Chapter sixteen:
Battle
It was already nightfall and there was news around the entire wizarding world that Harry Potter had been sighted. Snape had made an announcement to each head boy and girl along with each prefect to lead their houses into the Great Hall for a meeting, regarding Harry Potter's movements. Draco had joined the Slytherin house and Luna joined the Ravenclaw house as all the houses marched their way down the stairs and towards the great hall. Draco wasn't sure what this was about precisely but had a feeling that it had to do with Harry. Luna, of course, knew about why they were brought to the great hall being in the D.A. Amycus Carrow watched from the top of another staircase as the students marched on key towards the great hall with a smirk on his face. Little did anyone know besides the D.A. that Harry was mixed in with the Gryffindors. They then came to a stop after walking halfway into the great hall, houses separated from each other as Snape entered and walked down the middle, passing them to the podium.
Snape then stopped and faced the gloomy students. "Many of you are surely wondering, why I have summoned you at this hour...It's come to my attention, that earlier this evening...Harry Potter was sighted in Hogsmeade." Snape paused for a moment to watch nearly every student's reaction, to study them. "Now...should anyone...student or staff attempt to aid Mr. Potter, surely they will be punished in a manner consistent with the severity of their transcription. Furthermore...any person found to have knowledge of these events...who fails to come forward... will be treated as equally guilty. Another...If anyone in here has any knowledge of Mr. Potter's movements this evening...I invite them to step...forward...now." Snape demanded, eyeing every student as the students kept their heads down except those in Slytherin. Most didn't want to turn in Harry while the rest had no idea where he was. Harry then stepped out from the Gryffindors and into the empty middle, causing everyone to gasp as Snape's reaction became stunned and caught off guard.
"It seems, despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you still have a security problem, Headmaster...I'm afraid it's quite extensive." Harry pointed out as the Order opened the doors and came inside the great hall. Draco was surprised to see that Harry had the nerve to come back to the school, knowing it would be a trap full of death eaters. Snape remained mute at the words. "How dare you stand where he stood. Tell them how it happened that night...tell them how you looked him in the eye... a man who trusted you, and killed him." Harry stated in a furious tone. "Tell them!" Harry added. Of course Harry didn't know the whole story on why Snape killed Dumbledore but since the death of Dumbledore, Snape only knew of it. Draco looked away from Harry, feeling slightly guilty for Dumbledore's death since he was involved before looking over to Snape. Luna looked from Harry towards the Slytherins, spotting Draco a little, over some spaces between students, noticing the guilty expression on his face. Snape had then took out his wand and pointed it at Harry before McGonagall stepped forward and took out hers, causing the students to back up towards the walls. McGonagall began casting spells, knocking out the Carrows i addition and Snape blocked the ones that came towards him, surprised to be in a duel with McGonagall before he apparated and flew away from the school, causing the students to cheer.
Luna clapped and immediately walked up to the front near her friends and spotted Draco closer up, locking eyes with him for a moment before a clouded voice spoke in the hall, a voice of Voldemort, causing two first years to scream in the hall. "I know that many of you will want to fight. Some of you might even think to fight is wise. But this is folly. Give me Harry Potter. Do this and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave Hogwarts untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded...you have one hour." Voldemort whispered to the students at Hogwarts. Luna had never heard Voldemort speak, the only time Voldemort was at the Malfoy Manor to interrogate Ollivander, was in the living room. She couldn't imagine facing him everyday like Draco had to at his home, the voice itself creeped her out. Immediately after Voldemort ended his offer, everyone looked at each other before Pansy Parkinson stepped out from the Slytherins. "What are you all waiting for? Someone grab him!" Pansy stated carelessly. Draco expressed a look of annoyance from Pansy's demands before Harry's friends, including Luna, went over and formed a barrier around Harry. "Pansy's being ridiculous." Draco muttered among Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle, causing Pansy to look back at Draco with a glare. Luna did catch Draco's words and attempted to retain herself from chuckling.
Moments later, Filch had ran into the great hall with his cat Mrs. Norris coddled in his arms in panic. "Students out of bed Students in the corridor!" Filch shouted before coming to a stop. "They're supposed to be out of bed, you blithering idiot!" McGonagall replied in shock to his ignorance. Filch calmed and felt foolish. "Sorry ma'am." Filch replied simply. "As it happens, Mr. Filch...your arrival is most opportune. If you would, I would like you to lead Miss Parkinson and the rest of Slytherin house, from the hall." Mcgonagall instructed. Draco wasn't thrilled that his house was being separated from the others, especially at this time. He didn't want to be separated from Luna during a battle. "Exactly where is it I'll be leading 'em to, ma'am?" Filch asked. "The dungeons would do." Mcgonagall replied. Students from other houses clapped while Slytherin house glared and crossed their arms. Meanwhile Draco glanced over at the crowd and locked eyes with Luna, with a slight expression of worry before being the last of the Slytherin house to depart from the great hall. Luna did worry about Draco, his safety being kept from the battle but surely Draco would be foiling up a plan to get out of the dungeons.
The students then began spreading everywhere in the castle, getting ready for the battle as first years were escorted to safety in their houses. Draco and the rest of the Slytherins followed into the dungeons, with Pansy complaining of course. Luna went to chase after Harry, knowing he would be looking for the diadem, spotting him going up the stairs. "Harry, wait! I need to talk to you!" Luna shouted, following him up the stairs. "I'm a bit pre-occupied at the moment, Luna." Harry replied, walking further up the staircase. "You don't know where you're going. You're wasting your time!" Luna informed him, knowing the diadem wouldn't be in the Ravenclaw tower, otherwise it would've been found by now. "Look, we'll talk later, okay?" Harry replied. "Harry." Luna rebuttled. "Later." Harry said in frustration. Luna was getting frustrated over trying to help her friend who wasn't listening and stopped on the steps where she stood. "Harry Potter, you listen to me right now!" Luna demanded in her sweet, soft voice. Harry stopped immediately, looking at her, almost the same reaction Draco had when she said to him as well. "Do you remember what Cho said about Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem? There is not a person alive who's seen it...It's obvious, isn't it? We have to talk to someone who's dead." Luna explained. Harry and Luna then began to head down to the corridor and to the hall where Helena Ravenclaw haunted. "It's very impressive, isn't it? If you want to find her, you'll find her down there." Luna stated after they stopped at the front entrance of the hall. "Aren't you coming?" Harry asked. "No. I think it's best if you two talk alone. She's very shy. Besides, i need to get ready and-" Luna explained, being cut off by Harry. "-find Malfoy?" Harry said. Luna smiled slightly before nodding. Harry understood before he walked to Helena. Luna made her way back into the castle and fought through the crowd.
Meanwhile, in the dungeons, the Slytherins were locked up in the dungeons while Filch stood across from them. "Let us out, you filthy squib!" Pansy shouted as she squeezed the bars. Draco rolled his eyes and took out his mother's wand that Dobby dropped in the manor and decided to get out on his own. Filch ignored her, taking a few steps away from them before there was an explosion in the dungeons. The concrete wall that held the cell gate had broken and everyone escaped the cell, making Filch startled and frozen in place. Draco then walked over and grabbed Crabbe and Goyle by the collars as they were trying to leave and apparated to the staircase. Draco had an idea where he could find Harry and he wanted to get his wand back. Luna was on her way down to the dungeons before she spotted Draco appear in the crowd of students, causing her to change directions and attempt to follow him, getting lost in the crowd. When she got to the top of the stairs, Luna didn't find Draco which disappointed her. She wanted to fight next to him, at least know he was okay but assumed he was looking for her too.
Draco had made it to the seventh floor with Crabbe and Goyle, entering the Room of Requirement, the need to find Harry Potter was what he thought therefore the room have him the same room Harry was in as the death eaters began entering the school. Entering, Draco passed by a few tall piles of junk that has been kept at Hogwarts over the decades, even spotting Hermione and Ron looking around before spotting Harry looking at the diadem in its own box. Draco then pointed his mother's wand at Harry while Crabbe and Goyle pointed their wands too. "Well, well...what brings you here, Potter?" Draco sneered. Harry was caught off guard before setting the diadem back and turning to Draco. "I could ask you the same." Harry replied in slight irritation. "You have something that's mine...I'd like it back." Draco explained, obviously talking about his wand but he did envy his rival on several things, including his rival's closeness to his girlfriend but he wouldn't wish death on him. "What's wrong with the wand you have?" Harry asked, he didn't want to return his now new wand. "It's my mother's. It's powerful, but it's not the same. Doesn't quite understand me. You know what I mean?" Draco explained, still pushing for his wand returned. Harry wanted to change the subject. "Why didn't you tell her? Bellatrix...You knew it was me. You didn't say anything." Harry pointed out. Draco remained silent, knowing he was caught from earlier on not wanting to rat out Harry despite being rivals. "I had my reasons." Draco replied simply. He didn't want Luna hating him for turning in her friend for one. Goyle leaned in over Draco's shoulder. "Come on, Draco! Don't be a prat. Do it!" Goyle pressured. Apparently Draco and his cronies had different reasons on finding Harry in the Room of Requirement. Draco was silent. "Easy." Goyle spat, ready to do it himself before Hermione and Ron appeared.
"Expelliarmus!" Hermione casted at Draco, disarming him but he caught his mother's wand again in his hand before shuffling off with Crabbe. "Avada Kedavra!" Goyle casted towards Hermione, Hermione ducked as it hit an item on the sides. "Stupefy!" Hermione casted at Goyle that hit a box under the diadem, causing the diadem to fly into the nearby pile. Goyle ran off too. "That's my girlfriend, you numpty!" Ron said in anger, running after them. Draco found himself cornered with the piles of junk as Crabbe and Goyle arrived with a storming Ron. Crabbe then had the idea of casting the fiendfyre curse to get Ron to back off. Ron saw the fire and immediately ran back to his friends screaming. "They've set the bloody place on fire!" Ron shouted. Crabbe couldn't control the fire nor shut it off. "Turn it off!" Draco spewed, edging out of the scene. Crabbe shook his wand. "I can't, it won't stop!" Crabbe stated before tossing his wand into the fire. Draco's eyes widened as Crabbe did that and left before the fire got bigger moments later as Crabbe and Goyle followed. "You idiot!" Draco spat out at Crabbe before darting to a cleared pile of junk and began climbing it to get away from the fire, Crabbe and Goyle did the same, climbing as well. Books and small items kept falling down as Draco climbed, Draco was worried about dying in the fire, he didn't want to die. Crabbe grabbed onto a loose chair that caused him to fall and into the fire, which caused Draco to pause for a moment before continuing to climb. "Come on, this way!" Ron stated, the trio were on broomsticks. Harry looked back to see Draco and his cronies nearly fall from the top of a pile, thinking about how Luna would take it if Draco died and how he would feel guilty of he didn't try to help. "We can't leave them!" Harry shouted, turning back. "He's joking, right? If we die for them, Harry, I'm gonna kill you!" Ron shouted in irritation.
As the trio flew by, Draco noticed Harry attempt to grab him but missed the first time. "Grab my hand!" Harry shouted. Draco honestly was grateful to his rival for once in his life. As Harry went around a second time, Draco grabbed his hand and got onto the broomstick, flying off as Goyle got onto Ron's. They then flew out of the fiery room and fell onto the ground of the castle. Draco and Goyle then got up and scurried off while the trio kicked in the diadem, destroying it as the doors closed. Draco and Goyle ended up splitting up then running in different directions. Draco wanted to find Luna but on his way to find her at the bottom of the stairs, a death eater crossed him. Something he didn't expect to happen. "I'm Draco Malfoy, I'm Draco, I'm on your side." Draco lied about siding with them in panic, attempting to show his dark mark to the death eater before the trio began walking down the stairs under the invisibility cloak now. "That backstabbing git." Ron stated. Harry stupefied the death eater in front of Draco, causing Draco to approach the trio as they passed him down the stairs. "Thank you, thank you." Draco stated before Ron threw a punch at him, knocking him back a bit and covering his face. "And that's the second time we've saved your life tonight, you two-faced bastard!" Ron spewed, uncovered before going back under the cloak and walking down the staircase. Draco stood there stunned at the words spat at him. "Wait til my father hears about this!" Draco shouted from the top of the staircase before leaving to look for Luna once again, going down the stair case towards the first ground floor, hoping that she was okay.
Meanwhile, Luna was in the great hall fighting a rather new and inexperienced death eater when Draco checked the great hall to spot the blond Ravenclaw. Marching over there while others were fighting around him, Draco drew his mother's wand and pointed it at the death eater. "Avada kedavera!" Draco casted quickly and ruthlessly, brave enough to cast it this time to save his girlfriend. Both Draco and Luna watched the death eater fall dead before Luna turned to look at Draco. "We have to go." Draco grabbed Luna's hand as he led her out of the great hall, though his cheekbone felt a bruise coming on from the punch. The inner castle now full of more students than death eaters. "You casted the killing curse, its unforgivable isnt it?" Luna asked as they stormed through the crowd. "Yes. But its a battle, i highly doubt that it matters right now." Draco explained quickly. They headed outside to spot the various creatures of giants, acromantulas, werewolves and even dementors before deciding it was much worse out there than inside. As they passed by the scenes playing around them, Draco and Luna helped fellow classmates by stunning and cursing the death eaters, passing by some bodies on the ground as well, one Luna recognized as Colin Creevey. Luna frowned as she was pulled by Draco before a rather tall man stepped in front of them at the direction of the dungeons. Greyback. "Finally, a Malfoy i get to tear apart...traitorous leech." Greyback snarled, noticing Luna beside Draco. Draco was fearful of Greyback from his reputation. "Back off, Greyback. You know my parents are death eaters." Draco hissed. Greyback laughed mockingly. "The most rubbish ones out there...including you." Greyback stated, stepping towards him swiftly before Luna pointed her wand. "Stupefy!" Luna casted, causing Greyback to fly back a few feet, knocked out to the floor. Draco looked at Luna. "Thanks for that." Draco smirked crookedly, causing Luna to smile before they rushed off towards the dungeons. Upon getting there, Draco spotted Filch in there huddled in a corner, waiting out the battle. "I think we're safe in here for now." Draco pointed out. Luna looked at Filch who shot a glare towards her. "Quit staring!" Filch screeched bitterly. Luna looked away swiftly as she clung to Draco. "I want to help my friends at the same time i want to be with you." Luna explained. Draco did feel guilty not being out there helping but he also knew he had many targets on his back being a Malfoy and his family wasn't favored on either side too much. "I promised your father I'd keep you safe." Draco pointed out. Luna sighed, knowing he was right and didnt want to leave her father alone if something happened to her.