Chapter Fifty Seven

Harry felt a wave of pain course through his scar as Voldemort came into view. The pain was enough to make Harry wish he could stop walking down the stone steps outside Hogwarts, but he didn't. He gritted his teeth and kept going.

He didn't count the rows and rows of Death Eaters standing around him. He didn't want to think about how many they were going to have to face. He didn't want to look at the giants looming in the background or the smaller group off to one side that were clearly werewolves.

Bellatrix stood next to Voldemort trying to look haughty but struggling with her mud covered clothing, several chunks of hair missing and what was left was filled with leaves and twigs.

Lily stopped a few feet from the shimmering barrier that the house elves were pumping magic into, keeping the darkness out of Hogwarts.

Gemini and Rodolphus stood by their parents and uncle, Crabbe and Goyle were also with their parents but most of the children who'd been missing from the assembly weren't there, sent home by their parents who didn't want them in danger.

The Carrows were also absent. Harry didn't know, would never know, but they'd already changed their names and made it to France, heading for Greece where they would start their new life, hidden from the world and never using magic again.

"Why… this is a large gathering to protect one measly criminal." Voldemort purred, his eyes narrowing as they drifted over Severus and Narcissa.

"My son is no criminal, something you well know." Lily said strongly, "I think at this point we can drop the lies you have created."

Voldemort smiled at her, "You are just as strong as you always were. Did you tell your friends how you were offered a space amongst my followers, despite your filthy blood. You refused, of course, and lost your husband for your arrogance. I feel it poetic, that you shall lose another tonight."

"Leave." Lily said, much to the shock of those around her, "Just leave. We don't have to do this… both sides will lose so many lives."

"We wont lose." Bellatrix hissed, followed by a loud, insane laugh, "Look at how many Huffy-puffies stand with you." she said, smirking at Nikka, "You're all too nice."

Voldemort raised a hand to silence her, "You worry about us?"

Lily shook her head, "No. I worry about us. I don't want to lose anyone else, no one here does."

Voldemort's cruel smile formed once again on his lips, "Ah yes… I don't see your little daughter amongst you… finally gave up on the half-breed?"

"Danica is safe." Harry hissed, "And you're not going to change that. I'll keep her safe if I have to burn down the whole gods damn world to do so."

Voldemort's red, snakelike eyes flicked to Draco, "And what do you think about that? Throwing you away for a half-breed?"

Draco smirked, "I'll hand him the match."

Voldemort let out a loud, cruel and high pitched laugh that sent shivers up the spine of nearly everyone there, "I must say I am most disappointed with this younger generation." he mused, shaking his head, "So many good, Pure families lost…"

"Please." Lily said, cutting across him, "Just go."

"No." Voldemort hissed, glaring at her, "Hand me Harry Potter and I shall leave, as I said I would. The boy will die, mark my words. You just have to choose if you will die with him."

Severus closed his eyes, hating himself with every fibre of his being.

This was his fault; he'd told Voldemort Harry was his greatest threat, and now there was no way to take it back. He'd spent the last year risking his life to gather information, to keep the children of Hogwarts as safe as he could and to distract Voldemort from Harry, but it would never be enough to make up for the past.

It had still ended with his son facing down the man who had sworn to kill him.

Severus reached out and gave Harry's shoulder a tight squeeze, pulling him back a few feet, putting just a little more space between him and Voldemort.

"Well then," Voldemort hissed, his voice betraying him slightly, letting out a sign of the betrayal he felt from Narcissa and Severus, "I see you have made your choice."

Lily squared her shoulders and raised her wand to the sky, "Tilefonikí Klísi"

A stream of brightly coloured light flew from the tip of her wand, filling the sky with northern lights that danced in and out of the shape of a phoenix.

There were several loud cracks that filled the air around Harry and the others. He looked around and gasped as more than three dozen people apparated in around them.

Hermione smiled at Viktor, tears welling up in her eyes. Viktor walked quickly over and wrapped her hand in his own, giving it a tight squeeze.

Fleur moved over to her mother and who Harry assumed was her grandmother. They stood proudly glaring at the Death Eaters, well as many other Veela and part Veela, their beauty almost overwhelming.

Harry recognised Birgitta Ericsdottir, Agne Thurstan, Havelock Poliakoff from his fourth year; they were Durmstrang students with Viktor who'd sat at their table and stood amongst a group of similar looking warriors.

"Where did they all come from?" Pansy whispered.

Harry shrugged.

"Ve have been vaiting." Agne said kindly, smiling at Harry and his friends, "Your moder… umm mama, she has been arranging things for many months now. Ve alvays said you could call on us."

Harry smiled, his smile only growing when he saw the anger on the Death Eaters' faces. They hated the number of old families that had stood against them. It was that much worse that other countries Pure bloods were also making a stand.

"Bring it down." Voldemort ordered, referring to the wards that formed the barrier between the two armies.

"Run." Daphne said, grabbing Draco and William who were closest to her, pulling them into movement.

"Remember, once they start to get through, let them." Neville reminded Kreacher, knowing he would tell the other house elves, "It's not worth you getting hurt."

Kreacher nodded, not moving his focus from the wards. Neville nodded and ran towards the castle, making sure everyone was inside before pulling the door shut.

Professor McGonagall was just inside with Severus, murmuring spells that were causing the suits of armour to spring to life, marching up and down the corridors.

Harry suddenly felt very small, he had no idea where to go or what to do. His friends rushed around him, having practised and talked about where they were most needed.

"Harry?" Hermione said, stepping forward, "Come on. You can't just stand here."

Harry nodded and smiled slightly, "Yeah I just… wasn't sure where to go."

"Draco and I are going to near the Come and Go room, to protect it just in case any of them know about it and work out it's how we evacuated people, you should come as well." Hermione suggested.

Harry nodded and took a few small steps before shaking his head, "No. No, wait. This isn't over yet. We've still not killed Nagini, there's still a Horcrux left, I need to find her."

Hermione nodded, "Ok. Umm check in the dungeons, I think she'll like it there."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Because she seems to be the opposite of most snakes, and they like warm and dry so maybe she'll like cold and damp, with the Horcrux corrupting her."

Harry nodded, it made sense and it was certainly as good a place as anywhere to start. He gripped his wand tightly in his hand and headed slowly down the steps towards the Slytherin common room, ducking into a classroom to wait.

It wouldn't be long before they broke through the wards, Harry was slightly surprised it was taking them this long.

When they fell, he felt the wards give more than heard it.

The walls trembled around him for a moment, the air itself shifting in the castle. Harry raised his wand a little, taking slow, steady breaths and forcing himself not to panic. He had to think with a clear head.

It wasn't Harry that spotted Nagini though. The snake hadn't made it into the school, although she'd been on her way to the dungeons like Hermione had predicted when she was called away again by her master.

Pansy spotted her dark scales slithering through the trampled grass. Neville was battling Dolohov nearby, struggling with a clearly broken arm.

Pansy ran over and quickly hit Dolohov on the head with a large lump of stone fallen from the castle. She caught him completely unawares, as he was so focused on Neville, the lump of stone caving in his skull with a horrible clunk.

"Thanks." Neville said, breathing heavily and clutching his arm to his chest.

Pansy looked over the arm and quickly mumbled a healing spell. Neville flexed his fingers and twirled his wrist for a moment before smiling.

"Thank you again." Neville grinned, "It's a little stiff but usable."

Pansy nodded and pulled on his arm, "I saw Nagini." she whispered, "Heading that way, towards the back of the greenhouses."

"You're sure?" Neville asked, starting towards the greenhouses.

Pansy rolled her eyes, "No… it must have been one of the other many large snakes around here! Yes of course it was her."

They fell silent as they crept across the grass, praying that no one spotted them and they'd loose track of Nagini wasting time fighting them. No one saw them though, Rabastan ran across the grass at one point, closely followed by Dimitri, one of Nikka's brothers and Charlie Weasley but they were too distracted with one another to spot Pansy and Neville.

Neville pulled Pansy to a stop, pressing his hand across her mouth. Pansy knew why a second later as her blood ran cold.

Voldemort's voice rang out in the gloom. It wasn't all that late in the day but the sky had grown unnaturally dark.

It was useful to them though as they huddled between greenhouse four and a stack of old pallets and plant beds piled against the glass wall.

Voldemort was walking back and forth over a small space, the anger spilling from him in waves. Neville felt his panic rise when he saw Severus, black and blue with bruising, floating a foot or so from the ground in a sitting position.

He couldn't move, Neville and Pansy could see him struggling against magical bonds, but it was no use, Voldemort had him locked up tightly.

Nagini was slithering around Voldemort's legs, occasionally raising her head towards Severus.

"I trusted you… Severus…" Voldemort drawled, "And Narcissa… I should have known you'd betray me like so many before you. But life has taught me many lessons, namely, that the world spins in a most poetic way at times."

"My Lord…" Severus coughed, a trickle of blood forming from his lip, "I never… you must understand…"

"You choose your wife and your half-blooded, half-breed of a daughter." Voldemort said, almost causally, "The chance to pretend you were worthy enough to have a son. I am not as un-understanding as you may think."

Severus didn't say anything, Pansy and Neville wondering if there was anyway they could help without getting themselves killed. They stood frozen in place, watching the horrific scene play out before them.

"Unfortunately for you Severus, there are many reasons why I may wish to punish you, and one most important reason that I must do what I brought you here to do." Voldemort continued, he showed his wand to Severus for a moment, only it wasn't his normal wand but an almost bright red one, "It doesn't work for me. Oh it works, as you and some of your scars well know, but not as well as it should. This should be the most powerful wand in the world and it is currently no better than the one I got aged eleven from Ollivander. This act, however, will change all that. My only regret is that I cannot spare the time to truly enjoy your death. Nagini will make it last long enough, even if I cannot be here to witness it. Goodbye Severus… my old friend."

Pansy and Neville didn't have time to move before the giant snake reared up and pulled its sharp teeth against Severus's face, neck and chest. He let out a cry of pain and fell roughly to the floor.

Neville made to move forward, Pansy holding him back until Voldemort has swished away. The second Voldemort was gone they both ran over to Severus as blood poured from his wounds.