Chapter Twenty-Seven

George POV:

Dinner was eventful. Tonks and Lupin had paid the Weasley family a visit and they were all laughing at a new invention the twins had come up with. Mrs. Weasley was about to give them a lecture about working under her roof when McGonagall's Patronus crashes into the wall and her voice fills the small space. "Hogwarts has fallen. Death eaters are inside the castle. Dumbledore is away with Harry Potter, but the other students and the school is at risk. There is a dark mark in the sky."

George had to hold back the dinner that was threatening to return up his throat. He got to his feet immediately, clutching his wand. His mother looked like all of the blood had drained from her face as her entire family prepared for battle. Lupin looked at the twins, Bill, and then to Arthur. "There's no time to get the other members. We have to go." Everything that they were preparing for was happening. The death eaters had gotten into the castle.

Fred looked at George and clasped his arm as they were preparing to leave, "You ready, George?"

"Ready, Fred." He said grimly with a short nod. The boys knew that they were going to have to fight for their lives. Fight for their family's lives. Fight for their childhood.

Out of habit, George grabbed the coin from D.A that Hermione had given all the members from his seventh year. His throat tightened as he saw that she had signaled the remaining members of D.A. He prayed that she was okay. Now, he knew she was in danger or needing help. Otherwise, she would not have asked.

Hogwarts was in ruins by the time they got there. The professors were trying to keep students away from harm by throwing jinxes back at the mad death eaters who seemed to be everywhere. George didn't have time to look for the head of curls he longed to protect, he had to jump in and defend the school immediately.

He was fighting side by side with Fred, Bill, Ron, and Lupin. All of them having a death eater of their own to worry about. He felt the sweat drip down his neck as a bright light of green went by too close for comfort next to his head. In rage, he shouted, "STUPEFY!" and the cloaked figure went flying back into the stone wall. He turned to help his brother when he saw the werewolf. "NO!" George roared as he sent a curse flying towards the figure who dodged it before running away with a sickening smile on his face.

Bill was gasping for air and crying out in pain as the blood dripped down his face. The twins knelt down in front of him, trying to reassure him as they tried to close the wounds. "They're too deep, Fred." George panicked and turned his attention to their backs, protecting them from any death eater that may try and jump them while they are distracted.

"Don't give up on us, Bill." Fred demanded as he worked furiously to close the wounds that the werewolf had given their brother. "Think of Fleur. Think of Mom. They both will kill you if you die on us."

Bill nodded slightly and handed them a handkerchief to use to stop the bleeding in a muggle way. The twins took turns trying to treat the wounds. George's heart stopped beating as he heard Bellatrix Lestrange chant from the hills, "Dumbledore is dead!"

"She can't be serious." Fred whispered, his voice dropping so that their position stays hidden.

A loud crash and sound of flames filled their ears as Hagrid's hut burst into flames. Bellatrix's evil laugh filled the quite hillside before she ran off to cause more chaos and damage around the castle. "Hold on, Bill." George whispered as they were sure they were alone. "You're going to make it. You're going to make it…"

He kept repeating the sentence over and over again. After a while, George wasn't sure if he was repeating himself for Bill or for himself. He prayed that Hermione was safe. Ron and Lupin made sure the two had it somewhat under control before running back closer to the castle to help the others. "Find Hermione, keep her safe!" George called to Ron who nodded once.

Hermione POV

After she secured the area that Ginny and she were fighting in, Hermione checked the girl's blue eyes. Ginny was insisting that she was fine, but she had gotten hit in the head by a fly stone, Hermione was worried that the chaser would have a concussion. "Okay. I believe you now. Let's go and try to find the others. Let's be quick and quiet."

"I saw Harry running that way towards Hagrid's hut." Ginny nodded her chin towards where a bright flame was filling the sky. "We should go look for him. He was on his own."

Hermione's stomach dropped. "Harry is by himself?"

"Always trying to be noble. Of course, he's by himself trying to fight his own battles." Ginny took off in a run and Hermione found the adrenaline helping her keep up with the athlete's long strides.

Instead of finding the boy who lived, a small cry left Ginny's mouth before she remembered where they were and slapped a hand over it. Her eyes grew large as she saw her brother Bill laying bloody on the ground.

The two girls ran up to the Weasley boys in front of them to help. "What happened?" Hermione asked as she looked deep into George's eyes.

"Freyir Greyback happened." His voice sounded hoarse and defeated, not at all like her George that she was so used to. War was having his effect on him and hurting the people that he loved.

"Let's help you get him back to the castle. Most of the death eaters are retreating now. We can guard you two as you carry Bill. Madame Pomfrey will be able to help him until he can go to St. Mungo's Hospital." The Gryffindor placed her hand on the twin's shoulders and looked at them. "Let's go now… before he loses too much blood."

Fred nodded and put on of Bill's arms around his shoulders while George mimicked the movement. Ginny wiped away a tear that was on her freckled cheek and put her shoulders back. "Let's go." She said in a fierce voice.

The dark courtyard was filled with Harry's sobs as he leaned over none other than Dumbledore, lying dead on the stone ground. Hermione let out a small squeak of disbelief before remembering their mission to get to the hospital wing. "Go. He needs you." Hermione nodded to Ginny. "We will meet you in the hospital wing."

Hermione turned to see Ginny disappear towards the sound of the cries. It was Harry.

"Come here, Harry. Come with me." Ginny grabbed the boy's arm and helped him up from leaning down over a fallen person.

The twins and Hermione were dragging Bill at a quick pace threw the destroyed corridors of Hogwarts. She felt bile fill her throat as they walked past the open doors of the Great Hall and she saw the emeralds, rubies, and other gems from the house points shattered all over the ground and all the windows behind the head table blasted out by some curse. Keep going. She told herself.

They made it to the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey began working on Bill's cuts immediately. Lupin was looking at the Weasley boy with pity in his eyes. "It's not a full moon." He told Molly Weasley encouraging, his intent was hidden by the phrase, but Hermione knew that Bill would not develop the full traits, only symptoms.

She glanced around the room and saw Neville and Professor Flitwick in other cots, already received treatment and resting. Luna was sitting next to Neville with his hand clutched in between both of hers. For the first time, she did not appear to be in a dream but wide awake and staring with fearful eyes at the Gryffindor boy.

George wrapped his arms around Hermione's shoulders and let some tears fall into her hair, hidden from the others. She wrapped him in an embrace and comforted him with small circles on his back. He was smarter than false hope, which is all she could give him now. There was nothing she could possibly say that would make this situation okay, besides that Bill was alive.

When the doors of the dormitory flew open, Ginny and Harry joined the group around the hospital cot. "How is Bill?" Harry asked.

Madame Pomfrey was dabbing a vile smelling, green potion over the cuts. "No charm will work on these. I've tried everything I know, but there is no cure for werewolf bites." She was talking to Harry who was looking offended that Bill was still bleeding in front of his eyes.

"But… but… he wasn't bitten at the full moon." Ron was gazing at his older brother like he was a lifeline. "Greyback hadn't transformed, so surely Bill… he has to be okay."

Lupin sighed and stood up to examine the gashes. "She's doing everything. Those are still cursed wounds even if Greyback wasn't transformed into his werewolf form. They are unlikely to ever fully heal."

"Surely Dumbledore could help us." Ron said looking at Lupin who was nodding in agreement.

Ginny shook her head and stared at her brother. "Ron… Dumbledore is dead."

"No!" Lupin roared and looked wildly from Ginny to Harry and back again. The old professor collapsed into the wooden hospital chair and Arthur mimicked the motion, the two looking more defeated than they ever have.

Tonks cleared her throat, "How… how did he die?"

"Snape killed him. I was there, I saw it." Harry shook his head and had a scowl on his face, thinking back to the events. "He was sick when we arrived at the Astronomy Tower because that's where the Mark was. I think he realized it was a trap when we heard footsteps running up the stairs. He immobilized me; I couldn't do anything. I was under the Invisibility cloak—and when Malfoy came through the door and disarmed him more Death Eaters arrived and then Snape… did it." The boy looked like he had aged years from the events of tonight and Hermione let tears roll down her face, mourning the loss of her headmaster.

"Snape… we all wondered… but Dumbledore trusted him…" Arthur seemed to be arguing with his own thoughts and disbeliefs from the events.

"He was a highly accomplished Occlumens. We always knew that." Lupin's voice was harsh as he raked his hands threw his hair.

"But Dumbledore swore he was on our side." Tonks whispered and furiously wiped a tear that was threatening to spill out of her eye. "I always thought Dumbledore must know something about Snape that we didn't…"

"I know." Harry said and everyone turned to him. He awkwardly shifted his weight between his feet before Ginny grasped his hand, giving him the courage to continue. "Snape passed Voldemort the information that made Voldemort hunt down my mum and dad. Then Snape told Dumbledore he hadn't realized what he was doing, he was really sorry he'd done it, sorry that they were dead."

Everyone stared at the teenager, stunned.

Lupin was the first to speak as he barked out a cruel laugh. "Dumbledore believed that? Snape hated James."

"And he didn't think my mother was worth a damn either, because she was a Muggle-born… he called her a Mud blood." Harry looked at his shoes.

Hermione felt a stab of pain in her stomach. She knew first-hand what it was like to be called that cruel name. No one who used that term cared for the people who were of muggle decent. George wrapped his arms tighter around Hermione, as if to shield her from the hate.

"How did the Death Eaters even get inside?" Tonks asked.

"They slipped right past us." Ginny said grimly. "We were doing everything we could. We even had the map to track Malfoy. He had created vanishing cabinets in the Room of Requirements."

Hermione sniffed and rubbed her eyes, pulling away slightly from George but letting him still have an arm slung around her waist. "They got right past us. He must have been checking whether the coast was clear to let the Death Eaters out."

"The moment he saw us…" Ron paused and looked at the twins before continuing, "it all went pitch-black from the Purivan Instant Darkness Powder."

George sank into a wooden chair, defeated. Fred sank to the floor with his head in his hands. Hermione knew they were going to beat themselves up over this. Possibly take the product off of the shelf entirely. She wrapped her hand around George's shoulder, and he wrapped his hand over hers while he stayed sat in his own thoughts.

Ginny continued to explain the events that led to the attack. "We tried everything. Lumos. Incredio. Nothing would penetrate the darkness. All we could do was grope our way out of the corridor again."

"All while we were doing this," Hermione shook her head, thinking back to the feeling of defeat and being outsmarted, "we heard them rush past us. Malfoy could see because of that hand thing he got from Borgin and Burke this Summer."

Lupin nodded. "Luckily you found us almost immediately so we could find the Death Eaters not long after that. Malfoy obviously did not expect members of the Order to be here."

The conversation ended with the doors opening up and Fleur rushing over to the hospital bed. "Bill!" She exclaimed and threw her delicate hand over her mouth.

Mrs. Weasley wiped a tear away from her eyes at the sight of the half-Veela. "Bill was so handsome… he was going to get married…"

"What do you mean, going to get married?" Fleur turned her eyes to Mrs. Weasley with rage. "You think Bill will not wish to marry me anymore? You think, because of these bites, he will not love me?"

Mrs. Weasley raised her tear-stained face that now was filled with confusion. "Now, that's not what I—"

Fleur threw her silver hair back over her shoulder. "It would take more than a werewolf to stop Bill loving me."

"I thought perhaps—given how—how he—" Mrs. Weasley was rambling and shaking her head.

"You thought… I would not wish to marry him?" Fleur let out a small laugh in disbelief at the thought. "What do I care how he looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I think. All these scars show is that my husband is the bravest man I know." She snatched the extra green ointment from the bedside table and began to join Madame Pomfrey on dabbing the wounds on Bill's face.

Mrs. Weasley looked at the girl working over her son with the most curious expression on her face. "Our Great Auntie Murial has a very beautiful tiara which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill and it would look lovely with your hair."

Fleur's shoulders softened slightly. Hermione knew that she had been waiting for this moment for a long time, acceptance into the Weasley family. "Thank you. I'm sure it will look lovely."

Tonks was now glaring at Lupin. "You see? She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"

Hermione let a small smile play on her lips, everyone was now looking at the two fighting Order members with curiosity. "It's different." Lupin said while looking tense in his chair. "Bill will not be a full werewolf."

"I don't care either! I've told you a million times—"

"And I've told you a million times! I am too old for you, too poor, and too dangerous. You deserve to be with someone who is young and whole!" Tonks interrupted his rant by crashing her lips onto his own.

Hermione giggled despite the seriousness of the situation that they were in. It was nice to see love conquering all. It gave her hope.

Sorry about the technical difficulties with my last couple chapters everyone! Thank you for letting me know there was a problem and I hope you enjoy the latest installments of this story now that it is actually readable. :)