Chapter 6
A short chapter this time,
Most of it is straight from the book.
Enjoy and review!
Harry's POV
I had never been a very good actor; it was just so bloody hard.
Hearing Professor McGonagall's scream, hearing Ginny, Ron and Hermione's cries of anguish, and not reacting, had been torture.
Seeing Voldemort nearly kill Neville, and not helping had been even worse,
But I managed, I managed to act dead perfectly, until Snape had appeared.
Snape had died, I was sure of it, and yet, here he was, awarding points to Gryffindor, taunting Voldemort, and declaring his love for my mom.
If everyone had not been so focused on him, they would have discovered me immediately, when Snape had revealed himself, I had jerked violently in shock, I couldn't believe no one had seen.
When Snape had called me 'Harry'- I felt like crying, I wanted to cheer when he taunted Voldemort and Bellatrix, and defended my mother so venomously.
The one time it had actually been easy to play dead, was when Ron had stepped forward to join Snape.
I had been so shocked, I probably couldn't have moved if I wanted to, I mean, that Ron of all people, would be the first one to defend Snape!?
On the other hand, it had been extremely difficult to stay still, when they had started the 'for the Potters' battle cry, I had to squeeze my eyes shut as tightly as I could, to stop myself from crying, which was surprising, seeing that I hadn't cried in years, I learned a long time ago (at the Dursleys) that tears were a weakness that only brought more pain.
And I was so proud of Neville, he had really grown, and reached his true potential, standing up to Voldemort like that, pulling the fucking sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat and killing Nagini with it, for Merlin's sake, and now leading the DA and the rest of the fighters against the Death Eaters, he was a far cry from the tearful boy I had met on the train seven years ago.
Now hidden under my invisibility cloak, trying to find Voldemort, I watched as chaos reigned around me.
The charging centaurs were scattering the Death Eaters, everyone was fleeing the giants' stamping feet, and nearer and nearer thundered the reinforcements that had come from who knew where;
I saw great winged creatures soaring around the heads of Voldemort's giants, thestrals and Buckbeak the hippogriff scratching at their eyes while Grawp punched and pummeled them, and now the wizards, defenders of Hogwarts and Death Eaters alike, were being forced back into the castle.
I was shouting jinxes and curses at any Death Eater I could see, and they crumpled, not knowing what or who had hit them, and their bodies were trampled by the retreating crowd. Still hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak, I was buffeted into the entrance hall: I was searching for Voldemort and saw him across the room, firing spells from his wand as he backed into the Great hall, still screaming instructions to his followers as he sent curses flying left and right;
"The traitor is mine!" I heard him scream, as a Death Eater tried to curse Snape, and was hit with one hell of a stunner from the furious Headmaster.
I cast more Shield Charms, and Voldemort's would-be victims, Seamus Finnigan and Hannah Abbott, darted past me into the Great Hall, where they joined the fight already flourishing inside it.
And now there were more, even more people storming up the front steps, and I saw Charlie Weasley overtaking Horace Slughorn, who was still wearing his emerald pajamas.
They seemed to have returned at the head of what looked like the families and friends of every Hogwarts student who had remained to fight, along with the shopkeepers and homeowners of Hogsmeade.
The centaurs Bane, Ronan, and Magorian burst into the hall with a great clatter of hooves, as behind me the door that led to the kitchens was blasted off its hinges.
The house-elves of Hogwarts swarmed into the entrance hall, screaming and waving carving knives and cleavers, and at their head, the locket of Regulus Black bouncing on his chest, was Kreacher, his bullfrog's voice audible even above this din:
"Fight! Fight! Fight for my Master, defender of the house-elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!"
They were hacking and stabbing at the ankles and shins of Death Eaters, their tiny faces alive with malice, and everywhere I looked Death Eaters were folding under sheer weight of numbers, overcome by spells, dragging arrows from wounds, stabbed in the leg by elves, or else simply attempting to escape, but swallowed by the oncoming horde.
I felt a sudden rush of pride and affection toward Kreacher,
but it was not over yet:
I sped between duelers, past struggling prisoners, and into the Great Hall. Voldemort was in the center of the battle, and he was striking and smiting all within reach.
I could not get a clear shot, but fought my way nearer, still invisible, and the Great Hall became more and more crowded as everyone who could walk forced their way inside.
I saw Yaxley slammed to the floor by George and Lee Jordan, saw Dolohov fall with a scream at Flitwick and Kingsley's hands, saw Walden Macnair thrown across the room by Hagrid, hit the stone wall opposite, and slide unconscious to the ground.
I saw Ron and Neville bringing down Fenrir Greyback, Aberforth Stunning Rookwood, Arthur and Percy flooring Thicknesse, and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy running through the crowd, not even attempting to fight, screaming for their son.
Voldemort was now dueling McGonagall, Slughorn, and Snape all at once, and there was cold hatred in his face as they wove and ducked around him, unable to finish him—
Bellatrix was still fighting too, fifty yards away from Voldemort, and like her master she dueled three at once: Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, all battling their hardest, but Bellatrix was equal to them, and my attention was diverted as a Killing Curse shot so close to Ginny that she missed death by an inch— I changed course, running at Bellatrix rather than Voldemort, but before I had gone a few steps I was knocked sideways.
"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"
Mrs. Weasley threw off her cloak as she ran, freeing her arms.
Bellatrix spun on the spot, roaring with laughter at the sight of her new challenger.
"OUT OF MY WAY!" shouted Mrs. Weasley to the three girls, and with a swipe of her wand she began to duel.
I watched with terror and elation as Molly Weasley's wand slashed and twisted, and Bellatrix Lestrange's smile faltered and became a snarl.
Jets of light flew from both wands, the floor around the witches' feet became hot and cracked; both women were fighting to kill.
"No!" Mrs. Weasley cried as a few students ran forward, trying to come to her aid.
"Get back! Get back! She is mine!"
Hundreds of people now lined the walls, watching the two fights,
Voldemort and his three opponents, Bellatrix and Molly,
and I stood, invisible, torn between both, wanting to attack and yet to protect, unable to be sure that he would not hit the innocent.
"What will happen to your children when I've killed you?" taunted Bellatrix, as mad as her master, capering as Molly's curses danced around her.
"When Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?"
"You—will—never— touch— our—children— again!"
screamed Mrs. Weasley. Bellatrix laughed, the same exhilarated laugh her cousin Sirius had given as he toppled backward through the veil, and suddenly I knew what was going to happen before it did.
Molly's curse soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart.
Bellatrix's gloating smile froze, her eyes began to bulge:
For the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared, and Voldemort screamed,
I felt as though he turned in slow motion; I saw McGonagall, Snape, and Slughorn blasted backward, flailing and writhing through the air, as Voldemort's fury at the fall of his last, best lieutenant exploded with the force of a bomb.
Voldemort raised his wand and directed it at Molly Weasley.
"Protego!" I roared,
and the Shield Charm expanded in the middle of the Hall, and Voldemort stared around for the source as I pulled off the Invisibility Cloak at last.