(Day of the Battle: Part 2)

Emolly was sprinting up the moving staircases when she heard the first crack in the defensive ward that had been put in place. She jumped a little when she heard it and immediately picked up the pace. She needed to be locked away in that room before anyone could see her. If they saw her run in there, well, she would be screwed for lack of a better word. She immediately located the dark and narrow hallway and looked behind her to see if anyone was watching her. There wasn't a soul in sight, perfect. She ran down the hall and reached that old wooden door and pulled at the iron latch. It wouldn't budge.

"Shit, it's locked. Didn't think about that."

She nervously pulled out her wand. She hadn't done magic in a month at least and she had no idea how her body would respond to it. She pointed the tip of her wand at the lock and prayed that the magic was simple enough for her to perform.

"Alohamora."

She grinned when she heard the lock click open with ease.

"YES!"

She pushed the door open and slid into the room, ecstatic that her body didn't react to the use of magic. That was a small accomplishment and maybe if she could do little charms like that…

No. It was just too big of a risk. Dean was right. She wasn't sure what she was capable of and she needed to stay in the room. Period. She shut the door and locked it behind her before sliding the heavy desks and chairs in front of the room's only way in…or out. Well, not including the single window on the far end but she was four or five stories up. She set to work with the desks first and started making a mass barricade. It got to the point, however, where they needed to be stacked on each other and she simply could not lift the old iron and wood tables. She grabbed her wand once more.

"Magic, take two. Levicorpus."

She concentrated on the now airborne desk and set it on the pile. Again, the blonde couldn't help but smile as her body greedily accepted the magic without any pain. She did it several more times to the desk and then put her wand away when it came to the chairs. They were light enough for her to carry and she had created a stairs of sorts with the desks so she could easily add them to the pile. She was making quick work with the chairs but stopped short when she heard a series of explosions happen somewhere below. She rushed to the window to see smoke and dust kick up from a spot towards the east. It looked like the bridge had been blown up! She scrunched her forehead together in confusion. Was it a result of a fight? Was it done purposely? She thought hard. It had to have been done purposely. It was smart, she had to admit, because then less of Voldemort's followers could reach the castle. Only problem with something like that was the fact that less people could escape if that became the case. Soon she could make out the noises of screams, hexes, incantations, and the sounds of war. Things were being smashed, lives were being ended, and the castle was being ambushed. She was almost finished with all the chairs when she turned and looked at the lone one at the other end of the room. She smiled as the memories came flooding back to her. That chair was special to her and Dean. It was where they first had sex. It was where she had told him that she didn't want a fake relationship with him, but a real one. It was where she told him how she really felt. She looked at the chair and then back at the massive pile that she had created in front of the door. That chair was going to stay untouched, right where it was. She didn't really need another thing in front of the door anyway.

It was nearly pitch black in the small room. The only light coming in was from the hexes and explosions that were happening far below her. She could just barely see a sliver of the courtyard from where she was and the sights were terrifying to her. She could see students and adults alike fighting black-cloaked figures. Some of Voldemort's death eaters had on their eerie masks, which made everything more frightening in her eyes. She could see giants swinging their mighty clubs at her fellow housemates and schoolmates. She stepped back from the window as she saw a young Hufflepuff go flying in the air at the end of a Killing Curse. This was all too real. Her friends were dying. Students were dying. Gods she wanted to help! She wanted nothing more than to fight along side the rest of Army and help Harry and everyone else. She didn't want to be cooped up in this little room doing nothing! She kicked at the floor. This was about to be the most brutal test of her will power ever.

o.O.o

Nielah was holding her own against an older death eater out in the courtyard. He was scary looking, with a deep scar going across his face, but the fifth year was not intimidated. She kept firing curse after curse towards him and all he could do was block them. She was giving him absolutely no room to fire one back at her. She was advancing on him as well, making him walk backward and side step all the rubble that was falling and crumbling off the school. Finally, just as she was hoping, he tripped over a piece of brick and fell on his back. She pointed her wand at him and used all her power behind her next move.

"DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY! STUPEFY!"

The death eater went flying back even further as he was immediately knocked unconscious by the fifth year's mind blowing spell. He would be knocked out for at least a day or two.

"NIELAH!"

The familiar yell had Nielah spinning around. Her mother was about thirty feet behind her and quickly closing the gap.

"MOM!"

The two ran into each other for a split second before remembering that they were in the middle of a war.

"Where's your broom? Aubs told you me you fight on one."

"I got shot down. I'm fine though, obviously, and ready to fight on the ground. I just saw you knock that death eater out! My little girl, kicking some ass! What a sight!"

"MOM! NIE! BEHIND YOU!"

Aubrielle ran in right as a masked death eater aimed his wand at her little sister and mother. Aubrielle quickly leapt in front of them and fired off a quick hex.

"Levicorpus!"

The man shot straight into the air and fell hard on the stone ground. His silver mask went flying off his face and Mrs. Song's face immediately changed. She pushed her daughters behind her and held out her wand. The man stood up and faced them all.

"Well, look at this, my own daughters and ex-wife fighting against me."

"DAD?"

Nielah's jaw dropped as soon as she heard the words 'my own daughters.' She couldn't believe it. Here was her father, now a death eater, ready to kill his own flesh and blood. What an arse!

"Hello little Nielah. And good job Aubrielle. That curse really had a kick to it."

"I'll show you again if you want!"

She shot past her mother's arms and aimed at her father once more.

"Stupefy!"

He grunted as he flew off the ground and hit a broken pillar behind him. He fell to the floor with a thud. Aubrielle looked at him with disgust. She didn't give a damn if she hurt him. He had left her! He had left her and her mother and Nielah all because of fucking blood status! He was not her father! Not in her mind! He had hurt them, all of them, and never thought twice about it! That was no man in her eyes!

"GET UP! FIGHT ME YOU COWARD!"

He slowly rose to his feet again and smirked at his eldest daughter.

"Such fire, such anger! You would be a wonderful death eater Aubrielle…Incarcerous!"

Before she could even react to what had happened, the seventh year was bound by tight ropes. She dropped to the floor and Nielah was instantly at her side, struggling to break her free. Their mother stepped in front of the both of them, her primal instincts kicking in. No one hurt her babies!

"This is between you and me, Tom, and you know that! Leave our children out of this!"

"Well if they are old enough to be fighting in this damn war then they are surely old enough to be fighting me!"

"NO TOM! Expelliarmus!"

But he blocked it, and he blocked it quickly enough to send the same spell back to her.

"Expelliarmus wifey!"

Her wand went flying behind her and for that split second in time; Aubrielle knew exactly what was happening. Her mother was losing.

"You cursed my life, my bloodline, my heritage! And you raised MY daughters to be blood traitors! You don't deserve to be on this earth you bitch!"

"NO!"

But Aubrielle's screaming was falling on deaf ears and she knew it. Her father mouthed the two most evil words to ever be created and the green light hit her mother square in the chest.

"AVEDA KADEVRA!"

"MOM!"

Her mother was hit hard by the Killing Curse before either of the Song daughters could react. Before they could even blink, their mother was dead and on the ground. Aubrielle tore through the remaining ropes that held her hostage and snatched up her wand.

"YOU BASTARD! CRUCIO!"

She hit her father with the same Unforgivable that had brought her to near death and held him there. She wanted him to suffer. She wanted him to know how much pain and sorrow he was putting her through. She wanted him to feel all her wrath and fury.

"YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HER! HOW COULD YOU? FUCK BLOOD LINES, YOU FUCKING LOVED HER AT ONE POINT IN YOUR LIFE! YOU COLD BLOODED BASTARD!"

"AUBREILLE! STOP IT! STOP IT!"

The Ravenclaw had expected to hear it from her little sister but it was a deep voice that was ordering her to stop.

"MS. SONG!"

"HE KILLED MY MOTHER PROFESSOR FLITWICK!"

"I know dear I know! Don't tarnish your morals for him. You're about to kill him!"

"He doesn't deserve to live!"

"BABE STOP!"

This time it was Neville screaming at her. Trouble was, she wasn't sure if it was all in her head or if he was really there.

"AUBRIELLE, let go! LET GO!"

He was there; she knew it. "How…How did you find me?"

"I heard you scream! I came running…Please Aubrielle! LET GO!"

The tears were streaming down her face as she finally let the curse slip through her fingers. Her father was on the ground, crumpled and bruised, and twitching. She could see the pain coursing through his body. She had done that. She had caused him pain; she had tortured him. Her own father. Her father that had murdered her mother. She was fully sobbing now and felt her boyfriend's arms around her. He walked her over to a fallen column and sat her down behind it so they were hidden and out of the firing zone.

"She's dead Neville. She's dead. My mom is dead."

"I know Aubs. I'm so sorry. I wish I could have gotten there sooner."

"We didn't know. Nielah was untying me…NIELAH!"

The witch sat straight up and searched for her younger sister. How could she have left her out there like that?

"NIELAH!"

She went running back to where he sister and her mother's dead body was. Nielah was trying to pick up her mother just as her father was trying to get back to his feet. After everything he had gone through, even after being tortured to near death, he was still trying to fight them. Kill them.

"Aveda Ke-"

"AVEDA KEDEVRA!"

The green light whizzed past Aubrielle's head and hit her father. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell back, lifeless. Aubrielle turned to look and see who had fired off the Killing Curse. Professor Flitwick was standing in front of Nielah with his wand drawn and his face determined.

"P-professor?"

"He was aiming his curse at Nielah. I did what I had to do. Now, take your mother's body and put her in the Great Hall. That's the respectful thing to do. Hurry now! I'll cover you!"

Aubrielle looked back at Neville who came rushing over. He gingerly lifted Mrs. Song and carried her bridal style into the Great Hall while Nielah, Aubrielle, and Professor Flitwick surrounded him. They successfully got into the Great Hall and Madame Pomfrey immediately came rushing towards them.

"Alive or dead?"

Aubrielle stepped foreword, "Dead ma'am."

"I am so sorry. Put her over here Mr. Longbottom. Right on this stretcher. Right here. Gently now."

Neville slowly lowered Aubrielle and Nielah's mom onto the stretcher. He straightened her out before crossing her hands over her chest. Aubrielle and Nielah stood above their mum in hysterics. They didn't deserve this. Hell, no kid deserved to see their mother get murdered right in front of them. Now they were all alone. It would just be Nielah and Aubrielle from now on. Their mother was dead, their father was dead, and they had nowhere to turn. It was just the two Song sisters. Nielah fell to her knees at the foot of the stretcher and hid her head in her hands. She was only 16 after all. Neville squatted down next to the fifth year and held her tightly in his arms. Aubrielle watched on as her boyfriend comforted her little sister. Not only did Neville love her, but he loved Nielah as well. Not in a romantic sense, but in a brotherly sense. That honestly meant so much to the witch. He was perfect for her, in every way, shape, and form. Aubrielle scanned the rest of the stretchers to see if she knew anyone else that had already had their life claimed due to this terrible war. Her hand quickly covered her mouth as she saw the familiar faces. There was Susan Bones, white as ghost, with her wand laid by her side. A couple stretchers down was Romilda Vane, such a young girl, with her eyes closed and her body completely still. Colin Creevey was also there, right next to David, the second year Hufflepuff that had been Aubrielle's Expelliarmus partner at the beginning of the school year. The tears continued to flow as she saw classmate after classmate lined up against the wall and laid out on stretchers. Some were fellow Ravenclaws that she only knew by name, or students that she had had in a class years ago. Some, like Susan, were fellow Army members. Those were the ones that hit her the hardest. These were kids that had gone through the same lessons as her, practiced along side her, talked about their futures with her….

She heard a high-pitched wail as another stretcher was brought in. There was another corpse, another victim, being carried by two red headed men that Aubrielle barely recognized as Charlie and Bill Weasley. As the stretcher got nearer she was able to see who was laying on it. One of the Weasley twins, Fred, was dead. Dead as dead could be. Mrs. Weasley was following close behind with Arthur, in absolute stitches.

"MY FREDDIE! MY BOY!"

The stretcher was placed on the floor along side the rest of the victims and George immediately fell to the cold floor. He flung his body over his twin brother's and sobbed and wailed. Aubrielle never really knew the twins too well, but the sight was enough for her to completely break down. Neville looked up to see who she was looking at. As soon as his face fell on the Weasley family, he knew. He lightly patted Nielah on the shoulder before standing up. He slowly made his way over to the family in mourning and squeezed Mrs. Weasley tight. She gladly accepted the gesture and let the Gryffindor encompass her.

"I am so sorry Molly."

"He's just a boy."

"I know, I know. I am so sorry. He'll be greatly missed. We all loved him."

"I know you did Neville. I know." She pulled away from him. "George needs a friend right now."

"Of course."

Neville walked over to George and tapped him on the arm. George lifted his head up to see who it was and immediately flung himself at the wizard. Neville hugged him tightly, letting the twin cry into his shoulder.

"I am so sorry George."

"I am too."

"Hang in there. That's what he would want you to do."

"I know," George pulled away, his words just barely audible through his sobs "anyone else gone that we know?"

Even after his own brother died, he still wanted to know about everyone else. That was just the kind of man George was. So caring.

"Aubrielle's mum died."

"Jesus."

"Yeah," Neville turned to see Aubrielle and Nielah sitting on the floor with their arms wrapped around each other. "Susan Bones too."

But before he could say anything more, the evil bastard himself was suddenly talking again. Voldemort was back in everyone's heads, telling them what to do. Neville squeezed his eyes shut as the calm and eerie voice engulfed everyone.

"You have fought valiantly but in vain. I do not wish this. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a terrible waste. I therefore command my forces to retreat. In their absence, dispose of your dead with dignity. Harry Potter, I now speak directly to you. On this night, you have allowed your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. There is no greater dishonor. Join me in the Forbidden Forest and confront your fate. If you do not do this I shall kill every last man, woman, and child who tries to conceal you from me."

As soon as the speech was over, there was an unsettling calm that swept through the castle. The death eaters were gone, as well as the snatchers, and the ones who survived came flooding into the Great Hall. Some were looking for loved ones or friends. Some just needed a place to stay for the time being. More stretchers were being carried in as more dead were retrieved from the battlefield. Tonks and Lupin were carried in side by side and placed down on the ground next to each other, just barely holding hands. Neville looked at their stone faces. They looked peaceful in a way. They were done with this world, on to the next one, but they were with each other. They would always have each other in the end. He went back to Aubrielle and Nielah and sat down next to them. Aubrielle was done crying, her face absolutely deadpan, but Nielah was still shaking and wailing. The couple looked up to see the Golden Trio come walking into the Hall. Well, at least they weren't dead. Those were the three kids that kept the hope alive, and they weren't dead. Aubrielle watched in horror as Ron ran to his distraught family and saw Fred for the first time. The wizard crumpled to the ground, as if the weight of the entire world was pushing down on him, and broke down.

Aubrielle turned to her boyfriend.

"Do you think it's over?"

Neville slung his arm around her shoulders, letting her fall into him.

"No. I think it's just begun."

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