A/N: I'm so excited about this chapter! I really hope that y'all like it as much as I liked writting it! Disclaimer: JKR owns Harry Potter, I do not. Obviously. Please read and review, I love to know how y'all feel about this story. Much Love- Bookworm
Fred and George had just apparated to the meeting place for their newest Potterwatch broadcast, both of them settling into their seats and saying hello to Lee, Kingsley and Lupin. George sat down next to Fred and placed a glass of water in front of him, broadcasts had been taking a lot out of Fred lately and George always tried to make them as easy as he could for him. Fred gave him a thankful smile as Lee lifted his wand to start the broadcast. Before he got the chance to say the incantation, there was a loud knock on the door. The group, all with wide eyes, looked around at each other.
"We… aren't expecting anyone else, right?" George asked in a whisper, and Lee shook his head in response.
"Should we ask who it is?" Lee looked at Kingsley for an answer.
"I don't-" Kingsley began to say.
"River, let me in." Came a voice from the other side of the door.
"That's Bill!" Fred whispered. Lupin immediately stood and pulled his wand as he walked to the door.
"Why did I come to your house in the last month?" Lupin asked, Fred and George looked at each other in confusion at the question.
"To tell us that your son had been born, and to ask Potter to be Godfather." Bill answered. Fred's mouth fell open at the answer, Bill had seen Harry, he might have seen Hermione. "Open up! I have news!" Bill shouted through the door, sounding angry. Lupin opened the door, allowing Bill to enter, and closed it quickly behind him.
"They broke into-" Bill started, but was interrupted when Fred bowled into him, knocking him over. Fred had a hold of the front of Bill's robes and was sitting on his chest, his face red with anger.
"They were at Shell Cottage?" He asked angrily, almost a growl more that actual words. Bill's eyes were wide, shocked that his little brother had just knocked him over and was on his chest. "Answer me!" He shouted.
"Yes." Bill said quickly.
"Why didn't you tell me!?" Fred asked, outraged.
"They told me not to! They had just gotten away from Malfoy Manor and-" He was cut off as Fred's fist made contact with the side of Bill's jaw.
"Fred!" George shouted, springing forward and pulling his twin off of their brother. "What are you doing?" He shouted as he pushed Fred across the room.
"He saw her! They were there when Lupin had the kid! Why didn't you tell me?!" Fred shouted, his face turning more red as he shouted. "I'm gonna kill you!" He lunged forward, arms outstretched, but George caught him around the waist before he could reach Bill.
"Fred!" Bill bellowed, holding his hands up in surrender. "Hermione begged me to not tell you. She said that if she saw you, she wouldn't be able to leave. Fred, I wanted to tell you right off, but she told me not to!" Bill said, watching as Fred deflated slowly.
"She… what?" Fred asked.
"She begged me not to tell you, but she gave me a letter to give to you." Bill said, pulling a paper from his pocket and handing it to Fred. He moved to open it, but Bill placed a hand over his. "Not now, I have news."
"About Hermione?" Fred asked, eyes wide as Bill nodded.
"They broke into Gringotts. Lestrange vault." Bill said. There was a collective gasp, and Fred quickly sat down in his chair.
"They did what?" Fred asked softly.
"Well ,I can't be positive, but the descriptions match them, and they left the cottage this morning. The goblins say that they stole something. Griphook snuck them in, they left him behind and he said that they were after a goblet. I only overheard all of this, but I heard that they escaped on a dragon." Bill said after taking a seat at the table.
"A- a bloody dragon?" George said, his mouth falling open. Bill nodded, sighing. "Blimey, Charlie would love them."
"They got away?" Fred asked, his voice filled with worry.
"As far as I know, yes." Bill affirmed.
"Wait, they couldn't have just walked in. How did they do it?" Lee asked, leaning forward.
"Erm… It sounded like two of them came in, disguised as Bellatrix and an acquaintance. Two of them must have been under Harry's cloak." Bill explained.
"Are you sure?" George asked, glancing at Fred who was staring down at the ground, deep in thought.
"Almost completely certain it was them." Bill said, nodding.
"Where would they go?" George asked softly.
"I'm sorry. Before we figure that out, it's almost midnight. We need to do this broadcast." Lee said, interrupting the conversation. Lee waved his wand, starting the broadcast, and everyone fell silent. Lee started as normal, listing the new dead and missing since the last broadcast.
"And now, we have a special- er- newscast from a visitor. Erm…" Lee gave a sly smile and leaned closer to his microphone, "Ramesses." He said, pointing to Bill. Bill let out a laugh and nodded.
"Thank you River. Yes, I have news concerning the three heroes that have been dubbed the 'Golden Trio'. According to sources at Gringotts, they have broken into the bank and stolen something before escaping on the back of a dragon."
"You heard that right everyone, the trio broke out of Gringotts on the back of a Dragon." Lee said.
"My question is, why would they risk everything by breaking into Gringotts? It's run by goblins, most of whom have made it clear that they aren't taking sides, they will just help whoever offers them more." Lupin said.
"Well, according to my source at Gringotts, the trio broke Into the bank and stole a goblet."
"All that running must be making them thirsty." Lee joked, trying to keep things light.
"You could say that again, its been just about ten months that the trio have been on the run." Kingsley said in his slow baritone.
"Right you are Royal." Lee said, grinning at him. "Now, as I understand it we have an update on Hogwarts. Students are being forced to practice dark magic on-" Lee was cut off by a siren. Everyone swung their head around in shock, it was the siren that alerted them about an emergency at Hogwarts.
"Lighting has struck, I repeat, Lightning has struck." Came a voice from a speaker next to the siren. Everyone became silent as the transmission cut out, and as the news dawned on them they all sprang from their seats. Lee began to run out with the rest of the group, but turned back to the microphone.
"If you are listening, you know what has happened. If you are a supporter, meet us there. This has been Potterwatch. Stay safe." He said in a hurry. Fred and George had hung back, waiting for Lee, and each one quickly grabbed one of his arms before apparating to the temporary Order headquarters. Bill, Kingsley, and Lupin had all beat them there, and had gathered the rest of the Weasley family. They were quickly joined by about a dozen other Order members while Kingsley got in contact with Aberforth through the floo network.
"Aberforth, Miss Weasly has informed us that we might be able to gain access to Hogwarts through your pub?" Kingsley asked.
"Yeah." Aberforth grunted. "Longbottom warned me about you lot. Come in the biggest groups you can. Apparate straight into the pub, there's a Caterwauling Charm outside." Aberforth said, quickly disappearing from the fireplace. The large group quickly split into three groups, and Fred insisted his group went first .
Fred gripped George's hand tightly in his as they made their way through the passageway that connected the Hog's Head to Hogwarts. George glanced at him, fear written all over his face, and squeezed his hand. Fred forced a smile onto his face, attempting to reassure his twin.
"Alright George?" Fred asked softly.
"I'm scared." George whispered. "Is this it?"
"I think so George." Fred said solemnly, looking grimly ahead of them as they reached a door. They both took a deep breath before giving each other a nod and opening the door. They entered the room together and greeted some people that were next to the door. They made their way deeper into the room, Fred scanning the room for only one person, and when he saw her he froze. He only saw her profile, but immediately knew that it was Hermione. The door opened again, and everyone turned to see who entered, everyone but Fred and George who were both staring at Hermione. They watched as her eyes scanned the room, and Fred grinned when her eyes met him. In the time it took Fred to blink once, Hermione had run over to the twins and had thrown her arms around Fred.
"You're okay." Fred whispered. He took a deep breath, breathing in the scent of the woman in his arms. Fred brought his hand to her face, and tilted her head up to kiss her as more people entered the room. They broke apart when George cleared his throat and lifted his eyebrows.
"Where's my kiss?" He asked cheekily. Hermione laughed and released Fred, only to throw her arms around George and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you." Fred heard her say. George pulled back from her, looking confused.
"What for?" He asked.
"Keeping him safe. Keeping him… well, him." She said, smiling to Fred.
"It was my pleasure." George said, bowing sarcastically. Hermione laughed, gazing happily at both Fred and George.
"Hermione!" Ron said, rushing up to the group. "We have to go, a kid just came in and said the professors know Harry is in the castle. They are gathering all the students in the Great Hall, but we need to find a way to destroy the Horcruxes." Ron told her.
"Right, of course. Any ideas?" She asked.
"I have one. I know where to find some basilisk fangs." Ron said, and Hermione gasped.
"Ron, that's brilliant! Can we get in?" She asked. Fred and George glanced at each other, confused by the conversation.
"Yeah, I think I can get us in." He said, nodding.
"Alright, let's go." Hermione said, taking a step forward.
"Wait!" Fred cried, grabbing her arm. "Please don't go again." He pleaded, watching as tears formed in her eyes.
"I promise Fred, I'll be back soon. Faster than you could say 'Quidditch', okay?" She said, giving him a small smile. "I love you." She whispered, slipping her arm out of his hand and following after Ron. The Order members watched as everyone around them exited the room, leaving the Order members to gather in a group and begin to formulate a plan.
Hermione and Ron quietly ran to the bathroom on the second floor, where Ron knew the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was located. They both stayed silent, not wanting to draw any attention from anyone who could be nearby, until they were inside the bathroom and Hermione had thrown a Muffliato charm on the door.
"Ron, this is a brilliant idea, but how are we going to get in? Second year you said that Harry had to speak in parseltongue, neither of us do." Hermione pointed out. Ron smiled and held up one finger as he examined the tap on the sink. He screwed his face up, and made an awful sort of hissing noise.
"Ron, please. We are just going to have to find-" Hermione was interrupted by another hiss, and to her surprise the marble of the sink began to move.
"See?" Ron asked, grinning and pointing at the large hole in the sink.
"How did you do that?" Hermione asked, staring at him.
"Harry talks in his sleep." Ron said with a shrug. Hermione shook her head and peered down into the dark hole. "Don't worry, it's sort of like a slide." Ron said. "I'll go first, and just shout when I get down." He suggested. Hermione nodded, still unsure about this plan, and stepped away from the hole to watch as Ron sat at the edge and pushed himself off. It was silent for a moment, and Hermione was getting worried that Ron hadn't made another noise. She walked slowly to the hole and peered down, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
"Ron?" She said loudly. She was answered with a thump and crunching sound.
"It's alright!" She heard Ron's voice, and let out a sigh of relief. She lowered herself to where she was sitting on the edge of the tunnel, and took a calming breath before pushing herself into the darkness.
Ron's description had been accurate, it really was a slide that was taking her into the Chamber of Secrets. As she slid down, she had a fleeting thought of Salazar Slytherin sliding down a sink from a girl's toilet to get to his hidden chamber, and had to hold back a laugh. Soon enough, her feet hit solid ground and she stumbled to catch her footing, every step accompanied by a loud crunch. She looked underneath her and was disgusted to see dozens of small bones scattered around the floor.
"This is the Chamber of Secrets?" She asked, looking around disdainfully.
"No, we have to go through here." Ron said, gesturing to a large round door that had carvings of snakes all around it. Ron led the way to the door, and took a deep breath before hissing again. Hermione winced and stared at him, eyebrows raised.
"Please tell me I will never have to hear that again?" She asked as the door began to open in front of them.
"You will never have to hear that again, at least not from me. Who knows when Harry will just start spouting parseltongue." He joked. Hermione rolled her eyes and climbed through the hole. They were greeted with the dead basilisk, larger than Hermione thought it would have been, laying in the middle of the dark cavern. Hermione's hand immediately went to her nose, the basilisk had been dead and rotting for five years and the smell was horrendous.
"Well… shall we?" Came Ron's muffled voice from beside her, as he too had covered not only his nose but also his mouth. She nodded and they walked forward together to the large carcass. They stood at the gaping mouth, staring at the teeth they had come for, and Hermione let out a groan at the realization they couldn't keep their noses protected. She took a deep breath and pulled her hand away, immediately grabbing her small beaded bag and ripping it open. Ron did the same, though his hands went to a fang and tore it from the jaw of the basilisk. He tossed it to Hermione, who caught it and shoved it into the bag.
"More, just in case." She said. He groaned, but did as she said and pulled three more from the jaw in front of them. "Erm… Ron?" Hermione asked as they walked out of the cavern.
"Yeah?"
"Ron, how are we going to get out?" She asked as they reached the tunnel that had brought them down.
"Oh, I took some brooms and put them in that bag of yours." Ron said, gesturing to her bag. Hermione lifted her bag and opened it, lifting her wand and summoning the brooms she hadn't known about. Ron caught them as they flew out of her bag, and held one out to her.
"Wait, let's get rid of the cup first. We don't need to worry about getting rid of two at once." Hermione suggested. Ron nodded, setting the brooms against the wall. Hermione pulled out both the small Hufflepuff goblet and one of the fangs they had just pulled from the basilisk. She held the fang out to Ron, but he shook his head.
"No, you should do it." He said.
"What? No, Ron just take the fang, I'll hold the goblet while you stab it." Hermione insisted.
"Hermione, I took care of the locket. It only feels right if you do the goblet." Ron said, holding his hand out for the cup. She tentatively placed the goblet in his hand and gingerly held a fang in hers. She took a deep breath as Ron squatted and held the goblet against the damp stone under their feet. She knelt down next to him, gripping the fang tightly in her trembling hand, and the goblet began to shake.
"Hermione, you need to do it now. They fight back." Ron warned. Hermione stared at the goblet, not hearing Ron. She watched as smoke rose from the inside of the golden goblet, forming into shapes before them. What seemed like smoke raised from the goblet and transformed itself into a figure before them, a figure that matched Fred and George. It turned to face Hermione with a sneer on it's face.
"You think… this will help me love you? That I could forgive you, for leaving me?" A voice, unlike Fred's, echoed against the stone walls.
"Hermione! Stab it!" Ron shouted, his voice falling on deaf ears.
"You left me. For them. You always chose them." The figure said, his words hissing slightly.
"No… That's not true." Hermione whispered.
"The sad thing is… you think I could love you still. You think that what you did is forgivable. I could never forgive you… never love you…" The fake Fred said, sneering at her. She felt anger bubble in her chest, she had just seen Fred. He hadn't been mad, he had been relieved. He knew that she had done this for him, for them so they would be safe and live a safe life. So the wizarding world would be safe. He knew, and he loved her for it. She felt her hand clench tightly around the fang, and she brought all of her rage into the downward motion, smashing the fang into the goblet. The golden cup shuddered under her hands, and she quickly pushed herself away from the smoking goblet. Ron did the same, releasing the cup and backing up quickly, just in time, as the goblet then shattered. Hermione lifted her arms instinctively, shielding her face as shards of metal stung her arms.
"You alright?" Ron called to her as the smoke slowly cleared.
"I'm fine." Hermione said shakily. "Let's get out of here. We need to find everyone else." Hermione said, walking over to their brooms and picking one up. Ron nodded and picked up his own broom. They both mounted their brooms and kicked off of the ground, flying up the slide that had brought them down and quickly finding themselves back in the bathroom.
"Where should we go?" Ron asked, peeking out of the door into the hallway.
"Hold on." Hermione said, sticking her hand into her bag and pulling out a thick piece of folded parchment.
"Is that the map?" Ron asked, holding his hand against the door. Hermione nodded, unfolding it and tapping her wand against it.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." She said, peering at the parchment as the map began to appear on it. She scanned quickly, looking for anywhere safe to meet up with anyone friendly. She smiled as she saw a group of Order members making their way through a secret passageway that led to the entrance of the school.
"Everyone is in the Great Hall, including Harry. The Order is headed that way, we can meet up with them there." Hermione suggested. Ron agreed quickly and they quietly exited the bathroom, making their way down a floor to the Great Hall, where they found a large group of Order members. Hermione found her way next to Fred, who immediately grabbed her hand.
"Are you okay?" He whispered. Hermione nodded in response, not trusting herself to speak after what she had just witnessed in the Chamber of Secrets.
*"It seems, despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you still Have a bit of a security problem, Headmaster." They all heard Harry's voice through the doors, and Kingsley nodded to them, leading the group into the Great Hall. Hermione sucked in a breath at the sight of the grey room, students standing in rows on either side of the room. As they entered, they all heard a collective gasp ring through the room as Harry continued to speak.
"I'm afraid it's quite extensive." He said. Harry was standing in the middle of the room, facing Severus Snape who stood at the far end of the hall.*
"How dare you stand where he stood!" Harry said heatedly, drawing his wand and holding it at his side. "Tell them how it happened that night! How you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him!" He said. Hermione watched as the impassive look on Snape's face turned to anger, and she began to think that this had been a bad idea. She squeezed Fred's hand in panic as Snape drew his wand, leveling it with Harry's chest. Harry began to lift his, but paused halfway when Professor McGonagall swifty stepped in front of him, her wand drawn and lifted. There were stunned cries as students stepped back, attempting to move out of the possible line of fire of their professors. Snape's wand fell an inch, but he drew himself up and cast a spell toward McGonagall, who only waved her wand and blocked the spell. It was a flurry of slashing and spells flying, happening so quickly that it was over before Hermione could fully comprehend what was happening in front of her. It ended with a flurry of black smoke around Snape and the crashing of the window behind him, and a collective gasp that rang through the room.
"Coward!" McGonagall shouted angrily, walking quickly to the window and peering outside. "He jumped!" She said, turning back to the crowd behind her. She quickly bound the unconscious Crows that Severus had hired, and banished them to the corner of the large room. Just as she finished this, a soft, but piercing voice rang through the room. Hermione covered her ears, but was horrified to find that the voice wasn't in the room, but in her mind.
*"I know you are preparing to fight me. I do not wish this. You will not defeat me. I do not wish to spill any magical blood." The voice hissed. Hermione pressed her hands to her temples, as the intrusion to her mind made her feel as though her skull was being split open.
"Give me Harry Potter. Give me Harry Potter, and you will not be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded." Faces swiveled to look at Harry, who was holding his own head in pain.
"You have until midnight."*
The voice slowly faded, as it seemed to echo in their ears, and finally it was quiet once more. Everyone stared at Harry, who finally seemed to realize that despite the Order being on his side, they wouldn't be able to take on a school full of children who feared for their lives.
"Well he's there!" Came a shrill voice. "Somebody grab him!" Hermione glared at the source of the voice, Pansy Parkinson, and stepped in front of Harry with her wand raised in the direction of the Slytherins. There was a sudden movement of feet, and a circle formed around Harry and the members of the Order. Only they weren't doing as Pansy had said, they were facing her and the rest of the Slytherin house, as they were the only ones that hadn't moved to protect Harry.
"Thank you Miss Parkinson. You and your house may leave first, with Mister Filch." McGonagall stated.
"Where would you like for me to take them?" Filch asked in his wheezy voice.
"The dungeons will do." McGonagall answered, ignoring the cheers that came from a handful of the students that surrounded Harry. As the Slytherin students followed the caretaker out of the Great Hall, McGonagall turned to Harry, looking tired.
"Potter, not that I'm not glad to see you, but what in Merlin's name are you doing here? Its, quite obviously, not safe." She said as the students dispersed around her.
"I have to find something. I'm not sure what it is, but I think it's something that belonged to Ravenclaw." Harry said.
"Potter, I'll do what I can to help." She said, but Harry shook his head.
"No, Professor, he's here." He said urgently.
"Potter, how do you-" She began to say.
"I don't have time to explain, but I know." He interrupted her.
"Are you sure?" She asked, and Harry nodded. "Very well. Everyone, listen." She said firmly, her voice ringing through the hall and bringing silence over the students that remained. "Voldemort is here. I must evacuate the school, if you would all make your way-"
"No!" An older student said. "Let us fight!" He said, taking a step forward and standing straight, looking determined.
"I cannot allow-" McGonagall began to reject him, but another student stepped forward.
"We are of age. We want to fight." The girl said, nodding to the first boy as other students stepped beside them. Many more joined them, as McGonagall watched them in a stunned silence.
"Very well." She agreed with a sad sigh. "I will allow seventh year students to remain behind, but the rest of you need to exit the hall and follow Remus Lupin out of the castle." She said, beckoning Lupin forward. He walked to her side, looking uncomfortable with his new task. No students moved to leave, and McGonagall let out an irritated breath.
"Anyone under the age of sixteen-" She began, but was once again interrupted by Kingsley.
"Professor?" He asked, and she turned angrily to him.
"What, Shaklebolt?"
"Might I suggest we allow students to volunteer to stay, with your approval of course." He suggested. McGonagall's face immediately looked forlorn as she realized that they would need everyone they could, and she slowly nodded.
"Everyone who is willing to fight, take a seat at the tables." She said, waving her wand and conjuring two long tables into the hall. A large mass of students quickly took seats, leaving behind some very frightened younger students in a small group. Lupin seemed to soften, and walked to them, speaking soft words of comfort. McGonagall walked to the tables, and began to pick through the students, telling younger students that she was sorry but they needed to leave. Finally, the younger ones followed Lupin out of the Hall and left the rest of their classmates with the group of Order members.
Hermione felt tears welling in her eyes as she looked over at the large group of determined students that sat at the tables. Some looked excited, others seemed to realize what they had agreed to and looked fearful.
"Fred." She whispered, turning to him. "This is a bad idea. This isn't right." She said, her voice catching in her throat. He glanced at the table, and frowned.
"There's nothing else we can do…" He said.
"We're going to die." She whispered, her eyes growing wide.
"Hermione, don't you dare talk like that. You are a Gryffindor. What does that mean?" He said, taking her face between his hands.
"Nothing.. it means nothing." Hermione whispered, shaking her head.
"Hermione. You are so brave. That's what it means. We are not going to die. We are going to fight, and we will get through this." Fred said sternly. Hermione took a shuddering breath and nodded.
"Right." She said, straightening herself up. "Okay." She said. Fred nodded, and paused for a moment before pulling her face forward and kissing her.
"I love you." He whispered.
"I love you too." She smiled at him as McGonagall began to split everyone into groups.
A/N: *...* = I love these lines so much from both the movie and the books, I used them in this story. Of course, JKR owns the lines and material, I'm just using them to add to her amazing world. Also, Ramesses is a Egyptian name, which I used as a little nod to Bill working in Egypt in their 3rd year.