True Love
C18: Invading Hogwarts
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters
A month later everything was ready for the final push against Dumbledore. All potions had been distributed to the support teams and everyone was ready to get the battle underway. Draco, Fabian, Luna and Ginny were ready and waiting at Hogwarts in the Room of Requirement.
Even the twins were ready to help, having arrived at the Manor a few hours ago, wearing dark robes and cloaks to signify their allegiance.
Hermione and her fiancees were also more than ready for this to be over, and both Bellatrix and Hermione had been especially excited for tonight, which showed itself in how the two witches had been pacing the Manor for most of the day.
The Dark Lord had given them their final orders a couple of days ago, and they were surprising to say the least. His Death Eaters were to go without their signature masks, and they were to spare as many lives as possible, especially those of students, staff and if at all possible Order members too. This final battle was not about bloodshed after all.
He had also assigned everyone to their battle locations, being either the Ministry or Hogwarts since both would start at the same time. For Hogwarts the entire Black Family plus the Weasley twins together with every member of the inner circle would go through the Cabinet while the rest of his followers that had been assigned to Hogwarts would go through Hogsmeade or other entrances to the Castle.
He had also made it abundantly clear that Hermione and Bellatrix were in charge of the Hogwarts battle, and were responsible for bringing down the wards together with soon to be Headmistress McGonagall, who had given them the assurance that the majority of the staff would not stand in their way. In return the Dark Lord had given the Headmistress the assurance that the school itself, nor its students would be harmed.
There had been a bit of an argument between the three sisters because Bellatrix didn't want her two lovers in the line of fire in any way, shape or form, while Narcissa had argued that they needed to be there because they would not let their fiancees go into this fight alone against people who had no qualms in killing them if given the chance.
Bellatrix had reluctantly agreed with that, still not comfortable in letting her lovers be in a place where they could get hurt, but in the end Hermione had convinced her that having Narcissa and Andromeda there would only benefit them because if they had proven one thing over the last months, it was that they were stronger together and that both Bellatrix and herself would be more focused if they didn't have to focus on the separation they were bound to feel if Narcissa and Andromeda would remain behind.
They were now waiting for word from the Draco that they could come into Hogwarts safely without running the risk of being caught immediately and thus would lose the element of surprise.
"Have I ever mentioned how much I despise waiting?" Bellatrix said a bit annoyed as she kept pacing the length of the library, much to the amusement of her lovers while the rest of the Death Eaters stayed well away, knowing that they might get hexed if they got in her way.
Narcissa smiled at her and pulled the raven-haired into her lap. "Calm down love. Draco should send a message any moment now. It won't be long." She said softly in an attempt to calm her sister.
Bellatrix took a deep breath as she tried to calm down. "I'm sorry Cissy, I'm just nervous for tonight. No matter what how much we have prepared, I just can't help but escape the feeling of dread."
"We'll be here the entire time Bella, no matter what happens today, we'll get through this and we will see a new world rise when the sun comes up tomorrow." Andromeda said softly.
The raven-haired witch smiled at her. "How sagely of you Andi, and I you're right of course. Our world desperately needs the change we're about to ensure to avoid more bloodshed in the future. I suppose I just still am uncomfortable with this big a change."
"And that is understandable love. We'll be right by your side the entire time to help you cope." Hermione said sweetly from her spot in Andromeda's arms, both witches looking very comfortable in their positions.
Bellatrix smiled at her fiancee and relaxed against her baby sister, even though all four of them had been the same age for months now. "I'm sure we'll find plenty of ways to help us cope love." She said with a wink.
Hermione just smiled at her as she felt the journal heat up in her hand. "It's time. Remember what we've told you all. Go through one by one and wait in the Room of Requirement until everyone has arrived, anyone found outside will face serious punishment."
They all nodded at her, not wanting to cross the bookworm in the slightest because they knew that she had just as much of a short fuse as Bellatrix had and no one was in the mood to get hexed by her, least of all Fred and George because they knew that Hermione had learned their sister's signature Bat Bogey hex and they really didn't want to get hit by that.
Since Hermione had been the only one who had gone through before, she went first so she could help everyone get their bearings once they stepped out in the Room of Requirement. Fleur would be the one to send Dora through last before she herself would apparate to Hogsmeade to inform the others that they could start to make their way over to Hogwarts after which she would use a secret Veela teleportation technique to meet up with the others in the Room.
When Hermione was sent through and stepped out at Hogwarts, she couldn't help but give Ginny a hug. "It's good to see you've been safe Gin, and I must say that your outfit looks better than I thought it would."
The redhead smiled at her. "I aim to please, 'Mione, you know that. Have my brothers been behaving?"
Hermione merely nodded as the second person knocked on the door, which was Bellatrix who immediately pulled her son into a hug.
…
An hour later everyone save Fleur had arrived at Hogwarts, so while they waited for the blone to make her way into the Room of Requirement, everyone made sure to check their supplies one more time and Hermione also took this time to make a quick head count, wanting to make sure that they had enough people here to hold down the school until the Dark Lord arrived.
Not that she thought that anyone besides Gryffindor would be so stupid to actually try and oppose them, but it would be better than to be safe than sorry at this point. She knew of at least two of them that would attack on sight, and while one of them was supposed to survive, she knew that Ron would be dead one way or another by the end of the night, if not by her own hand, then by that of one of her fiancees, since there was no way he would hold his tongue tonight.
Andromeda wrapped her arms around their love and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Nervous love?"
"I wouldn't call it nervous, anxious is probably a better word. We've planned and prepared for tonight for months and I just have a gut feeling that something is going to go wrong. I know we can't plan for anything, and that is the part that makes me anxious, because I'm so used to being in control of everything." Hermione said softly as she sought comfort in her lover's arms.
Andromeda smiled and kissed her softly. "We know love, but there is a reason beyond the element of surprise the Dark Lord chose this time to attack. It'll make sure everyone will be in the Great Hall for dinner and thus will make it easier for us to control the crowd. Minerva will also keep everyone there for an hour after dinner under the guise of updating everyone on the state of things. The only true surprise will be your old Housemates."
"Besides Harry and Ron, I don't think anyone will put up much resistance. Most of them are more bark then bite. Those two just lack the intellectual capacity to think rationally. Ron especially acts before thinking and tonight that will be his downfall." Hermione said softly.
"You know we're not supposed to hurt anyone love, no matter how much we hate the person in question." Andromeda said softly.
Hermione nodded at her. "I know love, but I promise that it will be of his own doing, because as you know we're allowed to react threats, and I am willing to bet anything that he will start threatening us, and perhaps even be as stupid to attack us the moment we step into the Great Hall, and I am sure he is not going to hold back."
Andromeda smiled and kissed her softly. "We'll see what happens love, if he attacks us, we'll react accordingly."
Hermione only nodded as Fleur appeared next to her wife. "Our forces in Hogsmeade are ready. They will move in once the wards are down."
"Good, then all we need to do now is wait for word from the Dark Lord that we can begin our assault. It shouldn't be long now." Hermione said with a soft smile as she hugged the Metamorphmagus.
Dora smiled and nodded at her. "I hope not, because our forces were eager to get started. They, like us are probably ready to be done with this."
The brunette smiled and nodded. "Yes, I would believe they would, but before we can start to build the new world, we have one more briefing to do."
Bellatrix heard her lover and smiled. "Indeed we do, and it's quite simple really. Hermione and I will go and hunt for the Headmaster. Everyone else will go to the Great Hall and keep the staff and students there. Narcissa and Andromeda are in charge and you all will ensure no one gets hurt unnecessarily. You are of course allowed to defend yourself against attacks but try to not kill any students or staff. Once the wards are down, lead everyone to the courtyard for the arrival of the Dark Lord. From there whatever happens, happens, but I still urge you to try and protect the students if at all possible. The Order will not care, but that doesn't mean we don't care either. Let us show everyone exactly how Dumbledore and the Order twisted our beliefs."
Everyone nodded at that as they once again broke off into smaller groups, while Bellatrix went over to her lion. "Excellent speech, my love." Hermione said with a soft smile.
Bellatrix smiled and kissed her softly. "Thank you baby. Let's hope it's the last one I ever have to give for a while. I never liked public speaking and it's only because most of the family is here that I'm so comfortable in doing it."
Hermione smiled at her fiancee. "You still looked amazing love. For once I'm glad I enchanted my panties for tonight, otherwise I'd be soaking through them already." She said with a wink.
Bellatrix grinned and kissed her. "Cheeky witch. When we're home we'll take some time to wind down from all of this, all four of us."
Hermione smiled and pressed herself close to her fiancee. "Already looking forward to it, although I think it might be a while."
"We'll make sure that it won't love. We'll be home by dawn and then we'll sleep for a few days." The raven-haired witch said with a soft smile.
Narcissa smiled at that. "We'll see about that, we all know how you get after a raid, and I have a feeling that'll be multiplied a little after today."
Bellatrix smiled at that as she gathered her three lovers close, needing to have them close while she still could. "I'll be honest and say that I'm nervous about tonight. I don't think that I could live with myself if anything happened to you."
"We'll be here love, as soon as you and Hermione have ended the old goat, we'll wait for you in either the courtyard or the Great Hall, depending on how quickly everything happens." Andromeda said softly.
Bellatrix smiled at them before they shared a kiss with each other, taking a few more moments to luxuriate in each other's presence.
…
Half an hour later Hermione and Bellatrix were sneaking through the halls of Hogwarts, having sensed the Headmaster in the Astronomy Tower but purposely taking the long way there, if only to make sure that they wouldn't give away their positions this early.
For Bellatrix it had been more than twenty five years since she last walked these halls, but even now she felt the magic charging the air as it had back then, and she honestly hoped that her sisters would be okay in the Great Hall.
Hermione too felt the magic in the air, and it did not help her anxiety to know what was probably going to happen in the Great Hall the moment Narcissa, Andromeda and the rest of the Death Eaters walked in. Her heart however told her that their lovers were still safe and sound and that helped her a little. Her heart would never lie to her after all, not when it came to her future wives.
When they came to the stairway to the Astronomy Tower, Bellatrix pulled the brunette into a hug. "Are you ready love?" She asked in a whisper.
Hermione merely nodded and kissed the raven-haired witch softly before they silently making their way up the stairs.
They stuck to the shadows as best they could, very careful not to trigger anything the old man may have put in place, because they both agreed that this looked far too easy.
The two witches heard a soft humming coming from the top floor and as they stopped just around the corner of the last staircase, they could see him pace around, hands clasped behind his back as he hummed a tune to himself.
Bellatrix and Hermione pressed themselves against the wall and focused on the magic around them, sensing that there were no illusions or magical traps close by, which only made this more suspicious.
They shared a look with each other, thinking about everything that had led them to this particular point, knowing that this had to be done if they wanted the change that the world so desperately needed.
"I don't trust it Bella, it's too easy. He's either overly confident or he plans something big as a last stand." Hermione said in her lover's mind.
Bellatrix only nodded at her. "I know love, but we have to do this if we want to succeed. It is the most crucial part of our plans. He needs to die, whatever it takes."
Hermione nodded and followed her lover up the last flight of stairs, and the moment the reached the observation platform, Dumbledore turned to them. "I had a feeling he would sent you, Bellatrix, but i did not expect to see you here Hermione. I believed you to be dead after Malfoy Manor."
"No, you wished me dead after sending me on your wild goose chase across Britain. You knew I knew the truth long before that ever happened and still you tried to manipulate me into keeping them safe. If only you hadn't been so blind to what was really happening, you wouldn't have been so eager to have me accompany them." Hermione said as she drew her wand.
Bellatrix smiled at her lover before turning her icy gaze to the Headmaster. "We both know how this is going to end, Headmaster. So why don't you make it easy for yourself and surrender. His plans are going to follow through whether you like it or not."
"I'm afraid that won't be an option Bellatrix. I won't allow a full scale massacre of all Muggle-born witches and wizards, and I am sure you know that too." Dumbledore said in his usual kind voice.
"After all this time you have started believing your own lies. You know full well that it was never the plan. We need to do away with the blood caste if we want to avoid a full fledged Civil War, and that cannot be won with your manipulations, but I suppose it doesn't matter. I hope you've made your peace, old man, because this will be your end." Bellatrix said with a smirk.
Dumbledore merely smiled at them. "I think you are under the assumption that I am going to go down quietly, but I assure you that you two are no match for me, no matter what he might have told you."
Both Hermione and Bellatrix smirked at that. "He didn't need to tell us anything. We know exactly what we can do and we know that we can end you. Despite everything you've done to try and keep us apart, our Prophecy was always going to be fulfilled. You can't keep soulmates apart after all, and we will show you exactly what that bond means. You were at least right about one thing. There is no greater force in the world than love." Hermione said as she fired off a stunner.
Dumbledore easily deflected it with his hand as they both started firing spells at him, which forced him to take out his own wand to defend himself.
They were more powerful than he had prepared for and it was something that was not a part of his plans, and therefor did not know how to properly defend himself against the two witches.
He managed to hold them off for half an hour before Bellatrix managed to disarm him, summoning his wand to her hand before sending a Killing Curse towards him, hitting the Headmaster square in the chest.
He was flung across the platform and threatened to tumble over the edge before Hermione managed to stop his movement to keep him here, bringing him back to the floor afterwards. They needed to prove that he was dead after all.
With Dumbledore's death, they felt the wards weaken significantly, which only proved that he had been strengthening them all night. "We did it love, one part of our plan is done." Bellatrix said with a soft smile to her fiancee.
Hermione nodded and locked eyes with her lover before pulling her into her arms and kissing her deeply.
Bellatrix smiled and wrapped her arms around her lover, knowing exactly what was going through the brunette's mind at the moment. The lust for battle was something she knew very well and she knew this was something foreign to her fiancee. "It's okay love, it'll fade in a minute. I'm here for you."
Hermione smiled and kissed her softly before taking a few deep breaths and then aiming her wand to the sky "Morsmorde!"
Bellatrix grinned as the Dark Mark appeared in the sky, which was the signal for their followers outside the Castle to make their way here.
Hermione then made the Headmaster's body weightless and let it follow them as they made their way to the Great Hall, both of them holding hands as they walked.
…
While Hermione and Bellatrix were off to kill Dumbledore, Narcissa and Andromeda along with the rest of the family and the rest of the inner circle made their way to the Great Hall, and not for the first time they were a bit shocked that they didn't hear anything in the usually lively halls.
For Narcissa it was a bit more than just reminiscing about her own time at Hogwarts, it had become so much more in recent months. This school under Dumbledore's watch had stifled the potential of so many young witches and wizards, and not just that of purebloods and halfbloods. Muggleborns were probably worse of now because the stigma that surrounded them was kept intact by him and his supporters, something which would be rectified once Dumbledore was dead and the new world could be built.
As they walked into the Entrance Hall, Narcissa motioned for everyone to take their positions, with her and Andromeda leading the pack with both Dora and Fleur by their side, and when the blonde saw that everyone was as ready as they could be, the two sisters walked to the door and pushed it open.
There was an immediately commotion from the Gryffindor table and not completely surprising Ron Weasley was the first one to act, although he didn't get very far as he was held in place by the Headmistress. "Mr. Weasley! You will not do what I think you were planning to do. There are things at play that go above you all. Madame Black will explain shortly. Until then I expect you all to act with respect and decorum befitting a student of these hallowed halls." McGonagall said sternly.
The sizable party walked up to the podium and Narcissa smiled kindly at the soon to be Headmistress. "Thank you Professor McGonagall." She said before she and the rest turned towards the hall. "She is right about that there is more at play than any of you realize. The Headmaster has been lying to all of you about this War. The Dark Lord does not wish the death of all Muggle-born witches and wizards. Far from it in fact. He merely wishes to bring equality to our world. The blood caste as it exists favors no one, not even pureblooded witches and wizards. What we attempt to build is a system where ones magical potential will be a priority. Blood status will never again be mentioned. Not in this school and not in the Ministry. All we require for this is one thing, which concerns Harry Potter."
Harry stood and glared at the blonde. "What would you need me for? To die so Tom can lead this so called new world you profess to work for?"
"Far from it Mr. Potter. If we wanted you dead we would have done so at Malfoy Manor when you were captured months ago. It is just that your Prophecy needs to be fulfilled to make sure this new world can find root. The Dark Lord created a Horcrux when you reflected his spell back to him all those years ago. That is the true secret of your scar. You must allow the Dark Lord to hit you with a Killing Curse so that the Horcrux in your scar can die, and along with that The Dark Lord will die too because all of his other Horcruxes have been destroyed. Once both the Dark Lord and Dumbledore are gone the Ministry will appoint a new Minister who will oversee the transition to new elections." Andromeda said kindly.
"And who will this person be, another one of Voldemort's cronies?" Ron spat hatefully.
Narcissa smiled kindly at him, not wanting to rise to the bait. "Not at all Mr. Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt will guide the Ministry until such time that there can be elections for a permanent replacement." She said as she turned her eyes to Harry once again.
Harry seemed to think about it for a moment. "You can't be seriously thinking about this mate. You know they'll kill you the moment you step out there, like they did with Hermione." Ron pleaded.
"Hermione is still alive you idiot. Unlike you who only believes what you are told, I sought out the truth. We were all lied to, most of all by Mum. Hermione knew long ago that this would happen and she tried to tell you loads of times, you're just too daft to realize it." Ginny said as she tried to not roll her eyes at him.
Ron just glared at her. "Stay out of this Ginny, you shouldn't meddle in things little girls have no knowledge about. I spent months on the run with her and I saw exactly what she was all about. She betrayed us all, and I'll be sure to rectify my mistake of not ending her then."
Andromeda glared darkly at him. "Are you now? You just try and touch her and see what happens, boy."
Narcissa wrapped her arms around her sister. "Calm down Andi. He won't touch her. I'm sure Professor McGonagall will ensure that."
Andromeda took a deep breath and nodded. "Of course love, I'm sorry."
Narcissa smiled at her as the doors once again opened and Hermione and Bellatrix walked in with Dumbledore's body floating behind them, covered by a blanket. "I see it is done. I will bring down the wards so we can end this." McGonagall said as she waved her wand to do just that.
"I still don't recall agreeing to anything." Harry said as he stalked up to Bellatrix and Hermione.
Hermione sighed softly at that. "Harry, have you ever known me to lie to you if I didn't have a good reason for it? I kept you alive for six years and as much as you don't want to believe it, I don't want you dead, never have. What happened in the forest needed to happen because there was no other way to ensure the Ron was separated from that locket and that I could help bring this war to an end in a way that it wouldn't cost a lot of lives. I promise you that you will live through this and that the Dark Lord will be gone."
Harry looked into her eyes, perhaps for the first time in months seeing something of the Hermione he had known for seven years. "Fine, I don't have a choice right? Not if I don't want a lot of people to die. But I do have questions for you once this is over."
"And I will answer them all honestly, as I have always done to you." Hermione said kindly, hoping that finally he would start to think for himself.
He nodded and walked out of the Great Hall, the Death Eaters leading him to the courtyard while Hermione took a moment to address Ron. "If I were you Ronald, I would stay out of this. I heard exactly what you said about me, and you will fail if you try." She said before following her fiancees out of the Great Hall.
…
Most of the students and staff were not far behind the Death Eaters, but the sight that greeted them was one most would not soon forget.
The Dark Lord had already arrived and was surrounded by his followers. "Harry Potter. It is good to see that you're still capable of listening to reason at this stage. I trust it has been explained to you what needs to be done?"
"Yes, but I want some assurances that no one else will get hurt." Harry said as he glared at the Dark Lord.
"We will give those assurances if we have the same, Mr. Potter. I know the Order is on its way, and we will of course defend ourselves if attacked. We will not raise our wands if wands are not raised against us." Voldemort said kindly.
McGonagall stepped forward. "I will personally ensure that there will be no raising of wands against anyone. Not by the Order when they arrive and not by staff of Hogwarts nor any of its students." She said with a particularly pointed look at Ron, who still seemed to be fuming about Harry picking Hermione's words over his.
The Dark Lord nodded at her before he turned back to Harry. "Now that assurances have been given, may I suggest we do this. I'm sure everyone wants this to be over as soon as possible."
Harry nodded and prepared himself, spreading his arms as the Dark Lord cast his Killing Curse, hitting Harry square in the chest.
Harry fell backwards, and his fall was cushioned by Hermione, who quickly conjured up a mattress for him. "And now, we wait for my Horcrux to die and for Harry to find his way back to us." The Dark Lord said before turning to his followers. "I want to thank you all for staying loyal to our cause for as long as you have. I know it has been far from easy in the last decade, but now we are at the precipice of what we have worked towards for twenty years. It has been an honor and a privilege to have stood beside you for all this time." Voldemort said as flecks of his skin started float away from his body until nothing remained of him, his wand falling to the floor the only sound in the courtyard.
Soon after Harry woke up with a gasp, looking around a bit puzzled why he was suddenly on a mattress as Hermione walked up to him. "Take a moment to regain your bearings Harry."
He nodded at her as he slowly stood. "Is it over Hermione?" He asked softly.
"Yes Harry, it's over, and no one got hurt as was promised. What happens next is all up to you and Ronald. I hope you'll be able to talk some sense into him." Hermione said softly.
Harry nodded at her. "I'll try my very best but you know that I can't promise that it will help."
"It's all I can ask, and I also promised you that we would talk. I'll be by tomorrow after dinner so I can answer all of your questions. Is it okay if I ask Bellatrix, Narcissa and Andromeda to join us? They can add things to the story that I may have missed." Hermione asked kindly.
He nodded and smiled at her. "That's okay. I'm just glad that everything is over. Tomorrow sounds like a great idea, because I think we can all use a good night of sleep."
Hermione smiled and nodded at her former friend. "Then we'll see you tomorrow Harry." She said softly.
Harry nodded and made his way back to the rest of the students, but Bellatrix had one more thing to say. "Before we all leave and get the rest we deserve, I want to say that as of this moment, the Death Eaters have been disbanded as per our Lord's orders. All of us who were here today will be getting summons from the new Minister in the next couple of days to give a full account of what happened. No one will be punished or locked up because the two that started and prolonged this war are victims of it."
All of the Dark Lord's followers nodded before they apparated away, the only ones remaining were the members of the Black Family, Ginny and the twins, who all made their way to McGonagall. "I must say I am proud of you four on how you have handled this. We'll talk about this tomorrow. I'll be available for most of the day so come by whenever you are ready." McGonagall said with a kind smile.
Hermione and the three sisters smiled and nodded. "We will Professor. It will probably be sometime after lunch that we will make our way here. Would it be possible for us to use the Floo?"
"Of course. I'll keep the Floo in the Headmaster's office open, because I'm sure Kingsley will be here tomorrow morning to offer me the job of Headmistress officially, but if you would excuse me, I think I will need to do some damage control before tomorrow. I will not have Ron Weasley become a problem going forward." McGonagall said softly.
They nodded and made their way back to their family, who all looked more than ready to go home, and after saying goodbye to Fabian, Luna, Draco and Ginny, the rest of the family apparated home, all of them glad that it was over.