We'd received thirty new people in the last week. All of them had some foreboding message about Voldemort's gaining power and I'd hoped that Hermione hadn't forgotten her promise to me.
"'Ina." Rurik taps my knee as I sit half asleep at my makeshift desk.
"Yeah?" I turn my tired eyes on him.
"D'Anna wants you."
"Thank you." I bend to kiss the top of his head. "You should be getting to bed."
"I will." The three and a half year old tells me assuredly. "Ina?"
"Yes Rory?"
"You'll get the bad guys right?" I'm reminded of the innocence I've managed to keep in my brother and I smile.
"Nothing will stop me." I tell him. "Where's D'Anna anyway?"
"At her post." He says with the slightest traces of his baby voice. I was sad to say that he, of the three, grew too matter-of-fact for my taste. Rurik had gotten into the habit of refusing to say words he could not properly pronounce and he stood straight-backed so that he was an extra five millimeters taller than Tobias. Rory was strong and he'd taken up a big brother role with Toby and Amy.
I nod. "Get some sleep." He tries his best not to rub his eyes as he walks through the flap to his room where he makes sure Toby and Amy are tucked in before blowing out the lantern.
I liked the camp at night. It had a brilliance about it with its hundred or so lanterns still burning bright while adults did the last of the days chores. There was a guard to help new arrivals set up tents and get food on and into hungry bellies while they taught the new people how to do it all without magic. We learned early on that several refuge camps were ransacked because the ministry could track high volumes of magic. So we saved ourselves by keeping our magic reserved for protecting the camp and keeping fires. We fished from the coast for food and apparated into cities to buy what we couldn't get from the sea and land. In short we were a proper survivalist camp. There was hardly a corner of Europe that Voldemort hadn't taken.
"Rurik said you were looking for me." I prompt D'Anna as soon as I get to the area of new arrivals.
"This came for you." She hands me a folded piece of parchment. "It came with that lot there." She pointed at a small group of teenagers and I recognised their colored ties and messy uniforms immediately. I rush over to them.
"You three." I say in my authoritative voice. They snap up. "You're from Hogwarts aren't you?"
"If you could call it that anymore." The lanky boy grumbles. The girl slaps him hard on the chest.
"We are. You got the letter right?" She looks at me intently.
"Just now. What can you tell me?" I'm so anxious that I have to refrain from lunging at the girl and shaking her by the shoulders when she looks at her companions too long. "Well?"
"I hope you don't have family there miss." She says sadly. "You-know-who's at the castle right now. When we took the floo network here he'd just arrived. People are going every which way to get out. With all the bad ones at the castle ready to fight, everyone's sending word to loved ones." She nods at the letter in my hand.
"Thanks." I turn away from them. "D'Anna get someone else to take your post. I want you in our tent with Rurik, Tobias, and Amalia."
"Why what's going on?" She asks, jogging to keep up with me.
"I've got to leave." I say with a set jaw. D'Anna veers left for a moment to ask an off duty guard to tend to the new arrivals and then catches up with me.
"What do you mean you have to leave?" She hisses, expressing her disapproval as I'd expect anyone to.
"I made a promise some time ago and I intend to keep it." I say unfolding the parchment. It simply says 'Professor's Lounge' in Hermione's neatly slanted writing.
"You're an idiot."
"I'm not asking for your opinion." I snap. "Just make sure my brothers and sister are okay." I go rummaging in my trunk for my wand and a coat. I take a letter I'd written when we first got to the camp and give it to D'Anna. "If you don't hear from me in the next three days give this to Viktor Krum and Viktor Krum only. He'll know what to do with it." It was a letter in the same crude form as the last I'd sent so long ago.
"This is stupid." D'Anna protests again.
"Just keep them safe. You understand?" She nods.
"If your going to fight could you do me a favor?"
"I'll try my best."
"Kill Amycus, Amycus Carrow. He killed my sister."
"What was her name?"
"Kaia." I hug her.
"I'll make it a point."
I stick my wand in the special pocket on the inside of my coat and walk briskly to Onora's tent. Her fireplace is the the only one connected to the Floo network via a hidden net of fireplaces.
"I need to use the Floo Network." I storm into Onora's tent. She startles.
"You know we're supposed to apparate as transportation as much a possible." She argues.
"I can't apparate where I'm going." I say swerving around her and taking a handful of powder. "Keep safe." I tell her before throwing the powder down and speaking my destination. I cough in a cloud of soot and stumble out in what I presume is my destination.
"Milena!" I hear Hermione scream and thin arms lock around my body.
"What's going on?" I ask, wiping my eyes. "The students you sent said you were under attack." She guides me to a window that looked out toward the bridge. I saw a dark mass of people standing there. "Is it him?" She nods.
"He's giving us time to hand Harry over."
"You can't." I shout.
"Of course not." She assures, making me know how stupid I was being. "But Harry has to find something."
"How can I help?"
"Ron and I are going to help him. I need you to stay here in case there are...injured." She scrunches her face making me not want to know all the thing that had transpired while I was in hiding.
"I'm not a damned medic!" I shout.
"I know but your better than anyone left here. We've only got Madame Pomfrey."
"I want to scope the forest. I've been working on something."
"This is not the time to experiment." She scowls at me but before she can express anymore disdain I shift into a large grey wolf. I had practiced whenever I missed Viktor. I shake my fur out and she laughs.
"You're brilliant you know." She laughs again. I bark and she startles at it's depth. I shift back and wrap my coat around myself while pulling my clothes back on. "But he's in the forest."
I scowl at her. "I can't sit here and do nothing."
"Teach these kids how to keep put of the way." Her eyes are pleading. "They're all mad but they insisted on staying. Some of them don't have a choice." Hesitantly, I agree.
They were mostly seventh years but some were shiver kids.
"Don't be afraid to run and hide." I tell them first off and I set them at stations throughout the castle.
The ones that were most petrified chose to go into dormitories where the deatheaters were less likely to go. Every hour was marked by Voldemort's voice sounding mockingly through the grounds.
Midnight became the brightest night I would ever see. Voldemort boomed disappointment and the battle was on.
"Who's got the best aim?" I ask the remaining three seventh years. They unanimously choose the tall dark one. "Good. You're with me."
When the commotion started I was still collected but when the first green spark whizzed by my left ear I only knew that I couldn't die here.
"Stun them!" I shout at the boy as we're faced with a blockade of deatheaters and their opponents on the opposite side of the corridor. I thought for a moment to shift and rip throats but I saw werewolves and didn't want to be confused with them.
I get hit in the face by an elbow but it's the last thing the person can do before the boy stuns him.
"Well done." I tell him and fight my way through the foes.
"Milena!" I hear a shout before another green spark sails passed my right shoulder.
"Bill?" I manage before his strong hands are dragging me by the shoulders. "What are you doing here?"
"Same as you. The entire order is here." He grunts. "Viktor made me swear I'd look after you if you showed up."
Things became chaotic very quickly and there didn't look like there was an end to the numbers of deatheaters, werewolves, and giants. We kept the fighting strong though, even with rubble crashing around us especially on the grounds were guardian statues were being smashed to pieces by giants.
I lost sight of Bill more than once and the last time I couldn't find a way to circle back and get him. At one corner I'm nearly stunned by one of those shivering kids.
"I thought I told you to stay in your common room." I shout.
"Am-amycus came through." He sniffs and I soften at his tears.
"Where'd he go?"
"F-forest. I think." He stammers.
"Come on," I grab him by the upper arm and drag him with me, ushering him into a broom cupboard the first chance I get. "You stay in here. Don't try to be brave. Don't make any sound. Don't let anyone see you. Do you understand me?" He nods. "Your life might depend on it." He gulps and shuts the cupboard door himself.
Snatchers and other foe seem to start evacuating the castle hours later but it's hard to tell who's won this battle. And no one knows if Harry has won our war. All I have to do is look out the nearest window down into the courtyard.
There Voldemort saunters with Hagrid just behind him carrying a small limp figure. I tear up immediately watching them casually stroll into the castle.
"No." I whimper.
Hagrid sets Harry on the ground and Voldemort gloats. Neville - the stupid boy - charges at Voldemort only to be punished. A smaller giant waddles from the side of the castle and strangely the other giants attack him. The battle is on once more in the courtyard. Even the centaurs fight and I had not seen their kind yet.
I couldn't just stand here watching the horrible scene so I run as fast as my legs will carry me down to the courtyard. The first thing I see is Voldemort lashing out furiously at Neville and when I see the great, beheaded snake I understand. His curse is deflected though and Neville, along with several others, run away. Moving the fight into the Great Hall.
Once again it feels like there is no end. Only blood and seized heartbeats as far as the mind's eye could see. And with Harry dead there was no hope. We could try but every curse thrown and every body spun crashing into a wall was just another poke at the great snake that still remained. A snake only Harry could kill.
I'd try anyway.