Posted 10/19/2022

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This is a work of fiction, based on the book series by J.K. Rowling. Neither do I claim ownership nor do I intend to.


Chapter Eighty-Three – Storm the Castle

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The first sign that something was wrong was the noise of fighting around the corner. Taking a deep breath, Pansy hastened her steps, wand in hand, and rounded the corner.

The Weasley girl Ginevra was on the ground, kicking and screaming, spitting and biting as Connor Something-or-another, the latest Ravenclaw Prefect, wrestled with her. Felicity – Gamp? No, Pansy remembered, Grant like grunt. Felicity Grant was locked in a duel with Lovegood while Eberman and Jones tried to keep a group of third years away.

Pansy knew when to act. With the ease from months of training, she silently cast a Disarming charm at Lovegood. While it missed, it created the opening Grant needed to overcome the blonde Ravenclaw. Thick ropes tied up Lovegood to the protests of the third years. Huh, Pansy hadn't known Grant was with the Carrows. So far, she had always seemed on the fence.

Connor whatever-his-name-was grunted, let go of Weasley and curled up on the floor. Wincing in sympathy, Pansy used the chance to cast a silent Body-Bind. This time, her spell hit. Weasley went stiff as a board and lay still on her face.

Well, Pansy thought, that was the end of the resistance at school. She didn't know whether to be happy about it or not – it meant less headaches and hassle for her and a chance that Millicent and Tracey might give up and fall in line but it also meant the Dark Lord had won, and that didn't sit well with Pansy.

"To Carrow with them," Grant ordered, helping Connor to his feet.

"You go to the Hospital Wing," Pansy added with a smile that probably looked less pleasant than she'd hoped. She knew her smiles came across as mocking but didn't care.

They levitated their prisoners and dragged them through the hallways past students and shocked teachers. Pansy kept watching the people they came across, glanced down corridors and into alcoves along the way but no ambush happened. No student blocked their way, no teacher intervened.

They had finally reached Professor Carrow's office. Not for the first time, Pansy fought to keep the smirk off her face – Professor Snape was already gone for over a month but Alecto Carrow hadn't moved into the Headmaster's office yet. The ambitious, nasty woman was still only Deputy Headmistress. Pansy knew it was petty to think that way but she had grown to hate both Carrows for what they had made the school become.

Grant knocked, and it didn't take long for an irate Professor Carrow to poke her head out of the door hissing, "Yes?"

"We've brought you a pair of students in need of discipline," Grant announced, standing straighter and with a quiver in her voice.

Nothing to be proud of, Pansy thought with a sneer. If she hadn't stepped in, it could have gone either way. If the third years hadn't stayed out of it, it could have gone differently.

Alecto Carrow grinned, looking very much like a savage beast ready to devour its prey. "Oho," she said, "wonderful! I've been waiting for this for far too long. Great work, you two. Miss Parkinson, I'm glad you've taken the lesson to heart."

Grant sent Pansy a glare.

"Well then, it's time for a long-overdue talk," Professor Carrow continued. Grant pushed the captive Lovegood and Weasley into the room and walked in after them.

"Let's see what they have to say for themselves, shall we?" Carrow asked in a sing-song. "Miss Parkinson, fetch me Mr. Malfoy. I think he'll want to be here for that." The door to the otherwise sound-proof room closed in her face.

Happy to oblige and not witness Alecto Carrow at work, Pansy hurried off to find Draco. She pushed her way through the crowded corridors and past whispering students. Here and there, she heard Weasley and Lovegood's names. The rumour mill was still working, even if it was one of the last things left from how Hogwarts had once been.

She'd just rounded a corner into a mostly deserted corridor when a crackling echoed through the halls.

"Attention Hogwarts," the magically-amplified voice began. Pansy's heart skipped a beat – Lovegood! In the sudden silence around school, someone made a single, bellowing laugh.

The Ravenclaw's voice continued, "It is time for a revolution. Thank you for your attention."

And just like that, spellfire flared up, shouts and the noise of combat thundering through the school. In the corridor ahead, even first-years joined the fray, and what they lacked in skill, they made up in numbers.

Pansy danced and weaved and dodged and blocked all the spells she could as she ran through the hallway past Connor Whatever-his-name was getting swarmed and pulled to the ground by a pack of Hufflepuffs, barely sidestepping the tackle from a burly Gryffindor fifth-year – this one she stunned out of a reflex – and escaping an ambush led by Farrah, a mousy Slytherin third-year.

Only a few steps away from the main staircase, Pansy was almost caught by a gleeful Finnigan who broke away from a fight against a cornered Travers. Finnigan's spell only missed Pansy by the breadth of a hair because she had jumped head-first down the flight of stairs. Nasty fall or not, she managed to duck for cover before he could catch up.

When Pansy finally reached the old classroom Draco had chosen as the inofficial ready room for his Committee for Prudence and Purity, she was covered in bruises and cuts.

"Pansy, finally joining us," Draco mocked her, barely sparing her a glance as he finished giving orders to the remainder of his troops.

"The students – !"

"I know," Draco interrupted. "What do you think I'm doing? Ambrose! Take Phillips and help Jones up on the fourth floor!" The two students hesitated, then nodded and left.

"Mallard, Keele!" Two pale-faced girls looked up – Keele's with one eye swollen shut, Mallard's arm in a sling. "Hunt down that two-faced Iris!"

Pansy perked up. Iris hadn't seemed quite as bad as the other new recruits and more in over her head. If she had switched sides, Pansy could only hope Iris managed to avoid the Committee's enforcers.

"Crabbe, Finley, Ellis! Round up anyone who isn't with us!" The three students left with a nasty grin on their faces.

"Lovegood 'nd Weasley," Pansy panted, "Carrow had them. They – "

"Doesn't matter," Draco interrupted her, rubbing his wrist. "We have to keep this uprising contained. We have bigger problems than the Weasley or Lovegood bints. Did you hear? The teachers, Pansy. They're in on this. Flitwick, he's up on the sixth floor and McGonagall is working her way down from the Gryffindor tower."

"Then – "

"They'll get what they deserve," Draco spat. "They'll pay for this. We just need to contain them – the Dark Lord'll make them pay."

Pansy felt wide-awake and as if doused by icy water. "T-the Dark Lord?"

"Oh yes," Draco told her with a grin. "Yes. He knows. He's coming, they're coming, a cleansing of Hogwarts. Finally. I've grown sick of seeing those cowards around me. A reckoning – serve or die."

Pansy stared at Draco, horrified. "You're talking about the students. You're talking about children."

He nodded. "Yes, of course children. They've not yet grown complacent; they're still malleable. Proper children grow up to be proper adults, don't you think? As long as they're not poisoned by those Muggle-loving traitors." He shook his head. "No matter. I'll join ours up on the second floor and show them how it's done. You go help Fredricks take down – "

"No," Pansy said. Her breath hitched in shock at what she had said. She suddenly realized they were alone in the room.

"No?" he repeated quietly. No warmth shone in his eyes. "You have a duty to Wizarding Britain. You have a duty to the Dark Lord."

"I'm a Prefect," she told him in a pitiful act of defiance. Each breath burned in her throat but her mind calmed down. It was over, all her lies and deceptions had come to an end. It was time to end the charade. She remembered a happier time almost three years ago when she had gotten her Prefect's badge.

"I'm a Prefect," she repeated, standing straight and staring Draco in the eye. "I have a duty to the students of Hogwarts. I have to protect them from harm. Including the Dark Lord."

He tilted his head slightly as if at a loss at what to do. It scared Pansy to the bone – the lack of anger or disappointment had her stumble back and fall on her bum. An eternity passed but Draco didn't strike. He stared down at her; she stared up at him.

The door flew open, and William Andrews burst in. "Quick," he shouted, "I've seen Longbottom gathering people on – " He stopped. "Am – am I interrupting something?"

Draco drew his wand – Pansy shivered in her spot on the ground – and giving her a last, long stare turned to Andrews. "Then let's go."

Andrews didn't question it and followed Draco.

When she was alone, Pansy rested her head on her knees. She was still alive. Scared out of her mind, but alive. She'd turned her back on Draco. She'd pay for it, of that she was sure, and she was scared of that day. But there was something else – a feeling she struggled to place. It wasn't happiness; she knew happiness and this felt different.

It was pride, she realized with a jolt. She was proud of who she was and hadchosen to be, not of who and what she was born as. And she knew what she had to do – get as many students as she could out of the school and away from the approaching Death Eaters.

"You are late," the disembodied voice of Severus Snape told them the moment they arrived in front of the gates of Hogwarts. Harry sighed in relief, happy that at least something went according to plan.

Both Susan and Hannah jumped, ready to defend themselves against the Headmaster of Hogwarts, but failed to spot him. When they noticed they were the only ones to react to the disembodied voice from somewhere on the roadside, both young women realized they weren't in any danger. Susan threw Harry a nasty look, and he struggled to look apologetic as he turned in Snape's general direction.

"We were held up," Harry replied. "I underestimated how long it would take to get everyone moving. Well, get them moving without telling them that we're on a tight schedule as it is."

"Not enough Slytherins," Daphne added with a smirk to hide her nervousness. "They would have assumed there'd be something else going on. They'd have known not to interfere with our plans."

"The next time we're recruiting an army," Harry told her with an amused roll of his eyes, "you can be in charge of recruiting. Snape, if you'll be so kind – "

He hadn't finished when an invisible tap on the front gates unlocked them. "You are lucky the Dark Lord never officially replaced me as Headmaster," Snape said, the sneer obvious in his voice. "Curious how those who think themselves mighty are so easily tripped and staggered."

Harry bit back the retort he had at the tip of his tongue.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" one of the twins said, sighing.

Harry spared both a glance; neither twin looked ready to joke. Instead, they seemed to commit every bit of the castle to memory.

"Let's go," Hermione suggested. "Maybe we can make up for lost time?" Without waiting for an answer, she marched off. Harry didn't need to read her mind – not that he could have done any more with her Occlumency – to know that she didn't want them to see her face. This was like a test – a test where failure meant dozens or hundreds of lives lost.

As Harry passed the gates, Snape called out to him. "Potter!"

Harry hesitated, but when nothing more came, he chuckled humourlessly. "Good luck to you too," he called over his shoulder. "We're counting on you."

The gates closed behind him.

Clear your mind, Harry reminded himself, and he focused on the memory of him realizing they could do it – if all went well, they could end the war and live. With that, he cast his Patronus.

Prongs was wispier than Harry was used to, but it would do.

"Tom. I'm waiting for you at Hogwarts," Harry said, and Prongs galloped away to deliver his message.

Harry knew he couldn't wait – he hurried his steps and caught up to the others. He had to trust that the other teams would succeed on their assignments. In a way, Snape's was both the most critical and the least likely to fail entirely. Snape had years of experience of sneaking around and was already familiar with Voldemort's base of operations as well as any followers that might stay behind. His appearance would also be the least suspicious.

"Ron," Harry spoke up, pulling out the broom he had taken with him from the warehouse as well as an unimpressive stone with crude markings on the surface. "You go. Remember, somewhere in the deeper parts of the lake. Stay low and out of sight."

The redhead nodded, took both items, unshrunk the broom and flew off so low his feet almost touched the ground. One step taken, five to come.

"Has Ron someplace he needs to be?" one of the twins asked, now looking wary.

"Something he needs to do?" the other Harry thought was Fred added.

"Is there something you didn't tell us?" the one Harry suspected to be George finished. "What is going on here?"

"We've played along," maybe-Fred said. "We didn't complain when you dragged us here. We trusted you to know what you're doing."

"We assumed," his brother continued, "that this was like one of your adventures."

"Like storming the Ministry," possibly-Fred added.

"But this isn't sneaking into Hogwarts," the other one pointed out. "Now's the time to tell us, I think. We won't know what to do if we don't know what to look for. What is going on here?"

"That's what we'd like to know as well," Susan contributed with a sour look on her face. "When you said we were going to Hogwarts, I assumed we'd sneak in and maybe contact someone at school. But I don't like going in blind."

Even Hannah looked put out. "This isn't right," she muttered. "They'll see us. We'll get caught if we're not careful."

"That's it, isn't it?" likely-George gasped, stopping in his tracks. "This isn't some cloak-and-dagger stuff. We're – we're retaking Hogwarts?"

Harry pursed his lips. "Something like that, yes. But no. We're not going to get involved with the castle if we can help it. It doesn't look like we'd need to either." His eyes travelled to one of the windows. He could she flashes of spellfire in the hallways. "That's what Neville, Ginny, Luna, and hopefully many of the students are currently doing – securing the castle, rounding up the Death Eaters."

Harry could see Ron circling over the lake. Good.

"Rounding up the Death Eaters?" presumably-Fred hissed with a dangerous look in his eyes while his brother stared towards the castle with a look of indecision. "That's our sister you're talking about! She isn't a –" He drifted off, blinking.

"So that's why Mum didn't want us to –" his twin added, frowning.

"I'm aware. I have spent a lot of time tutoring our friends at Hogwarts. I don't have time to go over the plan in detail so I have to ask you – do you trust me?" When the twins were about to speak, he lifted his hand to stop them. "Trust me with your life? Because if not, then you're free to go. I'm sure your wands would be welcome in the castle, and I won't hold it against you if you do choose to leave. I know I wasn't as good of a friend as you deserve. You're free go go, but I could use you here as well."

"Here," Susan repeated disbelievingly as she pointed to the ground. "Here, in this spot."

"I do," likely-Fred spoke up. "I trust you. You've done so much for our family. You've come through for us and almost never asked for anything in return. You've proven you know what to do but we cannot help you do whatever we're here for if we don't know why we're here in the first place."

His twin nodded gravely. Hannah glanced at Susan who took a long time to hold Harry's gaze before she turned to the side and gave what passed as a frustrated nod of her own. Hannah followed suit, blushing slightly.

"That's fair," Harry told him with a smile. "we -that is, I – will intercept You–Know–Who."

Susan's eyes widened.

"Which is why we're here," Harry finished the thought. "Here, on the path from the gates to the castle. I have no doubt that he'll have already heard about the rebellion at Hogwarts. If we want to stop him, it'll have to be here in the open."

"We could – "

"Here," Harry repeated, "where he can see me. Where we can prove to his followers that he's superior. I don't want him in the castle where they can spread out and catch us in the back. I don't want him using the students as body shields. That's why it has to be here where he can see me.

"He'd have his followers deal with any other challenger or simply blow them away without a second thought. But me? The one who has managed to evade him for so long challenging him?"

"It'll be a chance he can't miss – to show that no one can stand up to him, the Dark Lord," Daphne added with a shiver in here voice. She was awfully pale and looked like she had half a mind to drag Harry as far away as she could from the battle, but she stood her ground.

"I'm tired of people dying just because they're in his way," Harry told them. "That's why we're here – to challenge him and any of his followers he'll bring with him and stop them from reaching the school. That's why I'm here, the only one he won't send his followers to deal with and the only one he will want his followers to witness fall to his wand. And if our past clashes are anything to go by, then it's a fated confrontation. Think about it – how often have our paths crossed, and he still failed to kill me? It's like it's meant to be – a final showdown, a final battle between equals.

"I don't really believe in Fate," Harry admitted. "But I do believe he will not want to pass up the opportunity to prove his superiority. By now, anything other than a proper duel would be insufficient. He needs to remove any doubts, and he'll want witnesses for it."

"And we're here – ?" Hannah asked just as Ron landed next to Harry and stowed away the broom.

"As my trusted followers and witnesses. He won't see me as equal if I can't gather an army to serve me."

"We're not your followers," Susan snarled.

"And he doesn't have friends to stand by his side, so he has to settle for followers.

"You won't have to fight – this is between him and me. And he will want you to see me fall, so I don't expect him to have you engaged." He gave them a grim smile.

"You're nuts," likely-Fred told him.

"How can you be so sure about that?" his brother added.

"I've studied him," Harry replied. "Dumbledore and I spent many hours trying to figure him out. We have spent a long time figuring out why things happened the way they did. There have been too many coincidences, too many cases of dumb luck saving me to not cause doubts. I crossed wands with him and lived to tell the tale. There's only so much luck can do. The orphaned boy Dumbledore picked up and introduced to our world is still in him and trying to climb to the top and be recognized. I'm in his way to greatness. As long as I live, as long as he hasn't bested me – a mere teenager – how can he be the greatest wizard to ever live?"

"How would he know to come here?" Susan asked.

Harry shrugged. "I sent him a message."

Probably-George blinked. "A message."

"Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best," Harry admitted. "Anyway, I'm sure one of his followers at school has told him of the uprising by now so he'll know I'm not bluffing. To him, it should seem as if I'm striving for power."

"Striving for power?" Susan repeated with a chuckle. "You?"

"It's something he understands," Harry replied. "Doing something for the good of all? No. Doing something for others out of the kindness of your heart? No. He understands sacrifices, but sacrificing himself? No. That's not how he operates. Doing something for others is something he –"

He wanted to say more, but behind them, the gates of Hogwarts were blasted to pieces and a large group of masked people stormed the grounds.

"He's here. That was quicker than I expected," he admitted. "I've got to go. Think about what I told you and where you want to stand against them." Harry asked his friends with a grin. Without waiting for a reply, he turned around and walked back towards the approaching foes. He could hear footsteps following him, but didn't dare look around and show his doubts.

All he could do now was hope he hadn't miscalculated. If Voldemort didn't take him seriously, there'd be a chance he would be killed before they ever crossed wands. If Voldemort took him seriously, he'd be killed in a barrage of spells.

"Nice speech," Ron said in a low voice behind Harry.

Hermione hissed at him under her breath, and Daphne sighed – he'd heard both often enough to recognize them.

Three breaths later, one of the twins caught up to him. "You really are nuts! You know that, right?"

His twin joined them. "Then what are we, huh?"

Harry risked a glance. Neither managed a convincing smile or had the same spring in his step as they often had.

"Too daring to miss out on a once–in–a–lifetime opportunity," his brother suggested.

"Too ambitious to let anything hold us back," the other twin added, turning to who Harry assumed was Daphne.

"And apparently too loyal to leave a friend in need," finished Hermione.

This time, Harry did glance back.

Hannah had caught up with them, red-faced and nervously trying not to trip over her own feet as she stumbled along. Susan followed about half a step behind, looking like she had swallowed a lemon. Still, she had followed.

Seven followers. Eight against Voldemort's forces – how many would he bring? How many could he bring? Harry strode towards the Death Eaters swarming the castle grounds. As he watched them he felt his heart sinking. Less than three dozen? Voldemort had to have more than that. Voldemort would have brought more than that.

Harry's eyes found the tall, pale figure striding ahead easily enough. None of the Death Eaters dared taking the lead from their master. As if by magic Voldemort seemed to have noticed the gaze – he glanced in Harry's direction.

"Urgh," Hannah groaned, and Harry heard the rustling of robes behind him.

"Come on," Susan urged. "We're fine," she announced, "just tripped."

Harry kept his eyes on Voldemort who signalled his horde to slow down. Harry covertly pulled the Quidditch judge's control from his pocket. All it took to switch Bludgers to attack was a simple flick of a switch. When the time was right Harry would start a game of his own.

They were still quite a bit away from the castle. Good. There were fewer than he had hoped to meet and take out in the open. Bad.

Striding towards the dark witches and wizards Harry looked for familiar bodies. Jugson was a bit behind Voldemort. That tub wobbling along had to be Crabbe Senior. The wizard limping along might be Travers but Harry wasn't sure about that. But no Bellatrix.

Harry assessed the situation. Taking out Bellatrix had been high on his list – there weren't many people who could match her skills so trickery seemed like the safest route. She was among Voldemort's best if not the best. She should have been on the frontlines so where was she?

Maybe she had been on a mission when Harry's Patronus arrived. That would be bad – she wasn't one to take the loss of her master lightly. But would Voldemort have left her at her mission? Wouldn't he have called her to his side?

Ah. The pieces fell into place. It seemed Voldemort was more worried than Harry had expected.

"Listen," Harry said calmly. "If anything happens you follow Hermione's lead. Hermione, you're my," he glanced at her, raising an eyebrow, "most trusted lieutenant. You'll help me in a pinch, won't you?"

It took a second for her to get his meaning. She glanced at the advancing Death Eaters and nodded a moment later. Good, she had gotten the hint that not only was Bellatrix missing but also where Harry assumed the mad witch to be – leading a second force for a pincer move.

Harry returned to facing Voldemort's forces, for once glad fear kept them in line. It would have been disastrous if they had to fight the army facing them in open combat. No, traps and trickery were better suited at this stage.

Voldemort wasn't smiling. He wasn't looking down on the boy who had escaped him time and again but watching a young man who had dared to challenge him, and Voldemort's posture made it clear Harry's message had done the trick. The self-proclaimed Dark Lord had to address the challenge properly if he didn't want to lose face.

"Harry Potter," the Dark Lord hissed. Some magic he must have picked up on his journeys made his words sound as if he were whispering in everyone's ear.

"Hello, Tom," Harry replied with a genial smile not unlike Dumbledore's. "You answered my summons –"

A hiss went through the Death Eater's crowd. Ron groaned but Harry paid him no mind.

"You have something that is mine," Voldemort replied.

Harry took that as confirmation that the Dark Lord already knew about the retaking of Hogwarts.

"Hogwarts was never yours nor mine to take," Harry countered. "We were both merely guests for a time."

"The old fool taught you his tricks," Voldemort hissed venomously. "Are you also offering me a chance to repent?"

"Would it make any difference if I did?" Harry said with a sigh. "No. You tried to kill me almost seventeen years ago. Since then we've been in this dance, you and me. You making misstep after misstep, me stepping on your toes."

One of the twins snorted behind Harry.

"You lost to an infant," Harry continued with an air of seriousness. "You lost to a first-year. You let a fourth-year slip through your fingers though you managed a partial success. A fifth-year foiled your plans in the year after that. A sixth-year evaded your grasp."

Harry pursed his lips. "Has this been a plan of yours? To groom a challenger? To create the one to be your equal?"

"I have no equal," Voldemort hissed with enough malice that Harry could almost feel snake teeth sinking in his skin.

"People look up to us," Harry continued. "I'm sure you've noticed. Some look to you to bring prosperity. Some look to me to end your reign of terror."

Some of the Death Eaters laughed at that but Voldemort narrowed his eyes. Good, Harry had his attention. Harry felt more than he heard the disillusioned bag containing the Bludgers hitting the ground as Hermione covertly dropped it. A moment of uncertainty later Harry could feel one Bludger whizzing past his ear.

"That's what matters – how it looks. It's how you became the champion of Purebloods all those years ago. What matters is how it looks not what is. Isn't that right, Tom?" Harry paused for a second. "What do people think about the two of us? And I'm sure some wonder why. Why can't a powerful Dark Lord take down a child? Why can't a wizard in his prime overcome this whelp? Why would it ever be an achievement of his among many? And yet here we are. You've accomplished so much so why bother with me in the first place?"

Voldemort's eyes widened. "So you surrender?"

Harry let out a mirthless laugh. "You're here because you want people to know you have finally bested me. What good would me surrendering do you?

"But no, I'm not here to surrender. We are both adults now. Don't you think it's time to settle it like the wizards we are?"

Voldemort laughed. "A duel? Do you think you can match my skills?"

"Do you fear I might?" Harry countered. "You didn't fare that well against me in the graveyard."

Voldemort stopped laughing. "No one will come and save you." He turned his gaze on those behind Harry. "You will die in vain. You will join your families in death."

A Death Eater near Voldemort shifted slightly. Harry guessed this was Riddle's chosen assistant. Although he could tell what was about to happen Harry knew he shouldn't intervene – do not let the enemy know what you seek to protect.

"Everyone will remember the Weasley name I assure you. They will forever remember what happens to those who stand against me," Voldemort promised, shifting his eyes to the next person. "The impure blood will be purged, and you will witness it." Hermione, Harry assumed. "I won't kill you," he told the next person. "How long will you last I wonder? Once my loyal followers learn you're a Bones?"

His eyes moved to the next person. A shivering gasp told Harry it was Hannah he had focused on. No words were needed from Voldemort so he shifted his attention once more. It took a moment for the assistant to whisper the name. Voldemort's glare intensified, and Harry was sorely tempted to intervene. "You have chosen the losing side. Your daring could have earned you a place in the world but your foolishness has condemned you. You have caused the fall of a once great family.

"You're a curse to those around you, Harry Potter. You bring death and despair to those who follow you, and you have the audacity to challenge me, Lord Voldemort, to a Wizard's duel?"

"You challenged me once when I was a mere schoolboy," Harry replied.

"You still are nothing more," Voldemort said. "You –"

A loud explosion echoed across the castle grounds.

Voldemort's face shifted into a cruel grin. "Bellatrix has arrived it seems. How long do you think your rebels will last against her?"

"H-Harry?" Ron hissed.

Harry forced a look of shock and horror on his face. Voldemort might not fall for it but his followers might and right now Harry needed them to underestimate his side.

"Hermione?" he asked in a shivering tone hoping she'd understand.

"The castle!" she shouted. "To the castle!"

Blessed be Hermione's brains, Harry thought as she turned to run. Straining his ears, Harry tried to keep track of his allies. It seemed the twins were the first to follow. Hannah and Susan were next. Harry couldn't quite identify whether Ron of Daphne had been last.

It didn't matter. Harry had to act, he had to cover for his friends. With Hermione releasing the Bludgers earlier Harry was as ready as he could hope and used the Quidditch judge's badge in his hand. He switched the Bludgers into game mode.

Invisible and fast the shrunken balls tore into Voldemort's forces, showering them with the blood and torn-off flesh of their falling comrades. Harry whipped out his wand and began his assault on Voldemort. If the Dark Lord had been surprised he didn't show it – he sidestepped the spell with a glint of anger in his eyes.