Chapter Sixty Three
With a gasp, Harry felt the darkness crash around him, the cold forest floor laying beneath him as he would of expected.
There was an unnatural silence around him, hushed mumbles slowly filling the air. He'd been expecting cheers and celebrations, but there was nothing.
Harry risked opening his eyes slightly, Voldemort had been thrown backwards and was slowly coming round. The Death Eaters were mostly arranged around him as they had been before, only Bellatrix was fussing over Voldemort, her face filled with worry.
"What happened?" one of the masked figures finally said, "Potter is dead… right?"
Harry snapped his eyes shut again and lay very still, forcing his limbs to lay limply against the damp ground, his breathing slowed so his chest was barely moving.
"I'm fine!" Voldemort hissed, physically pushing Bellatrix away so she hard she was left sprawled in the dirt.
"You were blasted back My Lord." Bellatrix whimpered, "That's never happened before…"
Voldemort glared at her, before composing his face and looking over at Harry, "Check him!"
"I'll go." another figure volunteered.
Harry felt panic rise up in his chest, he could lie still and slow his breathing but the second someone came over to check his pulse they would know he was alive and Voldemort would just kill him all over again, possibly much more painfully this time.
The man walked over and knelt down over Harry, frowning as his soft, manicured hand pressed against the side of Harry's throat.
"Please…" Harry mouthed silently, hoping the desperation in his eyes spoke what he couldn't.
"He's…" the man paused again, "He's dead My Lord."
Harry didn't know why the Death Eater had lied directly to Voldemort but right now, he didn't care one bit. He felt his limbs grow cold, spreading from where the man's wand was pressed to his chest. He couldn't have moved now if he'd wanted to.
He was slightly relieved, it would make the humiliation he knew was coming easier to play dead for, the easy bit of all this was over.
Voldemort knew the killing curse hadn't worked as it normally did, although he did believe Harry was dead, his Death Eaters would never dare lie to him. He'd had to endure Harry insulting him before he'd finally killed the boy, not to mention all of the embarrassments that had come before concerning the child. This was going to be his chance, his last and only chance to wipe those embarrassments from history, to make sure Harry was only every remembered as a limp, useless, dead thing.
"Crucio!" Voldemort cried.
Harry felt himself lift from the ground as the curse took effect, his arms and legs hanging limply by his sides before flailing around, Harry having no control over his movements. There was no pain though, Harry just felt very detached from the situation.
He dropped to the ground for a moment before another Crucio hit him and once again he was lifted into the cool air. This happened a few more times, Harry thrashing painlessly as he listened to the laughs and encouragement from the Death Eaters, that got slightly more awkward with each curse.
Finally Voldemort grew bored with torturing Harry's body and breathed deeply, his skeletal chest heaving with delight.
"Give him to the half breed!" Voldemort cried, "He shall carry Potter to the castle, so they can all see!"
Hagrid was released from his tree and rushed over to Harry, sobbing loudly and letting out cries of pain as Death Eaters jabbed him with the red hot or electric points of their wands.
Hagrid lifted Harry up slowly, cradling him like a child in his arms, heavy tears splashing down on Harry, soaking through his robes.
Harry wished he could have moved, that he could of told Hagrid he wasn't really dead but whatever spell the Death Eater had cast after pretending Harry was dead was still working, keeping him from having even the smallest amount of control over his body.
It wasn't a long walk back to the castle, they passed where Tracy had fallen but her body wasn't there any more. Harry wondered where she could have gone, it seemed unlikely someone from the castle had randomly stumbled across her so deep in the forest.
He had no idea how long had passed while he was in 'limbo'. Long enough for the Death Eaters to have been worried over Voldemort but that could have only been a few seconds. He was pretty sure that the hour deadline was long passed. People would be worried, realising he was missing and Voldemort hadn't resumed his attack.
Lily would know she'd lost her son…
Lily was at that moment walking back and forth a corridor, chewing at nails that had long been bitten below the quick, tears dried on her cheeks.
"Why the hell would he do this?!" she yelled, letting out another sob, "He wouldn't just leave!"
"You know why he would of." Lucius said calmly, burying the avalanche of feelings exploding within him to the back of his mind. It wouldn't be helpful right now for him to break down as well. Lily needed him to be strong for the both of them.
Cho was huddled against the wall, her face soaked with tears. Lily had been holding her for a while but Lily needed to move, to do something. Cho didn't have that energy though, she felt numb, like there was just nothing left in the world any more. The months of grieving after Cedric had died couldn't compare to the level of grief she felt now.
The walls suddenly exploded with sound again, Voldemort's cruel voice jabbing at them from all angles.
"You will come to the front of the school! You will present yourselves and surrender to your one and true master."
For some reason that they couldn't really understand, everyone who was able to walked slowly out onto the grass at the front of the school as they'd been told to.
Lily watched Voldemort, the Death Eaters and Hagrid burst from the trees. Voldemort sweeping joyfully over the ground, admiring his victory.
"See what has happened to your precious champion!" Voldemort laughed.
A Death Eater jabbed Hagrid, causing him to drop Harry onto the ground. Harry felt himself flop onto the ground, face up for all to see.
"HARRY!" Lily screamed, her mind emptying from everything apart from the sight of her dead son and the pain it sent ripping though her.
She ran forward towards Harry, not caring that Voldemort or the Death Eaters would kill her before she got half way. Lucius and Arthur Weasley managed to grab her, holding her back in the line of people.
Lucius sent a stunning spell into Lily's chest, having to send in another before she stopped struggling and screaming and slumped to the floor.
Cho was being held up by Hermione and Daphne, both of whom were also looking incredibly pale. Cho's face hardened towards Voldemort, thinking of every curse she could to hurt him.
"As you can see, the boy you have been fighting for has fallen." Voldemort announced, "I brought him here, rather than letting him simply rot in the forest as the traitor deserved, not to hurt you any more than has already happened, but to show you he was not some marvel, he was not some larger than life figure head… he was a small, scared and very average child. Who stands against me now? No one. Surrender, lay down your arms and not one of you need be harmed any more. We can tend to those who are injured and work together, to build a new, more powerful world! Those of you have seen the light, who wish to move to the winning side, step forward!"
Harry couldn't move his head to look at anything other than the small group of Lions from the North at the far end of the line of people. No one he recognised was among them, no friendly face he could focus on to stop himself from panicking as he lay there paralysed.
Neville stepped forward, two very small, measured steps and stopped, taking several deep breaths as his eyes scanned the crowd of people in front of him.
Pansy used the distraction to take a few steps further backwards, picking up the Slytherin scram sax that had been left on the steps. Nagini was right there, and that snake still had to die.
"Longbottom, isn't it?" Voldemort said, more softly than Harry thought possible, "A good, pure-blooded boy… what do you have to say?"
Neville shrugged off his parents who were trying to pull him back and took a couple more steps forward, so he was clearly apart from the line, "I… I have never felt sorry for you before."
"What?!" Bellatrix yelled, raising her wand, "You filthy…!"
Voldemort raised his hand to silence her, "You feel sorry for me?" he said, seeming rather amused.
"Yes. I feel sorry for you, very sorry for you." Neville said, his voice ringing clearly through the silence, "Harry did, at times. He thought you'd suffered, he thought that… that what you'd lost, never feeling loved by more than one person who you thought had left you as well was enough to make anyone lose their way. He felt sorry for you. I never did, I thought you must be insane, some psycho who didn't deserve our pity, least of all from someone as good as Harry. But now… you still just don't get it!"
"Don't. Get. What?" Voldemort demanded, his voice now clipped with anger.
"That we never fought for Harry." Neville said simply, shrugging his shoulders, "There are two people who did, one is almost dead in the hospital wing, the other is laying unconscious. I never fought for Harry. I fought with him. I would always have fought next to him, side by side, through everything and I'll carrying on fighting now that my friend… my brother in spirit, has fallen. I still wont be fighting for him."
Voldemort was clearly confused, so it seemed were several of the other Death Eaters.
"Would you like to know who I fight for? I fight for Matthew. And Thomas, and Hallie and Hannah." Neville said fiercely.
"For Edith." William put in, giving Pansy's hand a tight squeeze, "And Pansy."
"For Danica." Draco said, "Now Harry has fallen."
"For Astoria."
"For Sarah and Fay." "For Mary and Jack." "For Martin and Kenny and Anna." "For Gabrielle and Fleur." "For Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny." "For Jesse." "For Stephan." "For Solange and Maxime" "For Linnéa, Ebba and Tove"
The air filled with shouted names of siblings, loves, and children. They filled the air, mingling together with nearly a thousand voices reminding themselves exactly who they were fighting for. It was like a curse hurled at the Death Eaters with far more power than any normal spell could of created.
Voldemort took a few, unconscious steps backwards, his red snakelike eyes darting across the line before him.
Pansy smiled, feeling a rush of determination and gave William's hand a tight squeeze, "You know I love you… right?"
William nodded, looking down at her seriously, "I do, and I love you too."
"I know. It's just… I can't leave this field until Voldemort is dead, not after what he's done to Harry." Pansy whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks, "Even if it kills me…"
"I'd think a lot less of you if you did." William sighed truthfully, "Your intense loyalty is one of the many things I love about you."
Pansy smiled at him and nodded, taking a deep breath and preparing herself for what was to come.
"So you see, we never fought for Harry." Arthur Weasley said, taking a few shaky steps forward, "And as you asked who still stood against you. Well, the Order of the Phoenix stands."
"Lions of the North stand!" Havelock said, stepping next to Molly.
"Angels Calling stands." Fleur said, also stepping up.
"Hogwarts Wolfpack stands." Daphne said, joining Fleur, Havelock and Molly just behind Neville, "Who do you think will stand for you when you're dead?"
Voldemort's temper erupted in a scream that ripped through the air.
"YOU WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO STAND AGAINST ME!" Voldemort cried, "Accio Sorting Hat!"
Voldemort flicked his wand nimbly as the old, worn hat flew out the high up window of the Headmasters' study and landed neatly on Neville's head.
With another flick of his wand, and a cruel smile, Voldemort lit the Sorting Hat on fire, "There will be no more sorting! There will be those who are worthy and those who are not!"
"NEVILLE!" Daphne screamed, rushing forward to try and help him, the flames licking at her hands as she tried to remove the burning hat.
It seemed to stuck firmly to his head as Neville scream in pain, digging his fingers into the worn fabric.
The burning of the Sorting Hat seemed to trigger the second wave of the battle.
The two sides crashed together, brightly coloured flashes of light shot around as spells were fired from all directions. Centaurs burst through the trees joining the fight against the Death Eaters, Titania and Marcus amongst them, firing arrows and throwing deadly sharp knives at the masked figures. Harry knew his wand was still in his pocket, he could help; if he could only move. The spell so far showed no signs of wearing off which was starting to worry him.
Neville and Daphne finally managed to wrench the hat from Neville's head. He breathed deeply, wincing as Daphne covered him in a cool water spell. All his hair was burned away, his head red and angry looking, the air filled with the smell of burnt hair that made them cough.
"What's that?" Neville asked, reaching down to the smouldering hat and pulling out a shining, silver sword, its hilt encrusted with rubies, so large and pure they would have made any pure-blood jealous.
"Wow." Daphne said, trying to ignore the pain in her hands, "It's got to be Gryffindor's."
Neville nodded, swinging the blade around easily, "I think so. I also think we have a snake to kill."
Daphne returned his grin and nodded. The two of them made their way through the crowds of allies fighting ruthlessly with Death Eaters. Between them both they seemed to be easily able to avoid the curses shooting indiscriminatingly through the air.
Nagini was slithering towards where Harry was still lying, thinking he would be a very easy meal while no one was paying her any attention, even Voldemort seemingly had better things to do than keep her fixed to his side any more.
She didn't see the blow, it was too quick even for her to feel. Neville brought the razor sharp sword down on her neck, one clean blow that separated her head from her body. He was glad she'd died so quickly, she might have been twisted into something dark and unnatural but he never liked to see animals suffer and would have hated if it had taken her a while to died.
Neville breathed deeply, "They're all gone."
Daphne nodded, and turned to where Voldemort was fighting, "For Harry."
"For Harry." Neville agreed, clutching at her hand for a moment before they turned back towards the centre of the battle.
Bellatrix spotted Corvus and dived under several curses to reach him, grabbing him roughly by his collar and spinning him round to face her.
"Where are Rodolphus and Gemini?" she hissed, "Or you father? They didn't return with us to the forest."
"They… they're gone." Corvus whispered, "Or at least Sir and Gemini are for sure, so is uncle Rabastan."
Bellatrix shoved him to the ground, looming over him, "Well I have no use for any children if you are all that's left."
Corvus forced himself not to flinch or close his eyes as she raised her wand, he could of laughed, part of him knew he'd never make it out of school.
"Leave him alone!" Ginny spat, stepping in the way, Fred and Hermione joining her.
Bellatrix simply smiled and started firing off curses rapidly. She wasn't winning, but the three of them weren't winning either. Bellatrix let her magic flow freely through her wand to the three children before her, enjoying the chance to challenge herself.
Ginny, Fred and Hermione were all talented and promising but they were still young, and no match for Bellatrix.
Ginny gave a small yelp as a fire ball grazed her hair. Molly Weasley swept over and glared at Bellatrix blocking the witch from her children and Hermione.
"Not my children, you bitch!" Molly hissed as she took up battling Bellatrix, a fight that was far more evenly matched.
After a few minutes Bellatrix was starting to get frustrated at the red-haired witch before her. She had better things to do with her time that fight a Weasley. The only thing she-
She felt the pain as something apart from herself, like she couldn't quite process this was happening to her. To HER! It echoed from her spine through to her chest, the nerves screaming, letting her feel every type of pain they could before even the tiniest bit of energy flooded from her body in a second.
Molly gasped as Bellatrix's blood splattered all over her. Bellatrix looked confused for a moment before looking down at the large fist sized hole that had been shot through the bottom of her chest for a second before dropping to the floor, blood dripping into the ground from the hole that went straight through her.
Molly finally ripped her eyes from Bellatrix's now lifeless form to see who had killed the very powerful and certainly ruthless witch she had been fighting.
Nikka stood before Molly, her wand still pointed where Bellatrix had been standing. She was breathing heavily but a small, triumphant smile played on her lips, "We said we were loyal not nice, bitch."
Nikka smiled at Molly for a second, checking they were all in one piece before spinning on the spot and rejoining the battle.