One review. ONE REVIEW! THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL! WE'RE NOT THAT BAD OF AUTHORS, ARE WE? Alright, i'm done now. Just...hurt. You've hurt LICKRISHSTIX, okay? Maybe we won't move on to seventh year after all. (sigh). Alright, chapter 40. All we own are the plot, nikki, heather, bridget, and chris. Onto the chapter. JUST A WARNING---This chapter is FULL of character death. You're gonna hate us.

Chapter 40

The Final Confrontation

The whole of the Great Hall seemed to freeze for a good minute, before screams erupted and mass chaos ensued. Luckily, the entire Order of the Phoenix happened to be at the wedding, and soon every person in the room was fighting. Spells were being shot every which way, and it was almost too noisy to think. In a matter of minutes, the Hall was transformed into a battle zone.


Ron was almost immediately separated from the rest of the group, and was searching for his family when someone grabbed him behind, attempting to strangle him. Ron struggled and managed to break free, and the next minute, he was dueling fiercely with the tall Death Eater. None of Ron's spells had hit their mark yet, but he himself hadn't been hit, either. He shouted the stunning spell as he dodged a yellow curse, but a bright blue shot of light hit him and threw him into the wall. He stood back up and shot out Diffindo, which glanced off and nicked the Death Eater's shoulder. Ron then shot out a blasting spell, which hit his opponent square in the face, knocking him to the ground and destroying his mask. The redhead bound him and walked over to take the Death Eater's wand when he saw his face.

"P-P-Percy?"


Nikki and Hermione stood side-by-side, wands held firmly, facing Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange. They had cut off the bottoms of their gowns, making it easier to move, and had intended to find Harry and Ron when they were blocked by the two Death Eaters.

"Aw, look at the cute little girlies, thinking they can win against us," Rodolphus taunted in the babyish voice his wife loved to use.

"You don't even stand a chance. Why don't you just go and play with your dollies?"

"Why don't you shut your mouth before I shut it for you," Nikki snarled.

"Oh, you want to play with the big kids, do you?" mocked Rabastan. "Very well. Crucio!" Nikki screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Hermione then performed a shielding charm, which was effective enough to stop the curse. Nikki gasped for breath as Hermione helped her to her feet. The two Gryffindors then stared the Lestranges in the eye, bowed, and began to duel.

Hermione's shield held against a couple more blows, but then it vanished, leaving them open to attack. Nicole focused on Rabastan while Hermione took Rodolphus. However, both Death Eaters had far more experience and power than Hermione and Nikki, and had managed to hit the girls repeatedly. Nicole then screwed up her strength and screamed a complex incantation that not even Hermione had heard before; the ground below the Lestranges suddenly opened up and Rabastan fell into it. Rodolphus jumped out of the way, only to hit by a stunning spell from Hermione.

"What was that thing?" Hermione asked, more than a bit frightened by the spell.

"A transportation jinx. I heard how Sirius had been sent to the Sahara and I wanted to see how they liked it."


Chris was combing the Great Hall in a mad rush to find his sister. He heard a frantic scream and, thinking it was Nicole, rushed towards it. What he found was not the girl he was looking for-it was Lucius Malfoy attempting to stab Ginny. Chris roared in utter rage and threw a bolt of pure magic at the Death Eater, throwing him off of Ginny and through the brick wall. He ran to her, helping her up.

"These Death Eaters make me sick, Ginny. Are you alright?"

"Fine," she replied a bit too fast.

"You're hurt, aren't you?"

"No I'm not-okay, fine, he hit me in the ankle, but it's nothing."

"Nothing is ever nothing," Chris replied, lifting her off the floor.

"Really, you don't need to do that…"

"Of course I don't, but that doesn't mean that I'll just leave you here. I met you two hours ago and I already feel like I've known you forever. You're like, I don't know, a second little sister or something. Anyway, let's get you out of here. The middle of a battlefield isn't the safest place for anyone, much less someone who's injured."

"I am NOT injured! It's just a scratch!"

"You're so much more like Nik then you'll ever realize."


Fred and George had taken it upon themselves to lighten the mood of the war-by setting off their entire stock of Weasley's Wildfire Whizbangs. The fireworks were originally meant to be used when Sirius and Heather kissed, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Take that, you lousy Death Eaters!" Fred screamed, sending a phoenix (one of their newer varieties, inspired by Harry) at a large group of the masked men. Their robes caught on fire, and in the attempt to put it out, they were all hit by Stunners from the twins.

"If I knew Death Eaters were this easy to get rid of, I'd have convinced Mum to let us into the Order a long time ago!" George exclaimed over the screech of a Catherine wheel.

"I know. The adults made it sound difficult!"

"So, you think war is fun, boys?" a cold voice hissed from behind them. Fred and George turned around, only to look into the red eyes of Lord Voldemort. "I'll show you fun!"


Bridget had immediately put heavy defensive spells around a small area of the Great Hall and set up a sort of mini-hospital. Petunia, hoping to get away from the fight and, for some odd reason, looking to help, had joined her. Bridget summoned some useful potions she kept in unbreakable containers from the Hospital Wing, and, within minutes, Chris came to her, carrying Ginny.

"It's her ankle," he explained.

"I'm fine!" Ginny argued.

"Just let me see it," Bridget sighed. She then mended the cut with a wave of her wand and declared the girl healed, but kept Ginny with her as well. Both she and Chris stayed and assisted the Healer, keeping things somewhat cheerful with a constant onslaught of jokes. Their next big task, however, was nothing to laugh about.


Heather, enraged by the Death Eaters' intrusion, had transfigured her dress into fighting robes and took out at least ten Death Eaters without saying a word. She soon came across another Death Eater, who was acting rather strangely. Assuming he was under the control of the Imperius curse, Heather simply stunned him-with not much effort. Another spell came flying through the air from her right, however, and hit the ceiling above the Death Eater, causing large pieces of rubble to come crashing onto his head. He fell to the floor, obviously dead.

Heather cautiously walked towards him and removed the mask to find the face of Cornelius Fudge. Deciding it was for the good of the Wizarding, and probably Muggle, worlds, she left him lying on the ground.


Remus was holding his own, taking out some Death Eaters and helping those on the light side who had been injured. He was just leading Hestia Jones to Bridget when he heard a horrific cry of pain coming from behind him. Letting Hestia limp by herself, he ran to where he heard the sound, finding Voldemort himself torturing George Weasley. As Remus ran to them, the Dark Lord ended the Cruciatus on George and turned to Fred, muttering the two last words he would hear. The green curse hit Fred right in the chest and he fell limply to the ground, eyes open in fear, shock, and hatred-he was dead.

Before Remus could reach Voldemort, Albus Dumbledore stepped in and the two began dueling, power radiating off both of them. Remus then helped George get up, attempting to console the remaining twin.

"Come on, George, come on, Bridget has a healing station set up."

"It won't do any good," he whispered stiffly. "Fred's gone. HE'S GONE!"

"I know, I know, George, I meant for you…you need to calm down…"

"But-he's dead."

"He is. I know the feeling, and I know it hurts. You have to put the past behind you."

"What, you want me to just forget about him, just like that?" George roared. "He was my brother! He's still my brother!"

"I know, that's not what I meant. Focus on the good times, just calm down George, come with me…"

"We're not going to leave him just lying here, are we?"

"No, of course not," Remus agreed, using a levitation spell on Fred's body and putting an arm around George. They reached the Healer in what seemed like mere seconds, and Ginny broke down in Chris's arms at the sight of her brother.

"I wish there was something I could do," Remus admitted sadly, watching the Weasleys cope. "I know what it feels like to lose someone like that. It's so…terrible. They were young, just barely out of school…"

"War has only truly begun when the innocent die," Bridget stated with hatred. "Voldemort will pay for what he has done."


Sirius and Bellatrix had once again managed to find each other and were fighting harder than ever. They were matched spell for spell, and it appeared that they would keep dueling until one or both of them dropped to the floor in exhaustion. Sirius finally found his one advantage-his fiancée-and the two of them soon defeated Bellatrix. For the time being, at least. Ron unsteadily strode up to them a few seconds later, a look of pure disgust on his face.

"I-I think I just killed Percy."

"You what?" Heather asked in shock.

"He was a Death Eater, and-I didn't know it was him…I certainly didn't mean to do it…it just…can you come help?" Heather nodded and Sirius was about to go with them when a curse from McNair threw Heather off of her feet and Sirius began dueling him in retaliation.


Harry was dueling black-robed wizards the second they entered, each one hoping to gain a reward from their master for his capture. Each one failed. At the moment, he was fighting a Death Eater who seemed vaguely familiar, but Harry couldn't place who it was. The reductor curse was suddenly shot at him and Harry threw up a shield in hopes of protecting himself; the curse bounced off the shield and back at the Death Eater, who crumpled to a heap on the floor. Taking his wand and mask, Harry realized his opponent was Marcus Flint, and probably dead as well.

Harry then went off in search of Sirius, Ron, Hermione, or Nikki, but didn't get far. Someone seized him from behind and he struggled fiercely, only to hear Snape hiss in his ear, "It's me, you idiot!" Harry stopped fighting and let Snape lead him out of the Great Hall, to where, he didn't know. Anywhere but there.


Sirius watched in horror as a Death Eater took Harry by surprise and dragged him out of the Great Hall. He was about to follow them when he was stopped by Heather.

"It's just Snape. He says Dumbledore wants to get Harry to Privet Drive."

"My least favorite person taking my godson to my least favorite place. Next to Azkaban, of course," Sirius added.

"I know you don't like our resident PotionsMaster, neither do I. But at least Harry'll be safe."

"Still, we thought Headquarters were safe and we thought Hogwarts was safe. How safe is Privet Drive, really?"

"Safe enough. Harry will be fine and you'll see him again in a few days. When Snape gets back you can even ask him if Harry's alright, if you want. Just make sure you don't interrupt his 'spying duties.'" If Heather said anything after that, Sirius didn't hear it. He was too busy thinking about Snape. He always said that the Dark Lord didn't trust him as much as he used to, that's why he didn't get as much information. But Snape should have at least known about an attack this big, right? And then it hit Sirius. The Potions Master. As much as he hated to admit it, the greasy git was quite good at potions. Good enough to….

"Heather, I've got to go, I'll be back soon!" Sirius yelled, dashing out of the Great Hall. She stared at him in confusion, then locked herself in a duel with Avery.


"Professor, where are we going?" Harry asked as they walked through Hogwarts's hallways.

"The Headmaster wishes that you go to Privet Drive, Potter. And for some reason, told me to take you there. Rest assured, there are a million other things I'd rather do."

"But how are we going to get to Privet Drive?"

"Must you ask so many questions?" Snape growled in distaste. "We'll floo to Figg's house. There, happy?" He took Harry into a dark side chamber and explained that they'd have to wait to make sure no one was following them.

"I don't mean to be a bother, Sir, but where exactly are we?" Harry questioned a minute later.

"Right where we should be," Snape answered, suddenly pinning Harry to the wall and slipping a knife out of his pocket.

"What-what…" Harry stuttered, staring at the blade in confusion.

"Potter, you're even more of a moron than I believed. Don't you see? I may be a spy and I may be in Dumbledore's precious little Order, but I don't spy for it."

"What are you going on about?"

"It's me who is the spy! I'm the one who told the Dark Lord about Headquarters. When Dumbledore tried to find out who the spy was, I switched one of the Veritaserums with a controlling potion, allowing me to choose exactly what the drinker said. I had hoped that your dear godfather would get that vial, but Podmore's not a bad choice either…"

"No…" Harry breathed in disbelief.

"Yes. I opened your mind even more in our cozy little Occlumency sessions, making it easy for the Dark Lord to possess you. I told him about the Prophecy as soon as I learned it. When I realized that you were the light's only hope of victory, I came to my senses and rejoined the winning side for good."

"But, you saved my life in first year!"

"Ah, that. When I still foolishly believed that the Dark Lord was gone for good, and I had those pathetic little things called morals. How silly of me. I have since then reevaluated the situation. I even tried to get that mutt you care so much about killed. I was the Prophet's 'reliable key witness' in exposing him."

"But Dumbldedore-he trusted you!"

"The old man's downfall. He is much too trusting. He's right about something once in a while: I am a good Occlumens. Good enough to fool even the mighty Albus Dumbldedore. And one more thing. I knew Pettigrew was a Death Eater. And I knew he killed your parents."

"NO!" Harry screamed in rage.

"Avada Kedavra!" Harry flinched in anticipation of the curse, but it wasn't Snape who had used it; on the contrary, he slowly fell to the ground with a look of pure loathing on his face. Sirius stood behind him, his wand out. Harry stared at him in shock; even Sirius seemed a bit surprised at what he'd just done. He quickly pocketed his wand and rushed to Harry.

"He didn't hurt you at all, did he?"

"No, he didn't-Sirius, you…" Harry replied, at a loss for words.

"I know. I didn't mean to. I realized he was the spy and ran to find you; all I heard was what he said about Wormtail, and I just cracked." He shivered, a look of disgust on his face. "Let's get you out of here. He was at least right about Privet Drive being the safest place for you right now."

"You're not going anywhere, cousin." Sirius swore loudly at the sound of Bellatrix's voice and turned around, making sure to keep Harry behind him. Voldemort's inner circle stood before them, composed of about twenty of the strongest and most faithful Death Eaters. Lucius Malfoy, McNair, Avery, and all of the Lestranges were among them.

"Why would you want to leave so soon?" Malfoy taunted, his wand trained on Sirius and Harry. "The fun is only beginning, and the Dark Lord will be here in just a bit to say hello."

"Aw, but look at the way the cute little doggie thinks he can protect his puppy," Bellatrix sneered. "Adorable, isn't it?"

"Harry," Sirius hissed out of the corner of his mouth. "When I start dueling…"

"Sirius, I can take care of myself, there's no way you can handle all of them!" he whispered back.

"I know. But if I distract them, you can run."

"Sirius, that's suicide!"

"Just go to my office," he continued, ignoring Harry's comment. "There's floo powder in there. Get yourself to Privet Drive and don't worry about me!" A large amount of curses suddenly flew through the air and Sirius erected a shield around himself and Harry. "GO!"

"No, I'm not leaving!" Harry shouted back.

"Yes, you are!" Sirius turned from the battle to use Mobilicorpus on Harry, throwing him back thirty feet towards the door. He then clutched his wand tightly and began what would probably be the last battle he ever fought.


Tonks, Remus, and Heather were still in the Great Hall, rounding up the last of the Death Eaters. For some reason, they'd started retreating a few minutes before, and it had been easy to capture them.

"How many people did we lose?" Heather asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"Fred Weasley, Emmeline Vance, Dung Fletcher, and Cornelius Fudge, if you count him as one of our people."

"Where's Sirius?" Tonks inquired, looking around the room.

"I don't know. He ran off when Snape took Harry to Privet Drive."

"What do you mean, Snape took Harry?" Remus barked.

"He said Dumbledore told him to get Harry out."

"That's not what Dumbledore told me…" Remus replied warily. "He wanted me to make sure Harry stayed with the Order until the battle was over."

"That's what Sirius was talking about!" Heather realized with dread. "He'd just figured out that Snape wasn't as loyal as we thought he was…He took Harry. I just let him take Harry! We have to follow him!"

"Tonks, go tell Dumbledore. Heather, look for Snape," Remus ordered. "I'll get anyone from the Order I can and join you." Heather transformed, becoming a fox and began searching for their trail.


Sirius had taken out probably half of the Death Eaters, but he'd received a few hits himself. His left arm was bleeding badly, his head was pounding, and adrenaline was the only thing keeping him going at the moment. Malfoy finally managed to hit him with the Cruciatus, which sent Sirius to the ground, screaming. By the time the curse was ended, he could hardly move.

"So, had enough, Black?" Avery mocked, kicking him in the stomach.

"I kept you from getting Harry, didn't I?" Sirius growled hoarsely.

"Sure, you kept us from your little puppy," Bella jeered. "But the Dark Lord…" Sirius shot up in horror, ignoring the pain flaring through his body. Over to his right, Harry was using Marcus Flint's wand to duel Voldemort. The Dark Lord was using every dark, pain-inflicting spell known to man, and Harry looked as if he was on the verge of passing out.

"Had enough, Potter?"

"In your dreams, Tom," Harry snarled back.

"Insubordinate child!" Voldemort roared, firing off a blood red curse. Harry pulled out his own wand and yelled another spell, hoping to perform the Priori Incantatum, but his spell only glanced off of Voldemort's, which caught Harry right in the chest. He flew into the wall with a sickening thud and fell face-down onto the ground, unmoving.

Voldemort's mocking laughter bounced off the walls of the chamber as he strode towards Harry, kicking his limp form across the room. Sirius, in an effort to get to his godson, transformed into Padfoot and fought the remaining Death Eaters madly. He bit one of their arms, hoping it was Bella, and the Death Eater shrieked in pain and anger. Voldemort simply turned to him and waved his wand, placing a muzzle on Sirius.

"Poor, poor Black," he muttered in feigned pity. "You have failed your dear James and Lily once again." He faced one of the walls and started chanting; the brick faded away and another area opened up. Sirius's eyes widened when he realized with a jolt of panic what the room contained-the Veil.

"Beautiful, isn't it? You didn't think I would try to kill him with my own magic again, did you? Every time I attempted that, I failed. But now, with the power of Death itself in my possession, Potter will finally join his parents. Say goodbye to your precious godson, Black!" With that, Voldemort grabbed hold of the unconscious Harry and hurled him through the Veil; the fabric whipped around violently, and then was still. Sirius transformed back in a shocked reflex and stared at the arch. The Boy-who-lived, his godson, the one he swore to James and Lily he'd protect, the only one who could defeat Voldemort…Sirius collapsed to the ground, aware of only one thing: Harry Potter was dead.

And i'm sure you hate us by now. Flame us, we don't care, just review! BY THE WAY...WE'RE NOT DONE! We still have to kill off the Order of the Phoenix! (Grins maliciously). Review!