Disclaimer

I don't own Harry Potter, any of the characters, or parts of the HP Universe. All associated elements belong to JKR

CHAPTER SIX: FIGHT TO SACRIFICE

Harry stood there, rooted by the thought of finally ending this pointless, and way too costly, battle in one final duel. As the words rang in their ears, Fred, George, and Tonks slowly moved apart and formed a triangle around him. Slowly, to not draw his attention, they brought their wands to bear, aimed at him. Harry startled, never expecting his own allies, his friends, to hold him at wandpoint. They each had a lot of grim determination on their faces as they stood between him and Voldemort.

"We're not going to let you go to him, Harry." Fred said as George nodded, with fire in his eyes and steel in his spine. George slowly paced to the left, spinning the group around their brother in all but blood. "You're not going to face him alone, all because of an empty promise and a threat that he will gladly carry out regardless. You're too important to a lot of us, not as the Boy-Who-Lived or the Chosen One. You're important as Harry, our teammate, our brother."

Fred shifted his feet and turned sideways and they continued to prowl in a circle. George shook his head when he saw the look in Harrys eyes. "You're not gonna throw everything away for lies, Harry. You're smarter than that. We will fight you to keep you here with us, with your friends, your family. Hell, we'll make sure your arse is hogtied so tightly that you won't be able to feel a fucking thing. Do not test us, please don't make us fight you." George stated, stopping and squaring up, read to follow through with his threat.

Tonks stood in front of Harry, wand held down towards his legs in a relaxed, but firm grip. Once she got his eyes to lock onto hers, she let her guard drop. She showed him all the intense pain, crippling fear, and sheer hopelessness at the thought of him sacrificing himself for nothing. She bared everything that tore her very soul. Face set in a hard mask she softly stated, "You are not sacrificing yourself. You can't leave Teddy without a godfather. You can't leave me, not after everything we've been through. It'll destroy everyone here, especially those who've been closest to you for years. I won't threaten you, but I will promise you one thing. I will kick your fucking scrawny arse all the way to Wales if it'll keep you from doing this."

Harry just stared into her eyes as she spoke, knowing she was speaking the truth, they all were. He sighed and let his guard drop, head bowed in agreement. He never said a word, just started walking into the castle. The three followed behind, wary of any tricks. They were so focused on Harry after they entered the Hall, they never saw the five people waiting inside. Remus, McGonagall, Hermione, Sirius, and Amelia closed ranks beside and around him.

Silently the group made their way into the Great Hall and solemnly took in the sight before them. The House tables were gone, leaving only the Head Table for people to stand and sit at.

Laid around on cots were people with various wounds, being tended to in any way possible. As the group looked around, they were shell-shocked by the sheer number, wounded or not. Most had broken or missing limbs, while some had either cursed burns or extreme frostbite.

The normally pristine stone floor was covered in a massive puddle of glistening red blood and small chunks of flesh and bone. Moans and screams of pain filled the air, chilling everyones blood. The stench of piss, shit, and death hung in the air like a corrupted perfume. As the group of friends made it halfway across the Great Hall, a blood curdling scream tore through the air. The sheer pain, loss, and despair broke everyones heart, instantly bringing tears to eyes all around. Looking around Fred and George took off, seeing their mother collapse to the ground with most of their siblings next to her.

Hermione stood curled into Rons chest crying, Ginny was held by Bill as she wept for her brother and father. The Twins collapsed next to their mother and instantly wrapped their arms around her, tears streaming down their faces. Harry wanted to go join them, to mourn with those who were more of a family than his own blood. He mentally told himself he couldn't, that he shouldn't intrude upon their private family moment. Never once did he think or register thatHermione was counted amongst their number.

Harry stood next to Tonks, fighting the urge to break down himself. He tore his eyes from the soul crushing sight in front of them to look at her. She was scanning the Hall, each pass of her eyes bringing more fear and worry to her eyes. With a slight touch to her arm and a small head jerk he told her to go look. She immediately took off trying to find her cousin and husband. Harry watched until she finally reached a corner where Sirius and Amelia Bones stood, only to launch herself forwards into the arms of Remus.

As with the Weasleys, Harry felt like he would be interrupting a family's private moment if he went over. Sure Sirius was there, but Remus was like a barely tolerated honorary uncle to him. Seeing Sirius standing next to his friends and family, Harry gave a slight smile. He remembered how Pettigrew was caught and sentenced at the end of his third year, freeing Sirius. Tearing his gaze from them, he continued scanning the area, looking upon the faces of the wounded and dead.

Harry stood there, taking in every detail, from the grisly wounded and dead, to the heartbroken mourners, to the cheerful reunions of those who had family survive. With each new sight he made up his mind and slipped out of the Hall. He made up his mind, he was going to the Forest to end this fight, to sacrifice himself for those he cared about.