Fred stepped quickly from the fireplace and reached up to check on Skeeter. She was still there, hiding under his collar.
He still wasn't entirely sure about having her come along, but it felt like the right thing to do. Especially as he did owe her a life debt and he rather disliked being indebted to people.
"Oi, Fred, you're with Diggory here. Stick together and fly straight to Hogwarts." Bill called out from the center of the grungy little pub.
It still surprised Fred that the owner of this place was Albus Dumbledore's brother. It was just so...well, grim. Very unlike the Headmaster's office. That room had always been a feast for the eyes. George and he had visited whenever Mcgonagall had found them too exasperating.
Grief flashed through him at the memory of his time at Hogwarts. Would the pain never end.
"Alright there, Weasley?" Diggory asked, looking at him with concern.
Fred pushed his ancient thoughts away and gave a sharp nod, "Yes, and go ahead and call me Fred. Too many Weasley's running around."
Hopefully this would also help him get over his constant need to say he wasn't Fred. He wanted that joke laid to rest with George. Not that George was really laid to rest. Fred didn't know where his brother's body was, but he knew he never wanted to see it again. Didn't want to see those empty eyes, that empty body. It was already so hard, feeling that empty connection.
"Well, if you say so," Diggory said doubtfully.
"I do. Now, let's go. My friends are waiting on me." Fred pulled his broom out of his drawstring bag and strode outside, the other man fast on his heels. Least he wouldn't have to worry about if Diggory could keep up with him. You didn't play seeker if you were a slouch on a broom.
Stepping outside, he found Hogsmeade to be eerily quiet. It wasn't even that late, still the dinner hour, but the cool spring air carried no sounds over it.
"This is spooky," Diggory said, looking around.
"Very, but there's no time to stop and study it," Bill said, joining them outside with Charlie.
"Right. Everyone is already off. Keep your eyes open for any oddities on the way," Charlie stated as he mounted his broom.
Fred wrinkled his nose, he didn't like being told what to do by his older brothers, but they were right and the current state of affairs was much too serious for him to argue just for form's sake.
The four of them pushed off from the ground and rose quickly into the air. Once at a good altitude they pointed their brooms towards the castle and sped off.
Even as Fred leaned over his broom he reached up and lightly touched his collar, checking for the little beetle. Just to make sure, after all, he had a life debt to keep.
XXX
Hermione raced into the Entrance Hall, a multitude of students on her heels, many of them still chanting, "For Hogwarts!" She couldn't believe there were so many following her.
Didn't they realize this was a battle?
People at died at the Battle of Malfoy Manor, the Battle of Godric's Hollow, and the Attack on Little Hangleton.
People would likely die today.
Voldemort was in the castle. His horcruxes were almost all gone, and he knew it. He also knew he was the master of the bloody Death Stick.
Well, the last one was debatable as to its truthfulness. Maybe the cursed snake was the master. Wouldn't that be a laugh?
She snorted and yanked the door to the castle open, several other students assisting her.
Empty castle grounds lay before them, lit by the rising moon. Everything appeared normal, but Hermione didn't trust appearances.
"What do you recommend?" Mclaggen asked, looking to her for orders.
She nibbled on her lips and scanned the grounds. Readings and lessons weaved their way through her mind. Not to mention numerous chess matches against Ron.
"We need protections against avada kedavra. Get the tables out of the great hall. Form barriers. Get everyone sorted into groups of four. Try to mix the houses evenly, as well as the years. We all have our own strengths and we need to work together," she ordered, not even realizing the authority that had crept into her tone.
Mclaggen didn't reply, instead he turned and swiftly began calling out orders to his old classmates. After a moment of hesitation Seventh years swept through the crowd, breaking themselves into groups that indubitably held one from each house, though a few were missing Ravenclaws and Slytherins. Hermione sent a fleeting thought after Zabini and the others.
Hopefully they didn't run into Voldemort on their way to the hospital wing.
XXX
Blaise's skin was crawling by the time he reached the second floor.
Something wasn't right.
At all.
The teachers should have engaged the Dark Lord and his followers by now.
What could the Dark Lord be doing?
The odd feeling persisted all the way to the Hospital Wing. There he found the door cracked open, and, as he reached out to push it open the rest of the way he found a familiar wand pointed directly at him.
His shoulders relaxed in relief, though he still felt as if something was very wrong.
"You look like Blaise. Tell me something only he would know."
Blaise's elegant eyebrows shot up. "You really want me to say something only I would know?"
"Yes."
"Fine. The first time we kissed you scolded me for doing it in your father's house. Now, you give one."
Theo's voice got very low, so that only Blaise could hear him. "Your mother doesn't actually kill her husbands. Someone cursed her, but she refuses to believe it. And nothing you say makes a difference. Also, every man she meets seems to be oblivious to the fact a relationship with her equals suicide."
Blaise didn't wait. He pushed the door open and swept Theo into his arms, heedless of the other students. Hopefully so many things would occur this evening that no one would think twice about them. And if no one thought twice then no one could tell his mother.
"It took you long enough!"
Blaise pulled away from Theo and looked over at Pansy, perched next to a sleeping Longbottom. Lovegood reclined on the bed next to them, Madam Pomfrey tending her wounds.
"Yes, it took us just long enough. Black is outside, forming a defense against any reinforcements while the teachers chase after the Dark Lord. He's still somewhere in the castle," Tracey said, striding past Theo and Blaise, the Ravenclaws behind her.
Madam Pomfrey stood up and looked them all over. "If the teachers are off seeing to the Death Eaters in the castle, then what are you doing? I'm certain Minerva sent all of the students to safety!"
A rather inelegant snort came from Lisa Turpin, "Safety? She sent us to the Slytherin Common Room! The place You-Know-Who likely knows best in the entire castle! And we had traitors in our midst!"
"Besides," Mandy Brocklehurst stated cooly," this is our world, too. We refuse to sit by idly and do nothing while a madman attacks all we hold dear."
"Not to mention redemption," Tracey said. "The Dark Lord gave Slytherin a bad name. We may value cunning and ambition above all else, but we certainly value other things as well. Love, friendship, family. Those are all important to us. Just look at them." She gestured over at Longbottom and Pansy. "A Longbottom and a Parkinson! Engaged! And not a single harsh word from any of their classmates! My father was a muggleborn and yet my mother's family raised no objections because, despite his blood, he was one of us. He was a Slytherin. We just need to widen our circles. To stop thinking of our houses, and start thinking of our school. For Hogwarts!"
"For Hogwarts!"
Tracey raised her hand in the air, clenched into a fist as the others followed her lead in their shout. Blaise could hardly believe it, but he joined in. Tracey was right, even if her words and actions were out of character. That scene down in the basement must have really gotten to her.
"Hmph! I won't deny what you said, but I don't like it. Now, I'm going to keep treating Miss Lovegood. Make yourselves useful and keep the room secure." With that, the medi-witch refocused her attention on Lovegood, leaving everyone standing there a bit awkwardly.
Blaise shifted from one foot to the other, wondering what to do now that he had reunited with Theo.
Wait.
Hadn't Black said something about a map?
He leaned down to whisper in Theo's ear. "Black said something about retrieving a map."
"Map? Oh!!" Theo jerked away and headed for the door. "We left it out by the Shifting Room! Hurry!"
Blaise groaned but hurried after his lover, calling out as he started to run, "Tracey! You're in charge! We'll be right back!"
"But-!"
Her reply was cut off as Blaise shut the door to the Hospital Wing and hurried off, running after Theo.
XXX
Luna studied the other students as Madam Pomfrey finished healing the last of her wounds. There wasn't much creative thinking in the room, but that was alright, she had enough for all of them.
They'd have to leave Neville behind, he would need hours of rest to be back in top form. Pansy could watch him, along with Madam Pomfrey.
But the others...
She smiled.
Yes, with a little bit of creative thinking they could be quite useful.
Well, as long as Luna kept the wrackspurts away, but that wouldn't be too difficult. She'd managed to keep them away from her friends for years, extending the protections to her housemates wouldn't be too difficult.
"There, you're as good as new! Now, I want you to take it easy. Understand, Miss Lovegood?" Madam Pomfrey asked rather sternly, staring down at the pale girl.
Luna gave the medi-witch a small smile. "Yes, I understand."
"Good."
With that, the medi-witch bustled over to her office. Once she and disappeared inside of it Luna sat up and yanked open her bag.
Time to get started.
XXX
Hermione crouched down behind one of the upturned tables. Mclaggen and Creevy were on either side of her and - despite her misgivings - she couldn't help but feel glad they were there. Padfoot and Mrs. Longbottom had spent a year with Mclaggen. He may not have had the same training she or her friends had had, but it was much better than anyone else in the school.
"I don't like this," Mclaggen muttered. "There's no sounds of fighting in the castle. And not a soul out here. Are you sure You-Know-Who is in the castle?"
"Of course I'm sure! Luna saw him!"
Mclaggen turned and gaped at her, as did Creevy.
"Wait," said Creevy. "Are you saying we're doing all of this because ONLY Loony Lovegood saw You-Know-Who?!?"
Hermione reached out and grabbed Creevy by the collar, "DON'T call her Loony!"
Creevy grew very pale and nodded hurriedly, "Yes, ma'am! Sorry!"
She released him, scowling. "He came out of the Shifting Room. Blew it apart. Dropped a wall on Neville and slammed Luna into another one. He's very angry about something the Order did. The Ministry was gutted after the Battle of Godric's Hollow. No one is in charge since Scrimgeour died. The Order is mostly underground and the Death Eaters don't have enough support with the general population. My articles may have helped with that, but we'll never know. Many parents left their children at Hogwarts as, even without Dumbledore, they thought it was safest. Voldemort won't leave tonight without the school under his control."
"So, you're sure he's in the castle?" Mclaggen asked.
"Yes. I just don't know what he's doing. Or why the teachers haven't found him yet."
Hermione?
Draco's thought came to her and she felt her heart lurch in fear.
What's wrong? Are you alright?
Yes, there were Death Eaters in the shack. We took them out and, well, I, uh, accidentally killed one. I'm a murderer.
She sighed. Hadn't his mother ever spoken to him about this? She knew Padfoot had discussed it with her and Harry.
Draco, you're not a murderer. I'm guessing he was trying to kill you. No, you're not becoming like Voldemort. Trust me, I did a lot of research on horcruxes. Intent is what matters. Now, I can't talk.
Why? What's wrong?
She fought the urge to roll her eyes. There was nothing wrong, but she needed all her attention on the grounds. Somehow she'd ended up in charge of this group and if anything happened....
Voldemort seems to want to destroy Hogwarts. He's inside fighting the teachers and he called for reinforcements. Order isn't here yet and we-
She cut herself off abruptly and turned towards the Forbidden Forest.
There'd been a noise, like the breaking of a tree. What-
She gasped at what emerged from the trees.
She'd never seen a giant before. Let alone a dozen of them.
Students all around her gasped and cried out at the sight lying before them. The giants stood there, on the edge of the forest, for a minute, gazing out rather stupidly at the tables spread across the grounds, with students crouched behind them.
She kneeled there, frozen in shock, her wand cutting into her hand as she gripped it tightly, her heart pounding in her chest.
HERMIONE?!?!?!?!
Draco's voice drew her back, she gathered up her thoughts and got them organized. This was no time for panicking.
Still, she couldn't help but let a little of her fear and worry slip into the words she sent back to Draco.
There are bloody GIANTS!!!!!
We're on our way!
His reply soothed her a bit, but that died as soon as a shout from the Forest got the giants running towards them.
She stood up and blasted the ground in front of a giant's feet, sending it sprawling to the ground. Creevy and Mclaggen jumped to their feet beside her.
"FOR HOGWARTS!!!" Mclaggen screamed.
He'd obviously paid attention to his studies, as he didn't try to cast magic directly on the incoming giants. Instead he turned and blasted Greenhouse 3, catching up a wave of broken glass in a magical net and sending it shooting into the stampeding giants.
They didn't stop, but they did slow down and let out howls of rage. This seemed to bolster the other students and they followed suit, jumping up, shouting, "FOR HOGWARTS!" and doing all they could to stop the creatures.
A giant was heading right for Hermione and she grabbed Creevy by the back of his robes, yanking him out of the way as an enormous hand tried to scoop him up. Even as she did so a loud scream pierced the air.
Looking up she saw someone fly through the air and, before Hermione could raise her wand, slam into the castle.
They fell limply to the ground.
Rage boiled through Hermione, followed by a powerful surge of magic.
How DARE they?!?!
She'd led these people here! They were hers! Her classmates! Her friends! Her people! They were HERS! HERS!!!
She shoved Creevy behind her and threw herself to the ground, thus dodging another attempt by the giant to grab onto them. Rolling along the ground her free hand grabbed onto a broken branch. Jumping to her feet she transfigured it into a long, thin dagger without a second thought.
Not a single thought moved through her mind as she gave way to the Black Rage.
Dimly aware of other shapes coming out of the forest behind the giants she ran towards the giant that had been attacking her and Creevy, swerving to avoid his grabbing fingers she slammed the dagger into the back of his wrist, using her recent studies of healing to slip between the bones and hit one of his enormous veins.
Yanking the dagger back out as he howled in agony she screamed, "FOR HOGWARTS!!!" before running towards his legs.
A swift stab in the back of his ankle sent him tumbling down, but left her unable to retrieve the dagger. She tried to dodge the large limbs, but tripped on her robes and went flying. Struggling to recover without breaking her wand she let out a shout as a large hand wrapped itself around her torso.
She wriggled, throwing herself from side to side as she was lifted off the ground. Her robes fell away from her face and she blinked in disorientation until she realized the giant, now sitting on the ground, was glaring at her.
"BAD!"
He gave her a rough shake, squeezing her tightly as he did so.
"BAD!!!"
His arm raised up and she struggled harder, yanking her right arm free. Then, holding her wand tightly, she slammed the butt of it into the soft flesh between the giant's thumb and index finger. He howled in pain, but didn't drop her. Instead he shook her harder and she felt her wand slip out of her fingers.
Fear shot through her, but she refused to give into it.
"FOR HOGWARTS!" She heard herself scream as she fought all the harder to free herself, even as she was shaken so hard that her teeth rattled. But she only managed to free her other arm.
Fat lot of good it did her.
Merlin Damn It! If she didn't get out of this quickly she'd be dead. She shouldn't have let her temper get the better of her, but damn it! Her people were getting hurt! They'd trusted her and she'd let them down!
She had to get out of this! She had to! For herself, for Harry, for Draco, for everyone else that was counting on her!
With that thought she took a deep breath and prepared herself for one last attempt to escape, even as she felt her ribs scream in agony as the giant's hand tightened.
She raised her right arm high, preparing to slam her bony elbow into the giant's meaty flesh when the most beautiful sound in the world came floating through the air.
A sweet and piercing melody, ending on a piercing scream of defiance caught her ears and Hermione looked up to see a phoenix flying towards her.
It had to be Fawkes. Dumbledore's phoenix.
But he hadn't been seen since Christmas.
What....
Something dark fell from Fawkes' talons and Hermione stared in confusion as the old Sorting Hat fell onto her upraised hand.
What use had she for an old hat?
The answer came when she felt something cold and hard slip into her hand. She let loose with a feral grin as she reached up with her left hand and yanked the hat off.
There, gripped in her right hand was a gorgeous silver sword with a glittering, rubied handle.
She let out a howl of triumph and brought the sword swinging down, slicing cleanly through the giant's wrist. He let go of her with a scream of pain, now with both wrists terribly injured.
Luckily, as he was sitting, she didn't have far to fall. Nor did she hesitate when she hit the ground. She screamed out, "FOR HOGWARTS!" and ran forward, plunging the sword into the giant's chest.
It took both hands to yank it back out. She stood there for a moment, panting and covered in giant blood, before the screams and shouts of her fellow students drew her back to the battle.
Cursing under her breath she scanned the ground until she found her wand lying on the grass, gleaming in the moonlight.
Swinging down to pick it up, her eyes scanned the battlefield. Now there were spells flying and she could see masked figures fighting with the giants.
No wonder no one had helped her take out the giant. Their hands were full enough.
Grinning a bit madly she swapped the sword and her wand.
She'd just taken out a giant by herself. A few Death Eaters were nothing. Nothing at all.