A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, they are as helpful as they are encouraging.
For your benefit, I used this map from HPL as a reference point for the war zones though I don't follow it to a T.
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/images/hr/GroundFloor.jpg
*****
Twenty-Four versus Seven
Harry crossed Su Li of Ravenclaw from his list of names. Padma managed to convince the Asian girl to join their army despite the superior size of Neville's army. Su Li shrugged and eventually joined, knowing that their sole grade was not entirely based on whether or not they could win the game. True, the army that won the game was more likely to be graded higher on account of having superior duelists, but that did not mean joining Harry's army would lead the students to lower grades. They just had to perform their part well in order to receive the corroborating grade.
It was two hours before noon and Harry had yet to finalize his army. To Harry's knowledge, the remaining Slytherins had contact neither Harry nor Neville's army. Harry knew that in order to stand an even remote chance against Neville's army, Harry had to recruit the rest of the Slytherins, untrustworthy as they may be. Barely getting four hours of sleep from the previous night, Harry gathered himself together and made his way to the library where he would hopefully find Malfoy. Harry owled the boy the previous night in order to arrange a meeting in hopes that the Slytherin boy would convince his housemates to join Harry's army.
Harry quickly exited the common room to reach the library. As he passed by a tapestry of someone trying to teach trolls ballet, however, Harry remembered that he forgot the list of names on the common room table. As he turned out, Harry was quite surprised to find Luna standing right behind him.
"Luna?" Harry asked, looking around the hall for any classrooms she might have exited. There was none.
"Hello Harry," Luna said in a much more somber tone than Harry had ever heard from her.
"What are you doing here?" Harry was still perplexed on how she ended up behind him when he just walked by this empty corridor. Harry knew she could not Apparate; he read it in Hogwarts, A History.
"Nothing," she simply replied, her eyes glued to her fidgeting feet.
"Okay," Harry said suspiciously, still looking around the hall, "Nice seeing you around. I'll tell Ginny you say hi."
"Okay, Harry," she said, not meeting his eyes.
Strange girl.
Harry ran back to the common room. He already wasted enough time and did not know if Malfoy would actually be at the library. The earlier he arrived, the better. As he told the Fat Lady the password, Harry was surprised to see Hermione picking up the list of names from the table. He cautiously made her way to her until he was standing almost behind her.
"Seems like you need some help," she stated without turning around.
"Why? Are you offering?" Harry said light-heartedly.
Hermione smiled at his jest before her face contorted into a frown, "I don't like this, Harry."
"Like what?"
"These two separate armies. It's only going to fester competition and dislikes amongst the other people. It doesn't help that the armies are going to split with most of the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws in one army while all the Slytherins are on the rest!" Hermione exasperatedly gave the list to Harry.
Taking the list gingerly, Harry tucked it into his pocket, "Well with any luck I'll be able to help out the Slytherins."
"Ron thinks you're nutters, but I think it's very brave of you to do this," she gestured at an invisible crowd, "People aren't going to like you that much around here."
"People have never liked me that much, Hermione," Harry explained sadly, "I've always been just Harry. I've always been Harry, the guy whose boggart was his parents fighting. I've always been Harry, the kid who's always studying."
"I've never thought of you like that," Hermione frowned.
"Maybe not on purpose," Harry admitted as he cast his eyes downwards, "But you've always been so busy with Neville and Ron to notice. You three with all your important adventures and tasks."
"It's not all fun and games," Hermione warned.
"I know. For once though, I'd like to get some recognition for something other than being the other kid."
Hermione frowned as she digested Harry's words. She suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Harry, burying her bushy mane into his chest.
"I think I understand," she pulled back to look at him in the eye, "If you ever need me, don't be scared to come talk to me because of this stupid game."
"Me? Scared? Never," Harry scoffed with a wink.
Hermione smiled before she playfully pushed him away, "Go on. Ron's convinced Neville he doesn't need the help of the Slytherins so it's all up to you."
"Thanks, Hermione," Harry gave her shoulder a squeeze.
An hour later, Harry sat impatiently at a back desk in the library. There was only an hour left before the deadline to submit the armies expired. There was no sign of Malfoy and Harry knew no way to reach any of the Slytherins. Without the location of the Slytherin common room, Harry was about to resort to roaming the halls for random Slytherins. To Harry's relief, he finally spotted a mop of disheveled blond hair making his way to the back of the library.
"Oi, Malfoy, over here!" Harry said in a loud whisper.
Malfoy continued in his unhurried pace and sat down in the empty chair next to Harry. He regarded Harry coolly, his face stonily impassive. Taking a deep breath, Harry began to explain the situation to Malfoy.
"There's only seven of us right now. It's seven versus twenty-four. They're terrible odds. I need you to talk to the rest of the Slytherins and convince them to join my army. Do you think they would do that?"
Malfoy took a second to respond before nodding slightly.
"Good, can you tell them then before noon?" Harry asked hopefully.
Malfoy paused for the same amount of time before shaking his head ever so slightly.
"Why not?"
Malfoy just blankly stared at him.
"Malfoy," Harry growled in frustration, "How can I get in touch with them then?"
"Great Hall. They're waiting," Malfoy spoke in a barely audible whisper.
"Thank you," Harry exhaled deeply, not wanting to vent his frustrations out on Malfoy for once.
I never thought Malfoy as a mute could be worse than regular Malfoy.
It took Harry approximately fifteen minutes to reach the Great Hall, leaving Harry close to half an hour before the time expired. He could feel the eyes on his back as he approached the Slytherin table, where the collective group were waiting at the end of the table. Harry took a deep breath to stop the shakes in his hands. Nott seemed to have to taken the de facto leadership position and glared at him coldly.
Now or never.
"Nott, can I speak with you," Harry asked, seeing the Gryffindors watch him out of the corner of his eye.
"You can speak right here, Potter," Nott wanted an audience for this hearing.
"Alright," Harry flushed, "You need to join my army. It's the only chance any of us have at beating Neville."
"Longbottom?" Nott snorted, "We could just form our own army and still have more people than you."
"And then Neville will just steamroll you for the rest of the semester," Harry coolly replied, "You don't have to listen to me. You don't even have to fight all that well, but the net gain of joining forces is greater than fighting him apart. You should be able to see that."
Nott sat in contemplative silence, the other Slytherins watching his every move, before replying, "We'll join you, Potter, but we won't listen to every order you say. The Slytherins listen to me. Deal or no deal?"
Harry hesitated before sticking out his hand, "Deal."
Nott laughed as he waved Harry's hand off, "I'm not shaking your hand, Potter."
"Shake or else I'll leave you and your merry band of followers to fend for yourselves," Harry whispered so only the Slytherins could hear.
Nott hissed at him, clearly furious at being power played in front of the rest of his housemates. The older students watched the scene with mild interest, their eyes flickering back and forth between Nott and Potter. The Gryffindor table also had their eyes on the situation, carefully regarding Harry's outstretched hand.
Nott slowly shook Harry's hand, attempting to crush it in the process, "You'll pay for that, Potter."
"Pleasure to join forces," Harry grunted out with a fake smile as he forcibly withdrew his hand.
Harry quickly made for the Great Hall exit but not before catching the gaze of his Gryffindor classmates. Harry did his best to place a half smirk on his face before giving the rest of the Gryffindor a casual two finger salute as he exited the Great Hall.
"You know, he's kind of sexy like this," Lavender gushed as she watched Harry leave.
"Shut up, Lavender," Ron grumbled.
******
What have I gotten myself into?
Harry entered the Wednesday Defense class with Neville's army firmly situated on the left half of the classroom. There was an obvious divide between Neville's army and Harry's army inside the classroom. Hermione sat near the middle, but still distinctively on Neville's side, of the groups with an annoyed look on her face. Harry shot a confused look at Padma as he carefully took a seat next to her.
"They came in like this," she weakly explained.
Harry looked to the other side of the classroom to find the Hufflepuffs scowling at him angrily, "Any reason they're so angry?"
"No, they've been like that to the rest of us the whole time," Seamus chirped, blowing a kiss to Hannah Abbott. Hannah did not respond in kind.
"Harry," Seamus nudged him.
Neville approached Harry and stood in front of him, "Harry, can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure," Harry stood and walked with Neville to the front of the classroom, away from the prying ears of the rest of the students.
"Listen," Neville started, "I don't want you to take anything personally. I know some of the people are taking this way too seriously but just know that no matter what - I - we - I mean - Ron, Hermione, and I don't hold anything against you."
"Not even Ron?" Harry said with a half smile.
"We'll knock him around eventually."
"Don't worry, I think I can handle it."
"Good," Neville nodded, "Good luck again."
"You're the one that's going to need it, Neville," Harry left before Neville could reply.
Did I really just say that?
"Welcome class!" Sheppard said with obvious enthusiasm.
"I received the lists of students yesterday, on time if I may add," Sheppard waved his wand at the metallic board and started inscribing the names of each student under their respective armies.
"Again, NONE of you will take this OUT of class," Sheppard barked out certain words in order to emphasize the gravity of the situation.
"This is strictly an in-class assignment and will be handled IN-class," Sheppard drove his point home by slamming his fist on the table.
"Now," Sheppard said after he thought he made his point clear, "I'll explain the assignment in more depth."
"Same safety rules apply for the entire project. I have eyes and ears everywhere in this castle. I will know," Sheppard pointedly looked at each group.
"This map shows the entire playable area of Hogwarts. I have not included the common rooms and other high locale areas for obvious reasons. I have, however, included the Great Hall. Since this assignment will take part in class, the corridors and rooms will be largely empty and any wandering students will be redirected."
Sheppard tapped his wand several times against the metallic board to enlarge the number of points in the different shaded territories.
"The goal of each army is to have more points than the other army by the end of the term. You gain points by capturing these different zones, each of which have a different number of points," Sheppard used his wand as a pointing stick as he pointed to the separate shaded areas.
"You capture areas by using the this spell," Sheppard drew the name of the spell in the air, "Expugno. Repeat it."
"Expugno," the class repeated.
"Good. You can only perform this spell, however, if no member of the other army is within ten feet of the capture point. The capture point are tall flags in the center of the zones."
"To defeat an opponent, you must rid them of their wand and stun them. If they do not have their wand but are not stunned, they remain in play. Once a student is stunned and wandless, however, they are out of play for the duration of the class period. Once either army loses all of its player for the class period, the skirmish is over. If there are still players remaining when class is over, those players receive a bonus."
"All zones that have been captured by each army will carry over to the next skirmish. All of the students will then start again within their own previously captured territories. For example, if Mr. Thomas successfully captures Zone 7 but is subsequently defeated as the last remaining member of Potter's army, Potter's army will own Zone 7 and any other subsequent zones for the next skirmish. He can then choose the students who will be placed in that zone or any other zone for the next skirmish."
"Are there any questions?" Sheppard asked. All of the students were hurriedly writing down the instructions of the project with a temerity that Sheppard had never seen before. Nothing festered improvement more than competition.
"No? Okay then. I will be judging all of you throughout this whole process. The army that has the most accumulated points at the final skirmish will receive a slight bonus. Do not let this fact deter the other army. Remember, this is your final grade for this class," Sheppard warned.
"Are there any questions?"
"You said that anyone is in play as long as they're not stunned. Correct?" Hermione asked.
"Yes."
"So you're allowing physical combat?" Hermione clearly did not like this idea.
"To an extent…yes," Sheppard nodded.
"So I can hit someone?" Crabbe dumbly asked.
"You can attempt to retrieve your wand, Mr. Crabbe. Any unnecessary force will enjoy my company in detention for the rest of the term," Sheppard coldly answered.
"Any more questions? Yes, Mr. Finnigan."
"Are we getting medals for this?"
"Detention, Mr. Finnigan, for your cheek."
*****
"So what do you think we should do?" Su Li asked a pacing Harry Potter.
Seamus, Dean, Padma, Michael, Su Li, and Harry were plotting inside an empty classroom. Malfoy, once again, declined to join them and Harry did not bother to ask the rest of the Slytherins. He had to assume they would operate mostly on their own and that he would need to formulate a plan to fit their means.
"The Great Hall has the most points with 33. That's a full third of the total 100 points," Harry muttered to himself.
"It's going to be near impossible to hold that forever. It's far too open and they have far too many people," Padma reasoned as she examined her own map of Hogwarts that Sheppard handed out to each student.
"Not impossible," Harry interjected, "We just have to have more points than them. We can concede the Great Hall if we capture enough zones to garner 51 points."
"But the Great Hall is in the middle of all the zones. If they have the Great Hall, they can easily reach the other zones at any time throughout the skirmishes," Su Li countered.
"She's right," Dean agreed with the Ravenclaw, "We'd be picked apart if they hold the Great Hall the whole time."
"So we have to contest for the Great Hall but hold the other zones in the meantime," Harry drew some sketches on his miniature map of Hogwarts.
"We don't have nearly enough people for that, they'll outman us at every point," Michael pointed out.
The group fell silent as they tried to solve this quagmire of a situation. How could they possibly defeat Neville's army when they held an eight person advantage? There were only 10 zones to spread across the sixteen people of Harry's army. Even if they held an estimated 5 of them to garner 51 points, that would leave approximately three people to hold off each zone against twenty-four more people. Considering that the Slytherins would most likely stick together, the weaker students, Crabbe and Goyle mostly, would obviously be the weak link of the group.
"Can we even trust the Slytherins to hold up their end?" Seamus asked.
"Nott will not want to lose to Neville, but I fear that they're not talented enough to compete anyways. We have to match them up against the Hufflepuffs. They would neutralize each other while we deal with the big guns," Harry wrote Neville and Hermione's names on the chalkboard and circled both of them.
Michael let out a low whistle, "They're going to be a handful."
"I can handle them in spurts, but I'll need your help," Harry turned to face his lieutenants, "Neville will force the issue while Hermione's going to know every spell you can think of to defend, attack, and do both at the same time."
"Whatever we do, we must keep them separate for as long as possible," Harry drew a vertical line between their names to emphasize his point, "The longer they are apart, the better chance we have of not being overrun at any one point."
"Keep Neville and Hermione apart; what a lovely task that will be," Seamus said under his breath.
"What about Malfoy? He barely responds to anything," Padma asked.
"He'll show up," Harry said more confidently than he felt.
"How do you know that?"
"He won't want to lose."
"But he just gave himself up last time he dueled with you."
"Just trust me, he won't want to lose," Harry insisted. The rest of the group exchanged surprised glances but did not speak up.
"Harry," Su Li said as she looked at her map, "If we can't get through the Great Hall, they're going to hold all the zones from the owlery courtyard and the Great Hall. We have to fight for the Great Hall first."
"Not necessarily," Padma pointed out, "Since we start out near the courtyard by the Divination classroom, we'll have the advantage on all the zones near the Entrance Hall."
"If they break through the Entrance Hall, we're going to be pinned back in the other zones," Seamus sighed, "This won't be easy. At least most of the classrooms are going to be empty for this."
"It won't be easy. None of this will be easy, but I think we can do it," Harry examined his mini-map once again.
"We still haven't solved the Great Hall problem," Su Li pointed out.
"I think I have an idea. Come here and look," Harry began to trace a plan onto his mini-map while the rest of the group watched.
Had Malfoy been there, even he would have been impressed by Harry's plan.
*****
Harry spent the next two nights fitfully dreaming he was an owl watching himself stumble over his feet and lose his wand as he tried to fight in the Great Hall. The rest of his day was plagued by constantly being bumped into by the rest of his Gryffindor housemates (mostly Ron) and listening to his group's extended plans for the Friday fight. He could frequently see Neville's entire group arranged before the Boy-Who-Lived as he passed by various empty classrooms. Harry had not heard from the Slytherins at all.
One hour before Defense class started, Harry found himself in the owlery, trying to find an owl to deliver a letter to James. Harry explained his situation in Defense class in the letter and asked his Dad for any advice he might have on the situation. When he found a suitable school owl to do the job, he entrusted it with the scroll of parchment and let the owl fly away. As he left the owlrey, however, Harry finally bumped into Cho.
"Cho," Harry greeted coldly before trying to move past her.
"Harry!" she grabbed onto his shoulder, blocking his movement, "I haven't talked to you since you've been back. You didn't return any of my letters since before Christmas."
Harry winced at Cho's worried look, "Sorry about that, there was a minor situation at my house and I couldn't return any owls."
"I heard about that," Cho nodded sympathetically, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Oh - good - for a second I thought you were avoiding me," Cho said evenly.
"Nope, not avoiding," Harry said in a clipped tone.
"Come on, Harry."
"Swear on it; not avoiding."
"So when you see me at the end of a hall, you just happen to have forgotten something in the opposite direction?"
"Coincidence, I think."
"Harry."
"Cho."
"Look, it's okay," she laid a hand on his shoulder, "I know when I'm being blown off."
Don't you dare try to guilt trip me.
"Look, sorry," Harry said through gritted teeth, "I've just been very busy lately."
"I know, I heard about the Defense thing. Sheppard's doing the same thing with every year but I heard you were one of the leaders in your army."
Harry nodded as she continued, "I think it's very brave of you to take on all the Slytherins like that. Good luck today."
"Thanks," Harry said, not quite leaving his suspicious shell yet, "You too on Monday, I guess."
"Thanks. I'll see you around then," Cho said in more of a command than a question.
"Just maybe you will," Harry said in false brightness.
As Cho excused herself and entered the owlery, Harry looked behind him to see she was completely gone before running away as fast as he could.
Girls. Crazy.
He entered the Defense classroom with a light sheen of perspiration, much to the amusement of Seamus and Dean.
"Hasn't started yet, Harry."
"Just building up my stamina."
"Dedication, my friends. This is your General!" Seamus bowed exaggeratedly to Harry.
"Get up before I kick you in the face, Seamus."
"I wouldn't be opposed to it," said Dean.
"I'm hurt," Seamus held a hand to his hurt heart.
"Yeah, you will be," Ron muttered as he walked by the group.
"Take this a little more seriously, Ron. Please," Seamus sarcastically replied. Ron flushed and flipped him the finger to which Seamus responded by giving him the traditional "suck it" sign.
"Hello class," Sheppard strolled in with an eerily bright smile on his face, "I hope all of you are sufficiently prepared for today. Let's waste no time, I'll show both armies to their starting locations."
Sheppard led Neville's army out first to their spot near the owlery courtyard. While Sheppard led them to their spot, Harry took this time as an opportunity to dress the entirety of his army for the first time.
"Alright guys," Harry stood on top of a chair so he could see everyone, "Just a couple of things I want to say before we start -"
Harry was interrupted by a snicker from the Slytherin section.
" -as I was saying, just a couple things. First, remember to try stay with Expelliarmus for a little while. It's easier to aim and not as draining as the Stupefy. If you can get their wand, it'll be a lot easier to stun them."
"Nott," Harry addressed the Slytherin contingent for the first time, "Can your guys hold down the Entrance Hall and the zones behind it?"
"Done," Nott replied with a mocking grin on his face.
"Good," Harry eyed them warily, "The rest of us will try to take the Great Hall. Feel free to support if you would like."
Nott gave no indication that the Slytherins would be doing any type of supporting.
"Remember, try to stay alive as long as possible. We all get bonuses for reaching the end of the class period alive. One last thing, cover each other's backs. We won't be able to take them on one at a time; they have way more people than us."
"We can do this. Just keep your head about you."
Sheppard returned to escort them to the courtyards near the Divination tower. As Harry lead his group to their starting spot, he double checked to make sure the wand holster with the Unicorn hair was attached to his wrist. He did not know if Hermione would remember that she had given it to him, but he was counting on the holster as his secret weapon. They would not be able to disarm him easily as long as he had his holster.
"Remember all the safety rules," Sheppard said in a strict tone, "At the sound of the gong, you are free to go. The sound of two gongs indicates that this skirmish over. Good luck, folks."
Sheppard disappeared without another word as Harry turned to face his close group, "Everyone remember the plan?" everyone nodded.
"Nott, are you ready?"
Nott nodded, suddenly looking a bit more nervous than he did in the classroom.
"Good."
The students fell silent as they awaited for the loud gong to signal them. Harry could already feel the sweat perspiring throughout his body in anticipation of the fight. Though he knew that no one would actually be harmed during this skirmish, it held almost the same intensity of a real battle. Harry briefly flashed back to Godric's Hollow but tried to force that image out of his mind as quickly as possible.
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry peeked at Malfoy and saw that the boy still held the same calm visage ever since he returned to Hogwarts. Harry could tell that Malfoy was a bit nervous though, from the stiffness of his posture and how tight he held his wand.
GONG.
The loud sound reverberated throughout the courtyard and the students immediately ran into the castle to capture their zones. Behind him, Harry could hear the Slytherins casting Expugno, but Harry could not turn around to confirm which zones they captured. He needed to reach the Great Hall quickly.
There were two entrances to the Great Hall. Harry's army was situated so they would reach the Great Hall from the double doors of the Entrance Hall. Neville's army, on the other hand, would reach the Great Hall through the backdoor the staff could use. Harry peeked around the corner to see a group of ten-plus already establishing a stronghold by flipping the tables over and using them as cover.
"Malfoy, you're with me. Stay behind me," Harry ordered. Malfoy nodded.
"You guys know what to do once we're across," Harry addressed the rest of his lieutenants, "Remember; we need them to be suppressed. Don't allow deep penetration."
"That's what she said," Seamus whispered.
"Indeed. Let's go, Malfoy."
Harry threw the hood of his cloak over his head and watched Malfoy do the same. Taking a deep breath, Harry immediately sprinted for the spare door which would lead to the other courtyard.
"Reducto! Reducto!"
Harry fired two spells to upend some of the tables near their fortified position. A series of shields were erected to stop any incoming fire. All the while, Harry kept sprinting towards the other door with Malfoy closely following behind him. Neville's forces in the Great Hall were still trying to situate themselves and were caught off guard by the sudden rush. Ron spotted Harry sprinting to the other door and immediately ordered a volley of Disarming charms his way.
"Expelliarmus!"
Ron saw one spell make contact with Harry, but the boy kept running as if nothing had hit him. By the time Ron gathered his wits, Harry and the other person had already reached the other door and disappeared out of sight.
"Did Harry really just run through the Great Hall?" asked Ernie.
"I think he did," replied Terry Boot.
"Ron?" they asked of their leader in the Great Hall.
"He's going to try to surprise Neville and Hermione. They're not set up yet, we have to get them!" Ron made to stand from his crouched position behind a series of tables but was stopped by a volley of jinxes.
Unnoticed by Neville's army, Seamus and the rest of the group entered the Great Hall immediately after Harry made it to the other side of the Hall. While they were distracted, Seamus split up the group so Padma and Michael were in the opposite corners from Dean, Su Li, and himself.
"They came from over there!" yelled Ernie as he fired a blind Stunner in that direction.
"No, there were spells this way," Justin was trying to peek above the table but kept ducking down as jinxes skimmed over his head.
'Shit. Shit. Shit. They're trapping us," said Ron in a panicked voice, "Stay low! We can take them out one by one!"
Ron issued his order but looked towards the other door nervously. He had no way of warning Neville and Hermione that Harry was already heading their way.
****
"Go! Go! Set up the defenses! Once we get this done we can move everyone else to the Great Hall and hold it off permanently," Neville barked as he ordered his remaining army to raise a series of walls and hedges that would provide ample cover should anyone break through the Great Hall.
Neville ran to the zones near the far end of the courtyard as he helped some of the Hufflepuffs with some of the more complicated charms to build the proper defenses.
"Lavender, make sure to use Defodio to dig in those trenches. NO, I DON'T CARE IF YOU GET DIRTY!" Hermione yelled at her roommate as she issued orders from the middle of the courtyard.
"Parvati! Bem! Make sure those walls hold. One good Deprimo will bring it down and -"
Hermione did not finish her sentence as a Stunner raced in and hit her square in the back. Her face looked surprised as she collapsed to the ground. Lavender and Parvati looked at each other before immediately hitting the ground and falling into their makeshift trenches.
"NEVILLE! Hermione's down!" they yelled as they frantically looked around.
"What?" Neville said in confusion as he spotted Hermione's prone form in the middle of the courtyard.
Lavender and Parvati's announcement immediately sent the rest of the students in a frenzied panic. Various spells were shot in random directions as they tried to locate the origin of their attackers.
"Over there!" yelled one of the Hufflepuffs.
A blue Stunner immediately fired across the courtyard and hit Lavender in the head as she peeked out from the trenches. The Gryffindor girl hit the ground, much to Parvati's dismay.
"Again!"
Another Stunner came flying in across the courtyard and missed Neville by bare centimeters. Neville threw himself to the ground as he determined that the attackers were covering themselves behind the series of pillars that braced the outside of the courtyard.
"How many are there?" Neville barked.
"I can't tell, they're only popping up one at a time and they're all hooded," responded Anthony as he hid behind a quickly conjured hedge.
"Herbivicus!" Neville directed the jungle of plants so it would block the attacker's vision as he raced to the trenches with a couple of students.
"Incendio!"
One of the attackers lit a fire into the plants to rid of it, but Neville had already reached the trenches.
"Parvati, how many did you see? It's very important," Neville asked as he peeked above the trenches to locate the attackers. He saw nothing.
"I - I - I don't know. One second Hermione's being her usual self and the next second she's on the ground and Lavender's gone and -" Parvati started hyperventilating as she lost control.
"Shhh…it's okay," Neville hushed her as he worriedly look at the series of pillars. He barely avoided another Stunner as he saw a glimpse of one of the attackers.
"I think it's Harry," Neville addressed his small group, "Judging from the strength and accuracy of the Stunner, Harry's at least among the attackers."
"What about the Great Hall? How'd they break through so fast? Do you think Ron and the rest are already downed?" Anthony asked worriedly.
"Unlikely, we sent sixteen people over there. That's the entire size of their army," Neville grimly replied.
"Then how are they already through?" whispered a Hufflepuff.
"I don't know."
"Reducto!"
A patch of ground next to the trench blew up from the spell, causing Parvati to shriek.
"Parvati, be quiet," Neville snapped, "He's trying to get us to reveal our position. Everyone spread out and start taking pot shots at the pillars. We need to know how many of them there are."
The group fanned out in the series of trenches as instructed and started firing hexes and jinxes at the pillars. Neville took careful aim at one of the pillars and yelled, "Reducto!"
The pillar splintered apart but did not blow up completely. Neville was satisfied to see someone roll to avoid being hit from the curse, but could not see whether or not the figure was Harry. They still had their hoods tightly wrapped around their heads.
"Everyone!" Neville signaled, "Pick a pillar and hit it with your best Reducto."
A series of voices yelled the Reductor curse and caused chunks of the pillars to fly into the air. Neville did not fire a curse and instead watched as two bodies rolled to avoid the curses.
"There's only two?" Neville whispered in awe.
*****
Seamus ducked to avoid a Tickling Charm that was sent his way as he sprinted for the double doors of the Entrance Hall. Dean was hit with a Stunner from Ron's crew, which left Su Li and Seamus at one corner and Padma and Michael in the other corner. They needed reinforcements badly as it was currently four versus sixteen. As Seamus rounded the double doors, he had to duck to avoid another Stunner, this time from the Slytherins.
"Merlin, Finnigan! At least give us a warning if you're coming back through here," chastised Nott.
The Slytherins were well set up in the Entrance Hall for anyone to come through the doors of the Great Hall. Seamus had to give them credit for that at least.
"We need your help," Seamus gasped out as he leaned over to put his hands on his knees, "Dean's down and we can't keep Ron pinned in the crossfire forever. If we don't hold them for a little while longer, they're going to get back to Harry."
"Where's Potter?" Blaise asked.
"He's on the other side," Seamus explained as he heard another series of Stunners splash against the doors behind him.
"He's in the other courtyard?" Nott asked in clear surprise.
"Yeah."
Nott looked at Seamus for a moment as if he were calculating something in his head before speaking, "Zabini. Goyle. Davis. Go with Finnigan."
"Thank you," Seamus said in earnest as he instructed the three Slytherins where they should set up.
"Finnigan, make sure you give a warning before you come through the doors again. I'll hit you next time if you don't," Nott warned.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Seamus said as he braced himself to reenter the fray.
Seamus and Goyle sprinted for Su Li's corner, making sure to use various tables as cover to avoid the jinxes sent from Ron's direction. Ron's group was set up in a covered circle near the center of the Great Hall. Seamus could see Blaise Zabini and Tracey Davis leapfrog their way over to Padma's corner. As Seamus reached his previous locale, he found Su Li also Stunned on the ground.
"Looks like it's just you and me, Goyle," Seamus muttered as he aimed a Disarming charm at the flaming, red hair of Ron Weasley.
Goyle looked at him dumbly before casting a Lumos.
"Goyle! What are you doing!?" Seamus yelled as he ducked to avoid a Stunner.
"Sorry."
*****
Harry cursed as he tried to peek out over the low wall and saw another Expelliarmus fly over his head. By now, Neville had to know that there were no more than five people at the very most. Harry did his best to attack from various locations to keep them off guard, but time was quickly running out for him and Malfoy.
"Malfoy. Are you ready?" Harry whispered to him as they both lay flat on the ground.
Malfoy nodded in response, rolled over and cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself. As long as he stayed still, they would not see the slight shimmer of the Charm unless they were standing right on top of Malfoy.
Satisfied that Malfoy was well hidden, Harry immediately sprinted for the back door of the Great Hall. Along the way, he felt another Expelliarmus hit his shoulder. His wand flew out of his wand but was quickly yanked back by the Unicorn hair. Harry almost laughed at the irony of Hermione's gift.
Harry took one quick look back at Malfoy and could not see the Slytherin. He took this concealment as a good sign and raced back into the Great Hall. Peeking over the High Table, Harry could see that only two of Ron's crew were hit by Stunners. They were, however, pinned in their little shell as they exchanged fire in two different directions. Ron obviously did not anticipate being caught out so early.
Harry took a quick look back to make sure Neville had not followed him into the Great Hall yet before he tore off into a run straight for Ron. They had their backs turned to him as they exchanged fire with Seamus and the rest of the group. Harry conjured a ball of bright light and threw it in the middle of the huddled group to briefly disorient them.
"Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!"
Harry hit them at point blank and did not push his luck past three Stunners as he sprinted away from the disoriented squad and back to the High Table. Harry smiled in satisfaction as he watched Ron's group yell in confusion and manage to stun one of their own.
*****
"Did you see that?" Parvati asked Neville as she watched someone sprint back to the Great Hall.
"Yeah, I saw it," Neville said suspiciously as the air became suddenly quiet. There were no more spells from the attackers behind the pillars.
"You think they retreated?" Anthony asked.
"There was only one of them," Justin responded.
"Maybe we took out the other ones," Parvati suggested.
"Maybe," Neville said, not sounding too sure.
"Come on," Neville lifted himself from the trench and carefully made his way to the pillars, his wand trained for any sign of movement. Peeking behind the low wall, Neville could not see anyone there.
"They must have retreated," Neville concluded. He still felt as if he were not seeing the whole puzzle.
"We have to go," Anthony insisted, "Who knows what's going on in the Great Hall."
"Agreed," Neville concluded grimly, "Justin. Parvati. Stay behind him and make sure no one gets through the Great Hall. There's twenty-two of us in there, there's no way they can get around us. Everyone else, follow me."
Justin and Parvati nodded and set themselves into a position where they would blast anyone who exited through the back door of the Great Hall. Unbeknownst to them, Malfoy stood up and immediately dispatched them once Neville and the rest of his group disappeared into the Great Hall. Once Malfoy was satisfied that the two were stunned, he started a complex spell that would complete the plan.
*****
Harry crouched behind a chair, Disillusioned as he waited for Neville. This move was the biggest gamble on Harry's part. He had to assume that Neville would follow him into the Great Hall once he concluded their courtyard was clear. If he did not follow Harry, the plan would fall to ruin.
A couple of spells whizzed over Harry's head but they were nowhere near on-target. Harry could hear footsteps approaching from the back door of the Great Hall. Harry barely could contain himself as he saw Neville and three other people take in the sight of the Great Hall.
Tables were flipped over everywhere. Spell marks scratched the ground and the walls of the Great Hall while a number of residue charms still lingered around. Padma's specialized Herbivicus charm slowed Ron's crew down considerably as they struggled to locate their targets from behind the overgrowth. As it were, Ron's crew were still pinned in the center of the Great Hall behind their circle of tables.
Harry watched as Neville's group cautiously made his way to Ron. Neville tapped the table to indicate he was a friendly and made some hand motions to his best friend. Harry watched the exchange and started to creep back towards the rear door of the Hall. Before he left the Great Hall, he carefully aimed two Stunners at Neville's huddled group. Though he aimed for Neville and Anthony, Harry's Stunner somehow missed Neville and hit another person instead. Neville turned around in surprise as Harry disappeared around the corner.
"No! No! Get them!" Neville yelled as he realized his oversight.
Sprinting as fast as he could, Harry spotted Malfoy finishing his spell at the back entrance of the Great Hall. Malfoy waved him over, indicating that he was almost finished. Harry sprinted through the ward just before a series of bricks whirled into view and trapped Neville's army in the Great Hall.
"That'll hold?" Harry checked his watch to see how much time remained in class.
Malfoy nodded, even looking slightly pleased at his handiwork.
"Good. Let's capture the rest of the zones before time goes up."
Harry and Malfoy raced around the empty rooms and cast their Expugno. There was no resistance since they had either taken out Neville's army in the courtyard or trapped them in the Great Hall. Harry checked his watch one more time to see there were only two minutes left before the second gong sounded.
He kneeled down to Hermione to brush a stray hair away from her face, "Sorry, Hermione. Had to take you out first or else you would have made life much more difficult."
The double gong sounded to indicate that this skirmish was over. Harry's army had effectively captured nine out of the ten zones. The only zone they conceded was the important Great Hall. Unfortunately for Neville's army, they were going to be surrounded once the next skirmish started.
Neville's army - 33 points.
Harry's army - 67 points.
