CHAPTER NINE – A VERY LONG NIGHT

Hermione had been crying for over an hour when she heard the portrait hole swung open and then heard someone running and murmuring something. Suddenly, the lights came on and Hermione gasped. She turned around to face a very concerned Professor McGonagall.

"Professor, is everything okay?" Hermione asked, standing up and wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"Miss Granger you must wake up Mr. Potter and take him to my office," said McGonagall quickly. "And also the Weasleys, yes, yes, you must all come to my office immediately."

"But Professor what's wrong?"

"There is no time now. I will explain everything later." And with that, McGonagall left.

Hermione didn't have to think twice. She had to wake Harry, Ron and Ginny.

When she entered the boys' room, she stopped. She couldn't talk to Ron! Hermione reached Harry's bed and pulled his curtains. But as she was about to say his name, someone spoke behind her.

"Hermione?"

She turned and saw Ron had pulled his curtains too and he was sitting on his bed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I… McGonagall wants to see us. She told me to wake you two up and… and Ginny too. We have to go to her office," she said feeling awkward.

Ron looked as if he didn't believe her. He raised an eyebrow at her and glanced at the clock in his night table. "At 2:23 in the morning?"

"Ron I don't know, she just told me to wake you up and go to her office. She seemed worried. And I think she said that there was no time or something like that."

Hermione turned around and shook Harry. He rolled on his side and groaned.

"Harry! Wake up!" Hermione said, still shaking him.

"What?" Harry asked, not moving.

"McGonagall wants to see us! She told me to wake you up. We have to go to her office."

Harry quickly turned to face Hermione and sat up on his bed. He grabbed his glasses and put them on. He looked at the clock and frowned. "Did she say about what?"

"No… she seemed nervous though," Hermione said. "I'd better go wake up Ginny. I'll see you in the Common Room."

Hermione stood up quickly and went to her room to wake up Ginny. She sat on the edge of the redheaded's bed. She'd be hard to wake up. Ginny slept like a rock. Hermione started to shake her and repeated her name many times.

"Come on Ginny!" she said a little too loud. "You have to get up!"

Ginny turned to face Hermione and barely opened her eyes. "What?" she asked, yawning.

"Come on we have to meet McGonagall," Hermione said. "Ginny! Get up!"

"Ok, ok. I'm awake," said Ginny but closed her eyes. "I'll be right there."

"No! Ginny! I mean it! You have to get up now!" Hermione said. When she got no answer from her friend, she shook her again, a little faster this time. "Ginny!"

Ginny slowly lifted her head and then rested it on her elbows. "Fine!" she said, yawning again. "What did you say? McGonagall wants to do what? What time is it?" Ginny looked at the clock beside her bed and frowned. "Oh Hermione I'm gonna kill you! It's 2:30 in the morning!"

"I'm sorry Ginny; I just did what McGonagall told me."

"Well it better be something good," she said as she stood up. She stretched and went to her wardrobe.

"I don't really think it's something good Ginny. I mean, if it was then it could've had waited till the morning, right?"

"Will you two shut your mouths? We're trying to sleep!" Lavender's voice said from the bed next to Ginny's.

"Sorry," mumbled Hermione. "Come on Ginny, let's go."

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"Hermione what did McGonagall say?" asked Harry as the four of them climbed out of the portrait hole.

"She just told me to wake you up and that the four of us had to go to her office," she said, "immediately. Oh and she also told me that there was no time to lose."

"What do you think it its?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know," Hermione said. "Maybe something with the Order?"

"Yeah maybe that's it," Harry said.

They didn't talk again while they were walking. When they reached McGonagall's office, Ron knocked and they were told to come in.

There were three people in the room: McGonagall, Snape, and to everyone's surprise, Lupin.

"Oh good, you're all here," said McGonagall looking at the four of them.

Snape was looking out the window, and Lupin looked worse than ever. He was pale and thin. When he saw who McGonagall was referring to, he didn't welcome them with a smile, as he usually did, but merely nodded.

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny looked at the scene in front of them and couldn't help to wonder what was so wrong that made the three adults there look so worried.

"Professor what's wrong?" asked Harry. He couldn't stand it anymore.

"I… well… we had to ask you something. The f-four of you," she said pointing at each of them with her wand. Her wand was shaking. "Professor Dumbledore said so before he left. I-I'm guessing because… you… well… you're the only students that know about the Order and–"

"Just ask them Minerva," interrupted Snape's voice from the window.

McGonagall took a deep breath and looked Snape. "It's not that easy Severus."

"Oh is it?" said Snape, turning to face McGonagall. "It's just a simple question."

"That involves many things," added McGonagall.

"You don't have to do it," said Lupin suddenly.

Harry turned to look at him and found his eyes. There was something there that Harry couldn't figure out what it was.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to do it," said Lupin.

"Do what?" asked Harry. "Why don't you tell us what's going on?"

"It's started," said McGonagall, almost whispering. "What we, the members of the Order, have been dreading for so long. V-Voldemort has… a Deatheater… they've… k-kidnapped Fudge."

There was silence in the office for a moment. Then, Harry spoke.

"Then what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be looking for him or… at least trying?" he said.

"We… we're fighting him, most members of the Order are," said McGonagall. "But we had to ask you if… if you'll… j-join us in the b-battle."

Harry didn't think twice, "Of course!" he said.

Ron looked livid, but woke up from his thoughts as soon as he heard his best friend. "Yeah I'll… I'll g-go too."

"We are all going!" said Ginny. "We're together in this!"

"Gin but–"

"No buts Ron, I'm going. Hermione?" said Ginny looking at Hermione, who looked as it someone had just died.

"Ye-yeah… of course I'll go…" she said. Hermione looked around and then found Ron's eyes. She held them for a moment and then looked away when she felt tears in her eyes.

"We… we have to go now," said McGonagall. "We're going to use a portkey. Come here p-please." She was holding up a very big tire.

Everyone gathered around McGonagall. Snape and Lupin put their hands on the tire and waited for the others to do the same. Harry did it, and Ginny, followed by Ron. Hermione raised a shaking hand and put it on the tire too.

"Everyone's holding tight?" asked Lupin. There were whispered 'yeah's and several nods.

Snape murmured something and Hermione felt the sensation of being pulled from the ground and of spinning. But a second before the portkey was activated, she felt Ron's free hand grabbing hers. She wasn't going to let go, not now that they were going to fight Voldemort.

When they touched the ground, Hermione opened her eyes and was relieved the portkey hadn't taken them directly to the fight. She looked up and in the distance, she saw different colors of light illuminating the sky.

"Come on, quickly," said McGonagall. "This way… we're walking now."

"Why can't we Apparate?" asked Ron, still holding Hermione's hand.

"Because it would be too dangerous," said Lupin. "We have to go, come on."

They all followed McGonagall, Lupin was walking with them and Snape was in the back. They were going to where the lights where.

With each step, they could hear more clearly what was going on: people screaming curses, screaming in pain and in anger. It was horrible to listen to that, but still, they kept going.

Before they started to climb a little hill, McGonagall turned to tell them something. "If anything happens to any of us, or someone from the Order, do not stop fighting, as much as it pains me to say this, but you must always be alert," she said. "Let's go."

When they reached the top of the hill, they saw wizards and witches fighting and screaming. There were also some of them lying on the ground. Hermione gasped at the horrible sight and covered her mouth with both hands. What was wrong with the world? Why was there a necessity to fight? But of course all this questions were answered by one word: Voldemort.

Suddenly, a red light came directly to where they were standing and missed Ginny by inches.

They all turned to see who the attacker had been, and saw Bellatrix Lestrange smirking at them.

Harry pointed his wand at her and yelled a curse, he went running down the hill, but before he reached Bellatrix, she had hit him with another curse. Harry fell to the ground and started shaking.

"Harry!" yelled Ginny, starting to cry. She was about to run to Harry's side when Lupin held her.

"No Ginny, we must not interfere," he said.

"But he… Harry…" Ginny said frantically. "Look at him! You have to do something!"

"Imagine if we'd stop fighting to help every member of the Order," said Lupin, holding Ginny's shoulder. "In the end we'd all get hurt."

"N-no, b-but… p-please… Ha-Harry…" said Ginny whispering.

But by then, Harry had stood up and the effect of the curse had worn off. He was fighting Bellatrix, sending curses and at the same time trying to avoid them, he didn't care if something bad happened to him, he just wanted to hurt Bellatrix. She was the one responsible for Sirius' death.

Snape had gone down the hill and was fighting someone in the distance.

"Hey! Mudblood!" someone yelled at Hermione. She turned and saw Lucius Malfoy standing with his wand pointing at her. He murmured something and Hermione saw a yellow light coming to her. When it hit her, she felt all the blood rush to her head and felt too dizzy to stay like that. She fell to the ground and the last thing she saw was Ron running over to her side, calling her name.

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