The revelation of Tonks' pregnancy caught Barnaby so off guard that his emotions simply erupted uncontrollably, leaving him feeling utterly euphoric.
Even Sanshi was momentarily stunned by the overwhelming sensation she received through their connection, unable to suppress her smile as she resumed the slaughter with renewed energy, completely overstimulated by the news.
Barnaby was going to have a baby!
Luna, Seamus, and Ernie stood frozen with their wands raised, speechless as they watched the couple in front of them share a passionate kiss despite the battle raging around them.
It was their moment, launching the combined Patronus they had learned through relentless effort and sweat over the past year with Aberforth, driving back the horde of Dementors heading for the castle.
A tale worth telling!
But after seeing Barnaby's Patronus, they felt like they weren't even casting the same spell...
Seamus and Ernie quickly exchanged glances and moved as if that event had never happened, turning around and dealing with the Death Eaters as if that had been their goal all along.
Dementors? There are none here.
Aberforth nudged a stunned Luna aside so as not to give himself away...
The first assault ended with... calling it a victory didn't quite feel right, but they had held their ground.
People began recovering the bodies and laid them in the Great Hall, where among the victims, Lupin and other adults who had given their lives to protect the students as best as they could were seen.
As for the fallen Death Eaters, they were heaped into a pile in a dungeon in the basement, where efforts would later be made to identify them.
Minerva surveyed the bodies in the Great Hall with sorrow, but she could at least take solace in the fact that Dumbledore's killer had died. Such had been Harry's news when he came seeking her for the password to the office to use the Pensieve.
Strangely, Harry insisted that Barnaby accompany him to view the memories he carried in a vial...
"We should go and help Poppy," Minerva shook her head to refocus as she turned to look at Sanshi, who had blood-matted fur and armor damaged in various places. "Let me clean you up," she said, vanishing the blood and grime on her with a flick of her wand.
Barnaby's familiar had been completely exposed in this unfortunate event, but people were too busy to pay much attention.
"Thank you," Sanshi said, grateful as the sticky sensation of blood and its foul stench diminished considerably.
The two made their way to the infirmary, where the wounded were gathered to help bandage, apply potions, and heal to the best of their abilities.
They had held on, but there was no telling when the second wave would arrive, and they had no time to waste.
Barnaby didn't want to leave Tonks after hearing the news, much less when Harry arrived and told him to follow him without explanation. But when he mentioned Snape's death and the memories in his hand, Barnaby couldn't help but follow him to the Pensieve.
A few minutes later...
"I knew there was something fishy about the way he was behaving," Barnaby thought, gritting his teeth, feeling renewed disdain and hatred toward Dumbledore. "Uncle Snape never deserved to go through that!"
He would go down in history as a great villain for following the bearded one's plan, but Barnaby would not stand for that. He would rise up and clear the sequence of events, willing to spend however long it took to clear Severus Snape's name.
The fact that he was also the Half-Blood Prince had completely blindsided him!
"Sanshi," he called through their connection, "stop whatever you're doing and go retrieve Uncle Snape's body."
He had a feeling that if he waited until everything was over, there might be nothing left to find.
"Understood, I'll go immediately," Sanshi replied.
Barnaby took a few deep breaths to calm himself.
"What are you going to do now?" he asked Harry.
The revelation that he himself was a Horcrux had left the bespectacled teen completely disarmed, discovering that he needed to die in order for Voldemort to be killed as well.
"There's only one way."
Barnaby resisted the urge to roll his eyes, feeling that Harry was being overly dramatic, even considering the current situation. He knew a bit about it— even if Harry died to break his cursed condition, it would be akin to suspended animation, and Harry would revive shortly afterward.
But seeing how serious he was, Barnaby decided not to shatter his resolve.
An hour later, Voldemort repeated his demand.
As Harry made his solitary way to the Forbidden Forest, it guaranteed the battle would end.
And that was exactly what he did.
Barnaby watched as some people were less than pleased with this turn of events. After all, if it was going to end this way, it would have been better if he had done it before so many had died.
It didn't take long before Harry was seen again, being levitated back with Narcissa Malfoy's wand as Voldemort paraded the "dead" body like a trophy to demoralize all the defenders.
Everyone's faces fell at the sight of the teenager's "corpse."
Knowing he wasn't dead, Barnaby was intrigued.
Not just because Voldemort didn't check if Harry was actually dead, but because the teenager had even managed to fake it while being levitated.
And being levitated in that position was terribly uncomfortable...
But Narcissa should be able to tell Harry was only pretending, so why...?
"Is it because of Draco?" Barnaby concluded, remembering that the boy was unconscious but alive. "Maybe they struck some deal behind Noseless' back..."
It was the only reason he could think of at the moment; a mother's love for her son outweighed her fear of the self-proclaimed Dark Lord.
His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Neville standing there, completely frozen as Voldemort mockingly placed the Sorting Hat on his head and set it aflame.
Or at least he tried to, but the fire didn't seem to affect the ancient artifact...
Barnaby couldn't hold back a laugh at Voldemort's "misfire," as many also felt that the Dark Lord had made a rookie mistake, and they launched themselves at the Death Eaters with renewed bravery for a second assault.
As for why the hat didn't burn, it was possible Barnaby had cast a water-and-fire barrier on it about seven or eight years ago...
With the reduced number of Death Eaters behind Voldemort and the return of the presence of Dark Side and Shadow Thorn, the difference in strength caused the swift downfall of Voldemort's remaining followers.
Soon, only Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort remained; even Nagini couldn't save herself when Neville managed to decapitate her with the Sword of Gryffindor in what could only be described as the adrenaline rush of his life.
"Die! Die! Die!" Bellatrix was frenzied by how things were turning out, hurling lethal curses at Ginny one after another.
Suddenly, two massive hands — one white, the other black — trapped her between their palms and dragged her into the darkness. Bellatrix, as if sensing her fate, screamed in terror, desperately hoping her master would save her from such a doom.
He didn't.
"Phew!" Barnaby wiped the sweat from his forehead. "A crazed Bellatrix is enough compensation for the work of Dark Side and Thorny Shadow."
The reason he didn't want to use them from the beginning was that they were more mercenaries than friends; without proper payment, they wouldn't budge. Fortunately, their interest had been piqued by Lestrange, and he was able to settle the debt without issues.
He knew what was going to happen to Bellatrix, but he didn't have the slightest bit of a guilty conscience.
"You and your damn beasts!" Voldemort shouted furiously as he watched his most loyal follower, lover, and mother of his secret daughter disappear, swallowed by the darkness, with desperate eyes and tears. "Avada Kedavra!"
Barnaby was about to tilt his head to let the curse pass harmlessly by, but a Shield Charm appeared out of nowhere and blocked the spell.
Barnaby was speechless.
Did he look like someone who needed help?
Harry could have taken advantage of being hidden under his Invisibility Cloak to finish off Voldemort once and for all, but instead, he chose to reveal himself, show he was still alive, and engage in a face-to-face duel with the Dark Lord while explaining why the Elder Wand wouldn't obey him.
The slap Barnaby gave his own forehead in response to such stupidity echoed throughout the castle, momentarily interrupting Voldemort and Harry's little world before they resumed their showdown as if they hadn't noticed.
And Barnaby was about to do it again when Voldemort cast another Avada Kedavra, while Harry responded with… an Expelliarmus.
But even more astounding was how the Killing Curse rebounded off the Disarming Charm, striking Voldemort, who was hit by the Stunner at the same time, causing his death and disarming of the Elder Wand simultaneously.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
Voldemort dissolved into ashes and would never return again.
The crowd erupted in cheers upon witnessing the Dark Lord's ultimate demise, while Barnaby, who was being embraced by Tonks, remained stunned at the absurdity of the situation.
Prophecies were so stupid…
Ron approached and patted Harry's back multiple times, thrilled that the conflict was finally over.
"Are you alright, Harry?"
"Yeah, I don't think my scar will ever hurt again," Harry replied with a bit of humor, despite being so exhausted that he wanted to fall asleep on the spot. "Where's Hermione?" he asked, noticing her absence amid the throngs of people.
"I don't know," Ron looked around, just as confused. "I haven't seen her since the barrier vanished and those blue flames fell. Maybe she's tending to the wounded — you know how she is."
Harry nodded and decided to let it go, choosing to close his eyes for just a moment.
Just a moment...
Zzzz...