Tuesday, October 31

Malfoy/Lupin had steadily and carefully been working on the Dark Lord by using the altered Restorative Potions to increase the dark wizard's own paranoia and egomania. It was frightening to hear Voldemort launch into rages against the cowardice of Snape, the infirmities of Dumbledore, and the pitiful whinging of the brat, Harry Potter.

The meetings the Dark Lord held with his followers, those who were still fool enough to answer his summons, were a debacle of curses against the Death Eaters. Most terrifying to Malfoy/Lupin, though, was that even as the Dark Lord was slowly crumbling before him, he still had the power to whip his remaining followers into a fanatical frenzy. Even if the Order were able to deal quickly with the Imps, there were still almost 100 Death Eaters that all had a bloodthirsty streak within their souls that were preparing to attack Hogwarts in just a few hours.

Hermione and Luna had all the first through third years, plus a few fourth years, down in Rowena Ravenclaw's hidden workroom. Even with all the children comfortably ensconced, the room was not at all claustrophobic. A few days before, their friends had worked quickly to bring down sofas and chairs and a few cots they'd discovered in various storage rooms throughout the castle. Luna had wisely thought to provide games and there were several chess games and decks for Exploding Snap, plus a variety of board games. Hermione had brought books, text books, quills and ink and she had separated some of the more studious students into small study groups.

"Tempus," Hermione cast softly. The time blinked briefly and then faded away.

Luna walked over and placed her hand on the Gryffindor girl's arm. "You've cast the time too many times, Hermione," Luna warned, knowing the young witch was nervous.

Hermione huffed. "You don't look at all worried, Luna," she said with a slight resentful edge to her voice.

"I'm terrified," she whispered. "However, neither of us can allow ourselves that luxury. We must be strong. For them." Luna gave Hermione a quick hug. "And each other."

Hermione sighed heavily. "I just wish we were part of the fighting."

Luna looked around at all the young students and then into Hermione's eyes. "We are."

"It's cold," complained Draco.

"Are you going to say that every fifteen minutes?" Harry complained right back.

Both young wizards were on the Astronomy Tower keeping watch over the area where the wards had been purposely weakened just minutes ago by their mother. They were to raise the alarm at first sight of anyone crossing that shouldn't be.

Draco wanted to bite back with some sarcastic remark, but he couldn't think of one. "I didn't know mother was going to weaken the wards," he commented instead.

"Me neither," agreed Harry. "Wasn't it brilliant how she glowed all those different colours?"

"I think mother surprised Dumbledore. He looked a little gobsmacked, didn't he?" Draco rubbed his arms through the folds of his robes.

Harry chuckled weakly, "Yeah." He watched the twinkling lights of Hogsmeade for a moment.

"I wish father wouldn't let mother take part in the battle," Draco said wistfully.

Harry looked away from the town of Hogsmeade and gripped his brother's shoulder. Narcissa's suicide was still too recent for Draco and the last few days he'd hovered protectively around Lyrica. He'd even gotten into a heated argument with their father over Lyrica fighting. "You know what mum said, Drake. She's pretty powerful now since she's pregnant."

"Yeah, but..." Draco didn't finish what he was thinking as he caught sight of something twinkling in the distance that shouldn't have. "Harry?"

"I see it." Harry ran over to the door to the tower and cast his Patronus. "Tell Dumbledore, they're coming." The stag vanished down the stairs.

"He's early, Harry," said Draco staring as more figures Apparated outside the gates of Hogwarts. The silver masks of the Death Eaters were glinting in the moonlight. "Harry, it's not midnight!" Panic was rising in the young Slytherin's voice.

"I know! Don't lose it, brother," ordered Harry.

Draco took a slight, shuddering breath, and shouted, "Dobby!"

The elf appeared in seconds. "Masters?" he asked nervously.

"It's time, Dobby," said Harry. "Let the house elfs know."

"Yes, Master Harry." Dobby paused uncertainly, then stretched out a hand to pat Harry's arm. He then did the same to Draco. "Be safes, Master Harry and Master Draco."

Harry gripped Dobby's arm. "You keep safe, too, Dobby."

Dobby nodded and then popped away.

Harry turned to Draco. "C'mon, brother. We've got to go kill Lucius before someone kills him for real."

Ron was dancing around the floor in a Robin Hood costume with Millicent, who wore a Maid Marian costume. He saw Harry's stag Patronus prance into the Great Hall and he froze.

"It's happening. It's too early, isn't it, Ron?" asked Milli as she clutched him tightly.

"Yeah," nodded Ron. He took out his wand and waved it over his costume, changing it to a t-shirt and jeans. He then did the same to Milli's costume.

All over the dance floor, revelers understood the signifigance of the Patronus and did the same as Ron had done with their costumes.

Dumbledore rose to his feet and cast 'Sonorous' against his throat to make his voice carry over the sudden murmur. "Our uninvited guests have arrived. The staff will lead, then the DA, then the rest. Any who wish not to fight must leave right now and go to the Ravenclaw workroom."

As the staff gathered around Dumbledore, not a single student left the Great Hall. Dumbledore spoke softly, "I've sent a Patronus to the Aurors. At the most, it will take about fifteen minutes for the Order members to arrive using their portkeys."

"He's trapped, Headmaster," announced Lyrica. She had felt the wards through the Ley Lines close as soon as Voldemort had stepped across the wards."

The castle suddenly shook as a loud explosion landed somewhere outside. The battle had begun.

Voldemort sent his army of Imps through the weakness in the wards. When he saw that they were unimpeded, he sent the Death Eaters next leading like a triumphant emperor onto Hogwarts grounds. He was not aware of the wards closing behind him the moment he had crossed onto Hogwarts grounds because at that moment, the Death Eaters hit the field of Bluebell Flame landmines.

The small blue flames served well to distract the Death Eaters. This allowed a good third of them to be caught off guard by the house elfs that popped in amongst them. The house elfs cast strong Stunning Spells that not only took out the Death Eaters that were hit, but knocked them back several feet.

The explosion that rocked the castle knocked Harry and Draco down to the floor as they ran into the Entrance Hall. Harry scrambled to his feet and helped his brother to his feet.

"Are you ready for this, Drake?" asked Harry quickly.

"No! So let's go!" Draco pushed through the Entrance Hall doors and screamed as he saw the swarm of Imps stampeding towards the castle.

Harry yanked Draco backwards and through the door just as the walls of the castle shimmered oddly. "What was that?" asked Harry staring about them.

"The castle is defending itself, Harry!" Dumbledore was in the Entrance Hall. "Come along, Draco and Harry." He leaned closer to the boys. "The rest of the Order will be here soon. You have to kill Lupin quickly, or we risk losing him."

"Yes, sir," nodded Draco.

"We were just heading out to do that, sir," added Harry, "when we saw the Imps."

Dumbledore led his staff and Harry and Draco outside the castle. The castle had absorbed most of the Imps when they leapt upon the castle. The other Imps left behind had been slightly disabled by the castle's defenses and they tottered about dazed. The Defense Association dealt with the last of the Imps using Stunning and Binding spells to trap the nearly magical resistant creatures. They then used a Dark Banishment spell to finally get rid of them.

The Death Eaters swarmed towards the castle like black bats with silver faces. Draco and Harry had memorised what Lucius Malfoy's Death Eaters mask looked like so they'd be able to get to the Polyjuiced Remus. The boys kept behind Dumbledore, firing helpful spells as they were able and then they saw Malfoy/Lupin.

Most of the spells Malfoy/Lupin was casting were Stupefy carefully mis-aimed to hit Death Eaters or no one and shield charms. The other, more damaging spells that he was shouting out had no real intention behind them and caused no more damage than sparks to fly. He didn't want to hurt anyone, especially any of the students. He saw Dumbledore and aimed a low-level Stunning spell at the Headmaster, giving Harry and Draco the perfect opportunity to take him down.

They fell into a routine that they had practised at Billeghdonn Cove as they learned to duel with their Ley Line magic. Malfoy/Lupin faltered where it was necessary and then was brought down by a Stupefy spell from Draco. As Malfoy/Lupin dropped unconscious to the ground, Lyrica came up behind the boys, conveniently 'tripped' and fell on Malfoy/Lupin and used a portkey to transport him to the Great Hall.

Inside the Great Hall, Lyrica ennervated Lupin, peeled off his silver mask, and threw it aside.

"Are you all right, Remus?" she asked breathlessly.

He nodded. "The Reversal Potion. Do you have it?" Lyrica removed a small phial from her robe pocket and handed it over. He drank down the thick liquid, dropped the empty phial and was soon screaming as the change from Lucius Malfoy to his natural form was forced.

While he lay on the floor, doing his best to catch his breath, Lyrica transfigured his robes into those of his tweed teaching robes, and gave him a Pepper-Up Potion and a Strengthening Potion.

"Go, Lyrica," whispered Remus. "I'll be following very soon."

With a brief pat to the werewolf's shoulder, Lyrica rose to her feet, and ran out of the castle.

Outside on the grounds the Defense Association students were impressive as they used the combined spell tactics with devastating effect. The rest of the Order members and more Aurors were arriving by portkey which meant the Death Eaters were now surrounded on all sides.

Draco and Harry were also using their combined spell tactics, although they had not linked through the Ley Lines. Their spell casting caused several Death Eaters to fall before they could even cast a single curse. Their goal was hovering upon a slight rise not far from the gates of Hogwarts: Voldemort. He was watching the battle like a general overseeing his troops. What they didn't know was that the Dark Lord had a very sharp eye on one figure: Severus Snape.

Voldemort knew he was dying and he could care less about his followers that were falling all around. It was Snape's blood that had brought him back to life and it was Snape's life he now required to preserve his own. All his Death Eaters had been expressly forbidden to kill the Potions Master on pain of a long, and drawn out death. He didn't care about the Prophecy or Harry Potter because he fully intended to triumph in this battle, kill Potter's adopted father, and then he would kill the boy.

Harry and Draco were doing very well until Draco was caught by a Blasting Curse that he blocked with a weak shield. Instead of blowing him into a thousand pieces, he was thrown backwards several yards. Using his Whipcord Spell, and a Concussive Wave, Harry knocked the Death Eater that tried to kill his brother back into three other Death Eaters.

Harry looked back over his shoulder and saw Draco being helped up by Neville. "Look out!" shouted Harry as a Death Eater threw a nasty, yellow glowing curse towards the two boys.

Draco pulled Neville down and cast a Concussive Shield that sent the curse bouncing back to the Death Eater that cast it. The Death Eater's skin burst in a terribly ghastly way and he dropped dead to the ground.

Harry ran, ducking several hexes towards where he saw his parents. Lyrica was slinging blue energy balls like they were baseballs. The energy would envelop a Death Eater, knocking them to the ground where they shook and writhed as though being electrocuted. Snape was wandlessly and silently casting a variety of spells including his vicious Sectumsempra.

"Dad! Duck!" screamed Harry.

Snape instinctively ducked and rolled sideways, casting a simple Tripping Hex that knocked down his opponent who had cast the Killing Curse despite Voldemort's warning. He then Stupified the Death Eater and knocked out a second one with a minor Blasting Curse preventing the second Death Eater from hexing his wife.

"Dumbledore!" gasped Snape as he rose to his feet.

Near the edge of the Forbidden Forest the Headmaster had engaged Voldemort. Dumbledore was doing well knocking back the Dark Lord, but he was blind sided by two Death Eaters just as Snape looked up. Dumbledore crumpled to the ground. Harry ran past his father just as Voldemort cackled madly and raised his wand.

"Severus, go!" Lyrica cried out.

Snape ran after his son. "Voldemort!" bellowed Harry.

The Dark Lord halted in throwing the Cruciatus Curse at his old nemesis and threw a Killing Curse at the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry was quick and leapt out of the way. He cast in quick succession a Disarming Spell, a Concussive Wave, and a Whipcord. Only the Concussive Wave hit. That spell just barely clipped the dark wizard.

Snape grabbed his son by the arm and hissed in his ear, "Drop your wand, Harry, and link up with me!"

With no argument, Harry let go of his wand, tapped into a Ley Line and sought out his father's magical core. Father and son were soon linked and together they cast spell after spell after spell at the Dark Lord.

Voldemort ducked most of the spells but his anger and his egomania were building to a fever pitch. Bathed in the light of the nearly full moon, he shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

Together Snape and Harry cast their most powerful Concussive Wave three times. The Killing Curse hit the reflective shield and returned the deadly curse so fast, Voldemort didn't have a chance. In a horrid burst of corrosive green phosphorescence, the Dark Lord was disintegrated.

All around them came agonised screams, cries, and shrieks from the Death Eaters as their Dark Marks burned worse than ever they had burnt before. Left and right the followers of the Dark Lord fell to the ground, clutching their arms in pain. Hogwarts staff, Order of the Phoenix members, Aurors, and the students worked quickly in Stupefying every Death Eater that dropped.

Up on the hill where Voldemort had fallen, Snape and Harry were caught in the euphoric giggles of the Ley Line link. They quickly unlinked their magic from each other and Snape used every discipline he had to force down more of the euphoria so he could go to Dumbledore. He fell to his knees by the fallen wizard and lifted the old man's head and shoulders into his lap.

"Albus, what did he hit you with?" asked Snape, his voice hoarse with concern.

"A Disarming Hex, my boy. I think I should be all right, but my head feels as though an elephant trod upon it."

"Doesn't sound pleasant," quipped Snape taking out his wand. He did a quick diagnostic. There were some bruises, and a definite hard knock to his skull, but the Headmaster would recover swiftly. Impulsively, Snape hugged the old wizard. Albus chuckled softly and patted the younger man's back.

"Thank you, Severus, but I'd really like to get to the Infirmary, if we could?" Snape looked down into the irascible wizard's smile and at the never-ending, twinkling eyes.

"You'll be on the way soo..."

"DAD!"

"FATHER!"

Draco and Harry both screamed for him. Ice shot down his spine. "Go!" ordered Albus.

Snape carefully laid the Headmaster back down on the ground and then scrambled to his feet just as his sons screamed again. He was running as fast as he could to where they both knelt.

"Merlin... no!" gasped Snape as he crashed to his knees beside Draco.

Lyrica had been hit with Sectumsempra, the cutting spell that was his own creation, not once, but three times. One cut sliced dangerously close to her carotid artery, but had miraculously missed it. It went from her shoulder to just across her chest. A second cut had gone across her belly and a much smaller, third cut went from her temple down to her jaw.

Snape did a diagnostic over the second cut to make certain his daughter was still safe. She was safe. He began to weave the complicated singing spell that would heal the Sectumsempra wound. He didn't realise until he was finished a few minutes later that Pansy was on the other side of Lyrica healing the wound across Lyrica's chest. He said nothing, but went to work on the wound on her face. When he and Pansy were finished, Pansy ran off to help someone else. Snape lifted his still unconscious wife and headed for the castle.