A/N: Do you know that I have never had so many reviewers call me evil in one go? Honestly, people. I have feelings too. And it made me laugh with sinister glee at all the psychological pain I was causing my dear readers… I mean… um… (blushes)
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XIX
XIXIX "The Madness of War" XIXIX
Harry's hand was shaking as Malfoy pressed the golden galleon into it. "Do it," he said as though Harry were too out of sorts to understand that he was meant to take any action at all. Harry stared with a blank expression down at the galleon.
The dull throb of the Cruciatus Curse on Ginny was burning underneath the surface of Harry's consciousness and he really tried not to focus on that because every time he did, his resolve would begin to crumble and he would begin to slip back into the link with his twin.
"Potter!"
Malfoy's sharp voice was punctuated with a smack across the face. The pain was real. It was immediate. It was his own. Harry uncrossed his eyes and turned back to the galleon. He touched his wand to it, and hesitated.
"They could die," he thought, or maybe he said it aloud because Malfoy responded.
"Wake up, Potter! The army is here! The war is here! And everyone at this school knows it!"
The alarm seemed to rise back from silence, but Harry knew it had been sounding all along.
Malfoy grabbed the hand that was holding the galleon and shoved it up into Harry's face.
"The students will all be panicking right now," he yelled. "You have got to take charge. A Death Eater attack is terrifying. A galleon call is familiar. They'll know what to do. You have to make the call!" It was obvious that something was wrong with his boyfriend, and Malfoy was desperately trying to get Harry to see sense in the situation. His voice was harsh, but Harry—if he could only concentrate enough—would have heard the underlying apprehension and fear.
Inwardly, Harry knew he was right, and he wanted to help Ginny, but she seemed so very far away from him… and when he thought about it, the pain was overwhelming and her screams were deafening.
And then Harry could feel the Crucio surging through his own body as if it were he being held under the curse and not his twin. They were one and the same… her pain was his and his pain was hers. They were in this together…
Harry was fading again, letting the bond take over bit by bit. He was unable to even comprehend blocking it at this moment.
Severus grabbed him, and later, Harry would remember that he reached forward with his right hand directly into Harry's chest, to the place inside where his consciousness seemed to be lost with Ginny's. Severus pulled with all his might at Harry through their link until Harry felt himself standing once again.
Severus was holding his shoulders and staring him hard in the eye. Harry was vaguely aware that Malfoy was looking on with a mixture of relief and jealousy. Harry looked at them both and focused with wavering strength on the present, on the alarm, on Malfoy and Severus, on the golden galleon in his hand.
He blinked at it, realizing and remembering what it was they wanted him to do—call the DA; get them together to fight the Dark Army lying in wait just outside. He stood straighter, resolve firming, pushing the bond as far into the back of his mind as he could. He had to do this. This was it. They had to fight.
He touched his wand to the galleon and summoned the DA to the Entrance Hall. He met Malfoy's eye and nodded. Malfoy looked almost ferocious with determination.
'Well,' thought Harry, 'I'm not alone, so there's still hope.'
Harry was moving; the three of them were sweeping through the halls toward the entrance of the school. Severus had already directed Fawkes to alert the Order members of the attack, to put out the call to allies in the Ministry and around the world, and most importantly, to get Dumbledore back to the school grounds.
He glanced worriedly over at Harry, who—though walking with a renewed sense of determination—still seemed to be in somewhat of a daze. Severus knew that most likely the Death Eaters had no designs on killing the youngest Weasley, that they were just torturing her to keep Harry useless while the army systematically destroyed Hogwarts. The Dark Lord would want him alive; he would want to kill Harry himself.
Severus only hoped that the Death Eaters did not add any other torture to the Cruciatus Curse and accidentally kill Ginny. As strong as Harry was, Severus still doubted he would survive the loss of his twin.
The three moved from the dungeons toward the higher recesses of the school where the DA would be assembling. Malfoy was growing increasingly concerned at Harry's zombie-like attitude when he should be preparing for battle.
"What the hell is wrong with him!" he demanded of Severus, indicating Harry's strange behavior.
"His twin is being tortured," Severus replied in a low, calm voice. "Either he feels the pain as if it is his own, or else he blocks out their bond so that he feels he is only half a person. Ginny's behavior was similarly confused and erratic when she stunned him not long ago."
"Ginny stunned Harry—?" began Malfoy, but as they turned the corner into the main hallway, Severus grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him to a stop.
He leaned into the face of his godson and spoke quickly, "Draco, they are manipulating his bond with her. He is not entirely incapacitated; they won't be expecting that. But if she dies, all hope is lost. Our first priority is to keep Harry safe until we can rescue Ginny. The Dark Lord is here, which means he is planning on fulfilling the prophecy today."
Malfoy scoffed irrationally as he glanced at Harry. "But Voldemort doesn't want to die…"
With one more look at Severus, Malfoy was hit with the sobering realization that Voldemort just might win after all. Harry was powerful, but he was definitely not in control.
The DA was arriving. Malfoy moved away from the Potions Master and grabbed Harry's arm protectively. Severus nodded and turned to the faculty members still rushing in. Students began arriving in droves and the faculty looked around helplessly at the kids in their care with something like anger or fear in their eyes. They were under attack without their leader and as such were seemingly at a loss as to what to do about it. They looked at the students swarming around them and could only wonder how to keep them alive through the day. They couldn't see what Malfoy and Severus saw.
The students were ready to fight. With their wands clutched in one hand and their galleons in the other, Dumbledore's Army was set in all-out battle mode. They had trained for this for months. They awaited their orders. Hogwarts had been attacked. This meant war.
Malfoy held Harry's arm tighter and led him into the throng. The students gathered around them. Malfoy looked to Harry, who was only just holding himself together. He was in no condition to be laying out battle plans. For one wild moment, Malfoy wished Ginny or Ron or Hermione were there. Any of them could have stood in place of Harry. But Malfoy could not. He turned to Severus, who turned to McGonagall.
"Dumbledore is coming," Severus said to her in a loud, clear voice, and the hallway grew quiet. There were students and teachers everywhere, spilling into the Great Hall behind him, lining up in the stairs, standing in doorways, and still more were coming, responding to the call with grim looks of determination set in the faces. All eyes were on Severus.
"Minerva," he said, "Until Albus arrives, the wards are in your hands. The outer wards have been breached. At all costs, you must protect the inner wards and the younger students."
Severus stopped to scan over the gathering students, "Those members of Dumbledore's Army whose best strength is defense must follow Professor McGonagall."
"Severus, these are children!" she protested in alarm.
"Not today," cut in Lupin, emerging from the crowd. "Parvati, Lavender, Eldron, take your platoons with McGonagall. Follow her instructions, find all of the younger students, and keep them safe!"
McGonagall watched as the DA jumped to action, falling in line behind their leaders. Lavender stepped forward, her platoon already at ready.
"Professor," she said authoritatively, and McGonagall wondered for a moment why she had never seen Lavender behave so together. "My platoon is the fastest and we are strong on defense. We can sweep the school quickly to round up stray students. To where should we report back?"
McGonagall glanced quickly to each professor in her field of vision, and they understood that she trusted the students to do what they were prepared to do. Turning back to Lavender, she replied, "Do you know where the catacombs are, underneath the school?"
Lavender paused for a moment before nodding.
"Professor Sinistra," called McGonagall sternly, "Accompany Ms. Brown and her platoon to gather the younger students. Parvati Patil and Eldron Fisher, you will come with me … Where in Hades is Sybil Trelawney!"
"I'm here," called a not-so-airy voice pushing through the crowds. Trelawney was wearing black lace robes that hung from her like nets and she carried a large box full of candles, stones and medallions. "I told you we would hold a séance together," she breathed as she neared McGonagall.
McGonagall glared at her for less than a second before turning her attention back to Severus. "I'll hold the inner wards secure. We'll call for help."
Severus nodded, and McGonagall led students and faculty through the crowds and toward the most heavily guarded wing of Hogwarts, toward the catacombs—the resting place of the Founders and nearly every headmaster Hogwarts had seen, as well as many former professors.
Lupin had been busy gathering the platoons he knew to be strong against dark creatures. His core fighters would be Luna's platoon, as he knew she had had extra training sessions including defense against creatures he had never even heard of. Plus, her father had just arrived for their weekend visit, and Darwin Lovegood was renowned for his remarkable skills against dark creatures.
Other platoons went to Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout who were organizing attack and defense against the armies of Death Eaters that were surrounding the schools. The younger platoons had already organized themselves into lookout positions, and were systematically reporting back the location and number of every new group of creature or wizard that visibly entered the grounds.
Thus far, the wards closest to the school had not been breached, but the forest was clearly inundated with intruders, the Quidditch pitch had been overtaken, and the lake was being surrounded. They would have to move quickly or the school would be completely under siege.
Through all of this, Severus gathered several of his strongest Slytherin students, and he and Malfoy were laying out a plan to rescue Ginny Weasley.
"Potter completed a twin bond with her," Malfoy was saying. "Did you know that?"
"Everyone in Slytherin knows that," said Portia significantly. Malfoy caught her meaning and scanned the crowds. He saw immediately that certain members of Slytherin House were missing.
He nodded grimly. "Right. Potter said they were by the lake near the Forest, but that may have changed and he can't access his link to her right now and stay functional."
Harry was struck suddenly by the certainty in Malfoy's voice as he told others he couldn't contact his twin. "She's not dead!" he yelled, all of his anger and frustration bubbling with his lack of control.
"I know, Potter," Malfoy said soothingly. "We're going to go get her now. Stay with me, okay? She'll be fine."
Harry nodded suspiciously, knowing that Malfoy was leaving something out. Why did he even trust this guy? He was having trouble remembering at the moment. Ginny didn't trust him… No, she did now. Didn't she?
Harry shook his head violently to scatter his fractured thoughts. He had to stay focused if he was going to help Ginny.
Severus was addressing the group. "They'll be in the thick of the battle. I want everyone to conceal themselves with an illusion charm."
Severus looked each person in the eye. Every Slytherin in the group was a known 'traitor' against the Death Eaters. Portia, Susannah, John, and Irving had already been targeted in the attack against himself. Millicent had openly turned against her family, and Jane was now an open supporter of Harry's.
"We are all prime targets," Severus stressed. "Keep under cover as much as possible. We will exit the building with the rest of Dumbledore's Army, but we must make our way to the lake. Our number one priority is to rescue Ginny Weasley."
"If we can't save her," agreed Malfoy, "Then it doesn't matter who wins this battle, because the war is lost."
"The Dark Lord is here," said Severus. "We must keep Harry safe until we can rescue his twin. If any of you feel you are not up to the task, now is the time to voice it."
Harry looked around. He found it strange that he was so hopeful that a group of Slytherins would agree to put their lives on the line to rescue two Gryffindors. Each of the Slytherins looked to him with steadfast determination in their eyes, and then turned to Severus and nodded their agreement.
Harry looked to Severus as well. Too much was happening around him and his only thought was to get to Ginny, to help Ginny. Their link was wide open and Harry drew strength from that. 'Come on, pull yourself together,' he thought to himself. He nodded to Severus as well.
Severus held his eye and nodded back.
"I'm coming too."
Harry looked over to see that Neville approaching. He came up beside Harry, standing on the opposite side from Malfoy who was still holding him protectively, and for perhaps the first time in six years, Neville Longbottom held Severus Snape's eye without quailing.
"I'm coming," he said again.
Severus looked at him briefly and then simply nodded before turning to face the small group. "It's time," he said.
The group began casting illusion charms on themselves and entered the masses that were slipping through the front entrance to the school, disguised and—hopefully—unnoticed.
But as he moved toward the door, Harry knew it would never work. The relentless attack against the wards continued but the wards still held. Harry knew the students would be safe until the moment of battle as they made their way toward the would-be battlegrounds of wizards and witches in full Death Eater shroud. But Harry knew also the illusions they were using were useless against many dark creatures. They would not have the luxury of surprise.
Through the moving crowds, Lupin looked over and Harry saw that he was thinking the same thing. A short wave of dread shivered down Harry's spine and he wildly thought that he needed to warn everybody they would be seen by the hoards of dark creatures that would be waiting to tear them apart. He was suddenly very aware of a death grip on his arm and he writhed against it.
"Potter—stop!" Harry turned his eyes to those of his boyfriend, but he hardly recognized him. Malfoy tugged him closer, concerned. "Harry…"
Harry opened his mouth to warn him, but the warning never passed his lips. From behind him, Severus tapped his wand to the top of Harry's head, and Harry felt a wash of cold dribble down his body. Distracted, he looked down to see himself blending into the background. When he looked back up, Malfoy looked like a clear shell. It was a strange sight and gave Harry enough pause so that he could focus once more.
"Potter, stay with me. We're going to rescue Ginny. You have got to pull yourself together; do you hear me?"
Harry nodded, and was then struck by a sudden, heartening sound. As powerful as the trill of a phoenix—but calculated and clear and ferocious—came the battle cry of a Centaur. At the door, Firenze stood with his arms extended, bellowing out the instinctual call that had not been heard from the peaceful race for hundreds of years. But with Darkness storming the Forbidden Forest and threatening the community of magical beings, the time for stargazing had passed.
Firenze leapt forward and joined Dumbledore's Army, and through the door Harry could hear the answering calls of the other Centaurs. As he and Malfoy stepped outside, led by Severus and surrounded by the band of rescuers, the first thing Harry noticed as his eyes scanned the horizon was the momentary confusion caused just outside the remaining wards among the Death Eater army. Seeming to come from nowhere and everywhere, dozens of Centaurs were suddenly rearing to attack. Taking advantage of the confusion, the DA swept forward, and the battle was begun in earnest.
Leaving the safety of the wards, the DA thrust themselves at the throngs of dark forces, executing with deft skill the maneuvers they had practiced for so long. They separated and combined quickly, moving in to attack and defend against Death Eaters or dark creatures, depending on their own known strengths and the strengths of their platoons.
Harry felt separate as he watched the illusions slip into the violent chaos and begin taking out the Dark Lord's army. It was all happening right around him, but Harry felt so far away. Because surely if he were that close to Trolls and Giants and Banshees and Death Eaters, he would be fighting them. But as it was, other people—people he had trained and who had trained him—were engaging in battle while Harry was swept through the masses.
He could hear hexes and curses and shields being cast all around him. Blasts of energy, surges of magic, and an alarming amount of green light flashed in his proximity, but it might as well have been a million miles away. His wand was out, but it remained unused while a Malfoy-shaped background illusion dragged him further and further from the safety of the castle, and closer and closer to—
"Ginny!"
Reality slammed into him and Harry held his wand high. Not a moment too soon, he cast a Blasting Curse that sent several Death Eaters flying. Malfoy still had his arm. Neville was by his side. Severus was nearby; Harry could feel him still tugging with the link, pulling him forth.
"They're moving into the Forest now!" he yelled, and the small group around him changed the trajectory of their course.
The Cruciatus Curse had been lifted from Ginny momentarily, and Harry knew it wouldn't last. He used those moments to incapacitate as many shrouded figures as he could, and also, to contact Ginny through their link. No conscious thought came from her despite the fact that she was awake, barely. Harry knew she was in bad shape, and she tugged after him, begging him to come.
'I'm coming,' he thought to her. 'Soon. I promise.' It was small comfort and he knew it, but he also knew she would take what comfort she could get. She was only just hanging on.
Screams and shouts filled the air, as well as groans of pain and cries for mercy. In the midst of the sounds of war, Harry heard a familiar voice bellowing, "Git yer bleedin' hands off o' me!"
He turned to see Hagrid wrestling with a full-size Giant. He was larger than Grawp even, which Harry was able to immediately judge, since Grawp was wrestling another Giant behind him.
Hagrid turned the Giant toward Harry, and Harry sent a quick succession of curses his way, but the thick-skinned Giant only stumbled. It was enough, though, for Hagrid to topple the much larger foe. He climbed on top of him and punched him straight in the face. If it weren't for their sheer size, Harry would have been reminded of any fistfight he had ever had with Malfoy. Hagrid must have gotten in a really good hit, because the Giant lay still.
"Oh, fuck." Harry turned and found himself and Malfoy facing down another Giant. Harry wasn't sure if this one was larger, or just closer. He raised his wand, but Ginny was hit with another wave of Crucio, and Harry's knees gave out.
He would never remember what happened in the moment before he again blocked his link with Ginny, but when he opened his eyes into the otherworldly feeling that accompanied his half-self state, Harry was nearly overcome by terror as a teeming swarm of large spiders surged forth from all directions. They climbed over and around him and Malfoy, but their target was the Giant.
The two froze as they watched the Giant flail about, roaring in anguish and fear as the spiders climbed onto him with lightening speed. He was soon no more than a hulk of hairy legs and clicking pinchers, a black mass that squirmed and screamed, and then fell and lay still. When the spiders receded, moving on to a new target, all that was left was a dried husk of the Giant, its skeletal face contorted gruesomely.
Harry's hand was tingling and he turned his face absently away from the grotesquery to Malfoy's fingers digging into his arm. He looked up and saw Malfoy staring at the Giant, an emotion in his eyes that Harry would never be able to place. But they were cold when he turned back to Harry and pulled at him.
"Come on," he said, and Harry did.
The rescue mission had been split up in the confusion, but they converged again as they made their way into the Forest. To Harry, everyone looked different except for Severus, 'Who, of course,' Harry thought, 'Has seen this all before.'
He hadn't realized they had let their Illusion Charms fall until they replaced them, moving away from the relative safety of the chaotic battle zone and into the quieter Forest that was practically pulsing with Dark magic. He could feel it in the very air he breathed, like a thick slime coating his lungs, tainting the world about him. They were sure targets to the evil here. But still, they pushed on.
Harry felt the familiar burn in his scar and wondered how long he had been ignoring it, focusing so much on blocking his link to Ginny. But then Severus hissed almost silently, and Harry knew that they were close to Voldemort, that they were closing in on something terrible.
Slowly, the screams that had been invading his head began to sound louder and louder. They followed the screams, which were now punctuated by laughter. Unopposed, they made their way to a clearing and saw Percy Weasley holding the Cruciatus Curse on his little sister as she writhed in agony, her robes shredded by the brambles on the forest floor, her skin being ripped open by their sharp thorns. She was covered in a sick sheen of blood that seemed to escape her pores like sweat. Her screams were almost too much as on and on they went, forcibly torn from her abused throat.
Physically unharmed were Ron and Hermione, who were hanging from nothing, arms and legs stretched wide. Their faces were held, eyes wide open, toward the torture before them. Desperate and furious, they were dripping with sweat and tears and snot and saliva. They were silenced and bound in every way imaginable, to look on helplessly as Ginny was systematically broken.
The five Death Eaters stood around laughing as they held the captives and watched the torture, and it was almost too easy when Harry broke free from Malfoy and ran in, screaming curses. The other members of the rescue mission followed, and although not a single lethal curse was cast, three of the Death Eaters were dead within seconds from the interplay of magic that was cast against them.
Harry knelt beside Ginny's crumpled body, fully aware once more and horrified by the sight before him. She hardly looked human. She was swollen and covered with dirt and blood. Her breathing was ragged, and Harry knew that the only thing she was currently conscious of was her bond to him, open once again. He was hardly aware of what was happening around him.
He didn't notice that as soon as Ron landed, he grabbed up his wand, which had been tantalizingly close. Ron cast a shield charm around his brother, who therefore survived long enough for Ron to cross the clearing and launch a much more personal attack.
Percy froze for a moment too long as he looked around himself in shock. Ron disarmed him and snapped his wand as soon as he caught it. Before Percy could even blink at the loss, Ron's fist connected with his face, and Percy was on the ground groaning as Ron kicked him again and again.
"You piece of shit!" he yelled, as he kicked Percy's face. Percy flipped over on his side.
"I'll kill you!" and Ron felt ribs crack with the impact of his next blow.
"You betrayed your fucking family!" and Percy wasn't even trying to shield himself with his arms anymore. Ron dropped to his knees. He grabbed Percy's collar and hoisted him up.
"That was your fucking sister!" he yelled as he punched him again and again.
He dropped the bloodied and broken Percy, who landed with a low moan that only signified he was still conscious. Ron pulled out his wand and aimed it at the older redhead.
"You're not a Weasley anymore," he said with such coldness that Hermione called his name in alarm, and in the years to come, it was Hermione's voice that would haunt him, and not the look of Percy's figure sprawled out on the ground, or the rancid smell of blood and pain in the air, or even the fact that Ron killed his own brother. It was that Hermione called his name in alarm a moment before he cast the Strangulation Curse, and that Ron heard her, and he paused, and he did it anyway.
Hermione came to him but he couldn't meet her eye, and for that reason alone he saw the magic flying through the air, but it was too late to warn anybody that the next wave had arrived. There were screams of pain, and sickening thuds of bodies hitting trees, and for a second, Ron thought all hope was lost.
But then Harry stood up and the sheer force of magic radiating from him sent a shock wave through the clearing and the attacking Death Eaters stumbled and seemed to panic just long enough for everyone to regain themselves.
Without even thinking, Harry had cast a shielding charm over Ginny. Fury was in his veins and vengeance tasted like copper in his mouth. He turned on the Death Eaters and almost laughed. He could see who they were through their masks, and it suddenly occurred to him how pathetic it was that they even wore them. He waved his hands and the masks flew off, baffling the owners. Of all of them, only Lucius Malfoy managed to look unbothered by the unveiling.
With him were, among others, the elder and younger Crabbes, Goyles, Notts, and Parkinsons, and Harry knew that Ron's fight against Percy had been a segue into a much more personal battle.
In fact, he realized, Percy and his crew had been unguarded. They must have thought they were being protected, when in fact they were being dangled like bait.
But here began a fight of personal vendettas—light against dark. Dark wizards against those who had turned from darkness. Traitors against traitors.
XIXIX
"I think this is everyone," Lavender reported as she and her platoon followed the younger children they had rounded up from around the castle.
"Are you sure?" asked Professor McGonagall, her sharp eyes scanning the crowd.
"No," replied Lavender. "I'm not. But we split into two groups and systematically swept the castle with the Retegere Hominum Charm. If there are any other students out there, they're hidden well enough to be safe."
McGonagall accepted that answer and turned to the students who were settling themselves in the dank tunnels located far below the dungeons. A heavy layer of dust covered the walls and most of the floor, but McGonagall had noticed a path of footprints that disturbed the blanket.
The students stood carefully with their hands folded, feeling decidedly vulnerable and out of place. The cobwebs were enormous, but no spiders made their home here. There was no life, save the refugees. This was a place of death.
"Minerva," breathed the airy voice of Sybil Trelawney, "Might we begin? Time will be of the essence." She spread her arms wide and beckoned the students and faculty to follow her farther into the catacombs. She treaded lightly along the path of footprints, moving with knowledgeable ease into the stifling darkness.
The way was lit by wandlight, held high and low as the students uneasily observed their creepy surroundings. Few people even knew of the existence of the catacombs. In fact, they were only referenced once, and rather vaguely at that, in Hogwarts, A History; they were alluded to in a footnote dealing with Salazar Slytherin's eventual return to the school after his death.
McGonagall herself had never been to them, but had known their location for decades. Sybil Trelawney, however, knew the catacombs well and she had recently visited with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil to set up for the séance they would perform today.
The tunnel opened into a larger area and Trelawney urged the others forth. There were many of them, all treading softly over the grimy floor, their wands held high. Yet, despite the combined strength of their many lumos spells, the light would not penetrate the oppressive blackness to reveal the entire room. The younger students stood quivering, too afraid even to cry.
"Everyone!" called Trelawney lightly in a gasping voice that she surely thought added positively to the dramatics of the situation, but which only succeeded in making her sound slightly demented. "Everyone, please gather around the circle I have drawn in the center of the room. You will find it is the exact right size," she smiled, "For a group of our number."
Parvati and Lavender led the other students to the circle and they all sat on the slightly less dirty floor around the outer rim of a circle drawn in glowing chalk. Inside the circle was drawn a large five-pointed star. The students stared in awe as they squeezed into spots around the circle. They found that if they sat very, very close to one another, that everyone fit just fine.
McGonagall managed, just barely, to cover her disdain for the proceedings as she pulled a trembling Hufflepuff first year into her lap. Trelawney busied herself by setting up the candles, stones, and medallions in bizarre formations around the outside of the circle, and lining the pentacle within. All the while, she muttered under her breath, randomly punctuating her spells with gasps and moans that sounded anything but genuine.
Settling herself into the tight spot Lavender and Parvati had saved between them, she sang in her weirdest voice yet, "Take each other's hands and close your eyes… Ooooh great spiiiirits of Hogwaaaarts paaaaaast… Hear our caaaaall and coooome to uuuuus…"
With a great swirling of dust, which led to much coughing and sputtering around the circle, a harsh wind whistled through the corridors and into the great room in which the circle sat.
A booming voice echoed through the room. "Who calls?" it asked.
"It is I!" shouted Trelawney eagerly. "Sybil Trelawney, Divination professor here at Hogwarts!"
It seemed like a sigh, although it could have been the wind, but the voice did sound markedly disappointed when it said, "Oh, you again."
McGonagall perked up, recognizing the voice. "Professor Jupiter?" she said, as though greeting an old friend at a soiree.
"Minerva? Minerva McGonagall? How good to see you!"
Trelawney turned a sudden scowl toward McGonagall, who ignored it entirely.
"Hang on a moment," said the voice of Professor Jupiter. The swirling wind seemed to intensify, causing a minor tornado in the center of the circle. Then, suddenly, it stopped, and there stood the apparition of a tall man in his early forties, wearing badly out of style robes and an unfortunate handlebar mustache. He smiled broadly at McGonagall.
"My, how you've grown!" he gushed. "You were only a fourth year student when I died, but I daresay you could have passed your Transfiguration NEWTS that day! Remarkable skill. Did you stick with your studies?"
McGonagall laughed like a young girl as she gazed up at her favorite professor from her own schooldays. "I teach Transfiguration now," she replied. "Have for over thirty years."
Professor Jupiter bowed to her, ignoring Trelawney entirely. "Fantastic! You have had many lucky students, then. So what can I do for you today?"
Trelawney breathed, "We ask your assistance, oh Great Spirit."
The 'Great Spirit' turned to her briefly, but then rolled his eyes and turned back to McGonagall. "What seems to be the problem?"
"Hogwarts is under attack," said McGonagall seriously, back to business once again. "Reinforcements are on their way, but for now, only students and faculty are present to defend the school."
"I see," he said. "I'll wake the others." He glanced around himself into the darkness, and then turned his attentions back to the members of the circle surrounding him. "Now children," he said in a kindly tone, "This isn't going to be pretty, but I want you to remember that everyone who wakes is on our side, and they will not hurt you, no matter how frightening they look." He looked around the circle. "Do you understand?"
The students and professors alike nodded, feeling at ease with the spirit professor. He smiled and turned back to McGonagall. "Minerva, I'm glad you're doing well. I'm very proud of you."
McGonagall nodded as the apparition disappeared, and if anyone had asked, she would have claimed it was the dust that was causing the burning in her eyes. But nobody did, because almost immediately, a low moan pervaded the area, sending a shock of terror straight through to the bones of everyone present.
The dust seemed to vibrate and a rumbling sound accompanied the movement that brought the catacombs to life. The walls seemed to crumble with the opening of the crypts that lined them. A rushing sound indicated spirits returning to their bodies and finding them in various stages of decay. From their resting places, some spirits found skeletons to inhabit, and with much scraping they pulled themselves up and began to walk, their bones clattering as they navigated the tunnels. Some spirits found their bodies had long turned to dust, and they left the dust behind them as they journeyed forth from the afterlife.
A deafening BOOM! echoed through the catacombs as the sealed entrance was forced open, and the students sat in stunned amazement as they watched the procession of hundreds upon hundreds of dead professors and headmistresses and masters.
In the midst of it all, Trelawney leaned toward McGonagall and hissed, "Minerva, you have got to be the single most infuriating skeptic I have ever worked with—taking over a séance like that when you don't even believe in the magic!"
XIXIX
The battle in the clearing of the Forbidden Forest began in a torrent of fury. But as the seconds passed, it splintered into smaller fractions of angry groups who sent as many insults as curses. Outnumbering three to one, the Death Eaters seemed relaxed and confident as they surrounded the small group and engaged them in battle that would certainly prove to be a most welcome victory against their most hated foes.
Except for Harry, the Hogwarts students fought against each other with unrivalled passion. Pansy and Malfoy, keen on exploiting each other's weaknesses, paired off while Theodore Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle, as well as other Slytherins that Harry hardly recognized, set themselves against Ron, Hermione, Portia, Millicent, and Irving. Jane, Susannah, John and Neville lay off to the side, having received the brunt of the initial blast. Harry only hoped they were still alive.
He and Severus were back to back, guarding each other as they fought against seven adult Death Eaters, who hated Severus for his disloyalty, and who hated Harry for repeatedly escaping and defeating their master. The two moved with synchronized swiftness and Harry knew that even seven to two, he and Severus could win. But the Death Eaters laughed about the Dursleys, and about Sirius, and Harry faltered again and again.
He was fighting with a burning energy that he felt straight to his core, but he let himself be distracted by Ginny's state and by the jeers sent his way by the people who had been tormenting his life and who he was therefore weakest against. Feeling it was far too late to finally be realizing this, Harry was struck by the truth Severus had been telling him for years—that he was an emotional moron and it was folly to wear his heart on his sleeve.
The elder Goyle sneered at him and grunted, "Your uncle died cursing your name, boy." And Harry's Blood-Boiling Curse against Crabbe failed completely.
Nott jeered, "Your cousin begged for mercy, crying like a brat."
"Your aunt begged us to spare his life," said Lucius coolly. "Although why, I've no idea—the fat, worthless muggle."
Harry sent a Blasting Curse against him, but Lucius dodged it with bored ease.
"Boy? Didn't your mother beg the Dark Lord for your life?" asked Crabbe.
"The mudblood was so like her sister," agreed Nott with twisted glee.
"The look on her face," drawled Lucius, "When we killed your aunt was exactly the look on your mother's face when the Dark Lord killed her."
Another shock wave shook the area as Harry's rage rose up within him. He sent a simple disarming spell against Goyle, but the raw power behind it caused Goyle's wand to explode in his hand. Goyle himself crashed through a tree behind him that was as thick around as he was. The tree began to topple in slow motion, and Goyle landed in a sick, broken mess.
As Harry glanced to the fallen corpse, Severus dodged and Harry didn't dodge with him. His left arm was hit from behind. Immediately, bright red lacerations split open on his hand, and Harry could feel them up and down his arm underneath his robe, which quickly began to shine with pools of blood.
'Pay attention, Potter!' snapped Severus in his head, and through their bond, Harry was smacked with fury and concern. He erected a quick shield that reflected a bolt of electric blue light flying at him and instantly sent off a quick succession of stunning spells, none of which reached their mark although they did manage to break up the attack for a moment.
Harry felt a comfortable and warm burst of energy at his chest and noticed that the locket Nicolas and Perenelle had given him had begun to glow. Thin tendrils of white light emanated from it, swirling out toward his arm, enveloping it, and healing it. In less than a second, all effects of the curse, save the bloodstains on his robe and hand, were gone.
Back to back again, Harry and Severus continued the fight. But now Harry was thinking.
He had asked Nicolas why, if he and Perenelle were so powerful, they didn't just go ahead and kill Voldemort. Nicolas had said that they just weren't fighters. "If the outcome of a duel were solely dependent on who was the stronger witch or wizard, Perenelle or I could easily defeat You-Know-Who. But that's just not the case."
Harry was far more powerful than those he was fighting. But he was letting his emotions get in the way. They could work for him or against him. They could lend him strength, or destroy his control. And he knew he needed to be strong. Sirius had told him that night in his dream, "You've got courage, and you're strong. You've got a good heart. Use all of these things, okay? No matter how much it hurts. They'll see you through."
It was strength that Harry needed now above all else. But he needed to be able to control it. Harry Potter had only ever learned the basics of controlling himself. More than anything, he had mimicked the control he saw in Severus. He had masked his feelings, rather than actually reining them in. Now, with battle raging, Harry took a deep breath and pulled everything he had in him that was the calm, collected control of Severus Snape straight to the forefront of his being, strengthening his resolve.
Against their words, Harry was strong. He would not falter, and the tide of the battle began to turn.
On they fought, secluded from the certain devastation that was taking place outside the Forbidden Forest. So far away did it all seem, that the sudden appearance of Luna Lovegood necessitated a moment's pause from the fighting in the clearing. She wandered into the middle of the battle, looking around her like she was lost between classes. The oddness of her arrival caused a surreal hesitation as everyone stopped for a moment just to look at her.
Then she turned her wide eyes to Crabbe and said softly, "Vince?"
Crabbe's eyes narrowed slightly as he turned to Goyle, junior, and yelled, "Stupify!" Goyle landed with a thunk and Luna joined the battle against the students.
Crabbe, senior, turned to them and yelled in a thundering voice, "Vincent Bartholomew Crabbe!"
Crabbe quailed for only a second before he turned his wand on his father.
As father and son began to duel, Pansy screamed and fell to the ground. Malfoy stood triumphantly over her, and only Severus saw the fire flashing in Lucius' eyes as he turned on his son and raised his wand. A moment too late, Severus sent a shield charm to Draco, who flew across the clearing. Lucius turned to Severus and engaged him, and Harry was left to himself to fight the remaining four adult Death Eaters.
The image of Malfoy flying helpless through the air was fixed firmly in Harry's mind's eye, and a well of passionate, unadulterated fury swept through him. These were the people who had taken from him his parents, had killed Sirius, had killed Fleur, and had killed Cedric. The attempts against Remus and Severus and Nicolas and Perenelle had filled Harry with a reckless power he could not control. Before, he had taken chances he shouldn't have, and he had made more than his share of mistakes.
Again and again, Voldemort and his Death Eaters had attacked Harry's loved ones, his family. But the evil he felt radiating from them now seemed far more twisted and sickening, as family turned against family. Family was the one thing Harry had longed for all his life—and Voldemort used it, turned it against itself.
First Percy had tortured his sister—Harry's twin—resulting in brother killing brother. Now fathers and sons fought without remorse, and Harry was supremely conscious that— among Order members, students, and faculty—every single one of Harry's currently living loved ones were on a battlefield somewhere right now facing the greatest evil of modern times. And Harry knew that this would only be the beginning of the entirety of the wizarding world falling apart.
Time seemed to pause while this realization hit Harry square in the stomach. The world was frozen and Harry felt the disgusting reality of the prophecy dripping around him.
No longer could he be reckless. No longer could he be insecure. No longer could he hold onto the bumbling innocence of the child Harry Potter. After everything that had happened to Harry over the years, after the culmination of two lifetimes of pain and loss—this was the exact moment in which Harry Potter grew into a man.
He expanded his consciousness to the surrounding area, and opened his Legilimency into the minds of his enemy. The hatred that consumed them was daunting, but it was also a weakness for them, and Harry saw that immediately. Feeling more in control than he had yet today, Harry proceeded to take out the four Death Eaters in rapid succession.
Reading their thoughts, he knew their actions before they were begun. He blocked curses as they left lips. He altered the path of his own attacks, knowing which way they would dodge. He was calm now, his emotions in check. And their taunting was now gone. There was only open-mouthed surprise that a sixteen-year-old boy was disabling four of the strongest Death Eaters from Voldemort's inner circle with deft ease.
Stirring somewhere behind him, Neville cried out a warning and Harry turned in time to see Ron, Portia, and Millicent blasted across the clearing. Preparing to face the next wave of attack, Harry expanded his consciousness to encompass the entire clearing, and was stopped short. Like fingers raking his body and mind, Harry's senses were filled with a taunting, grating, high-pitched laughter, and his blood ran cold.
It was inside of him, surrounding him. It was hatred and vengeance and pain and death. It was recognition, and it was maddening to his consciousness. It came from outside of him, and Harry could not control it.
Flashes of memory shot through his head—Sirius, falling through the curtain... Harry, casting Crucio for the first time... Neville's parents in St. Mungo's... Sirius... Sirius... Sirius...
Harry slowly turned to face the wicked smirk of Bellatrix LeStrange. The instant his eyes landed on her, a white-hot pain shot through his scar, searing into his brain. The jumble of images pounded into him mercilessly, filling his thoughts and piercing his memories. The fingers dug into him, breaking his perception, and he knew he had to be seeing incorrectly, because before him stood three Voldemorts.
Harry's mind became a swirling mess all over again as he tried to make sense of what was before him, and all the while their taunting laughter continued—the laughter of Voldemort, and Bellatrix LeStrange, and Wormtail. Harry blinked his eyes open and the three separate people were standing there, but a moment later his vision shifted and instead there loomed before him three snake-like faces with red eyes.
The combined weight of their power was heavy in the clearing, and the Dark magic inherent to them prodded at the inferior—though substantial—power that radiated from Harry. Effortlessly, their magic invaded him, toyed with him, and Harry knew it would easily overpower him.
He began to question his sanity as Wormtail, the betrayer, and Bellatrix, the murderer, blinked in and out of existence, trading places with replicas of the formidable Dark Lord, Voldemort. The hate that stirred in Harry toward each of them seemed to both fuel, and be fueled by, their laughter—and he longed to crush them out of existence, but he found himself quite unable to do anything. His mind was putty against the paradox before him.
One Voldemort pulled out his wand, but it was with Bellatrix's scathing laughter that he cast a curse that sent Severus into the air, hanging upside-down, and Harry registered actual shock on Severus' face as the torment began. Laughing, the Bellatrix Voldemort jeered, "I wondered when I'd have you like this again, my darling Severus."
Harry glanced back to her, but rather than Voldemort or Bellatrix, Harry saw his father training his wand on Severus. James Potter turned to Harry and smiled. He winked. "Harry," he said in Bellatrix's voice, "You're next."
Harry grabbed his head, understanding that he had finally gone insane after all, and that Voldemort had won, and that it was all over. He looked around at the Voldemorts laughing in the voices that he hated so desperately, and Harry wasn't sure if he was screaming out loud, but he certainly was inside his head.
And somehow through the insanity, Harry came to understand the feeling of ice-cold dread and darkness that accompanied the arrival of Dementors onto Hogwarts grounds. And somehow through the insanity, Harry came to understand that all the Dementors and Death Eaters that had been at Azkaban were now here.
But Harry could not understand the laughter, or the identity fluxes, or the hatred that smashed into him, violating his consciousness, and breaking through the barriers he had spent so much time and energy erecting.
Lost to the madness, Harry could only scream.
XIXIX
XIX
X
A/N: Extra special, super-duper, fan-diddly-tastic thanks to Whitewolf CS for her amazing beta work on this chapter. It is like a million times better than before, so I'm mailing myself to her inside a cake so I can jump out and yell "Surprise! and Thank You!" and I think all of you ought to do the same.
Darkest demon child: Thanks for the compliment, and thank you for reviewing!
Tygressatheart: Oh my gosh, it's really been over a month since I promised you in my head that I would update soon. My bad. I'll try to do better with the rest of the fic. If you stop pointing at me and calling me EVIL:)
Whitewolf CS: Did you enjoy seeing Percy's ass-whooping as much as you hoped you would? And did I mention that you're a brilliant genius? Thanks (again) for all the help with the chapter.
Deb-sampson: Thanks. Yeah, I'm trying to make the H/D thing a non-soulmate relationship, just a regular relationship. Well, as regular as these two passionate guys with all their baggage and issues can have in the middle of a war. Anyway..,
Alas, I've transfigured my feet: Lol. Hmm… "Harry… use the force, Harry… Let it flow through you… Feel the balance between plot and slash… go jump Draco's bones."
Isis-mystic: Thanks. And, yeah! You hear that Percy!
Charmed 88: eee… calm down. It'll be okay. Only a few more chapters left, and then you'll know the end, see? Um… there, there.
Jellycatty: Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying!
Tigerlily0688: Ooh! Thanks. Now I'm excited all over again!
Aki-Hoshi: Oh my, thank you. I do appreciate your words on my writing. Makes me feel good, and proud of this story, and I've just got to finish it soon. That's all there is to it. Thank you.
Henio41: Thanks
Tsyuno: Well, there's a little more about how Ron's feeling about what's going on. Did it work for you?
BratPrincess-187: cringe I know, I know… another cliffhanger. I just can't help it lately. Anyway, only a few more chapters are left. And yeah, I like it when H/D fight too—their personalities really show through in times of turmoil. Thanks for the review!
Sheree: LMAO! Oh my god. Did you just call Harry a mind slut! Lol! That rocks!
Slytherinkid07: woohoo! Loyal email check! Yay!
Hybrid Liar: Lol! Thanks! Glad you like it, and you know, I didn't really Stop the story… I just kind of… took a long time to get the next chapter up. But it will finish. I swear.
Elebereth: Thanks!
AbundantFear: Well, I killed the fucker. Have you? I haven't read your fic yet. Does Percy get it in the end? Glad you dig my story. And dude, yeah! Tempus Fugit, with all the twists, and now they're caught… and oh jeez. What's gonna happen?
Anonymous: Thank you, whoever you are…
Crimson Colored Cloaked Figure: giggles Thanks for the teddy bear!
AriverrunsthroughPhoenix: I know what you mean about Draco saving Harry. Thank merlin we had Malfoy there to throw a jealous fit and storm off away from danger!
Ozumas girl (Chapter 17): Hey, thanks. You know, I don't think I have ever felt so complimented while being yelled at. That must truly be your gift. ;) But thank you.
Flounder2: Yay! You got lost in my story! Makes me happy. Sorry bout the cliffhanger… I know, I know. I'll try harder next time to give some semblance of chapter closure.
Paddycake Padfoot: I suppose that Unbalance!Harry really is a recurring theme in this story, huh? Well, what are you going to do? He can usually hold his own okay. We'll just let him work it through, why don't we? Glad you like my characterization. I've worked on that quite a bit. Makes me proud. And um… do I still get a cookie even though I took so long to update? (puppy dog eyes)
Silmarien: Ha ha! I left another cliffhanger! I bet you're going to threaten my life again! Ha ha… wait a minute…
taintedGOTH: thanks.
Venus4280: Thanks! Glad you're digging the interactions. And Ginny's safe for now.
Pchihuahua: Yo! Thanks for all the reviews! Glad to know my fic has got a new fan! And Lol! I love the Veela Enigma by jennavere! Great writer in general. And um… sorry bout the lack of H/D action this chapter, but they were a little busy. I just couldn't figure out how to work in a sex scene, you know? (big grin)
Hacen: I do make words my biotch. Say my name! Um, I mean… uh… Thank you.
PaddycakePadfoot: Dude, you have totally reviewed my fic! Thank you!
Draco-n-Harry Lover: Thanks!
Pandemona911: squeals Yay! Glad to make you happy. Glad you like it! Thank you!
Rowenna: Thanks! And they still use their last names because it's a nickname sort of thing. It's not an insult sort of thing… at least, not usually. They still throw in the venom every now and again, I guess.
Emeline: Thanks! I love it when they fight too. Like I said, you really see their personalities then.
Dragenphly: thanks for the FRIENDLY ENCOURAGEMENT! (cowers) Yeah, crazy times. Glad you like. Sorry to keep you waiting. Is Luna less creepy now, or more so?
Cmere1: First, I hope school is going okay. Second, glad you're liking the fic. Third, no, I think this is the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers. (grin) And… whatever number I'm on (counting… hard…) Thanks for letting me know what works for you. I love the encouragement.
Viva La Dani: Hey, thank you. I'm happy to know that my fic has touched your emotions. I really appreciate it.
Icriedwhensiriusdied: Thank you! For liking it and spreading the word and giving me a cookie. And, let's see. I'm a full-time volunteer with inner-city youth in Chicago. I work with gang youth and immigrants. I do tutoring, mentoring, teach about HIV and STD prevention, lead a theatre group and teach and art class. And whatever else needs to be done. You can read about it at my blog Thanks for asking.
Draco-n-Harry-Lover: Thank you again!
Spazticdramanerd: Oh! And I left another cliff, too! How can you stand me? For the love of god, HOW! Lol.
Loverofroswell: Thank you for reading and reviewing. I'm going to try to finish this pretty soon. This last update just took unbearably long. So, soon, you know?
Futago akuma-tenshi02: Thank you!
Ghostwriterx2: grin Thanks for the encouragement to lengthen the sex scenes, but I've known too many people to be kicked off , and I don't want to lose my account. Thanks for reading/reviewing!
Ak-alterego: Oh, yeah. I just kind of skipped the summer and start of term because it didn't much fit in with the plot I wanted to focus on. There were some things that happened that were important, but I decided I could just as well just mention in passing that it had happened. Anyway… Thanks!
Fairylights73: Hey, thanks for the compliment! The story will be a few more chapters, and I make no promises on happy endings. Sorry…
Von: lol! Thanks for reading at work!
Lisa: Hey thanks! Sorry for the long wait. I"ll try not to do it again.
Aki no Yume1: Well, here is what happened next! Lol!
Charlietheotakunymph: Thanks!
Aaron19812000: Oh, the betrayal was Percy turning, because even though it was hinted at, the characters didn't expect it at all. Because they loved their brother even though he was a bastard. Thanks for reviewing!
Lea: Wow! Thanks for the many reviews! Glad you like the characterizations and the subtlety of Ginny's emotions worked in. Harry's a bit dense sometimes, so it's been hard to get other people's feelings relayed to the reader. Glad you approve!
Ganymade: Wow! Thanks!
Nat25: Thanks! Glad you like it, but please don't ruin your eyes!
JWGrey: Thanks! Glad you like it. Hope you were able to patiently wait these last few days for an update! Lol!
Peace out, everyone,
kati