𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫 | n. tonks

xxxvi

cw: death of a sibling

Hogwarts was a disarray of chaos as students, staff, alumni, and Order members rushed around preparing for the battle ahead of them. Tonks and Hadley, along with the prefects, rounded up all the underage kids and led them to the Room of Requirement, where they would evacuate to the Hog's Head for protection from the fight.

Once the last of the younger students were through the portrait hole, Hadley left to go find Professor McGonagall while Tonks reported back to Kingsley.

"Ah, Hadley, there you are," McGonagall said as the young woman approached her near the front doors. Neville and Seamus were standing with her. "I have a very important job for you to help Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Finnigan with. I need you three to blow up the bridge."

"Blow up the– Wait, what?!" Hadley gasped. She exchanged looks with the two Gryffindor boys before following McGonagall outside.

"Let me get this straight, Professor," Neville said. "You're actually giving us permission to do this?"

"That is correct, Longbottom," McGonagall confirmed.

"To blow it up?" Hadley asked, adrenaline coursing through her. "Kaboom?"

"Yes, Hadley. Kaboom." McGonagall nodded.

"Wicked." Hadley grinned, exchanging a look with Neville.

"But how on Earth are we gonna do that?" Neville asked.

"Why don't you confer with Mr. Finnigan?" McGonagall suggested. "As I recall, he has a proclivity for pyrotechnics."

"I can bring it down." Seamus smiled.

"Kaboom!" Hadley high-fived the younger boy.

"That's the spirit, now away you go." McGonagall dismissed them.

The three ran off to gather everything that they would need. As Seamus made sure everything was in place, Neville and Hadley went up to the bridge to distract the Death Eaters when they arrived.

Protective spells had been placed all around the castle so that no one would be able to enter its grounds. It wouldn't be able to keep them out forever, but it would delay them just enough for them to get into their battle positions.

Hadley looked over her shoulder at the castle. This was really happening. Everyone she loved was here, and now was the time to rise up and protect them. No getting scared.

Yelling was heard, and Hadley and Neville turned to watch as a horde of Death Eaters came charging at them, only to collide with an invisible force that killed a few of them on impact.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"Yeah?" Neville laughed. "You and whose army?!"

"Don't anger them, Nev." Hadley chuckled softly.

There was suddenly a shatter. Neville and Hadley looked up to see the shield that the protective spells had made crumble. The redhead's stomach twisted, and she reached for her wand, which shook a little in her now-trembling hand.

"This is it..." Hadley whispered, exchanging a look with Neville. The Death Eaters ahead gave a battle cry when they realized they could now enter the premises. "Run!"

Hadley and Neville sprinted back towards the castle, the older of the two shooting protective and offensive spells over her shoulder to defend themselves against the curses the Death Eaters were shooting at them.

There was an explosion, and Hadley shoved Neville forward as the bridge collapsed from under them, sending a good amount of the Death Eaters chasing them to their deaths.

"Get inside!" Hadley yelled at a few of the students that had watched what happened, including Ginny. She grabbed her little sister's arm, and they ran back inside the castle, shoving their way through the crowd.

"Ginny!" Harry shouted when he spotted them. "Hadley, Neville! Are you alright?"

"I'm running on zero hours of sleep and pure adrenaline!" Hadley replied.

"Never better!" Neville said, shouting a little over all the screaming. "I feel like I could spit fire! You haven't seen Luna, have you?"

"Luna?" Harry questioned.

"I'm mad for her! I think it's about time I told her since we'll probably both be dead by dawn!" Neville ran off in search of Luna.

"I need to find Dora," Hadley said, panting as she scanned the crowd. She gave Ginny a tight hug and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Ginny. Stay safe."

"You, too," Ginny replied, watching as her big sister ran away, firing spells at Death Eaters as she began her search for Tonks.

─── ⋆·✧·⋆ ───

The castle was eerily quiet, almost as if it was deserted. Voldemort had ordered his forces to retreat for one hour to allow Harry to come to him in the Forbidden Forest.

Hadley reached the doors of the Great Hall, her hand intertwined with Tonks's. The door creaked as it was pushed open, and they walked inside.

"Hadley!" George had tears falling down his face as he ran up to his sister, wrapping her in a tight hug. "Thank...Thank Merlin you're alright. I-I thought...I couldn't find you anywhere...Oh, Haddie..."

"George, what happened? Who is that?" Hadley asked, eyeing the body lying on the floor, surrounded by all her family. "N-No..." She shook her head, tears filling her eyes as she got a closer look. "No, it...it can't be...He can't...He's not..."

She kneeled down next to the body, her shaky hand reaching out to touch his face. She hugged his shoulders, her body trembling as she cried into Fred's lifeless chest.

Her older brother. Her triplet. The person she's looked up to all her life, whom she always followed around...Dead.

She didn't speak to anyone. She wiped her face with her sleeve as she stood up, took one final look at Fred before running out of the Great Hall, ignoring her family calling out her name. She had to get out. She needed air. She needed to wake up from this horrible nightmare.