Before the Dawn | George Weasley

71

George and I lay on my bed, holding each other tightly, until he finally whispered that he had to leave.

I let out a whimper of protest, burying my face in the crook of his neck. He pressed a feathery kiss to my bare shoulder, running his fingers over my back.

"I have to, darling," he said softly. "I've already been away too long. The Order's on standby until we get word from Harry."

It took every bit of self-control I had to release my grip on him, allowing him to pull away and get redressed. I sat up slowly, slipping my own clothes back on, then followed him downstairs.

He paused at the door, turning his warm brown gaze on me, and I felt a lump form in my throat.

"I'll see you soon," he said, taking my face in his hands. "I love you, Mackenzie Doyle."

"I love you, George Weasley," I whispered.

"When this is all over, we can do anything we want. Go anywhere we want. We'll spend so much time together that we'll be sick of each other before the year's out."

I gave a small shake of my head. "I don't think I could ever be sick of you."

"Well, after tonight we can test that theory," he laughed, pulling me into a tight hug and pressing a kiss to my forehead. I buried my face into his chest, clinging to him, trying to memorise the feeling of his embrace, the warmth of his arms around me.

Then he pulled away, and I was left feeling cold. He cast one last lingering glance at my face before walking out, closing the door behind him.

* * * * * *

I was summoned around dusk, the Caterwauling alarm in Hogsmeade having been set off. We suspected it was Harry trying to break back into Hogwarts via one of the secret Hogsmeade passages.

I crept through a dark and silent Hogsmeade with my wand drawn, scanning the scene for any sign of the trio, but the only other people out that night were my fellow Death Eaters.

After a thorough search of the village, we gave up and joined the others, who were gathering atop a hill overlooking Hogwarts. It was staggering to see just how many we had recruited in the past years, hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands, of us standing and awaiting orders. I exchanged a brief glance with my father as I passed him and Miles, following Dolohov to the top of the hill to stand among Voldemort's elite with the Dark Lord himself.

Below, a glowing orb of protection spells were being cast, forming a shield around the castle. I glanced up to see that the Dementors had joined us, hovering silently overhead. Nagini slithered by my feet, coming to a stop beside Voldemort at the edge of the cliff.

There was a crack as Severus appeared, moving to stand beside me. I flashed him a questioning look, wondering why he wasn't inside the school, but he ignored me.

"My Lord, they're preparing to fight."

"Are they so naïve to think they could win?" Voldemort spoke quietly, his eyes trained on the school below.

A ripple of laughter surged through the crowd.

Voldemort turned, looking smug. "Shall we give them one last chance to surrender?"

A chorus of disagreement echoed, but Voldemort raised his wand and we fell silent. He cast a simple spell, sending a shot of silver light down the hill. It passed easily through the protection charms, and disappeared into the castle.