A/N: Okay, So I forgot to mention in the last chapter, I did keep some of the same dialog because.. It was just too perfect, you know? Anyway, same thing for this chapter. Just a few lines, but still. Those lines, and this world, belong to JKR and I make no money off of them. I don't make money off of this, period, soooooo yeah. Wish i did though :) Anywayss, enjoy this chapter, just a couple days after the last. Oh, huge shout outs to my folks who reviewed my last chapter, love yall and ill name them all at the bottom. Much love- Bookworm.
Hermione found herself standing behind Fred and George, and lightly touched the inside of both of their wrists. Both looked back, but only George looked happy to see her and enveloped her into a tight hug.
"Thank Merlin you're alright." He said before pulling back and glancing at Fred. He had a dark look on his face, and grabbed Hermione's wrist, leading her to an empty corner of the Great Hall.
"What did you do?" He asked in a harsh whisper. Hermione opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but was stopped by George's voice behind her.
"Fred. Don't." He said calmly.
"It's her fault. Why is he dead?" He asked, directing the question at her. Her mouth fell open as a sudden pain hit her in her chest, as though she had just been hit by a bludger.
"What?" She asked softly.
"I'm alive. You pulled me out of it. Why not Percy? Didn't think he was worth it?" He asked, glaring.
"Fred." Her voice cracked as tears filled her eyes. "Fred I tried. I really tried." She told him. She couldn't force any more words out of her mouth, and she silently begged for him to understand that she had tried her hardest.
"Not hard enough." He told her before walking back to the group of Weasleys.
"Hermione?" George asked softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head as she turned to him and pulled him into a hug, hiding her face as she cried into his shirt.
"I know you tried. You would never have stopped if you didn't have a choice." George said, rubbing her back to calm her. "I know.."
"I tried… It was just too late." She cried, moving her head a little so that he could hear her.
"Thank you." He told her, tightening his grip on her. "He'll see it. I know he will. He has to. Just.. give him time." George said, and Hermione pulled away as her crying ebbed.
"George, this isn't over. What if something happens between now and then?" Hermione asked, and George's face turned white at the realization.
"Nothing will." He said firmly. Hermione almost smiled at his resolve, but couldn't bring herself to.
"We should… " She gestured to his family, and he nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and walking beside her back to the group. This time, Molly stood and hugged her and Ron.
"Where's Harry?" She asked, and Hermione's heart skipped a beat as she realized that they hadn't seen him since they had entered the Hall.
"Erm… I have a feeling. I'll go look for him." She said softly. Ron nodded, and joined her at her side.
"I'll help." He said, looking down at the ground.
"Ron… you should stay here." Hermione told him softly, glancing at Fred behind them.
"I'll help." He repeated. Hermione searched his face, and nodded. They left the Great Hall together in silence, and began to wander the halls.
"Where do you think he is?" Ron asked, and Hermione took a seat on the stairs.
"I'm fairly sure that he's in the Headmaster's office. I think that what he got from Snape were memories. He's watching them." Hermione told him as he sat down next to her.
"Are you sure?" Ron asked, and Hermione thought for a moment before pulling out the Marauder's Map. She said the incantation and watched as the map appeared on the parchment.
"Yes, I'm sure." She said, pointing to Harry's name on the map.
"Okay. Good." Ron nodded. They sat, staring at the map, in silence until Hermione couldn't stand it.
"Fred blames me." She said softly, and Ron looked at her with a touch of surprise.
"What? How could he?" He asked her. She shrugged and looked up at the ceiling.
"He says I didn't try hard enough." She told him. "George said that he'll come around… but maybe he's right."
"No. Fred isn't right. Look, I saw you. I saw what you did. You did everything to Fred that you did to Percy. You did the damn best that you could." He assured her.
"But-" Hermione began, but was quickly cut off by Ron.
"No. Hermione, in the magic world there's only a couple ways to bring back the dead. They are gruesome, horrible ways. It comes at such a great personal cost, most everyone agrees it isn't worth it. You did the only way you could, the muggle way. I know I wouldn't have been able to bring back Percy, let alone Fred. I thought both of them were gone, but you brought one back. You did something amazing. Fred is just… well I can't exactly say he's having survivor's guilt since he's blaming you… but it's the closest thing." Ron told her, standing in front of her so that they were face to face.
"What if he never forgives me?" Hermione asked miserably.
"Well first, there's nothing to forgive in my opinion. But if he doesn't see that, then he's a tosser, and know you'll still be invited over for holidays." Ron said, grinning weakly at her.
"Thank you." She whispered, placing her chin in her palms and looking down at the map. She quickly jumped up, as Harry had begun to move. "Come on." She told Ron, leading the way to their friend and leader.
She had tucked the map back into her pocket as they walked, meaning to just catch Harry in the corridor, but they never ran into him. Instead, they ran into Neville, who looked quite confused. He stood straight as he saw them walking to him, and met them halfway down the corridor.
"Ron, Hermione." He greeted them, giving Hermione a quick hug.
"Neville, you alright? That looks nasty." Ron said, pointing to a long gash in Neville's arm. He glanced down at it and chuckled slightly, flexing the muscle underneath.
"Not too bad. Got into a fight with some bloke right before Voldemort called them off. Or maybe its from blowing up the bridge. I almost fell off." He stated matter of factly.
"You blew the bridge?" Hermione asked, gobsmacked.
"Oh yeah. Bloody brilliant." Neville said with a grin.
"Erm- right. Nev, have you seen Harry?" Hermione asked, remembering why they had been walking this way in the first place.
"Harry? Yeah, he came through. Said something about if the two of you were busy, I had to kill the snake." Neville informed them. Hermione and Ron glanced at each other, confused.
"Why would he think we would be busy?" Ron asked slowly. Hermione stayed silent, not listening to the rest of the conversation, thinking about what Harry might be doing.
"No, no no no. Harry you bloody idiot." She muttered, pulling the map out and quickly scanning it.
"What is it?" Ron and Neville asked in unison.
"He's gone!" She said in frustration.
"Gone?" Ron asked.
"He's giving himself up! He's gone from the map, he must be in the forest already. You idiot Harry, we could have killed it some other way!" She shouted to nobody as she stuffed the map back into her pocket.
"Hermione?" Ron asked in worry.
"We should head to the Great Hall. We need… we need to warn them." She muttered, walking away. Ron followed closely behind her, leaving Neville behind and confused.
"What was all that about?" Ron asked her as they walked.
"Ron, I've had a thought for a while now, and I think whatever it was Snape gave Harry, just confirmed it. Harry told me once that he hears the horcruxes." Hermione told him, glancing at him and by the look on his face some of her suspicions were confirmed. "I don't hear them, and from the look on your face, you don't either. I think… I think that Harry is a horcrux." She told him, stunning him.
"Harry?" Ron asked, surprised.
"Think about it Ron. Voldemort killed his parents and he vanished. Just vanished. Harry changed after Voldemort came back, more irritable and he was suddenly able to see what Voldemort saw as it happened. Doesn't it make sense?" Hermione asked him.
"Are you telling me that…" Ron trailed off with a funny look on his face.
"Harry has a piece of Voldemort's soul inside of him." Hermione spelled out for Ron with a frustrated sigh.
"Bloody hell…" Ron whispered, his face turning pale.
"I don't know whats going to happen, now that he gave himself up. We… we need to warn people. We need to be ready. The snake isn't dead, that needs to be taken care of before we can get rid of Voldemort." Hermione explained to Ron.
"Hermione, wait." Ron grabbed her hand as they reached the Great Hall. "Is Harry dead?" He asked, voice cracking. Hermione felt tears threaten her eyes, but took a deep breath and felt them slowly recede.
"We have to be ready for anything." Hermione said evenly. She watched as Ron visibly swallowed his fear and nodded. "Okay, come on. I think McGonagall is in here." She said, leading them back into the hall.
"What do you mean he gave himself up?" McGonagall asked loudly. Hermione pulled her to the side, away from anyone who might hear them.
"Professor, I think Harry is a horcrux. And somehow, I think Harry thinks that if he gives himself to Voldemort, then the horcrux will die." Hermione explained in a fast whisper.
"Oh dear." McGonagall said in a whisper.
"We need to get everyone together, this isn't over yet." Hermione told her.
"Indeed. Let me gather everyone, and we can formulate a plan." McGonagall told them before moving away from them.
"Think this'll work?" Ron asked her.
"It has to." She said firmly, watching grimly as McGonagall sent out a dozen patronuses and gave them a message to gather everyone into the Great Hall. It was only ten minutes, but it felt like a lifetime that they were waiting for everyone to gather, and when they did Hermione was shocked. Their numbers had gone down, by a lot. And many younger students were still here in the castle, ones that McGonagall had told to leave for safety. McGonagall now stood on top of a bench, speaking out to the group that had gathered.
"We need to ready ourselves. Harry Potter is missing, and I have just received word that Voldemort is on the way with his army once more. Take potions, anything you need to ready yourselves. We all need to be on alert and ready to fight one more time. I'm so sorry that it has come to this, that it has cost so many their lives. But, we can win this. We have to win this, to stay alive, to stay free." McGonagall said. Hermione felt shivers run down her spine at her words, and gripped Ron's hand tightly in hers.
"Stay with me." She whispered.
"We've come this far. I'm not leaving again. And after all this is over, I'll be proud to call you my sister." Ron told her, trying to reassure her. She nodded to him and took a deep breath, this was it. This was the moment they had fought so hard for.
There was movement coming from outside the castle, they could hear the footsteps, almost like a march, and there were the unmistakable thuds of giant's feet making their way toward them. There was a sudden rush for the door, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all leading the way. They watched as the army made their way into the courtyard, lead by Voldemort himself.
"Is that Hagrid?" Hermione heard Ginny whisper. "Who- who is he carrying?" She asked, her voice trembling.
"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he tried to run away, leaving you to sacrifice yourself for him. I bring you his body as proof that your hero is dead." Voldemort said, his voice magically amplified. The last word hung in the air, sinking down over the crowd, until a horrible scream pierced the silence.
"NO!" McGonagall cried, collapsing to her knees in grief. The truth seemed to strike them all at the same time, and the air was filled with screams and shouts.
"No!" Hermione shouted, refusing to believe that this could be how it ended, Harry couldn't die, not after everything.
"No!" Ron's voice rang out, the pain of losing his best friend filling his voice.
"Harry! HARRY!" Ginny screamed, lurching forward. Hermione grabbed her arm as tears streamed down her cheeks. How would it be possible to do this without Harry, the one person who had a clue what to do in this situation.
"Ginny! Ginny stop!" Ron begged his little sister until she collapsed in his arms, sobbing with grief.
"SILENCE!" Voldemort cried out, waving his wand. A forced silence took over every soul that had been inside the castle just moments before, and he gazed at them all with malice.
"Your beloved Harry Potter is gone! Hagrid! Lay him at my feet, where he belongs." Voldemort commanded. Hagrid whimpered slightly as he followed his orders, gently laying Harry's body down on the ground.
"You see now. Harry Potter was nothing! Nothing but a boy who made you all sacrifice yourselves so he could live! He was nothing!" Voldemort said, striding the length of Harry's body.
"You're wrong! He beat you!" Ron shouted, bringing himself to his full height as he broke the silencing spell.
"He was killed! Sneaking off to save himself, leaving you all-" He was cut off as Neville charged forward, but Voldemort raised his wand and a flash of light hit Neville, making him grunt with pain. His wand flew out of his hand, straight through the air to Voldemort, who threw it aside as he laughed.
"And who are you?" Voldemort asked, gazing down at the disarmed Neville in front of him.
"Neville Longbottom." He said through clenched teeth, letting his hatred seep out of his mouth and coat his voice. Bellatrix Lestrange, who had been watching from just behind Voldemort, stepped forward and let out a shrill almost-laugh.
"Longbottom? How are mum and dad?" She asked. Hermione gasped, Bellatrix had been the one to send them to St. Mungo's in the first place. Neville however, only looked at her with distaste.
"Ah, of course. Aren't you a pureblood?" Voldemort asked him.
"So what if I am?" Neville retorted, struggling against the binding spell that Voldemort had cast on him.
"You see, purebloods will reign alongside me in the new world. No more blood traitors, no more mudbloods. Only the purest of blood, and you come from a very long line of purebloods. You could join me, you show bravery, join me Neville Longbottom." Voldemort said, moving his hand in an almost welcoming gesture.
"I'll join when hell freezes." Neville said with a grin, finally breaking the body bind and turning to the crowd behind him. "Dumbledore's Army!" He shouted, raising a fist in triumph. And with that shout, any spell that had been cast on the army of Hogwarts was broken, and they surged forward as one. Neville's hand was suddenly covered with a pointy hat, Hermione immediately recognized it as the sorting hat, and as he lowered his hand, the hat fell away to reveal that he was holding a shining sword. Hermione rushed toward him, knowing that they needed the sword to kill the snake.
"Neville!" She shouted, and he glanced at her before turning back towards Voldemort and swinging the sword. Something flew up into the air, and Hermione stopped short as she realized what he had just done. "YES!" She shouted, he had just beheaded the snake. Voldemort let out a loud scream, and at the sound, his Death Eaters began to attack.
"Harry! Where's Harry?!" Hermione heard Hagrid shout as the people of Hogwarts began to retract back into the castle. Her eyes swept the ground, and she realized that Harry was no longer on the ground where Hagrid had laid him. She tried to get back, to see what had happened to him, but was distracted by Ginny battling Bellatrix, being driven back into the Great Hall. Hermione began to run, throwing spells left and right as she raced to join Ginny. Hermione was overwhelmed by the power coming from Bellatrix, she might be insane but she was a powerful witch. She was just questioning if she and Ginny would be enough, when Luna joined them, equalizing the fight.
Hermione could feel her exhaustion threatening to take over as she shot spell after spell at Bellatrix, who flicked them away with ease before casting her own. Ginny and Luna were fighting just as hard, but Hermione could tell that they were feeling the effect of the night as well. The crazed witch across from them had a grin on her face, which infuriated Hermione and just made her want to defeat her even more. She had never had much malice in her, but she wanted revenge for what this woman had done to her and her friends. She cast a curse, narrowly missing, just as Bellatrix shot a green killing curse out of her wand. Hermione's blood went cold as she watched the spell just miss Ginny, but even as she raised her wand to cast the same curse at the woman, a shout rang through the hall.
"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" Molly Weasley took residence in front of the three girls, leaving them shocked and speechless. Hermione had known Molly Weasley for years, and though she was a stern parent, Hermione doubted her ability to take down a witch of Bellatrix's caliber. Hermione rushed forward to aide her, but she was pushed away.
"No! She's mine!" Molly growled, casting spells with vigor. Hermione watched on, too mesmerized by the older woman to look away.
"You'll see your son soon. And I'll take care of the rest of them too, so they can join their mummy." Bellatrix taunted Molly with a sneer.
"You will never touch my children." Molly said, attacking the woman with various spells and curses. Bellatrix's smile vanished from her face, replaced with a fierce anger.
"Are you ready to die, blood traitor?" She spat out to Molly.
"Are you?" Molly asked, finally striking Bellatrix straight in the chest with a curse. Bellatrix's eyes bulged, and her skin became tight against her bones just before Molly cast another curse, making her explode into dust. Hermione's hand flew to her mouth, shocked, just as Voldemort screamed.
My beloved reviewers of the last chapter::: City2re, Nobodytobeme, The cat with blue eyes, and decadenceofmysoul. I had so many new followers as well, thank you all! 3