Nora was still crying an hour and a half later and there was no sign that she was going to stop any time soon. The news of Dean's death had hit her like an unexpected tidal wave that crashed onto a nearby city, destroying everything in sight, tearing the one she had loved for years from her. She felt as if she was pulled into a black hole and she wasn't aware of her surroundings and the people in them, who were beginning to worry.
Her mind was racing, thinking about all of the events that had happened when Dean had still been alive: him asking her to the Yule Ball, the Yule Ball itself, her clutching onto him as Harry had gone missing from the maze, during the third Triwizard task, those long walks they used to take during their fifth year, the look on his face when she had returned from the Ministry of Magic unharmed, the day he had dumped her for Crystal-Rose, the day they got back together, and now his death. It felt like her heart was being torn apart and the thought of never being able to see him, never able to hear him or to never be able to hold and kiss him again made it worse. She cringed at the pain that was flowing so very rapidly through her body.
"You think she's all right?" Harry asked, feeling almost just as bad as he had done when Sirius had died, for seeing one of his closest friends in such pain… it was unbearable.
"I highly doubt it. But she's just in shock, that's all," Hermione whispered in reply, holding her best friend tightly in her arms, as if afraid that if she would let go Nora would die too.
"That's all? What do you mean: 'that's all'? She hasn't done anything for the past two hours except cry!" Ron cried out exasperated; it pained him very much to see her in such agony and that he wasn't able to help. Hermione said nothing. It was horrible for her too. She looked around the room and noticed that a lot more people were crying their eyes out over lost friends or loved ones. A lot of the students were hurt too, and Madam Pomfrey hadn't attended to most of them yet. Parvati and Lavender just sat in silence, being held by Harry and Ron. Ginny had joined them a while ago with Luna Lovegood, so had Lisa and Terry.
Inside Nora felt like she was dying. But it wasn't quick and painless, oh no, instead it was horribly slow and agonizing. It was like the Cruciatus curse, and yet in some way even worse. And then suddenly she felt the desire to see him, one last look before he would only be a memory, a vague vision of the one person she had actually loved. She tried to move but felt too exhausted. She tried again and yet still she could hardly move.
"She's stirring," said Ron, moving over to where Hermione sat with Nora in her arms.
"Yes," Hermione replied, not taking her gaze off her. Nora moved a couple of times before she was actually able to sit up. Harry and Ron both thought she looked awful but decided wisely not to say anything. Her eyes were bloodshot red and very puffy, her face completely tearstained with her hair sticking to it. She had turned an unnatural pale shade, even paler than Draco.
"I…" Nora said. She had wanted to say a whole sentence but was so chocked up that she had hardly been able to say anything at all. "I w-want…" Everyone looked at her expectantly, as if she was a little toddler, saying its first sentence. "I want t-to see h-h-him." The others all turned pale. Hermione was the first to speak.
"Nora, I really don't think you should, it's too soon." Nora was infuriated; couldn't her friends see that this was important to her? Even though she didn't want to, she had to see his body to accept that he was dead.
"No! I-I need to, p-please. T-take me to h-h-him." She still couldn't talk properly but was determined not to give up this fight. She had to see him, she needed to.
"I think you should wait, too, it's really not healthy," said Harry, looking at his shoes.
"Then I'll find him my-myself!" Nora stood up, or at least tried to, because she fell back down almost immediately. Hermione sighed and helped her up. Slowly they made their way around the wrecked Great Hall. It was a terrible sight: windows were wrecked, feathers from pillows and sleeping bags lay everywhere, body's of dead students were still lying on the ground, sprawled over each other, wounded students sat on the side of the room, other students that had made it unharmed were mourning their loss, and even some of the Slytherins weren't looking like their usual gloating selves but actually seemed to be wearing looks full of pity and sorrow.
"This way," Hermione said softly and they made a slight left turn. Ahead Nora could already see his body. She gave a small choke and broke free of Hermione's arm, running towards Dean. Beside him lay a sixth year Ravenclaw she didn't recognize. Lisa was sitting there with Neville, and wasn't looking any better than Nora.
"Hi," was all Lisa could manage to say and Nora gave a small nod in return, afraid she would start crying again if she tried to say anything. She plopped down beside Dean and laid her head on his chest. This was the last time she would be able to be around him and she was going to take that chance. Slowly she made for his hands, hoping they would feel warm like they always had, but alas, they felt like ice and her stomach plummeted. She moved his hands over to her heart and held them there, wailing in agony before half falling asleep and half falling unconscious.
"Albus, how could this have happened, how can they have entered?" McGonagall asked a weary looking Dumbledore, who shook his head in reply.
"I do not know, Minerva. It must be something we have not yet thought of. The answer is around somewhere, but we keep overlooking it." The smile on his face had long since left and the sparkle in his eyes had died out. Things were going terrible and there was no way they would be able to fix it.
"Could it be a teacher, Albus?" Minerva asked, dark bags under her eyes and a hint of fear in her voice.
"No, I have thought of that, and no one comes to mind."
"What about a teacher under the Imperius curse?"
"No, all of the teachers can throw it off, and they would report it to me immediately if anyone has tried. It seems that all of the protections around the school are cast away by, not a man, that is impossible, but by an animal of some sort. An animal of immense power, though I do not know what kind. It must be extremely powerful, since almost nothing can influence the barriers around Hogwarts. We need a plan to keep these students safe…" The two teachers walked along the halls, occasionally greeting some of the Aurors that stood there, holding guard.
The Great Hall was now completely silent, there weren't even snores to be heard. Every one lay on the floor, between dead classmates, tired out from hardly any sleep and grief. It had been a very short day but still all of the students had fallen asleep exhausted. Madam Pomfrey had gotten around to attending all of the injured ones and had left to inform Dumbledore that the ones who had died needed to be taken away into a different room so that a mortician could look at them and start to arrange the large funeral that would be held.
A few people stirred in their sleep, but slept soundlessly on. An eerie red-ish glow was coming from one of them. Hermione's necklace had replaced the usual dark mixing colors with a bright red one that faintly lit the Great Hall.
"Master, it has been done," one of the men that had appeared said, while still more were coming.
"Very well, though I am deeply disappointed that my other plans have not worked as well," came a cold voice from the shadows. The Death Eaters bowed their heads in shame, hoping the dark lord wouldn't hand out punishments.
"MCNAIR!" A man to the right gave a slight jump at the sound of his name.
"Y-y-yes?" he said in a trembling voice.
"Have you found anything yet? Anything around the necks of those foolish children?"
"N-no, my lord. W-we haven't been able to retrieve the Amulet. None were wearing it, we would've seen immediately if someone was."
"I see. Though I find no reason why I am short a couple of Death Eaters," the icy voice said, still in the shadows.
"It is not our fault," came a voice from beside McNair. "We were waited upon by the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He has, of course, been killed."
"Yes, but there was no need for me to lose men as well. I am sure that you have all awaited this, and yet you take no precautions? FOOLS! What about the giants? Have they joined us?" the man's voice was flowing with anger.
"Yes and no," came Lucius Malfoy's voice.
"What do you mean, 'yes and no'?"
"I mean, my Dark Lord, that only half of the giants have joined us, the others have joined Dumbledore. But we do have the Dementors on our side, Lucius quickly added, as if hoping that would make up for it.
"I KNEW THAT ALREADY! Worthless Death Eaters, all of you. CRUCIO!" he pointed his wand at Lucius, who fell to the floor, writhing in pain. "That should teach you all a lesson!"
"S-sir," came a trembling voice from the left.
"What is it, wormtail" his master spat, irritated. He lifted the curse off Lucius.
"W-what about the A-amulet, sir. H-how are we supposed t-to retrieve it now?" the small man said, looking at Lucius, who was still lying on the ground.
"Yes, good question. Your foolishness has caused me to start thinking about a new plan for a long time but I still have not been able to think of anything. Ah, Nagini, you come right on time." For suddenly a large snake had entered the room and was making it's way through the Death Eaters, who quickly jumped aside. The snake hissed at its master, who hissed back, replying to whatever had been said. "I see. Yes, Nagini, your information is much more useful than theirs." He looked at his Death Eaters, who were glancing around nervously. Lucius had gotten up, and was now standing next to McNair again, still shaking slightly. "Now tell me: what exactly have you seen?"
"My master, there is chaos in the whole school. The teachers are running around, worried. The students are full of sorrow and are mourning their loss, to weak to do anything else. Aurors have been posted everywhere, to guard the school," the snake hissed.
"What about the Amulet, any sightings?"
"None, my lord."
"Are you sure it is still there, Nagini?"
"Yes, my Lord, I can sense its power vibrating off of the school walls."
"I see. Anything else, my dear?"
"No, master. If I may, I would very much like to eat."
"Yes, Nagini, you may go." The man got up and walked into the light, towards the Death Eaters as his large snake slithered away. "You may leave, I have no use for you now." With that he walked back into the shadows, deep in thought, as the Death Eaters hurried out of the room, trying to get away as soon as possible.
Harry shot up, clutching his scar once again. He had both hands on the lightning shaped cut and kept his eyes shut tight, hoping the pain would subside soon. His mind was racing furiously, images of the dream flashed through his mind vividly and he was feeling an angry irritated feeling that, once more, wasn't coming from himself. Harry looked around the room and an eerie feeling settled in his stomach. The Great Hall, usually one of his favorite rooms with its beautiful splendor and it's magnificent ceiling, looked very gloomy and dark and it felt like a hundred Dementors were present. There was even an unknown red glow about it. He looked around, trying to see where it came from. 'It's Hermione's necklace. Has it ever done that before?' Harry bent forward and covered the necklace with her sleeping bag; he didn't want anyone to know about the strange behavior of it, though he didn't know why.
Looking around even more he saw that everyone else was still asleep, or at least pretending to. Deciding it would be best to stay still for a few more hours, Harry lay back down. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep anymore, or at least not right away, so he just rested, letting memories of the previous day flow in and out of his mind. It had been one of the most horrible days in his life, as if Sirius had died again. He didn't even want think about the following days. He didn't want to know who had lost their lives and he feared that Hogwarts would be closed for sure. Surely none of their parents wanted to still have their children here, when so many had died?
Harry rolled over and looked at the sleeping form of Parvati. She looked so peaceful, her chest rising and falling at a slow steady pace. He had been so grateful that she hadn't been harmed and didn't know what he would've done if she had been. Harry felt a strong sense of pity towards Nora and the other students who had lost loved ones, or friends. He knew that they were being torn apart from the inside and wondered how they were able to deal with it all.
Nora shifted a little in her sleep. A tear trickled from her eye and down her cheek onto Dean's chest. The students who had been killed still hadn't been taken away. She was having a very peculiar dream. Dean was in it saying all sorts of things to her:
"Nora." A figure floated out of the white mist, towards her, calling her name. "Nora."
"D-Dean? I-is that you?" She didn't know what to think; she knew he was dead, and yet he looked so real.
"It is." The form of Dean floated ever nearer and then stopped a few feet away from her. She didn't know what to do. "I have been watching you from above."
"You - what?" Nora looked puzzled, what was happening? Her surroundings were all white and looked like… like clouds.
"I have been watching you from above and it pains me deeply to see that my death is causing you so much trouble; it shouldn't." Dean took a step forward.
"What? You're dead! That shouldn't trouble me? How can it not? You were the only one I have ever really truly loved! And yet you talk about it like you went away on a business trip and will be back next week!" She was frustrated, confused, livid that this had been done to her and even furious that he was talking about it so easily.
"You should not dwell on the past. Instead you should look into the future. I am not the only one you love." Dean took another step forward, Nora stepped backwards.
"Excuse me? Yes you are!" She cried desperately. If he was going in the same direction as the little annoying voice in her head then she wanted to wake up right now.
"No, there is a certain person in Hogwarts with you… a certain Slytherin." Dean took yet another step forward, a small grin on his face. He was now right in front of her. She looked into his eyes and plopped onto the cloudy floor, feeling the need to cry again. Dean sat down beside her. He knew this would happen, but that didn't make him feel any better.
"Why-y c-c-can't you drop it? I don't like Draco, o-only as a f-f-friend," Nora sobbed.
"You do, you just don't know it yet," replied Dean. She sobbed even more. She didn't want to love anyone else; all she wanted was to have Dean back.
Nora had begun sobbing in her sleep, but no one woke up, too confused with their own dreams.
That morning students awoke very slowly, not wanting to continue the nightmare that had occurred the previous day. Harry had eventually fallen asleep and woke up just as Ron was looking around the room, surveying the other students who were awake.
"Hi," Harry said, depressed.
"Hi. Did you sleep well?" asked Ron somberly. He knew it was a stupid question to ask. Harry shook his head.
"You?" Ron shook his head, too. Just then, Hermione sat up.
"Hi," she said, sounding just like Ron and Harry did and looking awful.
"Hi," the two boys replied. It took a while before the rest of their friends where up and when every student was off the floor and conversing with friends, or sitting by themselves, Dumbledore walked in with McGonagall, both looking very tired and old.
"If, I may?" Dumbledore said quietly. There was no need to raise his voice, everyone had stopped talking as soon as he had walked in. "Breakfast is waiting outside." With that he turned to McGonagall.
Every student hurried out of the Great Hall as quickly as they could, trying to get away from death, which seemed to float around in the air. They poured outside where long tables were standing in the chilly air with the usual Hogwarts food. Not much was spoken as students chose a secluded spot and ate their breakfasts.
"Are you all right?" Hermione quietly whispered to Nora as they filled their plates with different kinds of food. Nora gave a small, curt nod. Though it wasn't a very convincing one, Hermione knew better than to ask.
Harry and Ron walked over to the lake; Nora, Hermione, Parvati, Lavender and Terry joined them. It looked as if even the giant squid wasn't its usual carefree self; it was just floating through the water, hardly moving. A bit later Neville joined them with Lisa.
When they were halfway through breakfast the sound of wings could be heard, and everyone looked up to see hundreds of owls in the sky with letters. Errol, the Weasley's owl was hurtling towards Ron and would've landed in the Great Lake if Ron hadn't jumped up and caught it at the last moment. Harry was surprised to see Hedwig fly over to him with a little piece of parchment. She seemed to sense his misery because she sat on his shoulder and rubbed her head against his affectionately. Nora's owl, Siberia, was carrying a letter too, which was a lot larger than Harry's. Siberia nipped at her owner's fingers before flying off with Hedwig. Hermione retrieved the Daily Prophet andtook out seven Knuts, which she put into the leather pouch of a brown owl.
Harry read his letter; it was from Hagrid.
Dear Harry,
I know yeh'll be feeling down so I thought yeh might want ter come and visit me in me cabin, on'y if yeh want to. I'll be waitin' for yeh anyway.
Hagrid
Harry was glad that Hagrid had thought of him, and he was definitely going to visit as soon as he got a chance. He looked around. Most of the students were busy reading letters, but Draco wasn't; he was sitting with Blaise Zabini under a tree on the other side of the lake. The other Slytherins were nowhere to be seen. Harry felt a tapping on his shoulder and looked into the freckled face of Ron.
"Mum wrote you a letter too." He handed over a parchment that had a few teardrops on it. Harry took it.
Dear Harry,
I am so sorry, dear. You have been through so much trouble in your life, and now this. It shocked me deeply when I read the front page of the Daily Prophet and I immediately wrote letters to you, Ron and Ginny. Arthur was already at his office, but I'm sure he'll have heard about it by now. I, of course, will have you taken from Hogwarts as soon as possible.
Take care, and it won't be long before you're in the safety of the Burrow again.
Love,
Mrs. Weasley.
Harry smiled at the Mrs. Weasley's thoughtfulness, but he didn't want to be taken away from Hogwarts, not even if he was to live at the Burrow for the rest of the year.
Nora had received a letter from her parents and was now busy reading it, on the verge of tears again.
Dear Nora,
I'm so terribly sorry, dear! I read about the events in the Daily Prophet and nearly fell off of my chair. I realize you must be going through some horrible anguish right now, as I read Dean's name. I wish I could be there for you but I am stuck at home.
Lily was crying all morning because of the danger you had been exposed to and it took a while to calm her down. Your little sister really misses you loads.
Do not worry, though, I will have you off of that school as soon as possible, for more danger might still come.
Take good care, and we'll see each other soon enough.
Love,
Mom
(Dad had to leave early. He'll have heard at work by now.)
Nora was glad her mother and sister cared about her that much, but she honestly didn't want to leave school. All of her friends were here and she couldn't face being around her family who would linger around her, trying to comfort her and ask unwanted questions.
Hermione had finished reading the Daily Prophet and gave it to her friends to read.
Attack at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Yesterday, in the early morning, Death Eaters invaded Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hogwarts, usually one of the safest places, was immediately crushed as three-dozen Death Eaters entered.
It began the night the students returned from their winter vacations. At night, when everyone was asleep, Death Eaters placed one of the largest Dark Marks over the castle, and smaller ones surrounding it. After that had been done, rocks were thrown through the windows of the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw dormitories. The students who were awoken saw the Dark Marks, panicked and screamed for their Head of House, who came seconds later.
Everyone was put in the Great Hall, where the rest of the night was spent, while the teachers thoroughly searched the school for anything suspicious, but all of the Death Eaters had already left. Giving up hope the teachers went back to the Great Hall to keep an eye on the students.
The rest of the night was uneventful. The next day, though, the Gryffindor 6th year Neville Longbottom went missing. Two students, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley immediately went to fetch Dumbledore and together they searched for the boy, along with a small group of volunteering students.
The group searched the Forbidden Forest for hours, but still could not find the missing boy. Just as they were on the verge of giving up a white glow was seen and they headed towards it, very quietly, in case it was a trap. It was not though, and they found Mr. Longbottom unconscious on the floor with a Phoenix Patronus flying around him. He was brought to the Infirmary immediately.
That night the students were asleep, back in their normal beds, when the Death Eaters repeated their doings of the previous night. Yet again they conjured a large Dark Mark, and several smaller ones, throwing rocks through the windows when they were done. The students were, once again, brought into the Great Hall as the teachers combed out the whole of Hogwarts, but still nothing was found.
The next night was one of the most horrible ones in the whole of history. As the students were asleep the Death Eaters snuck in once again, but headed straight towards the Great Hall where they knew the students were. Fortunately the current Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was waiting and killed some, losing his life in the process.
The remaining Death Eaters entered the Great Hall, but the sound of the loud noises that had erupted from the Entrance Hall had woken up several students who immediately warned the others, at the sight of Death Eaters. Some sixth and seventh years tried to fight off the dark wizards, but they weren't strong enough. After a small fight the Death Eaters just randomly began shooting the Unforgivable Death Curse in every direction, hitting as many as they could. Numerous students lost their lives.
The Death Eaters disappeared a little while later and left the students who were still alive and unharmed to call for the teachers and take care of the wounded ones.
Following is a list of those who are no longer with us:
Dave Germain – 1st year – Gryffindor
Lauren Sissley – 1st year – Gryffindor
Rhiannah Lockley – 1st year – Gryffindor
Francesca Firth – 1st year – Ravenclaw
Raymond Tisk – 1st year – Ravenclaw
Jenny Retorisk – 1st year – Hufflepuff
Adam Aberworthy – 1st year – Hufflepuff
Camilla Trottwell – 1st year – Hufflepuff
Jack Ilongley – 1st year – Hufflepuff
Sandra Sollang – 1st year – Slytherin
Euan Abercrombie – 2nd year – Gryffindor
Sarah Jensen – 2nd year – Ravenclaw
Lorelai Formann – 2nd year – Ravenclaw
Rose Zeller – 2nd year – Hufflepuff
Natalie McDonald – 3rd year – Gryffindor
Thomas Roland – 3rd year – Gryffindor
Gregory Dast – 3rd year – Gryffindor
Orla Quirke – 3rd year – Ravenclaw
Stewart Ackerley – 3rd year – Ravenclaw
Eleanor Branstone – 3rd year – Hufflepuff
Owen Cauldwell – 3rd year – Hufflepuff
Emma Dobbs – 3rd year - Hufflepuff
Laura Madley – 3rd year - Hufflepuff
Kevin Whitbey – 3rd year – Hufflepuff
Malcolm Baddock – 3rd year – Slytherin
Graham Pritchard – 3rd year – Slytherin
Jennifer Ackleberry – 4th year – Gryffindor
Sean Steward – 4th year – Gryffindor
Elisa Bunforth – 4th year – Ravenclaw
Emily Mandart – 4th year – Ravenclaw
Jake Rasting – 4th year – Ravenclaw
Sophie Dungstall – 4th year – Hufflepuff
Zachary Lungbert – 4th year – Hufflepuff
Anthony Goldstein – 5th year – Gryffindor
Ginger Stallion – 5th year – Gryffindor
Michelle Jonas – 5th year – Ravenclaw
Dean Thomas – 6th year – Gryffindor – During Battle
Jenny Young – 6th year – Ravenclaw
Tom Melch – 6th year – Ravenclaw – During Battle
Michelle Moon – 6th year – Hufflepuff
Andrew Nott – 6th year – Hufflepuff – During Battle
Fredrik Rowland – 6th year – Hufflepuff – During Battle
Kate Moors – 7th year – Gryffindor – During Battle
Rick Sivher – 7th year – Gryffindor – During Battle
Philip Stone – 7th year – Ravenclaw – During Battle
Tiffany Ambers – 7th year – Hufflepuff – During Battle
Shelly Castle – 7th year – Hufflepuff – During Battle
Written by: Rita SkeeterThe list looked like it would never end. As they read the names of all the students who had died their faces looked more and more shocked. They hadn't realized that so many students had died. A total of forty-seven. They also noticed that most of them had been in Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.
"Awful. Just awful," Ron managed to bring out. The others nodded. It was terrible. The rest of breakfast was spent in silence again.
"May I have your attention, please?" It was Dumbledore again. He was standing on the steps that lead inside the castle, motioning everyone to come stand in front of him. "Gather around, gather around. In this short time I have contacted your parents, and they all agree, as it is for your best interest." He looked at the students in front of him, and it pained him that forty-seven of them would never be around. A few students were muttering to there neighbors. What was he talking about? Surely he wouldn't close Hogwarts and send them to their parents, like they had written in their letters. "I have come up with the idea to send you all away." Everyone began complaining all at once. "No, no, no. I am not sending you back to your families; it is not safe. I am sending you away to places all over the world. Each group will go to one country and travel around it for the rest of the year. See it as a sort of trip to teach you how to stick together and survive in both Muggle and Wizard worlds. Groups have already been made and equipment will be given to each of you. Everything is arranged and you will receive instructions later today. You may go back to what you were doing." With that he went back inside, leaving the students to whisper with their friends about the trip they would make.
A/N: I was in the mood to write another chapter and I tried everything I could to make it as long as possible. The list with all of the names of who had died took me quite some time to write, but I hope you appreciate it, also the trip idea is not mine (I'm not that creative) but Slytheringirl's.