Chapter 26
AN: Thank you so much for the response to the last chapter. Hope you like this chapter.
Moments after they left Hogwarts the Seventh years, Albus, Minerva, and Moody meet up with the members of the order who are in Godric's Hollow; Aberforth, Benjy Fenwick, Cardoc Dearborn, Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, Mundungas Fletcher, and Sturgis Podmore as well as three old friends of Albus's Lally Hicks, Tina Scamander and her brother-in-law Theseus, who Albus reached out to for assistance when it became clear that the minster would not listen.
"Thank you for coming," Albus says to his old friends, knowing they didn't have to, but he is incredibly glad that they did.
"Of course, we want to do what we can," Tina says, and Albus makes quick introductions, not going into too much detail as he knows they don't have the time and he knows that lot of people already if not know each other than know of each other; though he can see the amazed look on Mie's face when he introduces Lally, and he makes a note so he can put them in touch.
"What's the plan?" Theseus says, clearly a little surprised to see the students, but knowing it is not the right time to question Albus, but he suspects that Albus's daughter may have something to do with why there are so many students with them.
"We will split into partners," Albus says, as he feels that it is the best way to protect the students. "Stick together, we will take up strategic positions around the church and when the battle begins the aim is to protect muggles and draw the attacks away from public areas," Albus instructs, and everyone nods.
"Do we pick the partners?" Mary asks.
"No," Albus answers, as he has been running though his head who the best partners are. "Annemie, you're with me," Albus tells his daughter, and Mie isn't at all surprised by that. "Minerva and Lily, Alastor and Remus, Aberforth and Marlene, Theseus and Severus, Tina and Alice, Lally and Amelia, Benjy and Frank, Caradoc and Mary, Dedalus and Emmaline, Elphias and Dorcus, Gideon and James, Fabian and Sirius, Mundungas and Edger, Sturgis and Isaac," Albus instructs as that way each student is paired with an adult who will be suited to the way they fight, or in the case of Mundungas and Edger someone who has enough logic to figure out a solution if Mundungas does something he shouldn't mid battle. "Any questions?" Albus asks, and he sees no one looking like they have a question. "Let's take up our positions," Albus instructs, and that's what everyone does, feeling their apprehension rise as they all know what is coming.
As all his followers are either on their way to Godric's Hollow or Hogsmeade Voldemort is alone in a location away from where he usual spends his time, waiting for a meeting that he is intrigued about as he suspects that it may be good for him in the future, which is exactly why none of his follows are around for this meeting.
Staring out of the window Voldemort hears footsteps and he turns to see the young man he was expecting walking towards him.
"Peter Pettigrew," Voldemort greats.
"My Lord," Peter responds, his voice shaking, as while he thinks this is the best thing to do, he is still nervous.
"Your cousin informed me that you had something to offer me, and Cabot spoke highly of you," Voldemort says, and Peter feels a rush of pride at that. "Now, what is it that you have to offer me?" Voldemort asks, clearly not wanting to take part in any small talk.
"Annemie Dumbledore," Peter says, and Voldemort becomes more interested at that. "I can offer you Annemie Dumbledore," Peter says, because his life has gotten so much worse since Mie came to Hogwarts and he wants to make her pay for that.
In Godric's Hollow the Church Bells are ringing signifying the end of the Easter Monday church service. As they hear the bells the members of the Order, students, and old friend's of Albus's all know what is coming so they prepare. Minutes later people start exiting the church and seconds after people start to leave through the one entrance everyone hears the sound of apparating and no less than fifty Death Eaters appear.
Just like how the Order are positioned the Death Eaters don't apparate to just one place, they aspartate all around the village square. As soon as the Death Eaters appear they start to send spells towards the Muggles, and the fight between the Order, Students and Allies against the Death Eaters begin.
The second they see the first Death Eaters appear, in almost perfect unison, Mie and Albus both raise their wands and focus on using spells to protect the Muggles.
"Stay close," Albus tells his daughter, as he wants to keep her safe, and with a single spell Mie knocks over three Death Eater, all of whom Albus stuns.
Over the next few minutes Albus, Mie and their allies fight back against the Death Eaters, doing everything they can to protect the Muggles. While it is clear that that there are more Death Eaters Mie, Albus and their allies are putting up a damn good fight, they are doing everything they can to protect as many people as possible and are succeeding. As she fights near her father Mie feels a glimmer of hope that maybe this won't be the same massacre as it was in her timeline.
As she uses a piece of a damaged bench to get in between a killing curse and a muggle Mie spots a Death Eater, though which Death Eater it is impossible to tell because of the mask, using the Cruciatus curse on a muggle. Feeling fury rise up inside of her, such fury that she forgets all logic, and acting before anyone realises what she is doing, Mie goes running towards where the muggle woman is lying on the ground with a death eater standing over her.
As she runs as fast as she can, for the second time in a day, Mie sends a stunner towards the Death Eater, and just like she intended it has the effect of causing the Death Eater to move their focus from the woman on the ground to her. As Mie runs towards the Death Eater he sends several spells at her, all of which she manages to block while continuing to run, sending spells back at the Death Eater as she does
Around the battle several people stop to watch, they watch as Mie runs, and performs incredibly complicated wand work with a look of true focus on her face. Jumping over pieces of a destroyed fountain, something a lot more physical than she is comfortable with but it was the quickest way to her target, Mie sends two nonverbal spells in quick succession. The Death Eater manages to block the first with ease, and as he struggles to block the second Mie sends a third spell, this one hitting her target, stunning the Death Eater.
"MIE!" Amelia's voice yells in terror and Mie turns towards her friend's voice to see a spell coming towards her. Before Mie can even think to raise her wand to defend herself Albus aparates in front of her, ironically in the same spot he met Gellert all those years ago, the very thing that made him feel alive, and takes the curse intended for Mie showing everyone, Death Eaters and Allies alike, that Mie is the one person who Albus will risk anything for; that he will do anything to protect her.
"DAD!" Mie yells, in absolute terror, the few steps that separate her and her father feeling a world away. For Mie as she runs towards her father it's like the rest of the battle fades away, she only cares about one thing, her father. "Dad? Dad?" Mie asks terrified, as she gets to her father's side.
"Are you okay?" Albus asks, clearly struggling, in incredibly pain, as Mie pulls his head onto her lap and uses her wand to cast a shield charm around them, causing a protective bubble to cover them, needing to protect her father just like he protected her.
"I'm fine, you saved me," Mie says, as she looks where the curse hit her father, causing her not to see the relief on Albus's face at the conformation that his daughter is okay, and as well as relief there is a look of acceptance, like he knows what is coming and is okay with it. "You're bleeding a lot," Mie says, felling terrified as she uses one hand to try and hold pressure on where blood is profusely spouting out of her father, while using her other hand to open her beaded bag, feeling glad that it didn't feel right to go into battle without it. "Accio Dittany," Mie says and the small bottle files out of her bag and into her hand. "Stay awake, Dad, please stay awake," Mie tells her father as she opens the dittany and pours a fair amount over her father's wound, and while the wound closes a small amount it isn't nearly enough, and Albus is still bleeding profusely leading to Mie to speculate that an artery has been severed, and so Mie starts to use both her hands to try and stop the bleeding.
As Mie does what she can to help her father several battles around the square stop as Death Eaters become more interested in watching what is going on with Albus, which allows the Dumbledore allies, who are incredibly worried, to stun a lot of them. "We've got to get you back to Hogwarts," Mie tells her father, tears coming to her eyes, as she sees Albus struggling even more. "Stay with me Dad, please, stay with me," Mie begs, wracking her brain to try and figure out a way to get them back, and as she does, Albus, with extremely difficulty, reaches up and pulls of one of his buttons.
"Portus," Albus says, pointing his wand that is still in his hand, at the button. "Five second," Albus says, the single spelt taking the last of his strength causing him to drop his wand and loose consciousness.
"I've got you, Dad, I've got you," Mie says, picking up his wand, the elder wand, and touching the button that is her father's hand with one finger. A second later Mie feels a tough behind her navel and the two of them disappear.
At Nurmengard Gellert is pacing back and forth, feeling like he can barely breathe. Due to what he is feeling Gellert knows that either one of two things has happened, either Albus is dying, and his daughter is watching, or Albus's daughter is dying and Albus is watching.
Pacing back and froth Gellert doesn't know which is the better option because he knows he doesn't want to live in a world without Albus in it and Albus won't be the Albus he loves anymore if his daughter dies. For almost forty years Gellert has been locked up in Nurmengard and in all that time he has never felt as powerless, as helpless, as he does in this moment.
Needing to know more about what is going on, and figuring that it is his only shot, Gellert walks over to his bed sits down, and starts to meditate focusing on what he is feeling as a way to try to get information about what is going on using the only method he has.
Seconds after they left Godric's Hollow Mie and Albus appear on the ground of the Hospital Wing, having been able to travel into Hogwarts via portkey as Albus was the one who created it, as soon as they land in a heap Mie can tell that her father is in even worse shape than he was seconds earlier.
"MADAM POMFREY HELP!" Mie yells terrified and seconds later Madam Pomfrey runs out of her office.
"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asks, sounding worried as she runs towards where Mie and Albus are.
"Dad took a curse that was coming towards me, I think it was a severing charm and it hit an artery, I used dittany, but it didn't do much," Mie quickly explains, knowing that Madam Pomfrey needs as much information as possible.
"Let's move him onto the bed together," Madam Pomfrey instructs, and together Mie and Madam Pomfrey both use levitating charms to move Albus from the floor to the bed, leaving a trail of blood behind.
As soon as Mie and Madam Pomfrey get Albus on the bed, Madam Pomfrey starts to perform multiple spells on Albus as Mie watches on in horror, her hands stained with her father's blood.
"Mie you need to go to Saint Mungo's," Poppy says, but Mie doesn't move, almost like she doesn't hear. "ANNEMIE!" Poppy exclaims, trying to get her attention.
"Sorry what?" Mie asks confused, looking towards the healer.
"You need to use the floor travel to Saint Mungo's Head Healers Office, to help your Dad I need help," Madam Pomfrey says, her voice calm, but rushed.
"Right okay," Mie says, though she makes no effort to move, rather she just continues to stare at her dying father.
"MIE NOW!" Poppy exclaims, as she needs help as soon as possible.
"Right," Mie says, and she goes running to the fire. Once at the fire Mie grabs floo power and throws it into the fire as quickly as possible. "Saint Mungo's Head Healers office," Mie says, and she hurries into the fire.
Moments after she hurried into the fire Mie runs out into an office where there is a woman sitting behind a desk.
"I need your help," Mie says, her voice hurried.
"Who are you?" The woman asks, sounding suspicious, as unknown to Mie several portraits around the room look interested.
"Madam Pomfrey sent me, my names Annemie Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore has been seriously hurt, Madam Pomfrey needs help to heal him," Mie explains, speaking fast, panic in her voice. "Please, you have to come," Mie begs.
"I'll be right behind you," The Healer says, assuming that things must be bad for Poppy to have sent a student to her, standing up and Mie hurries back through the fire.
Moments later Mie enters the Hospital Wing once more and sees Madam Pomfrey doing what she can for Albus.
"What can I do?" Mie asks, walking towards the bed where Madam Pomfrey is working on Albus, and as she walks towards her father the head healer hurries out of the fire and towards where Madam Pomfrey is working on Albus.
"Mie, you should wait in my office, I'll come get you," Poppy tells Mie as considering everything she doesn't think it would be a good idea for Mie to watch them trying to save Albus as she honestly isn't sure that they will succeed.
"I'm not going anywhere," Mie tells Poppy, who doesn't have the capacity to try and stop her, even though she knows it would be for the best.
Over the next fifteen minutes Mie stands at the end of the bed Albus is in as Madam Pomfrey and the head healer work on Albus. Having seen people hurt enough time in her life, and having watched the way Madam Pomfrey treated people during the battle of Hogwarts Mie knows, without a doubt, that her father is in bad shape.
Even though she is desperate to know what is going on Mie doesn't ask the questions she has as she knows that she cannot distract Poppy and the other healer from what they are doing.
"Don't do this Dad, don't do this," Mie mutters to herself, feeling incredible guilt as she knows this is her fault. As soon as she saw the Death Eater she lost focus, only cared about preventing the woman from being tortured, and now her father is paying the price because he was trying to protect her. The world needs Albus Dumbledore and because of her they may not have him any longer.
"Mie," A voice says, and Mie turns to see Aberforth, Minerva, Lally, and her friends who took part in the battle, as unknown to her Moody, Tina, Theseus, and the rest of the Order, are dealing with the aftermath of the battle, it having been Aberforth who spoke.
"Uncle Ab," Mie says, as her uncle hurries towards her and hugs her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault," Mie tells her uncle, guilt in her voice, as she hugs him, crying.
"No Mie, it's not your fault," Aberforth promises his niece as he hugs her, knowing that he doesn't want her to blame herself and he also knows that Albus wouldn't want that either.
"Poppy? How is he?" Minerva asks, her voice apprehensive, like she is afraid of the answer.
"You need to get Mie out of here," Poppy tells Minerva, purposely avoiding answering the question.
"I told you, I'm not going anywhere," Mie argues, and as she does Poppy looks at both Minerva and Aberforth, clearly telling them things without speaking.
Knowing he will have to apologise to his niece later Aberforth picks up Mie and carries her out of the room, to Poppy's office, Mie fighting against him the entire time, the other seventh years following behind them, leaving Minerva and Lally in the hospital wing, both moving towards the bed so that they can help Madam Pomfrey and the Head Healer.
"What the hell Uncle Ab?" Mie asks angrily, once she is on the ground again, and Mie tries to push past her uncle, wanting to get back into the main area of the Hospital wing so she can see what is going on with her father.
"If Poppy doesn't want you to see what is going on then she has a good reason," Aberforth tells his niece, as she manages to push past her uncle, but she finds the door being blocked by James, Sirius, and Remus.
"Mie, let them work," Sirius tells her in a gentle voice, knowing all too well that if Mie wanted too she could curse them out of the way, but he needs to believe that she won't.
"I can't lose him," Mie says, her voice breaking.
"We know," Amelia says, walking over to her friend and putting her arm around her.
"Mie, just give them time, come sit down," Lily says, also walking over to her friend and putting her arm around her. "Trust they know what they're doing," Lily tells her, and Mie nods, not trusting her voice as she allows Amelia and Lily to lead her over to the couch that is in Madam Pomfrey's office.
As Sirius watches Lily and Amelia lead Mie over to the couch, Mie looking like she cannot fight anymore, he knows that Mie could really use Regulus, but with everything going on, with so many people who don't know the truth around, he knows he can't reach out to his brother, no matter how much he may want to.
At Nurmengard Castle Gellert has been intensely meditating, drawing on every once of power he has, something which he has not done in a very long time. Opening his eyes Gellert sees not his cell, but the coffee shop he and Albus would meet, sometimes in person, sometimes just in their minds, when they were fighting a war against each other.
Taking his regular seat Gellert waits, having no idea if this would be possible, but desperately hoping that Albus takes the seat across from him just like he did so many times in the past. After a while of waiting, and desperately hoping that something happens despite how impossible it may be, Gellert experiences a flash of light, and the person he has been waiting for appears.