A/N: Because formatting doesn't necessarily translate here, the single quotes with italicized font (ex: 'Speech')is Linked speech.

Also, this is unbetaed. Please forgive errors.

Nineteen

"Are you sure?"

"As sure as I'm sittin' here–"

"We have to do something–"

"The only thing we can do, Draco, is sit and wait–"

"We can tell Dumbledore–"

"You know he already knows, Ginger; he knows everything–"

"But the students don't, and I think they should know . . . you know, to be prepared . . ."

Harry rubbed his eyes under his glasses as his voice trailed off, the surge of energy and magic palpable through his veins. They were in the secret room in the dungeons, Harry and Ginny receiving a Link call from Draco to meet them down there. School was to end in four days, and Harry had hoped against hope Voldemort and Set wouldn't try anything in the interim. Of course, those two lived to make his life a living hell, so he wasn't nearly as surprised as he wanted to be upon hearing this latest development. He was primed for action, but Nia was right; the only thing they could do was sit and wait. Changing anything, at least outwardly, would tip off people, and who knew if there was another plant in Hogwarts as Crabbe had been. These were dangerous times, and one slight misstep could mean defeat for the Light Side.

The other three students were just as grave, though Nia's expression was more blank than anything. That didn't stop Harry from grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze, more to reassure himself she was safe and right next to her because frankly, after this battle there was no telling what would happen. However, there was a bright side to this—both Nia and Ginny believe this would be a significant battle—possibly the one to end the war—but of course, the ending could go one of three ways: Voldemort died, he died, or they both died—and that didn't include all the casualties that could be sustained by others.

At least Harry knew Nia would be safe; she couldn't fight—her mother had said so in a letter—and Harry knew Draco wouldn't let her anywhere near the action, let alone Jamilah. Jamilah's eyes had been on her granddaughter like a hawk the past few weeks, and though Nia was a powerful witch/reincarnate, Jamilah had decades of experience at her disposal.

Yet still, Harry tightened his hand around Nia's even more.

"If the students know, the entire school will go up in panic, and chaos will ensue. I don't think that's a bright idea–"

"They shouldn't be caught off guard–"

"If you tell Dumbledore, he'll work that out. In fact, I'm sure he's working on something to make Hogwarts impenetrable."

Harry gave Ginny an odd look. "How do you know this?"

Ginny smirked at him, and Harry couldn't help but think it was eerily like Draco's. "Who do you think helps Nia and me decipher the stars? We're not as versed as Nephthys and Isis, that's for sure, and the Astronomy classes here barely get us by . . ."

"We should get out before then, no?" Draco asked Ginny, though looking to the others for confirmation.

"That would probably be wise," Nia said. "We won't be able to get out–"

"You're staying in the castle," Harry said with finality. It was Nia's turn to squeeze his hand, and the action wasn't nearly so pleasant and self-assuring. "Nia–"

"Harry's right, love," Draco said with a little more sympathy. "They still don't know who you are. You can't be seen–"

"And I just can't sit here while you put yourselves in danger!" Nia said lowly. "I thought we've been through this foolishness—I don't care what my mother's letter said, I'm going to help in any way I can–"

"Then help us by staying safe, love. I need to know you're safe," Harry said earnestly as he kissed her temple. Nia's iron grip on his hand lessened, but Harry could still feel her distress. Harry couldn't really blame her; she'd gone through all this training, the gods had done so much to destroy her family, that she had plenty of reason to go out and fight with them. But Malika had said the time was not right; and Harry would risk Nia's annoyance if it meant getting Voldemort and Set right where it hurt.

Ginny smiled at Nia as she leaned against Draco. His hand automatically tangled in his girlfriend's fiery red strands and the young woman sighed contentedly before speaking. "You're odd."

Nia quirked an eyebrow. "I'm odd?"

"Yes. Not many Slytherins would want to go out and fight like a Gryffindor."

"My mother was a Gryffindor. My mother is dead because of them. My father is dead because of them. If anything, I want them to pay . . . surely that's not a Gryffindor trait . . ."

"We're very possessive, love," Draco said, kissing the top of Ginny's head. Ginny glanced at Harry and she smirked.

"You know how to pick 'em, don't you Harry?"

Harry cleared his throat, rubbing his thumb on the back of Nia's hand. "I think we chose each other."

Draco scowled and stood. "Before this gets too sappy for me to stomach, I think Ginny and I have rounds, don't we?"

"The kind that don't include the bedroom?" Nia said sweetly.

"Bint."

"Prat."

"The love in this room is overwhelming . . . really . . ." Ginny said dryly as she tugged her boyfriend out of the room. "We'll keep each other posted."

Harry watched the door shut and his hand moved from Nia's hand to her shoulder. His arm brought her closer to him. To his delight, she leaned against him, sighing heavily as he pressed a small kiss to her temple.

"Nia?"

"Yes?"

He really didn't have anything to say . . . just wanted to hear her voice. She hadn't been saying much of anything these last few weeks, and only now was she starting to become her old self. He kissed her temple again and brought her closer.

"Did you want somethin'?" she asked, her arm going around his middle.

"Yes, actually," he said, his mouth brushing against her skin as he spoke. "I want you to be safe and to live for a very long time."

Nia sat up and cradled his cheek. "I want that for you, too. I don't want anyone to die except for Voldemort and Set."

Harry grinned, rubbing his nose against hers before kissing her lips lightly. "I love you."

"I love you."

This kiss was more intense than the last one, and both of Nia's arms went around Harry's waist. In order to make it more comfortable for them, Harry pushed Nia to her back and unwittingly settled between her legs. It wasn't until she shifted he realized their precarious position and blushed, clearing his throat and separating from him.

"We can't," he whispered.

"We can't what? Kiss? We're doing a pretty good job of it, don't you think?" To prove her point, Nia kissed him again, her eyes locking with his. There was a naughty spark in them that had Harry's body reacting inappropriately. Gently he pushed her back down on the couch even as he sat up straighter. She truly was beautiful . . . a goddess, and too damn young for him to do anything about it.

"I wish this was three years from now."

"Three years from now? Why?"

Harry blushed and cleared his throat. "Because you'll be coming out of school in three years time . . . and we can be together more often."

Nia smiled, taking his hand and kissing the back of it. "I'd like that, too. I'm sorry I'm so young–"

"Shh, love, don't apologize. You're perfect," Harry said, this time kissing her lips quickly. "I can wait."

Nia grinned and kissed him again, and the kiss grew to something far more passionate than either anticipated. It wasn't until they felt the voice of Ginny in his head did Harry snap out of their passionate haze.

'Harry! We've got trouble!'

It was exactly the thing Harry didn't want to hear, and he broke off the kiss abruptly. He tried not to make eye contact with Nia, but between his hasty separation and just the general fact they were linked to each other, Nia had an inkling of what was happening.

"Stay–"

"If you think I'm stayin', Potter, you have another thought comin'!"

Harry clenched his jaw. There was no time to argue, and if she didn't come with him, she'd just come without him, which was by far a worse option. He offered his hand to her which she took and they went quickly out of the room, following Ginny's Linked directions to find the other couple. Draco glared at Nia but said nothing directly, instead launching into speech.

"Ginny says she Sees them just at the edge of the Forbidden Forest–"

"And by 'them' you mean–"

"Death Eaters . . . Voldemort . . . Set. The time is now! They're attacking tonight!" Ginny whispered, looking down the knoll to the Forest then back at Hogwarts.

"Have you talked to Dumbledore . . . Jamilah . . . Sirius?" Harry asked quickly.

"Gin Linked to Jamilah, and I'm assuming the school's making proper precautions. Hopefully, the Order and other Aurors get here quickly. The Death Eaters are out on a mission!" Draco said.

Nia's hand clutched Harry's tightly and he could almost feel the rapid beat of her heart from her hand. Harry looked at her with hard green eyes. "You need to leave–"

"I'm not going anywhere," Nia said emphatically. "Give me a job out of sight or something because I'm not going back in that castle–"

"There you are mate!"

The four of them turned to see Ron and Hermione running out of the castle along with other members of Dumbledore's Army, their wands at the ready. Before Harry could ask the question, Hermione supplied the answer.

"We got out before the lockdown completed, though I think Dumbledore knew we'd come out here anyway . . ."

"What about everyone else? Where are they?" Draco asked.

"On their way to the Great Hall. Only place big enough to fit the students and capable of the strongest wards."

"That's where you need to be, Nia–"

"Oh put a sock in it, Draco! I'm out here now! And we better come up with a plan because I can feel them coming closer!"

Harry could feel it too, only it wasn't humans he could feel . . . the air around them suddenly became chilly—far too chilly for June—and dread settled in the pit of his stomach. "Oh no–!"

Suddenly two Dementors rose from the hill, flying high in the sky above them. Wasting no time, the students quickly shouted the Patronus charm, quickly doing away with the Dementors, but Harry and the others knew it would only be a matter of time before reinforcements came.

"Ginny, Hermione, and Ron, you go to the opposite side of the castle just to make sure it's not a double front. Draco, come with me. We'll meet these bastards head on–"

"And just what am I gonna do?" Nia hissed.

Harry kissed her quickly on the lips. "Stay safe and out of sight."

'You stay safe, too.' Nia said via Link and went with Ginny, Hermione, and Ron to the other side of the Castle.

"The rest of you," Harry began as he and Draco started down the hill, "you stay here. Be ready."

"Dumbledore and other reinforcements should be here shortly, anyway," Draco said flatly, not turning around to the other students. The pair didn't wait to listen for any confirmation their directives were heard—both focused solely on the Dark Army in front of them. Harry's eyes searched frantically for either Voldemort or Set, but he couldn't find either. Part of Harry thought Pettigrew was in his rat form again . . . but not even a small animal will escape his wrath. This war will end tonight, hopefully with Voldemort and Set dead at the end of it.

"Is this such a bright idea?" Draco asked, warily staring at the too still Dark Army. Dementors flew above the mass of people but did nothing, and Draco and Harry stopped a healthy distance away from the enemy. No hex or curse could travel so far as to reach them, but they were close enough that a few paces' run could get either group within striking distance.

"We are not afraid, Malfoy," Harry said, still searching the Death Eaters for either leader. Suddenly one stepped out in the crowd, and it was all Harry could do not to reel back. He knew without the other's face shown it was Bellatrix Black, "murderer" of Sirius Black, the third person in line on Harry's all-time "hate list". To add insult to injury, the vile woman pulled off her mask and smirked at them, her eyes narrowing as they drifted over her nephew.

"Traitors are especially treated with the utmost torture, my dear nephew. You should ask your precious Severus about that . . . oh, that's right, you can't!"

The others' murmured sinister laughter and Harry felt the sound crawl up his skin like spiders.

"I wouldn't worry about me, Aunty," Draco said with a slight smirk. "I'd be concerned with the fact I chose the wrong side."

Bellatrix's mirth disappeared as quickly as it came. "You little ingrate! You're a disgrace to the Black name! I am not the one who chose the wrong side—you are!"

Draco rolled his eyes and yawned, patting his hand over his mouth for good measure. "Is that all you can do? Hurl insults? Come, Aunty, show me how you put the Longbottoms in St. Mungo's for all these years–"

The curse came so quickly both were almost unable to avoid it. During their banter, Bellatrix had gotten within striking range, and if it weren't for their continuous and rigorous training, both Malfoy and Harry would've been writhing in pain from Crucio.

"Charge!" Bellatrix yelled, her wand in the air to reinforce the command. The Death Eaters roared and began to move, much too rapidly for Harry's taste, toward the Castle. The Dementors totally ignored Draco and Harry and went straight for the Castle as well. Harry didn't have much time to worry about the consequences of the move before a hex singed his robes' sleeve.

'This was not the brightest of ideas, Potter!' Draco hurled curse after hex after curse with alarming speed, the Death Eaters clearly surprised by his prowess.

And it wasn't the best idea, but they were certainly holding their own. Many of the Death Eaters bypassed them totally for the Castle, and Harry hoped this was a one-sided attack, or that Dumbledore managed to set up a defense for Hogwarts, or the Castle and all inside would be at risk. Harry was looking for Bellatrix, wanting personally to end her miserable life when a purple flash singed his sleeve, far too close for comfort.. This one-armed fighting was going to get them hexed or worse fast.

My hands, Harry thought, and used his left hand to send out a beam of green while his right used his wand to send out another curse. Their opponents froze briefly, clearly unprepared for the double attack, but Harry didn't wait to applaud his ingenuity, instead using their distraction to his benefit. Four more Death Eaters were now without weapons and Draco hastily bound and immobilized them by magic.

"Where's our backup!" Draco yelled as he ducked a particularly nasty hex. Suddenly there was a bright burst of scarlet from above and ten Death Eaters were suddenly flying through the air. The ground rumbled from the force of the attack, and a fierce gust of wind hit them. Both Draco and Harry dropped for cover as another burst of scarlet hit the ground slightly closer. There was a loud cry that forced both to cover their ears.

"What the hell–"

'Get up and fight, you two! The castle's almost breeched! Dumbledore didn't have time to ward it all!'

It was then Harry looked up to see a rather large griffon vulture, and by its pointed gaze, he knew it to be Ginny.

Draco stood and smirked. "Can we at least hitch a ride, love? Aerial attacks are so much more effective . . ."

Harry knew if the vulture could roll its eyes, it would, but when the large wing dropped down to them, he knew she granted Draco's request.

'Are the Order and Aurors there?' Harry asked.

'Yes, but they're fading fast. The Dementors are relentless, and Voldemort or Pettigrew have yet to make appearances . . . but I know they're there . . .'

Harry groaned even as he scanned the grounds. The scene below would've been pretty if it wasn't the result of hexes being thrown because of a war. Body after body fell, and Harry was slightly relieved he didn't recognize any of the fallen, but he knew that was only a matter of time.

Thunder rolled above them and dark clouds crashed together producing a damning streak of lightning that surged straight to the ground. The explosion blinded Harry briefly, but the horrific yells and screams below let him know people had been hit.

He could only hope they were wearing Death Eater masks.

'There's Dumbledore!'

Harry peered over the vulture's head and saw the usually benign headmaster standing in front of the main entrance, looking very deadly as his robes wiped about him and his eyes narrowed at the scene before him. One hand was outstretched and a purple ball of light began to form.

"I'd hate to be down there right now," Draco muttered, and when Dumbledore released the blue ball, it went straight into the crowed, more bloodcurdling yells sounding before a black cloud of smoke rose high in the sky. The Dementors were all gone and there were many black-robed bodies motionless on the ground. It seemed the side of Light was holding their own against the Death Eaters . . . and for some reason, that fact didn't sit too well with Harry. He looked over to Draco, who had his own frown on his face as he surveyed the scene below.

'This is going too well.'

Harry nodded at Draco's assessment. 'Ginny, could you land us somewhere away from the fighting. We need to regroup.'

Ginny did as told, landing them on the opposite side of the castle near the pitch, where she turned back into her human form.

"I haven't seen Voldemort or Set the entire battle," she said. "Hermione, Ron, and the other students fought off the Dementors—or as many as they could—but they are all back inside the castle because Dumbledore told them to go there . . . said they would need fighters on the inside just in case there was a breach."

"And you didn't go inside?" Draco asked.

"He didn't tell me to go inside. He told me to find you two."

"And Nia?"

Ginny shrugged. "I assume she went inside with the others, particularly because Dumbledore was right there."

"Have you tried to Link?"

"Nope, too busy finding you."

Harry ran a hand through his messy hair, the sounds of the battle making his adrenaline kick in even more. Too many things to worry about and not enough time to resolve them. He had no choice but to assume Nia was in the castle as well; she wasn't so bold to defy Dumbledore openly —no matter how anxious she was to fight.

"Let's go–"

"And do what, Potter?" Draco asked, not with irritation but with real curiosity. "It will not do well to have Gryffindor rashness at a time like this!"

"I'd resent that if it wasn't true," Ginny muttered.

Harry stared out towards the Quidditch Pitch deep in thought. He honestly didn't have a plan, but he knew they couldn't just stay here away from the battle. They needed to find Voldemort and Set quickly.

"Let's go." Harry said again, this time with a plan in mind. He began walking towards the battle, assured the other two would follow.

"It's the blind leading the blind," Draco muttered.

'We use wandless magic.' Harry said through the Link. 'I think that'll draw them out–"

'And then we do what, Potter? Wait for them to kill us?'

'No. Then we transform . . .'

What good was being Animagi and training for it if they didn't use it in battle? Ginny's vulture was more than helpful, and between Draco's and his two animals, Harry was sure they could catch Voldemort off guard.

'Which one–"

'Crocodile' Harry answered to Draco's unfinished question. 'Big teeth, thick skin and speed. All things you'll need when we go in there.'

'I should stay the vulture?'

'Yes, Ginny. Aerial attacks will be great.' He started walking then stopped, but didn't turn around to face them. 'And leave Voldemort to me.'

No one argued with him and Harry was secretly glad. None of them knew of the prophecy, and it was just as well they didn't. Explaining things he couldn't understand himself never did much to clear things up anyway. The three picked up speed the closer they reached the battle, and were not even three meters away before a curse was sent towards them. They easily deflected them before separating in different directions, all of them looking for either Set or Voldemort. Suddenly Harry heard a cry, and felt a strong gust of wind push against him. Above was Ginny, her scarlet eyes sending beam after beam into the battle. The thunder rolled again, the skies pitch black though it was afternoon.

Harry spotted Draco a few meters ahead to his left, his wand hurling curse after curse as his other hand glowed silver. He released the burst of magic, but instead of the usual explosion, a puff of smoke rose, then a purple-green burst of energy barreled towards Draco. Harry acted fast, sending his own magic beam towards it to neutralize the attack. Draco's eyes were wide and his mouth slack, and as soon as Harry turned towards the object of Draco's attention, he couldn't help but take a cautious step back either.

Voldemort, in all of his dark glory, was much taller than everyone else, and the entire battle seemed to come to a standstill. His red eyes glared down at Harry and Draco, and he grinned, pointing a finger towards them and shooting out more magic. Both dove to the ground, feeling the heat singed their clothes as the curse barely missed them. Harry rolled quickly into a standing position, hurling a useless curse to the very powerful wizard.

'What the hell?'

'I have no idea, Draco.' Harry said, running backwards warily to keep Voldemort in his sights. Harry wasn't prepared for this . . . at least expecting the other wizard to be as tall as a regular man; but even Hagrid only came to Voldemort's shoulder now . . .

Perhaps we should've transformed earlier! Harry thought with dread.

There was a scarlet beam of magic that hit Voldemort, but he merely laughed, pointing his fingers toward the source of the magic.

'Gin! Look out!'

Ginny caught the warning quickly, flying quickly out of the path of the curse and going on the opposite side of the castle. However, a blue light hit Voldemort that caused a yell of pain. Never had been Harry been so relieved to see Dumbledore than right then.

Voldemort chuckled and it made Harry's skin crawl. "You cannot defeat me old man!" He shot another burst of energy towards Dumbledore that he deflected.

"I know I can't. But I can help the one who can." Another blue light shot from Dumbledore's fists and hit Voldemort's kneecap, causing the dark giant to yelp and fall to his injured knee. Suddenly curses were being thrown every which way, and Voldemort's attention was solely on an occupied Dumbledore.

Harry knew he had to do something.

Closing his eyes, Harry concentrated on changing. He felt his head expand and tiny little hairs taking over his face. He was also growing taller . . . . so much taller that he felt he could take a step and crush people under his feet—which were actually now paws. His entire body became furry, though instead of falling on all fours like he thought he would, remained upright, his body human-like though he was now a lion—a big lion that would bring down Voldemort once and for all.

He noticed Voldemort's eyes widen slightly before that sickening grin formed on his face. "If that's the way you want it . . ."

"I want you destroyed, Voldemort," Harry growled, his voice much deeper and rough than he expected to be.

"That's too bad," Voldemort said on an evil laugh, "because the only one who'll be destroyed is you!"

The crash rattled the castle and everyone inside yelped with fear. The entire student body was inside the Great Hall, anxious over the battle that was taking place outside. The teachers were doing all they could to keep calm, but everyone could see the trepidation in their eyes. There was another clash and then a burst of light that could be seen from the high window and Nia jumped, feeling the contact shake her very bones, and her hand tightened around Goyle's.

"I should be out there," she whispered.

"You can't . . . you know you can't. Ginny told me to tell you Draco wanted me to keep you safe."

Nia gave him a mild glare. "While they're out there getting themselves killed? I don't think so!"

Goyle gave her a sad, pleading look. "Please Nia. The last thing I need is for you to go out there, too. Bad enough Draco's out there–"

The Great Hall doors opened and people flooded inside, Dumbledore braced between Draco and Shacklebolt. Professor McGonagall and Jamilah rushed towards them immediately and the other students began wailing at the sight of their Headmaster's condition.

"What's happening?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Shacklebolt seemed dazed as he shook his head slowly. "I have no idea . . ."

"Harry," Nia heard Hermione whisper, and the older girl and Ron rushed towards the doors.

"Where do you two think you're going?" Jamilah asked sharply.

"Harry–"

"Sit down!" McGonagall ordered, panic lacing the command. "Do not go out there! It is better you stay inside–"

"But Harry–"

"Is doing what needs to be done," Dumbledore rasped, sinking into the chair that was accioed towards them. "It is going as it should."

Neither Hermione nor Ron seemed to except the wizened wizard's words, and Nia couldn't, either.

Concentrate, Nia told herself, and she began to open the Link to Harry. What she saw made her gasp, and Goyle's hand tightened around hers.

"What is it?" he asked.

Nia wanted to answer, but couldn't find her voice. She saw a dark giant and a giant lion, both in the heat of battle. There were no curses being thrown anymore; it was an out and out brawl. It seemed the dark giant had the upper hand, his knee pressing into the lion's stomach and the lion letting out a roar of pain.

'Get up, Harry!'

'Nia?'

'Get up!'

There was another roar, one that could be heard inside the castle and a crash of lightning.

"What was that?" one student asked.

Nia couldn't help but chuckle at that. If only they knew . . .

"Have either of you seen Ginny?" Draco asked as he came towards them.

"Have you tried Linking with her?" Nia asked in return.

"I've been a bit preoccupied, but I'll do that now–"

But there was no need, because Ginny burst inside the room, her eyes darting around wildly until they fell on Draco. Nia saw the girl's body sag with relief before she went to Dumbledore and began whispering something to him. Dumbledore's eyes closed slowly and McGonagall put her hand to her mouth. Jamilah looked like she wanted to argue, but instead dropped her head and waved Ginny away.

Whatever was said was clearly not good.

"I don't like this," Draco said, watching his girlfriend come to them with anxious eyes.

But Ginny went straight towards Nia, and she straightened her back to keep from collapsing in fear. "Yes?"

Ginny's eyes were as flat as her voice. "We need you."

Finally, the opportunity to fight, and Nia was at a loss of what to do. What about everyone—including the gods—telling her she wasn't ready to fight? Had they been wrong all this time and now it's too late? Nia linked with Harry again, and almost screamed aloud. Harry wasn't a lion anymore, but a boy who wasn't even wearing his glasses. Voldemort was still huge, and the Death Eaters were crowded all around him. It seemed Voldemort wasn't even going to waste magic in killing Harry; he was going to do it the old-fashioned way . . . the Muggle way.

"Fuck."

Nia ignored everyone's shouts of "what's going on?" but instead followed Ginny quickly out of the Great Hall. They didn't turn towards the outside as Nia expected, but went towards The Room where the gods were already animated and ready with their directives.

"Go to the pyramid now, Nia," Aset ordered.

Nia did not waste any time, going immediately towards the multi-colored shape. It was smaller than the last time she saw it . . . when Snape's broken body was revealed to them. Nia was a bit wary of it once again.

"Touch it."

It was Apedemak that time, and when she touched it, the color of the pyramid became gold and green.

"Link and focus," Asar commanded. "Link with Harry . . ."

She did, biting her lip to keep from screaming at what she saw. He was kneeling, glaring at Voldemort even as he looked at him with red eyes glowing triumphantly.

"Tell him to stand," Asar said.

'I can't!' Harry sent through the Link. It was obvious his leg was injured because he braced himself against the ground.

"He says he can't!" Nia said urgently. Nia glanced at Ginny who shrugged helplessly.

"Help him," Nebt-het said kindly.

"How?"

"Deep inside, Nia," Aset said. "From deep inside."

Nia tried to concentrate, Linking back with Harry and the scene he faced. He seemed so tired . . . so weary . . . that was unacceptable.

'Don't you quit on me now, Potter!'

She saw Harry shake his head and close his eyes, expelling a deep breath. 'It's over, Nia . . . he won . . .'

'How can you say that? How can you think it?'

'He's snapped my wand . . . I don't have the energy to use wandless magic . . . and the minute I try something, there are at least one hundred Death Eaters who would enjoy the opportunity to kill me–'

'Add me to the list if you think I'm going to let you give up!'

Harry sighed again and shook his head. 'I don't know what to do!'

'Stand up, Harry.'

'He's broken my leg!'

'Stand up, Harry.' Nia said, standing up straighter herself. 'I will help you.'

Nia re-situated her hands on the gold side of the pyramid and began to focus. She felt the magic within her begin to flow, a heavy tingling sensation that concentrated at the flat of her palms. Her hands began to glow gold, adding to the light the pyramid's side emitted. She closed her eyes.

'Stand up.'

She saw Harry struggle , collapsing to all fours, and the circle nearly rolled with laughter. Voldemort's grin widened even more and Nia's stomach rolled at the sight. Harry grunted and scowled at his adversary.

'Forget about them, Harry . . . just stand up.'

Harry turned his eyes to the ground and began to push. The laughter began to subside and the circle watched Harry with astounded eyes as he stood. His legs were wobbly, and he was slightly hunched, but Harry was standing, and it was a refreshing sight to see.

"He's up!" Nia announced.

"Good," Apedemak said, his voice almost devoid of emotion. "Now destroy him. Destroy Thanatos!"

As much as Nia wanted to turn her attention to the gods and ask them how to go about it, she didn't dare break her Link with Harry. Going purely on instinct, she moved her hands to opposite sides of the pyramid—one on a green side and one on a gold side—and took a very deep breath.

'Kill him.'

'I barely have the energy to stand, Nia!'

'I will help you . . . I love you . . . close your eyes.'

Through the Link, Nia could see everyone in the circle, including Voldemort, captivated by the boy inside it. None of them could attack because they had no idea what he was doing, and curiosity had overtaken their desire for destruction. Voldemort's eyes narrowed, staring at his enemy in confusion.

It was the opening they needed.

Nia began to chant, feeling her magic mix and redirect itself from her palms to her head. She closed her eyes, almost becoming woozy from the entire process.

"wjn pecoou . . wjn Thanatos . . . wjn pecoou . . wjn Thanatos . . ."#

Harry began chanting it, and a dark cloud formed over his head. Some members of the circle began to step back, others brandished their wands, but none of them could do anything to stop what was about to happen. Even Voldemort sensed it, shaking his head and shouting "No!" towards the boy.

Yeah right! Nia thought, going closer to the pyramid and setting her face directly over the pyramid's point.

'Open your eyes, Harry. Now!'

It was quick. The green and gold beams shot from her eyes, and through the Link was able to see the mixed magic burst from Harry's eyes straight into Thanatos's black heart. Voldemort screamed, an earsplitting sound that had everyone drop to their knees, right before exploding into thousands of black pieces that turned into ash the minute they hit the ground.

Suddenly, the ground opened up right below the ashes and everything fell into the gaping hole—including some Death Eaters who were close to Voldemort at the time. Their screams of terror did little to ease Nia's distress, and she gripped the pyramid tightly.

Neither did the sudden end to her Link with Harry.

"Something's wrong!" Nia said in between harsh breaths. She felt as if she'd just run a marathon, and her legs felt like jelly.

"I was afraid this would happen–"

"What would happen," Ginny asked quickly. "Asar, what happened?"

Nebt-het took a deep breath, and it made Nia more nervous. "By doing this, we left Harry vulnerable to Set . . . once he destroyed Thanatos, Pettigrew would be able to strike–"

"No . . ." Nia breathed, dread creeping through her as she righted herself on her legs.

"There's a chance Pettigrew attacked amid all the chaos," Asar continued, his voice somber. "It was a risk we had to take."

"None of this makes any sense!" Ginny exclaimed. "You sacrificed Harry for Thanatos? What about Set? Isn't he the more dangerous of the two anyway?"

"Harry was the only one who could destroy Thanatos," Nebt-het began to explain.

"Then who's going to destroy Set?" Ginny demanded, then her eyes went wide and she gasped. "No! Not Draco–"

"Ginny–"

Nia couldn't take anymore, drawing upon all the energy she could muster and began running out of The Room. She had to find Harry . . . had to get to him before it was too late . . . but she didn't think she was going fast enough. Nia visualized Harry where he was, hands over his ears and body in a kneeled position—

The air was acrid with the stench of death and hatred, the curses of the war making her skin crawl. Nia looked around in confused awe, wondering how she got here when not a moment before she was running down the stairs from The Room. Everything was still and smoky; she could barely see three feet in front of her, and if it weren't for the sudden breeze that lifted the smoke, she would've never seen him there, on his side and too immobile for comfort.

Nia didn't dare cry out, not knowing if there were stray Death Eaters about, and ran quickly towards Harry's prone body. She turned him over to his back, placing the back of her hand over his mouth and nose, and was relieved to feel breath.

"Okay, Harry, you gotta wake up, now!" Nia pleaded, shaking his body urgently. He wasn't listening, and she could tell he was struggling for breath. Nia sat down completely on the ground and cradled his head in her lap.

"Don't you dare!" Nia said, slapping his cheeks lightly. "Don't you dare die on me, now! Don't you do it! I won't lose you, too!"

Harry opened his eyes slowly and gave a small, pained smile. His left eye was turning black and didn't open all the way. His breath was thin and forced.

"Nia," he rasped, coughing a little as if the one sound took all the energy out of him.

Nia grasped his hand, kissing the back of it forcefully. "Stay with me, okay? Stay with me Harry . . ."

There was something about him that was different . . . . like there was peace. "I'm all right now, Nia. Everything will be fine now . . ."

"Yes. Dumbledore's gonna come out here, and Ginny'll fix you up real good–"

"I love you, Nia," Harry said with a faint smile, his thumb brushing her lower lip. His smile widened just a little bit before he closed his eyes and went slack in her arms.

Nia refused to panic, instead gathering him more closely and focusing on the Great Hall.

The stench of death and war was gone, and Nia barely registered the shocked gasps of the other students. Her attention wasn't focused on them, it was on the boy she held in her arms, a boy who seemed to have grown heavier since they were outside.

Nia used the cuff of her sleeve to wipe the dirt off his face, not even flinching when she felt Dumbledore's hand on her shoulder.

"Nia," he began calmly.

"Help him, Grandpa," Nia whispered, wiping the dirt from Harry's scar before meeting Dumbledore's blue eyes with hers. "Help him."

The translation for this is, "Destroy evil . . . destroy Thanatos."