Magic? || Years 5-7

A Sacrifice: The Battle of Hogwarts

Amisty couldn't breathe. Couldn't tear her eyes away, because there was no way Fred was actually dead, that wasn't something that happened, he must be—

A body fell, a blur too quick to identify, past the hole blown open in the castle, and curses soared past them from the darkness, colliding with the stone wall behind their heads.

"Get down!" Harry shouted as one nearly hit Hermione.

Amisty dropped to the floor, still numb, as Percy lay across Fred's body, shielding it from view and from harm.

"Percy, come on, we've got to move!" Harry yelled, but the older boy shook his head soundlessly.

"Percy!" Ron had tear tracks cutting through the dust and soot and dried blood coating his face. He grabbed his brother by the shoulders and pulled, but Percy wouldn't move. "Percy, you can't do anything for him! We're going to—"

Hermione screamed. Amisty choked down one of her own. An enormous spider was scaling the wall, struggling to climb through the hole in the wall with its spindly legs. Harry and Ron shouted, their spells binding together and sending the monster back into the darkness.

"I brought friends!" Harry said, peering down the side of the castle, oblivious of the spells whipping his hair wild. Fiery jets of red cascaded from his wand in rapid succession, knocking the climbing spiders out of sight and into the chaos of the battle below. A green spell almost took his head off.

"Let's move, NOW!"

Ron grabbed Hermione and Amisty, and Harry bent down to grab Fred's body by the armpits. Percy was quick to follow, and the two of them, ducking underneath the curses flying past, hauled Fred out of harm's way.

Amisty yelped as another rumble shook the castle, more windows raining down in shards, more dust coating her skin and sticking to her teeth. The halls were full of people, running all around, spells cast at random and blasting through portraits and statues alike. Hermione was pulling Ron behind a tapestry, fighting with him. Amisty scrambled to help, pulling him back by the shoulders while Hermione seized his wrists.

"ROOKWOOD!" Percy roared, angrier than Amisty had ever seen or heard from him, and took off out of sight.

"Harry, in here!" Hermione shouted.

He came running, watching the scene with damp eyes. His lower lip was trembling, but he steeled himself as Ron flung out an elbow that caught Amisty in the stomach. She let go, struggling to catch her breath as she slumped against the wall.

"Listen to me—LISTEN, RON!"

"I wanna help—I wanna kill Death Eaters—"

Ron looked almost feral, his face contorted and tear-stained, shaking with rage and grief in Hermione's grasp.

"Ron, we're the only ones who can end it!" Hermione pleaded, desperate, and trembling. "Please—Ron—we need the snake, we've got to kill the snake!"

Hermione looked to Harry, imploring as Ron gave a heaving, strangled sort of sob. Harry said nothing, his knuckles white around the hilt of his wand.

"I want to—"

"We will fight!" Hermione said when she realized Harry wasn't offering proper backup. "We'll have to, to reach the snake! But let's not lose sight now of what we're supposed to be d-doing! We're the only ones who can end it!"

Tears trailed down her cheeks and she moped them up with the singed edge of her sleeve. Still clutching to Ron, she took a deep, trembling breath, and turned to Harry.