Chéri || Fred Weasley

lxxvii

The world had stopped completely as more curses were sent their way. Ron and Harry pushed Hermione down to the floor but Fred covered Clo's lifeless body with his own, to prevent any further harm happening to her. "We've got to move her," Fred croaked and with Ron and Harry's help, he finally managed to move all of the rocks and stones from her before picking her up in his arms.

"It was supposed to be me, she pushed me out of the way," Fred cried when they found a small niche to hide her body, setting her down on the floor gently. "Who was it?"

"Rockwood and one of the Lestrange brothers, I'm not sure which of the two," Percy replied sadly.

"You three need to do whatever you need to do to end this," Fred looked up at Harry, Ron and Hermione who were grieving the loss of theit friend. "We'll handle this but please just go and end this already," he pleaded.

Harry looked back at Ron and Hermione, the latter who was struggling to keep herself together as she stared at her best friend's corpse, the first girl she ever was able to truly call her friend. "Come on 'Mione, we have to do it for her," Ron took her hand.

"She was my sister too," Hermione cried and followed Ron but Harry stayed put with silent tears running down his cheeks. "Harry, come on," the girl insisted and tugged his hand.

Numbly, the golden trio continued to move through the battle, cursing off death eaters who crossed their way as they ran to the northern courtyard to get to the Black Lake where Voldemort was waiting in the boat house for Snape. The quidditch pitch and stands were on fire but that couldn't compare to what they found when they reached said courtyard.

Madeleine was still dueling back to back with Lizzie while they tried to avoid being crushed by a giant that was causing as much damage and destruction as he could. Acromantulas began appearing out of nowhere, climbing through the debris as they tried to capture people. Maddie could recognize many of the death eaters who were fighting but she got an odd feeling, when it came to her that Bellatrix hadn't showed up yet to find her. The two girls were still fighting together when nearly a hundred dementors came soaring in the dark sky to attack so they moved rapidly to cast their patronus along with other members of the the D.A leaded by Aberforth. They blasted off the dementors with such strenght that they felt the ground shake. The blonde saw Harry, Hermione and Ron hurry past the place the dementors tried moving through as they rushed out of the main part of the battle.

In the middle of a duel against one death eater, the hooded man stopped throwing hexes at her and began retreating, all of Voldemort's troops doing the same leaving the Hogwarts army dumbfounded until a clear, cold voice spoke again.

"You have fought valiantly, but in vain. I do not wish this. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a terrible waste. I therefore command my forces to retreat. In their absence, dispose of your dead with dignity. Harry Potter, I now speak directly to you. On this night, you have allowed your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. There is no greater dishonor. Join me in the Forbidden Forest and confront your fate. If you do not do this, I shall kill every last man, woman and child who tries to conceal you from me. You have one hour."

All of the death eaters retreated just like Voldemort had said and Liz exchanged a look with Maddie, the two of them knew that healers would be needed to tend to people and there was nothing more Lizzie Bennet did better than healing people. Liz ran to the great hall but Maddie ran back into the castle to look for one specific person.