Because I Love You (D.M)

Chapter 30: When Push Comes To Shove

"I don't care! I want to stay with you!" His voice was shrill and piercing, there was no quelling him once he wanted something.

"I can't let you stay, if something happened to either of you, I don't know what I'd do," I told Johnny quietly.

"We'll stay out of the way, but we'll help!" Gwen finally piped up.

"No, I've made my decision and you are both getting on that train. That's final," I said as I stood back up.

Johnny huffed, but allowed me to lead him and his friend down to the waiting carriages. I helped them both climb in and helped a few others into the same carriage as them. Johnny was practically in tears and Gwen was desperately trying to calm him down. I leaned up and took his small hand in mine.

"I'll come home, I promise. I'll come home and everything will be fine," I said while giving his small hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I don't want to leave you," Johnny mumbled through his tears.

"This'll all be over soon, and we'll all be together as a family, properly. I'll see you soon," I said firmly.

He leaned down and wrapped his thin arms around my neck and I hugged him back tightly. There was always the chance this could potentially be the last time we would be able to see each other. Something could easily go wrong tonight but I had to believe I'd be safe for Johnny's sake. This was a much harder goodbye than Draco had ever been. A much tearier goodbye as Johnny eventually let go of me and the carriage started with a jolt away from me. He was going to be safe, at least I had made sure of that.

As Johnny's carriage faded from view, I returned to the castle along with other students. We all marched to the same soft thumps of our feet until we reached the Entrance Hall again. The Slytherins had cleared out and everyone else was running around the school casting protective enchantments. Professor McGonagall brought the stone statues that guarded the school's hallways to life with a Piertotum Locomotor and ordered them to defend the castle. Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor Slughorn, and members of the Order of the Phoenix flocked outside to the courtyard and together cast a glistening dome of spells to cover the school. And as the dome was forming, the first attacks from out in the dark came. Spells of white, curses of red and green, enchantments unseen, bounced off the growing protection network of spells meaning Voldemort and his army had made their move on Hogwarts. The battle was about to ensue.

It seemed only seconds after the small amount of attack spells glanced off the castle that the attack really started. Voldemort's cohorts and assembled creatures of wrath had broken through the enchantments and had begun flooding into the school. Trolls, Giants, spiders of immeasurable size, Dementors, goblins, and Death Eaters entered with malicious intentions and we went out to meet the oncoming storm.

Upon my return to the Entrance Hall, I had snagged Ernie and Hannah and we took refuge in an empty classroom to come up with a survival plan.

"I think it's obvious we split up," Ernie stated instantly after I had closed the door.

"What? Are you really considering that?" Hannah snapped with a deep frown on her face.

"We have a better chance of—"

"Getting killed," I finished for him grimly. "No, we stick together. The three of us fighting as a group makes us stronger than going it alone."

"If I die on your watch—" Ernie started to sass me but Hannah smacked his shoulder.

"Ernest Ian Macmillan! We are in the midst of a battle and if you want to run off cowardly and fight alone, then so be it. I'm staying with Davis and seeing this through. Have you forgotten about Dumbledore's Army? We need to be together," she practically shouted at the poor boy.