Harry told Erin he was heading up to Dumbledore's office and he'd back when he could. "Okay, be careful." Erin told him after sharing a kiss.

Erin was finishing up some homework when one of the pictures caught her attention. "Miss, there is someone outside the Common Room from Slytherin that wishes to speak to you."

"Thank you," she told the girl getting up and waving her hand to put everything out of the way before heading out of the Common Room. She found Kaeli nervous and twisting her hands together. "Kaeli? What's wrong?"

She took Erin's hands. "It's done, they're coming. They're coming." The blonde girl looked pale and Erin could see bruises on her wrists and neck.

"Kaeli, what happened?" She asked softly touching the bruising. "Who did this?"

Kaeli shook her head, images of Draco in her head, very intimate images that made Erin blush. "It's not important, they are coming tonight. They are coming here! It will be too late if you don't do something. Please, Erin! Please! Do something!"

"Come on," Erin took her hand.

"No, I have to get back to Draco. I have to protect him." With that she turned and fled down the stairs.

Erin watched her for a moment and then hurried back into the Common Room. "Hermione! Hermione!" She yelled running to the stairs and the Girl's Dormitory.

"Erin?" Hermione almost ran into her coming down. "What is it?"

"Death Eater's, they'll going to be in Hogwarts soon. You have to call the DA, hopefully some of them will respond. I'll get the boys, you get the girls."

Hermione didn't even think to question what Erin was saying, she just turned to hurry back up the stairs to get the girls and use the Protean Charm she had made to call the DA. Erin ran up to the Boy's Dorm throwing open the door. Seamus and Dean were sitting on the floor playing Exploding Snap while Ron and Neville were playing chess on Ron's bed.

It wasn't long…barely minutes that the Gryffindor's were running to the 7th floor corridor, hopefully they would be met by some of the other DA members and anyone else they could gather on the way. An owl was sent to Hogsmeade hopefully Donovan, Fred, and George were still there and some of the Order. Would they be enough? When they got there they found McGongall, Flitwick, Louisa, Dean Monson, and Tonks. Then from the other direction they saw some Hufflepuffs coming and the Ravenclaws appeared behind them. Not all of the DA, but some of them. All in all, less than 25 students.

"Everyone, get ready, you are going to face your first battle with Death Eaters, may it not be your lost." McGonagall told them looking grim. "Find someplace with some cover, quickly—"

But before she could finish the doors to the Room of Requirement were thrown open and Death Eaters poured into the corridor. The students had to react even as spells were thrown. A plump, brunette Hufflepuff was struck first, eyes wide, there hadn't been enough time. She flew against the wall and slid to the floor with a groan. Neville was by her side in moments casting a shield charm and checking to make sure she wasn't dead. He could feel a pulse and after a moment she opened her eyes. "Just stay still for a moment." He told her trying to keep an eye on the battle and on the girl. "Louisa!" He called.

The healer-in-training looked up from where she was checking another student. She nodded and made her way over to them shielding and throwing spells along the way. "What happened?"

"She was hit with a spell and then against the wall." Neville told her.

"What's your name?" Louisa asked her.

"Becky…" she told her. "My head hurts."

"It's okay, let me check." Louisa felt the girl's skull feeling a big knot forming. "What year are you?"

"5th year."

"What house are you in?" She asked as some wall came tumbling down right next to them.

"Sorry," Neville said trying to keep them shielded.

"Hufflepuff," She told Louisa.

"I think you'll be okay, find a place to stay out of the way, and do what you can, okay?"

Becky nodded. "Okay."

Louisa had to move again to help others.

While they were getting Becky taken care of the battle had moved out in several directions.

Bellatrix shot another spell smiling evilly until she saw Draco hiding and crying in a small alcove holding onto Kaeli. "There you are, you sniveling idiot." She said grabbing his cloak and pulling him out. Kaeli followed. "Oh, no, dearie, not you," she had her wand almost in Kaeli's face. "You stay right here. Dear Draco's coming with me."

"It's okay," Draco said. "I'll be okay." He promised Kaeli. "I have to do this."

She nodded, but didn't say anything.

Erin found herself alone, not sure where the Death Eater went that she was tailing. She turned in the darkened corridor and at the end she saw a figure who threw a spell at her. She ducked it and went after him. She found herself in one of the courtyards. The roof above her came crashing down and she saw Blaise standing in front of her. "You shouldn't have come."

"You don't want to do this, Blaise." Erin said holding her wand out in front of her.

The boy's sharp, beautiful features twisted into something ugly and sneering. Almond shaped eyes narrowed menacingly. "You'd dare try and tell me what I want or don't want, you filthy blood-traitor! You've turned your back on your own kind! And you truly believe you are actually better than I am." He already fired off his wand once, but it hadn't been anywhere near her. Whatever he said, it had been a warning shot. "You've always thought you were better than any of us, simply because of who you are!"

"And what am I, Blaise?" She asked softly.

"You don't even know! That's the most pathetic part of this entire game you play. You pretend you know, but don't. The Dark Lord would be angry with me for this, but I don't care anymore."

"What has he done to you, Blaise?"

"Like you care? Like you actually care?" He shrieked.

Erin could hear the sounds of footsteps rushing towards them. It would take them time to get through though. She had to talk Blaise down or he might make her kill him if he couldn't kill her. She tried hard to listen to his thoughts and then she caught it. "He killed your mother."

"STAY OUT OF MY HEAD! Stay out of it, you bitch! You have no idea what it's like!"

"He killed my mother, Blaise. I know exactly what it's like."

"No, you don't! She was the only thing I had in this world! The only one who truly loved me!" No need to say that Blaise was the only thing she loved besides wealth.

"He uses everything he can, Blaise. You know that. I am not the one you're angry at. Voldemort is the one that we should be fighting against. All he does is create destruction and chaos. The better for him to rule if everyone is afraid of him, I am not afraid of him, Blaise."

"Then you are a fool! Do you honestly think you and your boyfriend Potter can actually stand against him?"

"Blaise, the only thing stopping evil from taking over this world is for good men to do nothing! You have good in you! I've seen it!"

"You don't know what you're talking about." He said still staring hard at her, but he wasn't attacking…yet.

"I do, Blaise. I've seen how a butterfly lands on your finger without fear. How you cup them so lightly just to look at them. You love them and you're careful because you know how fragile they are. Your magic runs to them and you can communicate with them. The Dark Lord would think this is foolish and think you foolish and weak because of it. But it takes a stronger man not to kill than to kill. There is good in you, Blaise. And the Dark Lord cannot touch it unless you give it over to him."

"That good died when he killed my mother."

"Then you have become what he wanted you to, don't you understand that? And blaming me will do you no good. I am not your enemy."

He paused a moment thinking about it. "They're coming."

"I know."

"You know? Your friends will never get to you in time!"

"I know."

"You can't take all of us at once."

"I could if you were to change sides. I know how powerful you are."

"They call me weak."

"Because you're a pretty-boy? That's what they'd like to believe. But the outside has nothing to do with the inside. And blood has nothing to with it either. Just because you're a pure blood, half blood, or Muggle-born, has no basis on power."

"The Dark Lord would have you believe otherwise."

"The Dark Lord himself is only a half-blood. So there goes his philosophy."

"Well, isn't this touching?" A voice said coming out of the shadows. Bellatrix came from the shadows. "You were told to hurt her! Can't you do that much?" She asked sneering. "But, no, you couldn't even come up with a good plan to kill Dumbledore."

Blaise looked down and stepped back. Erin's eyes flicked to him. "Bellatrix, if you think you can do better, face me."

Another Death Eater came over to her. "Let's just take her now, Bella."

"Are you afraid of me, cousin?" Erin asked.

"Bella, the Dark Lord wants her alive."

"Of course he does, cousin, he'd rather touch me than you. All your scheming and all your love for him has not put you in his bed." Erin told her softly making sure she heard.

"Bella…"

"SHUT UP!" She shoved the man back and pointed her wand at the girl in anger and threw out the first spell…to kill.

The wand in Erin's hand acted almost by itself deflecting the spell and returning one of its own to Bellatrix who deflected it herself, "Do not push me, Bellatrix!" She said scoring a hit on the woman sending her back.

"That's impossible…" One of the Death Eater's breathed. "The Dark Lord said he took her power."

"The Dark Lord took my memory only." Erin told them. "Voldemort has no such power over me!"

They attacked her all at once and she threw up her shields. Just a few more seconds…a few more…NOW, HERMIONE, NOW! The thought screamed from her and then, "BOMBARDA!" The rocks blew out behind her, but her shield was still up and deflected most of it. She was strong enough to endure what got through. Hermione and Harry (when did he get back?) were the first through the opening and into the battle against the Death Eaters. Fred and George followed, the only Order members close enough to get to them in time, and other members of the DA.

Blaise wasn't sure what to do and then he saw MacNair going to hit one of the Weasley twins from behind when Mira appeared and sent him flying back. Fred (because it was Fred that he had been about to hurt) turned to see what had happened and saw Mira there. Fred pulled her to him and kissed her hard for a fraction of a second before they parted and started to fight together. Blaise was hiding behind some rubble and was fighting with himself over this. Was he really powerful like Erin said? Did they just tell him he was weak? He could actually feel his heart start to burn, not with hatred, but for hope. He stood from his hiding place and joined the battle against the side he had come in on. He wanted to live, he wanted many things, including his mother back, but he couldn't have that, she was gone, and maybe she had been wrong about the side she fought on.

The Death Eaters were outnumbered now with Mira and Blaise fighting against them. When the Death Eaters fled Blaise turned to find Harry behind him and immediately flinched. But Harry just put his hand out. "Thank you, for giving us the time we needed, Blaise."

He looked at Harry's hand and then put his own out shaking it. "I wouldn't have if Erin hadn't knocked some sense into me."

"She's good at that."

"Were you serious," Blaise looked to Erin, "when you said I was powerful?"

"Only a powerful wizard could have the control you have." She nodded. "Right, Hermione?"

"The most powerful and advanced magic is about control." The Muggle Born witch told him. "Voldemort doesn't believe in control, he believes in power and overwhelming someone else with that power. You can win in those odds only so long before you're finally defeated."

Harry nodded. "Eventually a mistake is going to be made that he can't recover from." He paused. "Dumbledore is dead."

They looked up into the sky noticing the Dark Mark set high above them. From another part of the castle a light appeared piercing the darkness and others soon followed. Erin put her wand up and the others followed suit to destroy that evil sigil from over their beloved Hogwarts. Dumbledore was dead, but there was still hope.

Neville put his arm around the short Hufflepuff girl, Becky. She had started to cry. They were all shedding a few tears.