CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

The First Death

Harry couldn't deny that he as overjoyed at spending the entire day playing Quidditch instead of rotting away in his classes. Plus, it meant that he would be able to see Eva a day earlier than they had planned. Even as he thought of her sitting in the stands, he felt butterflies in his stomach. Today was going to be Gryffindor's day to shine.

However, he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong with this whole situation. He still had no idea why the match was moved up in the first place. As he pondered why, he saw Hermione waving to him frantically from the outside of the field. He quickly left the entrance area and went to meet her.

The stands were already packed with spectators, including the students from Hogwarts, as well as parents. There was a buzz in the air and the noise volume was getting quite loud. It was hard to hear her.

"Harry, I think something is going to happen. I think something is going on that we don't know about."

"I agree." For once, Harry could finally feel that ominous feeling in the air.

"No, you don't understand. You should have seen Tonks in Defense Against the Dark Arts," she continued. "She said that we were going to be reviewing for the essay that's due next week, but instead of reviewing ancient magic, she had us all review our spells. I mean, we covered the whole gauntlet—we did it all. It was like she was trying to prepare us for something."

Harry frowned. "Hermione, you'd better keep your eyes open for this whole thing. If something happens…"

She nodded firmly. He didn't need to say anymore. Hermione was his best soldier.

Madam Hooch walked onto the field and the crowd started clapping as Ron and Cho flew to the middle to meet her. The match would be starting soon.

Hermione went to find a seat in the Gryffindor stands. She sat by Nora, Eva, and the Weasleys. Harry waved to them, and they all waved back. He couldn't help but smile. His, Ron's, and Ginny's cheering section was rather large. The twins were there, looking quite fashionable, as well as Arthur and Molly. There were two girls sitting by Fred and George, and he recognized them as Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet. They, too, looked quite posh. They had grown up a bit since Harry had last seen them.

However, he couldn't help but notice that some people were missing. Dumbledore was no where in sight, and even McGonnagall was not in her usual spot in the staff stands. Instead, Tonks sat in her place. Harry's mouth nearly dropped open when he saw who was sitting next to her. Remus, looking a little worse for wear, was waving a Gryffindor flag. He forgot Remus had said that he was coming to the match.

Something weird was going on. Harry did not like the looks of this.

Suddenly, Madam Hooch blew her whistle to get everyone's attention. Harry quickly flew to meet his teammates on the pitch. She gave some warnings about a clean game, and then before Harry could even catch his breath, the balls were released and the game was in action.

He and Cho flew to their respective ends of the field, but as she was searching the skies for the Snitch, Harry was more concerned with what he saw below. Still no sign of Dumbledore or McGonagall, or, he realized with a start, Snape. He flew to get a closer look at the Slytherin stands and desperately tried to find Malfoy, but he could not find that bastard anywhere, either.

Ginny scored the first points of the match and the Gryffindor stands went wild. However, it was quickly followed up by another point from the opposition, courtesy of a Ravenclaw chaser.

Who else was missing? Harry thought. The rest of the staff seemed to be there. Flitwick, Sprout, Binns, Madam Pomfrey for medical emergencies… wait. Hagrid was gone too. He would never miss out on a Quidditch game, whether Harry was playing in it or not. Not unless there was something else going on.

The little hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood on end. What was going on?

He was scarcely paying attention to the game. He would hear Colin announcing the score of the game every once in a while, but Harry found himself staring at the empty spots in the staff stands instead of searching for the Snitch.

He moved closer to the Gryffindor stands and it looked as though Hermione were trying to catch his eye. He gestured to the staff stands and she nodded emphatically, but she was also trying to tell him something else.

First, she kept mouthing something over and over. Harry couldn't read her lips. She looked frustrated. Then she put out one fist, used her wand to discreetly say an incantation, and then opened her hand. On her palm was a green toad. Harry raised an eyebrow in confusion. Why would she be showing him a toad? What did toads have to do with anything? The only toad he could think of was Neville's pet toad, Trevor…

Neville. Where was Neville?

Harry frantically searched the stands for his clumsy counterpart, but he was missing as well. All students were expected to go to the match. Why wouldn't Neville be here?

He looked back to Hermione, who was still trying to tell him something else. She pulled her hair, straightening out her waves, but he still didn't understand. Then, she pulled her necklace out of her robes, the heart necklace that Ron had given her. She used her wand to draw circles around the chain.

Who else wore a necklace? And those circles were quite large. It was a noticeable necklace. Of course! Luna's butterbeer cap necklace! He flew closer to the Ravenclaw stands, where he heard a few boos shouted in his direction as he searched for Luna. Hermione was right. She was no where to be seen.

He went back to the Gryffindor stands, trying to make it look like he was doing his job, and then shook his head at Hermione. She looked torn, like she wanted to go back to the castle. She gestured to the castle, but Harry shook his head again. He would not let her go there alone. Something was wrong. Something was desperately wrong.

As time passed, somehow the Gryffindor defense had fallen apart. Whether it was because of the extra practice they'd had that morning or because of the ominous feeling in the air, Harry didn't know. All he knew was that he had a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach that was growing by the minute.

Harry saw a flicker of gold whiz past him, descending towards the grassy field. He took off at full speed. Cho had seen it, too; she was right behind him. Now he would have to keep her away from it. If she caught it, Gryffindor would lose for sure. He did some quick mental math and realized that if he caught it now, the Snitch didn't count for enough points to push Gryffindor past Ravenclaw's total. They would still lose.

But then the game would be over. They would lose the Quidditch Cup, but at least Harry could finally get to the bottom of what was going on. Where was everybody?

One thing that particularly bothered him was that McGonagall would never miss the final match between her own house and their rival. Neither would Hagrid. But Hagrid had always pledged his allegiance to Dumbledore. So if Dumbledore was in some sort of trouble, Hagrid would not leave his side.

Harry made up his mind. He was going to end this right now. Losing the cup was worth finding out what was going on.

He sped towards the golden snitch and felt its wings in his hands as he quickly plucked it from the air. Cho stopped in midair behind him, clearly shocked. The Ravenclaws and Slytherins in the stands erupted into cheers. Colin announced that Harry had caught the Snitch, but Gryffindor still lost.

Cho frowned at Harry. "What is this? A gift because you feel sorry for me?" She shook her head. She was still hurt by him not allowing Michael and Marietta back into Dumbledore's Army. She thought he was patronizing her. "I thought you would have given me more of a fight, Harry."

"I think we have one ahead of us."

The two of them were joined by Ron, who was devastated and absolutely furious. He opened his mouth, about to let Harry have it, when a loud boom shook the stands and the sky around Hogwarts was suddenly filled with black clouds. Screams came from the stands. Harry turned around to see what was going on and followed their gaze to the castle.

Above the castle was the horrible, unmistakable Dark Mark.

Harry's blood ran cold. Immediately, he flew over to the Gryffindor stands with Ron right behind him. Mr. Weasley had his wand pointed at his throat, and was speaking using the Sonoruscharm.

"Ladies and gentlemen, students, please try to remain calm. You are safe out here on the pitch. Do not attempt to go to the castle. Please, remain calm. Professor Dumbledore has already taken the necessary precautions at the castle. Reinforcements have already arrived."

So that was why they had moved the match up. They must have gotten wind—from Snape's spying, no doubt—that Voldemort and his Death Eaters were planning to attack the castle. The only way they could ensure that no one would be inside would be to get everyone out on the Quidditch Pitch. That way, Dumbledore and the Order would have free reign to defend the castle.

But where were Neville, Luna, and Malfoy?

Harry knew that two of his own were inside, along with Dumbledore, Hagrid, McGonagall, and whoever else had come from the Order. He now realized that Tonks and Remus had disappeared as soon as the Dark Mark had been cast in the sky.

He wouldn't let them fight alone, no matter what the Weasleys said.

Harry and Ron dismounted on the stands. Immediately, Hermione, Eva, and Nora came over to them. "What's going on?" Nora questioned. "What does that symbol mean?"

Eva took her sisters hand and said quietly, "It means that Voldemort is there." Nora immediately took another step closer to her sister. Harry could see that she was terrified.

They were joined by Seamus, Dean, Parvati, Lavender, and Ginny and Cho on their brooms. "What should we do, Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry took a deep breath. This is what Hermione and Seamus were talking about. This was what the ominous feeling was leading to. This was a battle. And despite what happened last year at the Department of Mysteries, he knew he was not going to have Dumbledore's Army sitting idly by. No, they were going to battle.

"We're going in. Get your wands ready."

There were solemn nods as Harry turned to Eva and Nora. "You two are staying here, no matter what. I won't be able to think straight if I know that you're in the castle somewhere."

"But Harry…" Eva interrupted.

"No, this is not your fight. You are the only Muggle here today," he said firmly, meeting her deep blue eyes, pleading with her.

Finally, she nodded, giving in. "C'mon, Nora. Let's go sit by Molly." The Finnigan sisters went back up into the stands. Harry noticed that Fred and George had managed to get two brooms from Jack and Andrew, and despite their parents' arguments, were on them already and pulling Angelina and Alicia with them.

"Sorry, mum," Fred said. "We're loyal to Harry. We were in Dumbledore's Army long before the Order." The two of them flew over and joined Harry.

"What about the others?" Cho questioned. Harry had forgotten she was behind him. "Padma, Hannah, Susan, Ernie, Terry…"

"Tell them to meet up with the others on the pathway to the castle. Spread the word, Cho. Everyone with a broom, we're going right now."

Ron grabbed Hermione by the arm and helped her up onto his broom. She did not protest about flying this time. Cho flew off to the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff stands. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were hurrying over to the small assembled group of D.A. members.

"Ronald Weasley, you get off of your broom this instant!" Molly shouted.

Ron winced at the sound of him mum's voice, but remained on his broom. "Sorry, mum, but they're at Hogwarts. Now it's our fight, too."

Harry also apologized to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, then grabbed Lavender and helped her onto his broom. Ginny took Seamus, and Harry told Dean and Parvati to meet everyone else on the pathway and get them to the castle as soon as possible.

"Good luck, Harry," Dean said.

Harry nodded and led the way directly to the castle. The Dark Mark seemed to double in size by the time they reached the entrance. Harry and Lavender dismounted and let their broom fall where it had been standing. Harry took out his wand and waited for the others. Ron and Hermione were right behind him, along with the twins.

"Mum and dad are coming now with the other group," Ron said. "They're pretty angry."

Harry nodded. But he didn't have a choice. Ron was right. This was their fight now.

They were joined by Fred, George, Angelina, Alicia, Ginny, and Seamus. "Wands out, everybody," Harry said. He didn't know what to expect when they walked inside.

The castle was eerily quiet. There were no lamps lit in the hallways. Every single portrait was empty. Even they were afraid of the battle.

"We need to find Neville and Luna," Hermione said.

Harry nodded, but couldn't help feeling that he needed to find Dumbledore the most. "Let's split up. Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia, you go up. Check Gryffindor Tower for Neville. Check empty classrooms, too. I want the rest of you stay with me. We're going to check Dumbledore's Office and the Great Hall. Meet up outside if you find Neville and Luna."

"C'mon," Harry said as he walked swiftly down the hallway. "Lumos," he muttered, lighting his wand. "Ginny, Seamus, and Lavender, you three head up a floor and check empty classrooms. Ginny, do you know where the Ravenclaw common room is?"

"Kind of," she replied.

"Look for Luna any place near there. I have no idea where she and Neville are, but I sure hope that they're together in this mess. If you find them, meet outside. If you don't, go outside anyway and meet the others coming from the Quidditch Pitch. Then we'll all meet up in the Great Hall." He gestured for Ron and Hermione to follow him. "We're going to Dumbledore's office."

The two groups split up. He hoped that the other three would be safe. Ginny had a good head on her shoulders and Seamus had become quite a skilled wizard over the past year. If they all looked out for each other, they would be fine.

Harry went further down the first floor corridor, planning to get to Dumbledore's office using the stairs at the opposite end. However, as they approached the stairway, he could hear muffled voices. He quickly sped up the pace and sprinted to the stairway where the voices were coming from.

He heard Hermione gasp as the three of them peered around the corner. Neville was cornered, stuck at the top of a staircase as it bobbed up and down between two floors. Below him was a man that Harry had not seen in a year, and the sight of him made his skin crawl. Rodolphus Lestrange, the husband of Voldemort's current piece of affection, Bellatrix, had his wand pointed directly at Neville. He was laughing manically. "And I remember you, little boy. Not so little anymore, I see."

"You… you murderer!" Neville shouted. He also had his wand out and pointed at Lestrange, poised for a duel that he would surely lose.

"My, my, what a compliment. But I won't dare mistake your words for bravery. No, you must be quite stupid to have your wand pointed at me," Lestrange said. "Do you have a death wish, Longbottom? Or do you merely want to end up as loony as your parents?"

"Stop!" Hermione cried. She pushed past Harry and pointed her wand at Lestrange. Harry and Ron joined her.

"What's this?" Lestrange questioned, glancing at the three of them. "The famous boy himself, coming to rescue you? The prophecy was between the two of you, you know. It could have been you or Potter that the Dark Lord tried to kill. I was his best servant then, taking care of both your parents. Imagine if he had tried to curse you into the next world. You would already be dead."

"Shut up, Lestrange," Harry warned. Neville did not need to be hearing that information.

"No, your mother was far too incapacitated by that time to have saved you the way Lily saved her son. Your parents had gone completely crazy before you even reached your first birthday…"

"Enough!" Hermione cried. They could see Neville's anguish boiling over inside of him.

"And instead of being at peace as Lily and James would be, poor Frank and Alice Longbottom are still suffering in that horrible ward at St. Mungo's, waiting to die so that their mind will rot no more…"

"You bastard!" Neville shouted. Harry didn't think he'd ever heard Neville curse before. Suddenly, Neville took off at full-speed and ran down the stairs, two at a time. Lestrange was so shocked by Neville that he didn't move out of the way. Neville hit him full on and Rodophus flipped over the railing, his wand falling out of his hands and bouncing down the stairs.

The stairs seemed to move out of his way as he fell first ten feet, then twenty, as he screamed, and then finally landed with a loud crash. There was a gurgling sound from below as Neville peered over the railing. Harry, Hermione, and Ron raced forward to make sure Neville was all right. As they looked down, they could barely see Lestrange. His body was twisted into an awkward position and was twitching uncontrollably. The stairway that had finally broken his fall had a wrought-iron railing, and one of the posts was protruding directly from his heart.

"I… I didn't mean…" Neville stammered. "I didn't want to kill him, just… hurt him…"

"We know, Neville," Harry replied.

Hermione draped a comforting arm around his shoulder. "It's okay."

Ron looked up from the bloody mess a couple of stories below them. "It was his own fault, Neville. His own clumsy fault."