Chapter 8: The Second Battle of Hogwarts
Teachers and the few Aurors present at Hogwarts went to work quickly, ushering the students to safety, but the mass chaos of Decepticons and dragons attacking the grounds caused little more than screaming terror.
"We have to get everyone inside," Daniel said as he led his friends through the battlefield that used to be their school.
"There you are, boy," Lord Megatron growled as he caught sight of Daniel in the crowd. "You'll make a good warm up before I destroy Potter."
He gasped as a missile hit his back. "Autobots!" Megatron and the children heard a Decepticon call out.
Megatron snorted before transforming and flying just over the kids heads to higher ground.
"Dad!" Lily beamed as she spotted her father Aunt and Uncle leading the charge with the Order of the Phoenix and the Autobots apparate in through the weakened wards of the school.
"Hugo, Dan, get everyone inside the castle! Get to Gryffindor Tower NOW!" Ron ordered as he ducked an explosion.
"I'm staying and helping," Daniel argued as Optimus pulled up and quickly transformed.
"No, Daniel, you have to get to safety," Optimus said glancing down at the boy.
"But …" Daniel argued, ignoring Lily pulling his arm.
"Listen to me, Son, I'm giving you a direct order," Optimus said, "You're a soldier now in my eyes, an Autobot, and a good one obeys order. I'm giving you a mission to protect the children. Can you do that?"
"Y… yeah …"
"I didn't hear you, Autobot."
"Yes sir, Prime," Daniel said, and Optimus nodded with pride.
"Then roll out, Son." Prime said, snapping his closing his faceplate. "Till all are one."
"Till all are one," Daniel echoed before leading the group into the school.
Meanwhile across the field Megatron seethed in anger. "Constructicons! Unite and bring this castle down! I don't want one stone standing on the other!"
"What?" Hermione asked hearing the Decepticon's command.
"Oh boy …" Ironhide groaned as he activated his canon and the six yellow and green Decepticons transformed back into construction vehicles and pulled close together.
All eyes widened worriedly as the Constructicons transformed together becoming a gigantic monstrosity leading the dragons toward the castle.
"Devastator …" Ratchet said gravely.
"Not unexpected," Optimus Prime shook his head, "Lennox, Epps, what is your location?" the Commander of the Autobots said into his com. "Good, So you see the situation? launch the Dynamic Offensive Autobots with orders to deal with the dragons. Get the reinforcements off the Ark and then transform it."
"Reinforcements will be here shortly. Try to hold the line," Optimus said glancing to Harry who nodded in agreement.
"Let's do this," Harry said as he and the others drew their wands.
Meanwhile less than a mile away the Autobot Ark flew towards their location. "You get all that, Commander?" Lennox said glancing back from the controls of the ship. "Take out the big ugly lizards."
"Bet you they think they're better than you lot," the aged formed Decepticon called Jetfire snorted, glancing to the Dynamic Offensive Autobot assault force.
The gigantic grey and gold Autobot stood tall and extended his clawed gauntlets. "Ugly lizards think they big lizards?" he growled angrily. "Grimlock say Dyn O Bots show true meaning of big lizards!" he turned to his unit. "DYN O BOTS! SKIN BIG LIZARDS!!"
Grimlock and his unit jumped from the hatch of the Ark as it circled over the castle and landed not far from where Devastator and the dragons marched toward the ancient structure. Grimlock looked over his opponents. "Grimlock say they don't look so bad..." a moment later the Hungarian horntail slapped him with his tail sending him tumbling back into his second in command, Snarl. "Maybe Grimlock wasn't very observant… now seem so bad…" he said as he lifted his arm to shield from the Dragon's flame.
"Call that fire?" Grimlock snarled, before shifting and changing into a life sized mechanical tyrannosaurus. "This is how done!" He growled before sending a ball of fire back at the dragon.
"Well that's that, Jetfire, get the rest of the guys out, except you two," Lennox said pointing to the red and blue human-sized Autobots, Arcee and Chromia.
Jetfire nodded and he and the remaining Autobots jumped through the hatch, Jetfire himself transformed into a stealth bomber and took to the air.
"Alright, Epps, let's bring Omega online," Lennox said working his hands over the controls.
"You got it," he replied, turning to the Fem-bots. "OK girls, Transform, we're going to need to bail quick." He said and the two quickly transformed into a pair of motorcycles.
"Ready when you are, Lennox," Epps said, placing his hand on one of two matching controls. "On the count of three…"
"One two … Three," Lennox said and they twisted the controls together.
"Omega Supreme online… Commander Lennox … Commander Epps, what is the mission objective?"
"We need you to transform and stop Devastator," Lennox stated.
"Mission halt Devastator's advance. Acknowledged. Preparing to transform…"
"That's our cue," Epps said as the two men left the control chairs as the Ark began to twist and change.
"Let's go, Chromia," Lennox said climbing onto the blue bike.
"Oh Epps …" Arcee purred and revved her engine as Epps climbed on her. "I love it when you mount me …"
"Damn it, Man, why do I always get the flirty one?" Epps cursed, glaring at his partner.
"Because I'm married and Arcee likes you. Now let's ride," Lennox said with a smile as they jumped from the giant transformer.
Arcee, Chromia and their two passengers touched down on the ground roughly but safely, just as the Ark finished its transformation into Omega Supreme. "Devastator!" Omega growled out as it landed beside the massive combiner grabbing it in a headlock as the two began to struggle in the mist of the Dyn O Bots battle with the dragons near the castle.
Devastator roared in anger as it shoved Omega Supreme back before jumping up on its rear legs to grapple with the massive Autobot.
Starscream, in jet form flew over the castle firing missiles at towers. He was so focused on his attack he never saw the yellow Camaro roaring up a steep embankment toward him. "What in the Fallen's name?!" Starscream cursed as Bumblebee transformed mid flight and landed on his back.
"We're going down in flames…" Bumblebee's radio sang as he fired his blaster point blank onto the back of Starscream's vehicle form.
"GET OFF ME YOU FOOL!!" Starscream yelled as Bumblebee's extra weight caused him to crash hard into the ground.
Starscream shook his head as he transformed and pushed his dinted damaged body back to his feet, only to be tackled to the ground again by the smaller Autobot.
Bumblebee and Starscream exchanged punches, energy blasts and missiles till Bumblebee got a good blast into the Decepticon's chest, causing him to fall onto his back. The black and yellow infiltrator stepped up and planted a foot hard on Starscream's chest and leveled his arm canon on the Decepticon's face. "For Sam and Mikaela …" Bumblebee forced out through his damaged vocal box.
"Go ahead, Autobot, finish me off …" Starscream looked up at Bumblebee. "But if you kill me, who will feed my two human pets?"
Bumblebee hesitated then narrowed his optics. "If you killed me then you've killed your human's parents… it would be ironic, you used to be one of my pet's guardian… you ending his chance of survival…"
"WHERE?" Bumblebee snapped, only to get a blast to the chest that sent him flying backwards.
"YOU'LL NEVER FIND OUT!!" Starscream yelled, transforming and rocketing away from the battle.
"Sam … Mikaela …" Bumblebee shook off the jarring from the blast, and mentally vowed to find them.
---
"Ron, we have to keep moving," Hermione said, back to back with her husband.
"I agree, Love," Ron said, casting a curse. "I don't think ending up on the bottom of a giant robot's foot as a nice way to go out …"
"Yes, there's worse ways … RON!" Hermione called out, and Ron felt her jerked away from his back.
"Hermione?" Ron asked turning, and the sight he saw caused a primitive fear to soak his body and soul.
"Graaanger …" Black Arachnia said in her demonic mechanical spider form, lifting the witch by her arms with her two front forelegs.
"Bellatrix?" Hermione asked, before two more legs reached up to grab her legs and began to pull her in four directions.
"Oh how the mighty have fallen, Granger …" Black Arachnia chuckled, "And Bellatrix is dead. I have been reborn as Black Arachnia…"
"I remember torturing you before, Granger … I made you scream … I made you cry … I made you BEG… let's do it again." Arachnia said, giving a hard jerk in four directions causing Hermione to cry out in pain.
"RON! HELP ME!!" Hermione cried out as her whole body burned in pain. "FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN HELP ME!!" She called out, trying to force her vision to clear so she could see her horrified husband.
"What?" Harry heard Hermione's cries from Optimus Prime's side and turned to see Black Arachnia holding Hermione in the air. "No …" Harry's eyes widened as still fresh memories of Megatron killing Ginny in a similar manner filled his mind's eye.
"Optimus, I need you to throw me," Harry said quickly, tightening his grip on his wand.
"What?" the Autobot commander asked turning to see the scene playing out. "Alright, up you go …" Prime said lowering his massive hands for Harry to climb into.
"Hang on, Hermione, I'm coming …" Harry said as Optimus stood back up with Harry in his hand. "I won't let the Decepticons take you too… Optimus let me go…"
Optimus nodded, reared back and sent Harry flying toward the giant spider.
Harry soared through the sky and landed roughly on the large metallic back of the Black Arachnia, "SECTUMSEMPRA!" Harry cast, slashing through the metallic Cybertronian hide of Black Arachnia's back. The Decepticon cried out in pain as Harry repeatedly used the powerful spell to slash at the larger monstrosity. He then lifted his wand and pointed it directly at the arms holding Hermione, "Relashio!" He cursed, and the metallic legs released the brunet, letting her fall toward the ground.
"HOLD ON!" Harry yelled out, throwing himself forward, catching her mid fall, and twisting his body so that he'd take the blunt of the impact.
Harry and Hermione both groaned as they laid on the hard soil. "I'll finish you both now!" Black Arachnia growled, lifting a jagged leg.
"No you don't!" Optimus Prime shouted, slicing the leg with his arm blade, and lifting her by the face with her other and tossing her across the battlefield. He fired his massive arm cannon at her as she scurried away.
"Are you three ok?" Optimus asked as his face guard opened.
"Hermione?" Ron asked in concern as he approached Harry who had Hermione cradled in his arms.
"Hermione, say something …" Harry asked pleadingly.
"Ow …" Hermione groaned as she tried to sit up. "As soon as I get home, Hugo's Stretch Armstrong toy is going in the bin…"
"We can't keep holding them off," Optimus noted looking over the battlefield.
Omega Supreme continued to struggle with Devastator while the Dyn O Bots fought tooth and claw with the dragons.
"Where's Megatron?" Optimus narrowed his optics. He finally spotted him across the battlefield, reading his fusion canon. "What's he doing?"
"Gryffindor falls today …" Megatron proclaimed aiming at Hogwarts' Gryffindor Tower.
"He's aiming at Gryffindor Tower!" Ron exclaimed in terror, "That's where we sent the kids!"
"Daniel? MEGATRON NO!" Optimus called out, just as the Decepticon fired his canon causing the tower to explode violently.
Optimus watched in shock as the flaming bricks and wood fell over the castle. Memories flashed through the old Autobot's mind, remembering how he comforted Daniel when his parents died, and the watched with pride as he grew into the teenager he was today. And the thought of him being struck down in such away caused his spark to burn.
"Rose … Hugo … Lily …" Hermione cried in pain as she clung to Harry's robes.
"No …" Ron forced out clinching his fists while Harry clung to Hermione.
"Megatron … WILL be stopped …" Optimus growled closing his face guard. "No matter the cost."
Optimus fell forward transforming into his vehicle form and roared across the field.
Megatron laughed as he looked over the destruction he'd caused.
He never even saw the large truck coming till it slammed into his chest. "You've taken your last life, Megatron!" Optimus shouted slashing his blade across Megatron's face as he fell backwards.
Megatron stumbled back, favoring his face a moment, before he extended his own blade. "No snappy saying about how one of will stand and one of us will fall this time?"
"No, you just fall," Prime growled clashing blades with the Decepticon leader.
"Once I'm finished with you," Megatron growled, slashing at Optimus' side, sending sparks and oil flying into the air. "I'll destroy Potter and his allies, and then I will enjoy tearing this world apart piece by piece."
"Over my dead body, Megatron," Optimus shouted slashing a deep cut across Megatron's chest.
"Exactly!" Megatron shouted, diving at Prime. Optimus easily dodged the dive, and elbowed the Decepticon hard in the back.
Megatron swung around and kicked Prime hard in his wounded side before spinning around to give a deep slash across his torso, sending sparks, broken metal and oil flying.
Prime gasped, and hugged his wounded chest, his knees buckling and loosing focus in his optics. His body screamed for him to fall. He knew he couldn't take much more, and was already past his damage threshold. "Daniel …" He said the human's name who he had taken to accept as his own son. "No one else. You will not take anyone else, Megatron. Elita, Sam, Mikaela … Daniel. I am drawing the line here and now."
Megatron heaved and panted as he glared at his long time rival. "It was all for her, you know?" Megatron breathed, glaring at his brother and speaking in a tone Prime hadn't heard in centuries. "We could have ruled Cybertron, the three of us. But you both had to be stubborn…"
"That was not the way it was meant to be, Dio …" Optimus breathed forcing himself to stand his full height.
"Then let's finish it, Orion," Megatron growled. "Once and for all …"
The battle stopped as all, human, Autobot, Decepticon and even Dragon, turned see the face off.
"Finish him off, Prime… Do it now…" Ironhide said stepping up beside Ron, Harry and Hermione.
The tension ran high as the two heavily damaged Transformers readied their weapons. One battled for power, authority, conquest. One battled for justice, for his friends new and old, his family, because it was the right thing to do. But above all this, they both had one thing in common. And that one thing was on the top of their minds as they ran toward one another, yelling, blades extended and glowing.
Elita One.
The only sound was the sound of blades slicing threw Cybertronian metallic-flesh and vital systems. Both massive warriors fell with the impacts hitting the ground and rolling and bouncing up with impacts.
"OPTIMUS!!" Harry called out as Prime came to a stop on the ground. His body battered and broken and his once bright blue optics barely flickered a pale blue.
The group started toward the fallen commander, when movement across from the Autobot's body caused them to come to a stop. "Potter …" Megatron hissed in Voldemort's voice. "What was it you said, Prime? Over your dead body?"
Megatron limped forward to stand directly over Prime's body and readied his fusion cannon.
"Shield charms!" Harry yelled, as he and Ron and the weakened Hermione lifted their wands to cast shielding charms fully aware it wouldn't be enough.
"I'd have waited another hundred lifetimes for this, Potter …" Megatron grinned as his charged his cannon. "It's over …"
"You're right, brother …" Megatron's optics widened before he gasped, spewing sparks and oil from his mouth as Optimus shoved his blade through the Decepticon's chest. "It's over."
"Pr-prime …" Megatron coughed as he stumbled back, sliding the blade from his chest plate. "De-Decepticons … re-retreat …" he stumbled, only to be caught by Devastator.
"Decepticons! Retreat!" Soundwave echoed louder, as they all transformed or ran, dodging spells and fire from the Autobots and Order.
"RATCHET!!" Ironhide called out as he ran toward the fallen leader.
Harry and Ron helped Hermione toward them as Order members and Autobots gathered around Prime.
Movement caught Ron's eye, and he screamed in excitement. "They're ok!!" He said as Daniel, Lily, Rose, and Hugo stepped outside with the student body.
Daniel waved to them as he stepped outside the damaged castle, but the sight of Prime laying on his back on the field caused an icy feeling to wash over him.
Daniel ran in a full sprint toward the old robot as the others followed slightly slower behind.
"Hugo, what happened? The tower?" Harry asked as he Hermione and Ron looked over them in concern.
"Daniel said it wouldn't be safe up there, so we took refuge in the Slytherin house in the dungeons." Rose explained.
"Dan saved us all," Hugo said proudly of his friend.
Meanwhile, Daniel and Lily quickly approached Optimus' side and Daniel grabbed the side of Optimus' hand. "Optimus!"
"Dan … Daniel …" Optimus weakly looked down at the boy. "You're ok … I was … you worried me …"
"Hang in there, Optimus, Ratchet will fix you up …" Daniel said hopefully, glancing up at the field medic. "He's going to be ok right?"
Ratchet was silent as he scanned the various injuries and damage done to Prime's body, and once the scan was complete he remained silent even longer. "I'm sorry … his wounds … are fatal …"
"No …" Daniel's eyes widened, and he was vaguely aware of Lily gripping his arm. "Optimus, no! You can't! You can't die! You can't leave me!"
"And I never shall …" Optimus said comfortingly. "Do not grieve … It is time for me to become one with the Matrix… Some of you … I have served from the beginning …" He said glancing to Ratchet, Ironhide, and Bumblebee, "And others … we have only just became allies …but it has been my honor … and my privilege to fight along side everyone of you …"
"Daniel …" Prime whispered, glancing down to the teen. "My one wish, is that our afterlife is the same plane as the humans… so that I may find Sam and Mikaela … tell them that they should be proud of their son… and to thank them for the honor … for the gift of watching you grow… my regret is I cannot live to see you through your course in life … but I will pass the gift Sam and Mikaela gave to me… Harry … Hermione … Ronald …"
The three once known as the Golden Trio stepped forward. "Grant this old Cybertronian his last request … watch over him … treat him as if he was your own son … as I have considered him my own …" Prime breath became shallow. "He will teach you more than you expect … as he did for me…"
"We will …" the trio said together, Ron too focused on Prime's words to notice Harry and Hermione holding hands, possibly not even aware themselves.
"Ironhide …" Prime breathed reaching up to open his damaged chest compartment. "To you … old friend … I pass on the Matrix of Leadership …"
"Prime … no … I'm not worthy … I'm just a soldier …" Ironhide shook his head.
"Was I any different when Alpha Trion chose me to take his place?" Prime asked lifting the Matrix from his chest and handing it toward his second in command. "There was a prophecy … Passed down from the Dynasty of Primes…" Optimus eyes began to fade and his voice grew softer as Ironhide took the Matrix. "There will come a day … … an Autobot will rise … defeating death … risen by one of another race who too defeated death … and they together will unleash the power of the Matrix … and light … our darkest hour …"
"Optimus … please …" Daniel begged gripping Optimus' hand.
"Be strong … son …" Prime's eyes faded completely. "I … love … you …" he whispered with his last breath.
Daniel's knees gave way as Lily engulfed him in a hug, going down with him to her knees. She held him tightly as he cried, keeping his hands firmly grasping Prime's rapidly chilling hand. It wasn't long till Harry, Ron, and Hermione too placed their arms around the couple. And a moment later Bumblebee reached down to touch Daniel's shoulder.
---
"It's a sad day … when our fellow Decepticons fall in battle …" Starscream said as he and the standing Decepticons stood over their damaged fellow Decepticons on the edge of a large, deep hole dug out by Devastator. "But we must stand up, and move on … even at leaving behind those that have fallen…"
Decepticons stood and walked over to the ledge, dropping the bodies of their fallen comrades into the deep rocky crevice. "We must stay strong, and remember the fallen…" Starscream said lifting up the badly damaged Megatron.
"I sssstill function …" Megatron hissed in an angry, serpent like tone.
"Wanna bet?" Starscream chuckled before dropping Lord Megatron into the hole. "Devastator, be a big ugly freak and fill in the hole, please."
"SSSSSSSSSSSSSSTARSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSCREAMMMMMMMMMMM!!"Megatron screamed before hitting the bottom with a sickening thunk.
---
Starscream chuckled as he walked into the hanger at the abandoned military base in Germany he had made the Decepticons' home. "How you holding up, Fleshlings?" Starscream asked the two humans in the locked barred office area. Sam and Mikaela just ignored him, as they tried to as much as possible.
"Optimus Prime's dead," Starscream growled, getting down to look at the two. He enjoyed seeing the range of emotions they showed. Shock was his all time favorite, and this revelation gave it to him "It won't be long before that yellow piece of scrap is wiped out too. And then … I'll bring your spawn to live with you so you can be a big happy family… or I'll at least bring you a body part to remember him by when I kill him."
"I just thought I'd touch base … have a good day, Fleshlings…" He said getting up and leaving the hanger.
"Sam … what are we going to do?" Mikaela asked sitting down in an old office chair.
"Optimus … maybe … maybe they'll let their guard down with Optimus … maybe then we can escape … but we have to stay ready …" Sam said walking over to hug his wife. "We have to be ready … and hope we can escape or one of the Autobots'll find us."
To Be Continued …
A/N: It's been a while since I updated this, so what better chap to kick it back off than the turning point of the story. Optimus Prime has fallen, so has Megatron, but it's far from over. Harry's still a wanted man, Hogwarts' heavily damaged, so is Ron and Hermione's already strained marriage. Optimus spoke of a darkest hour coming, definitely not looking too bright for our heroes does it? But there's always a light at the end of every dark tunnel. Hang in there, readers, more to roll out soon!