A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! I'm so happy you liked it! I can't make any guarantees on who will survive and who won't though. ;) You'll just have to wait and find out. It's a stickler isn't it?
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Chapter 2The three of them froze, playing part in such a still scene that one would mistake it to be a life-sized painting.
'Harry … ' Hermione started concernedly. Harry did not answer; he stared intently at Voldemort, afraid that if he broke visual contact he would miss something vital. She frowned and glanced at Ron, silently demanding him to say something. His eyes widened and he shrugged, mouthing I don't know! Her gaze became more insistent as his responded in the same way. They had to do something, instead of standing there like idiots, waiting for something bad to happen to them … Hermione suddenly stopped, feeling something curious glide past her leg. Her heart seemed to skip a beat as her ears grew hot. Afraid to look at what had disturbed her, she stared unblinkingly at Ron, feeling her breathing grow more rapid.
'Hermione?' Harry said distractedly, hearing her increasingly intense breaths. He forced to break sight to face his friend as she remained frozen. Her eyes darted at him and she strained herself to look down at her feet. Stifling a scream, her pupils retracted as she saw a stunningly clear set of musky green scales brush across her thigh. Ron looked and took a step back in horror as he saw what was happening. 'Hermione!' He whispered harshly and grabbed her towards him. The mid-body of the intruding serpent had disappeared.
'Nagini,' the strike of a clear voice cut through the silent air. Voldemort's eyes remained closed as he called out to his basilisk. 'Why don't you bring forth our visitors?'
No sooner had the command left his dry lips did Hermione scream as the head of a gigantic snake suddenly snapped up from the bushes, glaring it's fluorescent yellow eyes at her.
'Hermione, don't look!' Harry quickly shielded her view of it by going between them, back turned towards Nagini. With a loud hiss, its tail flew out of the leaves and smacked all three of them hard that they came stumbling into the opening and at the feet of Lord Voldemort. A few cracks of twigs being snapped in two and the rustle of crusting leaves were heard as the basilisk made it's way out of the forest and behind Voldemort's chair.
Harry and Ron struggled to their feet and helped Hermione up as she groaned quietly and held her head.
'Are you okay?' Harry asked concernedly.
'It matters not.' The icy sharp voice hissed out of Voldemort like gas escaping a cut in its titanium pill. 'Tonight, none who do not belong to the right side of Lord Voldemort will know the sensation of anything other than pain.'
'The right side, eh?' Harry said angrily, going to take a step forward but held back by Hermione, who said a hushed 'no, Harry!' He pulled his arm away and began to wrathfully approach his nemesis when Voldemort held up a hand. A few Death Eaters arrayed around the three teenagers and quickly tied ropes binding their wrists behind their back.
'Frightened, Potter?' A familiar voice snarled in Harry's ear as his hands were bound. Lucius Malfoy tightened the knots so that the harsh ropes began cutting into his wrists. He held him firm so that Harry didn't make a run for it and the two Death Eaters behind him followed the gesture. Hermione and Ron struggled against their hold but their attempts were met with laughter from Voldemort.
'Do you think, that even if you escaped the possession of Dolohov and Avery, that you could leave this clearing alive? Fools.' He turned his attention to Malfoy. 'Bring him closer.' Lucius obeyed, shoving Harry down so that he was on his knees. Overwhelmed with fury, Harry forced himself to keep his gaze down, not wanting to look up at Voldemort's sneering face. 'What's this? Harry Potter thinks he is not good enough to match eyes with Lord Voldemort?'' A bleached white hand reached over to grab Harry by the cheeks. As soon as their skins touched, Harry's scar was seared with a lightning bolt of white-hot pain. He fought to not cry out, he fought not to let the agonizing pain transmit itself into words.
'You cannot win, Potter.' Voldemort said, grabbing him tightly that his nails began to etch crescent moons into his cheeks. He pulled Harry in, who now had his eyes shut tightly to try and wrinkle the pain. 'No one can prevail against Lord Voldemort. I am everywhere. I am in your mind, in the darkest, cobweb-filled corner in your house, within the fiery pit of anger that inhabits every wizard that walks this earth. I have the loyalty of my supporters, when the great Harry Potter's impressive Ministry of Magic had so disappointingly shunned him and his proclamations that I had returned. I have the most powerful creatures that no wizard has been able to control behind me. Witness for yourself.' He released Harry, who was now gasping for air and had blanched chalk-white. Voldemort stood up and bellowed, 'The rise of the dark has awakened my allies!'
The echo of his hollow voice spread across the air like ripples on water. Hermione and Ron finally escaped their captivators and ran to Harry's side.
'Harry! Harry, are you okay?' Ron asked, staring at his face wounds. Harry tried to open his mouth to answer when all of a sudden the ground shook from underneath them. Harry looked down as the ground shook again, forcing the pebbles to jump up and down from their nestled place on the dusty soil. He looked up at the sound of trees shaking from a force behind them. The leaves on the great evergreens vibrated and swayed before halting to a stop. He could feel Ron and Hermione's unhidden trembles as they braced themselves for what would happen.
BOOM! One of the 12-foot tall trees got ripped from the ground that it's notable roots stuck out like frail legs. The three of them raised their stare to see a looming grey mountain giant hoisting up the tree. It opened its crooked mouth and released an unthinkably loud roar. Hermione whimpered and covered her ears as it bared its bark-stained teeth. They were as chunky as stumps of wood and trickled with what Harry disgustedly guessed was animal blood. Without further ado, it pelted the tree with just enough force that it landed just at the border of the clearing behind them and skidded a few feet. Thumping its chest, it threw its head back and roared again. This time, birds flew from their nests with a start as several other similar roars erupted from the vast forest behind it. Harry's jaw dropped as he saw dozens of mountain giants sluggishly heading their direction.
Just when they thought it couldn't get worse, he felt the unwelcome overwhelm of stinging chill spread from his toes to the tip of his hair. Oh, no … he thought pleadingly as the wind began to blow mercilessly. No … not …
Voldemort's ear-splitting laughter rang away his thoughts as a cloud of faded black cloaks began covering the night sky. All sign of stars disappeared as the creatures of death floated down so that the whole army of Dementors hovered behind Voldemort and Nagini.
'This,' The Dark Lord's voice rang around for all to hear. 'is the beauty of what happens when the arrogance of the impure wizards blinds them from the illuminating truth. Tell me, Harry Potter. Does your pathetic battalion of mudbloods and muggle lovers compare to my stupefying army? Where is your beloved Ministry now?' Voldemort triumphantly took his wand out and pointed it at Harry's forehead. 'Where is your magnificent, unbeatable Dumbledore when you are about to taste the sweet savour of death?'
When Molly saw the three run into the depth of the forest, she gasped so fervently that Arthur was afraid she would have the wind knocked out of her. Before he knew it, his wife had fought past the bodies in her way to get to Dumbledore.
'Albus!' She said in a high voice, eyes glassy and large as china plates. 'We need to follow them! Walking isn't doing us any good!' Long gone were her fears of approaching the unknown. All she knew and cared about were Harry, Ron and Hermione and what they were getting into.
'No … no.' Dumbledore said before straightening. He stopped and turned around and Molly stepped back into the crowd. Mutters immediately blossomed, heads cocking and turning to each other while whispering queries.
'My friends,' The aging wizard's still powerful voice projected across the heads. All grew silent and looked ahead as he continued. 'I know I have asked you all to come on behalf of Harry and myself. I had requested that you remember what this boy had undergone as an infant, and the tragedy of his life.' He paused and peered over his moon-shaped spectacles. 'I ask all of you now to forget all of these requisitions.' The crowd began to murmur among themselves again.
'… Has he lost it? …'
' … He wants us to turn back now? …'
' … Dumbledore's had one too many cockroach clusters … '
Albus raised both hands to silence the crowd again. 'I ask of you now … to think of everyone. I ask, no, I beg that you think of your spouses, your mothers and fathers, your co-workers, your neighbours. The future of your children.' The group lay dead silent, allowing his words to soak in. 'I realize that many of you will be lost on this day. Many of you will not be able to live to see the end of the battle and the beginning of the unknown tomorrow. If you are not willing to take the risk of your own lives, I bid you to leave right now.' Not one body stirred. 'And this … this fact alone makes us paramount. I am thankful to have been graced by all of your presences. Let it be said that a great battle was fought tonight, and let history remember, for once, all those brave souls who participated it. Are you all ready?' The last question boomed into everyone's ears.
The crowd roared in response, holding up their wands and punching the air. They were ready, they were ready to win and they were ready to get their world back. Their cheer was cut off as they experienced what seemed to be a tiny earthquake. People latched onto each other, wondering was causing the ruckus, but Albus remained solemn.
Ignoring the tremors, Dumbledore cried 'Let us go!' and turned around to point the direction. The crowd followed his lead and ran the same path that Harry, Hermione and Ron had ran, wands still in the air. Albus stopped Mrs. Weasley from running with them. 'Oh, and Molly.' He said kindly. She looked at him questioningly. 'I would very much like a cup of tea after this, if it's not too much trouble.'