The Art of Living - R. Black

thirty eight

Song for this chapter: I Know the End - Phoebe Bridgers

TW death, violence, blood

- - - - -

The entire castle shakes as the Death Eaters' spells keep hitting the wards. There are hundreds and hundreds of spells threatening to penetrate the various spells placed around Hogwarts to keep it safe.

I'm in one of the East towers, watching as chaos ensues.

Regulus, Jack, and Bill are all with me.

"Ready?" Jack asks.

More spells continue to hit the wards and the wards weaken even more.

"Ready," I answer.

There's a large mob of Death Eaters crowded at the wooden bridge. They're all watching and waiting for the wards to crumble so that they can storm the castle. I'm so high up that I can't pick out anything or anyone from the mob of darkness.

Thunder rumbles even louder and all of the Death Eaters stop their spells. I exchange looks with Regulus, Jack, and Bill. There are no more spells until one singular person casts a spell with dark green light, and suddenly the wards start crumbling all at once.

Fiery pieces of the wards start falling from the sky and landing on all of Hogwarts and its grounds.

"Fuck," Jack mutters.

I reach out for Regulus and grab his hand. We don't have any time left. Regulus squeezes my hand and nods his head at me before raising his wand.

I watch as all of the Death Eaters swarm the bridge and start infiltrating Hogwarts. Only a small part of them makes it onto the bridge before it goes up in flames and starts breaking apart. People fall into the abyss below them, the carnage of the bridge following.

There are dark clouds flying through the sky as Death Eaters apparate around. Several of them are heading our way and I can only hope that my spell hits them first.

Green light flies through the air and I barely have time to deflect it. I fire back a spell and one of the Death Eaters goes plummeting to the ground.

More and more spells are being fired at us.

I keep dodging and firing back but they're moving so fast that barely any of my spells are hitting. All we need to do is keep them from successfully landing on the tower.

"Reg, to your right," I say.

Regulus fires a spell and hits one of the oncoming Death Eaters. He proceeds to deflect another curse and start firing back again.

One of the spells from a Death Eater hits and the side of the tower crumbles inwards, leaving a gaping hole.

Jack turns around briefly to look at the damage when the green light goes hurtling toward his chest.

"Jack-"

My words catch in my throat as Jack goes falling back onto the floor, his eyes still open. His wand rolls out of his hand and stops at my feet.

I let out a sob at the sight of my oldest friend lying dead beside me, but I don't let myself feel it yet. We're still under attack.

A Death Eater lands on the tower, several meters away from me. I recognize him to be Tiberius Nott. He lowers his wand with a smirk and glances down at Jack. "Oh, sorry about your ex-boyfriend," He says. "The prick always did annoy me in school."

I point my wand directly at his face.

"Go on, avenge him, I know you want to," Nott says. "You McKinnon's are too proud to know when to stop and retreat." He glances over the tower and into the courtyard. "I guess your son, Atlas, picked that up from you. Maybe that's why he's still here and fighting."