A few hours after Harry and Dumbledore had left, his wives and the professors had worked quickly with the newly arrived Order of the Pheonix to prepare for an invasion of Hogwarts, the younger students had been gathered in the Great Hall with strong runes and protection spells as the sixth and seventh years (mostly Harry's defense group) helped the Aurors that Amelia sent prepare for battle all around the castle. Hogwarts had its wards activated, so it one could not penetrate it with brute force, but no chances were being taken. As for Hogsmeade village, the majority of the Order and a few skilled Aurors had gone down to act as the frontline against the Death Eaters, including Penny, Tonks, Fleur, Sirius, Remus, Hestia Jones, Moody, Arthur and Bill Weasley, and others.
As the evacuation of the village was happening, Tonks turned to Fleur and said, "I swear on every deity that will listen, including Morganna's tits, I'm going to kill our idiot husband if we all live to see tomorrow."
Fleur smirked, "Morgana's bosom is not a deity, I should know being French and a Veela; however, I agree with you, our beaux will receive a punishment worse than Voldemort for running off on his own."
Penny just sighed, "We'll worry about it tomorrow, but yes, our idiot Gryffindor of a husband will be on bedrest for the next six months."
Near the three angry witches, Sirius whispered to Remus, "I think I finally figured out the downside of Harry's marriage."
Remus chuckled, "You would still do it if you could."
Sirius smirked, "Damn right I would."
The light-hearted atmosphere ended as they saw dark shadows flying toward the center of the village and landed, revealing a familiar and menacing figure appear first. Everyone tensed at the sight of the serial killer Fenrir Greyback and his pack of werewolves, both reluctant and unreluctantly, appear behind him with a few masked Death Eaters.
Remus snarled, "Greyback! Still preying on the innocent, I see? That ends today, one way or another."
Greyback grinned, "Lupin, nice to see you're still kicking, and your loyal dog is with you, I see."
Moody stepped up to the front, "You got one chance Greyback, surrender or get planted in the dirt next to all the pour souls you've killed."
Greyback snorted, "My pack has never been stronger and all I see before me are tired old men and little girls, I think I'll take those odds. Attack!"
With his deafening war cry, the werewolves moved to terrorize the village as the Order members did what they could to defend it as the evacuation continued. Sirius and Remus engaged Greyback directly as Penny, Tonks, and Fleur barreled through enemy after enemy throughout Hogsmeade as people ran in terror.
Fleur, looking graceful as an angel despite the situation, managed to cast enough hexes and charms to back a few of the pack into a literal corner. She smirked and raised her wand, "Glacius Hastis!"
The werewolves barely had time to widen their eyes as ice spears materialized in the air and shot quicker than the eye could see at them, impaling them against the wall. Fleur smiled at a job well done before running off to help the others.
Tonks, meanwhile, was dealing with her own problems as the wankers were shooting off blood curses and bone breaking spells from the rooftops as the pink-haired Auror was defending a small group of villagers. The punk knew her Protego and her other defensive spells wouldn't last forever, so she decided to use her new spell taught to her by Salazar's painting; although, she knew it would drain much of her magical core.
Once she was sure the last of the villagers had gotten behind her, she pointed her wand to the sky and shouted, "Tempestas!"
A violet light emerged from Tonks' wand toward the sky as the werewolves and Death Eaters looked up entranced as a massive dark cloud formed above them and then thunder roared from the cloud. Over a dozen strikes of lightning landed on their intended targets as all her enemies were quickly turned into charred corpses and destroyed some of the surrounding buildings. Tonks fell to one knee, completely exhausted, as she tried to regain her breathing and barely registered her friend Hestia Jones approach her.
"Tonks are you ok!?", Hestia asked concerned.
The young Auror just grinned, "Yeah, I'm fine, but that was totally wicked."
Hestia shook her head as she helped Tonks up and took the gathered the villagers toward the evac point. The battle was raging hard, but there were almost no casualties as the fighting was contained, and the evacuation had been mostly finished.
Near the center of the village, Penny was engaging her own group of dark wizards as she saw Remus and Sirius engage Greyback in an explosive two on one duel. Sirius may have once been the best Auror of his generation, but he never recovered fully after his time in Azkaban and Remus was likely still weakened being only a day removed from his last transformation, all while Greyback looked as powerful as ever. Penny knew she had to finish this fight now to help the others finish off Greyback.
"Diffindo! Confrigo! Bombarda Maxima! Reducto!", she shouted in rapid succession at her opponents as the Death Eaters were sliced, burned, and blown apart until they either died or fell unconscious due to the pain as she rushed over to aid her comrades.
Sirius eventually stumbled to keep up with Greyback and the large werewolf grabbed the former convict by the throat, intending to snap his neck.
Sirius chuckled slightly and thought, "Figures, I'm finally free and I die to this wanker. Oh well, at least I spent my last few months happier than I thought possible since James died. Harry…thank you for everything, even if I don't deserve your kindness. I only wish…I could have done more."
Just as Greyback was about to squeeze as hard as he could, Penny apparated with a large knife in her hand and cut off the dark wizard's hand, dropping a semi-conscious Sirius to the ground.
The werewolf roared in pain, "You little slut! I'll make sure to use you as breeding stock for the entire pack, but first, I'm going to turn you into one of mine. Too bad Potter's not here to see it."
Greyback had grabbed her and opened his mouth to let Penny see his large, inhuman teeth as he moved to bite into the young woman. Fortunately, Remus had extended his own arm to take the bite instead, and despite the pain he felt, he was strong enough to move away from Penny and Sirius and dragged his old tormentor with him. After he got far enough, Remus lifted his wand between the two werewolves and closed his eyes in resolution.
"Bombarda", he whispered as a massive blast of magical energy exploded, separating the two.
Penny rushed over to her former professor, passing the bloody corpse of Fenrir Greyback, and kneeled down to inspect him. While the spell was aimed at Greyback, Remus was so close to the blast that the impact also injured his torso with multiple puncture wounds. Penny took out her wand and tried to use all her healing spells to heal him, but she was exhausted.
Remus gently stopped her with his hand, "It's alright, Penelope. I am at peace with this."
Penny tried to protest, but Remus just smiled sadly and said, "I'm done running from the pain, my dear, and this is a much better end than I deserve. Please make sure Sirius knows not to blame himself and please tell Harry that he doesn't have to forgive me for leaving him all alone all those years but tell him that I am sorry. Look after him, will you?"
Penny nodded, "It is my full-time job after all."
Lupin chuckled until his breathing slowed down and he stopped moving, eventually succumbing to his injuries and passed on. Penny just sighed and closed his eyes as she vaguely heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Fleur there with a sad expression as she gazed down at the scene.
"The village has been evacuated, and the rest of the Death Eaters have been put down.", Fleur said somberly.
Penny nodded and wiped her eyes, "This can't be all of them, there were supposed to be more Death Eaters. Did we manage to stop them from getting into the castle?"
Before Fleur could respond, both girls were drawn to a large explosion coming from the castle, near where the entrance from Honeydukes to Hogwarts lies.
Fleur looked at Penny grim-faced, "What now?"
Penny just looked down at Lupin's corpse and said, "Pray."
Professor McGonagall looked upon the statue of the one-eyed witch and sighed, "For the first time since I first stepped in these halls as a wide-eyed girl eager to learn all there is to know about magic, I have found something new about Hogwarts and hated it."
Su smiled sadly, "It's never the knowledge itself that's the problem professor, only the people that abuse it."
After the lockdown had been completed and the eldest students had been gathered to aid the teachers and Aurors wherever they could before the invasion on the school could begin, Su had been the one that volunteered to show the Headmistress and twenty of the DMLE's best Aurors to the secret passageway that should be the Death Eater's access point. Her sister-wives were all scattered across the school to prepare for any additional schemes the enemy hatches in the event they fail to secure the passageway.
The Headmistress just sighed again and nodded, "Indeed, a lesson I hope actually sticks with your generation, lest we find ourselves at war again. You will open the entrance Ms. Li, and I will collapse the passage, the rest of you get ready in case they have already gotten closer than we thought."
Su nodded and raised her wand, "Dissendium."
The hump of the statue shifted and the entrance behind it opened as the professor and the Aurors raised their wands. They were all surprised when a masked Death Eater stumbled out of the statue and collapsed in front of them. Before anyone could restrain the seemingly injured dark wizard, the man spoke low enough for only Su and McGonagall to hear.
"For the Dark Lord…", the man wheezed out before a strange aura enveloped him.
Boom!
Su could barely react as Minerva grabbed her and raised her wand to prevent them both from the explosion and the subsequent shockwave that engulfed all of the Aurors and much of the castle's corridor they were in. The massive protection spell McGonagall used to save them both began to finally break after the explosion began to subside and the two were pushed back forcefully.
Su was incredibly disoriented when she awoke a few minutes later, she wasn't bleeding but she was definitely bruised and had sprained muscles and joints everywhere. She slowly got up and gasped at the destruction all around her, the passageway was gone, along with the statue and the entire corridor as she stared out the hole which now gave her a perfect view of the castle grounds. Sighing heavily, she cast an Aquamenti spell on the flames left behind and she had to stop herself from vomiting as she looked at the bodies of the dead Auror squad, or what was left of them.
After the flames were doused, she found Professor McGonagall groaning on the floor, but still alive. She noticed that Minerva was bleeding from her head due to a cut she must have sustained when she was flung against the remaining wall, unlike Su herself.
Su cast what little healing spells she knew to keep the professor conscious and spoke, "Forgive me professor, you were hurt because of my slowness to react."
When she gained enough strength to speak and sit up, Minerva said, "Nonsense, my dear, I should have guessed that Voldemort would use the explosion curse to catch us off guard, it was a favorite of his during the last war to be used on innocents and muggleborns. Dark curses like that are incredibly dangerous even for veteran Aurors to deal with, as you can see all around you. Although, I don't know why he used it to destroy the best way for his forces to get into Hogwarts?"
Before they could discuss next steps, Dobby popped in, "Mistress Su, multiple House Elves have started to appear in Hogwarts with evil wizards!"
Su widened her eyes as her Ravenclaw mind put the pieces together, "That was the real plan, use House Elf magic to appear in Hogwarts since they can get past the wards with the castle's magic weakened, and that Death Eater was just meant to cut down our fighting force with that explosion. Either Snape was lying to us, or the Dark Lord lost trust in him and lied, meaning we're screwed."
McGonagall shook her head, "Hogwarts will endure, Ms. Li, as must we all. I need Dobby to send me to Poppy to heal me, and then you must head to the main entrance to prepare."
Su was confused, but determined despite all her nerves and thoughts of self-doubt, "Prepare for what?"
Minerva smiled and said, "To save the school, of course, now listen to me carefully…"
After receiving the Patronus from Su, the three Lady Slytherin's were patrolling the dungeons searching for any Death Eaters that had snuck into the castle. They had separated from the group of Aurors due to the thin numbers they had and the abandoned dark tunnels deep beneath the castle weren't helping their nerves. Although, they were still remarkably composed and masked their emotions like a true Slytherin would, two of them anyway.
Tracey groaned again for the hundredth time, "Remind me again why we have to search the dungeons and not somewhere where we couldn't be murdered by any dark shadow?"
Pansy sighed and rubbed her temples, "I told you Trace, our forces are spread thin after that explosion killing so many Aurors and we had to leave most of our forces guarding the Great Hall; therefore, it's up to us as Slytherins who know these corridors best."
The three girls froze as voice in the dark spoke, "Oh, I think we would know these halls better than you blood traitor whores do."
They turned and widened their eyes at the sight at the Lestrange brothers and a couple of masked Death Eaters behind them. Rabastan and Rodolphus wore matching grins that sent shivers down their spines and promised nothing but pain.
Pansy recovered first and raised her wand, "Make this easy on yourself Lestrange, you two can still come out of this without going six feet under."
Rabastan grinned, "Dear little Pansy, all grown up and so demanding, not to mention so out of your depth. Just like dear old mummy."
Pansy growled but Daphne, formulating a plan, silently cast a Diffindo at the two brothers, to which they dodged despite their surprise, but that was the plan as Daphne was actually aiming for the torches behind them. Before she entered the dungeons with her friends, Daphne had brewed a potion that would allow the three to see in the dark, which would now provide perhaps the only advantage they would have over the two Death Eaters. After the corridor was hidden in complete darkness, Daphne shot some disarming spells and pushed her friends into the adjacent hallway to flee and regroup before the brothers got their bearings.
The three girls were running down the pitch-black halls to evade their foes, but Pansy saw two lights chasing them and she knew there was only one way they could win this. Her father had often told her that the Lestrange brothers worked best as a team to overpower and terrorize their enemies, so the only option was to separate them.
"We need to split up, take one with you two and I'll take the other.", Pansy said as she went left and shot some spells to get Rodolphus to follow her.
Tracey tried to stop her, but Daphne grabbed her and went right as Rabastan followed them, "I hate it too, but she's right. We need a plan."
Tracey was keeping pace with Daphne until Rabastan shot dark curses at them, forcing the two girls to turn around and engage him. While the Death Eater could only cast recklessly and repeatedly in the dark, the girls could block his spells and curses and launch their own powerful spells; however, they were having poor luck blasting through his Protego shield and other defensive spells.
Daphne suddenly got an idea and turned toward Tracey, "We're not going to win this fairly, you need to use the spell Salazar taught us while I protect us."
Tracey kept firing spells as she turned toward Daphne slack jawed, "I thought that the grumpy painting told us not use it unless we were about to die and why me?"
Daphne answered without turning and kept firing, "My protection shields can last longer than yours and if I'm being honest, you've mastered that spell better than me."
Tracey grumbles, "Figures you would admit I beat you in something right before we die, alright buy me some time."
Daphne nodded and, seeing Rabastan halt his assault to recover, cast every protection spell and rune that she knew to give Tracey the time she needed to cast the spell that would hopefully win this duel.
As the minutes dragged on, Daphne was beginning to feel the strain of shielding them from the onslaught that Lestrange was firing at her.
Daphne fell to one knee, "Trace, we need to do it now!"
Rabastan paused his assault to look behind the Greengrass girl to glance at her Half-Blood pet and widened his eyes at the sight. Tracey was emitting magical red energy from her entire body that carried an intense power, even for a veteran Death Eater, as she glared at him with glowing red eyes.
Daphne dropped her shields and moved as Tracey raised her wand, "Devastare."
Suddenly, the red energy flowed from her body through her wand and blew apart Rabastan's magic defenses as he was consumed by it. His skin was peeled from his body, through the muscles and organs and all the way to the bone in a matter of seconds as his whole being evaporated, as did much of the dungeon corridors. This combat spell was a creation of Salazar Slytherin, which the Ministry would classify today as Dark Magic, that gathers all the energy in a person's magical core and turns it into one destructive blast that vaporizes anything in its path. The cost, however, causes the user to be unable to perform magic for weeks after and could sometimes damage a person's ability to perform spells later in life.
After the energy dissipated with water from the Black Lake came up to their ankles with the different holes the destruction wrought despite her using Repairo, Tracey passed out in Daphne's arms. Daphne was just glad the strongest protection spells in the castle were in the dungeon, otherwise, the entire bottom part of the castle might have been destroyed.
Before Daphne could react, she heard a dreaded voice, "Aerem."
All of the air in her body had suddenly been sucked out slowly as she looked over to see a battered and bruised Redolphus glaring at her as he spat out, "You fucking whores! You killed my brother! I'm going to kill you slowly and my only regret will not being able to make you my pleasure slaves! This spell slowly drags all of the air a person has in their body as painfully as possible, but don't worry, this will still be a quicker death than what I'm going to do to her."
Meanwhile, a bloody Pansy had finally caught up to Redolphus after he had left their intense duel when the red energy exploded; she counted herself lucky they were far enough way before it hit. When Pansy saw Redolphus suck the literal life of Daphne, she froze as she knew there was only way to save her and stop him and she hesitated for a moment before she remembered Harry's words about using the Killing Curse. She was not her father, she would only use it to kill the scum of the earth, he and the other girls believed in her and to protect them.
Resolving herself, she raised her wand, "Avada Kadavra!"
A green flash echoed in the corridor and Redolphus Lestrange fell to the ground without realizing what had killed him as Pansy rushed to her friends and Daphne recovered the air in her body and fell into the ankle-deep water.
Daphne was barely conscious as she wheezed out, "What took you so long?"
Pansy, being Pansy, rolled her eyes and said, "I had to face my Death Eater alone, darling. Not that it was much a challenge, because I'm…well me."
Daphne scoffed at her friend's false bravado, "If I had any energy left, I would slap you."
Her fellow Slytherin just smirked, "Jealousy is the one shade of green that's ugly on you Daph."
High above, in the clouds, the Chaser Trio soared through the sky to protect the school from threats in the air and observe the battleground below for enemy attacks. They had been airborne for about an hour now and had no signs of enemy activity.
Alicia sighed, "Ang, we've been at this for an hour, shouldn't we be helping the others in the castle?"
Angelina shook her head, "These wankers have likely realized we stopped the elves from entering the castle before they got the majority of their forces inside, so they'll try to come at the school from above or from the ground. The others and the Auror forces should be enough to hold them, we need to stay here to stop them from progressing further."
Katie looked apprehensive, "Does that also include…Plan B?"
Angue sighed, "Let's hope it doesn't come to that, but Sheamus, Dean, and Neville were certain it would work."
Alicia huffed, "You know we're bloody well and fucked if our plan hedges on those three dodo birds."
Angelina smirked, "Hey now, Neville's not a dodo bird anymore. The other two though…"
The three giggled until clouds started forming out of nowhere, despite it being a sunny day, putting all of them on edge. Their worst fears were realized when dark whisps of smoke emerged as the Death Eaters began circling them like sharks. With a synchronized dive, the witches descended upon the enemy, wands drawn and spells ready. Angelina's hex struck the first wizard, sending him spiraling out of control. Alicia followed suit, her wand emitting a torrent of sparks that enveloped two more wizards. Katie's precision was unmatched as she cast a shield charm, deflecting incoming curses and protecting her comrades.
The wizards retaliated fiercely, firing curses and hexes in rapid succession. Their leader, a formidable figure with piercing eyes, aimed a powerful spell directly at Angelina. She deftly maneuvered through the onslaught, returning fire with equal intensity. The sky lit up with the clash of spells, a dazzling display of magical prowess and strategy.
Katie, noticing an opening, shouted, "Now, Angelina, go for the leader!"
Angelina surged forward, her broomstick cutting through the air like a blade. With a swift flick of her wand, she unleashed a spell that enveloped the wizard leader in a shimmering sphere, immobilizing him. Alicia and Katie joined her, their combined magic forming an impenetrable barrier around the enemy squadron.
As the wizards struggled against their confines, the witches held their formation, facing each other with triumphant smiles. The sky, once a battleground of chaos, now shimmered with the victory of unity and strength.
Alicia tilted her head and looked to her captain, "Looks like that restraining spell worked, huh?"
Angelina nodded, "Remind me to say thank you to Salazar and Rowena for teaching us."
Katie snorted, "Great, make their egos even bigger."
The girls were going to return to their positions before they turned to see a large crowd of wizards and witches emerge from the forest and rush toward the wooden bridge that connects to the school. Based on their outfits and demeanor, they weren't full Death Eaters, but they were dark wizards. Likely the mercenaries that Snape mentioned that Voldemort hired.
The three shared a look and Alicia asked, "Plan B?"
Angelina sighed and nodded, "Plan B, hope McGonagall doesn't bloody hex us later."
The Chaser Trio descended rapidly and headed toward the old bridge, or more specifically, toward the explosives that were hooked up underneath it.
"Let them all get on the bridge, then light your fuses and get clear!", Angie shouted.
After getting into their positions and letting the dark wankers almost clear the bridge to ensure they got everyone, the three girls raised their wands towards three different fuses scattered across the bridge and shouted, "Confrigo!"
Flying like bats out of hell, the three chasers would never forget what happened next for the rest of their lives as they ascended back into the skies at a safe distance.
BOOM!
The Chasers could do nothing but watch in awe and trepidation as the long-standing bridge exploded into a ball of flames and bright colors that consumed everything so quickly, the dark wizards didn't have a chance to scream for long.
Katie blinked a few times until she spoke, "Well…I'll never insult Seamus' pension for explosives again."
Angelina and Alicia, still looking at the destroyed bridge, just nodded dumbly.
Su had run a marathon through the castle, avoiding the different battles between Death Eaters and the Auror squads, to get to the Great Hall entrance and hopefully turn the tide of the battle if McGonagall was right. The Lady Ravenclaw had finally made it to the large doors when she saw most of the older students from their defense club she and the others started, Susan, her Aunt Amelia, and another squad of Aurors.
Su stepped up to Amelia first, "Minister Bones, what's the situation?"
Amelia exhaled deeply, "We've suffered less casualties than the enemy, thanks to proper planning and the skillset of a few students, but we've still lost a number of Aurors. The Death Eaters have decided to regroup in the main courtyard, and it looks like they're finally bringing in a number of dark creatures. I'm afraid this group will be all that's left to fend them off while the rest of my men who aren't dead or wounded in the infirmary are securing the rest of the castle."
Su groaned, "It's official, Harry's Potter luck has rubbed off on us."
Ron, Hermione, Neville, and most of the others snorted as her sister-wife Susan giggled and said, "It's a good thing we love him so much and his cooking is worth keeping him around."
Su deadpanned at her and said, "Susan, last night you said we keep Harry around because he shags us into next week."
Susan turned as red as her hair and Amelia pinched the bridge of her nose, "If this is how I die, I do not want this to be the last thing I hear."
Susan looked at her aunt with fierce determination, "We won't die, Auntie, we've prepared for this. We just need a little faith."
Amelia's smile grew somber as she embraced her niece, "Faith has rarely helped in situations like these, Susan."
Su stepped in and said, "You're right Minister Bones, but these might help."
The Ravenclaw raised her wand and said, "Piertotum Locomotor."
Everyone was shocked when the statues that have always been a part of the Great Hall entrance, suddenly came alive and started moving out the castle's main doors. Everyone just turned to stare with agape jaws at Su.
The girl just shrugged, "McGonagall told me about the spell, I can see now why she was miffed that she missed her chance to finally use it."
The rest just nodded as they heard the sounds of fighting break out already, so Amelia turned towards the group, "Alright, everyone get ready, me and the Aurors will move out first then the rest of you will engage where you can help. Remember, you're all just kids with your lives ahead of you, don't make unnecessary sacrifices on our behalf."
Amelia nodded to the squad of about twenty Aurors to head outside as she gave Susan one last tight embrace before following. Looking around, Su could see many of her friends and classmates, while determined, were looking doubtful and scared.
Before she could say anything, Luna spoke up with that usual smile of hers, "Don't worry everyone, we'll make it through this."
Dean raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "One of your mad as a hatter predictions, Luna?"
Luna tilted her head and took Neville's hand, "No, I just have faith in us all."
Everyone smiled and the tension eased a little before Susan spoke, "Alright, those dark tossers have attacked our school, let's go show them what happens when you mess with Hogwarts!"
They all cheered and got ready to advance into the courtyard before Su realized who had been missing from their party, "Susan, where's Hannah? I know that the snake queens are in the infirmary and the chasers are outside."
Susan looked anxious, "I don't know, she went to check around the school to try and cast new wards that would stop the Death Eaters from using House Elves to get in, but she should have been back by now."
Su grew grim after hearing that, but she just said to her friend, "We'll go find her when this is done. Are you ready?"
The Hufflepuff nodded and the two led the others out the main entrance and into the courtyard. All the students were shocked at the destruction of the once great open front area that has served a place of relaxation and happiness covered in debris and destruction as Aurors engaged with Death Eaters, mountain trolls, Dementors, even a few Acromantulas. Giving a nod to Susan, they brought out their wands and made their move, quickly followed by the others.
Amelia led the charge with her squad of Aurors, spells flying in all directions as they engaged the Death Eaters. The students, though fearful, followed suit, their wands emitting bursts of light as they joined the fray. Neville and Luna found themselves facing a towering mountain troll, its club swinging dangerously close. Luna, with her unwavering smile, cast a spell to disorient the beast while Neville aimed for its legs, bringing it down with a resounding crash.
Nearby, Hermione and Ron were locked in combat with a group of fearsome Acromantulas. Hermione's spells were precise, hitting the giant spiders with stunning accuracy, but Ron's bravery took center stage when he dove to protect her from an incoming attack, getting hurt in the process. Despite his injury, they managed to defeat the Arachnids together.
Hermione was holding him to check his condition, "Ron, why would you do that?"
Ron smiled weakly, "I wanted to be the courageous one for a change…for you."
Hermione looked shocked before her features softened as they put their foreheads together.
Amelia saw the Dementors advancing and quickly cast her Patronus charm, a bright, silver eagle emerging to drive the dark creatures away, giving the Aurors and students a moment of respite. Meanwhile, Su and Susan faced their own battles, dueling fiercely against Augustus Rockwood and Antonin Dolohov. The air crackled with the intensity of their spells, each one a life-or-death attempt to overpower their adversaries.
Despite the overwhelming odds, the combined forces of the Aurors and students began to turn the tide, their courage and determination shining through the chaos of the battle. For every fallen comrade, another stepped forward, embodying the spirit of Hogwarts and the relentless fight for freedom against darkness.
Susan, still trading spells with Dolohov, shouted at Su, "We need to end this now!"
Su nodded, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
The redhead nodded and the two raised their wands at the same time.
"Wingardium Leviosa! Incendio Maxima!"
"Ventus Tria!"
After Rockwood and Dolohov were raised in the air, they were hit with a powerful fire spell that was then increased in power by a wind spell. The combined result of the girl's efforts was a large fire tornado that, not only encompassed the two infamous dark wizards, but also tore through many of their Death Eater mates. With their two leaders dead, along with the majority of their forces, the remaining Death Eater troops lowered their wands and surrendered.
The two Sue's eventually collapsed due to magical exhaustion as Amelia oversaw the cleanup. The students that survived, which thankfully included their friends and year mates, went over to the two girls to check on them.
Luna smiled brightly and embraced Neville, "I told you we would succeed!"
Susan nodded with an exhausted grin, "The school is safe, and the Death Eaters are finally gone."
Hermione nodded solemnly and looked around, "We still have to repair the school, though, just looking at the state of it is worse than almost getting eaten by a giant spider."
Everyone gave her a deadpan look as Ron said, "Bloody Hell, Hermione."
Su groaned, "You guys handle that, I'm going to sleep for a week."
Susan giggled at her sister-wife before realizing something, "We still need to find Hannah."
Meanwhile, a petrified Hannah was levitated into the empty Astronomy Tower by a grinning Ernie MacMillan, before he dropped her and reanimated her, allowing her to gasp for air.
She hated herself for how she got caught; after setting up stronger wards that Rowena had provided to prevent more Death Eaters from entering the castle via elven magic, when she suddenly became immobilized and fell to the floor to see a smirking Ernie emerge from an invisibility cloak. They had moved rather quickly, but quietly through the Astronomy wing as they climbed up to the top of the tower as chaos reigned throughout the castle.
After regaining her breath, Hannah looked over to see Ernie looking out toward the castle grounds with two wands in his hands (hers included) and said, "You know my little Huffleslut, when I first took an interest in you, I must confess, it was just for your family name and beauty."
Hannah silently glared in contempt, but Ernie was unbothered as he continued his monologue, "My father told me to choose a suitable bride that would remain meek and obedient that came from a pureblood family with good breeding genes. You were such a whimpering little cow so eager for my attention, it was all so boring. When you refused me, however, at the ball, I finally got interested in you. Not because I cared about you, but because now I could start chasing you, taking you, molding you. I want nothing more than to take all the hatred and apathy you have for me and break you until you beg for mercy, all while your husband watches…just thinking about it is giving me a stiffy."
Hannah spat at him, "You're a fucking disgusting psychopath and I'm going to kill you."
Ernie finally turned towards her with a wide, manic smile, "And how are you going to do that?"
Hannah smirked, "The downside of living with magic, especially for us intolerant purebloods, is that we forget how dangerous muggle weapons are."
Ernie frowned before his eyes widened as Hannah pulled out a large knife and he swore under his breath for letting his guard down to gloat, but he still dodged her charge enough to getting stabbed; although, she still managed to get a small, barely noticeable cut on his arm. Aggravated, he flicked his wand and cast an Expelliarmus at close range, sending her flying across the tower.
He glided over all smug and leered at her prone form and tattered clothes, "You know sweetheart, I think I'm going to break you in now, poor Potter will just have to watch us another time, though the Dark Lord is unlikely to let him live long enough."
The grin fell off his face quickly when Hannah started laughing, "No, Ernie, you're the one that's going to die today."
He was bemused at her attitude until he felt it underneath his skin, a strange burning sensation that felt like a thousand ants crawling all over. Then, he clutched his stomach as his organs felt like they melting and blood came out of his eyes, ears, and mouth. He started screaming until all the air in his body suddenly dissipated, leaving him to choke on his spit and blood as he fell to the floor.
Hannah stood and loomed over him, "Wondering what's happening, honey? That knife I had was forged with goblin silver and dark magic a millennia ago by Salazar Slytherin and hidden in the Chamber of Secrets ever since his death. He didn't want anyone to use it, but when I told him about what you did to my mother, he changed his tune so long as I hid it away again afterward. It sets your inner skin on fire and boils all of your internal organs until blood and airflow stop completely…and all it takes is a single cut."
Ernie, drowning in his blood as his skin melted off, tried to grab her but she just kicked him in the face as she continued to watch him die slowly and painfully. She really wasn't sure her mother would approve of what's she has just done, but Hannah has been disappointing her mother a long time. Hopefully, this will be the last time as she continues to watch.
When Ernie finally stopped moving and the light in his eye died, he looked unrecognizable as all of his outer skin had melted off and his literal guts had spilt out in a pool of blood. Hannah could say she felt satisfied and safe now, but not happy, for she was a kind Hufflepuff till the end and she felt no joy in this and prayed this would be the only time. Hannah gurgled and spit on Ernie's corpse just as Susan came barging in the tower.
Her best friend's eyes widened, "Who is that and what the bloody hell happened?"
Hannah didn't turn toward her and continued to stare, "It's Ernie, one of his spells backfired."
Susan gave her a look but didn't push any further, "Well, that's good, maybe your mum can rest easy now, especially since his dad was killed in the assault as well. Everyone is safe, we suffered casualties, but the battle is over, and the castle is secure."
Hannah nodded and turned to look out over the landscape on the balcony, they had done their duty as the Ladies of Hogwarts and the school is still standing. Now, all they could do is have faith that Harry would be victorious and end this madness for good.
Harry and Dumbledore had arrived at the Ministry after hours and Amelia had made sure that the place had been evacuated for this confrontation. The old man and himself had gone to the Department of Mysteries to check on the status of the prophecy, imagine Harry's annoyance when he sees the cause of all this death and destruction over a small blue ball that told him the words that Dumbledore had already told him months ago. Harry would consider it one of the most satisfying moments of his life in destroying that orb right then and there. Dumbledore wasn't exactly thrilled when he did that, but even he knew it was preferable to the alternatives.
Hours later, waiting in the main atrium, Harry and Albus had been making preparations for the upcoming battle and during that, he had noticed that his former headmaster was moving slower than he had ever seen and was much wearier than he remembered.
"You all right, sir?", Harry asked.
Dumbledore waved him off, "It's nothing, Harry, just time finally catching up to me. It truly is something else knowing the end is near."
Harry snorted bitterly, "Yeah, I do know."
Albus winced, "I suppose apologizing, no matter how genuine, won't matter will it?"
Harry smiled without humor, "You know, sometimes I lay awake at night wondering what my life would be like had Sirius never sent me that letter to go to Gringotts. Would I still be an inept wizard following you, Hermione, and Ron around like a directionless child? Would the government still be in the hands of corrupt, moronic, and evil men who worship Voldemort? Would I have ever fallen in love with the girls? If I'm being honest…that alternate reality makes me loathe you, professor, even if I do understand the cold reality of your plan."
Dumbledore sighed deeply, "Well, after today, I'll be the one rotting in the ground, perhaps I'll finally get to see my sister again."
Harry hummed, "For what it's worth, I hope you do."
Albus smiled weakly but the two turned their attention to the floo chimney's as green flames erupted in a few of them. First, a few random masked Death Eaters came out, followed by the ever mad and grinning Bellatrix Lestrange, and finally Lord Voldemort himself.
The Dark Lord, while still menacing with a commanding presence that radiated power, looked rather sickly as his skin looked to be shedding like a literal snake, his red eyes looked more bloodshot, and Harry could even see him trying to hide his rasping breath. He did, however, notice Nagini was with him, close but ready to strike.
Voldemort locked eyes with his two mortal enemies, "Well, what an unexpected but most appreciated gift. The two of you, standing here, like lambs to the slaughter. The Boy Who Lived…come to die."
Harry maintained eye contact, "You know me, ever the rule breaker. If you've come for the prophecy, Tom, you're too late. It's just a pile of glass now."
Voldemort glared, "No matter, Potter, I shall bring an end to your interference on my path to ruling for all eternity. You may have destroyed six of my Horcruxes, but you won't be getting the last one."
Harry smirked, "Oh, I wouldn't say that, if there's one thing I've learned from you Tom, it's that one should always have an ace up your sleeve."
Dumbledore stepped in, "It was rather foolish of you to come here tonight, Tom, your army will not succeed against the Aurors and students and Hogwarts and the government is no longer filled with your Death Eaters. Your obsession and delusions of grandeur are at an end as Magical Britain will no longer bow their heads in submission and fear to you."
Voldemort scoffed, "Lovely speech, headmaster, I see age has not lessened your ability to make grand speeches and pointless lectures. Bella, be a dear, and soften the old fool up for me, but don't kill him, only I can. I will handle Potter myself."
Bellatrix giggled and flicked her wand as she stepped forward, "Of course, my lord."
Albus got into a defensive stance, ready for her attack, but was confused when he saw Harry didn't move at all and stood there casually with a knowing gleam in his eye.
"AVADA KADAVRA!"
A flash of green emerged from her wand…but not at Dumbledore or Harry; rather, her killing curse hit another target. Voldemort's snake familiar, Nagini. The Dark Lord was so shocked, all he could do was watch in horror as his pet fell over dead and a familiar cloud of dark smoke with his face emerge from her body and he felt his body constrict.
After falling to knees, a bewildered Voldemort looked around the room and saw everyone around the room appeared to be in the same state of shock as he was, except for a stone-faced Bellatrix and a smirking Harry Potter.
"Bet you didn't see that coming."