"Five minutes till the shield fails!"
Harry looked around the makeshift command centre. Dumbledore's office, he still thought of it as his, even though he died two years previously, had been too small for Harry's command staff, so they had set up in one of the larger Charms classrooms.
Harry was currently the only motionless person in the centre of a hive of activity. Wizards and witches constantly dashed back and forth, checking systems, demanding information and despairing over what they learned.
"All stations, report," Harry's soft voice still managed to cut through the frantic noise.
"We've combined who can still stand and fight into three whole squads," Seamus said first. "But Pomphrey's saying that the rest will take days to heal at best."
"Apparation and Portkeys are still blocked," Lavender spoke up next.
"But we still have a single Floo connection," Colin said excitedly. "You were right, Hermione. Everybody did forget about that abandoned Arctic research station." It was little more than a metal box, buried a mile under the ice, but it had a fireplace, which was all they needed.
"Squid's dead," Dean said simply. There were winces all around. The creature had lived at Hogwarts for as long as there had been a Hogwarts. It had fought against Voldemort's army for hours, buying them the time to get the shield back up, but had paid for it with its life.
"They're readying for the next assault," Padma said, staring through the solid wall with a pair of charmed omnioculars. "You Know Who is preparing for battle personally, too."
"Well, then, we're buggered aren't we," Neville said.
The castle shook as the shield continued to receive a torrent of spell fire.
"None of our Voldemort contingencies are ready," Hermione said. "They're weeks away, months even. What do we do, Harry? McGonagall made you the headmaster."
"Evacuate!" somebody shouted from the back of the room. There was a flurry of voices as people argued for against the idea.
"If we let You Know Who control Hogwarts and all its resources, he'll be next to impossible to defeat," Ron said to Harry, Fawkes sat silently on Ron's shoulder, filling the room with light and warmth.
Others were arguing back and forth, but Harry ignored them all.
"Seamus," he said, silencing everyone when he spoke up. "Send word to the Hospital Wing to evacuate the wounded to the Arctic Station." Without waiting any further, Seamus bagin relaying instructions into a charmed mirror.
Everyone was watching Harry expectedly, waiting for him to pull another miracle out of his hat. Only, he didn't have one for them.
"Abandon the castle!" He ordered, raising his voice for the first time.
There was a rush of activity as everyone began to follow his command. No one disagreed with him, they trusted him, after all.
Lavender began detaching the enlarged Marauders' Map from the wall.
"Leave it," Harry said. She gave him a strange look, but didn't question him and left through the fireplace with the others. She was a good solider… a good friend. They all were.
Harry pulled Hermione and Ron to one side.
"Hogwarts, this is the headmaster," Harry said. There was a thrum through the castle, unconnected to the current bombardment, but only Harry could feel it. Hermione and Ron looked at him in confusion.
"Activate destruct sequence," Harry said, prompting his two friends to look at him in surprise. "Code: 'do what is right, not what is easy'".
Harry looked at Hermione significantly.
"Hogwarts, this is the Hermione Granger, Deputy Headmistress. Confirm destruct order, code: '5-3-3-7-8-3-alpha'."
Ron cleared his throat nervously.
"Hogwarts, this is Ronald Weasley, acting Defence Professor, confirm destruct sequence, code: 'Chudley Cannons League Champions'."
Now they could all feel the castle vibrating under their feet.
"Hogwarts, this is the headmaster," Harry said, his voice level. "Final code: 'zero-zero-zero…destruct… zero'."
The vibration in the castle had now become a steady rumble. Fawkes crooned mornfully, and with a flash of fire, the three friends disappeared. They would meet up with the others later, but first, someone had to witness the destruction of their home.
The shield protecting the castle collapsed suddenly and Voldemort's army cheered and rushed forwards. Voldemort watched from a distance, content to let his minions face whatever surprise the fools opposing him had set up.
The wizards and witches sped through the open doors, but slowed when they met no resistance. They kept their wands up and curses on their lips, but they progressed through the castle uncontested.
When they reached the command centre, Lucius Malfoy pulled out his communication mirror and signalled his master.
"Speak," Voldemort commanded.
"We have reached their command area, my lord, but the castle seems deserted."
"How can that be?" Voldemort spat. "They must be hiding."
"Yes, my lord," Malfoy said. "But there is an enchanted map of the castle here that shows the occupants. The only things moving, other than your forces, are four people. They are simply labelled, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin."
Voldemort frowned. He looked towards the castle and his eyes widened when he saw the colour of the light emitting from the windows at the base of the castle.
"Get out of there, you fools! Get out!" Voldemort screamed, but it was too late.
Harry, Ron and Hermione stood near the peak of the tallest mountain overlooking Hogwarts. Fawkes' fire kept them warm, but they still all felt cold and numb. Even from the distance they were at, they could see every detail of the castle. Hermione had gasped when the Fiendfyre animals had first appeared, punching through walls and setting the grounds ablaze.
As they watched, the Astronomy Tower collapsed, falling on top of the burning castle.
"My god, Hermione, what have I done?" Harry said, the reality of what was happening crashing upon him.
"What you had to do," she said. "What you always do. Turn certain death into a fighting chance to live."
As she said it, Gryffindor Tower burst into flames and fell to the ground. Above the destruction rose a fiery gryffin, eagle, badge and snake. They demolished the castle until they, too, disappeared forever.