Hi guys. So I am really REALLY sorry that it has been so long since I updated this story! I am a horrible person I know. I have been really busy with my own book and this internet mini series that I have been writing for so I have had no time to do anything else. I know that is a horrible excuse but forgive me! I am not very happy with this chapter but I hope it doesn't disappoint too much. There is only one more chapter to go and I hope that I won't spend as long doing that one as I did on this.

enjoy :)

Blanche

Chapter 16

They stood, looking up that the castle, their hearts hammering in their chests. Hermione has been sceptical about their abilities to raise a sufficient army, but they had. She looked at her fellow witches and wizards, at the centaurs behind them, and at the giants crouching behind the trees. It had filled her with confidence to see so many answer their plea for help. But now, standing here in the shadow of the castle that was surrounded by dementaurs and guarded at every entrance by a tall masked death eater. she felt small. The one advantage they did have however, was surprise. They had sent out word via the resistance radio channel of a coup, tonight, at the castle, warning those students who still remained at the castle to arm themselves. Tonight was the night. It all ended tonight.

They crawled through the Forbidden Forrest closer to the castle. There were death eaters at every entrance. Harry signalled them and the front line moved silently forwards, all but invisible as their disillusioned bodies crept along the darkened castle walls. There was a flash of red light and the death eaters stunned bodies all slumped in unison to the ground. Hermione looked down at the frozen and pulled the white bone mask off of his face, so that she was staring down at Nott's wide eyed face. She smirked, and then followed the rest of the party up the hill towards the school.

They stood, wands drawn, in front of the wall of dementaurs preventing their entrance to the school.

"Ready?" Harry asked, looking sideways at Ron and Hermione. "Because once we do this there is no going back. The alarms will sound, and they will launch their attack." They nodded. Harry raised his wand and the army behind him followed his lead. He screamed,

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The grounds were filled with the cry and an army of silvery white animals charged at the dementaurs, scattering them into the air like torn pieces of paper in the wind. As they reached the castle doors an alarm sounded and the shrill wailing sound of a banshee joined their battle cry.

As they entered the castle a wave of death eater descended on top of them. Hermione found herself back to back with Narcissa as the battle the Carrow twins.

"You treacherous little bitch!" Alecto screamed as she fired curse after curse at Narcissa. She shot a stream of green light at her and Hermione screamed, throwing herself in front of Narcissa, knocking them both to the ground as the killing curse skimmed their heads. They looked up at the twins, their wands pointing directly at their throats. Hermione closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. A startled gasp and two outraged roars filled the hall, making her open her eyes to see the Carrow's bodies slumped on the floor, eyes wide and twitching as her stunned body lay there in the middle of the floor. The two witches looked up to see Bella and Andy standing at the top of the stairs, wands drawn, smirks painted on their beautiful dark faces. Narcissa laughed and the two of them jumped up to re-join the fight. As they did so what seemed like the entire student body emerged, wands raised.

A bright stream of green light shot past them, dangerously close to Hermione's ear, pulling their attention back to the fight. They turned around the see Macnair grinning dangerously at them.

"Really says a lot if you have to bring children into the fight doesn't it." Hermione glared at him and shot a quick fire of curses at him as Harry Ron and Draco sprinted passed them down the stairs. Macnair spun elaborately out of her line of fire sending a stream of bright green light over his shoulder as he straightened up. Hermione ducked, but the curse soared passed her. There was a moment of deafening silence. Narcissa screamed. Andromeda let out an almost incoherent roar of fury and a stream of green erupted from her wand tip, hitting Macnair squarely in the chest. He fell backwards, eyes frozen in shock, hitting the ground with a dull thud. Narcissa ran to her sister and fell to her knees by her side, a choked cry escaping her. Bella's lifeless eyes were staring up at her, dull and unblinking as Narcissa sobbed over her.

"Cissy we have to get out of here," Andromeda choked over the clamour of the battle. "Cissy it's not safe we have to move!" Whether Narcissa could not, or would not hear her was unclear. But she refused to move. Hermione crouched besides her and gripped her shoulders in her hands.

"Narcissa, my love, please we have to go. If we don't we will all be in danger."

"The treacherous little bitch deserved it." They looked up to see Avery smirking down at them. "One down, two to go." Narcissa sprang to her feel and let out a furious scream wand raised.

Hermione watched as the spell hit her. She stood there for a minute, her hands to her chest, and when she pulled them away, they were covered in dark red blood. She slumped to the ground and Hermione screamed, red sparks flying from her wand. Avery was thrown backwards as the spell hit him, his head cracking loudly against the wall as he hit it and slid to the floor frozen. Hermione rushed to Narcissa's side and began desperately to search for the source of the bleeding.

"Hermione…" Narcissa's paling face looked up at her, her icy eyes filled with fear.

"We have to get you out of here," she said, her voice thick and shaking.

"They have barricaded the hospital wing. Sealed it off completely so that no death eaters can get in. I don't know how but it seems like the safest place to go." Hermione nodded and gripped Narcissa's hand in her own before disapparating.

They appeared in the middle of the hospital wing floor, people rushing madly about them in every direction.

"Somebody help!" Hermione screamed, as she ripped open Narcissa's robes in a desperate attempt to locate the source of the bleeding. She couldn't see. There was too much blood. She couldn't see where it was coming from. Every time she wiped it away more would appear. It was impossible to locate the source.

Narcissa's eyes were hazy, her lids drifting shut as she began to loose consciousness.

"Cissy please stay with me. You have to stay awake." Hermione pleaded as she tried to hold the blood soaked rags in her hands to her lover's torso. "Narcissa please, please don't leave me." Tears were rolling down her face, and she was shaking as she cried. Madame Pomfrey came running over to them and she pushed Hermione out of the way.

"What was the spell? What curse hit her?" she demanded as she held her wand above Narcissa, the blood clearing. Hermione just shook her head and watched desperately as her lover lapsed into unconsciousness.

"We didn't see," Andromeda whispered. As the blood cleared Hermione saw a web of deep gashes in Narcissa's skin. It was unclear where one ended, and another began. But she recognised the Snape's spell instantly. Madame Pomfrey began to whisper under her breath, and very slowly, the cuts began to heal themselves, the skin stitching its self back together little bit by little bit.

Narcissa's eyes blue eyes opened slowly and Andromeda breathed a sigh of relief as Hermione rushed once more to her lovers side and kissed her. She held her, and simply beamed at her. There weren't words to express the extent of her relief.

The doors to the hospital wing banged open and a small first year in Hufflepuff robes stood, grinning.

"He's dead! The Dark Lord is dead!"