"Blah" Talking
'Blah' Thinking
"Blah" Parseltongue/Notes/Different languages
Blah Dreams/Flashbacks/Anything and Everything else
The room shook, stones grinding together and the portraits around the room looked alarmed. Many of them had run off into other frames – some to the Ministry and others into family homes. The ones that ran off to the Ministry had yet to come back and many of the ones that went to various family manors came back with grim expressions or soft words about how no one could come to aid them. The door banged against its frame, the wood groaning and the few wards that had been placed on it glowed bright.
Hermione looked over at Ron, frightened despite herself, and found that her boyfriend looked just as apprehensive as she did.
The room stopped shaking abruptly and back inside the Great Hall a bellow sounded, loud and feral. She reached for Ron's hand and tried not to shake. A burst of magic followed the bellow, familiar and comforting, and she heard Luna give a breathless laugh from behind her.
"Harry's here." Luna breathed out, sounding elated and hopeful. The ground trembled and Harry's voice sounded through the door, muffled enough that she couldn't make out any of the words but she could tell he was furious. His magic seemed to wash over her again, a cracking heat with a tendril of rage tucked in, and the students around her started to whisper excitedly. There was a deafening crash and then silence.
The wards on the door melted away and it swung open slowly. Harry stood in the doorway, eyes alight with a smear of something wet and dark on his cheek, and behind him Hermione could just make out the shamble of the Great Hall. The once grand room was littered with bodies and broken tables and smashed glass; there was blood on the floor and she thought she saw a chunk of flesh - too coarse to belong to a human – settled behind what was left of the Hufflepuff table.
"Are you all alright?" Harry asked quietly and Hermione turned her gaze from beyond his shoulder to his face. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and cling to him, demand that he make everything safe and better.
"We're a little banged up and I think only a few of us need further medical care." Eleanor said and her voice shook. Hermione took a deep breath as Harry stepped forward, letting their shoulders brush softly against each other, and she knew the time for acting like a child was over. He had too much to do for her to even think of giving him anything else to shoulder.
She let go of Ron's hand slowly and turned to look about the room to assess the situation. They couldn't stay here; the few students who had gone into shock were likely to lapse back into it with the Great Hall only steps away, never mind the claustrophobic feel of the room. One girl needed her leg set and most of them needed some pepper up if only to offset more of them going into shock. Most importantly, the castle was under siege and the students couldn't be kept safe here – they needed their families and real safety.
"We should go to the infirmary, there's a fireplace and potions that Eleanor could use." Hermione said to Harry, who was kneeling before a Hufflepuff seventh year whose name Hermione couldn't recall at the moment.
"There's a side door that opens to a corridor close to it, we'll use that. It's behind that portrait." Harry said, pointing to an empty frame. Its host must have gone to the Ministry.
Ron moved to push the portrait frame aside, reveling a doorway, and he helped little Christina Pyrites – one of the only first years sorted that year – to her feet and gently pushed her forward. Everyone shuffled out slowly, trembling or being led by friends or siblings. Neville picked up Rose Zeller, who whimpered and was crying by now, and carried her out.
Harry ended up leading them even though everyone knew the way. He had his wand at the ready and was tense, every step measured in a way that screamed to Hermione how upset and angry he still was. He had a way of moving when angry, as if all the rage inside his body was moments away from exploding out, and to tamp it down he held himself stiff. The castle was eerily silent and many of the portraits they passed were somber and some were openly weeping. A few of the painted figures were running through frames, talking to Harry quietly so as not to disturb the others, but Hermione could hear just fine that St. Mungo's had fallen.
Harry pushed the Infirmary doors open softly and Eleanor rushed past him, gathering potions and directing students to sit down. Draco was one of the ones who needed medical attention, for a laceration just under his collar bone. Hermione herself was fine, so she went over to stand next to Harry, who was still near the now closed doors of the infirmary.
"We need to get these students out of here." Hermione said.
"The Ministry has fallen, that's why a lot of portraits in that side room were empty. If they moved to a frame that was broken or under rubble, they'd be reduced to just paint on canvas. London is in chaos, not just the Magical part. The muggles are rioting and Parliament has declared martial law and a state of emergency. We need to gather our forces here, for one last push, and these children cannot be here. I've allowed Tom to do way too much and this… I won't allow this. This ends now, no more." Harry whispered to her softly and Hermione nodded, not sure what she wanted to address first. She wondered if her mother had a boy or girl and if they were alright. They had to be alright, she needed to believe they were alright.
"Shall we leave the students to die with their parents? Many of them might be orphans now." Hermione whispered back, once she got her emotions under control.
"I don't know, but they can't stay here. This place is no longer safe for them." Harry replied. The Phoenix song sounded then, lifting the mood and sending warmth through the room. In a blaze of fire, Fawkes appeared on Harry's shoulder with a rolled up piece of parchment in his mouth. Some people screamed in fright, but quickly calmed when they saw the firebird.
"Is that from Professor Dumbledore?" Ron asked as both him and Draco walked over to them quickly. Harry took the parchment from Fawkes, unrolling it to read what was written on it.
"Albus reports that he and members of the Order of Phoenix are coming to us." Harry announced to the room at large and people cried in relief and praised Merlin. Harry lowered his voice as he continued to just them three. "I've already raised the battle wards around this castle; Fawkes is their only way of getting in here. The house-elves can get the students out."
Hermione took a deep breath before straightening her spine to address Harry.
"Ron and I can welcome them and explain the situation. We'll help them plan an offense while you and Draco get these kids out of here." Hermione said and Ron nodded next to her, both of them looking to Harry. Fawkes trilled before he moved from Harry's shoulder to Ron's. Harry procured a quill and turned the note from the Headmaster over to write something on it before handing it over to Hermione.
"Have Fawkes give this to Albus; Draco and I will get the students out." Harry said. Ron and Hermione left quickly and Harry turned to the room at large. Everyone was staring at him, knowing something was happening even though they couldn't hear all of the conversation.
"The final siege for this war is going to take place here; it's the last stronghold we've got. The Ministry for Magic has fallen, the building itself was raised to the ground." At this point many people started asking questions, about survivors, about family members, about where they were going to go, and Harry raised his voice to speak over them. "I have to get you out of here, or you will die. If you want to stay and fight, I welcome you to do that, but don't feel obliged. Many of you have homes to go to, wards to barricade yourselves behind. For those of you who do, I encourage you to reach out to those that don't. Help each other because once you are outside these walls, I can't help any of you. You'll be on your own." Harry said loudly.
The students looked around at each other, fear and uncertainty one their faces as clear as day. Draco and Eleanor were just finishing up on healing Rose Zeller's legs when Harry called the house elves into the room. Eleanor was already moving on to other students, healing cuts and bruises, and making them drink some pepper up. Cassiopeia, Rose's older sister, came over to make sure Rose didn't try to stand up before she needed to. The house elves all popped in quickly, little faces serious, with Dobby in front of them all, armed with a long knife.
"You called for us, Mr. Harry Potter, sir?" Dobby asked and Harry kneeled down to talk to him as the students chattered behind him.
"I need a huge favor of all of you. We have to get these students out of here to safety. Can I trust you to help get them out of here and into their homes? Many of them lost their parents or guardians today." Harry asked.
"We be happy to help. Many of the house elves will ask for bonds, but since we shall not coming back to Hogwarts it will be okay." Dobby said in reply, not having to confer with the others. The fact that they could tell they wouldn't be coming back to this castle made Harry want to scream and cry, but some things must be done for progress to happen. Harry nodded, standing up and facing the students again. Warren Vaisey was standing in front him, expression pinched and face pale.
"My mother and uncle are outside. I know they are." He said softly and Harry reached up to grip his shoulder. "My little brother…" Vaisey chocked on the words, eyes watering.
"I know." Harry said.
"My uncle is the Head of our house now that my dad is dead and I just… I don't have anywhere to go." He continued.
"Your head of house? He left you and your baby brother here to die – he knew his Lord would require him to lay siege to this place and he left you to rot here. He's not worthy of the title of Head of Family. He didn't protect his name or legacy." Harry said vehemently, moving his hand from Vaisey's shoulder to his cheek. "You are the Head of the Family, you're the future and that man left you to die." Harry continued and Vaisey leaned into his touch like a child. Harry pulled his hand away and breathed deep, centering his magic and calling up memories of inheritance rituals.
He didn't need a ritual circle for someone to step up and take control of their family line and legacy, not if magic deemed them worthy enough to become the next Head. And in this case, Warren had a great case for him – his grief over his brother was real and the pain and rage in his eyes was sincere. His Head of Family wasn't living up to the most basic of duties: safeguarding the bloodline and name. Warren was the only one worthy to be his family's Head of house.
"Warren, would you prepared to take care of your family's name, line, and legacy?" Harry asked quietly and Vaisey swallowed. He knew what Harry was doing, he was raised with tales of sons stripping their fathers of their roles in times of need. How could he not know?
"Better than my uncle Ezra has." Vaisey said softly and his magic swirled around him, lifting his hair and the air was thick with it. "I swear on my name, on my legacy, on my magic that I am prepared to take this responsibility from my uncle, for he has failed our family." Vaisey continued and there were tears rolling down his cheeks to fade into soft white light. The boy's magic settled around his shoulders like a robe and on his right hand a ring appeared, fading into existence with a finality that settled into Vaisey's bones.
He looked no different from moments before, but the feel of him was telling enough. Vaisey covered his mouth, wiping at his face, and then he turned around.
"I can feel my manor's ancestral wards now. I have enough room for three other people. It's not much, but it's what I got. I don't care about your bloodline or your parent's views or your name." He announced and immediately Christina Pyrites walked over to him. She looked even smaller than usual next to him, her little hand tucked into his, and it was sobering to realize that she had truly lost everything. Eleven years old and her entire family was gone – even her twin.
Cassiopeia Zeller stood from where she was sitting next to her little sister Rose and helped the girl to her feet. Her leg was set and in ideal circumstances she wouldn't use it for at least the rest of the day to make sure the bones stayed that way, but these weren't ideal circumstances. Supporting her sister, they both went to stand over by Vaisey. All three of the girls that were choosing to go with him were half-bloods, two Slytherins and one Hufflepuff, and Cassiopeia was the oldest at 14 going on 15.
A house elf broke from the group and stepped up to Vaisey, looking up at him solemnly.
"Yous be concentrating on the wards, gets them to let us in. I do the rest." Her little voice squeaked out and Vaisey nodded, reaching out to hold Cassiopeia's hand and make sure she was still holding onto her sister. The elf gripped his robes and closed her eyes and before they popped away, Vaisey turned back to Harry.
"Thank you. I'm sorry I won't be coming back." He said and they were gone.
"I thought to claim your inheritance there was blood involved." Nina Delnormia said faintly.
"Not if you're taking the title from someone your family's magic deems unworthy of being the Head of the Family. These rituals were used on rapists, child molesters, and the like; it was necessary to be able to take the title without being in the same vicinity. Thus no blood, just a straight-forward shifting of responsibilities." Blaise said, as he had Amy and Valerie Moon standing with him. "My parents are behind the ancestral wards, have been since the summer. These two don't have anywhere to go so I'm going to introduce them to my parents and then come back." He explained.
An older elf wearing a clean tea-cozy and sporting a clipped ear stepped forward to take hold of Blaise's hand without a word. The sisters grabbed a hold of Blaise's robes quickly and the elf popped them away.
Nina Delnormia stepped forward and wrung her hands in front of her while Astoria Greengrass towed Ian Harper and Dennis Creevey over to a house elf. A rather old and round elf reached up to take Greengrass' hand and they vanished with a loud pop. Harry knew as they left that Astoria was the new head of her family, her parents no doubt lying under rubble somewhere in London whereas her older sister was still in the Great Hall.
"I don't know where my parents are, but I know they're currently not in the country. I have my little sister to consider and I'm not wasting any more time by trying to get an elf to them so they can open the wards for us. They left us here, alone, in a war zone. I can forgive them for it, I can understand their reasons – they're trying to make sure they have a place for us all - but right now my priority is my little sister. She doesn't deserve to die here, trapped like a rat, because our parents are trying to act like they have more time than they do to make a safe haven for us." She said quietly.
"I understand. But in this, you can't give it back, you know that, don't you? If you take this, it's yours forever; are you willing to take those responsibilities unto yourself?" Harry asked, feeling magic run between them thickly.
"I swear on my name, on my legacy, on my magic that I am prepared to take this responsibility from my mother, for she has failed our family. I forgive her for it and hold no grudge but I cannot allow her to keep the title when our line is at stake." Delnormia said firmly and her magic snapped against his, rolling back to push against Nina. Her cheeks gained a healthy bit of red while her hair deepened in color and when she breathed out, she stood straighter.
"Crux, come. Laura, Orla, you two as well." Nina said with authority and her little sister rushed forward, Laura Madley and Orla Quirke following after her uncertainly. Nina curled one of her arms around Crux's shoulder and reached her other hand out for an elf. Winky stepped forward and when their hands touched, Winky smiled and they were gone the next instant.
Amell Voultei hugged Ginny and Luna briefly before she went to a young elf that was wearing a colorful tea-cozy. Diana Dodderidge hugged Eleanor, whispering something that made the other girl tear up, before she rushed to Amell's side. They popped away.
"Harry, would you think me a coward if I left?" Susan Bones asked quietly as she stepped up to stand before him, shaking and pale. Harry took her hands gently before answering her.
"No. And even if I did, screw what I think, you do what's best for you. If you have other options, you should take them." Harry told her and she squeezed his hands.
"I'm the Head of my family now. My aunt was no doubt defending the Ministry… Anyway, I can feel that my manor here is gone, its been razed to the ground. But there's something small and mine in Russia. I'm taking Su Li with me. I just wanted to say thank you, for thinking of us, for devising a way to get us out of here." She said and let go of him to go to Su Li who was waiting for her with an elf; they left without a backwards glance.
Blaise popped back in, a battle axe attached to his hip and wand at the ready. The house elf that went with him walked back to the remaining circle of ten or so house elves that were left.
"Last call to leave, this goes for you lot too." Harry said, directing the last bit to the house elves. Ginny and Luna didn't even look at him, already too engrossed in gathering potions in smaller vials for the upcoming battle and making sure they were secured to their robes.
"My entire family is outside." Sadelle Fawcett said softly, catching his attention. She didn't look scared. "I don't want a title, I just want them dead." She continued in the same soft voice, expression blank. He wondered if she was planning on outliving them or not, and then decided he couldn't think about that.
"I'm not going anywhere." Ernie MacMillian said simply. Five house elves popped away, hiding their eyes in apparent shame.
"Hermione and Ron took the Order of the Phoenix to the transfiguration classroom. Guess we should go meet them." Draco said. Harry took his hand and for a moment the unnerving silence of the castle seemed alright.
But only for a moment.
Harry broke off from the group at the door to the transfiguration classroom. He had to seek out the Bloody Baron as he would know the answers to some of Harry's remaining questions – like where Voldemort's last horcrux was.
Once upon a time, Harry taught the Baron as a boy. He was among the second set of children accepted into Hogwarts, one of Godric's many nephews. He took his mother's title of Baron when he reached his majority and was going to marry Helena, Rowana's eldest daughter. In an argument that Harry no longer remembered the root of, Helena ran off with her mother's diadem, the crown she had been given by some centaurs (the very same clan that spawned the current clans of the centaurs in the forbidden forest), and her mother sent the Baron after her. He killed Helena and then killed himself in a flight of grief, coming back to Hogwarts to haunt her halls as punishment for his crime. And ever since, he always knew where the diadem was – even the few times it fell out of the Ravenclaw family line.
He found the Baron in front of some windows on the third floor, staring out with a grim expression.
"Please tell me Rowena's diadem is somewhere in this castle still. Or even better that it was never used as a grounding piece for a ripped apart piece of soul." Harry said, coming to a stop behind the ghost.
"Of course it was; you know just as well as I do that boy wouldn't be able to resist the urge to throw a piece of himself into it in his desperation." Baron Hector said softly. He turned away from the window, floating closer to stand before Harry. "It's not here, Saldis, hasn't been since it was taken by Horde Kara in 1906. And I'm sorry to say this, but it looks like you have more pressing matters to attend to, such as the army on this castle's doorsteps. The castle has called Peeves back, as it does when war comes to her doors – Riddle is outside, markings on the ground and power in the air. You're out of time." He said, bending down to look Harry in the eye.
"I have watched you come through these halls for centuries now, always with a different face – different skin, different blood, different gender, different names, for centuries you have returned to these halls, drawn here like a moth to a flame. I thought I was destined to linger here forever, to always be near Helena but never see her again, tortured by her presence, her closeness. But over these last ten centuries I have come to pity you a great deal, former teacher of mine. You are just as trapped here as I am. You are out of time – and when Riddle's forces wipe you all out, you will come back to these halls with a new face, a new name, a new ethnicity and try again, won't you? Of course you will; you're unable to do anything else." Hector said, taking a mean kind of pleasure in his words.
Harry turned away from him, walking quickly back down to the ground level, Hector's laughter echoing behind him. He was wrong, if that diadem was outside as Harry fears it was… if Tom got that last piece of himself back, Erus would rip through him and awaken, nothing else holding it back. He'd destroy everything, starting with this castle because it would hurt Harry the most and Erus existed to hurt him now. Erus would hollow out Voldemort's corpse, sweep his magic in front of him like a veil and kill everyone in sight. It was his nature to destroy and feed off of it, he knew nothing of limitations or sustainability – he would eat and eat and eat until there was nothing left.
The very thought was terrifying.
He came to an abrupt stop at the bottom of the last set of stairs and realized he had no idea what to do.
The secret passageway smelled of stale air and mold – it was damp and dark in an unforgiving way. It was hard to imagine that it was connected to the castle at all, but she supposed that was only natural. She knew when they passed the castle's main wards. The popping of her ears gave it away, and between one breath and the next the air was thicker, more oppressive, and the echo of their footsteps louder.
Her brothers – the twins and Charlie – were leading them, wands at the ready and the twins had some of their more destructive products on them. They hadn't received word about Bill and their parents, but she believed they were safe in Egypt. She had to believe they were. The pathway they're on should come out near the lake, behind the army, and hopefully they'll have the element of surprise on their side. They certainly don't have numbers after all.
Luna's hand touched the small of her back briefly and when she turned to look at her, Luna smiled at her briefly. There was a sharp turn and then there was light coming in from a small opening, covered by moss and long grass. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and then they were spilling out, firing spells at the Death Eaters and fanning out to try and make their numbers seem larger. She moved quickly, flinging curses and hexes to anyone wearing a mask, and kept Luna in her sights.
It didn't take long for the other half of their forces to come pouring out from a side door of the castle, able to come out because the army was concentrating on her group. She felt Ron more than she saw him and dodged a killing curse; moving put her right in the path of a cutting curse and it hit her left leg sharply. It put her down onto her knees and she threw a curse – one of the ones Harry taught her, all intent and the sensation of heat through her veins – and the Death Eater dropped, whether dead or incapacitated she didn't know. If they had a weak heart, it would have erupted, but if it was healthy then all it would have done was lurch unpleasantly, enough to knock the breath out of someone and send them into a painful unconsciousness momentarily. She kept moving, following a few steps behind Luna, determined not to lose sight of her.
Draco and Blaise were fighting to her left, up against four opponents, and she flung a blood boiling curse at the back of one of them. They screamed in agony and went down. Blaise threw a killing curse to another, and Draco swung his wand in a complicated pattern and the remaining two shrank into themselves, folding like paper, bones snapping and blood bursting out of them. She felt like throwing up but tried to ignore it – they're fighting for their lives, they're allowed to do things like that.
In the battle of Hogsmeade, Ginny's objective was clear: protect the other students and children, stall for the Aurors to get there, get as many children to safety and keep them that way. This was not like that – she was not stalling, there was no one else coming, and she didn't know what she'd do if they lost. If the Order went under, if her brothers fell to this army, if Harry died… what would she do? Allow herself to be captured? Kill herself and Luna? Run? And if they won, what then? How would they win this... if every last person with the Dark Mark was dead? If Voldemort was dead? It felt like they were missing so many people, how would they possibly rebuild?
The twins appeared at her side, Fred throwing a corkscrew at a cluster of Death Eaters, and they cast a shield before the corkscrew imploded. A leg – ripped off just under the kneecap – splatted against the shield and fell to the ground in front of them with a squelch. There's a moment of shock and then some seven Death Eaters converged on them, yelling and cursing them, spells flying everywhere. She got hit in the face with a bludgeoning curse, the pain impacted her cheek bones and flesh hard enough that she whimpered as she was thrown back a few steps. She could feel the headache coming on and counted herself lucky that the caster was weak. She fired off a folding charm at one of them and heard bones crack as their chest flexed unnaturally before bending backwards with an almighty crunch and spurt of bones and blood. She didn't know that would work that way but found herself grateful that it did. She ran, dancing out of the way of bright green lights and sparkling purple.
Something slammed into her side, hard enough to lift her off her feet and send her flying, and when she hit the ground it was with a grunt. She was pretty sure that some of her skin was rubbed off.
"Little birdie not dancing anymore?" Bellatrix Lestrange's voice rang out, sugary sweet and high pitched. Ginny tried to sit up but her side ached and made it difficult. "Maybe I can show her how to dance again? Cruico!"
The pain that radiated through her body was like nothing she had ever experienced before. It was like every pain she'd ever had amplified to a billion, everything hurt. Her bones, her skin, the back of her eyes, even her hair seemed to be wailing in agony – she couldn't breathe through the screams. It cut off abruptly, leaving her shaking and crying on the ground. Sound came back to her in stages – first the ringing in her ears, then the muffled crackle of magic around her, and then her own crying, muffled by the grass. She sniffed, holding herself up and standing through sheer force of will – her legs felt like jelly and her head ached more than ever, but she was on her feet.
Neville was standing near her, guarding her as she got her bearings again, and at his feet was Bellatrix's body – a massive tree root protruded out of her mouth and it looked like it had burrowed in through her lower back.
"Thank you." Ginny said to him. Neville nodded to her and fired off a tripping jinx at a Death Eater who fell face first onto a broken branch that was protruding out of the ground in front of them – the branch was sticking out of their head so it was safe to say they were down permanently. Ginny flung a fire curse out, watching as it caught three Death Eaters and devoured them in flames.
"Luna's over by Hermione, over there!" Neville shouted, pointing towards Hagrid's hut where Hermione and Luna were back to back and fighting against ten opponents.
"Thanks!" Ginny shouted as she went off in that direction. Hermione was in her element here, magic flowing around her and Luna as she brought her enemies down. Luna herself was able to stand still and take out Death Eaters that would try to attack Hermione from behind. They looked like they had practiced this stuff before, though Ginny knew they hadn't.
She got to them just as seven massive trolls lumbered out of the forest, each one branded on the chest with a still bleeding Dark Mark and their clubs sparked with magic and light. One of them swung the massive club and it caught Ernie Macmillan right in the head, knocking the boy some distance until he smacked into a tree. Three of the people fighting near him, only one of which was a Death Eater, were smoking where they lay. She hadn't seen what happened to them, had been concentrating on Ernie, but they looked severely burned and she supposed that was what the clubs did when swung near you. That was some nasty magic.
She tried to recall all that she was taught about trolls – their skin was tough, they weren't smart creatures, and their bones were hollow which allowed for their growth. The blood boiling curse and intra liquescens – the bone marrow curse - would probably be the best spells for downing them. Hermione grabbed her as the troll swung their direction, yanking her back roughly.
"If you know the bone marrow curse, cast it with me on three!" Hermione ordered and started to count, dodging a Death Eaters curse and another's kick. On three they both fired at the troll nearest to them, hitting it in the stomach. It paused for a moment, grunted, and then howled. The club hit the ground first, light flickering out and then the troll was on the ground, bellowing, it's kneecaps quite broken. Within seconds of it being down its eyes started to leak a clear substance and then it was still and silent.
Hermione didn't bother cheering or giving Ginny a smile, just barked out the command to follow her as she went after the other six. Ginny obeyed her without much thought, snapping to her side to run alongside her. The second one went down much like the first, only they hit it from behind and Ginny sent a tidal wave of water at some Death Eaters, pulled up from the nearby lake, effectively drowning them. By the fourth troll, it was becoming apparent that the Death Eaters were trying to kill them in earnest, trying to keep the trolls angry and able to kill as many Order members as possible. Hermione at one point threw herself atop Ginny to get them out of the path of two killing curses then shoot up and whirled, fired off the killing curse, and didn't even pause when the person she hit died on the spot right in front of them.
The last two trolls were working together, clubs swinging as Ron, Charlie, some adults Ginny didn't know, and Sadelle Fawcett fought off them and Death Eaters alike. Charlie was missing a hand, and one of the twins was missing an ear while the other was favoring his left side. One of the adults had a bloody face and Sadelle's short hair was half burned off on one side. Hermione announced her presence by flinging the bone marrow curse out – her voice musical and loud on the incantation – right at the back of one of the trolls. It swung around with a shout, swinging at them. Ginny veered right, hoping she was far enough away that whatever magic was around it wouldn't catch her, but Hermione jumped right up and somehow managed to land on the club itself. Ginny watched in amazement as the older girl transfigured something – a piece of hair or something equally small – into a dagger and ran up the club, jumping onto the huge creature's shoulder and stabbing it in the eye. It bellowed and swung widely around, its club catching the other troll in the face and both of them caught fire so suddenly it was a shock. Ron called out to her as the trolls fell in a burning heap.
"HERMIONE!" Ron shouted again, jumping forward, but Charlie and one of the twins – it looked like Fred was the one with the missing ear – held him back. From the flames Hermione jumped out, rolling on the ground to try and extinguish the fire caught in her hair. Ron surged out of their brother's hold, grabbed up the dagger and cut away the burning robes and hair. Hermione came out coughing and wearing her school skirt and the pressed blouse they wear under their robes and her hair was hacked off around the chin, uneven and jagged. Ginny stared at her in amazement – only Hermione could do something so insane and live through it.
Just then, the ground shook and the sound around them muted for a few moments before a gust of wind threw them all to the ground, noise roaring in their ears. She felt Harry's magic, strong and bubbling, and when she looked towards the castle there was a huge snake made out of blue flames that was rushing out of the castle doors. The Death Eaters caught didn't have time to scream.
Harry had joined them at last.
Harry walked down the steps of the castle with slow, measured steps, his wand held in front of him to direct the Basilisk. The doors closed behind him with a bang and Harry swished his wand sharply, the flames dying out and the fire-basilisk vanishing.
There was a ritual circle scorched into the ground near the tree line, bared for his sight and now unprotected. It was a circle with seven stars inside it, spaced equally from each other, and runes were drawn in the dirt around the circle. Rowena's diadem was placed at the center while Voldemort himself stood in front; facing Harry with such hate and aggression in his face that Harry knew he would have flinched if he were weaker.
When he stepped onto the ground, he could feel the faint echo of the magic from it, the void that he felt from Magicks of Heaven, the sense of unease and the urge to vomit for a brief moment. He supposed it made sense that a Magicks of Heaven ritual would be the thing to force a soul back together, since dark arts were the ones to rip it apart.
"Harry Potter… come to die alongside his last pathetic attempt at a resistance. They've killed a few trolls, held their own against my army, but I wonder, boy, how they would last with you dead at my feet?" Voldemort asked, voice soft. It carried across the small distance, even as the battle around them raged and people were shouting left and right.
'He always was good at making sure he could be heard in a crowd.' Harry thought to himself and took a breath. Voldemort looked thin and his skin was sunken and pale, like he hadn't seen enough sunlight or eaten enough. His eyes, burning red as they were, looked larger, slightly swollen and his lips cracked. His hands were covered in dirt, mud, and who knows what else while his robes were tattered and filthy. He had blood smeared across his forehead.
"I'm sorry, Tom, that I've allowed this to go on as long as I have and that this even happened. It's all wrong." Harry said, just as softly because this wasn't meant to be heard by everyone. He had failed Tom, he knew that now, and Tom deserved an apology for that. Harry had promised, once, to take care of him, to help him grow into his potential and he failed. Aife had failed Tom.
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort spat at him, jabbing his wand forward and Harry dodged to the left. Voldemort cast again, wordless and Harry dropped to the ground, rolling just in time to get out of the way of a second curse.
Albus' voice, clear and loud, rang out. Voldemort swirled his wand in a spiral before jabbing it in front of him and whatever Albus cast spilt in half to crash into a tree and some Order members nearby. They cried out in agony, blood coming out of their mouths and noses before they fell to other curses.
"It's over, Tom! Look what you've done, isn't this enough? What's the point of ruling over a kingdom of corpses?" Albus bellowed, moving his wand through the air with heavy movements and agile fingers. Twin bolts of lightning shot out of his wand to hit Voldemort straight in the chest. Harry threw his own spells into the mix, trying to get Voldemort away from the ritual circle. If he was out of proximity he couldn't go through with it. If they killed the body he was in currently and destroyed the horcrux, Erus would be trapped again. Maybe permanently. It was the best option at this point and Harry threw everything he could into getting him away from that damn circle.
Albus cast the bloodletting curse just as Voldemort cast the killing curse while Harry threw a fire spell into the mix. All three spells collided in the center somewhere and ricocheted off into the distance. The bloodletting curse hit the back of a duelist, and they went down, while the killing curse and fire curse hit Albus straight on. He was dead before he hit the ground, corpse smoking. From the corner of his eye, he saw a blur of black hair and then Sirius tackled Voldemort, roaring and screaming as he pointed his wand right in Voldemort's face.
The ritual circle glowed and there was a horrible screeching as the wind seemed to flow inwards, towards the center of the circle. Sirius was thrown back into Harry and they both hit the ground hard, Harry's head smacking against a rock hard enough to make him see spots.
"This is my son, Saliar, isn't he beautiful?"
Harry grunted, trying to stay awake but the world was spinning and there was so much light magic it was making him want to hurl. The ritual must be taking shape, meaning that everything is about to get so much worse and he can't just lie here lost like this.
"Merlin! Merlin, answer me this instant! MERLIN! Where is he, my lady, where is he?!" Demesstria was in a panic, fires all around them as the guard and invaders clashed in the streets. Her hair had come out of its braided bun and her robes were muddied at the bottom.
There was a flash of auburn curls out of the corner of her eye and she happened to turn just in time to catch sight of little Ambrosius ducking back into his house, a few barbarians on his heels.
"I've got him, stay close to the guard!" She shouted to her frantic friend and gave chase.
His godfather was dead and he saw Remus' body earlier; he didn't see him get cut down but he saw his broken body on the field. He'd tried to pretend he didn't notice or didn't see but he did and now he truly had no parents. The ones that bore him were dead and the ones he chose were dead as well. Sirius talked to him about children, taking to the idea that one day he'd have grandkids with grace and glee while Remus would think of ways to sneak the theoretical children treats. They were gone.
"Ambrosius!" She shouted, firing a curse at the back of one of the men towering over the boy. The other swung his sword in her direction, which she barely dodged and then she was driving her own sword down into the flesh between his neck and shoulder. Ambrosius watched with wide eyes and she threw herself at him, grabbing him up, and dashing back towards the stairs just as fire shoots up them.
She redirected herself and leapt through the window, landing on her feet and rolling onto her knees hard.
'Merlin's last heir is gone, too.' He thought to himself, dazed still and reeling. The last reminder he had of the boy he once knew, raised, mentored, saw grow up, went to war alongside was gone. Salazar's last descendant was being devoured as he lay here in a daze, the last Black heir dead atop him, and many of the bloodlines he was familiar with were dead across the field. The world was changing, always changing, and he never changed with it, not really.
"Harry! Harry, I swear to the heavens you better not be not dead under there, Harry!" Draco's frantic voice called out and Harry shoved Sirius' body off, feeling lightheaded and woozy, and Draco came into sharp focus.
"You'd feel it if I was dead." Harry said blankly while Draco came up to steady him.
A circular radius around the ritual circle was littered with bodies and the air tasted foul from the taint of the Magicks of Heaven ritual. The body that was once Voldemort stood stock still, its face bubbled, skin rearranging itself. The faint echo of screams picked up in the wind and Voldemort's skin changed, broiling and peeling away, like a snake's discarded husk. As the blood and muscle was clear to the eye, something started to grow out of the mass of blood and viscera – the light hitting it made whatever it was gleam like gems or scales.
"What the hell is happening?" Blaise asked, axe held up. Harry wondered if the boy even had his wand anymore. Did it break or get lost?
"Who's left?" Harry asked, keeping his eyes on Voldemort's body. By this time the body's lips had fallen off and his head was elongating, making him look even more unnatural and serpentine. Especially since it was becoming more apparent that he was in fact growing scales in place of his skin.
"The twins, Charlie, Fawcett, a few people I didn't get the name of, and the rest of the DA." Draco said. "What's our play here?" Draco continued. Harry looked out across the field and the scattered people, thinking.
"Master!" One of the Death Eaters cried out and the magic that had been in the air, twisting around Erus as he transformed, settled over him. For a moment there was stillness and silence and Harry found himself holding his breath, hoping that maybe something went wrong. Maybe the gods decided on mercy for once and it went wrong –
Four Death Eaters closest to Erus melted in on themselves, their skin and bones liquefying so suddenly they didn't have time to scream. Erus stepped out of the ritual circle and grabbed Augustus Rookwood who was unfortunate enough to be standing too close and yanked his head back by the hair, mouth sinking into the meaty portions of his neck. Rookwood screamed and tries to hit Erus with his arm, but the limb broke apart at the elbow like a rag doll being pulled apart. The blood from the wound didn't trickle to the floor, instead flowing up towards Erus' mouth.
The Death Eaters went into a frenzy, chaos descending as some charged their former Master while others ran for the tree line. Dementors were waiting for them, quick to wrap themselves around the fleeing Death Eaters and clamp their mouths around their victim's faces.
The first sign that something was wrong was not the screaming or the burning of the city – it was her soldiers, her own men, arresting her for treason. Her – the woman who forfeited the right to marry and have children; the woman who defended Rome against all evil, who made the enemies of Rome quake in their boots; the woman who coined the phrase 'surrender or face annihilation' - her arrested for treason. Dragged into some dungeons like a common criminal.
She killed the first man who thought to lay hands on her, to try and torture her like she was a traitor.
Hermione and Ron leapt into action, both of them erecting a powerful shield around their little cluster. The wartime wards might have been weaker outside than within the castle, but that didn't mean apperating out here was possible. They'd have to go into the forest and risk the Dementors or make for the iron gates past the lake. The Giant Squid hadn't done much this fight, bar yanking anyone who got too close to the water down to their death, and the Dementors were just as equal in their feeding – anyone who ran towards the forest was fair game.
She kicked the boy away from her, the little knife in her hand hardly a weapon at all, but she needed it not. Her magic whipped around her and she could feel everything. They had killed him, they killed him, they killed him, theykilledhimtheykilledhim.
There were bodies in the street and she didn't care, stepped over them unseeing –
Deaddeaddeaddead
She was going to kill Merlin, how dare he, how dare he?!
"We need to retreat!" Draco shouted over the renewed screaming and sound of fighting.
"England's been taken and our boarders have been sealed off!" Ginny said frantically, looking young and pale. It was easy to forget that it had only been a few years since she had been possessed and laying pale and still on stone, down deep in the Chamber of Secrets.
"I'm going to London." Harry said. "The wards extend to the iron gates and once you get past them, apperation and portkeys are possible. Better that way than attempting the forest." He continued and before anyone could reply he turned to make for the gates. He wasn't sure what he would do in London, if anything at all, but he needed to be away from here. Needed some space to think.
It didn't take long for him to get to the gates, the Death Eaters were distracted and fighting amongst themselves and he barely needed to defend himself as he ran.
"I give you a secret, along with my cloak. Your sister lives yet, I couldn't kill her. She's with Lucian's pack." She said, swaying on her feet, a smile stretching across her lips. "You will die of your wounds before you see her again."
She stood on the bridge as laughed as Merlin's youngest son fell to his knees, coughing up blood. How foolish they all were, these sons that asked her for more and more and more and never bothered to apologize for their father's actions. They did not even seem grieved for it. The eldest wanted more power and more knowledge, and the twins had always been more concerned with each other than anything and anyone else.
Only one child of Merlin would live this day, just the girl-child.
He apperated.
He popped back into existence behind the Leaky Caldron in an out of the way ally. Moments later, Hermione and Ron appeared a few feet away, looking around for Harry. Ginny, Luna, and Eleanor popped in next, the little group hurrying to Harry's side. Hermione threw herself at him, gasping out a dry sob against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her gently as Blaise and Draco followed after, Blaise's axe held at the ready.
The streets were quiet in the way abandoned towns were – air sweeping through empty space with a confused hiss. There was smoke billowing from the east and the Leaky Caldron itself looked like it had been under siege. The twins and Charlie appeared at last and hurried over.
"Do we have a plan?" Charlie asked Harry, a touch of hostility in his voice. Harry didn't blame him – listening to someone younger than you was always galling, particularly after such horror.
"For once, no." Harry said honestly. He leaned against the wall behind him, bringing Hermione with him. Draco stepped up beside him, slipping his hand into Harry's and reaching out to touch Hermione's hair gently. The girl wasn't crying or even shaking, she just tucked herself close. "All my plans were geared towards preventing what happened. I'm quite out of plans at this point."
"England is a lost cause. We need to leave the country – last I checked the rest of Europe was gearing up for defensive war. No one will accept us, not if we go through official channels." Hermione said, pulling away from Harry a bit to angle herself to be heard.
"I can get to Bill in Egypt – I have a portkey for emergencies – I'm taking my siblings with me." Charlie said firmly.
"Harry, where are you going?" Ginny asked, as if her brother hadn't spoken at all.
"He's going to France. I have a villa there, I can get us there now that – that… We're going to France." Draco said, stumbling over the words when he tried to speak of his father's fate. There was an echo of pain, like the touch of warmth from a fire.
"Luna and Eleanor are welcome with my family. We're probably going to be moving to the apartments in Spain, given what just happened." Blaise spoke up. Hermione looked up at Harry, stepping away to take Ron's hand.
"I'm going with Ron, maybe I can salvage this using the information in Egypt." Hermione said and Harry nodded at her.
'I failed, again. Almost two thousand years and I still can't beat Erus.'
Ron and Hermione went over to Charlie and the twins, grabbing Ginny on their way, and then they were gone. Eleanor had to lead Luna to Blaise, who spared one last look at Draco and Harry, before they were all gone.
"I had two thousand years to try and make sure this didn't happen. Two thousand years." Harry whispered, the burn behind his nose and eyes giving way to small lines of warmth on his cheeks.
"You tried – "
"I failed! I did nothing! I shut my eyes and pretended that Erus wouldn't waken someday. I did this, I didn't protect Tom and I let this happen. This is my fault." Harry said, crying and not caring if that made him foolish or weak. He looked at Draco, stricken. "Merlin's last heir is gone, his last son… I thought I would feel something, feel… vindicated or, or… but I don't. He's just gone. And Salazar's last heir, Tom was so much like him and now… now he's gone too. Albus is dead, Sirius is dead, Remus is dead, Tom has been devoured and I… I don't know what to do!" He finished, shouting and clutching at Draco's hand like it was the last remaining stable thing he had. Draco gathered him up in a hug, holding him close and stoking his back.
Between one sob and the next, the air twisted around them and spat them out somewhere else. He clung to Draco, sobbing into his shoulder. There was nothing else he could do now.
A/N: OH MY GOD AN UPDATE. I'm working on this, I graduated from college finally and I will finish this fic I swear to god. We're heading towards the end now, only a few more chapters to the end!