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Fighting Back - "Some of us pay with our lives or a limb or two…some pay by living with pain or regret or shame…and others pay by having to remember the past and move on."

Kingsley grunted as he caught Harry's limp body before it hit the floor. Where Hufflepuff's Cup had been a moment before, there was only a smoking black circle on the floor of Minerva's office.

"That's going to be hard to get rid of," Tonks observed dryly.

"Is he all right?" Minerva asked, standing up from her desk.

Kingsley looked down at Harry. He was unconscious and pale, but his breathing didn't seem too irregular. "Better than the two other times," he said. "But I'll take him to the Hospital Wing anyway."

Once Kingsley had left, Minerva looked around at the three people grimly watching her from the sofa. "Well, this is it."

Mad-Eye, who had just recently been discharged from St. Mungo's, stretched back and winced. He put a hand to his ribs and grimaced. "Sixth Horcrux."

"So what are we going to tell him now?" Tonks asked. "That we can't find it? We don't know what it is?"

"Nobody ever said he needed to destroy all of them," Remus said quietly. "They're just a way to weaken the Dark Dork. Right now, he only has two-sevenths of his soul left. Losing five Horcruxes should have weakened him sufficiently for any one of us to kill him."

"Don't try to avoid it, Remus," Mad-Eye said sharply. "We can all see it now. Harry's power isn't natural. Sure, he's got talent and potential and all that, but that doesn't account for even a tenth of the sudden mastery of magic he's been exhibiting."

"And if he really is a Horcrux," Minerva said tightly, "and if we want to destroy the Dark Dork once and for all…"

"No," Remus said in an anguished voice. "No."

"Face it, Remus," Mad-Eye said. "It's the only possible solution."

"How can you be so cruel?" Remus whispered. "You're using him. We're using him. We used him to destroy the Horcruxes and now we're using his own will to destroy the Dark Dork to convince him that he has to die?"

"It's not like that, Remus," Tonks said softly, putting a hand on his arm. "You know it's not like that."

"None of us want Harry to die," Minerva said. "That is the last thing we want. Isn't the purpose of the Order of the Phoenix to protect Harry? I thought you, Remus, of all people, would know that."

Remus buried his face in his hands. "I can't do it," he whispered. "I can't tell him."

"No one's asking you to," Tonks said gently. "And besides, I think we're losing our faith in Harry again. If we tell him the truth, he'll decide what to do on his own. If it's a choice he's willing to make, then that's that."

"But that's the problem!" Remus said angrily. "That is the choice he'll make – he's going to sacrifice himself because he knows that's the only way. He wouldn't be able to live with himself, knowing he houses the last remnant of the Dark Dork in his own soul."

Minerva glared at him. "And do you think that Harry would give up on life so easily?" she demanded. "Do you not think that he would try to find some way out of this? Some way to keep the Horcrux soul dormant, to expel it from his body – anything? He is seventeen, Remus. He has a family, a place to call home, a girl he loves, friends so loyal to him they would take his word over the Minister of Magic's – he has too much to live for at the moment."

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Remus could still hear his heart beating wildly in his chest. I can't lose him. I can't lose Harry. Not now. I promised James, I promised Lily, I promised Sirius…I promised I would take care of him…

"So are we going to tell him?" Tonks asked quietly.

"We have – "

"No," Remus said. He ignored Mad-Eye's exasperated sigh. "Not yet. We don't have to tell him anything yet. He thinks the last Horcrux is Nagini the snake, but he can't go out to find her because he doesn't know where she is. He'll have to wait for her – and we'll use that time to find out how to get rid of the Horcrux soul."

Because I promised…that I wouldn't let him die.


"Let's go outside," Harry said. "I'm tired of being cooped up in here."

It was Saturday, and Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had all finished dinner early to visit Harry in the Hospital Wing. He had only taken two days to regain consciousness this time, but Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping him for another two. This apparently did not sit well with him.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked worriedly.

Harry snorted. "If I'm not, who is?"

"He's got a point," Ginny said. "Besides, it's nice out today. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey wouldn't mind. And we can ask Remus to come with us."

"Good idea," Ron said as he stood up. "I'll go find him."

Remus and Tonks seemed to have taken up temporary residence in Hogwarts over the past few days, and Kingsley and Mad-Eye were frequent visitors. All of them had visited Harry the day before, when he'd still been unconscious.

Ron soon reappeared with Remus in tow.

"How do you feel?" he asked Harry.

"Restless," Harry replied.

Remus smiled. "I'll go ask Madam Pomfrey if we can't go out by the lake for a few minutes."

Harry nodded and watched as Remus disappeared into Madam Pomfrey's office. He came back out a minute later with a grin on his face. "Only fifteen minutes, she says."

"Excellent," Harry said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He slipped on his shoes and led the way out of the Hospital Wing. As they neared the marble staircase leading to the front doors, Harry reached out and caught hold of Ginny's hand.

"I've missed you," he said in reply to her questioning look.

Ginny smiled and squeezed his hand. "Me, too."

"Sorry we haven't been able to spend much time together lately," he said.

Ginny shrugged. "It's fine. All part of saving the world."

He smiled ruefully; a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "We'll do loads of stuff when this all over. Just you and me."

She raised an eyebrow. "What kind of stuff?"

He shrugged. "Something. Anything. Everything. Nothing."

She laughed. "I have a life, too, you know. I don't have time for all that. How about we just do everything?"

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Deal."

Harry pushed open the front doors and they stepped outside. It was a cool, pleasant evening; the sun was just about to set and spread yellows and oranges across the horizon. Harry led them to the edge of the lake, where he sat down in the grass and sighed contentedly.

"Peaceful out here," Ron remarked as he sat beside Hermione. Ginny and Remus settled down on either side of Harry.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"That's a beautiful sunset," Hermione said quietly.

Harry smiled. "We haven't done this in a long time."

Ginny wrapped her arms around her knees. "Who'd know there's a war going on?"

"We used to sit out here all the time," Remus said with a reminiscent grin. "James, Sirius, Peter, and me – and Lily, too, eventually."

Harry gazed out across the lake, a faraway look in his eyes.

"One time in sixth year, Lily and her friends played a prank on James," Remus said.

Harry turned toward him. "My mum did?" he asked curiously.

Remus grinned widely. "For once, yeah. She said she'd gotten fed up with him."

"What did she do?" Ron asked.

"It was in the summer, after we'd finished exams. The whole school must have been outside by the lake, and we were sitting right here, like this. Lily was on the other side with her friends, and she conjured an illusion of herself splashing around in the middle of the water so that it looked like she was drowning. James, naturally, jumped in to save her, along with Sirius. But one of Lily's friends had thrown some bait into the lake beforehand, and when James and Sirius leapt in the giant squid came up."

Hermione gasped – Ron, Ginny, and Harry cracked up. Remus' eyes were sparkling. "Everyone knew the giant squid was friendly, but that didn't stop James and Sirius from panicking. They nearly drowned themselves, and when they were able to swim back out they were sent to Dumbledore's office for 'disturbing the peace.' They embellished the story later on, of course, telling everyone how they had felt giant tentacles grab their ankles and how they'd had to fight them off."

"My mum did that?" Harry asked, still laughing.

Remus chuckled. "She wasn't the type to just take things. We fell victim to a fair number of her pranks, too; although it only made James like her more."

"Sounds worthy of Fred and George," Hermione said with a smile.

"James would have loved those two," Remus agreed. "And Lily would have spoiled all four of you rotten."

Harry had fallen silent again.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked softly.

He sighed. "I just can't help thinking what it would have been like if they were still here," he shrugged. "And Sirius."

"And Peter," Remus added.

"Pettigrew?" Ron said incredulously.

"He's not what you think he is," Remus said quietly, shaking his head. "He was just never sure of himself or his place, unlike us. We had a definite bond; we lived for each other and we would die for each other. Peter was just a sort of tag-along – he'd always try to fit in, but it just didn't work. He never had a chance to build up his confidence or his pride. So when he was confronted with a matter of life and death, he wasn't confident enough to give up his life for us."

"But there's always a price," Harry murmured.

Ron gave him a funny look. "What?"

Harry stared at the swirls of color on the surface of the lake. "Everything has a price to it. And for all this magic and death and destruction…there's going to be a big price at the end. That all of us have to pay."

"What are you talking about?" Ron said, bemused. "What kind of price?"

"A price," Harry shrugged. "Some of us pay with our lives or a limb or two…some pay by living with pain or regret or shame…and others pay by having to remember the past and move on."

Ron and Hermione glanced at each other. Ginny looked sideways at Harry. She wasn't sure she really understood what he meant. Sure, she knew people had to give up their lives and their families and things…but what did he mean by "all of us"? Did everyone in the world have to pay for the crimes of a few? And if it was the Dark Dork and the Death Gobblers doing all the killing and destroying, then why did innocent families and students and people like Hestia have to pay a price? It didn't make sense. It wasn't fair.

"We'll see when we get there," Remus said. He sounded so weary all of a sudden that Ginny frowned.

But she'd noticed that he'd said when. Not if. Which meant that Remus, at least, believed that there would be an end…

"I'll just be happy if we can have moments like this from time to time," Hermione said. "Where we don't have to worry."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "As long – "

Harry suddenly tensed. His wand was suddenly in his hand.

"…Harry?" Ron said nervously.

"Quiet." Harry said it in a low, dangerous voice that left only enough room to obey. Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Remus immediately snapped their mouths shut. They watched Harry's eyes narrow to slits as he silently stood up and turned in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

Ginny held her breath as she, too, turned toward the Forest. She couldn't see anything even remotely suspicious or out of place, but Harry was still coiled up like a spring. One foot shifted slightly forward; his wand hand rose a little higher…

He suddenly whipped around, pointed his wand at Ginny and bellowed, "Stupefy!"

Hermione screamed; there was a bang and flash of light. Remus heard the hiss of a snake and barely saw the tip of a tail as it vanished into the grass again.

"Get out of here!" Harry roared, pulling a startled but unscathed Ginny to her feet. He shoved her away from him as he made a slashing movement with his wand; it burned a line through the grass before him.

"We're not – "

"Do as he says!" Remus shouted, cutting Ron off as he grabbed his wrist and dragged him back toward the castle. Hermione and Ginny dashed alongside them. "Protego!"

A giant bubble appeared around the four of them as they sprinted for the front doors. Behind them, there were more loud bangs and bright flashes.

"W-What is it?" Ron gasped as they sped up the stairs. Remus yanked open the doors and roughly pushed him inside. He shot in after Hermione and slammed the doors shut.

"Get Professor McGonagall!" he shouted. The other students seemed to have just finished dinner; most of them had been milling around in the entrance hall and turned to stare as Remus hurriedly issued orders to Ron and Hermione.

"What's going on?"

Ginny spun around to see Neville and Luna pushing their way out of the crowd to approach her.

"I-I don't – "

"It was Nagini," Remus said grimly. His hands were shaking. "Harry was attacked by Nagini."

­––––––

Harry gritted his teeth. He could only catch glimpses of the snake as it slithered through the grass. He had already moved closer to the edge of the Forest, where the grass was thinner. It hadn't helped much.

He flicked his wand in a circle; all of the grass within a five foot radius instantly shriveled and burst into flame.

No surprise attacks, then.

Nagini was much smaller than he remembered her and ridiculously quick. He could barely keep track of where she was by her hissing and the slight rustle of grass around her when she moved. And she had most likely had some sort of spell of protection cast on her; he was sure several of his spells had hit her before but it hadn't seemed to have much effect.

"Finite Incantatem," he muttered. The air to his left shimmered. He immediately flicked his wand at it.

There was an earsplitting bang and a thin green snake flew into the air.

"Impedimenta! Stupefy!"

Both spells seemed to veer around the snake and they crashed harmlessly into the ground. Nagini swiftly slithered back out of sight, into the Forest. Harry cursed under his breath.

It suddenly occurred to him that moving nearer to the Forest had been a bad idea.

A very bad idea.

A loud hiss confirmed that thought. Before Harry could react, Nagini dropped down from a tree branch hanging overhead.

"Protego!" Harry bellowed. There was a sharp clang as the snake hit his defenses – and penetrated them. Nagini was on his head – and all of a sudden, he felt her tail wrap around his throat.

He gasped as he grabbed the constricting tail with one hand, trying to stab at her with his wand with the other – it wasn't working, he was going to choke – spells fled from his mind – he couldn't breathe –

His wand abruptly made contact with Nagini's head and the tail momentarily loosened. With a choking gasp he dug his fingers into the snake's body and attempted to rip it off.

Nagini's tail slackened, just like that. Harry pulled his arm back to throw her off.

The snake struck.

Harry screamed as white-hot pain erupted in his arm. It felt like two daggers had been buried deep into his flesh. There was a thunderous boom like a clap of thunder that echoed in his ears; Harry screamed again as the snake's fangs were ripped out of his arm and blasted away.

Blood gushed out of the two wounds. Harry fell to his knees. He couldn't remember a healing spell for the life of him. His vision blurred. There was poison…venom…he had to get…the venom…out…

Please help me.

Help me.

Please...

...Help.

He barely felt his body hit the ground. He could only feel his arm throbbing, the warm blood spreading over his robes, the dirt. And Nagini was still out there…she could finish him off, get into the castle…

No.

Tears stung his eyes as he lay on the ground, unable to move. He couldn't feel his arm; there had definitely been poison in Nagini's fangs.

Not now.

Not yet.

Please.

There was a flash of gold. Red. Feathers.

Phoenix…

A lilting melody.

Fawkes.

He vaguely felt talons perch on his arm. Dimly saw the outline of a great fiery bird.

Clearly felt tears drip onto the wound. Plainly saw the sky overhead come sharply back into focus.

He sat up. Fawkes was staring at him.

"You came," Harry whispered. "You…" He looked down at his arm. It was drenched in blood, but there was no trace of a wound. "You healed my arm. Again."

Fawkes bobbed his head. He lifted one leg. Harry's wand was clutched in his talons.

"Thanks," he said, taking the wand. "Nagini…?"

Fawkes turned his gaze back out toward the lake.

"Still alive," Harry said, getting to his feet. A wave of dizziness hit him; he had to lean on a tree for support until it passed.

Fawkes spread his wings wide but didn't move.

"Alive, but not moving," Harry nodded, grimacing. "Injured. Fawkes…is she the last Horcrux?"

The phoenix did nothing.

Is that a yes or a no?

Harry shook his head. Trying to figure it out now would be a waste of time. Even if Nagini wasn't the sixth Horcrux, getting rid of her would enrage the Dark Dork. He didn't honestly think Nagini had been sent to kill him, but he didn't think the Dark Dork had thought his beloved snake would meet her death here, either.

Harry strode out toward the lake, moving his wand in a sweeping motion before him as he went. Something to his right suddenly glowed bright orange. He advanced toward it cautiously, his wand at the ready.

He found the snake lying in the grass, motionless except for the occasional flicker of her tongue and the feeble movement of her tail. Harry raised his wand.

Good riddance.

––––––

"What's happening?" Ron asked anxiously. His face was pale. "Is he all right?"

"Stop asking," Ginny snapped. "We won't know until Remus comes back."

They were still sitting in the entrance hall, along with what seemed to be the entire student body – word had spread quickly of the snake's attack. The PA huddled together beside the front doors, ready to come to Harry's aid. Professor McGonagall had cancelled classes until further notice, which Ginny supposed was just as well since she was sure everyone would refuse to go anyway. They were also forbidden from going outside. Remus and Tonks had left with Professor McGonagall to "help Harry." Ginny wasn't sure how they could be of any use to him by locking themselves inside McGonagall's office, but it wasn't like she could do anything about it.

It had been six minutes. She itched to go outside, but she knew all too well that she would only prove to be a distraction. A hindrance.

It infuriated her to think – to know – that when it came down to the real battles, that was all she was. And everyone else, for that matter. None of them had the strength or the skill to fight alongside Harry. They could only sit on the sidelines and hope for the best. And pick up whatever pieces were left at the end.

Ginny's thoughts were cut short when a thunderous voice uttered two words that echoed like gongs in the entrance hall.

::GET HARRY!::

Ginny immediately leapt to her feet and raced for the front doors. She barreled through them, followed by Ron and Hermione. A small part of her mind registered the fact that she could hear Dean, Seamus, and Ernie shouting at the others to stay behind.

She spotted Harry lying in the grass, unconscious. Blood soaked the front of his robes and drenched his arm. Beside him, there was a small, smoking crater in the ground.

Ron attempted to shift Harry onto his back, but Hermione pulled him aside. "No, this is easier – Mobilicorpus!" she said, pointing her wand at Harry. He rose into the air and floated beside them like a marionette.

"Let's go," she said hurriedly, dashing back toward the castle.

They got Harry inside just as the Death Gobblers appeared.

::SHUT THE DOORS!:: Remus' voice thundered again. Waves of students pressed against the great oaken doors, slamming them shut in an instant.

There were screams as people caught glimpses of Harry.

"Move!" Dean bellowed at the crowd as Ron, Hermione, and Ginny tired to push through to the Hospital Wing. "Get out of the way!"

Remus and Tonks suddenly appeared at the top of the marble staircase. "All students to the dungeons!" Remus shouted as he hurried down the stairs. "All students to the dungeons!"

"You heard him!" Ernie yelled over the din. "Move!"

Prefects began herding the younger students toward the lower levels. The older students soon began to follow.

Tonks moved toward Harry as Hermione, Ron, and Ginny reached the top of the stairs.

"I'll get him to the Hospital Wing," she said, flicking her wand at Harry. "You three go into the dungeons, too."

"But – "

"No buts." Tonks had already turned around and was hurrying up to the Hospital Wing.

"Remus, what's going on?" Ginny demanded, spinning around to face him.

"Death Eaters," Remus said shortly. "Go, get down there."

"And just let them destroy Hogwarts?" Ron asked incredulously.

"We have to fight!" Ginny said fiercely.

"No, you don't," Remus said in a maddeningly level tone of voice. "Now get down to the dungeons."

"I'm not going to let – "

"Just do as he says!" Hermione cried, grabbing Ron and Ginny's wrists and pulling them down the stairs. She adamantly ignored their furious protests. "We'll figure something out down there!"

Ernie met them as they reached the lower levels. "We've got the PA all in one room," he said. "Neville's with them."

Hermione nodded and released Ginny and Ron. "And everyone else?"

"The prefects are with them."

"How many Death Gobblers?" Ginny asked.

"At least fifty," answered a deep voice.

The four of them spun around to find Kingsley and Mad-Eye standing behind them.

"Where's the meeting?" Mad-Eye growled.

Hermione's jaw dropped. "You – you know?" she asked in disbelief. "About the PA?"

"Harry recruited us," Kingsley said with a fleeting grin. "To make sure none of you get yourselves killed."

"Blackthorn and Drake are on their way," Mad-Eye added. "Now where's the bloody meeting?"

"H-Here," Ernie said nervously, leading the way down the dimly lit corridor to the first door on the right.

Everyone looked up as the six of them trooped in.

"Hermione!" Neville said, jumping down from the chair he'd been standing on.

"How's Harry?" someone called out.

"We don't know," Hermione said, shaking her head. "He's in the Hospital Wing."

"Are there really Death Gobblers out there?"

"Damn right there are," Mad-Eye growled.

"Are we going to fight them?"

"It's not like last time," Neville said. "If we go outside, we'll be slaughtered."

Mad-Eye nodded affirmatively. "There's at least fifty out there, and only a handful of you could even hope to stand a chance against them."

"Such optimism," Kingsley said dryly.

"Yes, it's often commented upon."

"How did they get in?" Demelza asked. "Last time the wards – "

" – were strong enough," Mad-Eye said. "This time they weren't."

"But why aren't they attacking?" Michael Corner asked, knitting his brows.

"They are," Kingsley said grimly. "You just can't tell from down here."

"So what the hell are we going to do?" Zacharias Smith asked in irritation. "Just watch Hogwarts fall apart and let ourselves be killed?"

"Shut up, you," Dean and Seamus said together.

"Of course we won't," Neville said firmly. "We're going to fight."

"We are?" Ron asked.

"How?" Mad-Eye asked. He was looking directly at Neville.

Neville took a deep breath. "From here, inside the castle," he said. "We've been working on long-range spells these past few weeks. If we can launch counter-attacks from the windows or something, we can fight back without putting ourselves into danger."

"Long-range spells?" Kingsley frowned. "Like arrows?"

"Sort of," Neville said. "And homing missiles."

"What's a homing missile?" Ron asked.

"Explain that later," Mad-Eye said. "What are these long-range spells like?"

"Well…Anthony and James thought of them," Neville said. "They're combination spells, really. It takes two people. One person casts any sort of spell, like the Disarming Charm, and casts a Target Jinx immediately after, while the other person casts a Sticking Spell. Fusion Charms work, too, but most of us can't do those. That combines the attacking spell and the Target Jinx."

"That just might work," Kingsley said slowly. "Have you tried it?"

"Yeah," Anthony nodded. "They work."

"I like the way you think," Mad-Eye said with a grin.

Professor Blackthorn and Professor Drake suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"What did we miss?" Blackthorn asked.

"An ingenious plan," Mad-Eye replied. "Death Eaters?"

"They're being held off by the centaurs and some mermen," Drake said. "We don't have much time, though."

"The Aurors should be here in ten or fifteen minutes," Blackthorn said.

"Enough time to destroy a school," Kingsley murmured. "If we don't do anything."

"So what's this ingenious plan?"

"Long-range spells," Kingsley said. "We'll explain later."

"And Kevin and Veronica came up with spell-bombs," Neville said.

"Spell-bombs?"

Neville looked to Kevin and Veronica.

"They're like Muggle bombs," Veronica explained. "But when they explode, they release spells."

"You cast a Bubble Charm like this," Kevin said. He created a small bubble with a wave of his wand; it hovered on the tip. "Then someone else reinforces it with an Unbreakable Charm and then casts an Exploding Curse on it. Then they fill the bubble up with spells and cast the bubble at your target. It explodes ten seconds after it's released."

Kevin and Veronica completed their demonstration by filling their bubble with an Antler Jinx. It burst with a bang after ten seconds, and a pair of antlers promptly appeared on Terry Boot's head.

Mad-Eye and Kingsley looked terribly impressed. "Brilliant," Kingsley said.

"But if we use the bombs, there's a chance they'll hit the centaurs or mermen, too," Ginny said with a frown.

"We can cast Shield Charms on the centaurs before the spell-bombs detonate," Hermione said.

"Well?" someone said impatiently. "Let's get started, then!"

Neville nodded. "We'll split into six groups. John and I will divide the healers and Hermione and Ernie can split the research group. Is anyone willing to take charge instead of Harry?"

Colin spoke up. "Harry said that Blaise and Kevin should lead his group if he wasn't there."

The two boys looked at each other and nodded. "We'll do it."

"All right," Neville said. "Find the corridors with the most windows and start from there. And remember, you don't have to go if you don't want to or you don't think you can help. Nobody's being forced to do this."

There were nods all around. The leaders promptly broke up their groups and quickly led them out of the dungeons. Ginny and Ron ended up in Blaise's group, and Kingsley tagged along as they left the room.

Blaise led them to the third-floor corridor, where they split up further into teams of four and stood by the windows.

"Remember to specify your targets, and watch out for any counter-attacks," Blaise warned. He was with Ginny, Ron, and a fourth year named Katie Nagle.

Ginny glanced out the window as they got ready; what she saw made her gasp. The lawns were strewn with bodies and blood. Bright flashes of light illuminated the battlefield all too well, and screams and shouts mingled with the explosions of colliding spells.

"Ready?" Blaise said.

Ginny tore her gaze away from the window. She watched Katie conjure the bubble and Blaise add the Unbreakable Charm and Exploding Curse. She and Ron then cast a Disarming Charm, Bat-Bogey Hex, Confunding Charm, and Finger-Removing Jinx into the bubble. Right before Katie released it, Ginny and Blaise cast long-range Shield Charms on the centaurs surrounding their targets.

"Fire away," Blaise said to Katie.

She quickly stepped up to the window and pointed the bubble on the end of her wand at the group of Death Gobblers below. The bubble shot off into the air and sped toward the Death Gobblers, who were already confused by the Shield Charms on the attacking centaurs. Katie stumbled back from the force of the spell, but Blaise caught her arm to steady her.

The four of them watched with satisfaction as their spell-bomb exploded in the midst of the Death Gobblers.

"Blimey," Ron said softly.

"It really works," Ginny whispered as they saw another spell-bomb blast through a group of Death Gobblers by the lake. Other long-range spells peppered the battlefield and lit up the sky like fireworks.

"Sure does," Blaise nodded.


The four of them turned away from the window and began another spell-bomb.

Remus, Tonks, and Minerva looked up as the door burst open. Drake stood panting in the doorway. "The Aurors are here," he said breathlessly.

"The students?" Minerva asked, quickly standing up. She had hardly been able to believe it when Kingsley had told her what they were doing, but she had to admit that it was ingenious. And it worked.

"Two were slightly injured when a window smashed on the second floor, but otherwise they're fine," Drake said. "Are we going?"

"I am," Tonks said, grabbing her cloak and heading for the door.

"So am I," Remus said, following her.

Minerva smiled thinly. "I believe I won't be of much use out there," she said humorlessly. "I will remain here."

Drake nodded. "The centaurs and mermen already took out a good number of them," he said, "and there are about twenty Aurors." He turned to leave. "It won't take long now."

Minerva sighed as she heard his footsteps fade away.

I hope so.


Up Next: The Final Battle! Oooh! ...Er...we think, anyway. We're not sure yet. :P Please review!