Chapter 27: Surrender
A/N: There are quotes in here directly taken from Deathly Hallows. There are just some things that can't be rewritten- Voldemort's speeches are a few of those things. If you recall, in the last chapter, Minerva found out that Harry, Hermione, and Ron escaped the Malfoy Manor. From that point forward, you can assume that events continue exactly as they do in Deathly Hallows. That means when we meet our heroes in this chapter, they have found our other heroes in the Room of Requirement and are getting ready to prepare Hogwarts for battle. Sorry for skipping so much, but as I've mentioned before, I find it redundant to rewrite entire chapters that JRK already wrote so beautifully.
A/N Part 2: The only significant thing that changes is Harry won't be looking for the diadem, since it was already destroyed. He will however be looking for a way to destroy the cup and kill Nagini. So, please keep that in mind. You'll find however, that Harry doesn't play a huge role in the majority of this chapter.
"I know you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you shall be rewarded. You have until midnight."
Chills ran down Minerva's spine as she heard Lord Voldemort's words echo through the walls. Her students sat petrified in front of her. This was it. This is what it all came down to. She had to do whatever was necessary to save them all. Severus and the Carrows had already fled the castle. She would have to leave to join the Death Eaters soon as well. But not before she did everything in her power to protect her family.
They were all looking to her as if she had all the answers. Swallowing hard, she tried to act as if she did. "Everyone of age is welcome to stand and fight. We will need all the wands we can get. However, if you are not yet seventeen or wish to leave, please follow Mr. Filch and Madame Pomfrey in an orderly fashion. The Order of the Phoenix will organize themselves with the students and teachers of Hogwarts. We don't have much time."
She motioned to Kingsley Shacklebolt to take over for her. Her mouth was dry and her vision was swimming. Suddenly being this close to the end was all too real for her. Minerva tried to clear her thoughts as she approached her colleagues. Not colleagues- friends. Her family. Hopefully this would be the last time they met. And that saddened her.
"We need to raise the shields. Filius, can you handle that?" His small head nodded an affirmative and set off to complete his task, rolling up his sleeves as he went.
"I will need some students to take to the Green Houses to gather some supplies," murmured Pomona.
"Take whomever you need."
Before Minerva could turn to Horace, Pomona placed steady hand on her shoulder and stood on tip toes to press a kiss to her cheek. "Be safe, my dear."
This stunned the older woman into silence and she could only watch as her friend walked away.
-BREAK-
Kingsley Shacklebolt looked from the Astronomy tower at the shimmering shield that Flitwick had put in place. It was constantly under attack from the Death Eaters that seemed to surround every inch of the castle. He knew that Voldemort's forces had grown substantially over the last year or two, but never had he expected this. They were not only outnumbered, but the majority of Hogwarts' forces were sixth and seventh year students.
"Whatever you are thinking, stop. It'll only make it worse." The Auror turned to see Arthur Weasley approaching him.
"We are at the disadvantage, strategically speaking." Kingsley's voice was calm despite the situation.
Arthur looked grimly out over the battlements. "Harry Potter has been at the disadvantage every time he has faced evil. Why should this time be any different?"
"Even if we win, we'll lose."
Kingsley's statement echoed throughout the tower. Never before had truer words been spoken. There was no way to come out of this battle without the loss of innocent life. Arthur gripped his wand tighter. They were going to lose. One way or the other.
The castle was in chaos. Students ran right and left; teachers shouted orders and tried to gather their children to safety. The shield was lasting, but it wouldn't for long. The Order of the Phoenix was here, but not in great number- their own have been scattered by the war. In time more would come, but time was not something they had in abundance. Pomona Sprout was in Greenhouse Three gathering the plants that would be most helpful for fighting as well as healing. Neville had organized an assembly line to get the plants they selected back to the castle quickly.
By fate, Pomona raised her eyes to the edge of the grounds just in time to see a tabby cat running along the edge of the green house. It stopped suddenly, as if sensing her there. Green eyes met hers and the regal cat bowed its head gracefully before sprinting away. Her heart clenched and she was overcome by the dreadful feeling that this would be the last time she would see her dear friend alive. Tears brimmed her eyes as she watched the cat dash into the night, but she wiped them away with the back of her dirt covered hands. They had a job to do.
"Professor?" Neville's voice came from her right side. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes, my boy. Everything is wrong. This is a school, not a battlefield." With a deep sign, she dug her hands deep into the dirt to unearth a plant by its roots.
Across the lawn at the castle doors stood Remus Lupin. His wife was speaking with some students behind him, giving them tips on how to fight. He wanted to yell at her to go home and be with Teddy; to scream and rage at her to be with their son. But he knew why she was here- it was the same reason he was. All Remus wanted was for Teddy to grow up in a world that would never see the horrors they had.
He gripped his wand tighter and tried to ignore the gut feeling that he should get 'Dora out of here. All these children around him were jumping at the chance to fight. If only they knew…He shook that thought from his mind as well. They'd find out soon enough. He could no better tell them to turn and run than he could his own wife.
A hand on his shoulder startled him. "Hello, Professor." Luna Lovegood was smiling at him as if she hadn't spent the last few months in the Malfoy's basement.
"No one has called me that in a long time, Ms. Lovegood."
The young woman merely shrugged and continued on in an airy voice. "Congratulations on your son. Harry told me."
"Thank you." His voice must have betrayed his fears, because her next words were gentle and soothing.
"You'll see him again. Little boys love to hear stories of how their parents are war heroes."
"I've afraid I won't be around to tell him."
Luna considered this for a moment and replied, "That's alright. I will tell him," before skipping off to a group of fellow Ravenclaw students. For some reason, this comforted Remus more than any words before. His back straightened and his mind was focused. This was for Teddy.
-BREAK-
Lord Voldemort was pacing around the Shrieking Shack. Lucius Malfoy stood fidgeting at a grimy window, looking off at the fiery red glow that was Hogwarts. His hands were shaking and he was constantly running them through his yellowing hair. Nagini was floating aimlessly around the room in a glittering ball of magic designed to protect her. Minerva McGonagall stood still as death in a corner of the room.
Lucius flinched at the sound of another explosion. It was becoming harder and harder for him to hide his worried expression. He finally worked up the nerve to speak to his master, his voice rasping as he begged, "My Lord, p-please. Allow me to-"
"Find your son? Do you take me for a fool, Lucius?" hissed Voldemort.
Panic filled Lucius' eyes. "No, no, no…of course not, my Lord."
"I know why you seek to join the battle. You wish to find your son. If he is smart he will fight for our cause and if he dies, he will die with more honor than you ever possessed."
Lucius closed his eyes tightly. His breathing was labored and sweat glistened off of him. "Please, my Lord- let me go. I can- I can find Potter. Bring him to you-"
"No." Voldemort reached to stroke Nagini's head through the magical shield he had designed for her. "Fetch Severus for me."
"Snape?" asked Lucius in surprise. Minerva's eyebrow rose from her position in the corner.
"Yes. There is something I require of him. Go quickly."
Neither Voldemort nor Minerva spoke after Lucius left. There was not much to be said. The silence wore on and all that could be heard is the distance explosions from the school. Minerva tried not to flinch at every noise; tried not to think about her family that were fighting for their lives without her. They would understand, in time, her choices on this night.
Snape was there within the next half hour. A silent exchange occurred between the two colleagues before the servant turned to his master. "My Lord?"
"I have a problem, Severus." Voldemort stated. He held up his wand into the dusty moonlight. "It doesn't work for me?"
Minerva frowned. This was all about the bloody wand? They were in the middle of a battle for Merlin's sake. Severus seemed to be in the same state of confusion. "You have performed extraordinary magic with that wand."
"All I have performed is my ordinary magic. Ask Minerva. She has seen my skill before. There is nothing extraordinary about this wand."
"Should there be?" Minerva could not contain her curiosity. Funny that a certain saying came to mind as soon as she said the words.
Voldemort's eyes left Severus for a moment, as if remembering the presence of his wife. "Surely, you know the tales, Minerva. The Elder Wand. You would have grown up with the stories. You should know them better than Severus and I."
"Albus didn't have the Elder-"
"He did." Severus' voice did not waver.
"And now I have it. I pried it from his dead hands. That was my mistake. Tell me, Minerva, how does one come to control the Elder Wand?"
"They have to defeat the current holder of the wand."
As soon as she said the words, the truth dawned on her. Why he had called Severus here; why the wand wasn't working for him. Lord Voldemort did not defeat Albus Dumbledore. That honor belonged to another. And never before had Minerva seen Severus Snape look as pale as he did now.
Voldemort gently ran his long fingers up and down the wand. "You are both clever, so you know what must happen next. I regret this, Severus. You have been so faithful to me."
"My Lord-" Panic was seizing him. Minerva was frozen in her spot in the corner. She couldn't act. She was going to have to watch him die.
"For the Elder Wand to belong to me, I must kill you. You killed Albus Dumbledore. I must be the master of the Elder Wand in order to defeat Harry Potter. I just regret you won't be able to celebrate when I finally do."
With a flick of his wand, Voldemort brought Nagini in her ball of magic toward Severus Snape. Minerva closed her eyes and turned her head away as a scream reached her ears. Her stomach was churning and her mind was screaming, but she refused to interfere. She couldn't help him now.
After what seemed like an eternity, a voice called out to her. "Minerva." Voldemort stood before her and held out his hand. As soon as she touched his cold arm, she felt the sensation of apparation. He released her as soon as they landed and it took all of her strength not to fall to her knees.
"I regret that had to happen. But now, I can finally defeat him. I want you to take Nagini and go somewhere safe. I will finish him off and then come for you after my victory." Voldemort disapparated before she could form a reply. He must have known that watching him murder Snape in cold blood was hurting her. She was grateful that he granted her the small mercy of being alone with her grief.
Nagini floated silently in her magical cage and her red eyes watched Minerva intently. The witch closed her eyes momentarily. There would be no tears for Severus Snape. He made his choices, just as she had. Now, she had a job to finish. And she knew exactly where to go. As she walked slowly to her destination she heard Lord Voldemort's voice echo through the forest.
"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."
-BREAK-
Harry Potter dropped the Resurrection Stone and began to walk with purpose. He knew what he had to do. He now realized what Professor McGonagall had meant in her letter. Of course, she never intended for him to die. But she knew what it meant to accept death. And accept it he was.
Whispers flew through the group of Death Eaters that surrounded Lord Voldemort in the forest. Harry nearly let out a sigh of relief that Professor McGonagall wasn't present. Neither was Nagini- which meant Voldemort had entrusted her with the task of keeping the great snake safe. Good. One less Horcrux to worry about. Now he had to take care of the one the resided within his own soul.
A sneer came across Lord Voldemort's face as Harry walked forward. "The Boy Who Lived."
He thought he had won. Harry just wished he could see the look on his face when he finds out how he had been betrayed. That by killing Harry, he was going to be one step closer to dying himself. And that made this all very simple for Harry.
"I surrender."
"Avada Kadavra."