Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter or its associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N): This is probably one of my favorite chapter titles.

Chapter 32

The Ides of March

The first week of March faded away and the school held its breath. Not just the students and the teachers, but the castle itself seemed to pause, waiting for what might come. News of Pansy Parkinson's arrival and subsequent confinement had taken far longer to pass through the school than most would have expected. It was Monday morning by the before Harry had got the first student questioning him if it was true. He confirmed her presence but steadfastly refused to add more information. There was something of an aura of mystery about the room that always now had a guard and more than one student had been given detention for getting too close.

Pansy herself had not even tried to open the door, much less escape. She seemed resigned to sit and stare out the window at the Black Lake and the Dark Forest, awaiting either her death for betrayal or execution for being a Death Eater. The one time Harry had stopped by to see her, he felt and of sense of déjà vu in seeing the same sunken resigned look that reminded him strongly of Sirius while he had been all but a prisoner in his own house. She had given up and there was next to nothing that could bring her back.

It was memories of Sirius that brought him to his trunk where he now knelt in the otherwise empty bedroom, sifting through the memories of his life. Reaching the bottom of the trunk he found part of his wardrobe that he hadn't been able to wear yet this year. With a flourish he pulled out the outermost of his Quiddich robes and stood, holding the gold edged crimson fabric before him. Staring at is a moment he flipped it around his shoulders and let it settle over his frame. They still fit rather well after a year without use. A smile brought on by memories crossed his lips as his fingers traced the house logo over his heart.

Kneeling back down he dug a little more and found the rest of the uniform. Setting the usual inner layers aside, he pulled out the few guards he wore on the field. Rolling back the left sleeve of his white uniform shirt back reveled the strapped on leather sheath for his wand that had been his constant companion nearly all year. Keystone had handed them out a couple weeks into fall term and it had become second nature to wear it. Slipping on the left glove, which had the fingers cut off just after the second knuckle, he fastened the straps on the attached forearm guards around his wrist and elbow, sliding it into place nicely around his wand. Rolling back his other sleeve he strapped on the matching glove and guard. Bracing his feet in turn against the edge of the bed, he strapped on the shin guards that covered the lower half of his legs up to his knees.

Standing still and closing his eyes, he could almost feel the wind, hear the roar of the crowd, see the snitch flitting this way and that in its attempt to evade capture. His team swirled around him, chasers tearing back and forth across the field led by Ginny's furious dashes and swerves. The few shots the other team got were saved effortlessly by Ron as he seemed to know where the quaffle was going before it was thrown. Bludgers constantly assaulted the other team, being used like guided missiles by the Gryffindor beaters. Some how in the clamor he could hear Hermione cheering for every save Ron made by the tips of his fingers. There! The snitch! He shot off on his Firebolt, rolling, twisting, dodging the other seeker. Just a few more inches… He reached out to grab it…

"Good to see I'm not the only one missing Quiddich right now." His eyes popped open as he whirled around, his robes whipping about him as he did so. Knowing the voice before he turned, his hand never approached his wand as his eyes fell on Ginny, also dressed in her Quiddich uniform. Hers apparently also fit from the previous year. He spent a moment just staring at her and wondering how she must have looked after taking over as seeker last year. His gaze finally trailed back up and met hers, both of them smiling when it did.

"Yeah…lot of good memories there."

"A lot of trips to Madam Pomfrey too." It was true. Other than his battles against Voldemort, Quiddich was the leading cause of bed rest for Harry Potter. He chuckled a little at that. Though a Quiddich injury had caused one of the most painful nights of his life, through Professor Lockhart's idiotic interference, he wouldn't trade a single game to have avoided it.

"Yeah. So…looks like we're both all dressed up with no place to go."

"Well…not exactly. There is one thing we could do." A hundred ideas ran through his mind in an instant, none of them matching what she said. "I got these for Hermione and I was hoping you would help me deliver them." Harry just then noticed the rather large brown paper bundle in her arms as she lifted it a few inches. He stared a moment, not entirely sure what to make of it.

"It's a…what is it?"

"Gryffindor Quiddich robes." He blinked, for a moment at a loss for words.

"Uh…what?"

"I got Hermione a set of Quiddich robes." There must be a fundamental point here somewhere that he was failing to grasp. Perhaps this would make sense after several shots of Firewhiskey, but right now…

"I…huh? Quiddich has been canceled, and even if there was s season, Hermione hates to fly, much less play."

"Well…they're not for Quiddich." Yeah…that made things lots clearer. "I was thinking…she's the only one of the four of us that doesn't play…so she doesn't have a uniform." Yeah…and? Harry gestured for her to continue, still not sure what she was getting at. "For when we fight. We, the three of you especially, are going to be in charge of our side. It's only fitting we have some sort of uniform so people can see us." The idea struck Harry like a thunderbolt. He had never considered the fact people would be looking to them while the battle was going on. It made a certain amount of sense to be highly visible to their allies…but…

"Yeah…and the Death Eaters can pick us out."

"Harry…they're going to be targeting us no matter what we wear. At least this way we look halfway appropriate. Besides…you look good in them." He smiled a little and bounced his eyebrows a couple times.

"Well…who am I to argue with that? Off to Hermione's room then?"

"Yep." With a gesture for her to lead, he followed her out after double checking everything critical had made it to his current apparel. They got more than one confused look as they marched happily down the halls, for all the world looking like they were headed out to the pitch. Harry enjoyed the walk, glad to have a chance to air out his gear for the first time in months. Striding lightly up to the portrait hole, they entered Ron and Hermione's room to find her alone, curled up on he couch with the ancient copy of Hogwarts: A History that Dumbledore had bequeathed her.

She looked over the top of the book and blinked several times, obviously wondering if she was hallucinating. When they didn't go away or change attire, she stuck a bookmark in to keep her place, closed the volume and set it slowly down on the table, still clearly unsure what to make of them. Meanwhile they took seats on the other couch and Ginny set the package on the table. Hermione looked over them one more time, still not sure this wasn't an elaborate joke. Though surprised, confused and not entirely sure she wasn't hallucinating, she was as logical as ever. "Why are you two dressed in Quiddich robes?"

"We were feeling sentimental." He nodded toward the book. "Same reason you're reading a book you've memorized. Anyway, Ginny got you something." Hermione glanced down at the package as Ginny slid it across the table. Uncurling her legs, she leaned forward and pulled the package closer. Upon feeling its soft squishiness, she glanced back up at Ginny.

"Go on…open it." Hermione did so, carefully peeling back the layers of paper. As the crimson and gold was revealed, she paused for a moment and glanced back up at them. They were both smiling, wide eyed. Curiosity got the best of her and she removed the last bits of wrapping. Revealing the top of the package, she stood and took hold of the fabric, raising it slowly to unfold the robe. When it had unfurled, she looked it over and then at them. They both wore uncharacteristically polite smiles and waited for her reaction.

"Uh…thanks?" She looked back to the robes and the guards that had been packed underneath. She was still unsure exactly how to take the gift and what she should say. "This is…a really nice gift. I…don't know what to say." After another few moments of their infuriatingly polite smiles, she broke down. "Okay…what's going on? I don't play Quiddich, I don't even like to fly! So if this is your idea of some demented joke…" Harry glanced to Ginny to let her explain.

"No joke. I thought the four of us could use some sort of uniform for the battle and since the three of us already had Quiddich robes…" Hermione was rendered speechless for a moment at the idea. Ginny took the opportunity to collect Hermione in one hand, the rest of the uniform in the other and hustle it all into her room. "Come on, let's see how they fit!"

Harry could only watch bemused as the Hermione was hustled into her room, still speechless. He kicked back on the couch and propped his feet up on the table. Glancing at the book Hermione had been reading, he seriously considered picking it up and perusing the tome. After a minute he dismissed the idea and set his gaze instead on the small fire giving warmth to a room still chilled by the second week of March. After a few minutes he heard the portrait swing open and Ron strode in, dumping and armload of his brothers' confiscated products in a bin near the table. Turning back, he found Harry sitting on the couch.

"Hey…what you doing here? And why are you wearing those robes?" He cocked a red eyebrow as he looked over the uniform.

"Ginny had something for Hermione. I was checking to see if they still fit when I got roped into coming along."

"Oh…what did she get her?"

"Well…I'll say I was surprised. She thought we needed uniforms for when Voldemort attacks so everyone can see us." Ron considered it for a moment before nodding in half hearted agreement.

"Okay. And?"

"Well…" At that moment, the girls reappeared from Hermione's room, with her still adjusting the robes. She had tied her hair back for the moment and was fiddling with the arm guard, trying to get it to a somewhat comfortable position.

"They're the right size, it just feels weird…" She trailed off as she found Ron had arrived. He was wide eyed and staring at her. Harry could see Ron's eye twitching a little at seeing the girl he loved dressed in Quiddich robes. There was a time when nothing had approached his love for Quiddich, but now Hermione had edged it out for the top spot and was building a lead. The combination of his two great loves appeared to be short circuiting his brain. His mouth moved silently as he stared, unable to do anything else. Seeing his reaction, Hermione turned to Ginny. "Thank you. They're perfect."

"No problem." Ginny turned to find Harry barely containing a whole set of insane laughs and jerked her head toward the door. He nodded and rose, slipping out with her and leaving Ron alone with his twitch. Managing to get a little way down the hall, Harry finally exploded into fits and was joined a moment later by Ginny.

It took several minutes for them to laugh themselves out, unshed tears being squeezed from each eye. Harry leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath. "I think…you might…have given him…a heart attack."

"Hermione'll fix it. You're right though…I didn't really think about how Ron might react when I bought them." Harry still had a smile on his face when a thought occurred to him that caught his curiosity.

"Ginny…how did you afford a set of robes?" She swallowed a little harder than normal and struck a perfectly innocent face. "Ginny…?"

"Oh…I…sort of…told the robe shop that I needed a new set of robes in case Quiddich started…and sent them Hermione's measurements."

"So it was charged to the school?"

"Well…not exactly…" He waited a second before gesturing for her to continue. "Since there isn't a season this year…I told them our captain was getting them for me as a consolation present. So…this is yours." She handed him an envelope embossed with the robe shop's logo. Opening it he pulled out the bill which awaited his signature. Stuffing it in his pocket, he glanced up at her.

"Out of curiosity…did it occur to you to ask first?" Harry was annoyed, but less so than he thought he would be.

"Yeah… This just seemed easier. Hey, you bought that necklace for Ron."

"Yeah…but there's a difference between me spending my money and you spending my money…without telling me!" Instead of defending herself, Ginny's face melted into a mischievous, Harry would almost call it an impish, grin. She sauntered closer to him, pinning his body to the wall with a single finger.

"You're right; I've been a bad, bad girl. You should definitely punish me for that." Harry dry swallowed, not sure how to respond.

"But Harry…how do you know it isn't poison?" Harry glanced over from the table to Hermione sitting on the couch, paging through a book of anti-venoms. His gaze returned to the table a moment later and the intricately sculpted chess set Dumbledore had gifted to Ron that sat between the two of them. After his most grueling Thursday practice with Keystone yet, they had moved to combining sword work and magic, he was happy to sit back and let his muscles rest. The game had been going worse and worse for the last several move and he was finding it harder to play his way out. There had been a time he could challenge Ron's skills, but it had long since passed. His gaze returned to Hermione as he lost his other knight.

"I don't. But she seemed sincere." Ron glanced up from the other side of the board, incredulous.

"Sincere? Harry…she was training to fight for Voldemort. Checkmate by the way." Harry glanced down at what had been a foregone conclusion when he sat.

"Yeah… But…it's hard to explain, but I just felt she was telling the truth." Rising, he stepped over to the low table in front of the couch and lifted the phial, looking at the nearest lamp through the contents. The crystal blue liquid sparkled faintly with the light.

"Pity there's not enough there to test." Hermione had thought up the possibility and questioned Professor Montoya about it. Unfortunately, if a test was done, there wouldn't be enough left to be effective should it be real. Shrugging slightly, Harry stuck the phial back into his robes.

"Well…nothing to do but hang onto it and hope I never need to use it."

"Yeah… Another game mate?"

"Sure, why not?" Sitting back down, Harry waited a moment for the pieces to pull themselves back together and assemble on his side of the board. As he called out his first move, Hermione sighed and frustration and closed the book she had been searching. There were so many variations of anti-venoms; it was nearly useless to try matching it by appearance alone. She instead picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet that sat folded on the table. She paged through it slowly as they played through a couple more games. There wasn't much going on recently and the paper was still rehashing the attack on the school, which was now just one day shy of four weeks past, and follow-ups of the Ministry being asked to leave the school.

"Oh…I hope Remus has enough of his potion left." The both glanced over from the game.

"Huh?" Hermione pointed to a section of the paper that Harry on his best day wouldn't have been able to read from that distance.

"It's a full moon again tomorrow. If Voldemort attacks…he won't be able to help us." Harry and Ron glanced at each other, carefully steadying their faces before commenting.

"Yeah…he's really good too…" Hermione nodded in agreement. Harry had told her about him dueling Keystone.

"And if he's not their, Tonks probably won't be either. A full moon would actually be the most dangerous time for him to attack… All those werewolves…"

"Yeah…" Ron glanced uncertainly at Harry who shook his head the smallest part of a degree. Hermione was oblivious to these looks as she continued paging through the paper. Letting the moment fade, they went back to the game. "So…how did our Charms work look?" Hermione's eyes drifted back over to them.

"They're passable. For once."

"Thanks for looking them over."

"No problem. Someone has to make sure you two pass the N.E.W.T.S. once we beat Voldemort. How would it look if you took him down and had to repeat the year?" Harry smirked a little at the thought.

"Who has to repeat the year?" Ginny stepped through the portrait hole and glanced around.

"No one. Yet." Hermione glanced pointedly at the boys before returning to the paper. Setting her books on the table, Ginny sat between them and stared at the board.

"So…who's winning?" Harry glanced at her, a look of 'who do you think' on his face.

Charms did in fact go easily, thanks to Hermione, and they were happy to be free for the weekend and head to lunch. As it was one of the first decently warm days of the spring, they whiled away much of the afternoon in the courtyard, happy just to be outside. Only the occasional cloud floated across the sky to cast shadows in what was otherwise a relatively perfect day. They only got around to heading in and changing into more comfortable clothes as dinner approached.

Gathering at the table a while before the meal actually began, they glanced up to the head table as they waited. Most of the instructors had already gathered including, oddly, Professor Trelawney. Keystone had moved around to the end so she had a place to sit and was shooting her the odd glance as if he wasn't quite sure what to make of the Divination teacher at this range. There weren't many other students gathered yet, quite a few having waited until the last moment to step out of the warm spring day and head for their rooms to change.

On a whim, Harry rose and headed up to the staff table, for some reason feeling a desire to offer Keystone some distraction from the doomsayer next to him. He glanced around as a few more students entered and he reached the table. Nodding to the professor, he kneeled at the edge of the table. "Evening Mr. Potter." He also received a nod from Sybil before she turned to the recently arrived Professor Montoya.

"Professor." He hesitated a moment before continuing. "I was wondering about out next session. Is there anything special I should practice?" The professor considered the question for a moment.

"Well…casting with your left hand. You were a little weak when-"

"He comes…he comes…" Harry and Keystone both glanced over at the harsh whisper emanating from Trelawney's mouth. A heartbeat later Harry recognized the unfocused trance and the rigid voice that he remembered from both Dumbledore's and his own memory. Keystone glanced to him and cut his eyes to her, silently asking him what was going on. He held up a hand to stop any question. "He comes…he comes…as the light of day fails the lord or darkness comes…he comes…he comes…" She broke out of the trance a second later and looked at both of them, confused. "I'm sorry. What were we talking about?"

Harry froze for only a moment before turning to Keystone who still looked confused and a little concerned over Sybil's current mental health. "That was real. Find Minerva; tell her to get the students who need to be protected here. She'll know what else to do. He's coming." The professor nodded immediately as Harry turned and rushed as fast as he could without looking panicked back to the table. "It's-" Before he could tell them, the doors to the hall banged apart from their partially open stance and rebounded loudly off the wall. The cause was apparent as Hagrid bounded down the aisle as fast as his frame would carry him. Sliding to a stop near Harry, he pointed back to the door and spoke, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Giants…Inferi…they'll be here in an hour!" Harry glanced to Ron and the pair shared a significant look before sharply nodding to each other. His gaze quickly switched to McGonagall who had also frozen as Keystone whispered to her. Her eyes fixed on Harry and he nodded in response. Every other student who had arrived for dinner had gone dead silent and now looked rapidly between the two. McGonagall rose and steadied her voice.

"Prefects…please collect your housemates and bring them here as soon as possible. All other students are confined to the Great Hall for the time being." The quartet had risen and was quickly striding toward the door before anyone could question them. "Lord Voldemort is about to attack. For your safety…stay here." Harry glanced back as he exited the Hall to see Hagrid heading toward the doors and McGonagall giving orders to the other professors. With a nod of thanks to the half giant, he followed the others down the corridor.

Harry could feel the anxiety pulsing through him and echoing in the others. What they had trained for for months had finally come. Doing his best to settle the adrenaline already coursing through his system, he spoke as firmly as he could. "We'll meet in the entrance. Ginny…get the DA together."

"See you there mate." Ron and Hermione jogged off toward their room as Ginny pulled out her coin and followed him up to Gryffindor tower. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she embedded the message in the coin and tapped it with her wand. A moment later the slave in his pocket began to vibrate. Tapping it with his finger, he quieted it. Busting into the common room he blew past a number of people, staring at the pair as they did so.

"Get to the Great Hall. Voldemort's coming." They froze for a moment at the pronouncement before nodding and breaking into a run out through the portrait hole. Harry paused and stopped Ginny with a hand on her shoulder. As she turned to meet his gaze, he could see the same determination that was forming in his body reflected in her eyes. They didn't need words, just a nod and a quick kiss before heading to their separate rooms.

Kicking open his foot locker Harry grabbed the crimson garments that were now folded carefully on the top. It took only a minute to pull on his Quiddich robes and slip on the guards. Double checking his wand and transferring the necessary tools to his robes, he turned and took a deep breath. He stretched a little and flexed his hands. Half turning back to the door he caught a glimpse of himself in a nearby mirror and was a little surprised at the steely determination in his eyes. Nodding to his reflection he stuck out his hand and caught his Firebolt as it slammed into his palm before racing out the door.

Ginny met him in the now deserted common room and together they headed out at a near run. Judging by the looks and the shouts of 'Good luck' and 'Take care' he was getting form the portraits he passed, news of the imminent attack had spread around the castle. As they met up with Ron and Hermione, the other three fell in behind him and matched his pace in a fast march. From behind him, Hermione spoke, anxiety clear in her voice. "Harry? Are we ready for this?" He nodded as firmly as he could and glanced over his shoulder.

"Yeah. Don't worry…we can do this." They slowed from their breakneck pace as they reached the entrance. Everyone already there immediately went silent and turned to face them as they descended the last flight of stairs. Harry, Ron and Hermione stopped halfway down as Ginny joined the DA which had already broken into squads. As hers formed up around her, she turned to face Harry as well.

He looked over the people who had assembled. The Aurors that had gathered were casting surprised looks at the DA groups which now outnumbered them. Surprisingly, Tonks was among them, and not with Lupin. Hers was one of the few steady gazes among the dark wizard hunters as they watched him and waited. Professors Flitwick, Sprout and McGonagall stood with Filch and the crossbow bearing Firenze, all awaiting him. Though the centaur had the same look of accepting fate as he usually did, the others were casting glances back toward the Great Hall as if they could see their students through the castle. Finally, right at the bottom of the stairs, Keystone, flanked by Matt and Professor Montoya, held a familiar leather scabbard worked in gold scroll. He stepped up the few stairs and kneeled to present the blade to Harry. "Your sword."

"Thank you." Taking the weapon, Harry strapped it on easily as the professor stepped back. Many of the gathered defenders, Ron and Hermione included, looked at the sword with surprise. They had an inkling he had been training with the blade, but the work on the scabbard and the ease with which he handled it was clearly unexpected. Looking over them, Harry knew this was the point he should be giving some sort of inspirational speech. Unfortunately he had never been gifted at that particular skill. "Voldemort is about to launch his attack against the school. I'm not sure what we'll face out there, but one way or another, the Second Wizard War ends tonight. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure we win." He hesitated a moment and received nods of support from the gathered professors and Ginny. "Remember who you're fighting for…never give up…and use everything you can to win. Disable if you can. Kill…if you must. If we don't emerge victorious, it won't matter what else we've done. Tonight we finish the fight Dumbledore began years ago. Voldemort will meet his end. Let's go." As he descended the steps and the DA members began to whisper amongst themselves, Harry could just hear McGonagall gave instructions to Filch.

"Argus…seal the door after us and then join the others in the Hall." He nodded slowly and stepped to the side. She noticed Harry and nodded toward him. "The other professors will get the rest of the students out of here if…" She couldn't finish and he nodded in acknowledgement. Taking a deep breath once again, he headed out the open double doors into the early evening that looked far too pleasant for the Armageddon that was coming. The Aurors, professors and DA formed up and followed him out.

Crossing the courtyard he could hear the door closing loudly behind them. Not breaking step he continued out the gates and only glanced back as McGonagall sealed them. He had spent a lot of time with Ron deciding where they would make their stand and he now moved to the small hill they had chosen weeks earlier. Turning on the spot he waited and nodded to each warrior, meeting their eyes as they passed. The Aurors went first, spreading themselves out into a wide line facing the forest. The DA squads passed next, Ginny the last and pausing just a moment for an embrace.

She whispered lightly in his ear. "Come back to me."

"I promise." The trace of apprehension vanished from her eyes as quickly as it had come as she joined her army. The squads formed up in two staggered lines behind the Aurors, Ginny's at the center. He had tried once to protect her from this day, to prevent the risk he knew she would take. Now he could only watch with pride as she waited at the front of her troops. She would never need to know that he had told Dean and Seamus that whatever happened, they were to get her out. She wouldn't look kindly on his actions if she ever found out, but bearing her rage would mean they were both alive and he could live with that.

The professors also passed, each looking as if they wished to say something, but none finding the words. Instead they merely gave a nod and moved to stand amongst their students, McGonagall directly behind Ginny's squad. Finally, Professor Keystone, Montoya and Matt approached. Somehow the Defense teacher had found time to slip on his sunglasses and glanced toward the sun and then the DA before returning his gaze to them. "I noticed yours is the only squad without five members. If you don't mind, Sarah and Matt would like to join you." Harry cocked and eyebrow.

"They should go with you. I've got all the help I need right here." He could tell Ron and Hermione were beaming a little at the compliment.

"Never said you didn't. But, other than you and me, they're probably the best duelists here. And if they're with you, you can send them where they're needed…when times grow desperate." Harry considered it for a moment. It had certain logic.

"And you?" Keystone shrugged.

"Doing what I can." Harry nodded slowly.

"Okay." Keystone grinned a little and turned, sticking out his fist again.

"Fly together…" The others tapped his with their own and spoke in unison.

"Die together." With a last nod to the trio, Keystone headed for the lines, taking a position to one end. Sarah and Matt fell in behind them as Harry led the way to a small rise behind the groups of warriors and looked out over the battlefield. Drawing the sword of Gryffindor, he cut a deep line in the ground a couple feet in front of them a few meters long. A quick flick of his wirst threw off the bits of grass and he expertly returned it to its scabbard. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, clearly surprised, as he rejoined them and turned to the field.

His gaze moved up from the open field to the forest behind and waited. The hour was at hand. Sixteen years of his life had led him to this moment and he had led these few brave souls to this place to either finish the battle his mentor had begun…or to let the world fall to darkness for all of eternity.

(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions.

(A/N): I'll say right now that updates will be a little slower for the next couple chapters as I want to get it just right. I still have a few decisions to make like whether it should all be Harry's perspective or float around and exactly who's going to end up dead. Quite a few people I think and I haven't ruled out anyone for the casuality list.