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The Battle of Hogwarts
"Harry! Harry, wait!" a mosey brown haired girl ran to Harry as he hurried away to find another Horcrux. "Harry, I need to tell you something," Harry turned to face her, slightly irritated that she would stop him while he was doing something so important that it would decide the fate of the entire wizarding world. What was so important? "Nobody blames you if we all die, Harry,"
"If you all die, there won't be anyone to blame me!" neither of them knew each other personally, however a great sorrow grew in each of them as they studied one another. The scarlet and gold stripes of her tie and the lion crest over her heart said it all. She'd win the battle, or die trying.
"Harry, it's not your battle," she paused as Harry cocked his head slightly and studied her, "it's all of our battle. You're not the only one who has had family ruthlessly murdered by Voldemort,"
"You said his name," Harry gazed at her as she smiled and drew herself up to her full height, a good 5'1".
"I do not fear the name of a coward," she paused and frowned slightly, "neither should anyone else. If I die, Harry, see to it that I will not die in vain,"
"Will do," an explosion sound startled Harry, the whole castle lit up with a white light.
"Only the protections being broken through. I may never see you again, Harry. Casey Wood, so long, Harry Potter," Harry recognized the name but brushed it off, as he was in a hurry and ran the opposite direction to find the Horcrux as Casey ran back to the great hall to everyone else who wished to fight against the terror of Lord Voldemort.
Casey wove through crowds of students evacuating the school with the prefects of their houses, though one Gryffindor prefect was currently absent from that group, "Casey Wood!" Professor McGonagall's stern voice sounded behind her, "What do you think you're doing, you're supposed to be evacuating!"
"Professor," Casey pulled her aside with begging and glistening eyes, "I want to fight,"
Fear flashed in McGonagall's eyes and her lips tightened, "you will have to evacuate with the other students who are too young to fight," she insisted, motioning to the lines of students leaving the great hall. Casey's throat tightened as she eyed those students, she felt as if she could cry.
"But I'm a prefect! Top of my class! Professor, you can't, please just," a strangled noise came out of her throat, "just let me fight," she hoped that Professor McGonagall would give in, to let her fight in the battle, to sacrifice her life to defeat the dark lord.
Professor McGonagall didn't agree, however. She shook her head apologetically, "I'm sorry, Casey, but you are not of age, therefore I simply cannot let you fight. A sixth year is no match for the death eaters, top of the class or not! Now go with your classmates!"
"Harry Potter fought. He fought in his fifth year, so did Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Luna was in her fourth year!" Casey was stubborn and wouldn't let McGonagall say no.
"Casey Wood! Follow your classmates or so help me, I will do it by force!" Casey hung her head and followed after the last of the students to leave. It was only different because Casey wasn't "the chosen one" or "the boy who lived". She wasn't apart of Harry's circle of friends and she hadn't been saving the day since her first year like the famous Harry Potter had.
Casey saw to it that she followed as far as the hallway led, until she was out of the view of Professor McGonagall, then she turned away from the group into another corridor that she knew led up towards a great view of the bridge. No matter what Professor McGonagall said, she'd still fight to avenge her Mother and Father's death.
The protections over the castle seemed to be being penetrated, the battle could begin this moment and they may not have the order of the phoenix there in time. Casey walked through a windowed corridor where the bridge was clearly visible, she saw as two death eaters attempted to run through the protection barrier and were burned. She smiled, it'd be fine, for now.
The next moment was a blur, members of the order of the phoenix rushed past her, almost pushing her out of the window she looked out of. A bright light shone and hit the bubble of protection surrounding Hogwarts and seemed to have cracked it, broken through. Battle cries sounded as a flood of people poured through the bridge. Then, fire.
The bridge was exploding and someone ran ahead of the swarm of death eaters, obviously trying to escape and get to the group before the bridge collapses. She watched, mesmerized by the bright lights and captivated by the suspense of if they'd make it or not. But Casey was pulled out of the trance when she heard heavy foot steps and loud talking in the corridor; Casey ran to the other corridor around the corner, practically jumping down the staircases, three steps at a time. Lucky she did too, the vanishing step was the last thing on her mind. "Gotcha, Lovely,"
Casey screamed, a death eater was behind her, grinning nastily, blackening teeth showing. "Expelliarmus!" his wand flew out of his hand and he was left to grab it while she ran off to the great hall. Death Eaters were already inside, fighting with those who had arrived.
"Stupe-" a death eater with heavy lids and hollow cheeks, black hair, and a crazed expression on her face shot the stunning spell at her.
"Repello!" Casey searched frantically for another spell but she only found 'R' spells, "Reducto!" she was pleasantly surprised to see that it works on living objects as well as inanimate. The man blasted to pieces and disintegrated into a small pile of ashes on the floor. Smiling faintly, she realized that it might be a great time to use non verbal spells; not that she knew many of those, even so, she still racked her brain for more spells as she watched the lot battle.
Like a light bulb being switched on, she had an idea. Casey gasped at the brilliance of it, she was sure that the spell she overheard last year could go through deatheaters with a lazy flick of her wand. "Sectumsemtra!" but the deatheater blocked her spell and sent another one flying right back, causing her to fly into the wall, breaking the stone and sending it flying everywhere.
She couldn't move, her spine was broken, and so was (it seemed) every part of her body, she lay in pain, not being able to open her eyes to see the battle unfold ahead of her. This is how she would die, only have killed one death eater, all in vain.
After what seemed to be hours of pain and agony, Voldemort spoke again, asking for the boy- asking for Harry. His high, cold voice curdled her insides and froze her bones, it was painful to hear the cold, merciless voice echoing through the castle. Then, all went still, everyone vanished and the castle was left with taking in the death tolls.
Casey could hear screams of loss begin to sound through the hall, with sound, it seemed, everything seemed to go so fast. One moment here, the next gone in a heartbeat. It wasn't until she heard her own name screamed from across the hall that she registered that anyone was going to care that she lay there, half way between life and death.
"Casey! Oh no, no, no, Casey.... you can't, no! I won't believe it!" it was the voice of Casey's loving brother and only family member left, former Gryffindor Quidditch captain, Oliver Wood. Tears wanted to spill, but they wouldn't come out of Oliver's brown eyes. His throat tightened painfully and choked sob escaped, causing more pain. But his pain was nothing compared to Casey's.
All Casey felt was the familiar pins and needles from occasions when she'd sit on her foot for too long. Blood began to stream out of the corner of her mouth, there were deep cuts in her stomach and her body suddenly felt as if it could explode. Just as Olivers throat felt, he needed to scream or else he'd die of emotional buildup.
So he did.
And it was a scream that filled the whole mourning castle.
As well as the last thing Casey ever heard.
For hearing this does go so fast.
One moment here, the next gone in a dyingheartbeat.
Fin~
