Chapter 31: The Battle Begins

Life isn't always fair or forgiving, sometimes it throws you everything it can all at once. Sometimes it is relentless and never once takes a break from its ongoing assault. However, sometimes life can be sweet and blissful giving you the greatest moments of triumph and happiness. Moments so full of joy and love that you never want to let go, you just want to live in them forever. But could life encompass all of these things in one day? Could it take away a loved one or a friend but also help defeat a great evil? Could a moment full of hope also be full of sorrow?

The questions went unanswered and soon Harry realized that he and Hermione were still staring at the red sunrise. Red could mean so many things like passion and love, but not this day. This day it meant death. Soon the quiet footsteps of fellow students broke Harry out of the trance the red sunrise was causing. Whispers grew as more and more people came to the front door to look at the spectacle. Dumbledore soon stood next to Hermione and also watched the rising sun for many long minutes.

"Come," he said barley above a whisper. "Let us prepare for the day." And with that the group slowly walked back to the great hall.

After everyone had showered and changed into their outfit's, breakfast was served. The soft scratching and click of plates was all that filled the great hall that morning. Some people were able to eat a full plate of food, while others could only munch on toast. Several people had rushed out of the great hall holding their mouths. Once it was obvious that no one could eat anymore,e Dumbledore clapped his hands causing the food to disappear. People were split up into groups of four, three children and one adult to start patrolling the grounds. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Tonks were sitting in the quidditch stands watching the horizon taking a break from patrolling. It was nearly time for lunch and nothing had happened yet.

"What if he doesn't attack?" Ron asked as he laid on one of the bleachers.

"He will," Harry said as he continued to scan the treetops of the forest.

"Yeah but what if he doesn't? What if all this training was for nothing?" Ron continued.

"It wasn't for nothing," said Tonks. "If he doesn't attack today, he'll attack at some point."

"Yeah but what – "

"Quiet!" Harry hissed. He looked back out to the treetops, something was moving. The trees in the far distance were shaking. "Dumbledore." Harry called out.

"Yes Harry," the old wizards voice was so clear it sounds like he was stand next to the group. Ron whipped his head around in all directions until he saw Hermione pointing to the medallion, with an exasperated look on her face.

"What?" Ron whispered.

"Is there a patrol on top of the astronomy tower?" Harry asked.

"Professor Lupin and his group are on the tower. I'll have him speak with you," the Headmaster instructed.

"Harry? Is something the matter?" Lupin asked.

"Professor do you see the tree tops in the distance moving?" There was no response for a moment.

"Harry where are you?" Lupin asked in a worried tone.

"The quidditch pitch. Why?"

"Harry get out of there! Get out of there now!" Lupin was practically screaming. Before Harry could ask why he felt Hermione pull him towards the stair well.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked as he yanked free.

"Look," Hermione pointed outside. Harry turned to see a large dragon hovering above the stadium.

"Bloody hell," Ron whimpered.

"That's a Ukrainian Ironbelly." Came the voice of Charlie Weasley. "As quietly as possible, get to the bottom of the stands and a house elf will get you." The group slowly started to head towards the stairs. Tonks went first followed by Ron, then Hermione and finally Harry. They made it down one flight when one of the steps made a loud creak. Everybody stop dead in their tracks. Harry's heart was pounding so hard in his chest it was a wonder the dragon didn't hear. After several moments Harry let out a long breath he didn't know he was holding.

"That was close," Ron whispered. No sooner had the words come out of his mouth when a raging blast of fire exploded above their heads setting the top of the stands on fire.

"COME ON!" Yelled Tonks. The group began to run down the stairs, just as Harry made it down another flight, another blast of fire erupted over his head, this one closer then the first. The blast cause him to lose balance and Harry fell down the next flight, Harry quickly got up and found himself next to Ron and he turned to see where Hermione was when another powerful fire ball exploded above them. Hermione leaped down to the landing Harry was standing on, narrowly missing the fire raging above. Now Harry and Hermione were behind Tonks and Ron. And just as they were about to go down the next flight of stair they heard Ron yell.

"WATCH OUT!" The stairwell in front of them disappeared. Harry and Hermione were trapped between the fires above and the new one below. But just as Harry thought it couldn't get any worse the stands began to sway from lose of support.

"REDUCTO!" yelled Hermione from behind him. She had blown a hole in the wall facing the forest. They looked outside and saw they were about two stories off the ground.

"Hang on you two!" Tonks shouted. Within moments both Harry and Hermione were lifted off the ground and slowly floated down to Ron and Tonks.

"Thanks for the help," Harry said once his feet touched the ground. Several large snaps caught they're attention. The stand was going to fall and as it swayed the group realized it would fall on them. They were about to run when the dragon came from behind the stands. The moment of hesitation cost them and the group all braced themselves for impact. But instead of fire and wood Harry felt a very weird sensation that reminded him of apparition. He opened his eye and found himself in the great hall.

"Harry," Lupin yelled as he ran towards the young man. "Are you alright," he asked while looking at the small cuts on Harry's face.

"I'm fine," Harry breathed still wondering how they escaped.

"Harry Potter sir, was Dobby quick enough?" The house elf looks up at him with his big eyes.

"Dobby you were brilliant," Harry smiled.

"No time for pleasantries," Madam Pomfrey said as she shoved purple vials into everyone's hand. As soon as Harry finished he could feel the sting of the cuts and bruses starting to heal.

"Listen up," shouted Charlie Wesley. "Aurors I need you on the ground once the air squadron and I subdue the dragon. You're going to have to start using the binding spell on it. The rest of you stay here and follow Mad-Eye's instructions."

"Air squad mount up," yelled Madam Hooch.

"Dobby can you grab my broom –"

"Mine too Dobby," Ron cut off Harry.

"I'll come with you," Hermione added.

"No," Snapped Moody. "We need you on the tower with the others. If this dragon gets out of hand we need to fix any damage to the castle before it hurts anyone."

"But Professor –"

"No buts! We need you on the tower, Charlie has plenty of help in the air and on the ground," with that Mad-Eye turned and headed towards a group of students. Hermione looked to Harry, they both knew how dangerous this was going to be and they could feel each other's anxiety about being separated.

"I'll be careful," He gave her a hug. "I promise," he whispered in her ear. He gently kissed her forehead then headed for the back of the castle with the rest of the air squadron. Hermione turned to see a group of students looking at her. Colin stepped forward.

"Professor Moody said we're supposed to go to the astronomy tower," the group was comprised of seventh, sixth and fifth years. Hermione knew that most of these students were strong when it came to charms.

"What adult is coming with us?" Hermione asked.

"He said you're in charge," Colin smiled nervously.

"Right," Hermione could see everyone was nervous. "Let's get to that tower and help the air squadron." With that her group headed towards the tower.

Harry and Ron mounted up in the rear courtyard of the Castle with the air squadron. They both listened to Ginny and Draco as the two captains instructed their team how they were going to proceed. The quicker of the flyers would head in first distract the dragon as the stronger spell casters flew in next hitting the dragon. Charlie then took the lead.

"Ironbellys are the largest bread of dragons on the planet, which gives us the advantage. He's not as quick as the dragon you all might have seen Harry face in his forth year, but his blast is powerful. Unless absolutely necessary avoid flying in front of him, everybody understand?" The group nodded their heads then heard the shrieking call of the dragon as he came closer to the castle. Charlie turned to Madam Hooch and gave a nod.

"Ok group one mount up and head for the dragon. Group two hold back and wait for my signal to advance on the dragon," she instructed as she took off

"Potter you wait with group two, Weasley you and your sister lead group one," Draco called out as the two group rose in the air.

"Good luck Harry," Ron called out over his shoulder.

Hermione watched as the first group past over her head. She looked over at Luna who had her wand trained on Ron just in case something happened. She watched as the first group flew in and distracted the dragon. It turned and started to try and chase after the group. Hermione then looked up to see Harry and his group heading in next. They made brief eye contact, then Harry turned and head in towards the dragon. The sounds of shouting and spell casting filled the afternoon air. The Aurors on the ground and the children in the air were all calling out the stunning spell. However it didn't look like they were having any effect on the large beast.

Harry wove in and out as his group went back in for another round. They had hit the dragon several times and the beast showed no sign of slowing down. The dragon made a quick turn and soon Harry and his group were now face to face with him. Draco took the team into a dive narrowly missing the dragon's fire blast. They were now underneath the creature and everyone tried to hit the dragon with at least two shots of the spell. The dragon changed direction again and in doing so hit one of the towers of the castle.

Everything happened in slow motion. Hermione saw the tower slowly start to crash and part of it was heading for the great hall. She focused all her energy on stopping the collapse with the Impediment Jinx. Her group followed her lead and the top of the tower stopped several inches from the roof of the great hall along with the rest of the tower. Her group slowly began to use the repair charm to get the tower back in its proper place.

"CHARLIE!" Ginny's scream carried on the wind. Harry turned to see part of Charlie's broom on fire and plummeting towards the ground. The Aurors were able to stop him and quickly put out the fire. Whatever Charlie had done it seemed to work and the dragon looked like it was beginning to be effected by the stunning spell. The two groups continued to focus on stunning the creature until he was finally tied down. Once the all clear was given, Ron and Ginny ran into the castle to check on Charlie. Harry followed and started to look for Hermione, he had seen the tower begin to fell but he didn't know what had happened.

"Harry," She called out as her group entered the great hall.

"You ok?" he asked while looking her over.

"Fine, what happened to Charlie?" Hermione asked as they walked over to the Weasley's.

"I don't know, I turned and saw his broom was on fire," Harry whispered as they approached the family. The great hall was now split up into two halves the front was a staging area and set up area for the army, while the second half was the new infirmary. Madam Pomfrey and Neville's Grandmother were working on Charlie behind the curtain wall. Dumbledore stepped out to address the Weasley's.

"He suffered severe burns on his legs. Poppy is doing all she can to save them," Dumbledore whispered. Mrs. Weasley gave a silent sob as Mr. Weasley hugged her, Bill held Ginny while the twins and Ron looked on.

"He's a Weasley," Ron began to say. "He'll pull through." Draco slowly made his way over to the group.

"What happened?" He asked Harry.

"Ginny's brother Charlie," Harry whispered. "His legs are burned and they don't know if they can save them." Draco was about to leave when Hermione grabbed his arm.

"Ginny will need you," Hermione said in a low voice. Draco nodded his head and stood with Hermione and Harry and waited to help the Weasley's in any way possible.

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. Ministry officials came to pick up the dragon. The sun was getting lower in the sky and people began to wonder what would be next. Madam Pomfrey had stabilized Charlie but whether he'd have the use of his legs again was uncertain. Dinner was being served early and people were beginning to finish up when a rumbling came from the forest.

"Dumbledore!" The voice echoed. "Your time has come to an end!"

"This is it," Mad-Eye shouted. "Form up!" Robes were tied and sneakers were retied as everyone prepared themselves to march. Parents who weren't going out in the field gave they're children last minute hugs and kisses. Tears were shed and promise of returning made. The students were lined up and awaited the signal to begin marching towards the fight.

"Remember we all have loved ones affect by this evil, remember them when you're out there," Dumbledore instructed as he looked over the students, he then nodded his head to Mad-Eye who gave the signal. The students began to march out of the castle, and down towards the forest. There was nothing out there as they made they're way down the hill. The first group made a sharp turns halfway to Hagrid's Hut. The second row filled in behind the first and the third group behind the second.

"Hold positions until we see something," Dumbledore instructed. Harry glanced back and saw him along with McGonagall on the tower looking over the forest.

"How cute Dumbledore, you created your own army," the voice sneered. "But they won't save you." Soon Death Eaters slowly came walking out of the forest. And formed they're own line. The two armies were about fifty yards apart and neither moved for several moments. Harry then saw a large black mass of Death Eaters rise up from the forest on brooms. They're air squad was triple the size of Dumbledore's. People began to get restless.

"Hold the line!" Harry shouted. The order was repeated through out the ranks.

"Harry it's no use," the voice said. "Give up and your death will be painless. I might even spare the lives of your pathetic friends."

"Steady Harry," came Lupin's voice. "Don't let him goat you into making the first move." Harry took a breath.

"Voldemort, this is between you and me. Tell your Death Eaters to back down we don't want to hurt them," Harry shouted. A large laugh erupted from the Death Eaters, except for one. Harry looked over and saw Lucius Malfoy was leading the army but he didn't look amused like the other Death Eaters. Next to Lucius was Bella, she was searching the crowd for Julia.

"Where is your sorry excuse for an Aunt, Potter!" She shouted. "Too scared to face me again."

"Prepare for the first volley," Moody communicated through the medallions.

"No," Harry whispered. "We must wait. Julia said not to engage them until she was here," Harry pleaded.

"Harry she's not here. We can't wait for her any more," Moody growled. But the decision was taken out of their hands.

"WANDS AT THE READY!" Lucius shouted.

"WANDS AT THE READY!" Harry responded. Harry then watched as Lucius communicated something with his group and just when it looked like they were about to start a faint sound carried on the wind. It slowly got louder and louder, until finally Harry tried to make it out.

"Hold the line," the faint voice called. The Death Eaters looked around for the source of the noise. As did Harry and his group.

"Look!" one of the students pointed towards over the lake. The sun was setting and it was getting hard and hard to see. But the student was point to a large mast moving towards them. The voice called again.

"Hold the line!"

"What is it?" Ron asked, but no one had the chance to answer because the next time the voice rang out it was clear who was coming.

"HOLD THE LINE!" Julia screamed as she flew at break neck speed towards the armies. She flew down towards Harry's group then jumped off her broom keeping her back to the Death Eaters.

"I promised I'd come back," She winked at Harry. The large mass that was behind her was the Last Alliance. Everyone's mouths were hanging open, as the hundreds of witches and wizards on brooms became part of Draco and Ginny's group in the air. Now it was Dumbledore who had the advantage in size. Julia then whipped her robe around and faced the Death Eaters.

"This is your last chance!" She shouted. "Back down or be taken prisoner. If anyone dies here it will be on your heads not ours!"

"Then you're death will be on mine Potter!" Bella sceamed.

"WANDS AT THE READY!" Julia shouted. Almost a thousand wands pointed at each other.

"ATTACK!"

A/N - Before you think I'm evil I will be updating within the next week!