Unofficial Portkey Archive

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; it belongs to JK Rowling, etc etc.

Authors Note: Gah, I hate writing battle scenes. Ah well, I did the best I could. I'm really interested in how you all will react to this chapter, so please, if you only do it once, leave me a review for this one and let me know. I think you'll be able to figure out why when you finish. Thanks for the reading either way.

'I'm going.'

Ginny stated these words emphatically. She stared at Draco as he stopped tying his laces and looked up at her.

'I don't care what you say,' she went on, 'I'm going.'

'This isn't some game Ginny,' Draco pointed out with a frown.

'You think I don't know that?' Ginny growled. 'Dammit Draco, I know what this is! It's war! My entire family are invested in this. I have to go. I need to.'

'You really think you can help?' Draco asked, finishing his laces and standing up to tower over her.

'I have to try,' Ginny replied.

'Ginny,' Draco said, taking her hands, 'you don't have to do anything. You shouldn't feel obligated to put yourself at risk just because the rest of your family do.'

'It's not about them,' Ginny argued. 'It's about me. I can't sit back and do nothing. I have to prove to myself that I can do this. That I'm not just some useless girl.'

'You could never be just anything,' Draco said, pulling her close and kissing her deeply. 'You're amazing Ginny.'

'It won't work,' she whispered against his lips. 'I'm going.'

Draco frowned again. 'Fine,' he said, pushing her away. 'Strap on your wand firecracker.'

Ginny watched as Draco stormed from the room. She sighed. She wished he could understand her need to prove herself. In the past, every time she had the chance to prove her courage and worth, she had let the opportunity slip by. She froze and became a meek little mouse. She always felt weak

Ginny grabbed her wand and held it tightly to her chest.

'This time it will be different,' she whispered to herself, and then went after Draco.

Dirt exploded from the ground and got in Harry's eyes. He ducked to the floor and raised an arm to shield himself. Another explosion of earth sent him scrambling backwards. The Death Eaters on all sides of him laughed as Voldemort toyed with him like a cat with a mouse.

'What's wrong Harry Potter?' Voldemort taunted. 'I thought you could handle yourself just fine.'

Harry stood up and brushed dirt from the sleeve of his robe. He raised his wand again and narrowed his eyes at Voldemort. 'Why don't you quit playing around and get serious?' Harry challenged.

'You want more?' Voldemort smiled wickedly. 'Who am I to refuse? Avada Kedavra!'

Harry rolled to the side and the earth exploded again.

'Avada Kedavra!'

And again, Harry moved, and dodged the lethal curse.

'Aren't you getting tired of running Harry Potter?' Voldemort taunted, laughing. 'You can only run for so long, boy.'

'Just keep 'em coming,' Harry called out, 'I wonder who will tire out first?'

'Let's find out - Avada Kedavra!'

Harry used his wand to create a shield of earth before him. The earth exploded back at him and he fell backwards, into a roll, and back to his feet.

'Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!'

The three Killing Curses raised a line of broken dirt into the air as Harry ran sideways. He came to a stop, anticipating the next move, and cast his arm out, wand pointing towards the crowd of Death Eaters. He mouthed a silent spell.

'Avada Kedavra!' Voldemort yelled.

The green jet of light was bearing down on Harry (who waited for it with a smirk on his face) when all of sudden a black-cloaked figure flew into the space between the Killing Curse and Harry. He was struck by the curse and flung up into the air with the forcefulness of the spell, before coming crashing back down to the ground at Harry's feet. He held his skull mask rigidly in his now dead fingers.

The crowd of Death Eaters and Voldemort fell silent with shock. Harry stepped over the motionless form of Theodore Nott, wand raised towards Voldemort now.

'That was a very nice move Harry Potter,' Voldemort complimented. 'A move worthy of a Slytherin.'

'You scared?' Harry taunted.

Voldemort laughed, but he was the only one. 'Hardly,' he said waspishly.

'Avada Kedavra!'

'Avada Kedavra!'

The simultaneously cast Killing Curses collided in mid air and exploded with a huge blast of green light. Harry and Voldemort both flew backwards. Harry hit the ground hard and had the wind knocked out of him. Voldemort disappeared in mid air with barely a sound and reappeared atop his throne. He strode quickly down the steps and stopped over Harry's winded body. He pointed his wand down.

'How unfortunate that it should end this way,' Voldemort said mockingly. 'And this time, Dumbledore will not be coming to your rescue.' Voldemort curled his lips back. 'Avada - '

CRACK!

The sound of reinforcements arriving was like a bullet being shot right in Harry's ear. One moment, the field in which Harry and Voldemort duelled was empty save for them and the ring of Death Eaters that surrounded them. The next moment, it was full to the brim with members of the Order of the Phoenix.

Chaos ensued.

It was impossible to take in all that happened in the brief, hectic battle between the Death Eaters and the Order. Harry watched as Voldemort whipped his head from side to side in disbelief. He saw his chance in that moment, raised his wand, and whispered weakly, still winded from the fall, 'Avada Kedavra.' But Voldemort saw it coming and vanished with a swirl of cloak before the curse could strike home.

The next moment Dumbledore was there, kneeling beside Harry. 'Take my arm,' he said, holding his handless right arm out. Harry gripped it without a word. He felt the press of apparition all around him and then it was gone.

He was in Hogsmeade with Dumbledore.

He gasped for breath and sat up, staring around, then up at Dumbledore. 'You Apparated,' he said, with only a small amount of surprise.

Dumbledore gave a soft laugh. 'I am not a child, Harry.' Dumbledore showed him Severus Snape's wand strapped to his arm. 'I do not need my hands to perform magic. Granted, I am not nearly as powerful anymore, but I manage.'

'The Grangers?' Harry asked, looking around.

'The Grangers are fine,' Dumbledore informed him. 'They should be safe inside Hogwarts by now. Are you ready to return to the battle?'

'Let's go,' Harry said, pushing himself back to his feet.

With dual cracks, they disappeared.

The battle raged on.

The faint morning light was coloured with various hues as spells and curses flew every which way.

Draco ducked and weaved through the chaos, flinging his own curses at any Death Eater that crossed his path. He and Ginny had arrived together, but in all the activity, he had lost her along the way. Now he was trying to find her again.

Neville had taken cover behind Voldemort's discarded throne. He was soon joined by Sirius; who seemed to be having a great time jumping up onto the stone throne and casting curses down on the bustling crowd with roaring exuberance.

Neville laughed at the older mans zest for battle and began to shoot more curses into the crowd in response.

Ginny felt the fear thundering in her heart and raging throughout her veins, but she didn't allow herself to be overcome. She kept her guard up as she ran through the bedlam that was the magical battle between light and dark. Her wand felt slippery in her hand.

She had lost Draco quickly in all of the confusion and now that he was no longer around, she was beginning to think she had made a big mistake coming here. However, Ginny was stubborn, and wouldn't allow that fear to overtake her. She was going to prove herself. And do it now.

Ginny pointed her wand at the back of a Death Eater, and though Dumbledore had - with a heavy heart - given the all clear on the Killing Curse, she just couldn't cast it, so she stunned her unawares opponent and moved on to the next.

She wasn't prepared for what happened next.

As she turned to find her next target, his face jumped out at her, and he saw her at the same time. She felt ice freezing her veins and her heart - her face paled - and she froze. Terror overtook her, whether she liked it or not.

Blaise Zabini strolled lazily towards her through the battle. It seemed almost as if they had dropped out of the world and into their own little one. It was just the two of them. No body paid them any attention. He was smiling at her, but it wasn't a reassuring smile. It was sick and twisted and more evil than anything she had ever seen. Voldemort had nothing on Blaise Zabini.

The only thing she could to was grip the pendant hanging around her neck and whisper, 'Draco.'

'Well, well, well,' he called, sauntering towards her motionless, frozen form, 'if it isn't Ginny Weasley. Where's Draco? What? Can't speak? Are you that happy to see me?' He grinned a toothy smile. 'I'm flattered, really, that I mean so much to you. Truth is, I've missed you as well.'

He was too close now, but Ginny still couldn't move. She felt his hand on her waist as he pulled her closer. She remember Draco doing a similar move earlier, but instead of being nice, she felt her skin crawl as his hand trailed down further and groped her. His face was right there, in front of her, she could even smell his breath as he leaned in close.

'Let's go somewhere a little more…' he licked his lips, 'private.'

Ginny was compressed as Blaise apparated away, dragged her with him.

She gasped in surprise as the sensation disappeared and air returned to her lungs, but she was too horrified, like a deer caught in the headlights, to look around at her new surroundings. All she could see was her own worst nightmare.

Blaise still held her tightly. 'I've dreamed of this moment,' he whispered softly, and she felt him grind his groin into her vulgarly, 'every night. Ooh, yes,' he hissed, moving his face to the side of hers and nibbling on her ear, 'every night, alone in my bed, my hand wrapped around myself, hmm, I knew you'd taste so sweet. I want more!' And he bit hard into her earlobe and tore at her. She cried out in pain as her flesh was ripped.

He kept her steady in his grasp as she screamed out in anguish. It was a long, painful cry from deep within her chest. When the scream had subsided, he gripped her face between his hands and pulled back to look at her. Tears coursed down her cheeks. His mouth was dripping with her blood. He spat the ear lobe out at her and laughed as she flinched.

She couldn't even beg - she was too terrified even for that.

He closed the distance and kissed her tears away. She was shaking uncontrollably and he shushed her soothingly, like a mother, but it wasn't soothing. It was even more terrifying.

'It's alright,' he whispered in her ear, 'I'll make it right. It's alright. Relax. I'll take care of it. I'll make it right. Would you like that?'

She knew that this was wrong, but she couldn't think straight. She found herself nodding.

'That's right,' he said, smiling at her, 'I'll make it all right. Just… relaaaax.'

Ginny felt her eyelids drooping. She couldn't… was she supposed to… think….

Blaise kissed her on the lips.

It was the kiss of Death.

The battle was over, before it had even really got started.

The whole thing had taken less than five minutes.

Harry and Dumbledore walked through the bodies, searching. Black Death Eater cloaks and the bodies of their friends and comrades littered the ground. The battle had a high cost on both sides.

'Harry!'

Harry and Dumbledore turned to face the sound of the voice.

Draco ran up to them, red in the face. 'I'm looking for Ginny, have you seen her?'

Harry shook his head. 'No,' he said, 'sorry. I'm sure she's around somewhere.'

'Yeah,' Draco said, but without conviction.

'Draco! Draco!'

It was Hermione. She flew towards them as fast as she could, running full out, her hair streaming behind her in the wind. She came to a skidding stop before them, panting, eyes wide. 'It's Ginny!'

'What?' Draco asked roughly, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her.

'Hey,' Harry said, pulling him back.

'What happened?' Draco shrugged Harry off.

'The charm,' Hermione said, holding it out to him. 'I felt it burn. Ginny used it.'

Draco snatched it from her grip and within moments he was gone, apparating away.

'What's going on?' Neville asked, coming up behind Hermione.

'You explain,' Harry said to Hermione, and then following the trail left by Draco, he apparated after him.

Harry found himself standing in the middle of a plain similar to the one he had left behind. The wind tore at his cloak as soon as he arrived, blasting loudly in his ears. His eyes scanned all around him and came to rest on Draco's back. His best friend was kneeling on the ground, head bowed over another figure. Silent sobs shook Draco's shoulders. Harry didn't need to look to know that the other figure was Ginny. And that something had gone very, very wrong.

In that moment Hermione and Neville arrived.

'Harry, what…?' Hermione trailed off as she spotted Draco as well.

Neville looked between them and Draco, and then walked briskly over to see for himself. The colour drained from his face. He knelt next to Draco and went to touch Ginny, but Draco's hand shot out and shoved him away.

'Don't touch her!' Draco yelled brokenly.

Harry felt Neville's magic spike dangerously, so he quickly crossed over to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Neville turned to face Harry, his face warped in grief, but the energy subsided. He got back up onto his knees and simply knelt there, staring at Ginny, tears freely flowing now.

Hermione made to move closer, but Harry held his hand up. 'Stay there, Hermione,' he said. 'You don't need to see this.'

'What?'

'Just stay there,' Harry repeated, and turned to get another look himself.

Ginny Weasley was almost unrecognisable in death. Blood caked her left ear, which was missing its lobe, and her body was still and white. Her hair even seemed drained of colour, the usual fiery red now rusty and dead. Her robes had been torn open down the front and her chest was bared. Harry didn't want to look, let alone read the words that had been carved into her flesh, but he couldn't help himself.

The words read:

'Zabini.'

Draco uttered those words with more hate than Harry had ever heard in his entire life. The guttural sound of them made one thing very clear:

Blaise Zabini was a dead man walking.

A/N: I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Blaise made me do it. I swear. Okay, seriously though, I hope that wasn't too upsetting for most of you. I tried to keep it reasonably tame because I don't want to offend people. Please let me know what you think. And Ginny fans, I really am sorry.