Dark Side

The Battle Begins

Everyone nods. I'm surprised this is going so well. "Okay, the Death Eaters will be coming from up there," I say, pointing at the hill. "Let's make three rows of ten, brooms at the back, leave yourself enough room to kick off."

They all form lines, Lex and I in the middle of the first row. We fall into silence, just waiting. It's so dark out, the black sky twinkling with thousands of stars. Hogwarts is beautiful at night. It would be peaceful if I didn't know what was only minutes away. The calm before the storm. The minutes tick by in silence. At first I was nervous, but here in the quiet night, that all fades away. This fight is going to happen, and I am going to fight with all I have until my last breath.

I'm lost in my thoughts when I hear Lex's grim voice say beside me, "Happy birthday."

I look up at the hill, nothing happens at first, but then hundreds of lights fly up and hit the dome of protection spells. We hear a thousand tiny explosions, like fireworks distorted as if behind wavy glass. Everyone around me shifts anxiously.

"Hold your ground." I say firmly, gripping my wand tighter.

This goes on for a few more minutes, the muffled explosions creating tiny fissures, slowly breaking apart our defenses. We stand in tense silence, watching as the spells break painfully slowly. I silently thank Professor Flitwick for the amazing charms, they're holding up so well so far. I know that soon Voldemort will get impatient and break it down himself.

Sure enough, a minute later, one huge jet of light soars over, and I watch the barrier explode in slow motion. Breaths hitch around me as all falls deadly silent. I act now, I won't let them have the first move.

I pull out my wand, and immediately it warms up in my hands, eager to be used. I raise it in the air, the perfect powerful extension of my arm, and fill my head with thoughts of Harry, channeling that power to cast the phoenix symbol.

The red flames burst out of the tip of my wand, forming the phoenix which flies high into the air, stopping over the highest tower of the castle. It explodes and freezes, wings outstretched, in the flickering orange ring of flames.

People laugh and gasp around me, all staring in awe at the glowing phoenix. Music starts echoing through the grounds from one of the towers.

'PUT ON YOUR WAR PAINT'

Lex starts laughing.

"What is it?" someone asks.

"It's by a muggle band. It's called the Phoenix." She replies, smiling.

I turn around, facing everyone. "The Death Eaters will be coming in a few moments, so when I yell now, the brooms are going to kick off and everyone else will cast shield charms." I turn back around and face the hill. "Let's fucking do this."

We start to see people moving down the hill, straight for us. I wait, wand at the ready, everyone following my lead and waiting for my signal to act.

Just as I start to see details of faces I yell "NOW!" and everyone springs into action.

The brooms kick off and soar into the sky, the shield charms all merge together, creating one huge invisible barrier between us and the Death Eaters. Some of them cast curses, but they bounce off the shield. They stop advancing, twenty feet in front of us.

"On my signal, let down the shield." I whisper out of the corner of my mouth.

I step forward slightly, just behind the shield. Bellatrix steps out from the crowd, staring at me.

"What the hell did you do Draco?" she asks.

I hold up three fingers behind my back. "It's quite simple really," I say nonchalantly. Two fingers. "I screwed all of you over." I put the last finger down, and everyone lowers their wands, dropping the shield.

I slash my wand through the air, and a huge wave of black energy roars out, taking out about a hundred Death Eaters, throwing them backwards encased in the energy, landing on top of their friends behind them.

I hear a few yells of "Holy shit!" "That was fucking awesome!"

"The fuck d'you find that spell?" someone yells from behind me.

"Made it myself in the fourth year." I say casually.

Everyone is speechless for a bit until Lex speaks up. "If we live through this, remind me never to cross you."

"Voldemort crossed me." I say icily, "and now I'm going to make him pay."

"I like the sound of that." Lex says beside me, a murderous glint in her eye.

Tentatively, the next wave of Death Eaters moves down the hill. The people on brooms are hovering a bit behind us. I turn to them. "Go, they will have to make their way around the unconscious ones, take some of them out before they can get here. We can take them out easier in smaller groups."

They fly over, sending down curses into the crowd, but I know some of them will get through soon. I stop and listen to the song.

Hey young blood

Doesn't it feel like our time is running out?

I'm gonna change you like a remix

Then I'll raise you like a phoenix

Wearing our vintage misery

No, I think it looked a little better on me

I'm gonna change you like a remix

Then I'll raise you like a phoenix

Some Death Eaters have made their way through, so we get ready. The first few start throwing curses, I deflect them easily. I just deflect their curses until they stop in front of us. Then we all spring into action.

Harry

I run up the stairs, wondering where the hell Ron and Hermione are. I stop and look out a window, watching the barrier explode. Then, the phoenix symbol flies up from the front lines, and goes over the school. Draco. 

I stand, unable to tear my eyes away from the scene unfolding in front of me. The Death Eaters are running down the hill, but our side isn't firing back. They get closer and closer to where I know Draco is, then just stop. I can't breathe, I'm watching, waiting, wondering, then a huge wave of black energy, Draco's  black energy roars over the Death Eaters. 

I'm worried sick about him, but I'm wasting time. Draco is the best fighter I have ever seen. He is amazing, he can handle this. So can I. We'll live through this. 

I'm lying to myself saying this, we'll probably die. We probably won't make it through this. Since Draco left, tricked Voldemort, we're his number one targets. He doesn't care about killing anyone else, but he will kill us. He will kill anyone and everyone just to get to us. 

I turn around, start walking again. I've accepted the fact I might die, I accepted it a long time ago. 

It's going to be a long night.