A/N The battle has begun! It will be four parts and there will be some subsequent chapters. I hope to have this story finished by Sunday (maybe) and as soon as I am I'll give a countdown of chapters. We're getting there. I almost can't believe it. This is the first idea I've actually ever been able to finish.

As always, thanks for sticking with this story and reviewing and all that stuff that helps me develop my writing skills. Enjoy the beginning of the end!

Part One: Death of a Headmaster

The group of Death Eaters and Hermione's allies split as they exited the Room of Requirement. They moved swiftly and silently, never more than a shadow. Greyback made his way to the rendezvous point. The other witches and wizards that had been tasked with securing the castle had just begun arriving and he began relaying Hermione's instructions to them. They went off in groups to guard three of the four Hogwarts houses. They ran into the patrol groups, giving the agreed-upon signal of a series of flashes from their wands. The groups were on the small side, the smallest numbering four and the largest numbering six. The largest went to Gryffindor Tower. They would be the most troublesome to reign in once their presence was announced. Even though many of them lacked experience, they greatly outnumbered the group, and Gryffindors were most likely to fight even when there was no hope. Once the fight began, they would have help from one of the patrol groups so their numbers were larger.

Ginny and Neville patroled the corridors of Hogwarts silently. All the typical ghosts were curiously absent and they only encountered a few staff members doing nightly rounds. They easily apprehended them, one casting a stunner and the other casting a silencing spell. They worked seamlessly together, never once giving away their presence. Luna and Dolohov patroled opposite halls, both moving undetected through the castle. They encountered no one, no ghosts either, and it put them on edge slightly. They kept their calm, allowing their uneasiness the smallest bit of room within themselves. They would be wary but not overly cautious. Luna had almost expected the castle to be busier at night. She wasn't sure if it was just the atmosphere of tonight but the castle seemed desolate and almost...creepy. She was surprised to find a total absence of nighttime creatures wandering the castle. It seemed wrong, but maybe that's how it had always been and she was only noticing it because her senses were on high-alert.

Draco led Hermione, Bellatrix, and Aurion to the Astronomy Tower. He had good reason to think that's where Dumbledore would be. The Headmaster spent a lot of his time pacing the circular room, it was no secret. Most of the students were clueless about the reason but Draco knew the wizard was thinking about Horcruxes. They moved in a single file line, keeping close to the wall. Aurion was behind Hermione and Bellatrix was in front of her, keeping her between them. They met no resistance, not that they had expected to, and soon were entering the Astronomy Tower. Bellatrix took the lead and Hermione ushered Draco to the back. They heard the muffled sound of footsteps above them and Bellatrix stealthily ascended the spiral staircase. Hermione followed close behind, not entering the room entirely. She signaled to Draco and Aurion to stay further back but allowed them to be close enough to see inside the room.

Bellatrix faced the old wizard. His back was to her at the moment, but he would soon be turning to her. She waited for him to see her, wanted to see the light leave his eyes, wanted him to know who had been the one to kill him. She could feel Hermione behind her, a steady thrum of magic identical to her own emanating from the young witch. Bellatrix twirled her wand in her fingertips, waiting for Dumbledore to turn. The old wizard reached the end of his stride, turning around and catching sight of the dark witch. Surprise crossed his face before he quickly schooled it into a false, welcoming smile. He kept himself from immediately reaching for his wand. Maybe he could try to talk Bellatrix out of what she was about to attempt. His eyes flicked to the staircase. He could sense two other magical signatures, one more familiar than the other but he still couldn't place it. He quickly looked back to Bellatrix, hoping she hadn't seen him looking past her. She had but pretended otherwise.

"Hello, Bellatrix. I'm surprised to see you here. I'll admit, I wasn't anticipating this move from Voldemort. He'll kill you to get the Elder Wand, you know. You've been sent on a suicide mission," he said. He words calm and level but his eyes betrayed his true feelings. Anger. Disgust. Bellatrix hissed at the use of the Dark Lord's name, curling her lip in disgust. Hermione stayed still, blending into the shadow. Dumbledore would be unable to pick up on her magical signature since it was identical to Bellatrix's, but she had seen his eyes flick to Draco and Aurion. Hermione had a spell ready in case he decided to attack. Minerva's warning echoed in her head and she prepared for him to act.

"I am loyal to the Dark Lord. If he commands my death, he shall have it," Bellatrix replied. Her voice was even and she forced her body to stay relaxed. She wouldn't toy with him for too long. If she waited, the entire castle would be on alert. No, she had a job to do. She would end this wizard's life without any hesitation.

"It's a pity I could never make you see reason. You would have made a fantastic member of the Order." Dumbledore clasped his hands behind his back, portraying a calm he didn't feel. A duel was imminent and he yearned to get it over with so he could continue making his plans to destroy Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

"It is not I who cannot see reason. It is the people you have fooled into playing your pawns." Bellatrix held her stance, eyes never leaving the old wizard. Behind her, Hermione was doing her own assessment of Dumbledore and the room, devising a strategy in case things went wrong.

Dumbledore waved his hand dismissively. "I gave them purpose. They will go down in history for freeing the world of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. I have made them great."

"You've used them so you could play war," Bellatrix hissed. She raised her wand, leveling it at the old wizard's chest. Hermione adjusted her grip on her wand, ready to use it if she needed to. Dumbledore stood passively, an amused smile on his face.

"Being his Lieutenant will not save you from death when he decides to claim the Elder Wand."

"You truly are a fool," Bellatrix whispered.

"Am I? I possess the Elder Wand. Should we duel, I will win."

"Want to put that theory to the test?" Bellatrix growled.

Dumbledore drew his wand, rapidly firing off a stunner at Bellatrix. She flicked it aside, grunting with the effort. Hermione channeled her magic, letting it flow through Bellatrix as she matched Dumbledore spell for spell. The old wizard was unknowingly fighting a battle against two witches, and he held his ground for several volleys but began to tire long before Bellatrix and Hermione did. They had spent hours practicing for this very moment, channeling their magic, holding spells. He was no match for Bellatrix when her magic was bolstered by Hermione. Draco and Aurion stayed quiet and out of the way, watching the duel. They were ready to interfere if necessary but neither of them thought it would be. Bellatrix felt her magic surge through her as she cast a stunner, and even though Dumbledore managed to deflect it, the force of it knocked him back several feet. His heels grazed the edge of the floor. His back was to the window and there was no railing to catch him if he fell. He looked over his shoulder and Bellatrix took her opportunity.

"Avada Kedavra!" she shouted, following it with a quick, "Levicorpus!"

Hermione felt the wards losing strength as Bellatrix guided the dead wizard's body inside. She snatched the wand from his fingers, quickly snapping it in two. The dark witch sneered at the old man's corpse, kicking him with her booted foot. His eyes were open and glazed over, dully reflecting the light in the room. His face was slack and expressionless.

"I told you, you're a fool. He never wanted the Elder Wand. He wanted you dead," she hissed.

"The wards are down. Do you want to cast it?" Hermione asked. She spared a glance at the now-dead Headmaster.

"No, you can do it."

Hermione raised her wand, pointing it straight into the air. "Morsmordre!"

A green light shot from the tip of Hermione's wand, casting a glow over the four of them before dissipating. The Dark Mark appeared in the sky, coloring the world a pale shade of green. The Death Eaters could feel the tingle of the spell in their own Marks. It wouldn't be long now.