𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄

Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: To Be Late

They weren't the only ones who'd noticed the clouds. Those who'd been inside rushed outside to see. The large doors were spread wide, showing the terrible wave of approaching enemies.

Voldemort was flying. His form was at the front of the cloud, leading his army that were braced on broomsticks. The clouds rolled forward, bringing the Death Eaters closer and closer with every second until they'd passed over Hogsmeade and came to rest just before the grounds of Hogwarts were defined by law and warding spells.

For a few minutes, the lightning crackled forward and into the barrier that became more visible with every blinding strike that hit it. Right before their eyes, they were forced to watch as the wards were worn down, cracking like a giant pane of glass. The webs of lines lit until they looked like they were burning before they finally crumbled. Lines burned away, shattering until Hogwarts' greatest defence was down.

With that first piece of resistance gone, the clouds continued forward and swooped down. The entirety of Voldemort's army stretched out across the Great Lake, all behind their powerful leader, ready to sacrifice it all.

As Harry's eyes swept across the lines of men and women, he realised that they had every intention of this being their last stand. Not one Death Eater had their hood up or their mask in place. They were coming out as the winners of this war today or they weren't surviving at all.

"Inside, the lot of you," Minerva ordered suddenly and was ushering the remaining students inside. "Hurry, now."

When Harry turned to do just that, he noticed that the final needed piece had been put into place.

In, what must have been a desperate move to keep his final Horcrux safe from Snape, Voldemort had brought Nagini with him and had allocated Bellatrix Lestrange to take care of her.

Those who weren't to be in the front line retreated into the Hall but Harry's mind was already focused on that important attack. He turned to Neville. "Neville," he said quickly, bringing the brave boy to his side. "I need you to go up to Professor McGonagall's office and grab me Gryffindor's Sword."

His dorm mate was apprehensive about leaving the impending battle. "Harry, you can't pull me out like this…"

"I'm not doing that at all. I can't tell you why, but we can't actually, physically win without that sword. I need to stay here in case they break through sooner than we expect, but believe me, this battle — this war — comes down to whether if I have this sword or not." His hand clasped around Neville's wrist. "Please."

Neville crumbled. "I'll bring it here as soon as I can."

"Thank you."

With that, Harry took Ron and Hermione aside but paused when he saw Draco. "I'm sorry but there's something I have to do that I can't tell you…"

"I understand," Draco responded instantly. "I'll do what I can here. You take care of yourself. I want to be awake the next time the sun's up."

Harry nodded his head and turned to his two best friends. "Nagini is here."

"With Lestrange," Hermione agreed.

"We need to get to her. We can't defeat Voldemort if she's still alive."

"What's the plan then?" Ron asked. "We're behind you the whole way, mate. Anything you decide."

Again, Harry nodded his head. "Before I can face him, we have to get rid of her, first. I know we're meant to stay back here to be careful, but we have to go out there and get her. The others don't know why we need it so badly and we can't keep relying on Snape for it. He's twice the target anyone else is on that battlefield. So when Neville comes back, we'll take the sword and see how far we can get without being recognised. We need to stay away from Voldemort until we're ready."