A/N: Happy Boxing Day to you all. I hope the Christmas holidays have been pleasant for you so far and that you have received many gifts. I'd like to add to that and give you a new chapter. We come very close to the end of this tale, so enjoy yourselves now…
Chapter 37 – "You Can't Stop Me"
"Do you think it's right to come from the greenhouses to avoid being seen?" Neville Longbottom panted. He would never admit it, but their flight down the not only moving but also now shaking staircases had tired him out. However, his determination to get to the fight was far greater than his fear or exhaustion.
He had a score to settle, and if now was the time to take revenge and die, then so be it. Therefore he had been the first out of the portrait hole after Uranos McGonagall had blasted into the common room. The shocked screams of his fellow Gryffindors had not fazed him.
Having grown up in the wizarding world, it had not surprised him that being an heir of Gryffindor, the old man could actually enter certain parts of Hogwarts via floo powder. After all, being a member of one of the oldest and most powerful families of the magic community had to account for something.
Mr. McGonagall had seemed rather surprised to have gotten into the castle so easily. Perhaps that had been the reason for his silence. However, he didn't need to make any comment about the situation, the students knew already what was going on. When he disappeared from the hearth again, they had stared at each other for a second and then madly dashed out of the common room..
After an inexplicably long time, dodging teachers as well as mad furniture and castle structures, they had finally made it down to a corner of the lawn, using the greenhouses to hide.
The scene unfolding before their eyes did not calm their racing hearts.
In the center of the lawn the teaching staff battled against a group of Death Eaters. And it was quite obvious that – even though they were by far the better duellers – they had the decisive disadvantage in numbers. And with every falling teacher this deficiency grew.
"Is that Professor McGonagall over there?" Harry whispered, pointing to the raven-haired woman who had just joined the ranks of the teachers.
"No, I think it must be her sister, if she has one." Hermione whispered back.
"Yeah," Neville added, "And two of her brothers as well."
"The cavalry is here." Ginny breathed delightedly.
"Only that this could be the turn for the worse." Ron put in. "The Death Eaters are aiming especially for them."
Indeed, the strategist in Ron had caught onto the fact that the followers of the Dark Lord were trying to single out the McGonagall siblings. The three of them found themselves dealing with a lot more spells directed at them than any other in their group.
The teachers however, recognised those tactics and closed ranks around the new arrivals, effectively protecting them now.
Unfortunately, shielding others and fighting against their enemies at the same time was too much of a task. While the Dark fighters increased the number and strength of their curses, the teachers threw fewer and fewer. The situation became desperate. Already, a third of their professors had fallen.
Suddenly, Neville gasped and pointed to the rim of the Forbidden Forest. From there another four people came running across the lawn and if the easily visible black hair was not a dead giveaway, he didn't know what was.
Breathlessly, the five students watched the group crossing the distance to the fighting staff. Surly enough, soon the hooded fighters for the Dark discovered them and tried to get their hits in on such easy targets. However, their tactic was outdone by a quick regrouping which effectively shielded the newcomers. They made it into the relative safety of the larger group unharmed. From their vantage point, the teenagers saw them having a short discussion, which was clearly marked by Professor McGonagall's impatient posture.
However, the discussion seemed to have been resolved swiftly, for the siblings formed a circle holding hands. From their position, the students were of course unable to hear any of words spoken, but their effect became visible almost immediately.
"Wow, so that's why the Gryffindor colors are scarlet and gold." Ginny breathed.
The others stared right along with her. Shortly after the McGonagall siblings had started whichever spell they were using, small waves were emanating from their bodies and started to float together. Four golden columns started to intermingle with two scarlet columns, creating an intricate web that expanded and moved, first encompassing the siblings, then their protectors and finally moving in between the Dark Lord and the castle. When it began to surround the castle as well, the children in the shadow of the greenhouse could feel its warmth and strength too.
Neville couldn't help but release a pleased sigh. He had never felt anything like this. This felt like love and support pressed into something like a warm blanket. It was an almost giddy feeling of optimism and security.
"It's wonderful." Hermione sighed as well.
Surprisingly, Ron agreed. "It really is."
Harry, however, seemed to be more occupied with other matters. "The castle has stopped shaking." He said, and pointed to the looming structure that was suddenly no longer making tortured noises.
"Yes!" Ron cheered, but his expression of joy was cut short when from the corner of his eyes he all of a sudden saw a very familiar green light streak across the lawn.
Somebody had used the killing curse. And from the immediate disappearance of the warm protective halo, it was clear that the victim was a McGonagall.
The circle-spell was broken. Melina could feel it before she even had to check. Seconds later she saw that the spell was re-enacted, however at a much weaker level. And glancing at the halo, she could see that one of the scarlet streaks was missing.
Her heart stopped for a second. But despite this she kept on casting spells.
This time, the halo moved much quicker in front of the castle. It was weaker, but it was much more focussed this time. With seemingly a final amount of strength, her family strengthened the spell to break Voldemort's curse completely.
In Melina's mind the tension was close to the breaking point. But then she heard the voice of her father, intermixed with those of his brothers and one female voice: "Finite Incantatem!"
With a bang the halo exploded, leaving utter silence in its wake.
Melina risked a glance towards the castle and saw – to her utter delight – that the shaking had stopped once again and apparently for good. Checking on her relatives, she spotted them all down on their knees from utter exhaustion.
Looking up again, she could distinguish a tall figure with silver hair and beard actually running across the lawn from the castle. If the situation had not been so dire, she would have actually laughed. When was the last time somebody had actually seen Albus Dumbledore running?
However, her mirth lasted only that long. Dumbledore? On the battlefield? Was that a good or a bad sign? And how had he gotten here actually?
All those musings were quickly thrown aside as the man did not approach either group of fighters, but went directly for the Dark Lord.
Melina never had the time to even wonder about it, for at the same moment from somewhere from the side she caught a glimpse of some figures in school uniforms running onto the battlefield. All of a sudden her father was by her side, looking rather careworn, but with a determination on his face that made his daughter actually fearful.
She tried to discern where everybody was, and could see her uncle Dion and one of her twin uncles joining the fight as well, but her search was stopped short when she realized that the Dark Lord had finally stopped his attacks on the castle and had turned towards the fighting teachers.
Quickly checking, it was no surprise to see who this foul creature had singled out, and yet it was surprising. The Dark Lord's aim at the witch in those typical tartan robes was painfully obvious. She already stood slightly apart from the group that could offer her some sort of security, and the distance seemed to grow by the second. Voldemort already raised his wand to perform some sort of a fatal spell when Dumbledore from one side and two teenage boys from the other side stepped in between those two people.
Minerva didn't seem to be surprised; the Dark Lord however, was. Melina was desperate to see what was about to come, but at that exact moment the fight grew much fiercer again and she was forced to put her attention onto the task at hand.
Dumbledore never wasted a thought on danger or any consequences, when he ran across the lawn; he just knew that he had to get in between Minerva and Voldemort. While still inside the castle, he had felt the power of the circle spell encompassing the tormented walls, giving the castle and its inhabitants a feeling of utter warmth and safety.
When he had reached the battlefield this feeling of warmth and security had left immediately. The horror was only about to start, for the McGonagall siblings had all collapsed to the ground, save for Minerva who was still slowly walking away from the group.
Albus never questioned what he did next. It was Minerva, his Minerva who stood alone on this cold snowy lawn outside Hogwarts castle and was facing the Dark Lord on her own. His Minerva who had refused to join Tom Riddle a long time ago. His Minerva whose powers were about to be revealed. His Minerva who was now on top of Voldemort's death list, even higher than Harry Potter. His Minerva to whom he still had his mistakes to make up to. He couldn't let her die. Not when he still needed a lifetime to apologize to her, to love her and adore her, to shower her with affection.
He could not let her die.
So he jumped in front of her. "You will not harm her, Tom!" he shouted in a surprisingly calm voice.
The Dark Lord didn't even take notice of him. Neither did he notice the two teenage boys who had stepped up and placed themselves in front of Minerva as well.
"You won't harm her! I won't give you a chance to do it! You'll have to kill me first!" Harry Potter yelled. Next to him, Neville Longbottom stood with his wand drawn. His hand was shaking, his lips quivering and he didn't get a word out, but his face was set in grim determination.
Albus spared a glance at the boys. They quickly looked at him as well, before fastening their gaze on Voldemort again.
The Dark Lord never acknowledged them. He was totally fixed on Minerva.
The three would-be heroes were rather confused. Why did nothing happen? Why was no spell directed at them – neither from Voldemort nor from any of his supporters?
Suddenly, a shout and a force came from a direction none of the three had ever expected.
"Stupefy!" Minerva yelled.
Completely unprepared, the three men collapsed onto the ground. At this sight Voldemort started to laugh. His face contorted into a caricature of a smile. "Finally you have seen reason my dear? Finally you are disposing of this that hampers us?"
"I don't think so." Came Minerva's slow reply. Still, she kept slowly moving forward as if not completely on her own power. Slowly, but inexorably, she came closer to the Dark Lord.
Xiomara risked a quick glance to the side and felt her blood freeze at the scene. However, when the blast of a Crucicatus curse came flying her way, she had no more time to follow the drama.
Not only Madame Hooch, but also some Death Eaters saw McGonagall's approach towards their master and must have felt it to be threatening, for at once McNair as well as Nott directed an Unforgivable Curse at Minerva.
The spells went off in her direction, but they never reached her. Instead, the screams of pain were heard from the group of teachers. For a fleeting moment Minerva could even discern one of her twin brothers as the one to scream.
"You will not harm her!" Voldemort bellowed at his supporters. "I will not have it!" To prove his point he himself put a curse on McNair and Nott who fell to the ground immediately. "She is to be mine!"
"I don't think so, Tom." Minerva repeated, coming to a stop just behind the heap of three bodies on the ground.
"And why not, my dear?"
She didn't answer. But the Dark Lord could see her gaze flicker to the ground. To those three bodies: Longbottom, Potter and Dumbledore.
In a flash, he pointed his wand towards them and started to speak: "Avada Kedav…"
But the second he opened his mouth to deliver the fatal curse, the woman opposing him had thrown herself onto those three bodies and uttered a spell of her own: "Aegidium Protego!"
Well, I have tried to brighten your holidays with a new chapter…Please, warm mine as well and review. It is a battle scene and I'm soo bad at writing those. Thank you.