Chapter 37
Suddenly Harry found himself pressed against the wall as members of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army and his old Quidditch team rushed past him, all with wands drawn, ready to pour into the castle. They were ready to fight.
Through the windows they could see a hundred Death Eaters wrapped in cloaks and hooded approaching with their wands drawn up. They watched with curiosity as they came to a halt, all arranged in front of the school's open doorway. They didn't understand what was happening when a voice boomed in the hall. A voice Harry knew too well for his liking. He just had to figure out how Voldemort had managed to expand his voice to a place where he was not.
"Stop this pointless war. You cannot defeat me. " There were screams among the students; some grabbed onto classmates, looking around terrified for the source of the sound. " Harry Potter, hand yourself over to me and no one will die. Come to me and I will leave the school intact. "
Silence fell in the Hall as everyone looked at Harry expectantly. They wanted to see what his reaction would be to such a request. Some seemed to think that he would sacrifice himself for all of them and maybe, in another life where he would not have all those amazing people by his side, he would.
Surely no one expected Harry Potter, the boy who survived, to burst out laughing under the gaze of all those people.
" Does he want to kill me? " Harry said, turning serious after his brief but intense outburst at the absurdity of the situation. " He will have to try harder to get what he wants. He will have to come here and face me. "
" Did that idiot really think we would let you go? " huffed Daisy, annoyed by Voldemort's absurd request.
" Well, I'd say we have more time than expected to prepare. " clapped Dumbledore's hands, bringing those present back to reality. His lighthearted manner was great for relieving the tension in the room. " He gave us until midnight, didn't he? Then let's get moving. "
Professors Flitwick, Sproute and McGonagall led groups of fighters to the top of the three tallest towers - Ravenclaw's, Astronomy's and Gryffindor's - where they had a good view and excellent positions for casting spells. That came in handy against dementors trying to cross the school's boundaries.
All other adults and remaining members of the order were scattered around the school. In groups of two, they would be assigned to a different area so they could keep an eye on the students who were on their floor. It was dangerous but it was all they had.
It was around eleven-something that Voldemort finally realized that Harry would not be making an appearance in the forbidden forest. Thinking he needed an incentive, he sent his followers on the attack.
Chaos ensued when some giants twirled their bats, creating real holes in the castle walls.
The ground vibrated beneath them from their footsteps, and Daisy found herself hoping that no one would be crushed under their weight.
Indistinct screams and cries could be heard from all parts of the school, the soot created by the multiple fractures in the walls had stuck to their skin from sweat. Many had already been injured, some more seriously than others, as they dueled against the Death Eaters. But they didn't give up.
Initially their group of friends remained united but in time, they all dispersed involuntarily.
During the battle they all lost sight of each other but Harry, made invisible by his cloak so that he avoided drawing the attention of all the Death Eaters to himself, stayed with Daisy at all times. They stayed beside each other while wandering terrified and euphoric through the corridors.
They dodged flashes of red and green light with mastery while trying to reunite with their friends. As they nodded past George, Katie and Lee, who seemed to be winning against two Death Eaters, they came upon the duel between Theo and his father. They wanted to interfere but it was impossible without risking hitting Theo. Judging by the determination painted on the boy's face, that duel had been taking place for too long.
" How dare you disobey my orders? You could have been among the winners, but I find you surrounded by scum. " Mr. Nott said in disgust, pointing his wand at his son. " You had all the potential to be somebody but you are just a disappointment. You will never live up to my standards. "
" Good! " snorted Theo, not letting his guard down. Taking advantage of the blindness caused by his father's anger, he managed to petrify him. Theo saw him fall to the ground helplessly when he moved closer, looking down on him. " One thing I like about myself is that I am nothing like you and never will be. "
" Theo! " shouted Blaise, using a shield spell to prevent a curse from hitting him from behind. While Blaise took care of his protection, Susan struck the person responsible for that horrible attack, managing to subdue him with a few well-aimed blows. She looked bruised but made a good team with Ginny and a Ravenclaw boy they didn't know. " Be more careful and follow me, we need your help in another area of the castle. Professor Snape and Remus have requested our magnificent skills with explosive potions. "
" Say no more, let's go. " agreed Theo, running to the opposite side from Daisy and Harry, not noticing their presence with all the chaos around them.
" At least he's safe. " Harry reassured her, urging her to follow him upstairs. Not before he snapped under Mr. Nott's furious gaze his wand for the second time in a row. It was a horrendous gesture but they would not allow him to continue struggling if someone released him.
With their luck, as they walked down the fourth-floor corridor, ready to take the stairs, the cloak snagged revealing Harry's presence.
Two masked Death Eaters who noticed everything attacked them, delighted at the chance presented to them to bring the so-called chosen one to their lord. It was a horribly difficult duel where they had to try to avoid as many dark spells as they could. Fortunately for them, Sirius and Remus were excellent teachers and knew how to stand up to the two of them. They moved in sync, understanding with a simple gesture what the other would do and adjusting accordingly. They were not at the level of Remus and Sirius but they were getting pretty close.
Just then they caught sight of Hermione approaching together with Ron. Taking advantage of the distraction caused by a spell cast by Harry, Hermione turned the steps behind them into a slide. All four of them jumped onto it, going so fast that the spells sent to them by the Death Eaters went over them. After they landed where they wanted, Hermione transformed the chute back into its original form, sending the two Death Eaters rolling down no less than two flights of stairs.
" They must have broken several bones. " Ron said, looking shocked at the scene in front of them.
" I sincerely hope so. " announced Hermione, before intimating them to follow her as she told them what had happened during their time apart.
Their attention was drawn to Professor Sproute who walked past them followed by Neville and five or six other students, all with headphones over their ears and a large potted plant in their arms. Daisy had certainly seen stranger things, but that was in the top 10.
" Mandrakes! " shouted Neville, turning toward them without slowing his pace. " We'll throw them off the walls. They won't like them! "
" I love that boy. " snorted Harry, stopping with his eyes wide as he watched in the distance the figures of Fred and Percy dueling against two masked and hooded men.
They ran forward to help them: jets of light flew in all directions, and the man fighting Percy backed away quickly to dodge a spell. The hood fell from his head, revealing a high forehead and streaked hair....
" Minister! " Percy shouted, recognizing him. " Did I tell you I am resigning? "
" You made a joke, Perce! " shouted Fred ecstatically. He was distracted when the air exploded around them.