Harry and Ron were fighting back to back, slowing working their way out of the courtyard so they could escape into the grounds below the astronomy tower. So far, their spells and hexes had hit their intended targets, but they could feel their magical energy draining. Adrenaline can only get you so far when your body has been running on empty for so many years. Neither of the young men could remember the last time they had a decent night's sleep or a full belly.
The night had been one long near-death experience. Harry had lost count of how many killing curses he and Ron had dodged, and he couldn't understand how they had escaped being crushed to death by the castle itself as it came apart under the onslaught of friend and foe alike.
The worst was when the wall fell, separating them from Hermione. So many wizards and magical creatures on both sides of the battle had been crushed. It really was a miracle that he and Ron had survived that incident with hardly a scratch. But did Hermione survive? Was she killed instantly, or was she trapped beneath a massive piece of the castle like so many others, where she would lay until she bled out or died from shock? Had she been captured instead?
Those thoughts terrified him, and he chanced a quick look around the courtyard, but he couldn't see her anywhere. Where is she? Turning his attention back to the battle, he quickly stunned an approaching Death Eater, but no sooner did the spell leave his wand than Ron reached his arm around Harry's shoulders, gave a massive heave and threw them both to the ground.
"To the left!" Ron bellowed, just as they heard the groan and rumble of stone moving on stone. It was a chilling sound that warned of impending doom. They both ducked into a roll, and seconds later, the top turret of the astronomy tower crashed to the ground in the very space they had previously occupied. Debris flew everywhere and rained down on the boys, who had rolled to a stop some distance away and huddled on the sloping ground. Ron's hastily erected shield charm protected them from the worst of the projectiles.
A strange silence settled over the area. Risking a look around, Harry and Ron saw that they were alone. The massive tower had either crushed everyone or blocked them from reaching the patch of lawn where the boys now lay.
"Bloody hell, that was close," Ron muttered.
Harry was gasping for air and couldn't respond with anything but a nod. He was shaken by the fact that his wandering attention and concern for Hermione had nearly cost him his life. It was only Ron's sharp eyes and quick thinking that spared their lives.
They slowly sat up and their breathing slowed, each silent while they thought about their next move.
"We've got to get out of here, mate," Ron said.
"But where?" Then he shook his head frantically. "No. We need to go back. Hermione—"
"Hermione's on her own now," Ron said fiercely, cutting Harry off. "Look, we knew this could happen. We talked about it, the three of us, remember? I hate it just as much as you do, but we all agreed that if the worst were to happen to any one of us, the others would continue with the mission. You'd continue with the mission, Harry, no matter what. We promised each other. We promised her."
"But—"
"But nothing, Harry! We have to move on! If she's alive, she'll be fine and she'll find us. And if she's not …" His voice wavered, and he looked away, his eyes shining in the glare of a fire that had broken out on a nearby wing of the castle.
Briefly closing his eyes, he gathered himself together and started again. "And if she's not, then she wouldn't want us to fail now on account of it. You know she wouldn't."
Harry looked torn, but after a few moments and a broken glance back in the direction of where they had last seen her, he nodded his head. "Alright," he said in a hoarse whisper. "Alright, let's go."
They stood on shaky legs and dusted themselves off, checking for injuries. Remarkably, aside from a few scratches, neither had been injured in the battle so far. Ron stretched his lanky frame before scanning the grounds before them.
"Now, where would I be hiding if I were a cowardly, snake-faced tosser?" he mused. After a moment's thought, he turned to Harry. "Can you take a peek, mate?"
Harry hesitated, knowing that every time he opened the connection with Voldemort he risked exposing his location and ultimate objective. But at this stage of the game, reaching that objective required coming face to face with evil incarnate. Find Voldemort and we'll find the snake, he thought. Kill them both, and we can end this.
His eyes met Ron's, and Ron gave a small nod of encouragement. Harry let his eyes slide shut and willed the connection to open.
Almost instantly, Harry's knees buckled under the onslaught of emotions and images – immense satisfaction at reports of massive casualties among enemy ranks, raging bloodlust for revenge on the growing number of prisoners, irritation at Lucius Malfoy's thinly-disguised interference on behalf of his spoiled brat, anger at how long it was taking his armies to find and deliver The Boy Who Dared to Live, harsh commands tinged with just a touch of desperation and … wait, what was that? … Yes, there it is again! … gnawing suspicion that maybe, just maybe, a few of his most trusted followers weren't all that they seemed.
Although Harry was tempted to pursue that idea further, he refocused on the task at hand. Breathing deeper and more slowly, he tried to zero in on Voldemort's location. Somewhere in the castle? Not yet, it seems. Good. That means he hasn't made it past the front guard. But he's not out in the open, that's for sure. He's standing in silence … surrounded by dark shapes and tall forms … cloaked figures scattered about on uneven ground … a clearing …
His green eyes flew open with sudden realization. "The Forbidden Forest."
"Are you sure?" asked Ron. "Because we can't afford to—"
Anger flared up bright and hot, prompting Harry to stand and cut him off mid-sentence. "I'm sure! How dare you question me?"
Ron took a step back, hands up and eyes widening. "Hey! No need to get peeved."
Harry stopped with a jolt, just as he was about to aim his wand. "I … I'm sorry, Ron," he said in a voice tinged with shame. "I just can't open that connection without his emotions getting in the way. It takes over if I'm not careful. And it's so hard to fight it. It's like a piece of me wants to taste it."
He turned away, closed his eyes and raked his left hand through his impossibly messy hair before letting it drop again and turning back to Ron. "He's all over the place right now – emotionally, I mean. I think he's sure he's going to win, and it sounds like he might be right. But I also get the sense that he's getting worried about something. Or someone. But I just couldn't stick around long enough to sort it out."
Ron's face darkened, and he clenched his fists before saying, "Well, he should be worried. He won't get away this time, not with all work we've done. We'll finish this tonight, even if we have to die trying. He's destroyed everything we ever knew, Harry – the Burrow, Mad Eye, Hogwarts, Dumbledore, who knows how many of our friends …" He cut his eyes to Harry before continuing in a softer voice, "Sirius, your parents … we have to stop him, now."
Harry sighed, then his face hardened – whether in anger or determination, Ron couldn't say. "You're right," Harry replied. "I guess we should get moving then, yeah?"
And with that, he turned and started to walk toward Hagrid's abandoned, burned-out hut and the edge of the forest beyond. Ron watched his retreating figure for a moment before shoving his hands in his pockets and following.
They had only walked a few steps when both let out a startled gasp and reached into their pockets, where they felt a burning sensation. Harry got to his Galleon first and quickly scanned the message. "It's Hermione!" he exclaimed with obvious relief. "She's okay! And look, she's heading in the same direction we are. We can catch up with her at Hagrid's before we go into the forest."
Ron grinned from ear to ear and clapped Harry on the shoulder. "See, I told you! Our Hermione's a pretty smart bird. I knew she'd be fine. She's tough, that one! Alright, then?"
"Yeah, let's do this!" Harry replied. And with a noticeably lighter step and smiles on their faces, the friends continued down the hill to the path that led to the gamekeeper's abode.
Neither saw the cloaked figure step out of the shadows near a lorry-sized piece of the fallen tower. Keeping his eyes on the boys, he raised his left sleeve and pressed on his Dark Mark, sending intelligence back to his Master. Then, with a malicious grin that exposed his jagged teeth, he dissolved into an inky cloud of smoke and flew off into the night.