Chapter Forty-Three ~ Hope for a Happy Ending

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Can't you hear us coming?
People marching all around.
Can't you see we're coming?
Close your eyes, it's over now.
Can't you hear us coming?
The fight has only just begun.
Can't you see us coming?

Creed ~ Freedom Fighters
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A beehive, that's what Hogwarts reminded Harry of right now. It looked just like the beehive he'd seen on that nature program Aunt Petunia had made Dudley watch, and Dudley, in turn, had made him watch. Dudley had thought he'd figured out a new and brilliant way to torture Harry, expecting him to be just as bored. Instead, Harry had found it riveting.

And now he was fascinated by the activity going on in the Entrance Hall and, if the glimpses he got through the open door were anything to judge by, the Great Hall.

Refugees, Order members, and Aurors hurried through the Entrance Hall to the Great Hall. Once in there, Harry knew the fighters got in queue and waited there. Once to the front, men and women told those in line what squad they belonged to and where to meet others in their group out on the lawns. Then they would hurry out of the Great Hall and back through the Entrance Hall to go to the spots before they forgot. He could tell some were messengers from the way they fought their way to whoever they had to find and then back out, taking messages back and forth between those organizing this whole thing.

In the Entrance Hall, Healers had just started handing out supplies to the Battle Healers and those authorized to be group healers. Althea had been quite adamant about not letting the normal Healers go. Voldemort had targeted Healers before he'd finished setting up his siege, and there were only about a hundred left, a third of who were only trainees. Hardly enough for the two thousand or so people located at Hogwarts, especially since around a thousand of those would be going into battle. She only wanted those who were Auror-trained Battle Healers--Healers who knew how to fight and who could and couldn't be helped.

Instead, the Healers were issuing each group with certain potions. Hopefully the person who got them would know what to do with them. Potion carriers had been picked carefully--those Severus remembered as his top students, apothecary owners, or actual potion brewers. Harry felt relief that his group had a trainee-Healer in Ginny and a Potions Master in Severus. It helped knowing that the people who'd be pouring potions down his throat or casting spells knew what they were doing.

Other Healers were organizing the supplies, preparing to move into the Great Hall once the fighters left. Madam Pomfrey knew the limits of her infirmary, and Nettle didn't want the evacuated wounded to travel so far into the castle. Any delay of treatment could mean death for those brought away from the battle. Those fighters would only be the worse wounded.

He shook his head and started down the stairs, taking each step unhurriedly to conse...

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