Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition Season 8—Round 1: Who Are You?

Team: Falmouth Falcons

Position: Chaser 1—The Lover- Fear: isolation

Prompts: (setting) Black Lake, (word) blaze

Word Count: 1192

The windows in the Room of Requirement looked out over the Black Lake. It was a cloudy day, the lake rippling with the wind. Ginny stared out at it as the remainder of the DA stood behind her. Death Eaters had taken over the school. She wasn't sure how long it would take before they discovered the DA and destroyed it. She wanted to fight back. Her family was all in the Order, it was unfair that she was stuck here where she couldn't help. All she could do was wait.

And then, she didn't need to wait anymore. Neville went through Ariana's portrait and when he came back, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were with him. Ginny jumped up and pushed through the gathering crowd.

"We need to find something," Harry was saying. "Something with a connection to one of the founders, probably Ravenclaw."

"There's the lost diadem," Luna suggested.

"Well, the lost diadem is lost, Luna. That's kind of the point," another student cut in.

"I can take you to the common room. There's a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw wearing the diadem in there." Ginny narrowed her eyes at Cho Chang when she spoke.

"Luna can take you, Harry," she said. "Right, Luna?"

"Oh, yes, I'd be happy to," Luna agreed. And the two of them left the Room under the Invisibility Cloak, and Ginny was left to wait again.

Neville started sending out letters to the rest of the Order, telling them to come through the Hog's Head. Never mind the Caterwauling Charm, because it was happening tonight. One way or another, the war would be won. This was their chance to fight, Ginny thought.

But only for some of them. When her mother came through, she said firmly, "Stay in here." Ginny tried to argue, but Molly stayed firm. She told Tonks, who was also staying behind, to keep an eye on Ginny.

Tonks was restless. After a few minutes of sitting still in the Room, she said "Stay here," and left. For a moment, Ginny contemplated leaving. Then Harry, Ron, and Hermione opened the door and told her to wait outside. There was something they had to do. Ginny was out in a flash.

"Only for a minute," Ron reminded her. "Then you have to go back in."

But she was out, and she couldn't resist sending a Stunning Spell at a Death Eater. Another spotted her, and she ducked away before he could curse her.

She fought through the crowds, looking for anyone she recognized. She found Parvati surrounded and knocked down her attackers from behind. Parvati opened her mouth to say something, but Ginny pointed behind her, and she spun and hexed the Death Eater aiming at her. Ginny left as quickly as she had come, heading out the large front doors.

She almost backed into the lake, but jumped to the side at the last second. More Death Eaters were coming across the bridge. She spotted Neville near the entrance, fighting against too many. She caught his eye and pointed to the bridge. He just shook his head, not understanding. Ginny pointed her wand and shouted "Incendio!" as loudly as she could. Fire shot towards the bridge and stopped the Death Eaters in their tracks. A few made it past before the end was covered. Others cast spells to put it out, but Ginny made more as fast as they put it out.

The blaze was spectacular, shooting up to the sky. Ginny was so caught up in it that she forgot to pay attention to her surroundings. When Neville screamed her name, she turned and barely ducked under a deadly jet of light. She turned the fire onto her attacker and directed it to the others as well. When she looked up at Hogwarts, the castle was burning. She looked around and saw none of her friends near. Fear shot through her.

She was all alone.

She began to fight desperately, searching for a familiar face. She saw Luna and pushed through the battle, but a spell she didn't see knocked her backwards into the lake. The water closed in around her, and she pushed up as hard as she could. When she surfaced, it was to Voldemort's voice.

"You have fought valiantly," he announced. "Lord Voldemort knows how to value 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 waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour to dispose of your dead with dignity and treat your injured. And now, Harry Potter, I speak to you. You have permitted your friends to die rather than face me yourself. I will wait for an hour in the Forbidden Forest. If you have not come to me by then, the battle will recommence. I shall find you and punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to hide you from me."

Ginny swam to the edge. Everyone was already gone, although she hadn't seen them leave. Shivering, she cast Lumos to light the way back to the castle. The adrenaline of the fight had worn off, and she was exhausted. She found her family in the Great Hall with the rest of the students and the Order. They were gathered around someone. Was someone hurt? She hurried over.

Fred was lying on the ground, the shadow of a smile on his face. "What happened?" Ginny asked. She saw no wounds except for a few small scratches. It could only mean—

"He—he died," Percy said, no louder than a whisper.

"No!" Ginny's heart clenched at the realization. Fred was gone. He had always been closer to her than her other siblings when she was younger. He and George would let her help with some of their pranks. He always knew how to make her feel better when she was sad. Looking around the hall, she saw the bodies of her old classmates. It made her feel more alone than she ever had.

She heard Voldemort and his followers gathering outside and got up slowly. When she spotted Harry's body in Hagrid's arms, she screamed his name along with as Hermione. She didn't know how much more she could lose. Then Neville stood up and yelled, "Dumbledore's Army!" and Voldemort's power didn't seem to work.

He Petrified Neville and placed the burning Sorting Hat on his head. Ginny wanted to shout, she wanted to stop it, but she was as helpless as the rest of them. Then Harry's body was gone, and then he was there, challenging Voldemort.

"Avada Kedavra," Voldemort called.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted.

The spells met halfway. Slowly, Harry pushed the magic toward Voldemort. His wand went flying into the air, and his body collapsed onto the ground. Ginny rushed toward Harry, hugging him tightly as if she would lose him again if she ever let go.