𝐎𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 | | 𝕝𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕦𝕤 𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕗𝕠𝕪

𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤

I've been left out alone like a damn criminal
I've been praying for help cause I can't take it all
I'm not done,
It's not over.

Blood-red sparks of light soon covered the once blue-glowing barrier around Hogwarts, Katherine tasting a small amount of her own blood in her mouth from the bite she had on the inside of her cheek. Around her, the Death Eaters were chanting and yelling from delight, delight that made her sick to her stomach. People were going to die tonight, good people with lives not yet fully lived, bad people who in her mind deserved what was coming to them, professors who had dedicated years of their lives to the school and might now perish alongside the castle, and students-children who are going to be fighting dangerous adults and perhaps the Dark Lord himself.

Children like Elowen.

She knew that just across the field her sister would be armed and ready for the impending malicious battle. Elowen was still only a child at 17 years old just like Harry Potter and all the other students who would be fighting for Hogwarts. Despite being years apart Katherine had no doubt in her mind that her sister was just as mature if not more mature than herself. All she could do was hope that they would both make it out of the war well and alive. She felt Lucius's grip on her arm tighten as Voldemort began storming towards the castle. Her vision of red turned to flashes of black and grey as Death Eater after Death Eater passed by her.

"We have to go and go now. Just follow my lead and do not stray from my side until this over," whispered Lucius. Of course, he was still quite annoyed that she had accompanied him. He would have preferred that she had stayed at the manor looking pretty awaiting his triumphant return. But Katherine was a fighting spirit who refused to spend her time worrying over the outcome. It was limited, but control was in her possession. And she would not let anyone close to her die, not when Elowen was her only family left and Lucius was the man she had grown to fall in love with.

Beside her, Lucius was mumbling something to Narcissa about her leaving the group to try to find Draco. The plan according to Lucius divided them into two, he would stay alongside her and fight while Narcissa would search for their missing son. Watching as the desperate mother took off towards the shadowy castle, Katherine followed Lucius in the opposite direction towards the Hogwarts courtyard. He was still gripping onto her arm tightly as he led her through the familiar forest. It was exactly the same as it had been when she had attended school, though the normally bright green pastures seemed dull in the moonlight.

After what seemed like hours of painful running they finally reached the entrance to Hogwarts. The once-powerful intimidating castle was captured by laughing Death Eaters and fighting students. Billowing flames towered above her as the heat from the multiple fires stung at her skin. Through the corner of her eye, she could see cowering students battling heinous Snatchers and Death Eaters, tossing countercharms and defensive spells against the curses. She narrowly dodged a stray spell that had come at her, sending a defensive charm back towards the direction it came from. At that moment she began to get nervous about the long battle ahead of her. Never a skilled dueler, the thought of having to be alert once she left Lucius's side terrified her. Surviving the night would be a miracle.

Lucius was still pulling her through amongst the blazing chaos, only letting go of his tight grip on her once they entered the castle itself. The hallway was unusually empty, though not silent as the yells from outside echoed through them. Katherine recognized the stone walls and tiled flooring of the castle she had inhibited years before. Hogwarts, once lively and welcoming, seemed dead now, with bits of the pristine tile now cracked and crumbled from the fight. The two slowed their run into a quick walk as they trod down the ominous halls, the night sky flashing green and red just outside the stained glass windows.