Disclaimer: See "Stories of the Hogwarts Sisterhood"

Disclaimer 2: Wellard and the Aurors come from "Hornblower"

Disclaimer 3: Some of lines and scenes come from "Hornblower: Retribution" so you may find them familiar, and I certainly don't own them.

To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so get out of here, if you know what's good for you.

Note: This is a sequel to "Stories of the Hogwarts Sisterhood"; taken place several months later during Easter holidays, so read that first.

Thank you for the reviews!

Isabelle3- Read this chapter for answer...

Rated PG-13 for content

Chapter 23: Victory

BANG

Edrington shot a window at the ground floor and he pulled it open. "This is one good thing about bullets," he said to his men. "they are faster than reciting a spell."

"Hey, Terrence." called Hornblower.

Wellard turned around.

Hornblower smiled. "Got your guns ready?"

"Yeah," said Wellard, showing Hornblower his two guns, which he had stowed through his belt.

"Horatio, I think it is rather useless to give him another gun, he has enough problems with just one." said Edrington and smirked.

Wellard's white face went pink with embarrassment.

Hornblower frowned at Edrington disapprovingly. "Oh come on, give him a chance. Maybe he will be better this time; he might need two in case he has shot more than 6 Death Eaters."

Edrington just shrugged, poked his head in and looked around at the classroom. Nobody was around. He went through the window and beckoned his men to follow. They walked across the room, opened the door and looked out. No one was in the corridor either.

"All right, we will split up from here," said Edrington. "Horatio, you take your men to the right, I will take my men to the le........"

A range of loud steady footsteps from the right cut Edrington's words off. They turned just in time to see a huge amount of Death Eaters turning around the corner and marching right towards them with their wands out.

"I believe our old friends were upon us. Horatio, take your men and go. We will stay here." said Edrington calmly.

"But......"

"Just go. I will be all right. Men, get ready with your guns."

Edrington's men took out their guns, ready to fire at his command.

Hornblower swallowed and nodded. "Right, follow me!"

"Oh, Horatio?" called Edrington.

Hornblower turned his head around sharply. "What?"

"Good luck." said Edrington sincerely.

Hornblower was still for a while before he nodded again at him. "Good luck to you too."

They ran off, leaving Edrington and his men behind.

"FIRE!"

***

"Horatio, can we go to the Gryffindor Tower first?" asked Wellard desperately as the group ran towards the Entrance Hall. Gunfire and shouts of pain and anger were heard from far behind as Edrington and his men fought the Death Eaters.

BANG

"What for?" asked Hornblower after he shot a single Death Eater dead along the way.

"Athena, I think she is in trouble in there......" said Wellard, not really want to let Hornblower to know that he called Athena as 'Thena'.

"Well........" started Hornblower but he didn't finish his sentence because someone yelled, "Avada Kedavra!" and one of the Aurors beside him gave out a sickening cry and dropped to the floor.

"Death Eaters!" cried Styles.

Hornblower didn't answer Wellard's question. He took out his wand and roared, "AURORS, CHARGE!"

Only Wellard did not charge forward and attack the Death Eaters. He stood there and looked helplessly at the flight of stairs that led to the upper floors, not knowing whether to stay and attack or go and look for the Gryffindor Common Room on his own. Seeing that Hornblower was too busy to make a decision, Wellard decided to take the matter to his own hands. He slowly backed away from the large mob and ran off to the stairs before anyone could stop him.

***

Outside the castle, the battle was still going on. Kennedy had just shot a Death Eater with his gun when someone from his far left made a slashing movement with his wand and a purple flame zoomed right across Kennedy's stomach.

He gave a loud "Ah!" and clutched his stomach. He turned his head to the Death Eater, and with his teeth clenched together, he raised his gun and fired it at him.

When the Death Eater dropped dead, he yelled, "Take that, you foul Death Eater!"

***

"A Fat Lady portrait, a Fat Lady portrait......" muttered Wellard as he ran down the corridor, looking at the paintings as he went. "Oh where is it?!"

He rushed up to another flight of stairs and immediately saw a large hole on the wall. A painting was lying on the floor. Sensing that something was amiss, he ran to it and looked in. A horrible sight greeted him. The room looked as if a bomb had gone off in there. A wall had broken away from the room completely, leaving it standing with only three walls. Paintings, chairs, tables and bricks were on the floor. A few students were lying on them, clearly dead. Only a dusty, small boy with mousey hair was standing beside a long bookcase on the floor, trying to lift it.

Wellard dashed to it and patted the boy's shoulder quickly to get his attention.

Dennis turned around and looked at him with tears in his eyes. "Sir, you must get her out!"

"Who?" asked Wellard urgently.

"A seventh year student! She was calling for help at the fireplace when the bomb dropped in and the bookcase fell right on top of her!! I can't get her out, it is too heavy!"

"A seventh year student? Wait a minute, is this the Gryffindor Common Room?" asked Wellard in horror.

Dennis nodded frantically.

Wellard looked at the edge of the bookcase and to confirm his fears, auburn hair could be seen beneath it.

"Thena!" he cried and took out his wand.

He waved it and the bookcase flew off as if an invisible giant hand had lifted it away. Athena was found lying with her face down. Wellard rushed to her and dragged her off the ground into his lap. "Thena, Thena? Speak to me, please."

He slapped Athena's face gently and her eyes opened slowly.

"She is alive!" said Dennis in delight.

Once she saw Wellard clearly, she raised her arms and hugged him as tightly as she could. "You're here, you're here......." she said over and over again.

"Yes, I am here. And so are the rest of the Aurors. All of you are going to be saved." said Wellard gently, stroking her hair.

Dennis blushed and looked away.

"Come on, let's get out of here." said Wellard after Athena released him.

He helped Athena up and the three of them walked carefully out of the Gryffindor Common Room.

***

Hornblower and his men had finally beat the Death Eaters and made it to the Entrance Hall. Once they were there, they saw the teachers fighting against Bellatrix and her crowd.

"Here we go again," Hornblower muttered. He wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth quickly, took out his gun and pointed it at one of the Death Eaters.

BANG

As the Aurors took over the fight, Mandy screamed to Hornblower, "About time!"

***

Wellard flung open the door at the first floor and revealed an empty classroom. "Okay, no one is around."

He, Athena and Dennis walked across the room and Wellard opened the window. He looked out and saw nothing except grass and a few bushes. He heard gunfire and shouting and knew that they were now not very far away from the front door.

"All right, boy, you and Athena will go through the window and hide in the bushes until the whole thing is over......." said Wellard importantly.

"Dennis, yes. Me, no." said Athena immediately.

"But Thena......."

"No, I say no. I want to stay here. I can't leave you and my parents behind."

"Parents?" asked Wellard in bewilderment.

"I will explain after the whole thing is over."

"But......"

"No buts." said Athena sharply. "The Sorting Hat put me into Gryffindor because I am brave, okay? And I am legally an adult now." she added.

Wellard stared at Athena for a moment and sighed. "All right."

"I want to stay too." said Dennis as loudly as possible.

"No." said Athena and Wellard together.

"You are too young." said Athena firmly.

"I know it is frustrating," said Wellard quickly at the sight of Dennis' disappointed face. "But Athena is right. Come on, let's get you out."

Wellard boosted Dennis (he was quite small for a fourth year) over the window edge. Once Dennis was out of the window, someone shot a spell across Wellard's and Athena's backs and broke a vase at the corner.

Wellard and Athena turned around just in time to see Dolohov sealing the only window in the room shut with his wand.

"The window!" cried Athena.

Wellard stared at Dolohov. Behind him, the door was shut. No doubt that he had sealed it too.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A boy and a girl alone in a room. Not kissing, are you?" said Dolohov and smiled unpleasantly.

Wellard glared at him. "Don't call me boy." he said in a tight voice.

Dolohov's smile disappeared immediately. He gave a glance at the Auror badge on Wellard's chest and pointed his wand at him.

"You maybe an Auror to this girl here," he snarled, nodding curtly to Athena. "but to me, you are just a boy with an Auror badge."

"Where is your wand, Athena?" asked Wellard at the corner of his mouth.

Athena searched her robes for her wand and went pale. "I must have dropped it in the common room!" she hissed.

Dolohov laughed cruelly. "Looks like you two are unarmed."

Wellard quickly reached for his wand.

"ACCIO WAND!" roared Dolohov and Wellard's wand flew to his hand.

To Wellard's and Athena's horror, Dolohov threw it to the floor and stepped on it, snapping it into two. Wellard reached into his robes again.

"No wand, no protection." Dolohov sang.

"Wrong," said Wellard with his gun aiming at Dolohov. His hands were gripping it tightly. "I still have my gun. Surrender or I will shoot."

Athena swallowed as she looked at Wellard's hands. They were trembling slightly.

"Be calm, Terry." whispered Athena.

Dolohov stared at Wellard's gun for a moment but then he smiled. "Give me that gun, boy. You are too young to use it. I bet you are too afraid to shoot me."

"I am no boy, and I am no coward," said Wellard. His voice went louder and steadier as he spoke. "And I am no scarecrow, who has to be tied up so that he won't bite his own shadow!"

BANG

Dolohov's eyes widened after Wellard shot his wand away from his hand.

"See? I am no boy. And you are no man at all to criticise me." said Wellard as calm as possible, and he aimed for Dolohov's chest.

Dolohov was still for a moment before he ran to get his wand which was landed at the end of the room.

BANG

The wand broke as Wellard shot it into half just when Dolohov was about to get it.

"No wand for you either, I afraid." said Wellard slowly. "Now will you surrender?"

"No way." said Dolohov and he threw himself forward at Wellard, knocking his feet off the ground.

****

CRASH

"Why didn't anyone remember to repair that window?" screeched Minerva as she watched a large group of Death Eaters climbing in to get away from the Aurors outside through the window that Macnair had broken earlier.

"Great, if they keep on coming in, we will be short-handed......." said Hornblower sarcastically.

"FIRE!" yelled a voice from above.

A range of gunfire was heard and some of the newcomers dropped dead even before any one could reach them. Hornblower looked up and to his delight; Edrington (who had a long cut across his cheek) and his men were at the second floor with their guns out.

"Told you that I would be all right!" he called as they rushed downstairs.

***

Wellard gasped for air as Dolohov grasped his throat. Athena looked around desperately for anything hard enough to hit Dolohov off Wellard. Then her expression brightened when she saw something at the corner. She ran towards it and grabbed it.

Dolohov laughed as Wellard went weaker and weaker when Athena dashed to him and.....

BANG

......hit his head with a small table. The table cracked and broke into smaller pieces as it connected with Dolohov's head. Wellard's eyes widened as Dolohov loosened his hold. He even forgot to breathe for a moment. He could see a trickle of blood oozed out of his hair before Dolohov fell right on top of him, nearly crushed him with his weight.

Wellard grunted and pushed the Death Eater off him in disgust.

After a few breaths of fresh air, he got up and stared at Dolohov. "Wow, Athena, I think you have knocked him out cold."

"I did?"

Wellard grinned tiredly at her and picked up his gun. He cracked it open and his grin vanished immediately.

"What?" asked Athena.

"Uh oh. Only one bullet left." said Wellard quietly as he closed it.

"What the other one? I thought I saw another gun......"

Wellard dropped his gun and took out the other one. He looked at the magazine and his face went paler than usual. "One."

"Oh no! The guns are our only weapons left and they have only one bullet each!" cried Athena.

BANG

"Open up! We are the Death Eaters and we know you are in there!" Someone yelled from the outside.

"Now what?" asked Athena slowly.

"Okay, you go and try to break out of the window, I will stay."

Athena put her hand onto Wellard's arm. "Not unless you go with me."

"I am not going to run like a frightened child. Like I said before, I am no boy."

Athena went silent for a while and said softly, "And I am no girl. If you want to stay here, I will stay with you."

"Alohomora!" Someone shouted from the outside but still, the door wouldn't budge.

Wellard licked his dry lips and looked at Athena for a long time. She let go of his arm and took his hand.

"You won't regret it if you die? There are Death Eaters out there." said Wellard as quietly as possible.

Without taking her eyes off him, Athena shook her head. Wellard smiled at her slightly. "You are not going to change your mind no matter what I said, right?"

Athena just smiled back.

The shouting outside was starting to get louder and louder.

Wellard took a deep breath and sighed. He picked up his gun and asked: "Thena, do you know how to use a gun?"

"Sort of. I read about using a gun during Muggle Studies but I have never used one in real life."

"All right then," Wellard tossed his gun at her and he held the other one with his right hand. "Just pull the trigger."

Athena caught the gun neatly with her left hand (since she was holding hands with Wellard) and put her finger onto the trigger.

CRASH

A Death Eater broke the glass window on the door and reached hungrily for the doorknob.

"Ready, Thena? When I say 'fire', we'll shoot at the Death Eaters when they come in." said Wellard seriously as he aimed his gun at the door.

Athena nodded bravely and raised her gun to the door as well.

"By the way, Thena......." Wellard began.

Athena turned her head to look at him. "Hm?"

Wellard smiled sweetly. "I love you. I really do."

Athena smiled back and tightened her hold onto Wellard's hand in response.

A loud bang brought the couple's attention back to the door.

"Okay, get ready!" shouted Wellard.

Athena swallowed. Her expression was solemn.

The hand finally got the doorknob and twisted it. When the door flew open, Wellard ordered, "FIRE!"

Athena pressed the trigger and neatly, she shot a Death Eater straight in the chest while Wellard got his target in the forehead.

"Good shot!" said Wellard happily as they threw their guns aside immediately. "At least we got two."

The rest of the Death Eaters stormed in and they pointed their wands at Wellard and Athena coldly.

"VENAS!"

***

"Give me your sword and wand." said Edrington with his Rapier aiming dangerously at the last Death Eater's throat at the Entrance Hall. Bodies of Death Eaters and a few Aurors were all over the floor.

The Death Eater looked at the sword blade with fear and slowly, he removed his sword and wand from his belt and handed it over to Edrington.

Edrington smiled and said, "Thank you," even though he didn't mean it.

"Take him." he said to his men.

"Is that all of them?" asked Hornblower. His arm was wounded.

"I don't think so. I have let a group of these bastards just now at the third floor slipped." said Edrington dryly. He snapped the Death Eater's wand into half and threw it to the floor. "We better look for them before they kill anymore students."

"Pardon me, Philip, but I think we ought to deal with the ones outside first." said Hornblower.

"Why don't you and your men do it? I will take my men and find the goddamn group."

"Very well. By the way, I hope that doesn't leave a scar." said Hornblower, indicating Edrington's cut.

"Hope not." said Edrington absentmindedly, gathered his men and ran for the stairs.

Minerva went to the front door. With a single spell, she opened the door.

Outside the castle, Pellew and his men had won over Lucius Malfoy and his men, which were only a handful. When the door opened, Pellew noticed that the Death Eaters had been defeated in the castle.

Hornblower nodded and his men raised their swords, (some with guns or wands) at the remaining Death Eaters. The teachers held their wands tiredly but firmly at them.

Pellew smiled victoriously and asked politely, "Mr Malfoy, may I have your sword and wand as a mark of surrender?"

As he did, the Aurors outside the castle pointed their weapons at Lucius and his men as well.

Seeing that he had nowhere to run, Lucius just glared at Pellew with resent and reached unwillingly for his sword.

***

Athena and Wellard lay together on the cold floor, side by side with blood oozing out of their wounds. The Death Eaters who injured them had gone elsewhere, thinking that the two would die there anyway.

"They won't get away," said Wellard confidently and feebly. A thin line of blood came out of the corner of his mouth. "The rest of the Aurors will get them."

"I hope so." said Athena quietly. Her face was pale and there were blood at the corner of her mouth too.

Wellard shifted painfully and put his arm over Athena. He pulled her closer and she rested her head on his chest.

"I don't like this," said Athena bitterly. "I hate the Death Eaters. If my brother dies in this battle, he would never get a chance to make up with Mom."

"I am sure he will be okay." said Wellard, hoping that what he had said was true.

"Terry?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think heaven is like?"

"Don't know, but it must be very peaceful."

Athena put her arm over Wellard's waist and said nothing.

"How I wish I could spend an entire year with Achilles," she said finally. "The longest time I have spent with him is two months."

Wellard wanted to respond when he heard Pellew yelling from the Entrance Hall. "Listen."

He and Athena listened carefully as Pellew roared, "Three cheers for us!"

"Looks like we have defeated the Death Eaters." said Wellard in delight as three cries of 'Hip, hip, hoorah' were heard.

"Good, then we, we........" said Athena, her voice was getting weak. "we, can rest in peace."

Wellard smiled lovingly. "Right."

"Terry, do you know what my last wish is?"

"I know you want Achilles to make up with your mother." said Wellard quietly, after he realized that using his voice in the normal volume was too exhausting.

"Right. And um, Terry?"

"What?"

Athena lifted her head up with great effort to look at Wellard. "I love you too." she whispered and her breathing was starting to get shallow.

He smiled again. "Go now, Thena, I will join you soon."

Athena gave Wellard a final smile before she closed her eyes. She sighed gently and her head drooped slightly.

Wellard's face was emotionless. He gazed at Athena for quite a while before he kissed her head lightly. He tightened his grip onto Athena with his remaining strength and closed his eyes as he listened to the noises at the Entrance Hall as Pellew led the Aurors up the stairs to find the surviving students.

And he kept on listening until his heart stopped beating.