Aria Black and the Battle for Hogwarts

Dolohov

I race to the Hospital Wing before doing anything else. Madam Pomfrey stands beside Daphne's bed. "Come on dear, we must go!" She cries.

Daphne moans. "Let them find me here, let them kill me. Madam, go and save yourself!"

"I'll take care of this, Madam," I say. "Go oversee the evacuation."

Madam Pomfrey nods, grabs her bag of healing potions and herbs, and sets off to help Filch.

"Daphne," I say. "Either go, or stay and fight."

"No!" She cries. "I won't leave, then the Death Eaters will kill me. If I fight, they will kill me."

"Astoria's fighting." I tell her. "You want to protect her, right?"

Daphne's face loses the fierce and determined look. "Astoria's fighting? She's not even of age." She says quietly.

"No." I tell her. "She's not. And that's all the more reason for you to protect her."

Daphne draws herself up. "Fine. Let those Death Eaters try to kill Astoria. I'll blast their faces off."

***

Daphne and I go to find her little sister. She's dueling Selwyn, and losing.

"I'll take you to your family, pretty little thing." Selwyn cooes as if talking to a baby. "They'll help you decide your loyalties."

Astoria angrily sends a charm at him, which he blocks easily.

"STUPEFY!" Daphne yells.

Selwyn is caught by surprise. He falls to the ground, stunned.

Daphne embraces Astoria. "What were you thinking?"

Astoria looks up at her sister. "Are you mad?"

"No! Of course not!" Daphne cries. "I'm freaking proud of you, Astoria. They won't know what hit them. I'm so ready, we'll-"

"I'm going to go fight." I interrupt, before Daphne starts an anti-Death Eater chant.

"Thanks Aria." Daphne says, smiling at her sister.

They race off to duel, and I whirl around to see Antonin Dolohov, the man who killed my mother. It seems like he has been waiting for me.

Dolohov draws his wand. "Let's finish this."

I whip out my own wand in response.

We circle each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"You going to hex me?" Dolohov asks.

I frown. "Not first."

Dolohov's face contorts in confusion. He's an extremely ugly man, I've realized. Maybe he's not so ugly inside.

I take a deep breath, and force out the words I know I should say.

"I want a truce." I tell him.

"You're joking." He says, raising his eyebrows. "Didn't the Order tell you to stay away from heartless murderers that kill your mother?" Dolohov seems genuinely shocked.

I sigh. I guess I couldn't expect him to just go along with it. "I think for myself. They don't know about you anyway. Only Dad knows you killed Mum, and he's...."

"Dead." Dolohov finishes. "Why didn't you tell them to hate me more than they do?"

What is he doing? Why is he so confused?

"I've been keeping a lot from my friends lately. It's this stupid war." I say, with an accusing look at him.

"Why do you want a truce?" Dolohov asks. "Don't you hate me?"

I nod. "I hate your very bones." And I do. He ruined my chance at half of a normal family. "But my mother should not have killed your wife. And that's the reason we are fighting each other. I have other Death Eaters to beat. So, truce?"

I stick out my hand and Dolohov looks at it with confusion.

About fifteen feet away, someone cackles an evil cackle.

I gasp. Thorfinn Rowle is in front of me, dueling with Angelina. She promised not to fight! Well, I wouldn't have kept that promise either.

"It's too bad I have to kill the kid too." Rowle sneers. "He could grow up to work for us as a petty servant. But hey, helping is helping."

Angelina glares at him. I don't think I've ever seen her so fierce. " 'The kid' is a SHE." She throws a stunning spell at Rowle, which he blocks. "AND HER NAME IS ROXANNE WEASLEY!"

Rowle smirks evilly. "Does Roxanne have a father?"

Michael does! You are his father and you never give him any attention! I want to shout.

"Are you asking me about my love life? Of course she has a father, haven't you had this discussion before?" Angelina says, casting a full-body bind. Rowle again blocks it.

"And it's a Weasley?" Rowle says, delight etched into his ugly face. "You seem like you would go for the one I killed earlier. He was a twin, I think."

A twin? No! Fred? Or was it George? Rowle is just messing with her, right?

Angelina freezes. She looks up at him in horror and shock. "A-a twin?"

Rowle smiles. "Yes, my dear. And you'll join him soon. Avada ked-"

I'm too slow to jump in front of the curse, which I would gladly do. But someone next to me raises their wand and says in a voice quiet as a mouse, "Stupefy."

Rowle drops to the ground before he can finish the spell. Dolohov sighs and lowers his wand.

I'm too shocked to thank him.

Angelina turns to me, tears in her eyes. "Which one is it?"

I swallow my tears. "He's probably just lying. C'mon, let's go look for them."

We run (well, just walk fast since Angelina is VERY pregnant) around the campus, looking for our boyfriends.

We catch sight of Molly first.

"Have you seen the twins?" I ask her.

"Yes," she says. "They just ran past me."

Molly goes to duel Nott, and I turn to Angelina.

"That's not enough time for Rowle to kill one of them." I say.

She nods.

"You should go into the Room of Requirement." I say. "You and Roxanne were almost killed."

Angelina nods, and stalks off to the castle.