Chapter Fifty Five
Harry barely slept that night, curled up in a hammock hanging between Lily and Cho. It was strange; he was so close to them but couldn't touch them, couldn't feel their soft breathing or heartbeats. He was completely alone and surrounded by love all at the same time.
It was unnaturally quiet in the Come and Go room that night. Few people really slept but everyone seemed to be afraid to make a sound, in case they disturbed everyone else who were also only pretending to sleep.
Harry found himself being shaken from his groggy half dream at half past six. Lily smiled down at him and offered him a hot bacon butty and mug of coffee.
He took them hungrily and pulled himself from his hammock as the rest of the room also woke up and got going.
"So what's the plan?" Cho asked, brushing crumbs from around her mouth, wishing the room had ketchup as well as just brown sauce, "I assume we're going to need to get You-know-who here?"
Harry chewed him lip, "Should we? I mean, with the tunnel we could get out again, go somewhere where there was less likely to be such a bloodbath." he said quietly, so only Neville, Lily, Cho, William, Pansy, Hermione and Draco could hear him.
"We've been preparing for this." Neville pointed out.
"And you're going to need some help." Pansy said firmly, "You can't face You-know-who and his whole army by yourself."
"And we still need to kill Nagini." Hermione reminded him, "It wouldn't even be just a case of one lucky shot to kill You-know-who, it would be two."
"And do you really think that I'm letting you leave again for one second?" Lily said with half a smile, pulling him into a one armed hug.
Harry wished he could argue with them but it was true, and ending this once and for all, killing Voldemort was more important than anyone's life; as heartless and cold as that sounded.
"We could go somewhere though…" Harry said weakly, "All of us, that are old enough to fight…"
"Hogwarts will be a stronger battle ground." William said, "They will have to spilt up, plus if everyone able to fight all leave Hogwarts at once the various Death eaters here will get a tad suspicious."
Harry nodded, "I guess there's not really much point putting this off is there?"
It felt like he was floating above his body as he walked from the Come and Go room, surrounded by his friends and family, no one bothering to hide themselves. Lily and Cho holding tightly to his hands.
"I'm here, Voldemort." Harry said loudly, "Come and get me."
Harry felt a jab of pain shoot through his scar. He knew Voldemort had heard his name being mentioned, that he knew it was Harry and that Voldemort knew he was at Hogwarts. This was it, there was no backing out now.
He watched as those around him covered themselves with disillusionment charms before throwing the invisibility cloak over his head.
Not a second later, Umbridge and Amycus hurried down the corridor, causing those now hidden to fling themselves against the walls so they wouldn't get run into.
"Have you any word from him?" Umbridge asked, puffing out of breath.
"Not yet, just the burning of the Mark." Amycus snapped, "God knows what he'll say when he gets here."
"He's coming here?" Umbridge squeaked, stopping suddenly just in front of Harry. She was close enough for him to punch, and the thought did cross his mind.
Amycus rolled his eyes, "Of course he is! Do you not think he'll want to deal with the boy in person? He'll be here within an hour or so, mark my words."
"Will he come into the castle?" Umbridge asked, her eyes flitting from side to side as she thought.
"I doubt it." Amycus sighed, "Not straight away anyway, after we apparently let the boy, and god knows who else, just wonder in. It wouldn't be secure for him. Which is why we must get to Severus, and find out what the hell is going on."
Harry let out the breath he was holding as Umbridge and Amycus rounded the corner away from them.
"All teachers, staff and students will meet in the Great Hall at once." Snape's voice boomed out through the corridors, "There is to be an emergency assembly."
"Daphne thought this would happen." Neville whispered, "I think, if anything, she was hoping it would."
"Did she say what we should do?" Lily whispered back, her disillusionment charm shivering slightly as she spoke.
"That we should go to the Great Hall." Neville said firmly, thinking it was a terrible idea himself, "To stay at the back and wait… that we'd know when to show ourselves."
Harry nodded, not that they could see him, and started the familiar route down to the Great Hall.
He was surprised to see all the students filling in were fully dressed, their robes neatly closed at the front. Not one of them looked as though they'd just been dragged out of bed, although it was still early in the morning for a bank holiday.
Harry tucked himself into the back of the Hall, feeling Lily pressed against one said, Cho against the other. He could see Daphne standing next to Astoria towards the front, Corvus a few rows behind them.
The houses filed in quickly, the students looked very confused at the teachers who sat at the bottom of the stage looking equally confused as well as rather insulted.
Snape, Umbridge and the Carrows walked quickly onto the stage, glaring down at the crowds beneath them. Snape looked round, narrowed his eyes, spotting several students were missing but chose to say nothing about it, hoping the Carrows or Umbridge didn't spot it.
He opened his mouth to speak when a far crueller, higher and nastier voice filled the air.
Voldemort's voice rang out, seeming to come from the walls themselves, making the blood run cold for everyone who heard it.
"You have amongst you Harry Potter. Make no mistake, he is no friend to any of you, but a trouble maker who would be happy to see your blood run across these ancient floors. I am outside, right now, with my army. An army that you could never hope to survive should I turn their wands upon you all. Give me Potter, and I shall let you all live. Send him out to me now or you will face the consequences."
The last word hung painfully in the quiet air, no one in the Hall daring to look at one another, let alone speak. Even the Death Eaters on the stage seemed shaken.
"Hem hem. Yes…" Umbridge said, slightly shakily, "That is what we have been forced to call you all here at this early hour about. Harry Potter has broken into this castle, this school and is running amuck! Putting you all in grave danger! As you all know, Harry Potter is a most dangerous person, who is wanted for many reasons. If any of you know where he is, you need to tell us right now! So we can hand him over to those who can… take care of him properly."
Lily reached for Harry, holding onto his arm tightly, afraid someone was going to snatch him away from her despite the fact he was hidden under the invisibility cloak and few people knew he was standing at the back of the Hall.
She was not expecting the dead silence that hung in the air. Nor the very slow, single clap that rang out after a few moments.
Daphne took a few steps forward so she was at the front of the students and stopped banging her hands together. She was shaken from Voldemort's voice ringing in the walls around her, but it didn't show, in fact she looked perfectly calm.
"Well…" she began, smiling at a furious looking Snape, Umbridge and Carrows, "No volunteers? How odd… you'd almost think that taking a bunch of children and torturing them for a year was not the best way to win loyalty. Who'd have thought. What do you think, Longbottom?"
Neville took his queue flawlessly, removing the disillusionment charm with an effortless flick of his wrist and walking through the crowds to Daphne's side.
"Now I did think this might happen." he sighed, shaking his head dramatically, "I thought ice cream and cake might be a better way to our hearts personally… maybe throw in a few slushies-"
"You!" Umbridge shrieked, pointing her wand at Neville.
Daphne easily reflected the curse Umbridge sent towards them, sending the witches wand flying from her hand where it smashed against the wall, clicking her tongue at Umbridge like she would at a child.
"Tut, tut." Daphne smiled, "We'll have none of that, at least not yet. You see we've been waiting for this day for a very long time. We've been training, waiting… and now, as you stand here, and his army stands outside… we're not afraid of you. We're not afraid for one very simple reason. You cannot win this war."
Alecto snorted a laugh, "We can't win this war? Please!" she hissed, "You're a bunch of children."
Daphne shook her head, still smiling, "You miss understand me. I know full well you may win the coming battle, as you say we're just a bunch of children and for all we've been training, it's only a year. Death Eaters, such as yourselves, well, you've had a lot longer than a year to train. So yes, you might win the battle, however you cannot win the war. Why? Because we're a bunch of children. Because we are the future of magic, and we stand united against you."
Daphne flicked her wand in a large circle above her head.
Harry watched as the Hogwarts robes the students were wearing broke into snow flakes that floated softly into the air before vanishing, leaving every single student wearing white ceremonial robes.
The house banners that decorated the Hall also faded, the Snakes, Badgers, Eagles and Lions being replaced with pure white banners baring a large purple wolf pack.
The Death Eaters on the stage looked around in awe, they hadn't been expecting anything like this. They'd worked to force fear into the children before them hoping they'd be to afraid to fight, or even question their Professors, and now they knew it hadn't worked they had the beginning flickers of fear starting in their souls.
The words Daphne had spoken crept into their minds, Voldemort might win today, but they personally would be on every child's' hit list for what they'd put the school through, it was unlikely they'd see the next sunrise.
"We should thank you though." Daphne said, her smile far nastier than the sweet one she'd worn before, "You've taught us more nasty, deadly and illegal curses and spells in this last year than we ever could of learnt by ourselves. And before you try and convince yourselves we wouldn't possibly use them, make no mistake, this army is run by Slytherins, and we will use every weapon we have to return you to the mud where you belong."
"Remember who you are talking to." Umbridge said shakily, her small eyes darting around the students standing armed before her, "The Carrows are a most Pure House."
Daphne let out a cruel laugh, "Oh please! The Carrows are nothing! They have no title, they barely have a history! Besides, if it really matters to you, I think you'll find far more of the old, 'good' Houses stand behind us and Harry. I assume by this point you have realised not one of us will be handing him over to you. However, we should give the big bad Death Eaters a chance to prove themselves… Voldemort wants Harry Potter, he's right here."
Harry pulled the cloak from his head, tucking it safely into his pocket and staring down the Death Eaters.
"Hello Harry." Daphne grinned.
"Hi Daphne." Harry laughed back, "Long time no see."
Daphne gave him a light laugh, "So yes, as I was saying, Harry Potter is right there." Daphne said seriously, waving her hand towards Harry, "Come and get him."
Lily instinctively through herself in front of Harry, breaking her disillusionment, which was followed by everyone else still hiding.
She needn't of worried though. Harry watched with proud and happy tears in his eyes as nearly eight hundred wands stood between the Death Eaters and himself. Those on the stage wouldn't of stood a chance if they'd wanted to try.
"Severus!" Umbridge squeaked, "What are you going to do about this?"
Severus was watching Harry and Lily, tears dripping down his cheeks, it had been a really long year.
He turned to Umbridge and glared down at her, "This." he hissed.
In one fluid movement Severus cast a Patronus charm which jumped out the window behind them, he jumped from the stage and turned his wand on Umbridge and the Carrows, standing firmly by Daphne's side.
Umbridge moved her mouth soundlessly. The Carrows standing close to one another, wands drawn but afraid to use them.
"Or…" Daphne said softly, "You can run away. Throw down your wands and leave, we wont stop you. If we see you again we will kill you. But you can easily get to France, or Spain before Voldemort knows you've left. You can live a normal life, or you can die here. The choice is completely up to you."
Amycus and Alecto stood frozen for a moment before laying their wands down on the stage and leaving the Hall quickly, running through the students who politely moved out of the way for them.
Umbridge looked at her shattered wand and went to leave as well, Daphne's face turned hard.
"Not you." Daphne hissed, stunning Umbridge before she could say anything in her defence.
Ron stepped through the crowd and lay a hand on Daphne's shoulder, "Don't kill her."
"Why not?" Daphne asked, the words carved in her arm burning in her mind.
"She's not worth it." Ron shrugged, "We'll lock her up one of the towers and then we can deal with her later."
Daphne nodded, blinking rapidly as she tried to deal with the fact she would have quiet happily killed Umbridge if someone hadn't stopped her, "You're right. Dobby?"
The house elf popped into the room and gave them a small bow.
"Move Umbridge to one of the highest towers and lock her up, there should be no chance of her escape." Daphne said clearly, "Then you all need to prepare for battle stations."
Dobby nodded and left the room with a loud pop that echoed in the silence of the Hall, taking Umbridge with him.
Severus walked slowly over to Lily and wrapped her in a hug, pulling Harry in a second later, "Gods I have missed you both."
"We've missed you too Dad." Harry mumbled into his shoulder.
"Where's Danica?" Severus asked, looking around the crowd of people.
"She's safe." Lily said, forcing her voice not to wobble, "She's with Tonks, Remus and baby Luca."
Severus nodded, gritting his teeth and pulling away from Lily, "Kreacher!"
Kreacher appeared in the room quickly, "It is time?"
Severus nodded, pointing his wand to the celling and muttering under his breath. Kreacher raised his fingers and did the same.
There was a loud crack that filled the room like the roof was breaking in half, as a cloud of dark smoke fell from the celling, as it cleared Narcissa was breathing heavily, her skirt sprawled around her from where she was crouched on the floor, her hair falling messily down her back.
"Thank you Severus, Kreacher." Narcissa said, picking herself up and dusting off her lace sleeves, "I got your signal, it all seemed to work perfectly. Bellatrix is beside herself."
Lucius rushed over and pulled her into his arms. Narcissa breathed in his familiar and safe smell, letting herself relax slightly for the first time since Yule.
Professor McGonagall had watched the unfolding scenes, sat in her chair at the foot of the stage, staring at them all in shock and was slowly coming to her senses again.
"Miss Greengrass." She said loudly, cutting across the noise of people greeting one another in the Hall, "Will you please inform me, inform us, as to what on earth is going on?"
Daphne smiled, "I'm very sorry we couldn't tell you before hand Professors, we just couldn't risk your minds being read. Welcome to the Hogwarts Wolfpack."