Chapter 24 - The Battle
Sirius and Buffy ran down the hallways, along the route they had envisaged so many times.
"8 days early!" Buffy said again, "We're not ready. Well we're physically ready, but not mentally. Everyone though we had a week to psyche ourselves up for this!" They passed a hallway teeming with students, who were being led quickly by their heads of houses where they were to be barricaded in for the duration of the battle. The routine for this had been planned weeks ago, the alarm would sound, when the forces were in sight of the castle, and then the students would be shut in the Great Hall, with Snape and Kennedy, whilst the Aurors and warriors lined up for the battle. Sirius stopped, he had seen Harry and Dawn pushing through the mass of students to reach him. He hugged Harry briefly, then stepped back, and gripping his shoulders tightly looked at him.
"Don't do anything stupid," he said clearly, "Your time will come, and you will know when it does. Don't do anything rash." He pushed Harry back into the crowd and Dawn followed him and Buffy to the main entrance.
They reached the grounds and saw the mass of warriors lined up shoulder to shoulder, facing the massive army that was fast approaching. Silently, Buffy and Sirius took their places in the centre, Dawn going to stand next to Mad Eye. Silently, Sirius took Buffy's hand, lifted it to his mouth and kissed it. She squeezed his hand in return. And then the fight began. Buffy fought violently against the vampires that besieged her from every side, keeping one eye on Sirius, who was battling with a short, squat death eater. He stunned him, shot ropes at him, which tied him, then moved along to the next that approached. All around them the fighting continued, vampires and demons being killed quickly, and death eaters being subdued, or killed if necessary. Buffy saw Angel, stake a vampire, and Dumbledore take out three death eaters with one spell. The man radiated power and anger, and Buffy marvelled at the change from the jovial man who liked lemon sherbets. The battle continued, the slayers destroying the mass of vampires faster than ever before, and reducing the numbers drastically in a short amount of time. And it looked like they were winning for a time. But a hush fell over the crowd, and a gap appeared in the mass of enemies that stood before them. A tall, skeletal man stepped out of the crowd, if you call the snake face it possessed, like a man's, and the fighting stopped, as they all turned to look at him. Behind him stood a woman, with heavy lidded eyes, and a man, short, quivering with a silver hand.
"Ah, Hogwarts," the man said, looking up at the grand castle, "Well, Dumbledore you put up a good fight, noble indeed. Even got the slayers involved." He gestured towards Buffy, and Sirius had to restrain her to prevent her attacking him.
"Too late now, though," the man said, smiling a cold smile, "Too late."
Harry paced the great hall, listening for any sounds of battle. All had subsided a few seconds ago, and this scared him more than the noise.
"Potter, sit down," Snape barked at him, "Your pacing is not helping the battle."
As he spoke, Harry scar burst open with pain, and he fell to the floor, Dawn and Ron coming forward, but not touching him.
"He's here," he groaned. The pain subsided suddenly and Harry stood up, wonderingly touching his scar.
"I've got to go, it's time " he said quickly, kissing Dawn and Hermione on the cheek, and clapping Ron on the shoulder. He strode towards the barricaded door, but Snape stepped in front of him.
"I have strict orders to keep you here," Snape said, his lip curling, "If you wish to go and play action hero, I shall have to stun you, however much it may pain me." Harry stared up at him impassively, and raised his hand. Snape fell soundlessly to the floor.
"What did you do?" Hermione asked, "And without a wand…."
"He's stunned," Harry said quietly and continued to the door, just pushing Kennedy aside when she moved to stop him. He raised his hand yet again, and the door disappeared in front of him.
"You shouldn't have come Tom," Dumbledore said calmly, "It was foolish."
"Foolish Dumbledore? Why I thought you of all could understand that what I do is anything but," Voldemort said still smiling, "I who have found darker, and more powerful magic than you will ever wield? I used to fear you, that was foolish. But no more." Simultaneously, they raised their wands.
"Stop!" Harry yelled, reaching the pair. Sirius made a move towards Harry, but felt a invisible force holding him back.
"It isn't Dumbledore you want, it's me" Harry said fiercely. He raised his wand also.
"A boy?" Voldemort scoffed, "A adolescent idiot, who doesn't know the right end of his wand? You flatter yourself, Harry."
"You didn't feel that way when you attacked me as a baby," Harry hissed, "You marked me as your equal, you killed my parents." He held his head for a tiny moment then lifted it again, also raising his hand. Voldemort was lifted up off his feet and thrown backward, landing in a heap. Two death eaters helped him up hastily.
"So you can do wand less magic now, very impressive," Voldemort muttered shiftily, "No matter." He raised his wand, and hissed "Avada Kedavra!" Harry once again lifted his hand, and the bolt of light stopped its movement and dissipated swiftly. Voldemort gulped, raised his wand again, then apparated. His death eaters looked around in fear, and ran, followed by the forces they had been sent with.
"You can't apparate into or out of the school grounds!" Hermione exclaimed in shock, and Harry realised they had followed him out into the grounds.
"That's it?" Harry said, turning to Dumbledore, "That's all the fight he put up? I thought I was supposed to kill him?"
"I'm afraid you still are," Dumbledore said, turning to look at Harry, "But tonight, you put more fear into Voldemort than anyone ever has. He underestimated you, yet again, and it led to his downfall."
Harry turned away, and looked for Sirius. He saw him, not far off, cradling a body, of one of those they had lost in battle. He ran towards him, then stopped when he realised who the body belonged to. Remus Lupin.
"He's dead," Sirius said in shock, looking up at Harry, and Harry saw the tears in his eyes, "The last one of us. He's with James and Lily now." He passed his had over Lupin's face, to close his eyes, then wept.