A Shift in Current
"Luna—" Hermione breathed, horror gripping her. "Oh god, Luna—"
But there was no time to think, no time to react, as Voldemort's gaze turned to her, his wand raised, a snarl curling his lips—
And then, with acrack, he Disapparated.
The Death Eaters hesitated, their momentum faltering as their leader vanished, and for a single, breathless moment, the atrium fell silent.
Then chaos erupted.
"Go,go!" Draco shouted, shoving her toward the exit.
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The atrium exploded into chaos as the Death Eaters surged forward, wands flashing, curses whistling through the air. Hermione barely had time to react, ducking and rolling to the side as a jet of red light missed her by inches. Theo and Draco were already fighting back to back, their spells weaving together in a deadly dance. Ginny stood beside them, a blur of red hair and fierce determination, her wand never ceasing its flurry of attacks.
"Protego!" Hermione shouted, deflecting a barrage of curses that slammed toward her, sending them ricocheting back into the crowd. She gritted her teeth, her mind a whirl of focus and adrenaline. They were surrounded—outnumbered and outmatched. But they had to keep fighting. Theyhadto survive.
She glanced at Draco, his face set in grim concentration as he cast a blasting curse that sent two Death Eaters sprawling. They'd been through too much to give up now. This was their last stand. They were going to go down fighting, together.
A flash of green caught her eye, and she spun around just in time to see Theo deflect an Avada Kedavra with a powerful Shield Charm. He grinned savagely at her, his eyes blazing with defiance. "They're not getting us that easily!" he shouted, firing a volley of stunning spells into the mass of enemies.
But there were too many of them. Hermione could feel it—feel the weight of the odds pressing down on them. She threw up another shield, gritting her teeth as the sheer force of the Death Eaters' spells hammered against it, and for a terrifying moment, she thought it would shatter.
"Ginny,watch out!" she screamed as a masked figure lunged at Ginny from behind, but the redhead whirled, slashing her wand in a brutal arc that sent her attacker flying back.
"I've got this, Hermione!" Ginny shouted back, her voice fierce and breathless. "Just keep—"
But then somethingshiftedin the air—a ripple of magic, a sudden surge of power—and Hermione froze, her heart leaping in her chest. A familiar sound rang out above the din of battle—the unmistakable crack of multiple Apparitions.
She looked up, her breath catching in her throat.
And there they were.
Figures began to appear out of thin air, popping into existence all around the edges of the atrium—students and fighters, friends and allies, faces she hadn't seen in what felt like lifetimes. Padma Patil and Parvati Patil, wands blazing as they cut through the lines of Death Eaters with ruthless precision. Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, their expressions fierce as they charged forward, hexes and jinxes flying. Anthony Goldstein and Ernie Macmillan, standing back to back, driving back the enemy with a barrage of curses.
"Expulso!" roared a voice to Hermione's right, and she turned to see Colin Creevey, his small frame alight with determination as he blasted a hulking Death Eater off his feet.
"Colin—what—?" Hermione stammered, shock and disbelief warring in her mind. But before she could process what was happening, more figures appeared—a whirlwind of familiar faces and flashes of spellfire.
Cho Chang, her eyes steely and calm as she disarmed a Death Eater with a graceful flick of her wand. Dean Thomas, his face set with grim resolve as he hurled curse after curse into the fray. Dennis Creevey, smaller but just as fierce as his brother, darting through the chaos with surprising speed.
"Hermione,duck!" shouted a voice, and she dropped instinctively, just as a flash of red sailed over her head, slamming into a Death Eater who had been aiming a curse at her back.
She twisted around to see Fred and George Weasley standing shoulder to shoulder, identical grins lighting up their faces.
"Look who decided to crash the party!" Fred called, blasting another Death Eater aside.
"Didn't think we'd let you have all the fun, did you?" George added, winking at her before they both turned back to the fight, their wands a blur of motion.
And they kept coming. Justin Finch-Fletchley, his expression fierce and determined as he dueled two Death Eaters at once. Katie Bell, her face pale but set with steely resolve as she sent a powerful Stunning Spell into the crowd. Lee Jordan, his voice ringing out above the chaos as he rallied the fighters, his wand slashing through the air.
"For Dumbledore!" Lee shouted, and the words sent a jolt of energy through the air, electrifying the fighters around him.
"For the Order!" Michael Corner echoed, his voice rising above the din.
Luca Caruso, Maisy Reynolds, Terry Boot, Romilda Vane, Susan Bones—the fighters of Dumbledore's Army and more poured into the atrium, their ranks swelling, their spells lighting up the darkness. The tide was turning.
"We're here, Hermione!" shouted a voice, and Hermione whirled around to see Luna Lovegood stepping forward, her eyes wide and bright, a serene smile on her lips.
"Luna!" Hermione gasped, her heart leaping. "But—how—?"
Luna just tilted her head, her expression soft and knowing. "You didn't really think I'd let you face them alone, did you?" she said gently. "We're all in this together."
Hermione's throat tightened, a surge of emotion threatening to choke her. "But—how did you—?"
"I reached out," Luna said simply, her gaze sweeping over the fighters who had rallied to their side. "There's always been more of us than them, Hermione. We just needed to remind ourselves."
And as Hermione looked around, at the friends and allies who had appeared out of nowhere, she realized that Luna was right. They weren't alone. They'd never been alone. Not really.
A sense of hope—a fierce, burning hope—swelled in her chest, banishing the despair that had weighed her down for so long.
"Then let's finish this," she whispered, her eyes blazing.
Luna nodded, her smile widening. "Let's."
Hermione raised her wand high and stepped into the madness ahead. Spells flying, combining magic creating a brilliant, blinding force.
They were a whirlwind, a storm of defiance and courage, cutting through the Death Eaters like a blade. Draco and Theo fell into step beside her, their eyes fierce and determined, their spells weaving seamlessly with hers. Ginny darted ahead, her wand slashing through the air as she dueled two, three,fourDeath Eaters at once.
And in the center of it all, Voldemort's throne stood empty.
The snake was dead.
The Dark Lord had fled.
But they weren't done yet.
"Push them back!" Hermione shouted, her voice rising above the clamor. "Don't let them regroup!"
And slowly, steadily, the Death Eaters began to falter. The tide of battle shifted, the darkness receding as the light of their defiance blazed brighter and brighter.