"Protego Maxima. Fianto Duri. Repello Inimicum."

The chanting continued from around the grounds. Once students had picked up the charm, they too began reciting it, pointing their wands skywards and watching the powerful shield flex and fuse around the school.

Emerson Blake watched from the main stairs to Hogwarts. He didn't know what to believe anymore. Being a third year he still didn't quite understand just how real this was. He didn't understand that, yes, the wizarding world was expecting children to save them. Children, most of them hardly even teenagers yet, were being called into battle.

And he felt helpless. It was all very good being a Hufflepuff. Nobody challenged you, nobody thought badly of you and nobody picked fights with you. But what was the point in being loyal and unbiased in a situation like this. Before now, Emerson was always very proud of being a Hufflepuff. Where would this get him now?

"Blake!" Madam Pomfrey called him out of his daydream "If you don't want to help them, give me a hand"

He wandered over to where the nurse was attempting to charm all of the infirmary beds into an empty classroom on the ground floor

"What are you doing?" he asked "Don't we need these in the hospital wing?"

Madam Pomfrey gave a weak laugh "No, my dear. We can't treat the wounded nearly fast enough if we have to get them up stairs first."

"Are lots of people going to get hurt Madam Pomfrey?"

The kindly nurse stopped what she was doing and bend down in front of the third year, clasping his hands "My dear, dear boy. Many people are going to die."

Emerson flinched "My friends? Not all of them can die…right?"

The matron looked at him sadly "I'd say goodbye to them all. Just in case"

And with that she got up and left.

Before he could take a step there was a huge bang and a ripple cascaded over the grounds, practically knocking Emerson off his feet.

Where before, smaller sparks of blue had begun to rip apart the wall there was now a larger, stronger force that had started to pull away the defences. It made short work of the remaining flimsy barricade.

But everybody in the courtyard could feel it. The light that had finally finished off the shield was flawed. The power behind it was unfaithful to its owner. The wand didn't belong to the wizard casting the spell. Everybody knew who that wizard was though. And he wasn't going to stop.

Silence fell over the grounds. Nobody dared breathe. Praying, hoping that the shield would hold a little longer. Long enough to get the younger years safely inside and for the remaining aurors to arrive as defence.

The silence was deafening

And then he heard the first scream

Emerson spun as another third year behind him fell forwards, the non-verbal killing curse making short work of her tiny frame. And the rest of the death eaters arrived

Emerson suddenly moved. His adrenaline kicking in and basic survival instincts jump starting.

He swung a disarming spell straight at the death eater who'd killed his classmate and then flung them quickly at a stone column. There was a crack as the death eater slumped to the ground.

Once he looked up, Emerson saw the air crackling to life with spells. In the few seconds it had taken to wipe out that first death eater there were many more falling to the ground around him. But there were more fallen students.

Then, out of the corner of his eye he saw her; a tiny blonde Gryffindor first year, sprinting across the empty space and out into the cold night.

She looked wild. Her hair was loose unlike the other girls in the fight. They'd all tied their hair up both as a practicality and to distract themselves before the battle. It waved down her back crazily and knotted and tangled as she moved. She paid no mind to the battle but her eyes were set on another prize.

She crouched, like an animal, beside the first fallen student, who's attacker Emerson had just thrown against a column and began to reach into her robes

"Hey, you!" Emerson cried "What are you doing?"

The girl looked up, her eyes blazing and her teeth bared in an animalistic snarl. She withdrew something small and golden from the pocket. It was like a necklace or a pendant. It looked expensive.

Emerson couldn't believe what he was seeing. In the chaos and horror of battle children were now stealing from their fallen comrades. He felt nauseous and sick to the stomach as the girl stood up and sprinted back into the main castle.

On her way she was almost hit by a curse and was pulled out of the way by a Slytherin boy. As she shoved him off the pendant slipped slightly from her hand and Emerson could see the charm on the end. It was circular and there was something on a hinge in the middle. Before he could see closer there was a scream as the boy who'd helped her was hit by a stray curse. He fell but the little girl didn't look back.

Emerson was caught off guard by a spell flung in his direction. It was a stray disarming curse that had hit him by accident. His wand went flying and ended up metres away, miles out of Emerson's reach from his point on the ground.

He couldn't get to it now. He wasn't even entirely sure where it went at this point. Some poor soul would probably pick it up afterwards to try to defend themselves.

Emerson's head remained blurry as he tried to stand up. His arms and legs stung wildly and his vision wouldn't focus. Then he saw it

Up above him, on what had become to be known as Sirius' tower, was a white shape. A school shirt

When his eyes re-focused again it was a girl. She was standing with her back to the ledge, staring defiantly in front of her.

Her closed palm opened and her wand dropped out of it and splintered on the floor. Whether the drop was intentional or accidental he didn't know, he didn't really think about it.

"She's dropped her wand" he found himself saying, pointing to the girl on the tower. Students who weren't duelling stopped to look up

There was panic in Emerson's voice. He couldn't watch somebody die. He just couldn't

"Somebody do something. Help her!"

Then there was a crackle in the air "Avada Cedavra!"

And she fell backwards.

Emerson turned his head at just the right time to look away and there were screams as a sickly crack echoed from the ground around him.

And then another killing curse came from behind him, muffled. It struck him square in the back

He fell forwards, his head turned towards the edge of the courtyard, facing the freedom of the forest.

And just before he slipped into dark he saw it. What he thought was originally a horse, glowing blue, with antlers sticking out of its head. The stag acknowledged him sadly, turning away and backing into the forest.

The light and warmth faded quickly and painlessly from his eyes

It All Ends…