AN: This is the second chapter of the night. I'll post the other two tomorrow, and then we'll be done.
26. WHIMPER
Death Eaters, Snatchers, Werewolves and dark wizards moved one by one from the Great Hall. It was all Hermione could do not to strike them while their backs were turned- but it was not the way. All is fair in love and war, they say. Except that Hermione had learned from experience that nothing was fair in either. This war had devastated so many lives and Hermione only began to truly understand just how many when the hall began to fill with people searching for their loved ones. Others came in levitating bodies or injured persons. Kingsley Shacklebolt re-entered the room, with a tall, thin blonde woman in his arms, and a shorter, thin blonde man, who was her but in miniature, levitated at his side. Narcissa and Draco. Hermione felt her gut drop to the floor as she ran to them.
"Greyback got him", Kingsley said to Dumbledore, and Hermione's heart quickened.
She could help; she could fix this.
With a frantic flick of her wand, she silently summoned her bag and pulled out her Werewolf Antivenom. She parted Draco's lips and drained the whole bottle into his mouth. All she could do was wait and see. Severus approached and took Draco to where the other injured lay. There were dozens of stirring bodies, and it seemed, just as many who did not move. Severus carefully placed Draco to the floor and sat beside him. They had always had a special relationship - he was the son of his friends, he'd known him since he was a baby - he'd cared for him; risked his life for him. And now all he could do was sit at his bedside and pray to the Gods that he made it through. Hermione turned to Kingsley and took in the still, beautiful form of Narcissa Malfoy. Hermione looked up into his dark, devastating eyes. He shook his head, gave a wry smile and moved to place her with the rest of the dead.
Lavender moved silently between bodies and marked them with her pink carnations. She no longer needed to do it; now that the dead had been separated from the living, but it was such pretty magic, and so tender a thing, that it became a tribute that lingered above the bodies, as though putting them to rest.
Hermione felt her knees give way as her eyes fell upon the body that Lavender tended to. Horace Slughorn lay with his hands across his chest. Hermione allowed herself to imagine that wherever he was now, he was sulking. He had so wanted to retire - he'd been ready for years - and now he never would. Slughorn would have found it funny, she decided, and so she allowed herself to laugh through her grief.
"We need you over here, Lavender!" Katie called from where she stood stooped over a couple of injured house elves.
Lavender stared at Katie, and then back at the bodies, as though torn between wanting to help keep the living alive, and wanting to help put the dead to rest.
"Teach me how", Hermione said gently, placing her hand on Lavender's shoulder. "I'll carry on here."
Hermione stood with her arms folded and stared at the bodies in front of her. She had counted each one. There were forty-one casualties of the war so far. Many were wounded, including the prisoners of war they had taken and thrown in the dungeons. Five of the dead were Death Eaters. Twelve were Snatchers. Three were children. Children, Hermione thought. Among their own dead, were professors and other figures she knew, and some she had loved. Hermione counted Professor Trelawney, Irma Pince and Argus Filch as numbers thirty-five, thirty-six and thirty-seven. Casualties number thirty-eight and thirty-nine were house elves- one that Hermione did not know, and the other, was the small and broken body of Winky. She looked as though she was sleeping.
Anger ravaged Hermione - how could the world be so needlessly cruel to such a creature?
Hermione glanced upwards, as she saw two shadows stalk across the room - George and Angelina, hand in hand, walking away from the battle. He had lost so much. Three brothers, one of which was his twin - his other half - and now his best friend had been pulled from the world too. He looked back and his eyes met Hermione's. George gave her a solemn nod and she understood. He was leaving. He was taking his wife to safety. She smiled at him, in a way that she hoped would convey that she knew what he planned to do and that he should feel no shame. George Weasley was a Gryffindor through and through, and sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is admit when you are in over your head.
Sometimes there is courage in walking away.
Severus approached her from behind and put his arms around her waist. His hands clawed at her, as he desperately tried to pull her into him. It was as though he could not get close enough to her. There was too much muscle and skin; too many layers and atoms between them. Hermione allowed herself to cry for the first time and she felt her body slump from the weight on her shoulders. She turned to look at Lavender, who stood small and humble in Dean Thomas' arms.
Susan beckoned Hermione over and Severus begrudgingly let her go. They were low on potions. Hermione summoned the remaining vials from her store. Her attention was drawn back to Severus. Her eyes and her heart always sought him, like a heat-seeking missile. He moved back to Malfoy. Hermione saw a distraught Tonks nestled into her husband's shoulder.
"I need to see Teddy", she said, and Remus nodded.
She watched them leave the Great Hall, and wondered what it would be like to fight for your life, knowing that you could orphan your child with one wrong move.
Dumbledore called Hermione, Severus, Kingsley and McGonagall to his side. It was odd to be in this most trusted circle. In any other circumstance, it would have thrilled her to be seen as an equal to these most powerful witches and wizards, but there was not a whisper of excitement anywhere to be found.
"Harry is with Hagrid", Dumbledore said. "He is alive, but as we all heard, Voldemort does not know it."
"Are you certain?" Kingsley asked.
"Quite certain, yes... however", he said, and his eyes darkened, "we must hope that it remains the case. If all goes to plan, Hagrid will bring him to us soon."
"What's the plan?" McGonagall asked.
"I have communicated with Voldemort, and plan on an exchange. Harry Potter's body, for my surrender."
McGonagall gasped.
"You can't be serious, Albus?"
"I am quite serious, Minerva."
Severus rolled his eyes.
"And what then, Dumbledore? You allow him to kill you? Or perhaps you would like to join him on his side? It's not pleasant but it has its benefits."
"Not quite."
"Then what do you intend to do?" McGonagall asked.
"I intend to get Harry into this castle where you can all keep an eye on him. I intend to challenge Voldemort to a duel. I intend to keep him as far away from you all as I can and I intend for one of you to kill that blasted snake so that when I kill Riddle... and I will... this time, he stays dead."
"I thought that Potter had to kill him?" Severus asked. "... The prophecy?"
"Harry has done enough, don't you think?"
Hagrid carried the weary body of Harry Potter in his arms. His giant form slumped as he walked as though he had lived a thousand lives. Hagrid moved so that Harry's feet could touch the floor and with a roar of excited noise, he was surrounded by people. Hermione went to Hagrid and wrapped her arms around him as far as they would reach. Hagrid stroked her hair in gratitude and then pulled away.
The hour was almost over. The dark forces would come again, and this time they would not stop. They would all fight to the death.
Remus and Tonks apparated back with a crack, and Hermione met Tonks' eyes. They smiled at each other - there were a thousand words unsaid. Dumbledore exited the Great Hall. It was time.
Severus took his position in front of the wounded; his legs apart, he stood with his wand aloft, ready to duel. Arthur stood beside him and mirrored his position. Then followed Remus and Tonks, then Molly and Shacklebolt- they all stood, poised and ready, between the injured parties and those who meant to do them harm. Hermione took her position next to Severus. Ron slipped in to her right and Harry moved in beside him. Then in poured the remaining Order members, and Hogwarts staff who remained. They each stood, filling the width of the hall, and prepared for the impending doom.
They all murmured to one another. Words of comfort and love; wishes of luck and victory. Talk of hope and faith. Arms curled around one another; fingers locked. They readied themselves for the battle. They spoke louder, braver, more defiant. They would not be silenced by fear. Their voices blended in perfect unison; their words became a choir's chorus and their sorrowful symphony filled the room. It was their love song to one another and their sonnet to Hogwarts.
Pomfrey, Katie, Lavender, Susan and some of the other hospital staff worked tirelessly behind them. All those lives were held in their hands. Hermione looked back, and saw that the Patil twins were both among the injured. Padma lay quite still, and Parvati rested slumped up against the castle wall. Lavender held Parvati's hand and soothed her. Hermione caught Lavender's eye and mouthed "love you". She had never said it before, but she did. It felt like the right time, it could be the last time after all. For just a moment, with Severus at her side, in the company of Harry and Ron, everything felt okay. The world was right again. And just as she thought this, the world crashed down in a thunderous roar.
The doors to the Great Hall tore open and in they charged- their faces red with disgust. There were about sixty of them, she would guess, which meant that their numbers had greatly dwindled. Some were dead, others bound and restrained, but perhaps some had deserted. They were outnumbered for sure, but they could win this. McGonagall threw up a shield so powerful that it protected everyone inside it. Hermione had never really understood how incredibly impressive this witch was. McGonagall manipulated the shield so that those behind it could shoot spells hurtling towards their enemies, but their enemies could not harm them in return. Molly and Tonks threw up similar shields.
"Stupefy!" Ron shouted.
"Expelliarmus! yelled Harry.
"Confringo!" came from Neville.
Non-verbal, indistinct flashes fired from Severus, Arthur, Aberforth and Kingsley. Shots of green and red and brilliant white and blinding gold hurtled through the air and landed on unsuspecting Death Eaters and snatchers alike. This is what they should have done in the first place. Teamwork. They should always have fought together, head to head rather than face to face. McGonagall's shield broke.
"Again, ladies", she shrieked, "Protego!"
Hermione understood.
She, Cho and Luna joined in this time with their own desperate calls of 'Protego!".
Their shields fused with Minerva's. One by one the curses flew off the shield wall. The green flash of Avada Kedavra was the only force that could break through it. A shot pulsed through and narrowly missed Cho who jumped to the side and the curse shot behind her. Cho's head turned slowly, but her body remained rigid. She looked down, Hermione's gaze followed. Poppy Pomfrey lay dead on the ground.
Cho's eyes were vast and frightening.
"No!" Hermione screamed, as Cho broke from behind the shield of Protego and lurched towards the Death Eaters. She raised her wand and fired hexes and jinxes - everything she had learned in the DA. Hermione stepped forward, but Severus' arm shot in front of her, holding her back. Cho was a good witch, but she was scorned. Hermione and Ron both screamed "Expelliarmus" but nothing could stop what happened next.
A wild scream of "Avada Kedavra!" came from among the Death Eaters and Cho Chang's body fell to the floor.
Severus stiffened beside her and she felt his magic surge into a vitriolic force of maniacal destruction. He shot a spell, without a word, and the ceiling began to crumble above them. The rubble and wreckage spilled from above and bolted down onto the ground below. Hermione saw one, two, five of them fall victim to its crushing weight. Those who remained were riled by their near deaths, but they did not flee; they only moved further towards them. Hermione snatched her wand between the rubble and the wounded behind her. She moved bricks quick as a flash. Arthur, Percy and Ron joined too, coursing the stone to build a wall that protected the injured and dying- and those that had sworn to save them. She should have done it sooner, she thought. Poppy would still be with them, if she had just thought faster.
With an explosive crash, Albus Dumbledore tore through the doors on the heels of Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore wasn't supposed to be here but she could see now that The Dark Lord moved in such a way that he pushed Dumbledore, manipulated his movements so that he reached his people, and in turn, reached theirs. Dumbledore was in control though, and Voldemort was no match for him- it was as though Albus' wand was more powerful than Voldemort's.
If only he could die, Albus would have him. But the snake was nowhere to be seen. Every time Voldemort jabbed at him with a curse, Dumbledore deflected it with ease. Voldemort was impatient - he needed to get to Harry. What was another tear to his soul? He raised his wand high, whipped the green light in a tight circle and hurled it right at Dumbledore.
With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore deflected the killing curse. He deflected it, Hermione thought, that must mean that Dumbledore's wand... Voldemort too had the same idea and he finished the thought for her.
"The Elder Wand?" he crowed.
The Dark Lord's forces retreated, as did The Order. They all watched in stunned silence as two of the world's most powerful wizards duelled. It was truly a spectacle to behold. If the situation weren't so dire it would have been entertaining. Voldemort shrieked and shot out a blast of cold white fire that echoed around the remaining walls and shattered the windows. Glass rained down and Albus curled his wand, moving the pieces of broken glass so that they moved together into a cannonball and he heaved it towards Voldemort. Voldemort shot a quick shield charm. The glass ball fired into his charm, repelled backwards and burst into long and jagged shards like daggers. He aimed them at Dumbledore who simply flicked his wrist with hardly a second thought and the shards turned to little paper birds that floated gracefully to the ground.
Voldemort shot out another killing curse, followed by another, but the Elder wand continued to deflect them. Hermione's eyes focused on Dumbledore and Voldemort, but in her periphery, she saw Severus move out of her line of sight. She sensed him moving behind her, and she heard the unmistakable sound of metal on metal. She snapped back to look at him, and saw that he brandished the sword of Gryffindor. Hermione followed his gaze. Nagini curled and twitched in the wing of the castle. He approached the snake slowly, so not to bring unwanted attention to himself. He needed a distraction. Hermione nudged Harry in his shoulder and with an almost imperceivable jerk of the head, she drew his gaze to where Severus prowled the hall. Harry nodded, and threw himself forward, wand outstretched. He pulled himself as tall as he could and aimed his wand.
'Expelliarmus!"
Voldemort did not flinch, but the Death Eaters turned to Harry and held their wands out. An indistinct array of muttering came from the other side of the hall
Hermione heard 'he's alive?' and 'he lives? again?' and 'how is this possible'? among the mass of voices.
Again, Harry aimed his wand at Voldemort.
"Expelliarmus!"
The dark forces rallied together and returned to their assault on The Order, and to her horror, Hermione saw that Fenrir Greyback, too, had returned to the fray. He pushed through the crowd of charging Death Eaters and slunk across the room. He uttered something that Hermione couldn't hear and the wall that they had built to keep the healers and their injured safe, crashed to the ground.
Hexes and jinxes flew past Hermione as she ran towards her friends. Lavender did not turn around to look, she reacted to the crumbling rock and the sound of fearful screams by throwing herself onto Parvati and Padma and acted as a protective shield with only her body. Greyback pushed forward, and Remus Lupin caught his eye.
Did they remember each other from all those years ago? Remus certainly remembered.
He and Tonks began to fire at Greyback. He roared with delight as he shot back and Remus hurled curse after curse until Greyback hit the floor with finality. Remus took his time binding him with magical rope, and throwing him down into the dungeons through the whole in the floor. It was not pretty, but it was just.
Hermione's eyes drifted back up to Severus, as she deflected a curse. He had approached the snake but had not seen that Thorfinn Rowle came up behind him. Hermione broke into a run and fired a knockback jinx, deciding at the last minute to throw it at Severus, knocking him out of harm's way. She then straightened her wand and threw a bolt at the walls with a yell of 'bombarda!' When that didn't work, she repeated it, and used all of her energy to imagine the walls coming down.
Severus lay crumpled below the window pane, among the broken glass and Hermione moved swiftly towards him. She fired more curses and jinxes at Rowle, drawing his attention towards her. She was then joined by Ron. The challenge of a two on one fight was just too much for Rowle to ignore, and he walked away from Severus.
The great snake Nagini moved towards Snape with such vigor, that Hermione wondered if that had been her orders. Kill Severus.
The snake rose up and opened her mouth, bore her teeth and lurched to attack Snape. Severus snatched the Sword of Gryffindor from the floor, held it in one hand, using the other to shield his face, and he swung, eyes closed and terrified. Nagini's head severed from her body and she coiled to the floor with a thud.
Hermione and Ron knocked Rowle with two final, joined "Flippendo!"s and as he shot backwards and slammed into the brick, his head snapped back, cracked on the stone and he dropped to the floor and at last, he was still. Next second, the giant body of Hagrid fell to his side and Hermione heard herself scream before she was truly cognisant. Severus and Ron dropped to Hagrid's side and Katie Bell followed shortly after. Hermione stared helplessly as they worked on Hagrid. She hadn't even known he was nearby.
"He'll be fine, Hermione, come on!" Severus roared, then turned to Dumbledore. "Finish him!"
Dumbledore whipped his wand around, and flames poured from out its tip and Snape moved quick as a cat across the rubble, his wand aloft in one hand and the Sword of Gryffindor in the other.
She was sure that he'd have felt much more at home with a Sword of Slytherin, but no such luck. Today he would be an honorary Gryffindor. Hermione allowed herself to smile at the thought of how much it would aggrieve him.
Hermione snapped back to the present, as a hurling mass of red light surged towards Severus, who dropped the sword and sent a soaring white shield charm pulsing forwards. Hermione whipped her head to see that Albus was curling his flames around Voldemort, and she thought of Bella. Hers had not been so impressive, but still, she dwelled. She had killed Bellatrix and her soul had remained whole - could she kill Voldemort and still hold the ethical high ground?
She could, she decided. And she would if she needed to.
It was as though Harry had had the same thought. He prowled towards Voldemort, whose body writhed like a snake and Harry raised his wand. The flicker of hatred in his eyes told Hermione that he would do it. The killing curse. He would not think twice.
But then the black and boiling hatred simmered and his gentle soul won out and he uttered the spell that he always relied upon in times like these - a guttural, primal 'expelliarmus!'. The spell missed Voldemort and crashed towards Dumbledore who had not anticipated friendly fire. The Elder wand flew from Dumbledore's hand and crashed at Harry's feet. Dumbledore was wandless.
Harry blinked and stared at it. He moved to pick it up and Voldemort surged towards him, away from Dumbledore, who stood defenseless, in pursuit of his most powerful wand. He always did put stock in powerful objects rather than powerful people. Harry threw his own wand over Voldemort's head and Dumbledore caught it. Harry brandished the Elder Wand as its true master. Voldemort moved down on him and a whip of Harry's wand in Dumbledore's hand sent a gust of blackest wind and knocked Riddle to the floor. He was Riddle now, Hermione noticed. He was no longer The Dark Lord, no longer Lord Voldemort. He was just a man as he stared up at the boy who had defeated him all those years ago as only a baby.
Shouts of frantic, angry panic came from Voldemort's forces. They saw their leader at the mercy of The Boy Who Lived. The Boy, it seemed, Who Could Not Die. Walden Macnair, executioner for the ministry seemed to sense where the night was heading. He dropped his wand, and held his hands in the air in a sign of defeat. Others followed suit. Until only Travers, Dolohov, Selwyn and three masked Death Eaters, Hermione could not identify, moved in towards The Order.
Six of them, versus their entire force? They were not planning on going to prison. They knew they couldn't win, but that wasn't their aim anymore. They were going to die, and take as many Mudbloods and blood traitors with them as possible.
Luna and Neville moved in on Travers. McGonagall and Kingsley fired at a masked Death Eater each. Tonks stood tall, Remus proudly at her side, and they shot defensive spells to keep their people safe. Arthur, Molly and Ron took care of the unknown Death Eater, who when his masked dropped, revealed himself to be Mulciber. Professor Flitwick, Hestia Jones and Aberforth took on Selwyn and Hermione joined Severus as he moved in on Dolohov. Their joined forces were too strong for the Death Eaters. One of the masked wizards dropped their wand and fell to McGonagall's knees.
"Mercy!"
McGonagall unmasked him - it was a flame-red-haired man Hermione did not recognise - he must have been a new recruit. Minerva bound him and moved swiftly towards Kingsley and together they finished off the last masked Death Eater who was revealed to be Alecto Carrow. It seemed she had not died the first time around, and had returned. They never did back down. It seemed so un-Slytherin of them. Hermione couldn't understand it. How did loyalty to such a man trump their base nature for self-preservation? That was the most basic Slytherin, and human, trait after all. Perhaps she could ask Severus. He knew better than anyone the lure of Voldemort's power.
Riddle hissed like a caged, feral cat as he attempted to buck to his freedom. Dumbledore pressed the wand tip to Riddle's throat and Harry used the distraction to whip another 'Expelliarmus' at Riddle and at once, he was disarmed. Harry held the wand to Riddle's face, staring him straight in the eyes.
Harry's darkness glittered again.
Riddle was not a feral cat though, he was a starved and savage panther. Even without a wand in his grip, he was still an accomplished wizard. Dumbledore however, was better. Riddle roared and his wand acted as though independent of its master, and the entire room burst into flame. Screams of panic rose, as witches and wizards from both sides threw themselves to the ground. Dumbledore pointed his wand at the Black Lake past the courtyard and its water swelled upwards, spilled forwards and it rolled and grew into a huge tidal wave that crashed into the Great Hall and flooded it. Harry stood slack-jawed and the Elder Wand hung loosely in his grip.
Riddle took the opportunity to pounce, and he snatched it clean from Harry's hand, and turned back to Dumbledore.
"Now let us see who is the greater wizard", he snarled.
Harry stood with his eyes blank. Hermione and Ron both ran to him on instinct.
"Harry?"
"You okay, mate?" Ron asked, waving his hand in front of Harry's glazed eyes.
Harry did not move. His body was slack but his feet were rigid.
"Harry, what's happening?"
He spoke, but his voice came through jagged and cracked breath that Hermione recognised. It had been her own voice at the First Battle of Hogwarts.
"He took the wand...", Harry said.
"You were distracted, mate. Easy done."
"No... you don't understand" Harry said. "He takes everything. He took my life. He took my parents. He took Sirius..."
Hermione's heart broke for a third and final time. Harry had been through so much tragedy in his short life, and he had faced everything with such courage. But a person can only take so much weight on their shoulders before they collapse.
"He needs to die", Harry said, "the prophecy said-"
"Forget the prophecy", Hermione said gently.
"Yeah, mate. It doesn't mean anything."
Their tender moment was cut short as Voldemort moved again towards Dumbledore. Just as Voldemort became Riddle, Dumbledore became Albus. He was the world's greatest wizard, for sure, but he was old and tired. But Albus had something that Riddle did not. He had friends, he had support, he had unwavering loyalty - he had love.
The Order moved in towards Riddle and shot jinxes and hexes and curses and Riddle, even with the Elder Wand, could not deflect them all. Hermione's eyes shot towards Harry who had pulled himself back together. Except that it seemed as though he had not put the pieces back into the right places, because this Harry, who stood before her, was someone else. He moved towards her with his hand outstretched. He was a shell of a man. He was determined and dangerous and deadly.
"Bellatrix's dagger", he said, with a cold voice.
How did he know that she had it? She hadn't told anyone that she'd taken it.
She pulled it from where she had stuffed it down her sock and handed it to him as her fingers shook. Her eyes bolted as she watched Harry chase across the room, clutching the dagger in his steady hand and with a furious, deafening, howling war cry, he advanced on Riddle. Hermione's eyes fell on Severus whose gaze was locked on Harry. He and Harry shared a determined look and Severus' narrowed black eyes glittered in the same way that Harry's did as he nodded.
Harry lunged onto Riddle from behind. The shower of spells stopped and a sharp blast of McGonagall's Protego kept Harry safe from where the spells might fall.
"Do it", Snape said, coldly.
Harry clung to Riddle's back, who tried to shrug him off, but Harry acted too quickly. Holding the dagger high in his hand, he bore his teeth and plunged it to the hilt, into Riddle's throat. Harry jumped back and his legs turned to jelly as he fell. Severus ran to him and Riddle turned to face them both; his eyes were red and hollow. He clutched his throat and then, with a whimper, Tom Riddle collapsed to the ground and so Lord Voldemort was no more.