Chapter 115

The Battle Begins

Note from J.M. Jackson: One thing that bothered me before in canon was how the battle at Hogwarts was barely touched upon, so it was decided by us that we'd make it better by giving it a lot of depth. As much as I love writing for Lily, the others have their stories as well.

(Hogwarts)

Hermione frowned as she walked through the corridor slowly, with Ron, Draco, Lavender, and Pansy walking with her. "What do you think's going to happen?" Hermione asked.

"Worst case, Voldemort finds a way here, or his Death Eaters," Ron said darkly.

"How? I mean, Professor Snape said something was happening, but how? We've tried to figure out how Blaise has been attacking people, but we've not really found anything helpful, have we?" Draco asked, frowning.

"No, and that's been bothering me so much. How is anyone able to get in and out of the school without someone knowing?" Hermione asked. "It's not like anyone has a secret doorway into the school; the Map would show us that."

"True, but we have had trouble finding Blaise at times," Draco pointed out. "He's obviously been told about the map and knows how to hide from it."

"I dunno mate," Ron said, frowning. "If that was the case, wouldn't he permanently hide from it?"

"Not if he didn't want us knowing what he was doing," Draco replied. "If I wanted to hide, I'd make sure you were always guessing how I was doing it."

"If you were still in Slytherin, how would you hide from us?" Hermione asked. Draco frowned as he thought carefully. The group turned the corner, seeing Bill Weasley, who greeted them.

"Anything?" Bill asked, standing with his fiancée, Sophie, Fleur's cousin.

"Not yet," Ron replied. "We're trying to figure out how Blaise would hide what he was doing from us."

"Oh, bloody hell!" Draco exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Why didn't we think of it sooner?"

"Think of what? Might wanna catch us up, mate," Ron said, using the friendly term again without even thinking.

"Last year, when I was working with Umbridge, you and the others kept disappearing from us. No one could find you until Marietta came forward," Draco pointed out.

"Of course! The Room of Requirement!" Hermione exclaimed. "We need to go there now."

"I'll summon the others," Bill said, as the group made their way towards the room. Ron quickly held out an arm, forcing everyone to stop.

"Get down!" Ron insisted. Despite the strangeness of the command, everyone did so, seconds before a red beam shot past them, where their heads would have been. Ron immediately fired a curse back at whoever had launched the attack.

"We have incoming," Hermione exclaimed.

"Incoming already came in," Draco replied, firing a spell behind them, hearing a cry as a Death Eater became visible.

"Good shot," Lavender complimented, firing a shot herself, just as the sound of an explosion could be heard nearby.

"Sounds like the others have found more intruders," Bill said, launching his own attack.

"How the hell did Voldemort manage to get his people in? Or rather, how did Blaise manage it?" Ron demanded, as the group pressed up against the wall, avoiding another curse heading their way.

"We'll figure that out later, Ronald. Right now, let's deal with the intruders," Hermione chided, sending a Confringo blasting curse against the Death Eaters ahead of them.

"How many do you think got in?" Pansy asked.

"One's too many," Draco answered. "We need to keep them away from the dorms."

"Agreed," Bill said, sending out his Patronus as an alert. As another Death Eater came into view, Ron went to attack, but was surprised as the Death Eater was sent flying, with Cormac, Ernie, Justin, and Susan came running up behind him.

"Perfect timing," Hermione said. "Alright, we need to split up. Ron, you, Lavender, and Cormac head to Gryffindor, keep the Death Eaters out. "Pansy, you, Justin, Ernie and Susan to Hufflepuff. Draco, Bill, Sophie, and I will go to Ravenclaw."

"Good plan," Bill complimented.

"Get help from other members of the Order of the Dragon if you see them, and make sure every student who can't fight stays in their dorm room. I doubt the Death Eaters will want to hurt any Slytherin," Hermione said.

"Agreed. Alright, you heard the woman; let's move," Ron said firmly, racing down the corridor towards the dorms.

"How many do you think got in?" Cormac asked.

"Like Draco said, one is too many," Ron replied, as they reached a corner. Ron stopped, feeling the need to do so, before sending a stunning curse around the corner. They then walked around and saw Ron had struck a Death Eater.

"Good shot," Cormac complimented.

"Thank the luck potion," Ron said. "We got this, right?"

"Definitely," Lavender agreed, as the trio raced up the staircase. "You've become a brilliant leader, Ron."

"Even I'm impressed," Cormac agreed, grinning as they reached the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, seeing three students coming out.

"Get back inside!" Ron demanded. "The castle's under attack!"

"What? By who?" One of the students asked, looking alarmed.

"Death Eaters," Cormac said. "Back inside and tell everyone to stay in their rooms."

"Yes, sir," the younger students said at the same time. Ron watched them go inside and looked at the fat lady.

"Don't get anyone out until we tell you it's clear, and don't let anyone who isn't a Gryffindor in, no matter what," Ron said.

"I'll protect these kids, don't worry," the Fat Lady replied, a solemn look on her face. "You should get inside too; it'll be safer."

"We need to make sure no one gets in here," Ron replied. "Do you know how many Gryffindor's are still out?"

"There's you and your friends who left earlier, and another four third year students who were going to study in the library," the Fat Lady said. "Go get them; no one can get past me."

"Or me," Minerva said, as she came into view. She looked a little tired, and had a cut on her arm, but she looked fierce and determined. "I'll protect the common room; you all get going."

"Understood, Professor," Ron agreed.

"I realise points don't matter much now, but the three of you just earned a hundred points each. Your bravery honours the school, and yourselves," Minerva said. Ron smiled, nodded, and led the way towards the library.

Draco growled angrily as he spun around and kicked a Death Eater in the face, sending them backwards as he did. The Death Eater struck the wall, sliding down it, before Draco grabbed him by the throat.

"How many of you bastards are there here, and how did you get in?" Draco demanded angrily.

"I… I won't…" the Death Eater said.

"Oh, you will," Draco said, his wand pointed at the man. "I can do so many things to you. I can torture you, I can Imperius you, or I can kill you. You know who my father was, right?"

"Everyone knows you, traitor," the Death Eater replied, glaring at him.

"Draco, don't," Hermione said, holding his arm.

"Besides, I got ways of making him talk," Bill promised, aiming his wand at the Death Eater. He went to speak, but cried out as he was sent flying backwards. Draco turned around and saw Bill get bitten by a familiar face; Fenrir Greyback, a werewolf who he had met before.

Without hesitation, Draco fired a curse at Greyback, sending him flying over a banister, with Bill dropping to the floor.

"Bill!" Sophie called out, racing to him.

"I'm fine," Bill groaned, holding his neck. "Damned bastard's got sharp teeth."

"Bill… he's a werewolf," Draco said, his eyes wide. "I don't… I don't know if you'll be one, since he wasn't turned…"

"But there can be some effects. Damn," Bill growled angrily. Draco turned and immediately cast the Crucio curse at the Death Eater, who had been laughing at the scene.

"How many?" Draco demanded angrily, practically snarling at the man, who was crying out in pain.

"I'll…never…" the Death Eater began, but before he said anything else, a green light struck him from behind the group. They turned and saw more Death Eaters there, led by Bellatrix.

"Hello, Draco. Still hate me?" Bellatrix asked, smiling. "Surely you can forgive me for a mistake I made?"

"A mistake? You're the reason my parents are dead!" Draco demanded. "But I should thank you, Aunt Bellatrix. You helped me see that I was on the wrong path in life. Now I've got new friends and a better family."

"The Blood Traitors and Mudbloods?" Bellatrix cackled. "It's not too late, Draco, you can still come home."

"I am home," Draco told her, before sending a curse towards her. Bellatrix spun around, avoiding the attack, before racing away, leaving the Death Eaters to stop them.

"You don't have to fight," Hermione said. "I don't know if you've been imperiused, or not, but you don't have to follow You-Know-Who. He doesn't care about you."

The Death Eaters laughed at Hermione, pointing at her. "Such impudence from a child. The Dark Lord will make the world a much better place for everyone, even your kind," one of the women said.

"Hardly," Draco replied. "My parents were his followers, and I've seen how wrong it was to follow him. You can make the right choice too," he said, trying to follow Hermione's lead. As one of the Death Eaters went to launch an attack, Bill waved his wand, sending the three flying backwards over the balcony that Draco had sent Greyback over.

"We need to get Bill to the Hospital Wing," Draco said. "Sophie, can you get him there whilst Hermione and I stay here and protect this common room?"

"I'll get him there," Sophie said, helping Bill to stand.

"Be careful you two," Bill said. Before he could move, however, they heard a noise that sounded like very heavy footsteps, but thankfully it was Mad-Eye that came round the corner, with Tonks. He quickly assessed the scene before him.

"Tonks, get Weasley to the hospital wing. Malfoy, Granger, damned good work here," Mad-Eye complimented.

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said, smiling.

"We're holding them off, and pushing them back, but we don't know how many more there are," Mad-Eye explained.

"There can't be too many, can there?" Draco asked.

"No idea, lad. Hard to say how many pawns You-Know-Who would have forced into this," Mad-Eye replied, with a grim look.

"Why are they here? There has to be a purpose," Draco said, as the group looked at one another.

"Agreed, but damned if I know what," Mad-Eye said. "If they're after Potter, they're shit out of luck."

"Obviously, but we can't let them know that," Hermione said. "We should send more people to the Gryffindor common room, make sure it's safe."

"McGonagall's headed there, and by now, Kingsley should be there with Molly Weasley, Sirius, and Remus," Mad-Eye told them. "Granger, you helped organise this counterattack?"

"With Lily's help. She planned it when she got a warning from Snape that something was happening tonight, but I want to know how he knew about this," Hermione replied.

"So do I, but we can address that later," Mad-Eye replied. "Right now, I'm done with retirement, and when you're done at Hogwarts, I want you as my new protégé. You'll be a damned good Auror."

"I'm… I'm honoured," Hermione said, smiling.

"Ah, save the mushiness lass, it's practical, and you've got all the skills. Potter will have her Uncle's teach her, and you need a good mentor," Mad-Eye said, looking at her.

"I won't let you down," Hermione assured him.

"I know," Mad-Eye said, turning and facing the entry area for where the attackers had come from, ready for anything.

Ron growled as he stood behind a bookcase, avoiding an attack, just as Madam Pince sent an attack back. "How dare you!" she screeched at the attackers. "Desecrating my books!"

"Bloody hell," Ron commented. "Remind me not to piss her off," he said, with a bemused smile.

"As long as you remind me," Cormac agreed, as Madam Pince sent a Death Eater though a wall.

"Okay, he's gotta be dead, right?" Lavender asked. "I mean, he just went through a wall."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Ron said. "You six okay?" he asked the third years, Four of them Gryffindors, and two Ravenclaws.

"We'll be okay," one of the students said.

"Madam Pince, you want to join us?" Cormac asked. "We don't want to leave you alone here."

"Good idea," Madam Pince said, though it was clear she wasn't happy about the idea of leaving the library.

"Cormac, you and Lavender bring up the rear, Madam Pince and I can take lead," Ron said firmly.

"Understood," Cormac agreed, as Ron and Madam Pince led the way out of the library, keeping an eye on the path ahead.

"They seem to be falling back," Madam Pince said, seeing several bodies on the floor; none of which belonged to Hogwarts students or staff.

"Good; I'll feel better once we get rid of them all. Damned if I know what they want though," Ron said. "They've not exactly focused on any one place, have they?"

"Good point," Madam Pince agreed, frowning. "What could they want? They wouldn't be here just to cause chaos; it would be foolish to do so."

"And as stupid as You-Know-Who is, he isn't that stupid," Ron agreed. "No, there's something we're missing."

"Any ideas?" Madam Pince asked.

"They want to get to someone, but who? And why now? We suspect we know how, though. Through the Room of Requirement," Ron replied, as they turned another corner, leading to a staircase.

"Then we should stop them from there," Madam Pince suggested.

"Once we've got these kids to safety, we'll head there next," Ron said. It didn't take long to reach the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, with all six students heading inside.

"Alright, we need to get to the Room of Requirement, and stop their access," Ron said.

"And find out how they got in here in the first place," Lavender added.

"I'll go with you, Ron," Kingsley said. "We need to make sure however they got in, we can stop them from doing so again, or bringing in reinforcements."

"Alright, I'll go with Cormac, Kingsley, Mum, and Madam Pince. The rest of you, stay here and keep the common room safe."

"Be careful, Mr. Weasley," Minerva told him.

"I will," Ron promised. He smiled at Molly, who was looking at him proudly.

"Ron… you're doing amazing. I'm sorry I ever doubted you," Molly said.

"Say that when we're done; the night's still young, and we've got a lot to do," Ron said.

"Agreed," Kingsley said. "Let's get moving."

Ron led the way, hoping that they'd be able to force the Death Eaters to retreat. As much of a brave face he was putting on, he felt terrified, and hoped they wouldn't have to fight off anyone else, because he didn't know how much more energy he had left.