~
In the final minutes before the battle was supposed to resume, Eleanora and George sat on the front steps of the school, neither of them saying a word. Eleanora didn't mention the space they'd accidentally left between them where Fred would've sat normally. She couldn't even look at George. He was too much like Fred; even the way he was sitting was exactly how Fred always did when he was upset about something. Eleanora closed her eyes and buried her face in her hands. She was out of tears. All that was left was a painful empty feeling in her chest and an uncomfortably tightened throat. The only people she wanted to be with in that moment were the ones she could never be with again. "I want to go home," she whispered, all of the fight gone from her voice. She was done. She was ready for it all to be over.
"I want..." George trailed off, but Eleanora knew exactly what he wanted. She wanted the same thing.
They sat there for a long time before Bill found them, gazed at them sadly for a long moment, and then sat down on the other side of Eleanora, leaving the little gap where Fred would've sat open. Eleanora shifted closer to him, but didn't touch him. She didn't want anyone to touch her just then. She buried her face back in her hands and rested the backs of her hands on her knees. "There's only ten minutes left," Bill said at last. "They want everyone to go back in to prepare."
"Okay," Eleanora said softly, but she and George didn't move. She found that every time she tried to stand up, her legs wouldn't allow it. She was frozen, rooted to the spot by her unwillingness to go back to battle. She couldn't do it anymore. She didn't have the strength.
"El," Bill said, more firmly that before. His voice was pained and ragged from crying, but he couldn't lose Eleanora too. He needed everyone to at least put on a brave front for the end of the battle, no matter what the outcome was. He took a deep breath, and then stood up, offering Eleanora his hand. She took it and let him pull her up, and then turned to help George. Together, the three of them walked slowly back into the Great Hall.
The first person Eleanora saw when they got in was Oliver Wood. He looked tired and sad, but unharmed. She hadn't seen him since her wedding, and even then it had only been for a few minutes, but the second he spotted her he pulled her into a hug. "Hey... how are you?" He seemed to realize how ridiculous the question was the second he asked it.
Eleanora only shrugged. "I guess... I guess the hour's almost up?"
Wood checked his watch and nodded, his shoulders tensing up. "Two minutes."
At that moment, the Hogwarts grounds were filled with the voice of Voldemort again. "The battle is won," he boomed. Eleanora's eyes found Bill's and widened slightly. "You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anybody who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."
Eleanora's hand found Bill's and they followed the rest of the crowd out of the castle to the front of the grounds. When Eleanora saw the crowd of Death-Eaters waiting for them she almost accepted the fact that they'd lost the war. With Fred, Lupin, Tonks, and countless others gone, she didn't care what happened next. The world would never be the same. Then, Eleanora noticed who was standing in the center. It was Hagrid, standing hunched over with tears streaming out of his eyes and into his bushy beard. In his arms lay a limp figure, and Eleanora knew who it was instantly. "No..." she breathed, taking Bill's arm and staring wildly at Harry's dead body.
"NO!" McGonagall echoed Eleanora in the most terrible scream she'd ever heard. She heard another woman laughing nearby, and knew that Bellatrix gloried in McGonagall's despair. She watched Voldemort's face break into an evil smile as more people cried out: "No!" "No!" "Harry! HARRY!" Ron's, Hermione's, and Ginny's voices were worse than McGonagall's, until—
"SILENCE!" cried Voldemort, and there was a bang and a flash of bright light, and silence was forced upon them all. "It's over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!" Hagrid set Harry's body down in front of Voldemort. "You see?" said Voldemort, pacing back in forth in front of Harry. "Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!
"He beat you!" yelled Ron, and the charm broke, and the defenders of Hogwarts were shouting and screaming again until a second, more powerful bang extinguished their voices once more.
"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," said Voldemort, "killed while trying to save himself— " But Voldemort broke off: Eleanora gasped when she saw that Neville had broken free of the crowd and charged at Voldemort, but hit the ground immediately, disarmed, Voldemort throwing the challenger's wand aside and laughing. "And who is this?" he said in his soft snake's hiss. "Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"
Bellatrix gave a delighted laugh. "It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?"
"Ah, yes, I remember," said Voldemort, looking down at Neville, who was struggling back to his feet, unarmed and unprotected, standing in the no-man's-land between the survivors and the Death Eaters. "But you are a pureblood, aren't you, my brave boy?" Voldemort asked Neville, who stood facing him, his empty hands curled into fists.
"So what if I am?" said Neville loudly.
"You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom."
"I'll join you when hell freezes over," said Neville. "Dumbledore's Army!" he shouted, and there was an answering cheer from the crowd, whom Voldemort's Silencing Charms seemed unable to hold. Eleanora and Bill joined in, fighting past the spell to let out cheers of support. Eleanora was surprised at herself for not feeling more afraid in the face of Lord Voldemort. At the same time, though, it made sense. She'd been through so much, what did it matter?
"Very well," said Voldemort, "If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head," he said quietly, "be it." Voldemort waved his wand.
Seconds later, out of one of the castle's shattered windows, something that looked like a misshapen bird flew through the half light and landed in Voldemort's hand. He shook the mildewed object by its pointed end and it dangled, empty and ragged: the Sorting Hat. "There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School," said Voldemort. "There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield, and colors of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone. Won't they, Neville Longbottom?" He pointed his wand at Neville, who grew rigid and still, then forced the hat onto Neville's head, so that it slipped down below his eyes. There were movements from the watching crowd in front of the castle, and as one, the Death Eaters raised their wands, holding the fighters of Hogwarts at bay. "Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," said Voldemort, and with a flick of his wand, he caused the Sorting Hat to burst into flames. Eleanora screamed along with many other members of the crowd, and tried to rush forward but Bill grabbed her arm and held her back. Neville was aflame, rooted to the spot, unable to move- and then many things happened at the same moment.
They heard uproar from the distant boundary of the school as what sounded like hundreds of people came swarming over the out of-sight walls and pelted toward the castle, uttering loud war cries. At the same time, Grawp came lumbering around the side of the castle and yelled, "HAGGER!" His cry was answered by roars from Voldemort's giants: They ran at Grawp like bull elephants, making the earth quake. Then came hooves and the twangs of bows, and arrows were suddenly falling amongst the Death Eaters, who broke ranks, shouting their surprise. Eleanora stared around in confusion until Bill tugged at the sleeve of her robes.
"Look!" He pointed and Eleanora followed his gaze to where Harry's body had been, but it had disappeared, just as Neville moved too. In one swift, fluid motion, Neville broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon; the flaming hat fell off him and he drew from its depths something silver, with a glittering, rubied handle— The slash of the silver blade could not be heard over the roar of the oncoming crowd or the sounds of the clashing giants or of the stampeding centaurs, and yet it seemed to draw every eye.
With a single stroke Neville sliced off the great snake's head, which spun high into the air, gleaming in the light flooding from the entrance hall, and Voldemort's mouth was open in a scream of fury that nobody could hear, and the snake's body thudded to the ground at his feet— Then, over the screams and the roars and the thunderous stamps of the battling giants, Hagrid's yell came loudest of all "HARRY!" Hagrid shouted. "HARRY—WHERE'S HARRY?" Chaos reigned.
The charging centaurs were scattering the Death Eaters, everyone was fleeing the giants' stamping feet, and nearer and nearer thundered the reinforcements that had come from who knew where; there were great winged creatures soaring around the heads of Voldemort's giants, thestrals and Buckbeak the hippogriff scratching at their eyes while Grawp punched and pummeled them, and now the wizards, defenders of Hogwarts and Death Eaters alike, were being forced back into the castle. Bill grabbed Eleanora's hand and together they wove their way through the crowd, back into the Great Hall. As the battle resumed around them, Eleanora felt a new surge of energy in her chest. It wasn't the kind that drove her to win for the glory of Order or for Hogwarts or even for the life she would lead when the war was over. It was the kind of anger that came from pure, white hot vengeance.
She was separated from Bill, from everyone really, as she hurtled through the crowds of Death Eaters, dueling anyone who got in her way. She shot her first killing curse somewhere in the mix, surprising even herself, but she didn't wait around long enough to see where it hit. In the mix, there were hundreds of new reinforcements on the Order's side. At one point, Charlie Weasley was dueling next to her. "Told you I was doing things for the Order," he said, deflecting a curse away from her. She sent a stunning spell at whoever had shot the curse with all her might and the Death Eater flew backwards, slamming into a wall with a deafening sound. Charlie looked at her, obviously surprised, but didn't mention the anger flashing in her eyes. "We'll talk later," he said, dodging a jet of light and sending an equally strong spell back. Eleanora nodded, but lost track of Charlie soon after.
She noticed that the house elves had joined the fray, but she didn't pay any attention to them. She was blinded by her desire to hurt every single person who had contributed to destroying her life before now. Voldemort was in the center of the battle, and he was striking and smiting all within reach. Eleanora started towards him, wanting to get to the center of the problem, to take her rage out on the person who was behind it all. She saw Yaxley slammed to the floor by George and Lee Jordan, watched in satisfaction as Dolohov fell with a scream at Flitwick's hands, saw Walden Macnair thrown across the room by Hagrid, hit the stone wall opposite, and slide unconscious to the ground. She saw Ron and Neville bringing down Fenrir Greyback, Aberforth Stunning Rookwood, Arthur and Percy flooring Thicknesse, and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy running through the crowd, not even attempting to fight, screaming for their son.
Eleanora found herself head-to-head with Mulciber, who seemed to be an even match for her. She sent the most harmful spells she could think of at him with no holds barred, barely paying attention to the ones he was sending back. She didn't care what happened to herself anymore, she just wanted them dead. Because of this, she didn't even notice the jet of green light flying straight towards her until she was tackled to the ground by someone, the light flying over her head in the exact spot she had been standing seconds before.
Cillian pulled himself off the ground and, without a second look at Eleanora, shouted, "Confringo!" A jet of purple light shot straight at Mulciber's chest and he was blown backward and crumpled against a wall, unmoving. Cilllian turned back to Eleanora, the furious gleam in his eye identical to his daughters'. He reached out a hand and Eleanora took it, letting her dad pull her to her feet, and then in one motion, she pulled him into a tight embrace.
"S'okay," Cillian murmured, hugging her back. "You're okay." He seemed to be reassuring himself of his daughter's safety more than anything. After a few moments, Eleanora let him go, the battle still raging around them.
Voldemort was now dueling McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley all at once, and there was cold hatred in his face as they wove and ducked around him, unable to finish him— Bellatrix was still fighting too, fifty yards away from Voldemort. As soon as Eleanora saw who she was dueling, she changed course to help defend Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, leaving Cillian's side without another look. She thought about the way Bellatrix had tortured her in Malfoy Manor and the face of Sirius disappearing through the veil came to mind. Hermione moved aside to give Eleanora room to help battle Bellatrix, all four girls shouting spells at the witch with all their might.
Eleanora's heart skipped a beat as Ginny narrowly missed one of Bellatrix's spells, but then she was knocked aside. "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" Mrs. Weasley threw off her cloak as she ran, freeing her arms. Bellatrix spun on the spot, roaring with laughter at the sight of her new challenger. "OUT OF MY WAY!" shouted Mrs. Weasley to the four girls, and with a swipe of her wand she began to duel.
Eleanora watched with shock and elation as Molly Weasley's wand slashed and twisted, and Bellatrix Lestrange's smile faltered and became a snarl. Jets of light flew from both wands, the floor around the witches' feet became hot and cracked; both women were fighting to kill. "No!" Mrs. Weasley cried as a few students ran forward, trying to come to her aid. "Get back! Get back! She is mine!" Hundreds of people now lined the walls, watching the two fights, Voldemort and his three opponents, Bellatrix and Molly.
"What will happen to your children when I've killed you?" taunted Bellatrix, as mad as her master, capering as Molly's curses danced around her. "When Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?"
"You—will—never— touch— our—children— again!" screamed Mrs. Weasley.
Bellatrix laughed, the same exhilarated laugh her cousin Sirius had given as he toppled backward through the veil, and suddenly Eleanora knew what was going to happen before it did. Molly's curse soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart. Bellatrix's gloating smile froze, her eyes began to bulge: For the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared, and Voldemort screamed, and then everything went into slow motion.
She saw McGonagall, Kingsley, and Slughorn blasted backward, flailing and writhing through the air, as Voldemort's fury at the fall of his last, best lieutenant exploded with the force of a bomb. Voldemort raised his wand and directed it at Molly Weasley. "Protego!" a voice roared, and the Shield Charm expanded in the middle of the Hall, and Voldemort stared around for the source as Harry pulled off his Invisibility Cloak at last.