It was time. It was twenty-five minutes past ten, and the Dark Lord wanted to be waiting for his Death Eaters when they arrived at Hogwarts in five minutes time. They disaparated again. They stood outside the gates, waiting for everyone who was going to join them in the fight. After a few minutes, people began to appear all around them. The Dark Lord put his wand to his throat, said "Sonorus" and began to address the school. "I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill any magical blood. Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you shall be rewarded. You have until midnight." He muttered "Quietus" and his voice stopped being amplified. "Now we wait for them to make their decision" He said quietly. As they waited, they were joined by more and more people, including someone with the news that some giants were on their way to help. Bella was a little apprehensive now – she didn't think that Potter would give up as easily as this, not when he had so clearly been on a mission to do something that might destroy the Dark Lord. Whatever mission it was, it had scared the Dark Lord, so it must be extremely important to Potter. This meant that they were going to have to fight, and she hadn't been in a proper duel since that night at the Ministry. She wasn't sure how she would cope if she had to duel, for although Narcissa's Memory Charm was powerful, it only replaced her own and she had purposefully left in a little of the guilt about that night at the Ministry, and therefore had deep misgivings about having to duel tonight, even though she did not understand why.
The next hour and a half passed slowly as they waited for some sign that Potter was going to give himself up. There was none. Bella looked at her watch. It was one minute to midnight. They would begin to fight soon. Midnight. The Dark Lord turned around and said "they have not given up Potter. We shall begin the fight. But whatever you do, do nothing to Potter. He is mine." He turned around again, and began to fire spells at the protective barriers that the teachers had clearly put in place around the school. The battle was afoot. Time skipped and jumped as the battle wore on – Bella was unaware of her surroundings, only the duels that she was participating in. She was now duelling Tonks again, how remiss of the last time she had duelled. But she was much less of herself than she had been that night – the repeated Memory Modifications that she did not remember had contributed to this. She no longer considered Tonks to be family, especially since her marriage to the werewolf, Lupin. Well the last time, Sirius had died despite her best efforts to keep him alive, so why should she try to spare anyone this time. It seemed to her that if she didn't kill, others would do it instead, and they might even kill her for showing mercy. Tonks was down. Bella was not sure what spells she had been casting – she had been so focused on her memories that she had been duelling without paying attention. She was not sure whether Tonks was dead or alive, but she was down, so Bella moved on. She must have been duelling for quite some time, as when she came to her senses, there were bodies scattered all around the grounds of the castle. She had come to because there was a loud voice reverberating around the air.
"You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. You have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured. I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you, rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."
Bella looked around. All of the duels had ceased whilst the Dark Lord had spoken, and now the Death Eaters were beginning to retreat towards the Forbidden Forest. She followed them. They made their way through the forest, without really knowing where they were going, but there was so many of them that they knew they would find the Dark Lord soon. After about ten minutes, Bella saw a flash of firelight through the trees, and made her way towards it. Several Death Eaters were already there, including Narcissa, as was the Dark Lord. He nodded at her but said nothing. After about five more minutes, the majority of their side had arrived in the clearing.
"This was where the Acromantula lived. I have sent them to the castle to join our fight. I will send some of you to search the Forest soon, and if you see Potter, you are to bring him to me here. You must not harm him." The Death Eaters looked at the Dark Lord and nodded. None of them said anything. They were soon joined by Dementors, which made Bella's skin crawl. She did not want to be near them. They would weaken her even more than she already had been. The Dark Lord sent them into the forest, so they moved out of the clearing that they were stood in. Bella stayed close to the Dark Lord, awaiting instructions, but secretly hoping that he would allow her to remain in the safety of the clearing. They had been stood waiting for about twenty minutes, when the Dark Lord started to send pairs of Death Eaters out to search. Potter had twenty minutes left to show himself before they began the fight again. Bella was still not convinced that the boy would show himself. She was sure that he had a mission to complete, and that would be his priority. She said nothing of her suspicions to the Dark Lord however, as she did not want to be on the receiving end of his wand again. More time passed. Several of the pairs had returned, saying that they had not seen Potter. Five minutes were left. Yaxley and Dolohov were the only two still searching the Forest. Two minutes left. Yaxley and Dolohov appeared, but Potter was not with them.
"No sign of him, my Lord," Said Dolohov. The Dark Lord did not change his expression at these words.
"My Lord –" Bella said tentatively. He raised his hand to silence her. She stopped talking at once.
"I thought he would come. I expected him to come. I was, it seems … mistaken." The Dark Lord said.
"You weren't." Bella looked around. It was Potter. He must have been under his Invisibility Cloak, as he had just appeared at the edge of the clearing. She gasped. Others laughed.
"HARRY! NO!" it was the half-giant who had shouted this time. "NO! NO! HARRY, WHAT'RE YEH –?"
"QUIET!" Rowle shouted at him, pointing his wand at his chest and clearly casting a Silencing Charm. The half-giant was silenced.
Bella realised that she was on her feet, but did not remember standing up. She looked from the Dark Lord to the boy and back again, eager to see what his move would be now that the boy was his.
"Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived" The Dark Lord said. He raised his wand and a jet of green light shot at the boy, hitting him in the chest. He crumpled. At the same time, the Dark Lord collapsed too. Bella rushed to his side.
"My Lord … my Lord …" she said, the panic rising inside her. How had this happened? What could the boy possibly have done to hurt the Dark Lord? He hadn't even been holding his wand. "My Lord …"
"That will do" the Dark Lord said. Bella was kneeling on the ground beside him. All of the other Death Eaters had backed away when the Dark Lord spoke.
"My Lord, let me –" Bella said anxiously. He shook her off.
"I do not require assistance. The boy … is he dead?" The Dark Lord said coldly. None of the Death Eaters moved towards the boy. Bella was about to when the Dark Lord pointed his wand at Narcissa. She shrieked with pain. "Examine him. Tell me whether he is dead." Narcissa moved forwards, crouched down and examined the boy. The clearing was completely silent as she checked for a pulse.
"He is dead!" Narcissa called back. Bella breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever the boys plan had been, it had not worked. He had failed. He was dead.
"You see?" the Dark Lord screeched. "Harry Potter is dead by my hand, and no man alive can threaten me now! Watch! Crucio!" The boys body lifted off of the ground, and he fell and was lifted up again three times. The last time he fell, the Dark Lord left him there. Bella began to laugh, as did the other Death Eaters. He was dead! "Now, we go to the castle, and show them what has become of their hero. Who shall drag the body? No – Wait –" the Dark Lord pointed his wand at the half-giant. "You carry him. He will be nice and visible in your arms, will he not? Pick up your little friend, Hagrid. And the glasses – put on the glasses – he must be recognisable –"
Hagrid was crying as he was released from the ropes that bound him, and he made his way towards the boy. Someone, presumably Narcissa, had placed his glasses back on his face. Hagrid picked him up. The boy lay limp and motionless in his arms. Hagrid continued to cry.
"Come." The Dark Lord said to them. Nagini, his snake, was around his shoulders, and he began to make his way forward. Bella was beginning to feel numb again. She wasn't sure why though. She didn't care for the boy. She wasn't even related to him, as far as she was aware. So why did the fact that he was laying lifeless in the half-giants' arms seem to affect her so much? They had made their way through the forest now, with Hagrid leading the way. "Stop." The Dark Lord said. They all obeyed. Bella could see the castle now – they had come out of the Forest.