Chapter 20

Chaos.

That was the only word to describe what was going on at Hogwarts for the past 4 hours. Spells were flying everywhere, bodies were flying left and right, the entire Order of the Phoenix was at the school, trying to fight off Death Eaters, snatchers and anyone who had chosen Voldemort's side. Even the Hogwarts teachers were fighting, and fighting dirty as well. They were using spells and charms that they would never have taught their own students.

Harry stared proudly at Professor McGonagall from his spot on the entrance hall staircase, as she sent another Death Eater flying through the air and out of the school grounds. His heart soared for a few seconds before Hermione and Draco came running up to him. He smiled briefly at Hermione's hair, that was just as bushy now as it had been during their first year. She was frazzled and running around with adrenaline pumping through her veins. They all were. Even Draco, who always looked so put-together, had his hair completely disheveled, and his face covered in dust and blood from his own one on one battles.

"Harry!" Hermione called out to him as she ran over to him, holding out a basilisk fang. "Take it! We have a plan...well it's actually Draco's plan...but if it works...it'll help us immensely."

"Ok, what is it?" Harry rushed her as he took the fang and hid it in his pocket. "Helena told me where the next horcrux is, so after I destroy that one, it's just...two more!"

"Perfect." Hermione grinned. "Draco thinks that if we get the Slytherins to fight with us, we'll have more manpower right now. We're in desperate need of it."

"You...you think they'll agree?" Harry turned his eyes to Draco.

"I don't know, but there's no harm in trying, right?" Draco shrugged.

"Alright." Harry nodded. "I need to head to the room of requirement. When you're done, meet me there."

Hermione and Draco gave him brave looks before turning and running towards the dungeons. Harry headed up the stairs to the Room of Requirement, but stopped briefly once more to stare at Luna. His Luna...fighting off two snatchers at once. She was his. Or at least she will be if they all made it out of this alive.

Draco clutched Hermione's hand as they ran as fast as they could, dodging stray spells as they went, ignoring the surprised and shocked faces of those around them who actually took notice of them. If it wasn't clear as yet whose side Draco was on, it was made clear then as he shot a body flipping spell to a snatcher who was about to curse Hermione.

The path to the dungeons got quieter as they ran. Before they knew it, they were standing outside the hallway that held the dungeon Mr. Filch had taken the entire Slytherin house to. Draco checked that there were no Death Eaters around before stepping out of the shadows and into the dimly lit hallway of the dungeons.

"Draco!" Pansy Parkinson exclaimed as she spotted him. "Thank God...wait..what the fuck is the mudblood doing here?"

Anger sparked in Draco at the word, but he shoveled down because more important things were happening at the moment. Hermione, on the other hand, had had enough.

"Same reason a whore is here?" Hermione snapped back. "Because of the war."

A few Slytherins sniggered at the comment as Pansy gave Hermione an evil smirk. Draco groaned and stepped up closer to the dungeon door.

"Listen, Hermione is here to fight for what's right. Same as me." Draco deadpanned. "I've lived under my parents rule and thumb for too long. I'm going to do what I think is right, and that's going out there and fighting alongside my other classmates. I'm not going to succumb to my father's evil demands any longer. I spent the past 7 years of my life befriending all those people out there; eating with them, going to Hogsmeade with them, and even playing quidditch with them. It's time for you decide what you should do yourselves. I know for a fact that at least half of you don't agree with your parents siding with Voldemort. Are you really so easily submissive that you can't decide for yourself?"

There was an odd silence in the cold dungeons as everyone listened and thought over Draco's words. Draco hoped that at least a few of them would side with him. He was making a huge sacrifice by doing this.

"My parents never wanted a war. They were neutral." Blaise Zabini said softly. "I...I'm against it...I'll help, Draco. But...tell me...is...is Padma still alive?"

Everyone turned to stare at Blaise in surprise. Even Draco's own eyebrows raised at the question. He had no idea that Blaise even spoke to Padma.

"Yes." Hermione answered for him. "She's with her sister in the Great Hall, fighting the snatchers with Professor Trelawny."

"Please, let me go to her. I'm a better dueler than Trelawny any day." Blaise begged.

"We all are." Theodore Nott spoke up. "Let's be honest, the entire history of our house revolves around that lunatic out there. Because of him, our house went from being known for our cunningness, loyalty and resourcefulness, to being known as just evil people. I, for one, will like to rectify that. We are Slytherins. We're made to lead! They need us out there. We are the best duelers after all. Besides, no other house knows the dark curses and spells we Slytherins know."

Most of the Slytherins nodded their heads in agreement.

"Let's fight then." Adrian Pucey, the only Slytherin member who's known for his few words, said loudly. "Fuck this asshole who's causing all this drama in the first place."

"Yeah!" A loud chorus of agreement erupted around them.

Hermione and Draco shared a look of relief as Draco began unlocking the dungeon gate to let them out. Most of them poured out and ran up the stairs to the Great Hall. Only a handful of them were left behind and they were all glaring intently at Draco and Hermione.

"Goyle?" Draco looked surprised.

"You're such a prat...a fucking pussy Draco." Goyle sniggered as he raised his wand, pointing it at Draco. "You're an embarrassment to your own family. You're supposed to be the most loyal to the Dark Lord!"

"No, Goyle." Draco smirked. "I was never loyal. He's just so stupid that he believed me for so long, just like you. Stupid is as stupid does."

Before Goyle could even say his curse in anger to Draco, Hermione sent him flying back into the dungeons, locking the door herself, with her own invented spell, and touched Draco's arm, apparating him to the entrance of the Room of Requirement.

'How...how did you apparate?" Draco wondered in surprise as he looked around the hall for any stray snatchers or Death Eater.

"You think with how the entire castle is in ruins right now from this ongoing fight that apparating is still not allowed?" Hermione smirked. "All our school's defenses are down right now."

As she moved towards the door of the room of requirement, the door flew open, revealing a disheveled looking Harry. Hermione touched his shoulders gently, as Draco stared into the room that was now inflamed.

"The...the horcrux...it...it blew up this time." Harry stuttered. "The snake...that's the next one!"

"But he keeps that stupid thing close to his person at all times." Draco groaned. "How the fuck are we supposed to destroy it."

"I don't know, but we'll figure it out. Right now, he's going down to the shrieking shack...he's waiting for Severus." Harry revealed.

"No…" Draco snapped as a revelation dawned on him. Voldemort know the truth about Snape. He turned and ran down the hallway to the entrance hall staircase. He had to save the only man who was a true father to him.

"Draco wait!" Hermione screamed as she and Harry rushed to catch up with him.

Draco was now running on his own emotions. Something he had taught Hermione to never do because it would always lead to a downfall. Hermione, seeing that Draco was about to head out into the middle of the most vicious part of the battle, grabbed his shirt and pulled him behind a wall for protection.

"Together!" Hermione snapped. "We're in this together."

"He's my godfather!" Draco protested. "He's more important to me than my own father."

"He's just an important to us as he is to you, Draco." Harry said softly as Hermione's entire body stiffened.

Harry and Draco glanced up at Hermione to see her eyes fixated on something behind them. They both turned around and stared at a powerful Tonks, her hair red as fire, crackling as she threw curse after curse towards her aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry stared proudly at Tonks, one of the few aurors he had been inspired by. He had never told anyone this, but Tonks was his reason for wanting to become an Auror in the first place.

She had struggled her entire life, fighting to prove everyone wrong. She had always been deemed as an outcast for who she was related to and what she was born as; a metamorphmagus. But she had rose above all others, excelled in her school years at Hogwarts, and was now one of the best, youngest, aurors at the ministry. She was one of Harry's idols.

"Come on! We have to get to Snape!" Draco pulled both Harry and Hermione out of their musings and dragged them into the courtyard, throwing spells at the various death eaters around them as they ran.

Neither one of them had stayed long enough to see Bellatrix Lestrange hit Tonks with a killing curse, directly in her chest. No one, besides a very angered Molly Weasley, noticed the light leave Tonks' eyes as she fell gracefully to the floor while Bellatrix cackled in glee.

A/N

I hope you all love this chapter! Another one soon! Let me know your thoughts :)