"Harry! Harry!" A banging on the door had Harry shooting out of bed, the other boys besides Seamus waking up as well. "Please, it's important."
"Who in the hell," Neville groaned, getting out of bed.
"It's not even light outside," Ron covered his head with a pillow. Harry headed to the door, opening it slowly.
"Collin, it's too early for this, can it wait till the morning?" Harry asked as he rubbed his eyes.
"No! It's important, I… there's people in Hogwarts!"
Harry froze. Meanwhile, everyone that was up turned to the door, staring at the blonde boy.
"What do you mean, Collin?"
"I was sneaking around because I was," his cheeks flushed. "I had a date with a girl in Ravenclaw, and on the way back, I saw these strange people on the seventh floor!"
"Couldn't they be teachers?" Neville asked, coming to stand next to Harry. Even as he said that, Neville still passed Harry his shoes.
"No, they had the same masks as what attacked Diagon!"
Bloody hell.
"Alright, Collin! Go bang on the girls door, get Hermione. We'll- we'll figure this out." Collin nodded, rushing down the steps. Harry turned to face his year mates, all of them sharing the same look on their face; grim determination.
"What do you need from us, Harry?" a now awake Seamus asked.
"Get everyone up, find upper years to fight, keep the younger ones in the common room or dormitories, but keep them together. Upper years that don't want to fight, put them in charge. Neville?"
"I'll join you later, let me help strengthen the house."
"Ron?" The redhead was already pulling a knife out of his pocket.
"Strength, fortification, and resilience." Harry nodded.
"Dean, Seamus?"
"I'm good with kids," Seamus said.
"I'm good at yelling."
Harry felt like a general walking straight into battle.
The boys ran down the stairs, meeting a wet Lavender Brown and a sleepy looking Hermione. A few other students were up, Seamus and Dean running to the other dorms and waking all the students up.
"Lavender, Hermione." He greeted them.
"Parvati is getting the rest of the girls up," Lav said, tying her hair up. "I'm going to get the teachers."
"Right, be quick. And safe." The blonde girl nodded, running out of the common room as Hermione sighed. Slowly, students trickled into the room, tired and scared.
Harry stood up on the table, counting heads, but he knew that was useless. He was good at remembering faces, but he wasn't going to remember all of them. Lavender came back in, 3 students right behind her. Ron carved the last part of his runes into the door frame, a magic ripple going over the front of the room. He turned, nodding at Harry.
"I brought a member of each house, all the ones who can cast a patronus. That way we can communicate. McGonagall said she'd deal with it but.."
"I get it." Harry spoke. The commotion slowly started rising, voices talking over each other. Pointing his wand at his throat, he continued. "Quiet!"
"Harry," a small girl at the front asked. "What are we going to do?"
Harry didn't know. All of these people looking up at him scared him. He had to do something, come up with a plan.
"For now, we need to be quiet. I'll think of something but for now, if you don't want to fight, raise your hand." A majority of the lower years raised their hand, only one seventh year and two fifth years raising their hands as well. "Right, if you don't want to fight, you three are in charge. Uh…"
"Seventh and sixth years that want to fight, you're on offence. We'll track them ourselves. Fifth years, and the fourth years confident in themselves, you're on defence under Neville." Ron interrupted. Harry was grateful.
"Younger years with us," Lavender gestured to herself and Hermione. The chatter quickly started again, Harry walking up to the three students Lavender had brought. Terry Boot, Susan Bones, and Daphne Greengrass.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, not unkindly. He knew where she and Blaise stood in this upcoming war, and would accept them with open arms.
"The past two years we've had an influx of halfblood and even muggle born students. Half of this year's Slytherin first years were Muggleborns. I won't watch them slaughter children."
Harry understood.
"Relay the information back to your house. Those who want to fight with us, bring them here. Daph…"
"I get it," She said with a nod. "Blaise is hiding the younger Slytherins in Snape's old room. It's not as secure as this, but…"
"Harry, my vines are going to close over the door in a few minutes, you've gotta go." Neville said, panicky.
"Right," He brought his wand up once more. "Those fighting, follow me! We've gotta go!"
The group paused just long enough for Harry to cast two illusions; one dragon and one sphinx. They sat in front of the house, guarding it from any intruders. It took a toll on his magic, but it was worth it. Those students, this school, was worth it.
They ran out of the house area, and down to the second floor, joining the group of seventh year Ravenclaws. All of the sixth years had stayed back, sending on the best of the best (and a really overpowered fifth year). When they got to the duelling room, they didn't have to wait long for a cluster of Hufflepuffs to show up.
"Alright, groups of two, I don't care what house. We need to have each other's back and-" a loud explosion sounded, the room shaking. "Shit- okay, fight for your life. Kill if you must."
"Kill?" A ravenclaw at the front questioned. "Why would we have to do that?"
"Those Death Eaters wouldn't hesitate for a moment to AK you in the front." Ron said toughly. "If you wanna die, be my bloody guest."
Nothing else was said on the topic, mostly because a small blue squirrel ran through the air.
"Lindsey McMarson is missing! Slytherin first year!"
"We'll find this girl!" Harry shouted. "Protect each other and yourself!" Everyone gave a grim cheer. Some sneakily left the room under disillusionment charms, others ran forward, wands at the ready like they were holding swords.
Harry and Ron were the latter, running back up to where the infiltration had first started. They looked around for any sign of a girl, top to bottom.
"If she's a Slytherin, wouldn't she be near the Dungeons?" Ron asked, wand at the ready.
"Who knows, but it's best to cover all of our bases." Harry told him, peering around a corner. No one site. "I also don't wanna put the other Slytherins in danger."
What an odd thing to say.
The sounds of battle had finally arisen around them, signifying the Death Eaters had been found. Two floors down, they finally heard something. It sounded wet, squelching. It put Harry on edge. He gestured with his hands, Ron covering his side as they followed the sound. Groans and huffs were drowned out by the wet sounds. Harry smelt it before he saw it; the metallic tang of blood.
"Bombarda." Harry cast, the door exploding. A man's voice cried out, cursing. Harry followed in, the dust settling quickly. His eyes widened as he saw the bloody face of a man he recognised. Fenrir Greyback.
"You." He hissed.
"Harry Potter. Or should I say Harry Snape?"
Sectumsempra the page said. For enemies. His wand and mouth moved faster than his mind.
"Sectumsempra!" Harry yelled, a red hex hitting the wolf straight in the chest. The older man grimaced, falling back, panting as his chest rapidly expanded. He began bleeding out, his blood mixing with what was already on the floor. Ron and Harry pulled the door that had landed on her off, Ron gagging as he saw the girl.
Or what was left of her.
Her chest seemed to have been clawed open and devoured, her heart and a few chunks of her other organs missing. It was obvious Fenrir had been grazing, maybe even playing around with her if the blood on his hands was any give away. Ron turned around, heaving in the corner as Harry inspected her. Part of her neck was missing as well, her eyes glazed over in fear.
Harry hoped it had at least been quick.
Summoning Prongs, Harry sent off a quick message to Daphne.
"Unidentified deceased Slytherin. Fenrir Greyback."
Harry steeled his nerves. This was actually happening. Here and now, this was going down. He wasn't ready. This was all too soon.
As Ron carved a rune on the side of the door frame, Harry looked at what his spell had done to Greyback. The beast looked like he had been a Jack The Ripper victim, his whole entire chest ripped open and bleeding. Served the bitch right.
Maybe Harry should use it on Malfoy?
"Harry, we've gotta move on."
"Right," Harry slipped off his nightshirt, covering the girl's gaping chest. She deserved this much, at least.
They ran through Hogwarts, following the voice of the loud, repeating announcement.
"This is Hermione Granger. Death Eaters have invaded Hogwarts. I repeat, Death Eaters have invaded Hogwarts. This is Hermione Granger speaking, Death Eaters have invaded Hogwarts."
The sound repeated over and over. As the ran, they passed countless duo's fighting off death eaters one by one. Still, it seemed like they would never stop coming.
"Harry! I need to seal off the room!"
"I'll go with you," Harry said. Ron shook his head.
"They need you to fight. If they bring any more people…"
"Be safe," he clasped Ron's hand, bringing his brother in for a hug.
"Always am."
That's when Harry spotted a glint of overly blonde hair. He nodded at Ron before chasing after it.
"Malfoy!" Harry spat the name like a curse. Malfoy, the idiot, turned around, pausing to cast a shield charm. Like that would do anything against Harry's fists.
The two tumbled, Harry landing a punch square in his jaw. Malfoy flailed around, trying and failing to land a hit on the Gryffindor. Harry was like a man possessed, landing punch after punch on Malfoy's. Harry had never been trained in fighting, but he had taken enough beatings from Dudley to get the gist of it.
Strike hard, strike fast, and don't get hit back.
Harry sat atop the blonde, panting. Draco's shoulder twitched, making Harry slam his fist down. The Slytherin called out, a small clattering sound ringing as he dropped his wand. Malfoy was smart, but not smart enough. Harry's eyes flashed with rage, and his hands found Malfoy's neck.
"How does it feel," Harry hissed, fingres digging into soft flesh. "Getting killed by someone who looks exactly like your teacher?"
His fingers pressed against Malfoy's larynx, pressing harder. He watched as the fight in his silver eyes drained, his body thrashing. Draco's nails dug into Harry's wrist, but the boy didn't stop. If Harry had been a pro, he could have had Malfoy dead in twenty seconds, but it wasn't working like that it seemed. Harry squeezed harder.
Do it, do it, do it do it do it doit doit doitdoitdoitdoitdoit
Malfoys fist collided with Harry's shoulder, snapping him out of his craze. Moving his hands off of Malfoy's neck to grab his pained shoulder, Malfoy struck.
"Difindio!"
Harry cursed, his shoulder bleeding profusely. That bastard!
Harry tried to stand, but the pain in his shoulder was almost incapacitating. Malfoy ran off, wand in hand, the coward. Harry stood up, leaning against the wall. His shoulder bled, each step displacing the wound. It had gotten him good. That only made him more pissed off.
He should have killed the brat when he had the chance.
And so, Harry followed. He was much slower, but he didn't care. Let Malfoy think he had escaped. He'd get what was coming to him.
Harry followed Draco all the way up to Dumbledore's tower. What was left of an exploded gargoyle nodded at the bloodied teenager, letting him pass. Harry climbed the stairs as quietly as he could. When the door opened, Harry was pulled in, a hand covering his mouth. The shout he almost let out was more to his shoulder being so roughly handled.
"Harrison," The voice said quietly. Harry instantly relaxed. "You shouldn't be here."
"Followed Malfoy." He grunted quietly. "What's happening?"
"Draco challenged Albus." Snape paused, touching his soaked shoulder. Harry knew he looked like a sorry sight; shirtless and covered in blood. "You're hurt. Is this yours?"
"Malfoy, cutting hex." Harry explained his shoulder. "The blood is Greybacks."
"That's why he looks like that," Snape mused, whispering a healing spell Harry didn't recognise. His shoulder knitted together nicely, but the stench and feeling of blood was still on him.
"You don't have to do this, Draco," Dumbledore's voice announced. "You don't have to follow the whims of a madman. Hogwarts stands tall, even after what you brought in. You will be safe here."
Snape looked to his side, meeting the green eyes of his son. They shared no words, just a look. He turned, going under a specific staircase, covering himself in the shadows thanks to his illusions. Snape stepped forward, just enough that Dumbledore looked at him. Harry knew what was coming next.
If Malfoy couldn't kill Dumbledore, Snape would have too.