Hermione felt the icy fingers of the dementor behind her, the happiness being sucked from her very being, as she raced to where Sturgis Podmore lay on the ground unconscious. Her foot caught on a wayward stone and she went flying, her jeans ripping at the knee under her robes and her wand clattered to the ground a few feet away, all the while the dementor kept coming behind her. She scrambled for her wand, ignoring the pain from her palms where the stone scraped against them and the blood trailing down her leg, but as she reached the slender piece of wood, she heard a voice behind her bellow,
"Expecto Patronum!"
She felt the stag rush by rather than see it, knew before turning who would be standing behind her.
"Harry!" she cried, never in her life happier to see Harry Potter standing before her, his black hair sticking out at all angles and green eyes flaring, wand hand raised.
"Alright there, 'Mione?"
As she stood and brushed herself off, Remus Lupin came loping up from a side street. "Hermione, are you alright?" He stopped and stared at Harry as if in a daze. "Harry? When did you get here?"
"Few minutes ago. Ron and Arthur are here as well. And Tonks too. I think we cleared out the dementors along the side streets."
"Nymphadora!" Remus exclaimed. "What's she -- I thought all of you were staying at the Ministry!"
"Yeah, well, I had a few choice words for that pompous bastard the Minister when he tried to keep me from coming here."
"But what about Kings Cross?" Hermione interjected. "Who's taking care of everything there?"
"Already taken care of. In fact, McGonagall and Flitwick should be returning to Hogwarts soon."
"What happened?"
"About thirty, thirty-five Death Eaters appeared just as I was apparating out to the Ministry, where I ran into Ron and Tonks, and they followed me back. We took out a lot, then the rest apparated away at Voldemort's summons."
"Were there casualties?" asked Remus hesitantly.
With a solemn nod of his head, Harry replied, "Nine students, at least that many adults. And Emmeline was killed."
Hermione cursed violently and Remus hung his head; Emmeline Vance had been part of the original Order and a great witch, as well as a friend.
She knelt beside Sturgis and tried to wake him. Slowly the wizard came to, though he was weak and couldn't stand at first.
"Anyone have any chocolate?"
"No, but Honeyduke's is just around the corner," Harry said. "I suppose they wouldn't mind if I borrowed a bit."
Harry disappeared towards the sweets shop as Ron and Arthur walked up.
"'Mione," Ron said, giving her a quick hug. "Everything okay?"
She nodded. "You?"
"I'm having a great time, between Death Eaters and dementors."
"What happened at the office, Arthur?" Remus asked.
"Quite a bit, actually. Harry told Fudge off and left, then I bound and gagged Fudge and Obliviated his assistant and sent her off to other parts of the Ministry and, in the meantime, made myself Acting Minister."
Hermione and Ron both stared at him with wide eyes, horror and awe jumbling their faces.
"Dad! Mum's gonna kill you!"
Arthur shrugged and said, "It had to be done and I'm sure Molly would agree, given the circumstances. I ordered half of the aurors to Hogwarts and half of the Ministry Police here, leaving the rest to guard the Ministry."
A moment later, Harry reappeared, breathless and holding several slabs of chocolate and he broke off chunks for each of them, explaining, "I left a few galleons on the counter."
"Has everyone been evacuated?" Arthur asked.
Remus nodded. "As far as we can tell. There were a few we found too late; the dementors got there before us. Everyone else we sent down the Honeydukes passage to Hogwarts, or they apparated away to safer parts."
Two screams rended the air and the group raced as a whole towards the Shrieking Shack and rounded the corner to see three dementors circling above the collapsed figures of Tonks and another wizard. As they all raised their wands, a silver lion charged through and caught all of the dementors, sending them away shrieking. The lion lazily circled Tonks and the other wizard, as if guarding them from further attack before dissolving into nothing.
Harry ran over to them, pulling the chocolate out of his robes and giving a piece to each, and admired Tonks with a grin.
"Nice Patronus, Tonks!"
"Thanks, but it wasn't mine," she said, putting a piece of chocolate in her mouth.
"Then whose --"
"Mine."
Everyone turned to see Neville Longbottom standing in the lane, tall and lanky, his hands in pockets and a shy smile on his round face.
"What are you doing here, Neville?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"I heard about everything at the Ministry and I decided to come help," he answered as Harry reached out to shake his hand. "I heard you told Fudge to sod off."
"Has word already got around?"
Neville laughed. "I work in Restricted Plants, admittedly one of the dullest sections in the whole place, and I've already heard, of course! It's the Ministry, so everybody found out within minutes!"
"What about Fudge?" Arthur asked nervously, for the first time seeming worried about his actions towards the Minister.
"From what I heard, someone found him bound and gagged in his office, though no one's sure who did it," Neville said as he met Arthur's nervous gaze and responded with a smile. "And then, whoever found him, left him in the office without even untying him."
"You're joking," Arthur whispered as Ron and Harry both laughed, but Neville was telling the truth. It seemed those loyal to Dumbledore weren't only ones fed up with Cornelius Fudge's tenure as Minister.
Hermione glanced over as the nameless wizard Tonks had been protecting apparated away, though Tonks remained seated on the ground with Remus, who crouched beside her, one hand holding gently clasping her shoulder, and Hermione couldn't help but smile at the tenderness on his face.
"Look, we need to get on to Hogwarts," she said, turning away from Tonks and Remus. "Arthur, did you get in contact with Dumbledore?"
"No, actually, there was no answer in his office and I didn't want to risk an owl being intercepted by --"
With a yelp of pain, Harry collapsed to the ground, his glasses clattering away from him on the street. Hermione immediately dropped to his side and her fingers searched for a pulse on his neck.
"Harry, are you alright? Can you hear me?"
Ron joined her on the ground and shook his shoulder roughly. "Harry, c'mon mate, wake up."
"Careful, Ron," she said brusquely. "We don't know what's wrong."
"He'll wake up in a minute, happens all the time."
"He faints all the time?" Remus asked, pulling himself away from Tonks and standing beside Arthur. "Has he seen anyone about it?"
Ron shrugged and Hermione scowled. "Probably not. If I'm not around to make sure he takes care of himself, this one here certainly won't."
Before Ron could manage a retort, Harry groaned and opened his eyes, his hands flying to the lightning bolt scar on his forehead.
"Harry? What is it?" queried Hermione gently as she and Ron helped him to sit up. "Did you see something?"
He lowered his hands from his head and gave Hermione a long, piercing look. "He's got Albus."
"How do you know it's not another --"
"Another ruse? That's what I thought too, but after I saw Voldemort in the Great Hall, I heard Snape's voice in my head."
"Severus? But what --"
"He was screaming, from crucio. Voldemort has him, Hermione, both of them. Snape and Dumbledore."
Hermione gasped and Ron started, "Well, what are we waiting --"
Harry took a deep breath and said, "That's not all. I think Draco's still alive and he's there with them."
Her mouth dropped open and Ron looked from face to face.
"Malfoy? But he's a Death Eater!"
"He was the spy, Ron! Honestly!"
"The spy! Why didn't anyone tell me all of this?"
"Ron, shut up!" growled Harry and he complied, meekly ducking his head.
"Harry … I think this could be another trap," Hermione said, her voice rising when Harry started to protest. "Voldemort knows you're weak against playing the hero."
"It's not playing the hero--" he started angrily.
"He knows how to manipulate you, Harry!"
Ron nodded and softly concurred. "She's right, mate."
"Wait, why are we arguing?" Remus interrupted, looking at Hermione. "You have the Map! I saw you with it this morning!"
"Of course! How could I forget?"
She rummaged through the interior pockets of her robes until she found the parchment and thrust it into Harry's waiting grasp.
He tapped his wand to the paper and muttered, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
The form of the castle spilled across the paper, but it remained conspicuously absent of names. It seemed the castle was empty. Harry tapped it again and repeated the words. Still nothing. He looked first to Hermione, who shrugged in puzzlement, then Remus, his face as pale as the parchment in Harry's hands.
"You helped make this thing, so what's wrong? Why isn't it showing anything?"
After a breath, Remus began, "We decided to make the Marauder's Map, well, Sirius and James did, really, after we discovered a book in the library --"
"Does this story have a point?" asked Harry, a scowl creasing his handsome face.
"Yes, Harry, it does. And here it is: one of the wards at Hogwarts monitors each person in the castle and we figured out from that book how to reflect that charm onto the Map so that it would display everyone's positions on the map that we drew of the castle."
"So what does that have to do with the Map not working?"
Exasperated, Hermione said, "Harry, if the Map isn't displaying names --"
"The original ward on Hogwarts must be broken," Ron finished for her, looking as surprised at his response as everyone else standing there, but he quickly replaced the surprise with a look of smugness. "I'm not as worthless as you all think."
"Of course not, Ron," Hermione reassured him out of habit, questions leaping out of her brain faster than she could corral them. "But if that ward is broken --"
"Then more probably are too," Harry finished darkly.
"But that also means the anti-apparition spell could be down," Arthur said. "One of us should attempt to apparate in."
"I'll do it."
"No, I will," Ron said, nodding at his father, then looking at Harry. "You can't just blindly apparate in when you're the key to winning this battle. I'll go."
Shoulders drooped and he sighed, looking glumly at his best friend. "Be careful, then."
"Where should I go?"
Her mind racing through the options, Hermione quickly said, "Try the prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor. It should be empty of Death Eaters."
Ron gave her a funny look but asked his father, "What happens if I try to apparate and the ward isn't down?"
"Nothing," Arthur replied. "If the ward is still in place, you won't be able to arrive there. For a moment it will appear as if you have successfully apparated, but you would return almost instantaneously."
He nodded and looked quickly at Harry and Hermione as he said, "Back in a sec, then."
Ron screwed his eyes shut and popped out of vision, and everyone waited with baited breath for his reappearance. As two minutes passed and Ron had yet to return, worry descended upon the group. Arthur muttered to himself about letting his son go into an unknown danger, Hermione wrung her hands, Harry twirled his wand on his fingers, while Remus, Tonks, Neville and Sturgis stood off to the side speaking in hushed tones.
"I'm going after him," Harry announced once it had been five minutes. "Something's happened."
"Harry, if something's happened to Ron, then it would be an historic blunder for you to follow him," warned Hermione.
Remus, who had since rejoined the group, added, "We can't win this fight without you."
Harry glowered at both of them, and Arthur when he nodded his agreement.
"I can't just sit on my hands while Voldemort has Albus, Draco and now possibly Ron --"
A sharp crack interrupted him, leaving Ron Weasley standing before them, panting, and relief flooded Arthur's features.
"Ron! Thank Merlin!"
"Can't-go-to-fifth-floor," Ron wheezed as he leaned over, putting his hands on his knees.
"What happened?" cried Harry.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
He nodded and straightened.
"You were right, 'Mione. The prefects bathroom was deserted, so I went out into the corridor --"
"Ron!"
"You stupid git!"
Ignoring them, he continued, "And when I heard voices, I ducked into an empty room, someone's office by the looks of it. I hid there for a few minutes and talked to one of the portraits, some Spanish wizard or something. He said the castle had been overrun by Death Eaters not too long after all the students left. He thinks there are still several groups fighting inside the castle -- teachers and the Order -- and there's also a huge battle raging outside. Sounds like the aurors you sent over, Dad."
"Then what?" Harry demanded. "Why were you out of breath?"
Ron looked sheepish for a moment, but replied, "Well, the voices passed and I went outside and --"
"Are you daft? Why didn't you just apparate back?" Hermione asked.
"I was worried about Ginny! She was there this morning and the wizard said he thought there were some people holed up in the Room of Requirement and it was just up the stairs and down the corridor…. But as soon as I went around the corner, two Death Eaters saw me and started shooting hexes. I didn't have time to apparate so I had to lose them first."
When Ron finished, he looked to Harry expectantly as he ran a hand over his rumpled black hair.
"If there's a group in the Room of Requirement …" he began, then turned to Hermione. "Where could we go on the sixth floor then?"
She thought for a moment before replying, "There's a large broom closet. It might fit all of us." She swiftly turned to count everyone. "Seven … I'm not sure."
"What about Gryffindor tower?" Ron asked and several heads nodded. "Wouldn't the Fat Lady keep any of the Death Eaters out? I mean, she kept Sirius out in third year."
"Probably," Hermione said slowly. "And it's on the same floor as the Room of Requirement. I think we should use a portkey, rather than all apparate separately."
Remus seconded the idea. "It's been a long time since I've been in Gryffindor tower."
"Here," Arthur said, thrusting out his hand with what suspiciously appeared to Harry and Hermione to be a car's spark plug.
She took it from him and tapped it with her wand. "Portus."
The spark plug trembled and flashed blue then settled back onto Hermione's palm. "Alright everyone."
The others crowded around Hermione and placed a finger on the small metal cylinder. Moments later, seven invisible hooks snatched each of them, stomach first, and pulled them to the castle.
Severus lay curled on his side, breath ragged, but he refused to cry out as Pettigrew kicked him in the back, instead closing his eyes and willing unconsciousness to take him away, though he knew it would only be a temporary reprieve.
"That is enough, Wormtail," Voldemort rasped.
The Dark Lord sat at the High Table, in Dumbledore's chair and watched with glee as Pettigrew stepped back from Snape. He turned his red eyes to the Headmaster, dried blood running from the corner of his mouth, the blue eyes without sparkle, tied to a chair that ensured a good view of the proceedings. With every blow, every hex, Dumbledore winced, and Severus couldn't bear to look at the old man and the pain echoed in his eyes.
"I have plans for Severus. And Mister Malfoy, as well. We shall begin the entertainment once Potter and his friends arrive."
Forcing his eyes into focus, Severus turned his head and saw Draco's motionless form on the floor near the Slytherin table. He was surprised that Malfoy was still alive at all, considering what he knew about his illness, but then, the Dark Lord no doubt held the remedy and was purposefully keeping him alive so that he could destroy Draco before Harry. Severus's mind, dulled by several bouts of crucio, slowly worked through the implications and he realized Voldemort had the same plans for him to be murdered in front of Hermione. He'd rather kill himself now and save both of them the pain, but he did not have that option available. But if Potter was on his way, that still left a glimmer of hope he didn't want to acknowledge.
"How are you feeling, Dumbledore, now that I have taken your little castle? You realize, of course, that I will kill Potter before I kill you," Voldemort drawled, a wicked smile crossing the bone white face. "I'm certain you wouldn't want to miss that -- the final defeat of Harry Potter."
Dumbledore watched with heavy heart as Severus tried to keep awake. It would be easier for the younger man if he would succumb to unconsciousness, to nothing. He sighed as his eyes trailed back up to the High Table and Voldemort sitting triumphant. With a swish of his wrist, the table disappeared and Voldemort stepped down to the floor and walked over to Dumbledore.
"What are you feeling now, Albus? That, perhaps if you had given me a bit more attention, more respect when I was a student that this might never have happened?" he sneered, the red eyes flaring in anger.
Albus looked at him with gentle eyes. "No, Tom. I do not believe any amount of respect or attention would save you from your destiny."
"You shall see my destiny this very night!" Voldemort cried, bringing his wand up to point at the Headmaster. "But I think you should have a taste of pain before that happens. Crucio!"
Albus didn't cry out, only writhed in his chair. Unable to watch his oldest friend suffer, Severus mustered his strength and rolled to his knees, oblivious to Pettigrew's swinging boot until it entered his field of vision and collided with the bottom of his jaw, then mercifully everything went black.
Harry rested against a wall on the first floor as he surveyed the group of roughly fifteen witches and wizards before him.
"Who's been hit so far with the killing curse?"
About a dozen hands raised, including Hermione and Ron both.
"Twice?"
Nearly half of the hands dropped, leaving five in the air.
"Who has not been hit at all?"
Harry's and five other hands raised.
"Alright. Those who have been hit twice, I want you in last. If you get hit again, you will most likely live --" he looked to Hermione for confirmation -- "but you'll be barely alive and certainly no help to us, so stay alert."
"Are we going after V-Vol-him?" stuttered Ron.
"Honestly, Ron," Hermione snapped. "It's just a name."
"When the other group arrives."
They waited, not entirely patiently, for Arthur's group, with people keeping watch in all directions. There had been a group of eight in the Room of Requirement, as the wizard in the painting had suggested to Ron, and Ron had nearly lost his head to a well-aimed curse from his sister when he poked his head in the door. After clearing up the fifth, sixth and seventh floors, they found two other small groups and split into two groups of approximately fifteen with the intention of meeting on the first floor to regroup before attempting to enter the Great Hall.
Harry winced as a flash of pain seared his forehead and he rubbed the scar with his free hand.
"What is it?" Hermione whispered.
"Dunno."
There was a sudden commotion from the corridor leading to the second and everyone turned with their wands pointed, ready to hex whomever showed their faces.
"Tonks!" someone cried, and moments later, the witch tumbled into view.
"I'm alright," she muttered as Sturgis rushed over to help her stand. "Just tripped over an uneven stone."
Arthur and the rest of his group followed her seconds later.
"Harry. Third and fourth floors are clear, and I found a few more hiding," he said, indicating Anne, the Muggle Studies teacher and Hestia Jones, a witch from the Order.
"What's the plan, Potter?" Mad-Eye Moody asked as he joined them.
"Voldemort's in the Great Hall, along with Dumbledore, Snape and Draco Malfoy. Presumably Peter Pettigrew is there since he rarely strays far from his master, but we're not sure how many others will be in there with them."
"Harry," Hermione quickly said, "why don't you try to reach Severus?"
He nodded. "I'll try."
Relaxing, Harry shut his eyes and focused his thoughts on Snape, quickly finding him, though it took a moment of coaxing Severus awake before Harry gained access.
He was lying on his back in the Great Hall facing Voldemort in Dumbledore's chair. Pettigrew stood loyally beside, along with two other faceless Death Eaters. He looked to Dumbledore, slumped in his chair, sure he saw a twinkle when their eyes met. Draco still lay motionless nearby. He rolled over on his side to face the doors, groaning and curling into a foetal position at the pain and to distract Voldemort from Harry. Another four Death Eaters at the doors, three more off to the side.
Harry opened his eyes and blinked rapidly.
"There are ten Death Eaters, plus Voldemort, four at the doors, three by the windows and three at the Head Table with Voldemort. We'll go in through the doors, blow them in and maybe take one or two with that, then clear out the rest."
He paused and looked at each of them.
"This is it. Wands ready, everyone. There could be more Death Eaters in the Entrance Hall."
Wand up and head held high, Harry started towards the marble staircase.
A/N:
Yeah, I know … I'm late. So review and tell me how horrid I am to leave you in suspense for a month just to leave you in suspense again! Originally I'd planned to have the final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort in this chapter, but well, they weren't quite ready, and neither was I ready to write it. A bit of advice to would-be writers out there … if you can avoid writing a final battle fic, do so! I certainly won't be writing another, if I can help it.
As for Ch 37, we'll see. I'm moving in a week -- not one of those cross-town moves, but cross-state, so it'll take me a few weeks to get settled and ready to write again. But I PROMISE this will be finished well before Christmas, as there's only 4-5 chapters left.
Thanks for the in-depth reviews that people have been leaving … it really is nice to get constructive criticism, although just lavishing praise will be gratefully accepted as well!