**Maddie’s POV**
The battle is starting. All around us people are running to their posts. I grab Fred and George and pull them both close.
“Neither of you die!” I yell over the noise, “promise me!”
“I promise that I’ll try not to!” George replies.
“There’s no way in hell I’m being taken down,” Fred laughs, “come on, let’s get going!”
“George! Are the kids safe?” I ask as we run through the halls.
“They’re with Tonks’ mum!” he calls back to me, “they’re safe!”
I breathe a sigh of relief just in time be knocked over by an exploding wall. When I scramble to my feet I can’t see Fred or George and the hall in front of me is blocked. Swearing, I turn and dash off in the other direction.
**George’s POV**
“PROTEGO!” I yell, “GINNY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!”
“HARRY NEEDED TO GO INTO THE ROOM!” she replies loudly, “I HAD TO COME OUT!”
A death eater appears and I push my sister behind me.
“WHERE’S FRED?”
I kick the body of the death eater aside and shrug.
“Fighting somewhere else,” I reply, “come on, stick close to me.”
**Fred’s POV**
“Percy!” I call, running down a hallway to catch up to my brother, “where-”
I’m interrupted by the untimely arrival of some death eaters.
“Well, this is a nice little catch-up,” I joke as we begin moving back together, still fending off the death eaters. Ron, Harry and Hermione appear from behind us just as the hood of one of the death eaters falls back, revealing Pius Thicknesse.
“Hello, Minister!” Percy yells, “did I mention I’m resigning?”
“You’re joking Percy!” I shout, “you actually are joking, Perce! I don’t think I’ve heard you joke since you were-”
I feel cold all over and then very suddenly hot. The sounds of the battle are fading and then everything is still, silent and dark…
**Maddie’s POV**
I’m not quite sure how it happened, but I ended up in the Astronomy tower with Fleur.
“STUPIFY!” I yell. The death eater tumbles out the window and I turn to Fleur. We’re both covered in dirt and blood, are white and shaking.
“You have fought,” a high, cold voice says, echoing through the castle, “valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery.”
I grab Fleur’s hand and we back up against the wall, trembling.
“Yes you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat, immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured. I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you, rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour.”
The silence echoes around us. For a long moment neither of us move.
“Let’s go,” I say finally. We move shakily down the stairs, then begin to run towards the Great Hall. I try not to look at the bodies around me. I just want to get to my family, I want to hold them, hear their voices…
I sprint into the Great Hall and stop, my heart flying into my mouth. The floor is covered by the dead and injured. Towards the end of the hall I can see the Weasleys surrounding someone. I can see Mr and Mrs Weasley, Bill, Ron, Percy, Ginny, Charlie, George…
“NO!” I scream, running towards them as fast as I can. I shove Charlie out of the way and fall to my knees beside Fred.
“FRED! NO FRED!” I scream, tears gushing down my face. George is kneeling beside me. He tries to put his arm around me, but I shrug it off, pulling my wand from my robes in complete desperation.
“Spiritus vitae dimidium ad vos!” I weep, “oh, Fred please! Spiritus vitae dimidium ad vos!”
“Maddie, stop,” George sobs quietly. I ignore him, tracing my wand around Fred’s heart.
“Spiritus vitae dimidium ad vos. Spiritus vitae dimidium ad vos. Spiritus vitae dimidium ad vos. Spiritus vitae dimidium ad vos… DAMMIT FRED!” I scream thumping him on the chest.
**George’s POV**
I can’t control myself, I can’t stop crying. I can’t believe that Fred, my Fred, my brother, is gone. Maddie is trying to use a spell on him, but I know it’s no good.
“Maddie, just stop, leave him,” I beg her quietly. She shakes her head, crying harder than me.
“Spiritus vitae dimidium ad vos,” she chokes, “I know this will work! Come on Fred!”
She puts her wand tip to her heart.
“Spiritus vitae,” she murmurs, moving her wand to Fred’s heart, “dimidium ad vos.”
Nothing happens.
“DAMMIT!” she cries, thumping Fred on the chest, then slumping over him. Her shoulders are shaking with each sob. All around us, my family is crying. I want to reach forward and comfort my wife, but I can’t find the energy. Besides, what’s the point? With Fred gone, there’s no point in anything.
“Will you stop crying?”
“George, don’t be so insensitive!” Charlie scolds, rubbing his eyes.
“I… I didn’t say anything,” I choke. Maddie sits up straight and then screams. I look down at Fred and see his eyes blinking open.
“Oh, hello everyone,” he says, “is it over? Did we win?”
For a minute nobody moves. Nobody breathes. The world has stopped. Then Mum gives a strangled cry and flings herself at Fred.
“Gently, Mum, gently,” he cringes, “I just died for goodness sake!”
The rest of the family leaps onto him, everyone sobbing and laughing and just generally having a break-down. After a few minutes we climb off him, wiping our eyes.
“How is this possible?” Dad asks, “there’s no counter curse for the killing curse.”
“I think Maddie can explain,” I say. She shakes her head.
“What happened?” she asks Fred.
“It was weird,” he says, “it was like I was in the joke shop, but it was empty and completely white and the stairs just kept spiralling upwards. I started walking up them, then a golden light appeared behind me and I could hear these words, repeating over and over. Spiritus vitae dimidium ad vos. I stood and watched the light, then it sort of floated over me and I felt myself being pulled back here.”
He shakes his head, frowning.
“I don’t get it,” he says, “what did you do?”
“Excellent question,” I say, looking at Maddie. The rest of the family is looking too.
“I gave him half my life,” she says faintly, “Spiritus vitae dimidium ad vos means half the breath of life to you.”
“You found a counter-curse?” Mum whispers, shocked. Maddie shakes her head.
“It’s not that simple,” she says, “I don’t know what will happen. I don’t know if we’ll both have half-lives, or full lives or what.”
“Could you do it again?” Dad asks.
“I think I could,” she says, “just once more, but it would kill me.”
She’s still staring at Fred, utterly shocked.
“Maddie,” Hermione says quietly from behind her, “you should… It’s… Remus… And…”
Her voice falters and I watch as Maddie turns white. She leaps to her feet and spins around. Her eyes fall on the bodies of Lupin and Tonks.
“No…”