SALEM ᵈ ᵐᵃˡᶠᵒʸ

xxii. An Uphill Battle

PERCY came back with three other students; two carrying the stretcher while the other student and Percy guard the front and rear from any Death Eaters.

One of them checked Fred's pulse, then chest for that faint heartbeat and nodded in confirmation, which made Percy burst into sobs as he thanked me before running off with them to the Hospital Wing.

After making sure that they could handle themselves and the corridor we were in held no other threat, we turned to Harry simultaneously.

"The diadem is down," I said, "all that's left it the—"

"That bloody snake," Ron finished.

Hermione nodded grimly. "You need to find out where Voldemort is, because he'll have the snake with him? won't he? Do it, Harry—look inside him!"

Harry closed his eyes at her command as he entered an undisturbable dream-like state, while the three of us held our wands on guard and watched every corner for any oncoming threat.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally opened his eyes with a gasp. "He's in the Shrieking Shack. The snake's with him, it's got some sort of magical protection around it. He's just sent Lucius Malfoy to find Snape."

"Voldemort's sitting in the Shrieking Shack?" Hermione asked outraged. "He's not—he's not even fighting?"

"I'd kinda be glad," I muttered lowly.

"He doesn't think he needs to fight. He thinks Margo and I are going to go to him."

"But why?"

"He knows I'm after Horcruxes—he's keeping Nagini close beside him—obviously I'm going to have to go to him to get near the thing."

I nodded. "And I doubt he'll stop at nothing to threaten me into going to him—even if it means gambling over the lives of who I love."

"Right," Ron said. "So you both can't go, that's what he wants, what he's expecting. You stay here and look after Hermione and Margo, and I'll go and get it—"

"Are you insane—?"

"You three stay here," Harry interrupted, "I'll go under the Cloak and I'll be back as soon as I—"

"No, it makes much more sense if I take the Cloak and—"

"What?" I told Hermione sharply.

"Don't even think about it," Ron snarled at her.

"Ron, I'm just as capable—"

The wall beside us was suddenly hit with a jet of red light, sending little bits of debris and dust showing over us.

"Let's just go!" I shouted as I sent the two Death Eaters flying backwards before we ran away from the corridor.

The four of us made our way down the stairs, dodging and shooting spells, helping the other kids who have taken a stumble along the way.

We rounded a corner and entered the main corridor that would take us down the marble staircase and to the main entrance. Though before we could run halfway, the ground before us seemed vibrate, leaving the little rocks twitching and jumping. Then, a sound of a thousand hooves sounded from
behind us, followed by about a dozen or more battle cries and one command: "CHARGE!"

Like deer caught on headlights, we stopped dead and stared wide-eyed behind us: it was Professor McGonagall who had shouted, sprinting right at us with an incredible speed for her age, and right behind her was a herd of angry centaurs.

"Get back!" Ron shouted as we all shuffled backwards and pressed ourselves flat against the wall.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed as I watched them zoom past. "McGonagall is such a badass motherfu—"