POTTER RESURGENCE

Chapter 26

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to their respective owners.

-PRPRPRPRPR-

June 25th 1995

Hogwarts Staffroom

"I have been thinking of why Albus gave me this ring." Harry said, running a finger over the ring that gave him control of the wards. "Every single one of you here would have been more qualified to run a school, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't for my leadership skills."

The teachers smiled. The entire Hogwarts staff was here apart from Snape. Even Filch was there, lurking just at the edge of the shadows.

"Then I realized it was because of the wards." Harry continued. "You're all masters in your respective fields and some only have a passing familiarity with wards. It would have taken you hours, if not days to acclamate yourselves with the Hogwarts wards. And in that time, the Dark Lord and his army would have already taken the castle."

"What are you saying, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"What I'm saying is that one of you should have been Albus' successor. Or to be more specific..." Harry pulled off the ring. "I Harry James Potter appoint you, Minerva McGonagall as my successor and the next Headteacher of this school."

"Are you sure about this, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked as she took the ring and Harry nodded.

"My job was to reinforce the wards so they would be able to protect the students, nothing more and nothing less. The rest is up to you and your staff." He looked all of them. "The responsibility of keeping the students alive falls on you all, every single one of you. My advice would be for all of you to stay within the castle grounds untill this war is truly over.

This time he was looking at Lily who had arrived shortly after he had ended his call with Sirius.

"The wards may be powerful, more powerful than any but as I'm sure you all know, every spell has a counter." He continued. "And from what little I know about the Dark Lord, if anyone can find a way around them, it is him. It would be better if that happened, there would be people to protect the students long enough for help to arrive."

Harry gave them all a bow and left. The Staffroom had a door to the back which led to the Headmaster's office and Harry disappeared through it. In no more than a minute, he entered his former office which he hadn't owned for more than a few hours. Even then, the fact would always remain that Harry James Potter was once a Headmaster of Hogwarts.

Hardwin and Tonks were waiting for him and going by the frustration on Hardwin's face, the boy hadn't had much success in convincing Tonks to stay behind. He was wearing new robes made out of dragon hide. Harry had bought them for him a few days before the task. Harry in the other hand had his coat, Tonks' gift for him on his birthday while Tonks herself had the basilisk hide coat they had given her on her graduation.

"So, are we ready to go?" Tonks jumped to her feet when he entered.

"You're staying." Harry answered simply.

"The hell am I!"

"I have a more important task I wish for you to do for me, Tonks." Harry said. "But you'll need to be here at Hogwarts to do it more effectively."

"And what's that?"

Before Harry could answer, the door he had just used opened and Lily entered.

"Hey, Harry." She said with clearly false cheer. "From your little speech back there, I got the impression that you were planning on leaving me behind."

Harry looked at Hardwin who looked back at him helplessly. It was obvious they were of the same mind but Hardwin wasn't willing to stick out his neck to make it happen. Taking a deep breath, Harry turned to look at her.

"Mom, you're staying here." Harry said firmly.

"You don't get to tell me what I can and cannot do, son." Lily shook her head. "Quite the opposite actually."

"I understand, mom. But this is for your safety."

"My safety you say?" She asked and the twins got a weird sense of deja vu. "Which one of us has actually fought in a war?"

"You did, mom." Harry replied. "And lost your husband in the process."

The air became a little heavier in the office. Tonks glanced at Hardwin in alarm but the other boy just shrugged indifferently.

"I would consider my next words very carefully if I were you, Harry." Lily said dangerously.

"To win this war, we're going to have to fight with everything we have, mom." Harry said. "We can't do that if we're afraid of accidentally hurting those we love. Me and Hardwin always know where the other is, that wouldn't apply to anyone else and we could end up hurting them in the middle of a fight."

"You can't fight this war all by yourselves."

"No, mom. But there are many fronts on this war, one of which involves protecting the castle in case of an unexpected attack and you can fight from here." Harry countered. "At least here I would know that there are people you trust watching your back."

"I can take care of myself, Harry." Lily said softly as she walked over to Harry and held his hands. "I understand your concern but as a mother, I can't let my sons walk into possible death and not try to protect them or at the very least be at their side. That is what it means to be a mother."

"You gotta admit this is not a typical parenting situation."

"Maybe it isn't." Lily laughed. "But I'm still your mother, Harry and I'll protect both my children with my dying breath if I have to."

Harry sighed. "I am sorry, mom."

"It's alright son, you were only looking out for me." Lily said as she pulled him into a hug.

"I'm glad you understand." He pulled her closer. It took Lily a moment to notice that the tone of his voice had changed into one he had always used when he was going to do something Lily had refused him to do. By then, it was already too late to do anything.

"Now Sleep, mom." Lily slumped against Harry's chest. He caught her and lifted her before taking her over to a chair which Hardwin helpfully transfigured into a couch. "I'm truly sorry, mom. But I can't risk losing you too."

Once he had made her as comfortable as possible, he turned to Tonks. Walking over to her, she opened her mouth to say something but was cut of when Harry kissed her. It was brief, she hadn't even gotten past her surprise to respond when he he pulled back.

"Look after her, will you?"

Tonks simply nodded.

"So, how are we leaving?" Hardwin asked.

"Before handing over the ring to McGonagall, I added a provision to let me Apparate and port-key into or out of Hogwarts." Harry said. "We're going to meet Greengrass at the Malfoys."

-PRPRPRPRPR-

Malfoy Manor

Draco had just entered his mother's room when he froze in place, it was because of what he found in his mother's room. His aunt Bellatrix had her wand pointed at Narcissa who was sobbing on on the bed. There was a discarded travel bag lying at the base of the bed, its contents emptied around it.

It was obvious his insane aunt had caught her sister preparing to run away and had been torturing her. Draco saw red, and without even knowing what he was doing, he had his wand in his hand. A banisher threw the insane woman into the wall, before he could comprehend what he has done, she had recovered and he barely ducked in time to avoid a spell that would have certainly taken his head.

He conjured a shield to block the following spell and grunted at the force behind it. It was like fighting Hardwin all over again and this time, he doubted she would stop just because he asked. Just as another spell left her wand, he dropped the shield and dropped on the ground. He rolled forward and lifted his wand and shot off another banisher.

Bellatrix clearly hadn't expected him to counter but while surprised, she had the presence of mind to cast a shield, and just in time too as his banisher hit the shield and she stumble back. He hadn't stopped moving however and did something that the woman hadn't expected. Like a common muggle, he physically threw himself at her and the two fell down in a tumble of limbs.

He could hear his mother screaming at them to stop but he ignored her, he was sure Bellatrix wasn't going to listen either. They rolled around, punching and scratching as either tried to get the upper hand. Just as Draco thought he had her in place, she suddenly grabbed his head and bit into his neck. He scrambled off of her, clutching his bleeding neck, but that had been his mistake.

Bellatrix summoned her wand into her hand and pain exploded in Draco's chest. He suddenly felt light as he was hurled across the room before his impromptu flight came to a stop when he hit the wall.

"Crucio!"

Draco screamed. His body, his entire being was consumed with pain and he couldn't form a single coherent thought. He could hear his aunt laughing as she took joy in his screams, his mother was pleading with her sister to stop but she didn't listen.

And then the pain suddenly cut off. He took in huge gulps of air, his head ringing both from the pain and his own screams. It didn't take long to make out what had made her to stop, a piercing wail was shrieking throughout the house. Even in his dreary mind, he knew what the wail meant, the wards had fallen.

He fumbled with his robes and pulled out a vial. Harry had given it to him at one time, a 'sign of my trust in you', the boy had said. And yet no more than a week later, Draco had betrayed that trust and delivered Harry's brother to the Dark Lord. According to Harry, the contents of the vial could heal him, but he was to only use it in a matter of life and death.

Taking half of the potion, he stumbled over to his mother.

"Mother, take this." He gave her the remainder of the potion. She was still shivering, having been under the curse far longer than him. "It should help with the curse's effects."

"What's this?" She asked but swallowed the potion anyway.

"A gift from Harry." Draco replied.

"The wards have fallen, we need to go." Narcissa said as she hurried over to the window. "Those men may not walk out of here alive but they'll certainly kill quite a number of Death Eaters before dying. I'd rather neither of us is one of them."

"Who are they?" Draco asked, standing next to his mother while looking down at the driveway from the gate that led to the Manor.

Seven wizards were casually strolling towards the Manor. They wore Dark robes, not unlike the ones Death Eaters wear but even from this distance, he could see the material was different. More sturdy, and certainly thicker. High above them, dark clouds gathered and approached the manor as the men drew closer. The sun that had just started setting was blocked by the dark clouds.

"They called themselves the Pale Horsemen. A group of seven wizards that never failed on a mission. Wherever they went, death followed." Narcissa explained. "They were known to take only missions that others considered 'impossible' or too dangerous and they always completed them."

"How come I've never heard of them." The wizards were drawing nearer and a number of Death Eaters were leaving the Manor and walking towards then.

"They disbanded just at the start of the war. Alfred's father was killed in a Death Eater raid and he came back to hunt the ones responsible and later took his father's place." She answered. "The group disbanded then, even when the Dark Lord tried to recruit Alfred or the others, they decided to stay neutral. Something has clearly happened to make them change from that."

The attackers and Death Eaters had drawn near each other and had started exchanging spells. The difference in skill was very apparent as while the Death Eaters seemed to be skilled, the other wizards didn't seem to be having any trouble picking them off one by one. They didn't even break formation, they stood firm, attacking and defending simultaneously as they steadily advanced at the group of Death Eaters.

"You should probably leave while you still can, mother." Draco said as he pulled a shrunken broom from his robes. A habit he had picked from Harry. "They probably put up wards to avoid magical travel so a broom is your only chance."

"What about you?"

"I plan on fighting alongside Harry." Draco replied firmly.

"I don't see Potter down there, Draco." Narcissa said. "He is smart enough not to attack the Dark Lord's stronghold and with the entire inner-circle here no less."

"You don't know Harry like I do." He shook his head. "He is here, there's no one else smart enough to disable wards as strong as ours. He will show himself at the right time."

Narcissa stared at her son wondering where this loyalty had come from. Was is it out of fear of the other boy or was it something else. "Draco, fighting the Dark Lord_"

"Is our only chance of happiness once this war ends and the Dark Lord has been defeated." Draco interrupted her. He looked back at the driveway, the Pale horsemen were still advancing on the Manor, their progress barely halted by the Death Eaters infront of them.

About ten Death Eaters were already dead and the seven men didn't seem to even be putting in any effort. On top of the left hedge, he could see a black shape slowly following the progress of the fight below. As if feeling his eyes on it, the shadow suddenly looked up right at him and Draco stared into very familiar emeralds. It was Harry.

-PRPRPRPRPR-

From the hedge he was perched on, Meg watched the fight below. He had taken a gamble calling in all the remaining favors owed to him by Lord Greengrass to have him hire his former team members. The pale horsemen had a reputation, one he had hoped would give him a chance against the Dark Lord's army, especially since he had no army of his own.

Greengrass had told him that the group would be willing to break their neutrality if given enough incentive. The Dark Lord had approached them all through his agents but what he had offered had not been enough to entice them or effectively threatening them for that matter. Harry however offered them gold, lots and lots of gold that he had spent sleepless nights making in the weeks leading to the third task.

The gamble had paid off and now Harry had a resemblance of an army. A seven-man army but an army all the same and it had already bore results. With their involvement in subtly defending Diagon Alley along with that morning's Prophet had managed to help reduce on the impact and fear that would have followed news of Voldemort's rise to full power.

Harry hoped to end the war before the masses realized their true plight and all his work is undone. He was sure the Dark Lord had been notified the moment he helped Bill and his friends take down the wards. He had sent them back to Hogwarts to help the staff defend the castle. Voldemort was on his way back, wether he came running to protect his inner-circle or not, Harry didn't want to be caught flatfooted.

Knowing the Dark Lord, he was likely to attack a more vulnerable target to draw attention from Malfoy Manor. At least that's what Harry would have done if he didn't truly care for those at the Manor, however he knew that the Dark Lord cared for something here at the Manor, Nagini. Therefore it was very likely that he would come running here, right into Harry's arms.

Meg took a couple more steps forward, effortlessly balancing on top of the hedge. The Pale horsemen were steadily moving forward and the number of dead Death Eaters kept increasing. However, none of them bore the white masks of the inner-circle, all of the ones fighting below had the silvers of low level Death Eaters. The plan was to draw out as many of the more dangerous Death Eaters as possible before Hardwin snuck into the Manor to hunt down Nagini.

It was possible that Malfoy had taken care of it but Harry didn't want to take any chances. Once the snake was dead, all that will be left of the Dark Lord's anchors will be Hardwin's scar. He still wasn't sure how to deal with that, though he had ideas on where to start, all of which depended on the ring that had the ressurection stone, the Cloak carefully folded in his pocket and the wand strapped on his other hand which wasn't responding to him.

According to Dumbledore's portrait, the wand hadn't been responding to him at the time of his Death either. It had felt like it belonged to someone else, someone had managed to get the Elder Wand's allegiance before Dumbledore died. That was going to be a pain to figure out, however Iolanthe Peverell's spirit had told him that the Stone which he had used to summon her was now powerful enough to contain Voldemort's shade. At least for a couple of minutes.

She told him that if all three Hallows are in close proximity to each other, their capabilities are boosted. Nothing compared to if one had the allegiance of all three but they were certainly stronger than when each was at its lonesome self. She had told him that if he wanted to get rid of the horcrux in his brother's head as well as helping his father, he would have to earn the Elder Wand's allegiance and access the Hallows' full capabilities.

She had refused to give him any more explanations after that. Nothing on how to get the Wand's allegiance or how that would help him heal his father. No matter how much he begged, she refused to budge. The conversation had however given him ideas, and he knew where to begin once the Dark Lord was defeated.

The fight below was intensifying, more Death Eaters were lying on the ground and two of the Pale horsemen were limping, their casting speed was reducing. No more than a dozen Death Eaters were left and they were right on their way to their deaths. In a few minutes, all low level Death Eaters at the Manor would be dead, and then the inner-circle would have no other option but to engage the Pale horsemen themselves.

Harry was about to move closer when a Patronus appeared in front of him. It was Padfoot, and it opened its mouth and spoke in Sirius' voice. "Harry, we've taken the ministry but Voldy is at Hogwarts! I'm going there with the others!"

The Patronus disappeared and Harry's mind spun. He had suspected that Voldemort was playing them for fools. According to what Hardwin had seen, Voldemort had been just arriving at Nurmengard, there was no way he had already completed his business there and come back in less than an hour.

Voldemort somehow knew of their link with Hardwin and had intentionally showed them a false vision. Harry had suspected that and it was why he wanted people to stay at the castle just in case, and also the reason he had sent Bill and the other curse-breakers there to help strengthen the wards even further.

Before he could even make a decision, another Patronus appeared, this one looking like a perfect copy of himself, only much bigger in size. "Harry, Voldemort is here! I'm not sure how long the wards will hold."

As Tonks' voice faded along with the spectral version of Meg, the Animagus blinked as the implacations of the Patronus sunk in. Not only because of the words it had spoken but also the shape of the Patronus itself. And with that realization, his decision was made. His form blurred as he shifted back into human form. He drew his wand and conjured two Patronuses and sent them off to Hogwarts before sending a mental message to his brother.

Lockjaw leaped from where he had been perched and shot down at the group of the remaining Death Eaters. The large golden eagle let out a loud shriek as it neared the ground startling the Death Eaters. They all looked up, forgetting about the Pale horsemen which was their mistake. The transformed wizard suddenly spread his winds and glided just above their heads, his razor-sharp claws clearly in sight.

None of the spells they cast hit the Animagus while all the ones the Pale horsemen shot at them all hit their targets and dropped dead. Lockjaw flew around once before heading for the locked double doors that led into the Manor. Seconds before he could hit them, a large bolt of lightning slammed into the oak doors clearing the way for him.

While Hardwin had been helping the others take down the remaining Death Eaters, Harry had taken control of the magic one of the Pale horsemen had cast to control the weather. The clouds had become even darker, and a fierce wind was howling across the grounds. From his position at the hedge, Harry stood at his full height.

"I need someone to help me flush them out!" Harry shouted at the Pale horsemen. "And the others be ready to engage!"

One of the wizards transformed into a raven and flew towards the hedge across Harry before turning back. "What about your bird?!"

"He can take care of himself!" Harry shouted back.

"If you say so." The man replied and flicked his wrist. The ground near the manor warped slightly before a stone golem rose out if it. There weren't any defining features, other than the fact that it was humanoid and stood at over ten feet and had clubs in the place of arms.

The giant golem charged the building and slammed into its side. It shook but no visible damage was there. It came back again and once again charged, there wasn't much effect but Harry's sharp eyes could see cracks starting to appear in the wall. It charged again and spells slammed in it from the destroyed doorway. Seven Death Eaters in white masks had come out to play.

Harry took a deep breath and raised his wand while the remaining six horsemen engaged the Death Eaters. He let his magic free, and the clouds above the Manor became darker and thicker. The occasional flashes if lightning disappeared and instead a part of the clouds would ignite before going out.

"Brother, get out of there!" Their bond had become stronger since Hardwin's visit to the Astral plane and if they tried, they could even communicate with each other if they were close enough.

"In a minute!" Hardwin replied.

"The snake?"

"Dead, thanks to Malfoy." Hardwin answered.

The sun had disappeared completely even though there was still a bit of daylight, but Harry could could see perfectly thanks to Meg's vision. He saw the window where he had spied Draco and his mother open before Lockjaw flew out, Nagini clutched in his claws. Half a second later, three figures flew out as well and flew past Lockjaw who had been floating before the window.

The giant eagle didn't try to stop them so Harry assumed it was the Malfoys. Lockjaw then turned and gave him a tiny nod before flying away from the house towards the fight on the ground. The fight was heated, the golem had broken a part of the wall and entered the house and was now fighting three Death Eaters at once.

The seven that had come out weren't far from the manor entrance but had been driving the six horsemen back. Two were on their knees, one with his other leg shattered into pieces and the other having a long gash running from his neck up to his knee but they still fought. Those that were still standing were having injuries of their own, and looked to be on the verge of collapse.

While the Death Eaters had a few injuries of their own, they were certainly better off than their opponents and it was only a matter of time before the hit wizards were overwhelmed. And then Hardwin arrived. Still in his Animagus form, he released the dead snake and shot towards the ground. A few meters before impact, he transformed back and shot off two spells. One to cushion his fall and the other that acted as a shockwave only it was aimed towards the Death Eaters.

He landed with a roll and his wand ready. He swiped his wand and another shockwave burst from it headed towards the already disoriented wizards. While five managed to shield themselves, two were hurled back into the Manor, one into a wall and the other unfortunately fell on the floor just as the golem brought its giant foot down.

Hardwin meanwhile had not been idle, he dived to the side to avoid a killing curse before casting a shield to absorb the following spell. A flick of his wand had the shield hurled at his opponent, a move that was becoming a favorite of his since it never failed to work. The man was caught off-guard and he was hit with the shield and driven right into the wall, more than half the bones in his body shattering in the process.

Within seconds of his arrival, three of the seven Death Eaters were dead and the remaining four weren't looking so good either. Encouraged with his arrival, the Horsemen joined the fight, just as Hardwin went to engage the remaining ones.

Meanwhile, Harry had been preparing his spell as well and now it was ready. It took a great deal of power, more than any elemental spell he had cast so far but he knew the results would be effective. Harry brought down his wand in a harsh gesture and the magic around the manor swelled. At first there was no effect, and then a lone fireball detached itself from black clouds and fell on the Manor's roof.

And then another followed, which was swiftly followed by four others. The balls of fire raining down kept increasing and with the wind roaring across the grounds, it became a fire storm. The Pale horsemen and even Harry had to step back from the house as more fire rained down, screams of burning Death Eaters reached them. Any who tried to run away from the burning house were thrust right back into the fire.

Harry stood next to his brother and the other wizards as they watched the house burn. The sight was equally mesmerizing and scary, it was a fitting end to the people that had wreaked pain and suffering to the people of the magical world. The fire storm had stopped and the Manor was now simply burning as Harry turned to the other wizards.

"What you did here brings our deal to an end. I thank you very much, each one of you and hope we can sit down and talk properly once this is over." Harry said. "I would however, ask that you stay here and make sure that all eleven inner-circle Death Eaters that were in the Manor are accounted for."

"You're great wizards, both of you and I can see great things in your future." The man who had conjured the golem said. "Fighting alongside the two of you was an honor and I'm sure you know our reputation, we never leave a job unfinished. Don't worry about anyone escaping from there."

"Thank you."

"Lord Potter...Harry." Greengrass limped forward supported by one of his friends. He was very pale, having lost quite a lot of blood from his numerous wounds and looked seconds away from losing consciousness. "Keep my daughters alive, please."

"No harm will come to your daughters, Alfred." Harry promised before gesturing for his brother. "Come, let's hope we're not too late."

"Is this it?"

"This is it." Harry nodded. "Let's go and put this son of a bitch to an end."

-PRPRPRPRPR-

A few minutes before the fire storm

Hogwarts

"If you ask me one more question about Potter, I'm going to slit your throat, Greengrass."

"You do realize that you're called Greengrass as well?" Neville rolled his eyes at the girl who was glaring at her sister. "Besides, you're scaring the other kids."

Daphne turned her glare to the group of second years waiting to be directed where to go after exiting the archway. This had all been Hermione's idea at least for the most part, the whole thing about evacuating the castle had come from someone else but finding the tunnel had been Hermione's work. Everything had been happening so fast, one moment they were all watching Harry and the others navigate the maze and the next, all things went to hell.

They had swiftly been shepherded to the castle before they could even understand what was truly going on. Once Neville and Hermione had reached the castle, they had found themselves at the Room of requirements only to find every single person in their study group waiting for them. Their panic increased when they realized Hardwin and Draco were missing, yet there were no teachers to report to.

They were all outside fighting Death Eaters and werewolves and only Merlin knew where they had all come from. Nobody knew what was really going on outside, and yet they all believed that they could help. Harry had been teaching them to fight since the start of the school year so they were sure they could handle themselves.

And so they had decided to do just that and go to help, only to find that no door or window could open for them. The castle was under total lockdown, and the staff as well as a few Aurors was all that was standing between the castle and the Death Eaters. And as if that wasn't enough, Harry and Hardwin were both missing and there was no way of contacting them.

And then Hardwin had showed up out of nowhere. He told them the castle was under lockdown but there were other entrances and they needed to be blocked. For the next ten minutes or so, the group was running around the castle blocking off passageways they didn't even know existed.

Things had turned to a semblance of normality soon after. The attackers were defeated, and the castle was opened once again. The relief was shortlived however when news of Dumbledore's death came. That had put a bummer on everyone's happiness, and many refused to believe it untill the next day when McGonagall told them at breakfast.

The Headmaster's death had shocked everyone, it had put their mortality into perspective and all those times when Harry had told them to avoid a fight whenever possible made sense. If someone like Dumbledore can die, then so can everyone. The truth of the war sank in, and no one was sure if they would still be alive or not at the end of it all.

They were all scared. Whatever bravado they had had the previous day had flown right out of the window. Even McGonagall's assurances that they would be safe so long as they stayed in the castle did not do much to ease their fear. Neither of the Potter brothers were there, Hardwin having disappeared right after sealing the secret passageways. And Harry...well he was the new Headmaster, and only Merlin knew how that happened.

Neville firmly believed that the castle would feel much safer with either twin here. Since they were kids and still went to that muggle school before coming to Hogwarts, Neville had always felt, not only safer, but more confident of himself around them. Over the years, he had grown to revel in their presence and he always strived to be like them, because those two were like pillars. Nothing could move them if they didn't want and they could really use that here right now.

"Don't worry, Astoria." He assured the girl who had been asking her sister nonstop when the boy would come. "Harry knows what's going on, he will come as soon as he can."

And Harry did know what was going on, after all he was the one that gave them the idea to use the Room of requirements to evacuate the castle. After the funeral, everyone had gone to the Great hall, the students had sat there, some comforting their friends while others were simply panicking quietly. All eleven students in their group were seated together at the Slytherin table, none caring for houses right now.

They had been there for about one and a half hours when what could only be an alarm sounded throughout the castle. Hermione had immediately deduced that wards were being attacked, and not a second later, all the teachers apart from Lily Potter had entered the Great Hall. McGonagall told them to stay calm, that the wards would protect them, however she didn't look that assured either.

The assault on the wards went on and the teachers were growing progressively worried. And then Harry's Patronus arrived. They hadn't even known he was capable of casting one and had been caught off-guard when the silver jaguar appeared in their midst and spoke in Harry's voice. It told Hermione to use the room of requirements to find a way to evacuate the castle that didn't involve using open ground.

The Patronus had barely faded when McGonagall arrived at where they were seated. She asked them if they had got Harry's message and when they nodded, she turned to the rest of the students and ordered all of them to follow them and listen to their every instruction if they wanted to stay alive. Unsurprisingly, Hermione took charge and she led the group the seventh floor.

On their way, they passed by suits of armor that were matching in uniform heading towards the ground floor. It was obvious the teachers were preparing for a fight with the Dark Lord, and yet neither Harry nor Hardwin had arrived yet. It took Hermione a few tries but when she finally got the door to appear, instead of the room they were used to, behind the door was a tunnel.

A tunnel which they followed until it led them to the Hogs head. Neville, Hermione, Daphne and Susan had gone ahead to see where the tunnel led and were shocked to see the person who received them and his resemblance to their recently deceased headmaster. Aberforth while surprised at their appearance listened as they explained the situation and soon was onboard.

They doubled back then and started sending through the students, starting with first years. Neville, Daphne, Astoria and Blasie as well as Elizabeth Walters were at Hogsmeade helping the students settle in as the villagers received them.

Even here, they could hear the alarm of the wards as they were assaulted, it had been growing in pitch and deep down, Neville knew that they didn't have long. The dome that protected the castle was now visible, a brilliant kaleidoscope that was growing dimmer by the second. Even as Neville watched, the wards let out a long painful shriek before shutting of completely and going silent.

Everyone stopped what they had been doing and looked on as patches appeared in the dome. They started spreading and slowly by slowly the dome started disappearing and right before their eyes, the Hogwarts wards, strongest in England had collapsed. The majority of the students had already arrived at Hogsmeade, only a few fifth-years were still in the tunnel while the sixth and Seventh years were in the castle. Along with the rest of Neville's friends.

"Hermione and the others are still in the castle." Daphne said with a frown. "We can't just leave them there."

"Going back to the castle is suicide, Greengrass." Blaise said. "Now that the wards are down, only the teachers stand in his way."

"Well, what do you propose?" Daphne snapped at the Italian boy. "Are we to wait for Harry or Hardwin to come and give us instructions?"

"That would be the best choice." The boy replied. "We can't just charge up to the Dark Lord, we can barely keep up with a normal adult wizard. Do you really fancy your chances against the Dark Lord?"

"I for one, I'm going back there to get our friends." Neville declared as he pulled out his broom and enlarged it. "If the Dark Lord stands in my way, then I'll just have to go through him."

And with that, he jumped on the broom and flew back towards the castle. His heart was pumping, and he knew he was probably shaking in fear but this was the right thing to do. Hardwin and Harry would have done the same. He heard the sound of flapping robes and he looked back to see someone he hadn't expected.

Draco.

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AN: Hello, there goes the latest chapter. I dragged my feet a little at the end there but what I have planned for the final battle wouldn't have fit in the words I had left to make a chapter. Don't worry, I'll be concluding the Voldemort arc next chapter.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it

Keep safe.