CHAPTER 17.
THE RESURRECTION SPELL
The war had begun. Evil and good, life and death. Both hovered just above the battlefield. The wizards above, struck well aimed spells at the dark wizards below. Those on the ground did the same, drawing their wands on their foes with a cry of rage. The Death Eaters were now thrust into action, accompanied by their partners, the Dementors and the Garroters.
Harry watched helplessly as witches and wizards were pulled from their brooms by spells cast at them by the Death Eaters, then as the Dementors quickly took chase after the fallen witches and wizards. Those unfortunates, crawled frantically away on all fours, staggering as they tried to get to their feet, much to the Death Eaters' pleasure. Several Death Eaters cast floating charms on many of the wizards and witches as they tried desparately to get away, sometimes dangling them right above the immense Dementors' hooded heads. Harry's fists clenched together tightly as he watched the spectacle, thinking back to the Quidditch World Cup, when they'd performed a similar stunt. But that time it had been on Muggles. It seemed even worse now. It felt to Harry, that they were making a mockery of the world he believed in, the world he was a part of.
But Harry had little time to think on this. All too soon, the Death Eaters split up, several of them grabbing fallen broomsticks and flying dangerously close to the children on the ground, casting many charms and spells in their direction. Harry grabbed hold of a little girl who stood paralyzed in the center of the field, and pushed her out of the way as a Death Eater swooped dangerously close to her head. With the help of Ron and Ginny and the other older students, Harry began to hide the children in the ruins. As Harry shoved twin first years, a girl and a boy, behind a bush, he gasped in surprise as he saw Draco Malfoy's pinched white face. Draco scoffed and eyed him in disdain.
"What? Did you forget about me, Potter?" He sneered.
"Bugger off, Malfoy. Where's Hermione and Artemis?" Harry said, waving his hand.
Draco jerked his hand in the direction of the bushes beside him. The two girls were peering cautiously from where Malfoy had just pointed and both their faces were almost as pinched and white as his. Harry cast a weak smile in their direction, but sobered as he turned back to Malfoy.
"We've got to do something to help the others." Harry said firmly.
Draco's thin lips curled in disgust and he scoffed, his fists clenching at his sides.
"What are you talking about, Potter? We can't do anything at all! It's best just to leave it to the adults." Draco said firmly, a spark of wild-eyed anger in his gaze.
"Come on Draco!" Harry spat. "We can't just leave them! We're fifth years! We can make it! We know enough magic to get us through!" Harry insisted.
Draco shook his head emphatically and leaned closer till his face was a mere few inches away from Harry's.
"You don't understand, do you, Potter? I've seen Death Eaters in action. More often than you have, I'm sure!" Draco spat venomously. "It doesn't matter how many people we have, or how much magic we know, Death Eaters always win." Draco finished, his eyes narrowed to mere slits.
Harry stared at Draco in calm realization. Draco was not merely saying these words. He was reciting them. He had been told this, had seen it proven many times. It was then that Harry noticed the twinge of fear that was just visible in the boy's harsh gray eyes. Then Harry realized something. If Draco fought on the side of Hogwarts, what would his father say? His father, Lucius Malfoy, a Death Eater. Harry understood. Well, he thought he did anyway. Were he in Draco's position, he would have said the same. He'd have seen nothing to prove those words otherwise. Well, he'd just have to prove Draco wrong himself.
"Draco, you stay here with Artemis and Hermione. Keep them safe. If anything happens, get them out of here and into a safe place. You'll be our only hope if there's none of us left." Harry said, backing out of the bushes.
Draco's white face remained tense and taut as Harry backed away, then he let loose a scoff, that sounded to Harry like he was choking on a Canary Creme.
"No pressure, right, Potter?" Draco blurted out.
Harry grinned slightly and shrugged.
"Just do it. See you."
Harry quickly slipped out of the bushes and out of sight. Draco stared hard at the empty space of greenery that Harry had just left. Then he glanced back at Artemis and Hermione, both of whom were obviously eager to leave their hiding spots and help in the fight that the adults were actively and passionately participating in all around him. Draco stared around the battlefield, at the few remaining witches and wizards in the sky, at the witches and wizards fighting the Death Eaters, Dementors and Garroters on the ground. Draco's cold gray eyes fixed on the Death Eaters, watching calmly as one of them cruelly choked a witch to death, and laughed as he did so. There was no hope.
Why do they even bother? It's pointless to fight against the Dark Lord. Voldemort always wins. Draco thought helplessly. Voldemort always wins.
Draco raised his eyebrows only slightly as he saw a witch, no more than a year older than he, fling a fellow witch aside, taking the blow of the curse that had been meant for the other. Her body jolted cruelly, then dropped to the ground, her limbs spread grotesquely on the grass. A slow sense of realization spread through Draco as he watched another wizard give his life for another, then another witch do the same for a fellow wizard. He realized that they bothered to try because they could do nothing but try. They could not get anywhere unless they tried. Even if their efforts were futile, at least they could say they tried. It was more than he had ever done in his life.
Draco stared out at the battlefield a moment more, stared at the hideous Death Eaters, then at the witches and wizards of Hogwarts. Back and forth, good and evil, life and death. Draco leapt to his feet silently, crept over to Artemis and Hermione and tapped them on their shoulders.
"Stay here. Get out if things go bad." He whispered, stepping out of the bushes, drawing his wand from his robes as he did so. Artemis grasped the hem of his robes frantically.
"What are you doing?" She whispered harshly.
Draco cast a nervous half-smile in her direction, then jerked his robes from her grasp.
"I'm going to fight for Hogwarts. And don't pull on me again, otherwise I might come back and stay back."
With that said, Draco Malfoy took a deep gulp of fresh air, then rushed out into the open, his robes billowing behind him like a black sail. Hermione stared after Draco in disbelief, Artemis in quiet regret. Both regretted being left behind, but both knew it was for the best. They were needed for other reasons than for fighting. Their reason for fighting was clustered around them, each possessing a frantic, frightened face. A group of first and second years were huddled together beside them, wincing at the curses and screams that were all too close for their comfort. Artemis and Hermione stared at each other in determination, then looked out over the children's heads.
"What's the matter?" Artemis whispered.
One first year raised her frightened, tear-stained face to Artemis, her chin quivering.
"We're afraid." She whispered.
Hermione smiled and reached into her pocket for a handkerchief, then wiped the tears from the girl's face, smiling encouragingly.
"Don't worry. We're fifth years and we can protect you."
A little boy rubbed his tears fiercely from his face and stared at them plaintively.
"Really?"
"Of course!" Hermione said stoutly and with such a determined air that several of the children brightened at once. "There are so many spells that our witches and wizards can put into play. Haven't any of you ever read, 'Hogwarts: A History'?"
All the children eyed each other, then glanced at Hermione and shook their small heads. Hermione clucked her tongue, then lit into one of the more exciting tales of the Hogwarts four, of the creation of Hogwarts, drawing the children's minds away from the battle only a few feet away from them, and bringing them into the world before that one.
Draco panted as he shoved through the crowds and dodged many curses, trying to approach Harry, who stood in the heart of it all fighting vigorously.
Leave it to Potter to get right in the thick of things so he can show off. Bloody prat.
As he ran, he shoved into several Death Eaters. Just barely jogging their elbow seemed like too much for him to risk, but he did it anyway, in an act of pure defiance. The dark robed figures seemed to stare at him..........but no. They went back to their business, fighting on, slicing through their opponents fiercely. Harry stared at Draco in surprise as the Slytherin cast a curse that flung one of the Death Eaters aside, clearing his and Harry's path.
"I thought I told you to stay with the girls!" Harry yelled over the din.
Draco scoffed, cursing a Garrotter with the "Spritus Lumen" spell, and watching with relish as it disintegrated.
"I don't listen to anybody, Potter! I'm a Malfoy and I'll do as I please." Draco yelled.
Harry disguised the look of mirth that threatened to spread across his face, and instead turned back to the battle in front of him. He never would have suspected in a million years that he would be fighting alongside Draco Malfoy, the very Draco Malfoy whose whole world was the Dark Arts and the secrets they held.
Flanking Harry and Draco, Ron held his wand in his uninjured arm, doing his best to keep up with the others. Ginny stood beside him, helping him from time to time, doing her best to fight alongside him and protect him. Their faces were sweaty, some were bruised and bloodstained, but they fought on, the young wizards and witches alongside the old, both fighting against the evil that threatened to consume them.
So enrapt in the battle was Harry, that when a body crashed into him, he screamed loudly as he fell to the ground. He lay there for a moment, anticipating a death blow or some twinge of pain, but he felt nothing. He slowly raised himself up on his elbows and gazed at the person with whom he'd collided. Beside him, lay Rhiannon Flutterae, her eyes wide in pain as she breathed harshly. One hand grasped rhythmically at her chest, a large blood-stain blossoming beneath it, slowly covering her robes in a dull, rusty red.
"Professor!" Harry whispered breathlessly, grabbing at the hand that lay limp at her side.
Rhiannon shook her head, gasping for breath, her other hand continuing to grasp at the wound on her chest. Harry swallowed the bile that lay tensed at the back of his throat as he stared down at the bloody, but still white face of his teacher. He jumped in surprise as she stared fixedly at him and grabbed frantically at his robes.
"He's taking too long. Listen, Harry." Rhiannon gasped. "You've got to go to Severus."
Harry stared at her in disbelief, trying to interpret what she was asking of him.
"Professor Snape? But why? Why," He whispered.
"Don't ask questions, Potter!" Draco snapped from above him. Harry glanced at him, then looked down at Rhiannon. Her eyes rolled back in her head a moment, then fixed on Harry, though it looked hard for her to keep them fixed there.
"In the Infirmary, with Fred and George. Go to him. Help him." She wheezed, her voice barely audible.
"But Professor, he's probably going to help Voldemort, isn't he? I haven't seen him at all, the whole battle!" Harry whispered urgently. Rhiannon's pain-filled eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Harry in confusion.
"Severus?" She rasped. "No! Never Severus. Go to him, Harry. Help him. Go, now! Before it's too late. Must execute the spell. Go, now!" She gasped, pushing him away. Harry stumbled to his feet, his eyes never leaving his teacher's face. She winced, then slowly removed her hand from her chest, then gasped as she quickly sat upright. Harry fell to his knees once more, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder.
"No, Professor! You must rest." Harry said worriedly.
Rhiannon shook her head wearily and cast his hand from her shoulder in aggravation.
"Help me up, Draco." She said firmly, pain lacing her voice with every word she spoke.
Draco quickly bent down and extended his white hand, taking the bloodstained hand of Rhiannon and pulling her to her feet. Rhiannon staggered and bit back a moan as she stood. She gazed at Draco, then at Harry, and nodded firmly, before limping back onto the battlefield.
Harry watched her anxiously, unsure whether to disobey her, or to do as she had asked of him. Helping Snape was the last thing he wanted to do right now. He had never trusted Snape, but he had proved himself today. But then again, Moody had supposedly done the same. Harry never would have dreamed that Moody was the enemy. Everyone had trusted him, including Dumbledore. Perhaps that whole thing of fighting Voldemort in the chamber and getting rid of the constrogos was all a ruse to make them all think that Snape was on their side.
Harry gazed at the Headmaster, who was fighting vigorously only a few feet away. It was a shocking thing, to see his Headmaster fighting like that, his wand out and moving so fast it was a blur. Dementors seemed to flock to him in droves, but Dumbledore dispatched every one that approached him. His soft blue eyes were now alight with a vivacity that Harry was sure he had never seen in his Headmaster's face. What would he say about this? Did he still believe that Snape was not working for Voldemort?
As if Dumbledore had heard Harry's secret thoughts, he dispatched of another Dementor, then turned to face Harry, his gentle face hardened, his lips pursed. There was only one thought reflected in those familiar blue eyes.
Trust him. Go before it is too late!
Could he trust Snape? But now Harry knew, he had no choice but to trust him. Hogwarts depended on it.
"Potter, get OUT of here!" Draco yelled fiercely, deflecting a curse cast in his direction.
Harry acted, spurring his feet into movement and running as fast as he could towards the castle. He avoided several curses, sometimes having to duck, other times having to jump in the air to avoid being hit. A curse whizzed by his head, brushing past his hair with a sizzle. He finally made it into the castle and slammed the door shut as a curse moved to hit him dead on. It slammed against the door with a resounding thud and ricocheted into a pillar. Harry threw himself from the door and began running, frantically trying find the Hospital Wing.
He very soon realized that finding his way through the rubble was going to be the hardest part. Everything, the rocks, fallen tapestries and pictures threw him off course. Just when he thought he recognized a fallen picture on the floor, he'd realize that it had been blown from several corridors down and he'd have to backtrack. But finally, he got his bearings when he found the statue of Aznazz the Sullen still standing and ran down the adjacent hall.
Another corridor down, Harry stopped dead. He'd found it. There were the rocks that he'd tried to move from the doorway when Draco had dragged him away from it. He threw himself on the pile of rocks, moving them aside quickly, ignoring the spurts of pain that leapt to his palms as the sharp edges of the rocks cut into them. Finally, he made a path, and ran through the broken-down doorway of the Hospital wing. Rocks and dust littered the Infirmary itself. Many of the beds were brown with dust, some of them had been destroyed by falling rocks, but to Harry's relief, the two beds where Fred and George lay and the areas around them were spotless.
A Shielding spell. Harry realized as he ran towards them.
Then, what he saw before him, caused him to cry out in shock. Both twins lay on beds before Severus Snape, and he was cutting into one of them. Snape held a small silver knife in his hands and was delicately cutting into the flesh of one of the twins' outstretched arms. Snape jumped as Harry yelled, then glared at him disapprovingly as he slipped the sliver of flesh into a vial and sealed it shut.
"What are you doing here, Potter? I need help, not distractions!" Snape snarled.
Harry stormed over to him angrily, eyeing the two vials on the bedside table, each containing a sliver of white flesh. Harry gazed at Fred and George and saw identical strips of exposed flesh and blood that poured from them where their skin and flesh had been removed.
"I'm here to stop you from killing them!" Harry yelled accusingly. Snape glared at Harry, then scoffed loudly. He glanced warily at the ceiling as an explosion rocked the castle, littering dust and rocks all around them, but never touching Snape, Fred or George.
"Foolish boy." Snape spat, picking up a vial in each hand. "Did Rhiannon send you to me?" He asked pointedly. Harry nodded silently. "Then help me. I'd rather I had Rhiannon, but I'll take what I can at this point." Snape muttered, eyeing the vials intently.
Snape gestured towards a vial on the table, filled to the brim with a vivid purple liquid, which bubbled madly in its container. Harry did not know how to react. He had to trust Rhiannon. But he would never forgive himself if he passed that vial to Snape, and it was to be used to kill Fred and George, or to harm Hogwarts in any way. But he had no choice. Harry quickly passed the vial to him then stared hard at the twins, mentally comparing them. They both looked exactly the same, just as they had the day of the Lucrum Insperatum. Both white, both covered with scabs, both,
"Not breathing! Are they even breathing?" Harry gasped.
Snape did not even look up at him, but instead carefully slipped the two pieces of flesh into the vial of bubbling liquid.
"Of course. Just barely. But it's perfect for what we need." Snape whispered, his tone low in concentration, his eyes fixed on the vial and the flesh was slipping into it.
He slipped the cork in the vial, then carefully took the vial between two fingers and shook it hard, causing the bubbles to fluctuate and grow immensely. As the bubbles pushed and strained against the cork, Snape removed the blockage, and immediately the bubbles receded, leaving the potion a faint pink.
Carefully, Snape tipped the vial over one of the twins' open mouths and slipped a few drops into it, then did the same to the other twin. The remainder of the vial he spilled on the floor in a small circle, all the while muttering words Harry didn't understand under his breath. After he finished the incantation, he set the heavily smoking vial on the table beside him, breathing deeply, his dark eyes fixed on the twins. Harry watched as the Weasley twins' faces became paler and their breathing shallower, until.............it stopped. Harry's breath caught in his throat as he stared at them, but Snape put a hand on his shoulder.
"They won't let them leave us. Be quiet."
Snape's words, though brusque, stayed Harry's cry as he stared at the boys. Slowly, the twins' chests began to rise and fall once more, faster now, their faces becoming pinker, more full of life.
"Now we see if it works." Snape whispered, his hand remaining fixed on Harry's shoulder, as if he'd forgotten whose shoulder it was.
Harry watched breathlessly as the twins became more animated, their breathing deeper. Then he watched in surprise and awe at the beings that emerged from the smoking vial and the circle of pink liquid on the floor, slowly surrounding him, enveloping him, Snape and the twins in a hazy mist................
Draco Malfoy cast another curse at a Death Eater, wincing at the pain in his arm as he flicked his wand. He'd been knicked by the 'Disintigro' spell, and his fingers felt as though they would fall off any minute. Beside him, Ron Weasley fought as best he could, though that wasn't much. He winced in pain as his arm was jostled, and Draco was sure that if he kept at it, he was sure to hurl all over himself. Ginny Weasley was moving between the two of them, making sure they were both alright to keep going. She knew a few healing spells and Draco now believed that those spells were the only things keeping his fingers attached to his hand and Ron's bile in his stomach.
"Are you alright, Ron?" The girl whispered, casting a curse vigorously at a Death Eater, then wincing as she heard its recipient scream in agony.
Ron nodded, his pale face shining with beads of sweat. Suddenly, Draco's own face broke out in a violent sweat as he saw a Death Eater lunge at him, but miss, falling to the ground as Draco jumped aside. As the Death Eater got to his feet, Draco fiercely pushed Ron and Ginny away.
"Get out of here!" He hissed, standing erect.
Ginny stifled her cry of horror as Ron limped away with her, trying to get out of the Death Eater's path. Draco's hands were now slippery with sweat as he grasped his wand frantically. His legs felt weak and rubbery as the Death Eater stood and turned to face him, his wand raised. Draco did the same, knowing that he could not fight a Death Eater this close. He knew that he couldn't. It was over. No more Draco Malfoy. End of the line. Zip. Zero. Nada. The End. But before the Death Eater could strike, a strangled yell came to both of their ears.
"Don't harm him! He's my son!"
Draco whirled about to face the Death Eater who had yelled from across the courtyard. Then he stared wildly at the Death Eater before him. The Death Eater had jolted in surprise, stared at Draco a moment, then left him without another word. Draco stood still as if rooted in place. His father knew he was here.
But Draco did not have much time to react to this knowledge, for a loud cry from one of the remaining Hogwarts towers quickly caught his attention. For a moment, the battling ceased as all wizards, witches, Death Eaters and Garotters, and even Voldemort, who was standing triumphantly on a pile of bricks disposing of his victims, turned to look for the source. On the tower stood Severus Snape, cold and unyielding as always, but beside him stood a grinning Harry Potter, his eyes alight and sparkling as gray shapes flew past him and all around him. The people and creatures on the ground stared at the beings as they swooped below and swirled around them, never becoming any definite shape. Rhiannon, who rested against Dumbledore and Bill near one of the collapsed walls, grinned and threw her arms out rapturously, her eyes closed in happiness.
Professor McGonagall, who stood near Dumbledore, Bill and Rhiannon, shielding them from the wildly flying curses, placed her veined hands to her thin lips, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Ginny stared in surprise and amazement as she held up an equally surprised Ron up with one arm. Sirius let out a loud laugh and flung his arms outward as the gray shadows encircled him, filling him in an unexplainable inner joy. A smile fluttered across Remus' face as he gently closed his eyes and just let the shapes flow through and around him.
The Death Eaters cowered and shuddered as the beings flew towards them and encircled them with a vengeance. Even Voldemort flung his hands in the air to ward off the creatures as he stared at the hundreds of beings in horror. Draco placed his hand out amidst one of the shapes, staring wondrously as it seeped through his white fingers, no body or matter confining it to the boundaries of earth.
"How much time, Severus?!" Rhiannon cried out, staring up at the Potions Master.
Snape held up his hands.
"Forty-five minutes." He yelled, his deep voice booming across the battlefield.
Rhiannon nodded and winced, then stood shakily, raising her wand high in the air with a battle cry.
"For Hogwarts!" Rhiannon screamed as she rushed into the melee of battle once more, a gray shape flying close at her side.
The wizards and witches screamed and rushed upon their oppressors, each with a gray phantasm beside them. Draco stared at them in wonder and in confusion as they rushed upon their enemy with an unexplainable vigor, the beings beside them following and standing in front of them at times, blocking the curses and hands that stretched out at the witches and wizards behind them.
Then as a gray shape settled beside Draco, he stared at it in wonder. The being materialized, gained a shape, a form, and Martin Wothes grinned broadly beside him. Draco's mouth fell open as he stared at the phantasm. He didn't know whether or not to be happy or to be filled with despair and horror. Martin simply grinned, then sobered and jumped in front of Draco, deflecting a curse that was cast directly at Draco's chest.
"Well, Draco, we've got forty-five minutes to win this battle! You ready to work with me?" Martin asked.
Draco shook his head in amazement, still unable to believe what was happening.
"But, I, I, what happened? What's going on?" Draco stuttered.
"Don't worry about it, Draco. I'm your partner. No hard feelings. You've already proven yourself past your evil deeds, so let's win this battle, huh?" Martin said encouragingly, deflecting another curse as Draco stared at him. "You know you could help me out a bit here." Martin said wryly.
"But you're dead!" Draco blurted out.
Martin shrugged and smiled, throwing his hands in the air.
"Yep. Resurrection spell. Pretty wicked. I'll hafta thank Fred and George later. But can we get on with the battle now?" Martin pleaded. Suddenly Draco grinned and raised his wand erect, rushing into the battle, Martin on his heels.
Sirius Black cut through his enemies like a knife, a grim smile on his face as he did so. The sight of the wizards in the air with him and the young wizards fighting below sent a shiver up and down his spine, for though he did not want this war to happen, he was thrilled at the sight of unity it brought, and the thrill of joy that filled him because of the wraith standing beside him. James Potter stood beside him, deflecting curses back at the Death Eater's wands, his eyes shining as he occasionally turned to grin at Sirius, then turned to grin at Remus on his other side. Then Sirius would watch as James would swoop down to frighten off a Death Eater if only to catch a small glimpse of his son who ran through the battle, fighting like the warrior his father had always been.
Harry could not stop grinning, even as he heard the cries of death beside him and all around him. His Mum was with him. His Mum. She was there, beside him, a light in her eyes that he thought he'd never ever see. She deflected the curses thrown precariously in his direction, keeping him safe from harm as she had wished to do in life.
Snape was now down among the witches and wizards of Hogwarts, his wand out and thrashing wildly. Harry noticed with a frown that the Death Eaters were targeting him specifically and had nearly gotten to him, and would have, had the malicious ghost at his side not lit into them with a vengeance. Harry's eyes widened in surprise as he saw three figures emerge from the fallen walls of Hogwarts, two women, helped along by a scraggly man: Madame Pomfrey, Madame Pince and Argus Filch. Even Mrs. Norris crept from the shadows, skulking in her Master's shadow.
Harry grinned as he saw Artemis and Hermione rush out of the bushes, a group of excited first years following beside them, gray shapes following each one. Voldemort stood at the center of the melee, frozen as several phantasms whirled about him dizzyingly. Though Voldemort showed no sign of realizing the wraiths' presence, he stood too stiffly to not know that they were indeed there. He looked almost frightened, almost panicked at the ghosts' presence. Harry grinned and crowed in triumph right there in the middle of the battle. His cry was taken up by Ron, then by Ginny, then by Hermione and Artemis, then Sirius and Remus, till it passed through the entire lines of witches and wizards fighting against the darkness that threatened to surround them.
Harry then noticed with worry that Artemis had been separated from the ghost that followed her. A Death Eater rushed towards her, grabbed her arm and prepared to strike her down. Harry watched in horror and disbelief as Draco ran and jumped, falling on top of the Death Eater before he could let loose the killing blow upon the girl. Artemis ran off with the ghost that protected her at its urging, but still cast worried glances back at Draco. Martin hovered worriedly above Draco as he grappled with the Death Eater. In the tussle, the Death Eater's hood was thrown back from his face, his white mask falling askew and Draco stared at him in horror. There in the center of the folds, was Lucius Malfoy, his gray eyes wide and flashing.
Draco stared at him, then finally came to life. He struggled with his father's strong grip, trying to escape. Lucius Malfoy held on tightly to his son's muscular arms. It was now man against man. Draco had tasted victory on the battlefield, he would not be brought down now. Lucius too, had this vivacity, but also had pride for his family, for what it stood for, and this sight before him had filled him with such dread and horror that he could barely speak.
"What do you think you're doing?" Lucius finally hissed.
Draco sneered as he scratched his father's arm in his effort to escape his powerful hands.
"Trying to fight for a right cause. Isn't that what you've always taught me to do?" Draco snarled.
"I've taught you to follow the Dark Lord! Yet you save a girl, our enemy, and," Lucius was cut off by Draco as he attempted to speak.
"Your enemy, Father." Draco sneered.
Lucius stared hard at his son as he began to shake him madly.
"What has happened to you? What are you thinking? Come and fight on our side! Do what I've taught you since you were a child!" Lucius cried out angrily.
Draco cried out as Lucius' nails pressed into his white flesh.
"I WON'T! I won't do what you want me to do! I'll be who I want to be! I care for that girl and she cares for me! She trusts me! And I don't care if she's a Gryffindor, and I don't CARE what YOU say! I've got pride too, you know! And my pride is more centered here than it is in the Malfoy name!" Draco screamed. "For me, the Malfoy name has brought me nothing! NOTHING! I buy my way into everything and everyone hates me! EVERYONE! ALL BECAUSE I'M A MALFOY AND I'M TIRED OF IT! I DON'T WANT TO BE A MALFOY! I DON'T WANT TO BE KNOWN AS YOUR SON!" Draco finished angrily, grabbing at Lucius' sleeve and pulling it up to reveal the black mark of Voldemort on his father's arm. He stabbed at it angrily with his finger, causing his father to let loose a slight gasp that hissed through his clenched teeth. "YOU SEE THAT? I DON'T WANT THAT MARK UPON MY ARM! I DON'T WANT WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER! I DON'T WANT IT!" Draco screamed.
Lucius stared at his son in horror, then snarled as he drew a knife from his robes and held it to his son's white neck.
"If that is the way you want it, son." He hissed, starting to press the knife into the soft flesh of Draco's neck.
Draco winced, then cried out, preparing to feel the blade enter his throat at any moment.
But he never felt it. Before Lucius could deliver the blow, he was delivered a sharp kick in the head from above him. Draco leapt to his feet and grabbed the knife from his father's hand, grasping it in his own hands, then looking up at his rescuer. Sirius Black stared down at him grimly from his broomstick, first at him, then at the knife the boy held in his trembling fingers. Draco stared at the man, then back down at his father. His father waited in anticipation for his son to deliver the killing blow. But he too, never felt it, for Draco threw the knife to the ground and grasped Sirius' extended hand, flying into the air with him. Lucius leapt to his feet in disbelief, staring at his son as he flew away with Sirius Black, soaring high above the battlements. He had lost him.
Even with the wraiths beside the witches and wizards of Hogwarts, the casualties and injuries were mounting as Death Eaters returned to a more physical way of destroying their prey. Even the wraiths could not protect their charge from the stabbing of a knife. Harry eyed his friends and allies worriedly as more and more of them fell under the wild stabs, the deadly kisses, and the hangman's nooses of the Death Eaters, Dementors and Garrotters. But just as it seemed that all had failed, a sudden explosion rocked the countryside and Harry tripped over his own feet, falling to the earth.
He looked up at his Mother and saw her look of fright as she looked past him, her hand resting on her gray lips. Harry slowly looked up, worried as to what he might see. It was a Death Eater, his knife drawn and already bloody from its previous victim. A low moan emerged from the throat of Lily Potter and she hid her face from the sight, sensing what would happen next. Harry did not get to his feet. Instead he crawled backwards, trying to keep the Death Eater moving for a long as possible. It certainly worked, but it quickly grew old.
A moment later, the Death Eater let out a howl of aggravation and raised the knife high in the air. Harry squeezed his eyes shut and covered his head. Another explosion rocked the ground and Harry saw the Death Eater's feet stumble over each other. Harry, sensing the Death Eater's uncertain steps, got to his feet and pushed the Death Eater hard as the ground began to rock once more. Harry could do nothing more for the ground was shaking so hard he could barely keep himself erect. As he fell to the ground once more and felt the coldness of his Mother's hand on his back, he looked up and beyond the Death Eater in astonishment.
Storming the castle, long legs and arms waving, were hundreds of giants. Real giants. They were huge, even larger than Hagrid. It was almost hard to tell the women from the men, for both had long, rough hair that fell past their waists. Their arms and legs were huge and thick like slabs of meat, and their tremendous mouths were open wide in an identical battle cry. Even as Harry stared, a particularly hairy giant knocked the Death Eater above him across the grass. The giant, a woman, eyed him fixedly, then stomped across the field, careful to watch where she stepped. Harry jumped to his feet and grinned as he saw Hagrid run across the grass, careful to avoid the Death Eaters' curses ringing around him, his umbrella out and flailing with a vengeance. Harry grinned broadly. So, the pieces of Hagrid's wand were in his umbrella.
Madame Maxime was beside Hagrid, blushing madly as he laughed loudly beside her. Several of the giants bent down to talk to the two half-giants, then took off across the grounds in the direction that they pointed them towards. The giants made quick work of the Garrotters and Dementors, for the giants were too large and the creatures did not wish to mess with the brute strength of the giants. Magic did little to the giants, for they could simply deflect the curse by picking up a large stone and holding it in front of them. Combined with the ghosts of ages past, there was no chance for the enemy.
Voldemort stood in the center of the battlefield, hands clenched, eyes narrowed as he stared at the wizard on the opposite end of the battlefield. Dumbledore stood still, watching Voldemort, his veined hands clasped gently in front of him, his soft eyes staring unnervingly at Voldemort. And in that gaze, was a look of knowing. A knowing, that Voldemort hated, for he knew as Dumbledore did: He had lost. The evil would not prevail today. Dumbledore stared at Voldemort and smiled knowingly as the children of Hogwarts and their peers fought alongside each other in unity.
Harry knew very little about the man, or creature Voldemort was. He knew that he had once been a vibrant, power hungry youth named Tom Riddle, who hated all Muggles, and that from that boy had arisen this bitter and hate-filled monster. Harry knew that he had killed his parents, Lilly and James Potter, in cold blood, and had killed his own father, simply because he was a Muggle. Other than that, Harry had no clue what had formed and shaped this monster. He had no clue what horrors he had seen in his lifetime, nor the pain he had felt that had made him this bitter creature, who took such pleasure in watching others suffer. But Harry did know one thing about Voldemort: he knew how to pick his fights. He knew when he was defeated.
Harry watched as Voldemort let out a painful scream and threw his thin arms in the air. The Death Eaters, Dementors and Garotters halted where they stood and turned to eye Voldemort. He watched as Voldemort cast his wand around himself, drawing what seemed to be a dark veil around himself and his warriors. The dark veil went around the Death Eaters, Garrotters and Dementors, hiding them from view and casting them away from Hogwarts. He watched as Peter Pettigrew, whom Harry had not seen for a great part of the battle, white faced and trembling, pocketed his wand and closed his eyes as the veil was drawn around him and he disappeared from sight. Voldemort was the last one to be seen, his narrowed, red eyes, the last thing that all around him saw, as he glared at Dumbledore. Then there was nothing.
The witches and wizards of Hogwarts were alone.
************************************************************************
Author's Note:
I have some wonderful news: *coughs*.......................
I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED MY NOVEL!!!!!!!
YEAAHHH!!!! *does happy hobbit dance and jumps around* I am so ecstatic, I can't tell you!! My goodness!! For those of you who didn't know, I've been writing a novel, and NOW IT'S DONE!!! YESSSSS!!!!! What's next, you ask? Now I've just got to go through and re-edit for the ten bajillionth time. I'm a great lover of editing. I find it impossible to NOT edit. Editing is your friend, remember that. It saves you from being embarrassed. ;-) But anyway, as soon as I finish that, I will be turning it into a family friend, who, I JUST found out, incidentally, is an editor.................don't ask me WHY this never came up at family gatherings or anything. *sighs* But anyway, I shall be turning it into her to get her opinion, and possibly will be able to get hooked up with a publishing company through her. If I do, you guys, well, besides my fam., will be the first ones to know! I'm not even sure if I'll be able to, depends on the contract and stuff, but if I'm allowed an amount of space for a dedication, you guys will be on the list. :-) So I'll be sure to keep you guys updated. If it does get published, I'll let you know the date and the title and all that jazz. *shudders with happiness* Won't that just be swell? Okay, okay, back to the story. Get back to the story, T.H.! :-)
Well, I've done my calculations, and those calculations said that most of you have seen TTT at least 5 times............that is JUST not fair. Especially since I'm now suffering from Legolas withdrawl. *sniffle* Oh well, I'll just have to wait till it comes out on video.........actually, i don't think I'll last that long. But I won't waste away from lack of Legolas till this story's finished, 'kay? ;-) Well, I hope you guys all liked this chapter! I certainly enjoyed writing it! Really cool, I thought. The next chapter is gonna be HUGE, mainly because it's a whole big explanation to most of the stuff that has happened in this story. Cool, yes? I know that's what you all have been waiting for!! :-) Yes, I'll explain the 'Resurrection Spell'. I'm sure you guys are wondering about that, if I'm staying true to the books. I am, but I can't tell you how. You'll just have to wait for the next chappie. ;-) There's more HP book info at the end of the Thank You's. Thank you guys so much for taking time to read my humble little story. I really appreciate all your thoughts!! Thanks so much!!!
P.S. Oh yeah, I just wanted to say, in reference to that stuff Harry was thinking as he watched Voldemort leave the battlefield, I know what happened to Tom Riddle, the boy who became Voldemort. You wanna know? Read this story, "The Tale of Tom Riddle", by Torrential Zephyr. It is the coolest account of Tom Riddle's life. It's SO cool! The author does all this stuff, includes all these little clues throughout the story, references to events in Tom's later life. It is SO cool! I reccomend it highly! Maybe if tons of you read and review, it'll get updated!! ;-)
Gold Eyed Falcon: Hey! Great to see you! Welcome to the story! Thanks for all the other reviews you've given me! You're so awesome! :-) I understand completely that it's taken you at least a week to read this. It's awfully long, ain't it? :-) It's my baby. ;-) Thank you so much for all your compliments! I'm blushing! :-) I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you so much for reviewing!!
Curly29: Lol!! I'm really glad that you like the story! Hopefully, this chapter satisfied your thirst for our beloved Weasley twins. ;-) Don't worry, there'll be more of their mischief before the story is over!!
Moanda: Hey!! Welcome to the story!! I'm really glad that you found it and got through it! ;-) It is awfully long. I love it when Lupin and Sirius come too! They're so awesome, especially Sirius. He's such a rogue. *chuckles* You like Ron/Hermione too?? ME TOO!! Nothing but. I mean, c'mon. Harry/Hermione?? Naaahhhh. I love Ron too! He's my absolute favorite character of Harry, Ron and Hermione. He's just so fun to write! He's the one who's got most of the funny one-liner's in all these freaky chapters! I hope the good wizards kicked enough Voldemort butt for your taste! ;-) Thanks so much for reviewing!!
P.S. YOU GOT TO SEE TT 4 TIMES!! Bloody hell. That's not fair. If I had seen it four times, I'd wanna see it again too. ;-)
Takari4ever7: Thank you so much!! Tell your roommate that I apologize for writing such a story that you kept muttering to yourself! ;-) That's really cool though! It really gives me a rush to know that people enjoy something that I'VE written so much, that they get into it in ways I never would have imagined. I hope this story was a good fight scene! It was kinda hard to write, not especially, but somewhat. Hope it turned out well! Thanks for reviewing! :-)
Leaf: Hello buddy! How are ya doin'? I'm really glad you liked the previous chapter! I hope you like this one just as much. *sniffle* Poor Jessica. But hey, at least she died for what she believed in and helped push the war to a climax! Thanks so much for reviewing!!
Sara Minks: Hey!! Great to see you! I haven't seen you in AGES!! How are you doin'? Good I hope! I'm really glad you got to come and read! I don't know about that whole Dumbledore-look-of-triumph thing either!! It's completely baffling and totally obnoxious. I don't know. I just can't wait until it's explained! *turns Bambi eyes on J.K. Rowling* My goodness, aren't you clever? Thinking of Dumbledore's brother. Goodness, you're clever. I think it probably COULD come into play. It's not an aspect that many people think of. Very sharp! Keep those eyes open! Okay, on the Wormtail issue. More often than not, I find myself comparing Peter to Neville. One could question why NEVILLE was placed in Gryffindor as well. The Sorting Hat never places someone in a house that they're not suited to. There was a reason why Peter was placed in Gryffindor, just as Neville was. We've seen that Neville is brave, i.e. trying to stop Ron, Hermione, and Harry in Sorcerer's Stone, holding up with his parents' madness all his life, keeping that knowledge from his friends. I think that Peter's cowardice will be explained in time, and I ALSO believe that his debt will be his undoing. Keep in mind that he is indebted to Harry for saving his life. Because he was a Gryffindor, even if he is a Death Eater now, he will hold himself to that debt. I don't believe that Peter is completely evil, mainly because he's too cowardly. There are still ties that he holds inside, one of them, I believe, being the fact that Harry is James' son. Keep those thoughts in mind. Those are just my opinions, but what the heck. :-) I'm really glad that you thought the previous chapter was the best one! *chuckle* I've been getting alot of that over the last few chapters. ;-) Sorry that it took so long to update. I hope your happiness wasn't hanging in the balance too long! ;-)
Quiet One: Hey! Good to see you!! Well, I know it MUST be good if you can't review while you're reading because you're so wrapped up in it! *blushes hotly* Thank you SO much for ALL your compliments! You're too kind! I can only aspire to be as good a writer as you guys say I am! :-) I hope you liked this chapter as much as the previous one! I just can't stand to make a completely sober chapter! It's just imbedded in me. I just have to add some little one-liner in there to lighten things up a bit. Too much horror and evil stuff just wigs me out. A little humor is just something that needs to happen. :-) I can't wait for the fifth book either!! It's gonna be soooo wicked! But I'm glad that this fic is keeping your thirst for Harry Potterdom sated for the time being. Me too. ;-) *sigh* You and me both. We both love elves. I loved the soundtrack! I've got that! Finally got a hold of it. :-) Isn't Legolas JUST wonderful looking?? I agree with you totally. Legolas isn't HOT. It just doesn't seem appropriate. Hmmm, Aragorn or Legolas. I think there's a definite difference between the two. See, Aragorn is ruggedly handsome, while Legolas looks are ethereal, totally amazing and mind-numbing. It's not confusing at all! I'm with you all the way on the Legolas and Aragorn looks issue. ;-) Ah, yes. One of our favorite elf's many great lines: "You're late." Here, want it in Elvish?
Le ab-dollen.
Now you can tell your friends that when they're late and can giggle when they don't know what the heck you're talking about. I'm so lucky. I found the TTT script and am now using that to curb my desire to see it again. :-) I can't see it anyway, as it's not out here anymore. Curses. Latin does get TONS easier as soon as you master the declensions. They just can get SO confusing. I totally understand what you're saying. That was my weak point. Oh yes, page long translations! I remember those! Lol! We never had to do the comic strip thing though, but we did have that as an exercise. The comic was already drawn and the captions were in there, but we had to translate. Oh yes, latin is a VERY handy language. Not only with modern English, but with other languages. It is the root of all the Romance languages, which were derived from Latin. They include: French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. There! Now once you've mastered Latin, go for the Romance languages!! ;-) LOL! You're very right! It can sound very harsh in some cases! And people don't know WHAT you're saying and they won't ever because kids rarely take Latin because it's not "useful". Whatever. They'll say that when they're trying to master 12th grade vocabulary. Heh-heh.
Oh goodness! A god of fiction!! Wow!! I've risen in status! Thank you, truly! :-) I did read your Helms Deep fic actually! I just haven't had the time to review! But it was VERY good!! Very sad, but VERY good! Cool! I'm really glad you could understand the spells in this fic. No, it's not stupid to get all ahppy when you are able to see the Latin and understand it! That's great! It's just proving to yourself that you ARE understanding the language, no matter how bloody obnoxious or boring it gets! Nothing to feel stupid about!! GAK! YOU SAW TTT five times!!!..........I'm extremely put out. ;-) Just playin'. Wish I could have seen it that many times, but as I said before, I've got the script to hold me off till it comes out on video. Whenever THAT is. ;-) Oh thank you! Trust me! If I get my book published, you guys on ff.net will be the first to know.......besides my fam. ;-) Seriously, I couldn't dream of not telling you guys! It would be so cool to see what you guys think of it! It's my baby, besides this one. ;-) I can't wait to see what you guys think of it, if it gets published! :-) Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! It's always a pleasure to read them!
SilverElf: "ok Fido the crackhead security guard dog, i have two words for you. Bite. Me." LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!! I say the same thing to that stupid thing!! I HATE fido! BWAHAHAAA!! Reading that just made me laugh SO hard!! :-) *sniffle* I don't like to kill Weasleys, fortunately, no Weasleys have died! Yet. Don't worry! Just kiddin'! I do agree with you. Voldemort does in many ways remind me of Saruman. Very similiar those two, in their manner of speech anyhow. I'm so thrilled when I read that my readers get such a rush and fright out of reading something *I* wrote! It's just a real energy rush. *shudder* Ouija boards are sssssccccarrrry!!! *polishes medal that says "god of cliffhangars" on it* Thank you, thank you!! I'm honored to receive that honor! ;-) Thank you so much for all your compliments! I absolutely love hearing what you have to say whenever I post! *chuckle* Fine. WEASLEYS. DO. NOT. DIE. Are you happy now? ;-) I bet you it's Arabella Figg too. lets just face it. Arabella is just NOT a common name. ;-) GAH!! How could somebody steal your ff.net name??!! How awful! That's just not fair. Well, don't worry buddy. You're still the ORIGINAL Silver Elf to ME! Poor, sweet baby. :-) I agree with everything you said regarding LOTR. Arwen.........well, I'll just refrain from talking of her, as she makes my blood boil. :-) I'm just waiting for the third one. *crosses legs impatiently* I'm not sure I can wait till December. But hey, at least it's coming out in December and not three years from now!! *mutters: GEORGE LUCAS* Dork. I won't get into my SW peeve, but I despise the fact that good ol' George is taking so bloody long to make these movies. The last one won't be out for THREE years!! Thank goodness Peter Jackson is smart. Thanks so much for readin' and reviewin'!! Hope you liked the chapter!!
Kora: ..........Okay, it's SO not fair that you guys have seen TTT an estimate of five times each. Not fair at all. Bloody hell. Not fair at all. So was that true? Was there a ROTK trailer at the end of TTT? I heard that that wasn't true. I never got to see it if it was because the stupid little theater boy closed the curtains over the screen before the credits were done BOTH times I went to see it. HELLO!!! SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO READ THE CREDITS YOU LITTLE PRAT!! I have actually gone to onering.net. It's probably just me but it seems really hard to find stuff there. Like ROTK pics, I didn't even FIND. It's just so immense. But a cool site all and all.
"this is all colesseum on genosis like. very much with the fun. or battle at the gates of mordor. pelennor fields."
*chuckles* You're so funny! What's even funnier is that I know exactly what you're talkinga bout. Yeah, I did notice that a whole bunch of elves died. And *sniffle* they killed off Haldir! IT WASN'T HIS TIME!! BWAHAHAAAA!! I'M SORRY HALDIR FOR ALL THE NASTY THINGS I SAID ABOUT YOU!! FOR MOCKING YOU and........stuff. *Mocks: The dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark." Well, I couldn't help it. A completely mockable line.* It's okay. I completely understand about being really busy. COMPLETELY!! I understand. Hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing!! :-)
Hollie: Hey! I know you haven't finished the rest of the other chappy, but that's okay. ;-) You'll catch up. I think that's what happened. I made the chapters longer. That's why it takes longer for everyone else to read'n review. MY BAD!! :-) Congratulations on getting the lead for your school play! That's awesome!! Hooray for you! *chuckles* Yep, that's how you spell 'amuck'. It is an odd word, isn't it? :-) I just can't bring myself to write a completely sober, scary chapter. I MUST have comic relief! For MY own sanity! ;-) *grins* Thank you so much for your compliments! You're so sweet! Oh don't worry! I always understand what you're writing, even if you think it sounds odd. I always get it. *blushes deep red* Thank so much! You're really too nice to me! I think you should take Latin! It's very helpful! Just read Quiet One's thank you! ;-) It's quite an interesting language, and plus, you'd have an advantage because A) You'll be SO good at English and vocab, English is based off of Latin.
B) Because you can talk to people in Latin and they won't know what you're saying or even WHAT you're speaking because they don't know Latin or what it sounds like. You could tell them you're speaking in Elvish and they'd probably think you were serious. ;-)
"I know I've said that a billion times, but I mean it with every fiber of my being. This is just.... I don't even have words for it. Everything has some type of secret, everything is connected in some way, and the dialogue, the narration... geeze. I firmly stand by my statement, if you don't become a professional author, there is something wrong with the world."
*blushes even harder* Thanks so much! I really hope to get my book published! *Yesssss* And that would be so cool if my buddies from ff.net could read it! That's one of the reasons I'd be so excited for my book to get published, just to see what you guys think! :-) I do know what you mean about touch ups. I'm actually considering re-editing my LOTR story, fixing the format and script and stuff. Won't change the story, just add stuff to it. Whenever you get to the rest of the Bright Eyes fics is fine! It's all cool! There's a lot of them, so whenever. :-) Thanks so much for reviewing, Hollie luv! I always love to read your reviews! You rock! Don't work yourself TOO hard. ;-) Later!
Okay guys, time for more HP stuff. As in the previous chapter, I'm gonna tell you some stuff about the other HP books. You might want to pay attention to some of these. I might just be putting these in for fun, but some of them might be giving you information about stuff that will happen in my stories later.
Name Meanings and Origins:
Bathilda Bagshot (the author of A History of Magic): Bagshot is a town near London.
Dursley: A town near J.K. Rowling's birthplace.
Professor Flitwick: Flitwick is a town in England.
Cedric Diggory: Digory Kirke is a hero of some of J.K. Rowling's favorite books, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Notice that Cedric is not far from a rearrangement of Kirke.
Marcus Flint: (captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team). Possibly named for Captain John Flint from Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.
Salazar Slytherin: António de Oliveira Salazar was dictator of Portugal---where J.K. Rowling once lived---from 1932 to 1968. He was known for very harsh policies.
Hedwig (Harry's owl): A saint who lived in Germany in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. An order of nuns established under her patronage chose as its work the education of orphaned children---like Harry.
Ronan (centaur): An Irish saint. (and if anybody didn't notice, Ronan the centaur has RED hair. ;-))
Diagon Alley: Typical of everything in the wizard world, this street doesn't run straight; it runs "diagonally".
Knockturn Alley: This nasty street, where shops like Borgin & Burkes cater to those who pursue the Dark Arts, is a place you wouldn't want to visit "nocturnally".
The previous entry on the books was about the Order of the Phoenix. These stuff are CONFIRMED facts about the coming books. *rubs hands together* I can't wait!! :-).
Are we going to learn more about Harry's mom in the next book [Book 4]?
... There is something very important about Harry's mother that he hasn't yet discovered that he's not going to find out in the next book. It's too important for Book 4. He finds it out later in the series. -J.K. Rowling
What happened to Harry's Grandparents?
Various interesting things. But again, I'm not gonna share. -J.K. Rowling
Harry is not going to be tempted over to the Dark Side. (Well, of COURSE not! What is this? Star Wars?)
"I want Harry Potter and his friends to grow up as well as older, though I'll keep it all humorous, well within the tone of the books. I want them eventually to be truly 17 and discover girlfriends and boyfriends and have sexual feelings - nothing too gritty. Why not allow them to have those feelings?" -J.K. Rowling (Ahh, ah ah, okay. We *really* don't NEED those things. Let's remember, these are *children's* books, J.K.)
We will be seeing Lupin and the real Mad-Eye Moody again! (And the REAL Moody is even cooler than the fake one!!)
J.K. Rowling said, "There's at least one death that's going to be horrible to write."
We will see the return of Firenze. :o)
Do Harry and Hermione have a date?
No. They are very platonic friends. But I won't answer for anyone else, nudge nudge, wink wink! -J.K. Rowling (Hehehe! I wonder who Hermione will date if it's not Harry! Ron, perhaps?) :o)
When Rowling was asked "are there any special wizarding powers in your world that depend on the wizard using their eyes to do something?" Rowling asked why this question was being asked. Then the interviewer said, "Well because everyone always goes on about how Harry's got Lilly Potter's eyes?" To that, J.K. gave this very dodgy answer, "Aren't you smart? There is something, maybe, coming about that. I'm going to say no more. Very clever." So Harry's eyes really MIGHT be important to the story! :o)
Lockhart will not be coming back again, but we MAY be seeing Rita Skeeter again.
Unlike his father, Harry will not become an animagus. :o(
"There is a character who does manage in desperate circumstances to do magic quite late in life, but that is very rare in the world I am writing about." - JK Rowling (Or how about Filch? That's MY guess.)
Aunt Petunia's and Lily's maiden name is Evans.
Hagrid, Lily, and James were all in Gryffindor.
When asked what J.K. Rowling would do if she could go to Hogwarts for an hour, she replied, "Go straight into a certain room, mentioned in Book Four, which has certain magical properties Harry hasn't discovered yet!" (Perhaps, the toilet room? Remember, the one that Dumbledore found in the middle of the night that had a bunch of chamber pots in it? Hmmm. I wonder. ;-))
Thanks again for reading and reviewing, you guys! The next chapter will be out as soon as I finish editing it and writing thank you's to the reviews for this chapter. ;-)
Love ya!!
T.H.