Disclaimer: I don't own HP. JKR does. That's why HBP is the way it is…
A/N: Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, that means a lot to me. Please, if you read, review!
Chapter Nine
"The Battle"
It was the beginning of March, when Harry, going down for the breakfast, didn't see any Professor in the Great Hall. Immediately, he worried and climbed running the staircases, going to his dorm to take the Marauder's Map. Going upstairs, he met Ron and Hermione, and took them with him.
Then, looking at the map, he saw all the points of the Professors in the Hagrid's hut; he looked out of the window, and he saw two Death Eater near the Forest.
Immediately he gave the signal of emergency, which he had established some days before, making a small ball glow in the DA members' pockets and in less than ten minutes, all the Dumbledore's Army was in the park, divided into the assigned groups, going to occupy the assigned zones.
The grounds were now full of Death Eaters, so the battle exploded immediately. Harry took Hermione with him, firm in wanting to defend her personally until their death, and went in the middle of the battle, running toward two Death Eaters who were trying to enter the castle. He stroke them down.
"Avada Kedavra" he cried twice, and both of them fell down, without life. Then he directed himself on the hut, for trying to free the Professors, but a Death Eater attacked them putting a "Cruciatus Curse" on Hermione.
Harry succeeded in covering her just in time, and he was hit in her place. But he was able to disconnect his mind from his body, as Moody had taught him the previous year, so he didn't feel pain. Then he attacked the enemy.
"Incendio" he said, and the Death Eater started to burn alive, suffering a lot and screaming till he died. Harry went away, bringing Hermione with him.
She was scared, more for the curse Harry had had to suffer than for the battle. Se cried, but tried the same of being useful. She was so shaken by seeing Harry under the Cruciatus, that her aim was very bad. Harry stopped and looked her firmly in her eyes.
He tried to reassure her with soothing words, then encouraged her.
"It's okay, Mione. It's all going to be ok. Come on, luv. Both of us know you can fight in an excellent way. Let's kick their ass, ok?" She nodded and smiled feebly.
"Avada Kedavra" she cried on an enemy who was nearing them, this time hitting and killing him.
"Now it is better" Harry commented, grinning, then they left again, trying to reach the hut, where the Professors were kept prisoners.
However, the Death Eaters were an huge quantity, and their task seemed desperate. Harry proceeded without pauses, striking down more enemies he could, but the walk to the hut was very slow. He started to discourage himself, when he heard something like Dumbledore's voice in his head.
"Harry, you have to continue to fight. If you who are their leader get discouraged, what will the others do? Look around yourself, Harry and see what kind of perfect army you created. But this army needs a guide, Harry, and you are that one. You need to give the example, continuing to fight" then it gave him an advice on how to kill Voldemort, when he would appear.
When the voice disappeared, Harry looked around smiling. His companions were really fighting as heroes, with all their energies. He didn't wanted to delude them, so he moved again to attack, killing enemies in a continuous rhythm, now efficiently helped by Hermione, who had regained her courage.
Finally they succeeded in reaching the hut, after having killed the Death Eaters guardians, and entered. They enervated all the Professors, who were stunned, explained them briefly the situation, and the Professors reacted in different ways, then, just after they were ready, all of them went out of the hut, returning on the battle field. McGonagall was particularly furious about having "her" school under attack and being stunned while fighting enraged.
Just when Harry and Hermione restarted the battle, in the distance, a big chariot with flying horses appeared. Harry recognized it for the Beauxbatons' chariot.
"Fleur" he immediately thought, happy that the girl had received his letter in which he had asked some help. In fact, just as the chariot landed, a delegation of Beauxbatons went out of it and started to fight with the Hogwarts students. Fleur, who was in the French school staff, and Madame Maxime instead, reached Harry to say hello to him and to be informed about the situation. After few exchanged sentences, they also went fighting. The half giantess joined Hagrid in defeating the Death Eaters also with their hands, punching and slapping them.
In the meanwhile, seeing the Professors fighting with them exalted the Hogwarts students, who now were putting in crisis the enemies, who clearly didn't expect a similar resistance from them.
Ron was leading his group with a special courage, seemingly wanting to delete the fault of having been recruited the previous year. Under his spells and curses, the Death Eaters fell down continuously, and Neville, although with less accuracy, gave his best against the companions of who obliged his parents in St. Mungo's Hospital.
In the same way, Draco didn't accept to be as his father, and he didn't hesitate to kill him when he found him before himself. Everyone was trying to do their best, and Harry was proud of them.
A group of people entered the grounds, wands in hand. The Aurors that Arthur had promised to send as help had arrived, and immediately started fighting the Death Eaters still alive. More followers of Voldemort were arriving from the Forest, so the battle was still raging. The Dementors too started entering the battle from the Forest.
Now, freed the Professors and received the two helps he was waiting, Harry started to look for who was in difficulties, as some Beauxbatons boys, attacked by two Dementors. Harry eliminated them without problems, conjuring his stag Patronus, then it was Seamus to need help, with a particularly cruel Death Eater , who put on him three times the "Cruciatus".
"Try it on me, if you have the guts" Harry challenged the man.
"With a great pleasure, Potter…Crucio!" but the curse hadn't effect on Harry, as usual. Then Harry killed him. A loud cry however froze him.
He turned and saw Hermione attacked by two enemies, who enjoyed torturing her. This made Harry's blood boil.
"Incendio", he cried twice, and both of them yelled in pain, being burnt alive. It satisfied Harry, who smirked and ran to see how Hermione was doing.
"How are you, luv?" he asked. She smiled feebly. "Quite well, Harry, don't worry" she replied.
The two of them went to save Ginny, who was facing a Dementor.
"E-Expecto Pa-Patronum" the youngest Weasley cried, but without effect.
"Expecto Patronum" Hermione yelled, and a beautiful, big, silver otter destroyed the dementor.
Harry nodded at her turned to go and help Draco, who was attacked by three Death Eaters.
"Protego" the boy kept crying to protect himself, but he could not resist for a long time. "Stupefy" Harry cried rapidly three times, so they were stunned. Now that the three men were easy targets, he left them to Draco.
Draco nodded to him as a thank you and killed them without thinking two times about that. By now the Death Eaters were almost all on the ground, dead, while between the good guys, only twenty were dead. Three were of Beauxbatons, and the others from Hogwarts.
There was one girl of the second year, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Susan Bones, Blaise Zabini, Lavender Brown and Ernie McMillan that Harry knew personally. But he knew that the battle was not finished yet. When the Dark Lord would arrive, he was the only one who would have some chances of defeating him.
Ron neared them, and suggested to Harry and Hermione to escape, bravely facing the Dark Lord instead of Harry, but he refused, then he saw the well-known thin shape going up the park.
Voldemort had arrived.
"Congratulations, Potter. You organized well the defence, I'll admit that. I didn't think you were able to do such a good work. But this will not save you and the school. Ah, I see the traitor is here with us…very well. Avada Kedavra!" suddenly cried on Ron, who fell down dead. "And now, the Mudblood!" then he pointed his wand on Hermione, crying again: "Avada Kedavra!" on her.
Harry tried to cover her, but he was a moment late, and he saw her body touch the ground, and there it stayed, motionless. He felt a strong pain start to eat him from inside, but he had no time to think about it now.
The final duel was about to start.
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