Chapter 176

Final Preparations

Minerva stepped out of the Entrance Hall, looking at Seamus, Neville, and Dean. "Are you sure that you want me to do this?" Neville asked.

"Mr. Longbottom, we need to stop them from getting in as best we can," Minerva said, studying them. "I know full well that Mr. Finnegan has a particular proclivity to pyrotechnics. Have you been studying more?" Minerva asked, looking at Seamus, who nodded.

"I can bring it down," Seamus grinned.

"I'll help," Dean said.

"Good lads. Get moving, use whatever magic you need," Minerva said, as Molly joined them out the front of the school. She watched Seamus, Dean, and Neville race off towards the bridge that usually led to the Quidditch Pitch.

"What's the next step?" Molly asked. Minerva smiled at her.

"A spell I've always wanted to use," Minerva said, as she faced the school. "Piertotum Locomotor," Minerva called out.

As the statues began to move, the ones on the top of the walls leapt down, landing on one knee, before standing up and walking forward, with the next row down copying them.

"HOGWARTS IS THREATENED! MAN THE BOUNDARIES! DO YOUR DUTY TO THE SCHOOL!" Minerva called out loudly, as the statues lined up, walking down towards the entrance road, spears becoming metal and sharp. "I've always wanted to use that spell," she admitted, almost giggling.

"I never knew they could do that," Molly confessed.

"Not many people do. Severus did, being the headmaster, and being the deputy for Albus, I knew, but it's always been here. Severus managed to increase the statues here, which will make it a better defence for the school," Minerva explained.

"They won't last for too long," Flitwick said, as he emerged with Slughorn.

"No, but we can delay her and her forces until Lily does what she needs to do, and then she can destroy her," Minerva replied. "Everything we can do will help."

"The shield spell?" Slughorn asked. Minerva nodded, raising her wand.

"Protego Maxima, Finato Duri, Repello Inimicum," Minerva cast, a bright light shining from her wand, shooting up into the sky. Molly immediately caught on, raising her wand.

"Protego Maxima, Finato Duri, Repello Inimicum," Molly cast, with Flitwick and Slughorn joining in. A large shield began to cover the school, and the outer buildings, surrounding everything from the entrance to the courtyard in a large circle around the school. Minerva continued to lead the four into the casting, strengthening the shield. She just hoped it would last long enough to protect everyone.

Crouch watched as the muggle special forces teams began to appear with the portkeys, arriving in the Great Hall, before lining up in groups.

"Alright, you've all been training for this night. We have no idea how this battle will go, or how many people they have. They need to be taken out, and everything we've been training together for is going to lead to this. We don't know who they are, and they are victims as much as anyone else, but we don't have a choice," Crouch said.

"Sir, we're ready for this. You've shown us magic, you've given us the gloves and boots to protect us as much as possible. If we die tonight, we're dying to protect the world. This is our duty," the lead soldier, Jonathan Simpson, said calmly, holding his weapon. "Permission to find the best places to go, sir?"

"Granted. I'll help you with that," Crouch said, calling up the map of Hogwarts, and indicating several spots that were could for snipers. "Sniper detail can go there. Our enemies will be wearing black robes, like the images I've shown you before. Be careful of yourselves and the kids."

"Understood sir," Jon said. "Sniper detail, split into teams and go there, there, and there," he indicated the locations on the map. "I want teams in these other locations, ready to defend all the teams. We're going to be facing some weird shit, so we can't let ourselves be distracted by it. If it's hostile, take them down. If you see someone in trouble, protect them. Do what must be done, we've got our duty to everyone here. So, let's go and save the world gentlemen, and ladies," he said. The soldiers began to check the map before dispersing, heading into different directions.

"Think they're ready?" Scrimgeour asked.

"As they'll ever be," Crouch replied. "I hope some of them survive tonight; they're good people, and they're risking everything for us."

"I know what you mean. When this is done, I'm going to be working far more closely with the Muggle Prime Minister, to set the groundwork for revealing our world. I think it's about time we stopped being apart," Scrimgeour said.

"Not everyone will like that," Crouch pointed out.

"No, but given how close we've come to losing our world, it's time we stopped being so isolationist. The Muggles have proven they have courage, and honour. They've been working with you, and you've taken down a number of Death Eaters together, haven't you?" Scrimgeour asked.

"I didn't think you knew," Crouch admitted. "I thought it would be best to test them in the field."

"Oh, I agree with you. Preparing is one thing, actually fighting is quite another," Scrimgeour said. He sighed, looking around. "This is going to be the hardest night of our lives, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," Crouch agreed. "Look, after everything… you gave me a chance when you had every right to have me executed for my crimes. I did things I will always regret, and I've got too much blood on my hands to ever get them clean."

"This is war, Barty. My hands are plenty filthy too. Back then, you believed in Voldemort and what he was doing. You never wanted power, and you were never evil. You genuinely thought you were doing the right thing. You hurt innocent people, but Voldemort convinced you it was for the greater good. He did that to a lot of people," Scrimgeour said. "But when you realised the truth, you saved Lily, and those kids, at the Ministry. You accepted you were wrong, and since then, you've saved a lot of lives. In truth, if you hadn't switched sides, and realised what was going on, we would have lost Lily, and the war, long ago. You've long since earnt my respect… and my forgiveness, if you want it."

Crouch felt tears welling up in his eyes; he had felt more emotional over the last year, but to hear this, to hear the words he never genuinely expected to hear… it moved him greatly.

"I… never thought… anyone would truly forgive me. I mean, Lily… she's got a heart like none other… but…" Crouch began, but Scrimgeour placed a hand on Crouch's shoulder.

"She does, but so do you. Look at everything you did. You got the safe houses ready; you planned everything we needed, and yes, we've lost people we care about, but the reason we're alive is you. When this war is over, I want you to be my Deputy Minister. I need you by my side. Even if Pius survives, and we remove the curse, he's going to be needing a lot of help, and he won't be ready for his old job back. But you've helped the resistance, the secret school, Lily, all of this. We're here because of you," Scrimgeour told him. "So don't blame yourself anymore. Let go of the past and help us move into the future. I knew your mother well, and she'd be damned proud of you, that much I know. Hell, your father may have been a complete prat, but in his way, he'd be proud of you too."

"For the first time in my life… I hope so," Crouch admitted, letting the tears fall to the floor. "He and I never saw eye to eye, but I wish I had the chance to apologise to him."

"Maybe Merlin can help us when we're done here, find a way to speak to him. But right now, you've made your family name proud, and you've become one of the finest people I'm glad to know. So, make sure you get through tonight, because I need and want you by my side, okay son?" Scrimgeour asked. Crouch nodded and shook his hand.

"It'll be my honour, Minister," Crouch said, with a smile.

"Good man. Now, let's get everything ready, shall we?" Scrimgeour suggested, leaving the room with Barty.

"Okay Dean, put a couple of them over there," Seamus said, pointing to a part of the bridge's scaffolding.

"On it," Dean replied, as he carefully flew, using his broom, to attach the explosive devices that Seamus had come up with.

"How big an explosion will these create?" Neville asked, looking around and keeping an eye on the other side of the bridge.

"Oh, there'll be nothing left of the bridge when we're done," Seamus grinned as he finished putting the devices onto the bridge.

"Good. I'll come up with something to stop them from getting over in other ways," Neville said. "I think maybe a repellent charm, or maybe some kind of portkey portal."

"Is there such a thing?" Dean asked.

"Been working on some spells, mostly for protection. I knew there's be a big battle eventually, so I've been studying as many spells as I can. Basically, if anyone walks through the doorway, or through a set area, once I've set the spell, they'll be apparated to where I want them to be. I'm thinking of just outside the shield area," Neville said thoughtfully.

"That's impressive. Hell, you've come a long way since we first came here," Seamus said, grinning.

"Thanks bro, I appreciate that," Neville said. "It's been a long seven years. I never thought anything like this would happen. I wasn't even sure I'd have magic."

"Until your uncle dropped you from the window, right? I remember you telling us that in our first year," Dean said, flying back to Neville and Seamus.

"Exactly. The thing is, being friends with you two has been great, but being friends with Lily has been… well, inspiring, I guess," Neville said. "No offence."

"None taken. You're not wrong," Seamus chuckled.

"Should we set a proximity spell to set off the explosives?" Dean asked.

"Not a good idea; we want them caught in it. I think we should taunt them with it, and lure them in, before setting it off. Then I can activate the portkey… or rather, port gate spell," Neville said.

"Look at you Nev, leading us with confidence," Dean complimented, as they flew back to the entrance of the bridge. "Now I guess we wait."

"Yeah, that's the worst part, isn't it?" Seamus asked, sighing. "Waiting. So, what are you guys doing tomorrow?"

"I was thinking I'd be sleeping a lot," Neville joked, chuckling. "I mean, we're gonna be exhausted tomorrow, aren't we?"

"Yeah, that sounds right. After that, I'm thinking we go out for dinner somewhere, maybe a muggle restaurant. I'm thinking maybe Chinese," Dean suggested.

"Yeah, sounds good. I remember when Aberforth got us some, telling us it was something we should try," Neville agreed. "Tasted different, but really nice. Maybe we should go on holiday there."

"That might not be a bad idea. Get away, explore, relax, and enjoy ourselves. I mean, the last year's been a nightmare," Dean agreed.

"Hey, I'm down for that. I wanna spend some time with my family, with my mam and dad," Seamus replied, as they conjured chairs to sit on, waiting.

"I doubt she'll be happy to have you here right now," Neville said, as he waved his wand, conjuring three bottles of coca cola.

"We have time for a drink?" Dean asked.

"According to Ginny, we do, and there's no one there right now, but we've got a shield up, so we're safe for the moment," Neville said. " A last few moments to relax before war."

"Yeah, guess that makes sense," Dean agreed, accepting a bottle of cola. "I keep thinking about things, about if anything could be different. I mean, we're seventeen. Yeah, we're adults, officially, but we're barely adults, and this last year has been the worst of our lives, and likely the worst year we'll ever have."

"Aye, you're not wrong," Seamus agreed, shaking his head. "Seriously, do you think we'll get through this?"

"I think we'll manage this," Neville said, as he took a sip of his drink. "Look, this is all going to be a nightmare, but we need to have some hope. Think positive. I mean, we'll probably need positive thoughts, if You-Know-Who has any dementors with him… or her, rather."

"Yeah, still can't believe Lily helped to kill the Lord, but now we're facing a Dark Lady, one even more dangerous," Dean sighed, shaking his head. "I just wanna say how glad I am to be here with all of you. If tonight is our last night, I'm glad I'm with my best friends."

"Hear, hear," Seamus agreed, holding up his bottle in a toast, smiling, as they tried to enjoy the last few minutes of peace they'd have.

Hermione sighed as she looked out at the castle from the window of one of the classrooms, looking at Fleur, Ron, and Lavender. "I just… I still can't believe we're here, about to fight for our lives, and I… I'm scared," Hermione said softly, as she began to hold onto Fleur, who stroked the back of Hermione's hair gently.

"I know you are, my love," Fleur told her, kissing her forehead. "You've been my inspiration since we met. You encouraged me to finally be myself, and to let myself feel happy. I wouldn't be happy if you weren't a part of my life."

"Not gonna lie, I'm terrified as well," Ron admitted. "I just… I honestly want to tell you and Fleur to get out of here," he said to Lavender. "Hermione and I love both of you, and we're both thankful to have you. I know neither you nor Fleur would want to leave, so we need to be careful tonight."

"We've all gotten stronger over the last year, and we're able to do more than we ever thought," Fleur said. "We've got reasons to hope. We're together, and we're going to win."

"I feel like I just got you, Fleur," Hermione said, looking into Fleur's eyes. "When… when we finish this, no waiting… I want to be your wife."

"I want that too," Fleur agreed, smiling at Hermione, before gently pressing her lips to Hermione's, holding the kiss for a few moments. "You showed me the world that I couldn't imagine. I mean, everyone saw me as this beautiful woman who was unafraid of anything, a future model, with men wanting to be with me just for my looks and not wanting to know who I was. When you first told me you were interested in me, I wasn't sure how to react. No girl had ever said that to me," Fleur said.

"I remember the look on your face," Hermione agreed, giggling softly. "It was kinda funny."

"Yeah, little bit," Fleur agreed. "Then you began to stammer nervously, and the only thing I could think of was how much I wanted to kiss you, and so I did."

"Oh, so that's how it happened," Lavender giggled. "I did often wonder."

"Yeah, that was fun, seeing everyone's looks when you were both kissing in Hogsmeade," Ron agreed.

"When you kissed me, Fleur, I felt like… everything made sense, every path I'd ever taken, everything I'd ever learnt, all of it. I knew I wasn't fourteen, like my friends, I was closer to sixteen, but that kiss… it was the first time I felt mature, like the adult I really am," Hermione explained. "I mean, I felt like that whilst I'd lived three years in one, even though my body is only seventeen, I'd learnt and studied so much that I didn't even understand what I was doing to my body and mind by studying and going to classes three times as quickly."

"How did you manage to do that? I mean, not with the time turner, but mentally… I'd have gone insane," Lavender admitted.

"I felt like I was ready to go insane," Hermione agreed. "Lily helped me, and kept me grounded, even though I couldn't tell her, or anyone, what I was going, but just… after the exams of that year, I knew I couldn't do that again. I dropped what classes I needed to, just to have a normal schedule."

"Good, because if you had done zat one more year, you would have been older than me, technically," Fleur smiled, looking at her. "But right now, the only thing that matters to me is that we are together. We're going to be married, have our honeymoon, and eventually have children. After all, if Remus Lupin has found a way to help Lily, zen zere must be a way for us to have children."

"I don't doubt it, so we'll figure that out together," Hermione agreed, biting her lower lip. "So, you want kids, huh?"

"Do you?" Fleur asked. Hermione nodded.

"I do, especially with you. I mean, I want to have a large family, so we can give them the perfect life they deserve, a world without Voldemort, or war, and love and happiness from all our families," Hermione said softly.

"Zen we will have as many children as you want," Fleur grinned.

"What about you, Ron? Do you want kids?" Lavender asked.

"Definitely. I mean, we should have plenty of them as well. Mum will love having a lot of grandkids in the family, and dad would want that as well," Ron said.

"You know if we have girls, they'll be like me, Fleur, Hermione, and Lily, loving to go shopping, research, and studying," Lavender teased.

"And very likely a quidditch champion, if Auntie Lily has a say about it," Ron chuckled.

"Oh, yeah, that's for sure, and don't forget how amazing a keeper you are," Lavender pointed out.

"Well, maybe, I just…" Ron blushed, with a shy smile.

"You just need to have faith in yourself," Lavender insisted. "Now, we've got the right place here, we can launch attacks both above and below from here. Should we make the window bigger?"

"Good idea," Fleur said, as she and Hermione waved their wands. The two windows of the classroom became bigger, practically the size of doors, giving them a perfect view of both the main courtyard, and the skies around them, allowing them to attack both sides.

"Okay, we've got a good place to fight from here, we'll make sure we can bring the storm, and blow any of those bastards to hell," Ron said. "And we're together; there's nothing we can't do. Haven't we proven that already?"

"Valid point," Hermione allowed a small smile, sniffing and wiping her eyes. "I… I'm glad I'm here with you three. I'm glad that we're together."

"And we always will be," Fleur promised, smiling as she kissed Hermione once more, before looking out of the window. "I think there's more Death Eaters arriving. I can see a few of them."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, conjuring up a pair of binoculars. "I'm counting about fifty so far… no, more just arrived…" she said, before groaning, and lowering the binoculars. "They've got about five trolls with them so far," she said.

"And a giant," Ron added, indicating the arrival of a large giant. The four looked at one another, knowing that the battle was about to begin, and it was definitely going to be the fight for, and of, their lives.