Betrayal of the Black

sixty-four

WAR STOPPED FOR NOBODY.

Even as Ron cried for his brother, Death Eaters still infiltrated the area.

Even after they had saved their lives, the Slytherins still turned their backs on the Gryffindors—a final image of Ron being ripped away from his brother's corpse burnt into their minds.

For a moment, guilt weighed down heavily on Celestia's mind. But it was the reality of a battle, and this could all finally stop if they ended the battle. There was no doubt they'd run into Harry again eventually, so they could delay killing him until then.

First, they needed to find Pansy, Blaise, Regulus, and Mary again. Then, they could work on minimising the Death Eater forces and killing Nagini. Simplifying it down like that made the tension in her shoulders loosen.

The hallways, particularly this high up, were empty. It wouldn't stay that way very long, if Fred's death was any indication.

Celestia stumbled toward the staircase, and at the sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs, the Elder Wand as instantly in her hand. Her anxiety was instantly cut short when she recognised the familiar faces who were coming up the stairs.

Her uncle led the pack, with Mary, Blaise, and Pansy hot on his heels. They stopped short at the sight of them at the top of the stairs, and Celestia couldn't imagine what they must look like to them. Covered in ash and blood, haggard, eyes-wide with the sight of recent death.

Regulus moved up the final stairs quickly. His hands reached out instantly, and then she felt them on her face and in her hair. It took her a moment to realise what he was doing—that he was wiping away ash and the slowly drying blood from her skin and hair.

"What happened? Are you alright?" he demanded, hands finally settling on her shoulders, eyes briefly darting towards Draco and Theo.

"We're all okay. There was just an incident with a fire." She knew saying anymore was bound to make him worry. "We need to find Nagini."

"Nagini?" inquired Pansy.

"You-Know-Who's snake," clarified Draco. "He takes her everywhere with him."

Mary stepped forward. "Well, he isn't in Hogwarts. He's staying out of the fight, at least for now."

Letting out a sigh, Celestia took a few steps down, knowing they needed to get moving. "I didn't expect anything less from him."

They all trailed after her, following her as she descended down the stairs. She frowned, trying to figure out the best way to broach the next plan of action seeing as they couldn't go straight to Nagini. She had broached the subject previously with everyone but Pansy and Blaise, and they had all tentatively agreed. It was Blaise and Pansy she was concerned about.

She was well aware that they were capable of making their own decisions and taking care of themselves. Still, after being away from them for so long, she couldn't help but want to coddle them. War thrust decisions on people, and she wanted to avoid doing that to them if she could.

Brushing her hand against Theo's as she thought, she wrapped her pinkie around his briefly, needing the anchor. They all pulled out their wands as they reached the next level, hearing the distant sounds of battle, even if the hallways before them were currently empty. They were close to the ground floor, but they still needed to traverse across this entire level just to reach the next set of staircases.

"We need to kill a ton of Death Eaters," announced Celestia, her voice quiet but commanding. "No one from Hogwarts are going to be using Unforgivable Curses, and lesser hexes and jinxes can only hold them off for so long. If we want any chance of dwindling down their forces, that is what we have to do."