Harry PoV

The explosion knocked me off my feet and the gust of heat blew me backwards. From the flames towered an enormous being over fifty feet tall, adorned in blue and gold, and holding an unimaginably long scepter. The being turned his strangely handsome face to the left and I followed his gaze over to the Black Lake. Percy and Malfoy. Smiling, the being reached out a hand and beckoned them. I couldn't see their faces, but they started running towards the battle. What were they doing at the lake in the first place? A yellow light zoomed passed and I flicked my wand instinctively behind me,

"Stupefy!" I turned just in time to see Rodolphus fall to the ground, unconscious. Joining a gaggle of Hufflepluffs, I shot spell after spell at the group of Death Eaters, watching as they fell one by one. And as I moved from foe to foe, it sunk in: the war has officially begun. Lights flew around me and screams and shouts echoed like a show put on for the stars. Bodies fell and tempers rose, a malevolent anger on one side, fearful determination on the other. Who knew good versus evil could bring about so much devastation. My body whirled and my wand waved like it had a mind of its own, spell after spell after spell, but the Death Eaters just kept coming.

There was an insufferable heat in the air and smoke filled the sky from various explosions.

"STOP!" I swiveled around and there was Percy racing towards the enormous being. A handful of teachers were shooting spells at the being and I watched in horror as the spells did absolutely nothing. Every. Single. One of them. Percy slid into the circle of teachers who tried to block his path, keep him out of danger— because whoever this being is must be terrifyingly powerful. Bringing out the pen that he twirled constantly, he uncapped it and it elongated and transformed into a three-foot long bronze blade. "Leave him to me!" And I don't know what it was exactly or where it came from, but it made the teachers back off. It was something in Percy's voice, his tone, his expression— as if he was born to be listened to, to be followed. "Atlas! You—" the rest was lost to the sounds of battle and I slipped back into my rhythm. Suddenly, an arm reached around my neck and pulled backwards, choking me. The arm drew tight and another reached around to restrict my wand arm. I choked out a gasp, my eyes watering as my free hand clawed at the arm around my neck.

"The Dark Lord is going to have a lot of fun with you." I wheezed out a response, my nails digging into their flesh.

"STUPEFY!" The body behind me crumpled to the ground and I fell to my knees, heaving as I tried to catch my breath, my hand flying up to my abused throat. Wiping at my teary eyes, I looked up to see Draco Malfoy holding up a hand. Taking it, he hoisted me up and I rubbed at my throat.

"Thank you." He nodded stiffly before heading off.

Draco PoV

War, it wasn't something I ever wanted, but it was clear that this battle would be the first of a fast approaching war. I thought I'd have more time, thought with Percy's help we'd have time to plan my escape. But it was now or never and regardless of whether we won of lost this battle, I would still be dragged back to the dark side. It didn't matter that I fought for the good side, I couldn't escape with them. I was trapped in evil's grasp and I needed to do as much as I could for the good side before I was forced back. So I took down Death Eater after Death Eater and fought with Hogwartsian after Hogwartsian, taking down our common enemy.

I didn't watch as Harry fought against Voldemort, didn't want to know if Harry lost because I was too afraid of the answer.

My heart raced and my hands shook, palms sweating with nerves and the heat of battle, but spells still flew from my lips like an anthem only I knew the words to. And they fell, they fell, follower after follower fell. But ally after ally fell with them, and it seemed for every one I took down, they took down two times that and a panic set in and I nearly choked, but I couldn't because I needed to keep fighting. I had to keep fighting. And despite my fears, I looked around for Potter and Voldemort and a sigh of relief left me when I saw Potter but no Voldemort. A small victory.

Harry PoV

I shoved into a Death Eater who was aiming her wand at an student with their back turned, knocking them to the ground. Without hesitation, I shot a 'Stupefy' at the startled follower of Voldemort. A thunderous yell pierced through the chaos of the battlefield and the ground quaked, sending countless off their feet. Stumbling, I crouched to the shaking ground before I could fall and turned, wide-eyed, to where Atlas and Percy were. When I spotted them—about eighty meters closer to me than last time—, I saw Percy's sword plunged into Atlas' jugular almost to the hilt. Except, instead of red blood, Atlas' blood was a pure golden color. Not a golden shine or hue, but the color of pure gold. It gushed out of his wound profusely and cracks started to form along his entire body, as if he were a statue that was cracking apart. A white line shown through the paper thin cracks and Atlas's hand came up and grasp Percy's leg, tugging him away from his bleeding neck. Percy's grip on the sword must have been strong because the sword brutally ripped out of Atlas's neck as Percy was pulled backwards. Atlas' yelled again and the earthquake intensified. It was then I noticed Atlas's other hand was clutching a forty-foot long spear whose end other end I couldn't see since it was plunged into the ground. Atlas was the source of the earthquake. An agonized scream ripped from Percy's lungs and he dropped his sword as he reached for the leg in Atlas' grip. Atlas had to be over fifty feet tall and his large hand encased Percy's entire leg from hip to ankle. From Percy's screams of agony, he was crushing it.

Atlas fell to his knee and Percy tumbled out of his grip, falling about three feet to the ground. Another scream tore from his throat. I didn't notice I was crying until teardrops fell unto my hands that were resting on the ground. Atlas's body started to lift into the air, his body forced into an umbrella arch as the cracks shone a light so bright it could probably be seen from a fifty-mile radius. It looked like he was being pulled to the sky. And rapidly. His spear yanked out of the ground as he went and another thirty feet emerged. The moment that last of it left the earth, the earthquake stopped. I rose to my feet and watched, almost hypnotized as Atlas ascended to the sky steadily, clouds starting to part the higher he got, though he wasn't high enough to reach them yet. It was as if he belonged there. Suddenly, a body collided with mine as a jet of green light flew where my head would have been. Head whipping upwards frantically, I saw Percy's tear-streaked and bloody face standing above me, leaning completely dependent on his sword, his right leg looking completely crushed. I opened my mouth to thank him—because green light meant Avada Kedavra and he just saves my life— but a shout pierced the air.

"Percy! Watch out!" I looked up and saw Atlas's spear sailing through the air, straight towards Percy, almost as fast as a bullet. At the warning, Percy turned as quickly as he could, but it wasn't very quick at all due to his leg. When he finally turned, the spear plunged directly into his stomach and he fell to the ground next to me as the spear splintered and about sixty feet of it broke off and fell beside him.

"Percy!" I shouted as I slid over to him cradling his head in my hands. My tears were falling on his face as blood dribbled steadily out of his mouth and his body convulsed violently.

"H-h..." more blood spluttered out of his mouth and I shook my head violently.

"Madame Pomfrey! Somebody get Madame Pomfrey!" I shouted frantically and saw more than one person race off.

"Retreat! Retreat!" Voldemort's voice sounded from nowhere and Death Eaters started running to the Forbidden Forest, but I barely registered it. All I could see was Percy's dying face staring up at me. A weak hand clutched at my wrist. It was Percy's.

"H-Ha-Harry... I f-or-forgive y-you..." and as tears fell from his eyes, he smiled at me, as if I was the one person he wanted to see right now. "Y-yeah?" He choked out past the blood. I nodded and smiled back, though tears fell like streams from my eyes. Because if he could smile, then I would smile, for him. He smiled again as his head limped to the side. For a second, my heart stopped as I thought he died, but a bloodied cough sent a feeling of intense relief coursing through me. His eyes glazed and grew adoring, smile widening just a fraction. It was as if he was seeing something I wasn't. "A-An... A-nna- Annabeth... I-I lo-love y-you..." and I watched in horror as his body started to disintegrate into ash.

"No! Percy!" But all that was left was a pile of dust shaped like a body. My body bent in half as I sobbed forcefully into my knees, fistfuls of his ashes clutched against my chest. The strength of my sobs wracked my body and I briefly registered a body falling next to mine. Looking up through my blurry vision I saw blonde hair, black robes, and a green tie. Draco. The look on his face was agonized and he weakly grabbed a fistful of Percy's ashes, watching dazed as it sifted through his fingers and fell back to the pile. He turned to look at me and I could see he was still in shock, as if he wasn't registering it. He reached out and opened his fist, showing what was left of his fistful of Percy's ashes. Something came over me and I yanked his arm and he collided into me and soon, we were sobbing into each other.

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One last chapter!