone they had lost and everything those of them still alive had had to endure. It wasn't fair; it just wasn't fair.

"But we can't give up yet," Daphne said firmly, pulling away from Lucy. "We have to beat him now—for Mary—for Colin—for everyone who's died. They didn't deserve it, and You-Know-Who needs to pay for it."

Daphne's words seemed to wake up a fury in Lucy's chest. She was right; they needed to keep fighting—even if it was only to avenge the dead that were lying there.

Lucy looked Daphne dead in the eye and nodded. "You're right," she said. "We have to keep fighting. We can't give up now."

Daphne gave her a grim smile of satisfaction. "Speaking of giving up—where's Harry?" she asked.

"I don't know," Lucy admitted.

"You don't think he would have turned himself in, do you?" Daphne wondered.

"Honestly?" Lucy said, and Daphne nodded. "Yes, I do think it's a possibility. What Voldemort said in his speech would have hit home for Harry. All that you have permitted your friends to die for you bullshit is the exact right thing he needed to say to get to Harry."

"They didn't die for Harry," Daphne said, frowning. "They died fighting for a cause that they believed in—that everything You-Know-Who stands for is complete bullshit."

"I know that," Lucy said with a nod. "But this is Harry we're talking about. If he thinks he can end this without anyone else getting hurt, he's going to do it."

Jeremy joined them then, checking the watch on his wrist. "Our hour is almost up. No sign of Harry?"

Lucy shook her head and said, "No."

"Do you think he went to the forest?" Jeremy asked quietly.

Lucy could only shrug. She turned her head to look out one of the nearby windows and could see that the sky was just beginning to lighten. Their time was running out, and Lucy wasn't sure what would happen at the one-hour mark. She could only hope that Harry would reappear—soon.

~LJ:TW~

A/N: Lucy's duel with Gareth Whitlock wasn't really planned; it was very spur of the moment. I knew that if I didn't have some kind of confrontation here, though, she'd never actually meet him. Originally, she basically took him out with one spell, which was ridiculous on my part. So hopefully the duel they have now is better than that.

I actually always planned on Jeremy asking Lucy to marry him during this battle. No idea why I wanted it to be that way, but there it is.

During one read through of the second half of this chapter, I actually teared up. Describing the Weasleys reactions to seeing Fred lying dead in the Great Hall was very difficult.

One more chapter to go before the Epilogue!