FB; Chapter 6: The Attack
Disclaimer: see chap 1
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Malfoy paced slowly back and forth in his dormitory. He checked his watch. Ten minutes until midnight. If he was going to act, he had to do so now, and without hesitation. If he didn't, by his own standards, he would be doing the wizarding world a favor. He tried to think of how his father would react in a moment like this. And finally, his mind was made up.
Hermione couldn't stop hugging Harry, as she threw her arms around his neck again.
"Ahhh!" the pain in his forehead made him shrug her off and clutch both hands to it.
"That's it!" Hermione cried, threw her wand to the ground, and walked up to the mirror. With a swift kick, she shattered it. She was breathing so heavily that she was trembling.
"It's okay," he said soothingly, both hands still stuck to his forehead. And then, something made his blood run cold.
He heard screaming. And what sounded like large groups of people running. "Hermione, do you hear that?"
Her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. She bent down, scooped up her wand and stuck it in her robes. Harry quickly walked to the door, and stuck his head out.
"Get OUT!" Professor McGonagall was running by their door. She didn't even notice Harry's head sticking out of the door. "Evacuate immediately!"
"Harry, what is it?" Hermione asked quietly behind him. "What's going on?"
"I dunno," he said, still staring out after McGonagall. "They're evacuating Hogwarts. C'mon,"
Hermione drew in a sharp gasp and took his hand. They slowly snuck out of the room and down the stairs, and headed back toward Gryffindor Tower.
"I just want to make sure Ron's out!!" Harry cried to her.
Hermione squeezed his hand in response and followed after him. They managed to get to the common room easily, the halls now were almost deserted. They spotted Neville hurrying toward the portrait hole. "Harry! The school's under attack, we have to get out!"
A large lump formed in his throat. "Attack? Attacked by who?!"
"Snape!" Neville trembled. "C'mon!"
"Is Ron still up there?" Harry asked.
"No! He's outside! They're all outside!"
"How do you know it was Snape?" Harry asked, scrambling out of the portrait hole.
Neville was silent a moment. "…Malfoy."
"Malfoy?!" Harry cried. "I thought he'd be Snape's second in command!"
"He buckled! He went to Dumbledore seconds before the attack!! I was passing by, looking for Trevor and heard everything! Snape was using his DADA classes to train the Slytherins in the dark arts! Now they're everywhere throughout the school, killing anyone who isn't pure blood!"
Hermione trembled. Harry shot a look to her. "It'll be okay,"
Just then, there was a large cracking sound, and the ceiling of the common room caved in.
"RUN!" Harry shouted, dragging Hermione and Neville with him.
Down the stairs now, and toward the Entrance Hall they ran.
"Going somewhere, Potter?" a voice as cold as ice drawled behind them.
Harry, Hermione, and Neville slowly whipped around. Snape stood behind them, his arms crossed and wand raised.
Neville screamed and ran out the main doors.
"What do you want, Snape?" Harry asked, stepping in front of Hermione.
"Tell me something," he said, walking slowly towards them. "with all of your brown nosing in the earlier years, why haven't you seen this coming sooner? I am surprised at you especially, Miss Granger."
Hermione looked him dead on. She had just tangled with an evil Harry. She wasn't going to let Snape bring her down.
"No answer, my, my, my…" Snape drawled.
"Run, Hermione!" Harry whispered.
"No, I am NOT leaving you," she whispered back.
"The two of you aren't going anywhere!" Snape hissed, and shot sparks at the main doors. An eerie red glow gleamed around them. "I want both of you to be my last,"
Harry and Hermione drew out their wands.
Snape laughed. "Ah yes, yes, courage. Courage until the very end, that does fit the perfect description of a Gryffindor, doesn't it now?" he circled them slowly. "Do you know how many of your courageous Gryffindors perished?"
Hermione's upper lip drew into a snarl. "You sick, sick monster! How DARE you!"
"No, how dare YOU, Miss Granger, a common filthy MUGGLE invading our precious and wonderous world. Books cannot save you, knowledge cannot save you, even the famous Harry Potter cannot save you! Only power can rescue you!"
"Hermione's a witch," Harry snapped.
Snape laughed coldly. "She will never be a witch. Her Muggle blood is too thick. I have disposed of many of you tonight, and you shall be my last!"
"You have to go through ME first!" Harry cried. "It's no secret that we despise each other, so let's have it out, here and now!"
"Ah, yes, Potter, the son I never had."
Harry's heart hammered in his chest. What the hell was he talking about?
"Don't listen to him, Harry!" Hermione warned.
"I loved your mother!" Snape spat. "We were following our master's reign gloriously together. We were to be wed, you know."
"YOU LIE!" Harry screamed.
"Do I?" Snape chuckled. "Why don't you ask your Azkaban escapee godfather, hmm?"
Harry's fists were clutched tightly around his wand. One spell, THE spell, that was all he needed to cast to catch him off guard. If he just kept him talking…
"And then your bastard father came to her! And she left me, standing alone, out in the cold. From that day on Potter, I vowed my vengence!" He aimed his wand at Hermione, and before Harry could stop him, he muttered "Gunxes!" at her.
She collapsed to the floor in pain.
"Hermione!" Harry cried. He turned to Snape, who was laughing. "Jagulari!" he cried at Snape. The ends of Snape's robes caught on fire.
"Extungua," he said calmly, and the flames flickered and died out.
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry cried.
Snape, smirking, leapt out of the way.
"Leave, Harry!" Dumbledore appeared out of nowhere. Was he here the whole time watching?
Snape turned hurriedly to him. "Ah, Headmaster. How nice of you to join us."
"Escapisio!" Dumbledore cried at the main doors, which burst open. "Leave, Harry!" he shouted again. "I'll take care of him."
Reluctantly, Harry turned his back on Snape, and bent down to Hermione. Her eyes were closed. Was she dead? He quickly gathered her in his arms and rushed out of the building. He was quickly surrounded by students.
Seamus Finnigan jogged up to him. "Is she okay, Harry? Where were you?"
Harry layed Hermione on the grass, and felt for a pulse. It was there, a little faint, but there. "Snape got to us before we could get out," he answered. He smiled when he saw Madam Pomfrey bustling her way over to them.
"You sure have a time of it," Seamus muttered.
"Is Ron out?" Harry asked.
Seamus nodded. "We practically had to drag him! He kept insisting he wanted to look for you."
Harry gave a little smile. "And Dean?"
"He's around here somewhere, and I've seen Neville. Not sure about the girls, except for Hermione and Lavender. All of the teachers, except Dumbledore, are all out here."
"She'll be okay," Madam Pomfrey said, flicking her wand over Hermione. "She'll come to in a few. Excuse me!" she bustled away again.
"All the Slytherins?" Harry shook his head.
"That's what Neville says," Seamus replied. "it was horrible. Dean and I passed by… so many… bodies on our way out…" he paused. "we checked to see if they were breathing, of course…"
Harry didn't know what to say. He put a hand on his shoulder.
"Justin Finch-Fletchly barely made it out…"
They paused when a hysterical girl was being lead away by Madam Pomfrey. Harry recognized her immediately. It was Padma Patil in Ravenclaw. "My sister!!!!" she kept sobbing. Harry felt a pang in his chest. He had went to the Yule Ball in fourth year with Padma's sister, Parvati. Even though they weren't the best of friends, he wondered if he could have been a bit nicer to her.
Hermione moaned from the ground. Her eyes fluttered open and she gave a small smile. "Harry…"
He bent down to her, and helped her sit up. "Shh, just rest."
"No!" she climbed unsteadily to her feet. She looked around. "How'd we escape?"
"Dumbledore showed up just in time…" Harry moaned. And then someone else flittered into his mind. "And Malfoy?"
Seamus shrugged.
"What do you want, Potter?" Malfoy sneered behind them.
Harry whipped around. "So, you've finally showed your true colors?"
"I didn't do it for you," he sneered.
"Why did you do it?" Harry asked, sneering back.
"None of your business," he said. "Crabbe, Goyle, Flint… they're all in there…" And pushed past them.
There was a large WHOOSH sound coming from Hogwarts. Someone screamed. Harry turned his attention to the school. It was engulfed in green flames. Harry saw a group of people, whom he could only assume were the teachers, run up to the school, and start shouting spells. They didn't seem to be having any kind of effect.
"Magic Fire," a familiar voice told Harry. "Nothing except powerful dark magic can conjure that."
Harry turned. "Ron!"
"I see you two have made it out," he said dryly. A sobbing Lavender was clutched to his side.
"We love you, Ron," Hermione said weakly, arms looped around Harry's neck for support. This made Lavender cry even more.
Ron opened and closed his mouth.
People started screaming. Harry turned back to Hogwarts. It was all on fire, and it was collapsing. "No!" he yelled. "Dumbledore is still in there!"
In a matter of moments, all of Hogwarts lay in a huge pile of rubble.
The teachers gathered in small groups, crying and talking in whispers. Harry heard something that sounded a lot like "send the children home".
"I'm not going home without Ginny!" Ron yelled. He turned to Lavender. "Lavender, stay here, alright? I'm going to go look for Ginny."
"But, Ronnie…"
"I have to do this," he said. "Seamus, will you?" he gave Lavender a quick kiss.
"Yeah, come on, Lavender," Seamus said, dragging her away and over to Dean and Neville.
"I'm coming with you," Harry said.
"Like hell you are." Ron snapped.
"I'm coming too," Hermione added.
"No!" Ron stopped abruptly and turned to them. "She really doesn't need you two right now."
"Ron," Harry started. "Remember that dream I told you about? The one with the voice? Well, that voice is Ginny's, Ron. Voldemort has her."
Ron turned to them. He sighed, a look of pure terror on his face. "Are you sure?"
Harry nodded. "Afraid so. And I'm not going to stand by and watch him hurt her."
Ron sighed again. "You two really are great friends… and I know I've been…"
"I would have acted the same way," Harry said.
Hermione gave Ron a hug.
Ron sighed again. "Let's go find Ginny."
Checking over their shoulder, the trio hurried to the Forbidden Forest. Everything was in such an uproar that no one saw them leave.
End of chapter 5!! Reviewwwwwwwwwww please!