Chapter 9: The Battle
A few moments later Ginny, Ron and Hermione could see the dark mark cast in the sky through the windows as they ran up the stairs towards the tower. They ran into Neville and Luna, who were on their way down.
"We saw Death eaters outside and we got your message," Luna said as she held up her coin, "We were just headed down there."
"There's more?" Ginny asked and Luan and Neville nodded, "We're heading to the astronomy tower to the others."
"Snapes moving," Hermione said suddenly looking at the map, "some of us should go watch him too."
"I'll go with you Hermione," Luna said. Hermione nodded and the two of them ran down the hall.
"We'll go up to the tower and find the others," Ginny said and Ron and Neville nodded.
"No you won't," someone said from in front of them. They turned to see Malfoy pointing his wand at them and holding his Hand of Glory.
"Move Malfoy," Ginny said angrily as she pointed her wand at him, "Its five against one. You really think you'll win a fair fight?" Malfoy laughed and pulled something out of his pocket.
"Who says I'm going to play fair?" Malfoy sneered as he threw a small dark ball at them.
"What is it?" Ginny asked, all of them too scared to move but Ron suddenly gasped.
"It's a Peruvian darkness powder from Fred and George," he said, "We need to get out of here before it goes off…" but he was too late. The small ball exploded in a huge eruption of light and threw the three of them back and into the wall. The ball sucked all the light back in, leaving them in complete darkness.
"Why the hell did Fred and George sell anything to Malfoy?" Ginny said angrily into the dark.
"I don't know," Ron said angrily who sound like he was a few feet away from Ginny, "we'll have to tell them to be more careful who they sell to."
"So how do we get out?" Neville asked. Ginny pulled her wand out of her pocket.
"Lumos," she said but nothing happened, "LUMOS LUMOS LUMOS!"
"Ginny," Ron and Neville yelled.
"That's obviously not working," Ron yelled at his sister.
"Well then what do you think we should do Ron?" she screamed back, "I don't see you trying anything!"
"Incendio," Neville said and again nothing happened.
"There's nothing we can do! Don't waste your time," Ron yelled, "Fred and George said you just have to find your way out!"
"How are we supposed to do that?" Ginny asked.
"We just have to grope our way out of this hall," Ron said, "we should all link hands so we all get out or we don't." They all agreed and once they had all successfully found each other, they moved along the wall.
Ginny felt someone run past her and she panicked. She let go of Ron's hand and held out her wand. "Whose there?" she yelled and no one responded.
"What's wrong?" Ron asked as Ginny continued pointing her wand out, "Ginny I can't see anything so you need to tell me or I'll think you're dead or something.
"I felt someone run past me," she said.
"It must have been Malfoy," Ron said, "The hand thing he had gives light to the owner so he can probably see in here."
"I felt him again," Ginny said and started to say a hex before Ron shouted at her, "What? Don't you want me to hex him?"
"You might hit me or Neville," Ron said, "We shouldn't try and use our wands at all so that we don't hit each other." Ginny and Neville agreed and Ginny put her wand away as they continued to grope their way through the hall. Once they reached the end of the dark and went into another hall, it became suddenly light, and they were on the other side of the hall.
"There's no way we're getting to the astronomy tower now," Ginny said sadly.
"I don't know if there's any point," Ron said, "The death eaters will have gotten downstairs and onto the grounds." Neville nodded in agreement. Hermione and Luna suddenly ran around the corner and ran head long into them.
"We lost Snape," she said, " and people are fighting downstairs!"
"We have to go out there," Neville said suddenly. Everyone agreed and Neville and Luna headed toward the doors to the outside grounds.
"We should drink the luck elixir now," Ron said as he pulled the three viles of his pocket.
"I don't want any," Ginny said, "if Harry doesn't get any neither do I." She turned and started towards the doors.
"Ginny," Ron said and he grabbed her arm. She tried to break free and get to the doors but Ron's grip was too strong, "Harry wants you to drink it. He wants to know that you're safe."
"Ginny, you have to take it," Hermione said, "If something happens to you, Harry will never forgive himself. Besides, I don't know what Harry would do without you." Ginny sighed and took on of the viles from Ron.
"Fine," she snapped at them.
"Cheers," said Ron and the three of them drank down the elixir to the last drop and ran out onto the grounds.
Death eaters were everywhere and the three of them ran out and immediately started shooting curses at the coming Death Eaters. Ginny was running toward one of them and suddenly tripped over something. When she turned, she saw that it was her brother Bill, lying on the ground, bleeding.
"BILL," she screamed and ran to him. She rolled him onto his back to see his face and chest completely torn up and gushing blood.
"What happened to you?" she cried.
"The wolf," he sputtered and then coughed. Ginny looked around and saw Fenrir, the werewolf who had turned Lupin into a werewolf as well.
"Did he bite you?" she asked scared of the answer but Bill shook his head.
"Only scratches, and he wasn't even transformed," he said and smiled, "Don't worry about me." Ginny trembled as he brother coughed again and groaned in pain.
"STUPEFY," a death eater yelled and Ginny went flying back about five feet.
"Don't worry about me Ginny," Bill said, "Go!" Ginny nodded nervously and jumped to her feet and ran toward the death eater who had just shot her.
They had been fighting Death eaters for some time and Ginny couldn't help but wonder where Harry was. She was worried.
"EXPERILLIARMUS," she shouted and the death eater's wand went flying away and they jumped out of her way quickly. Ginny looked up at the school and the Astronomy tower where Draco had been before, and she wondered if she could get up there now and whether the darkness had worn off yet. It had obviously been important and she had a feeling something was happening there. Suddenly, she saw a jet of green light through the window and her heart stopped completely as she saw a body hurtling toward the ground. She heard someone shout the momentum slowing charm and the body slowed.
Time seemed to stand still as the body slowly hit the ground in front of the school. Ginny ran closer to it and her heart stopped when she saw that it was Dumbledore, dead. The fighting around her stopped. The death eaters laughed and ran toward the forest, as if in a retreat and some ran back toward the castle. Ginny ran to Dumbledore and knelt beside his body. She slowly took his hand in hers and put it to her face as tears swelled in her eyes. The others ran toward the school or after the death eaters to continue fighting. Ginny looked into Dumbledore's cold blue eyes. They looked peaceful and serene. After a few moments, she thought of Harry, and how he had been with Dumbledore and wondered if he was still in the tower, with Dumbledore's murderer. She placed his hand down gently, picked up her wand, and ran toward the school and up toward the astronomy tower. She was running up the stairs, determined to get the astronomy tower this time and firing curses left and right and hitting every death eater in sight.
"Stupefy," a death eater shouted at Ginny from behind and she was flung into a suit of armor and the back of her head sliced across its sword. Pain seared through her head as she hit the ground. She held her head in her heads and felt blood trickling down her neck and on her hands. The death eater laughed and pointed his wand at her again.
"AVADA-" he started to say and Ginny's eyes widened in terror.
"EXPELLIARMUS," someone shouted and the death eater's wand went flying out of his hand, "STUPEFY," they shouted again and the death eater went flying into the wall opposite and lay there, unconscious. Ginny struggled to stay conscious, the pain in her head was excruciating as she attempted to sit up. She looked up to see Harry running toward her. He helped her sit up against the wall and brushed the hair out of her face.
"Are you alright?" he asked and she shook her head and pulled her hand away from the back of her head. She showed Harry her blood soaked hand and he stared at it horrified and pulled out his wand. "Episkey," he said and the wound on her head began to close and stop bleeding. "Better?" Harry asked after a moment and Ginny nodded, surprised at how quickly the spell had eased the pain. Harry helped her up and they both ran down the stairs.
"Harry," Ginny said sadly as they ran, "Dumbledore is dead." Harry nodded.
"I know," he said, "I was there. Where is he?"
"Outside under the astronomy tower," she answered. Harry ran ahead, leaving Ginny with more death eaters. Ginny watched him run after Snape into the forest.
"Stupefy," someone shouted from behind her and she went flying forwards and hit the ground hard. She looked up to see Malfoy standing before her. He looked scared and pale as opposed to his usual glowing self. "I'm going to teach Potter a lesson for interfering with everything! For ruining everything! Because of this, the Dark Lord is going to KILL ME," he shouted and continued shooting curses at Ginny who was thrown backwards over and over.
"Malfoy," she shouted between curses as she struggled to get up and find her wand, but he was firing at her too quickly, "Stop, please!"
"NO," Malfoy shouted, "I know you're important to Harry and I want him to feel the same way I do right now. SCARED TO DEATH!" He shot another curse at her, which flung her into a wall of Hagrid's house, knocking her unconscious. "Now to finish you off," Malfoy shouted and raised his wand above his head.
"EXPELLIARMUS," Harry shouted at him. Malfoy's wand went flying and he stood there, dumbfounded. "Get away from her! NOW!" Malfoy backed away slowly and ran into the woods after Snape with Harry close behind.
"Ginny," Ron screamed when he saw his sister on the ground and ran to her with Hermione close behind. "GINNY," he yelled again as he rolled her over onto her back, "Please don't be dead, please, please, please!"
"Its okay Ron," Hermione said, "She's only unconscious." Ron looked relieved but continued calling her name. Ginny could hear their voices surrounding her as she opened her eyes and began to regain consciousness.
"Ginny," Ron said happily and relieved, "Are you alright, can you hear me?" Ginny struggled to nod and heard Ron sigh in relief. Her vision was blurred as she struggled to sit up and she felt Ron and Hermione grab either side of her and pull her up.
"What happened to you?" Hermione asked as she and Ron pulled her off the ground. Ginny was dazed and Ron and Hermione's faces were blurry and their voices seemed distant, as if they were whispering. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes, trying to bring things into focus.
"Ginny," Ron said worried, "What happened?" Finally, their faces were clear and she could hear now that they were yelling, not whispering and sounded worried.
"Nothing," she said as she rubbed the back of her head, "I just got flung into a wall really hard, twice."
"Who threw you into Hagrid's wall?" Ron asked as he and Hermione helped Ginny walk back up towards the school.
"Malfoy," she said angrily, "Harry saved me and chased Malfoy and Snape into the forest."
"We need to go up to the hospital wing," Hermione said, "McGonagall wants us all up there."
"Ginny," Ron said sadly, "Bill's in there. And he's hurt, bad." Ginny nodded.
"I know, I've seen him already," she said. She walked in silence and suddenly remembered, "Who killed Dumbledore?"
"Snape," Ron and Hermione said angrily together. Ginny gasped and shook her head but the two nodded sadly.
"Where's Harry?" she asked worried and Hermione pointed towards Dumbledore's body. Harry was sitting next to him with tired and sad eyes. Ginny shook away from Ron and Hermione's grip and ran over to him.
"Make sure you both come up afterwards," Hermione yelled and Ginny waved it off as she ran toward Harry. She pushed through the crowd of students surrounding them to get up to Harry.
"C'mere Harry," Hagrid was saying trying to get Harry to leave.
"No."
"Yeh can' stay here, Harry…Come on, now…"
"No." Harry looked horrible. He was tired and hurt and sad and he couldn't stay out here any longer so Ginny stepped in.
"Harry, come on," she said softly, took his hand in hers and pulled him up slowly. He didn't protest to her and quietly followed her back up to the school. Harry didn't speak, looked dazed and was shaking uncontrollably. Ginny squeezed his hand and tried to stop him from shaking. People were staring and pointing at them as they walked by. Ginny felt Harry's grip on her hand tighten so she sped up to get to the castle, and away from everyone else. Once they were inside and away from everyone, Harry relaxed as Ginny pulled him up the marble staircase.
"We're going to the hospital wing," she said.
"I'm not hurt," Harry protested but she continued on.
"It's McGonagall's orders," Ginny said, "Everyone's up there, Ron and Hermione and Lupin and everyone-"
"Ginny, who else is dead?" Harry asked with a shaky voice.
"Don't worry, none of us."
"But the Dark Mark- Malfoy said he stepped over a body –"
"He stepped over Bill, but he's all right, he's alive," Ginny answered shakily, thinking of her brother with sadness.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked her, hearing the sadness in her voice.
"Of course I'm sure…he's a- a bit of a mess that's all. Greyback attacked him. Madam Pomfrey says he won't- won't look the same anymore…" Ginny tried to stop her voice from trembling as she continued. "We don't really know what the aftereffects will be- I mean, Greyback being a werewolf, but not transformed at the time."
"But the others… There were other bodies on the ground…"
"Neville and Professor Flitwick are both hurt, but Madam Pomfrey says they'll be all right. And a Death Eater's dead, he got hit by a Killing Curse that huge blond one was firing off everywhere- Harry, if we hadn't had your Felix potion, I think we'd all have been killed, but everything seemed to just miss us-." They finally reached the hospital wing and were immediately greeted by Lupin.
"Are you all right Harry?" he asked anxiously.
"I'm fine….How's Bill?" No one answered and Ginny nudged him to look at the bed behind Hermione. Harry looked horrified at Bill's unrecognizable face. "Can't you fix them with a charm or something," he asked sadly.
"No charm will work on these?" said Madam Pomfrey, "I've tried everything I know, but there is no cure for werewolf bites."
"But he wasn't bitten on a full moon," Ron said suddenly, "Greyback hadn't transformed, so surely Bill won't be a- a real-"
"No, I don't think that Bill will be a true werewolf," Lupin assured, "but that does not mean that there won't be some contamination. Those are cursed wounds. They are unlikely ever to heal fully and- and Bill might have some wolfish characteristics from now on."
"What about Dumbledore?" asked Madam Pomfrey and the others looked down sadly.
"Snape killed him," Harry said angrily, "I let Snape kill him."
"Harry don't say that," Ginny said sadly as she gripped his arm harder and Madam Pomfrey burst into tears. The others knew the rest of the story already, and Harry couldn't bare to tell it. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Fleur came running into the room suddenly, having heard the news about Bill. Harry started to sneak out of the room and leave everyone to deal with this. He wanted to be alone for a while. Ginny, Ron and Hermione turned and saw him go and ran out after him.
"Harry," shouted Ron down the hall, "Wait!" Harry turned and smiled at his three best friends.
"So, did you get it?" Ron asked anxiously and Harry shook his head.
"What?" Ginny and Hermione both asked sadly.
"It wasn't there. Someone had already taken it and left a fake one in its place," Harry said sadly and took the locket out of his pocket along with the letter from R.A.B. and handed it to Hermione. The three read the note sadly.
"After all that," Ginny said.
"And it wasn't even there," Ron added.
"And now Dumbledore is dead because of it," Harry said sadly, "and we didn't even get one. Its as if this whole night was wasted." With that, Harry turned and walked up to his dormitory, leaving the three of them behind.