Chapter 38
Harry felt himself flying and could do nothing but hold on with all his might to the thin wooden stick that was his one and only weapon, and shelter his head with his arms: he heard the screams of his companions without knowing what was going on ... but when he raised his head he understood. Luna, sweating from exertion, had blocked with a shield spell all the debris that seemed to be going in Fred's direction. The latter had slipped away quickly, grateful that the girl had saved him so promptly.
If not for Luna would they have lost Fred that night? Daisy thought, horrified as she hugged her best friend. She was worried she was sick but with a quick assessment she realized it was okay. She just needed a few minutes to recover from the magical strain.
" Be more careful, you idiot! " shouted Percy to Fred, crying from fright. He had almost lost one of his younger brothers that night and would not let it happen again.
After making sure he had no injuries besides a few cuts on his face caused by some smaller stray rocks, he dragged Fred away. They had to try to get to other floors so they could cover more ground. There were too many of them in that one area.
The five teenagers stayed behind. They were trying to take stock of the situation, to figure out which direction they should go when Hermione shouted, drawing their attention.
A monstrous spider was trying to climb through the large hole in the wall: one of Aragog's descendants had come down.
Ron and Daisy hugged each other to ward off the disgust and terror they felt at seeing their greatest fear in front of them.
Harry, Luna and Hermione simultaneously struck him with a spell, hurling the monster backwards.
" Is it possible that even during the war I have to kill spiders for you two? " Harry teased them, dragging them behind an alcove when he noticed more giant spiders climbing, freed from the Forbidden Forest into which the Death Eaters had evidently penetrated. Harry cast Spells at them and knocked down the first in line, which fell on his companions, dragging them behind him.
Many curses grazed Harry, some so close that they stroked his hair. Fortunately for him, his friends were skilled in protective spells.
" Harry, put that cloak on now before one of these idiots kills you. " Ron scolded him, forcibly covering him with the clothing. He didn't even give him time to protest because he began to walk down the corridor, urging everyone to follow him.
There were more duels along the stairs and Death Eaters everywhere: Yaxley, near the doorway, against Flitwick , and next door a masked one against Kingsley. Students were running everywhere. They helped many students drag their injured friends away, taking them to where Poppy would take care of them. It would have been better to avoid the infirmary because they saw the bodies of some of their lifeless classmates. Especially visible among them was Mad-Eye.
" He took his last breath after killing Selwyn. " Tonks explained, approaching them and putting his good arm around Daisy's shoulders. The other was held down by a brace while he waited for the ossofast potion to take effect. Both Tonks and Daisy were hit hard by Moody's death. They had a soft spot for the man, considering him a mentor.
" He would have loved to die doing something he loved to do, and punishing Death Eaters was something he madly adored. " nodded Daisy, covering the man's body with a white sheet. " What happened to your arm? "
" Bone-breaking spell. " replied the girl, her hair turned a blazing red as she described how Nott had attempted to cast that curse against a sixth year. She had intercepted the spell but had not been able to fully parry it.
" Magnificent. " commented Ron, in awe. " What happened to Nott Senior? "
As Tonks responded disconsolately about how she had let him slip away, Daisy told them about what Theo had done. She was proud of her fiancé.
" Yes, I saw him along with Seamus and Blaise setting fire to some Death Eaters. " Tonks shivered, remembering the screams of the enemies.
" McGonagall animated all the armor and statues in the school to make them fight against the attackers. " Hermione told them. It was an amazing spell but it wasn't very strong. Some of the smaller statues crumbled like nothing after a targeted bombarda. " We are winning, aren't we? "
" I don't know. " Harry sighed. Voldemort had not yet shown up and had kept all his most trusted and dangerous followers with him. They still had a lot to lose. Many hoped he wouldn't show up, but Harry and Daisy knew how unlikely that was. He would only make an appearance so he wouldn't look bad against his death eaters.
" Lavender? " whispered Ron, looking horrified at the lifeless body of their companion. It was impossible to ignore what had happened to her as a large bite covered her throat, tearing it apart.
" Remus tried to save her but there was nothing he could do with such a wound. " Tonks told them. Killing Greyback had taken time and Remus had years of resentment to vent against that beast.
" Run. You-Know-Who is coming here with others! " Charlie called them back, inviting them to follow toward the entrance.
Voldemort had called his followers back to him, giving them all a few minutes to recover. They knew they had not done this to give him a moment's respite but to make an impactful entrance while he was surrounded by dozens of Death Eaters and dark creatures.
They watched with relief as their friends and family member were safe, although some bore some worrisome injuries. Like the bandage Susan wore over her eye, much to Daisy's dismay.
As they watched Voldemort make his entrance, surrounded by many more Death Eaters than they had expected and some giants left behind, Neville looked at the Potter twins quizzically. " Our plan is still on, isn't it? "
Daisy nodded, motioning the two of them to follow her to the front rows. No one knew what their plan was specifically. They had to hide it so that they would not try to stop them from doing such a dangerous thing. From now on nothing was certain. There were many possibilities about how the evening would go, and the three teens really hoped that the backup plans they had made would be enough for them to survive.
Once in plain sight, Voldemort's gaze immediately landed on Harry as if he knew exactly where to find his archrival.
No one breathed a word as they watched in terror the interaction between the two. The confrontation expected by all was about to take place.Voldemort tilted his head to one side, contemplating the boy standing in front of him, and a strange, joyless smile rippled his mouth.
" Harry Potter. " he muttered mockingly " The Boy Who Survived. "
" I'm sorry Tom but I will not allow you to hurt my students any further. " said Dumbledore, placing himself in front of Harry like a human shield.
" You! " growled in anger Voldemort, raising his wand. " You will die by my hand, and after that there will be no one to overlap between me and your pupil. "
" Hastening my death by a few days is no problem for me. " retorts the man, pointing his wand at what had once been his student. The black hand put on display as a kind of mockery. " Is that okay with you? "
Voldemort's response was nonverbal. He immediately began casting spells at the principal, hoping to end his life quickly. The dark wizard's anger was increased by the ease with which Dumbledore responded to the attacks. The way he moved, the spells he cast, made anyone understand why he was called the most powerful wizard.
" Harry. " the principal called him back as he continued to skillfully parry all the spells being thrown at him. " Can you forgive me for not trusting you? I was afraid you would make the same mistakes I did. But now I know that you are better than me in all the ways that matter. "
" What are you saying? " Harry asked, amazed by Dumbledore's tone, by the sudden tears in his eyes. " You don't have to apologize. You did that long ago and we all forgave you for your mistakes. Maybe there are those who will need more time but... "
" You are a good boy Harry and remember that you are not alone. " Dumbledore turned around, smiling sweetly at his student. The light in his eyes shone with amusement. Dueling seemed to rejuvenate the man by several years. " And remember: love always wins. "
The green light of the killing curse struck the man, murdering him under everyone's gaze.
As Dumbledore's body hit the ground, silence was heavy in the air.
" No! " Professor McGonagall's grieving scream gave way to wailing, crying and screaming over the lost life of a man like Dumbledore.
Bellatrix's delighted laughter echoed above all that pain.The woman laughed heartily, basking in the despair of those present.
She was joined by other sounds of victory: shouts, exclamations and more laughter taunted them. If they had defeated Dumbledore, how could their lord have been beaten by a little boy? It was impossible.
As they celebrated the end of a life, the opposing faction retaliated by doing something no one expected. A wand rose toward the dark sky, illuminated by the ray of light that emanated from it. All the wands, one after another, followed the given example, and soon the sky above them seemed to lighten with all those sparks. A tribute. A clear salute for the man dear to them who had tried to slow Voldemort's advance a little more. He wanted to give them more time to recover after a night spent fighting.
" Enough! " shouted Voldemort and silence fell forcibly on all of them. He observed them coldly as he stroked Nagini's head. " Let those who started this nonsense come forward and all the others will be spared. I want to know who dared to challenge me. "
Neville limped slowly toward Voldemort with his head up despite the shouts of all their friends trying to stop him. The Death Eaters' laughter didn't touch him in the slightest as he kept moving forward until he was only a few steps away from Voldemort's horrible face. The snake watched him with interest, hoping surely it would become his next meal. If he tried, he would leave with him. Only Harry and Daisy knew that on his person he carried at least three weapons soaked in basilisk venom.
" Who is he? " Voldemort asked with his soft snake hiss.
" It's Neville Longbottom. The Auror's son, remember? " explained Bellatrix, smiling happily. Surely she was remembering with joy the torture that had driven Frank and Alice to madness.
" Yes, I remember. " murmured Voldemort, looking at Neville with interest. " You are a Pureblood, you show spirit and courage. You would make an excellent Death Eater so join me and your life will be saved. Yours and your family's. "
" I will join you when hell freezes over. " Neville retorted.
Daisy at that point would have loved to argue back that actually for many people hell is a cold and bleak place but she bit her tongue. Her horrible habit of talking when she was nervous should have been curbed.
" Very well. " Voldemort continued, and Harry sensed the approaching danger only by the tone of voice used. With a snap he grabbed his sister's hand. They needed support while they waited. They could not spoil the plan. They had already talked to Neville about the possibility of such a thing happening and he had explicitly said they shouldn't meddle. " If that is your choice, Longbottom, we will go back to the original plan. " He concluded calmly.
They watched as Voldemort waved his Wand and after a few moments the Sorting Hat popped up in his bony hands.
" There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School. " Voldemort announced. " There will be no more Houses. The crest and colors of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for all. "
He pointed his Wand at Neville, who stiffened, then thrust the Hat at his head, which fell on his eyes. A tremor ran through the crowd in front of the castle, and as one man the Death Eaters raised their wands, to keep the Hogwarts fighters at bay.
" Our Neville will now demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me. " Voldemort announced, pointing his wand toward the hat.
As Harry and Daisy gave in to their desire to help their friend, something unexpected happened. Neville moved and with one swift gesture pulled out of his hat something silvery with a handle glittering with rubies....
Everyone who belonged to their group knew what Neville held in his hands. Godric Gryffindor's sword appears to anyone who needs it. As Albus Dumbledore said, only a true Gryffindor is able to draw the sword from the hat.
They could only watch ecstatically as Neville cut off the head of the huge snake with a smooth and decisive gesture, which swirled high in the air. Voldemort's mouth opened wide in a howl of rage that no one could hear, and the snake's body fell with a thud at his feet. As Bellatrix tried to help her master to his feet, damaged by the backlash he received from the destruction of the last Horcrux (not that he knew it), everyone took this as the signal to go back inside the school again. They would lead the Death Eaters to follow them wherever they wanted.
When they entered the doors, the fight was already raging.
Harry, at the insistence of the other two, hid again under the invisibility cloak. Taking advantage of this, he began to casts curses at all the Death Eaters who passed near him, stunning them without them knowing who or what had hit them. He watched coldly as their bodies were trampled by the retreating crowd.
On the steps of the castle they met Charlie Weasley and Professor Slughorn who brought with their relatives and friends all the Hogwarts students who remained to fight, along with the shopkeepers and habitants of Hogsmeade. The numbers of people on their side were increasing and they were no longer outnumbered.
They darted past the duelists so they could get to the Great Hall where Charlie shouted at them that he saw Voldemort heading in that direction. Their resolute advance was interrupted only when a part of the walls exploded, frightening them. When they turned to see what had caused all the commotion, Daisy almost lost her composure.
The house elves of Hogwarts swarmed into the Entrance Hall, shouting and brandishing cleavers and axes; at their command, Regulus Black's medallion bobbing on his chest, was Kreacher. At his sides, as his most trusted soldiers were Dobby and Winky.
They heard the three elves cheering their companions to fight, inviting them to defend Hogwarts and their students. With an inconceivable rage they attacked all the Death Eaters who came within range, stabbing their ankles and shins with the sole purpose of making them fall.
" Miss Daisy, run! " Winky shouted, charging towards a Death Eater who was about to hit her from behind with a spell. The little thing overpowered the man incredibly quickly, knocking him out before returning to her place next to the other elves.
" Be careful, please. " Daisy recommended them, barely holding back her tears. She was overwhelmed by the gesture. They had disobeyed their orders, wanting to defend them and Daisy couldn't scold them for something like that.
" Merlin, they are brutal. " Neville commented amused as he watched the Death Eaters surrender, crushed by the sheer strength of the elves. Surely no one expected it.
Excited by what they had seen, they entered the Great Hall with huge smiles on their faces. Soon they would put an end to it all.
Voldemort was in the heart of the battle and attacked everything that came his way. Harry couldn't aim accurately and tried to get closer, still invisible, but the Great Hall was increasingly crowded, as everyone who could walk tried to enter.
They watched as George, Fred, and Lee worked together to block the Carrows along with Astoria and Susan. They saw Mulciber fall screaming at Flitwick's hands; Arthur and Percy land Minister O'Tusoe; Macnair, thrown across the room by Hagrid, hits the stone wall and falls to the floor unconscious. The three were incredibly amused by this last thing.
Through it all, Voldemort was dueling with McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley, and his face was a mask of cold hatred as the three leaped and ducked around him, failing to finish him off.
Bellatrix also continued to fight, fifty meters from Voldemort, and like her master she fought against three opponents at the same time: Narcissa, Sirius and Andromeda. A kind of a family reunion.
Daisy and Harry found themselves frozen in place as they watched the battle spellbound. Bellatrix's madness was also discernible in her way of dueling which however seemed nothing compared to the strength of the three cousins combined. Andromeda handled the shield spells, parrying all spells with maniacal precision while Narcissa and Sirius took turns subduing Bellatrix to their wands.
Bellatrix laughed in delight at the prospect of being able to kill the remaining members of her family, calling them traitors. Sirius's chaotic and angry movements were perfectly balanced with Narcissa's well-aimed and cold ones and Bellatrix's smile trembled before turning into a growl. Splashes of light flew from their wands, the floor around them hot and riddled with holes. No one could get close without risking death.
Hundreds of people were now lining the walls and watching the two battles.
Bellatrix laughed when she almost hit Andromeda and Narcissa, furious at having almost lost her newly found sister again, took action. The curse passed under Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her square in the chest, in the heart.
Bellatrix's evil smile froze, her eyes dilated: for a split second she understood what had happened, then she fell.
A roar arose from the crowd and Voldemort screamed as in his fury he hurled McGonagall, Kingsley and Slughorn against the opposite wall.
Free of his adversaries, Voldemort raised his wand and turned his full attention against Narcissa, Andromeda, and Sirius.
Only to be blocked by Daisy, Harry and Neville positioning themselves in front of him.
" I'd say it's our turn. " Daisy said, looking coldly at the reptile-man in front of her.
" Potter, are you so afraid of facing your destiny that you brought help with you? " Voldemort taunted him, the three Blacks now forgotten.
" Why me? " Harry asked, drawing his attention to himself. " There were three children born at the end of July from parents who challenged you three times. "
" So all three of us will defeat you so as not to create misunderstandings. " Neville nodded, raising his wand together with his two friends.
" It's time to die, Tom. " Harry said, a crooked smile stretching across his face as he cast a spell around them. A fiery circle locked them inside so they couldn't move away. But above all, it served to ensure that no one was foolish enough to throw themselves into the middle of the battle to save them.
" How dare you? " Voldemort's scream rose in the air while looking at them angrily. " I am invincible. I cannot die and you will soon regret daring to challenge Lord Voldemort. "
" Speaking of which..." Daisy crooned. " You are mortal again. We have destroyed all your Horcruxes. "
" Bringing Nagini here allowed us to destroy the last of them. " Neville revealed, immediately dodging the spell that Voldemort launched against him. The duel had just begun.
They fought for a long time until Voldemort, tired of that behavior, aimed directly at the one he continued to consider his only rival. The three friends had been practicing for a long time for the last month while waiting for this exact moment. They had to have perfect coordination because even a millisecond of delay would have made Voldemort win.
With a nod of the head and with a synchronicity that was considered impossible, the three shouted simultaneously " Expelliarmus! " just as Voldemort cast the killing curse on Harry.
The explosion was like a cannon shot and the golden flames that erupted between them, in the exact center of the circle they had drawn, marked the point where the spells collided. But the green curse was nothing against their three combined spells and soon the red overpowered it.
Voldemort's wand flew up and Harry, using his Seeker ability, caught it with his free hand as Voldemort fell backwards. He was dead, killed by the rebound of his own curse.
They stood in silence looking at the lifeless body of that being who had ruined their lives for a little honor. They had succeeded in avenging their parents and all those Voldemort and his followers had killed. It was time to celebrate so they withdrew the fiery shield and let themselves be overwhelmed by the people's exclamations of joy. They tried to get through the crowd to reach their loved ones but Sirius managed to disperse the crowd with a simple Sonorus and soon they found themselves held tightly in the arms of their relatives. Neville's grandmother was suffocating him with all that fur on her clothes but their friend didn't seem to mind. He was basking in the woman's compliments and reassurances, still terrified of what he had dared to do.
Remus and Sirius looked crazy as they scolded them, cried and gave them sporadic kisses on their heads. They must have terrified them. As they were reunited with their families, the crowd dispersed. People spread out throughout the Great Hall, milling around each other. Maybe it was the start of something good.
" We heard stories of a lion and a panther attacking some Death Eaters. " Remus said casually, looking at them amused.
" We saw you two. You were fantastic! " Harry said, checking they weren't too hurt. Other than a broken arm, Sirius suffered nothing else. Remus however had suffered a few injuries during his fight with Fenrir and allowed Sirius to take him to Poppy for a quick visit.
Daisy and Harry watched in amusement as Neville was completely red-faced as he attempted to introduce Susan to his grandmother. Exhausted, the twins took a seat on a bench when Luna approached them. Perfect as always, it allowed them to slip out of there without anyone noticing.
As they walked down the hallway, they couldn't help but come across many couples celebrating their victory. It had been awkward seeing Professor Snape and Narcissa kiss but things could have been worse. They could see Arthur and Molly making out like adolescents and they both knew they wouldn't recover from the sight like that.
"You can't run away like that! " shouted Cedric, reaching them.
" What happened to you? " Harry exclaimed, approaching his boyfriend and lifting his shirt to understand what had caused that huge stain of blood on it.
" Don't worry, Poppy healed me. " he reassured him, admitting that he ran away from the infirmary because otherwise the woman wouldn't have let him go. " I had to make sure you were okay. I tried to get to you all night but I couldn't find you even once and... "
" Marry me. " Harry said, immediately covering his mouth with his hands. He was shocked that he had let something like that slip out.
" Okay. " Cedric nodded, a stupid smile on his face. Immediately afterwards he kissed the boy so as to awaken him from the shock caused by his response.
Daisy burst out laughing, thinking about how magnificent Theo's proposal was compared to what she had just witnessed.
" Merlin, how do you even disappear after a battle like that? " Theo asked, drawing the three's attention to him. At the sight of the boy's ash-strewn face and his disheveled hair, Daisy's laughter only increased.
" Dude, you are in questionable conditions. " Cedric chuckled, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist.
" You should see Finnigan's. " Theo snorted. At the gesture, ash shifted from his robes, floating in front of him. This only made his girlfriend laugh even more and she begged them to make her stop before she pee herself.
" You are a danger, Daisy Potter. " Theo said, taking her in his arms ignoring the dirt that covered both of them. He ran a hand through her hair comfortingly while the laughter turned to sobs. He needed to vent the fear she had felt just a few minutes before and Theo knew exactly how to do it.
" We succeeded. " sniffed Harry, joining in the crying and hugging his sister. " We are alive. "
" We are. " Cedric reassured them before warning Harry that he expected a ring from him to make the proposal official.
" Double wedding? " Theo asked, throwing a terrified look at Cedric who immediately returned it when the twins nodded promptly. "Right, I wonder why I even asked that. "
Things in Daisy and Harry Potter's life had been a mess for most of their lives. For a long time they had only each other so finding friends who were genuinely interested in them was a great surprise for the twins. Discovering what romantic love was had been incredible yet unexpected because for years they had been told they weren't enough for something like this. They had long since given up on having a loving family when Sirius and Remus made their entrance, upending their expectations once again.
Daisy and Harry Potter thought they knew everything about how the world worked at the age of 10, then they learned about magic. From there things only got better. Life surprised them many times by giving them something they didn't think they deserved or could have. And, now, as they watched their friends and family gather in the infirmary as they chatted happily after an exhausting and difficult battle, they were curious to know what awaited them next.