When morning arrived, it was quiet-and still, no one besides Sirius had come as a volunteer.
"I don't get it," Ron said. "Why aren't more people coming to help us?"
"They're scared," Ernie Macmillan said. "The Death Eaters are terrifying to everyone."
"We've been abandoned by them," Hermione said.
"We won't abandon them," Dean Thomas said.
"The Death Eaters!" Neville cried. "They're back!"
Hermione turned around; a group of Death Eaters were quickly approaching the barricade.
Fear flitted across Dennis Creevey's face as explosives hit the magical barrier; thankfully, it held. Various students took turns darting out of the barrier to fight back the Death Eaters.
"Seamus!" Hermione said. "How're we on ammunition?"
"We all obviously have wands, but we're low on ammunition," Seamus said. "Dangerously low. We're completely out of explosives."
"I'll go out a get some off the dead Death Eaters," Harry volunteered.
"Harry, no!" Hermione shouted. "It's too risky!"
"That's true for anyone!" Harry shouted back.
"I'll go," Sirius said. "I'm old and have nothing to fear. He's just a boy."
Hermione appraised him for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.
Unbeknownst to them, Dennis and Colin Creevey were listening closely.
"They need someone quick," Dennis said. "We'll go! We're little people, we can move quickly!"
Colin nodded in agreement; he wanted to do something to help, and he and Dennis had been kept to the sidelines because they were the smallest (and youngest) ones there.
"You need someone quick, so Dennis and I volunteer!" Colin called out, as he and Dennis ran out of the safety of the magical barrier.
"Dennis! Colin!" Neville shouted. "Don't you dare! Both of you, get back here!"
"Bring them back!" Parvati Patil shouted.
"They're already out," Hannah Abbot said, her voice solemn. " They're too far away. It's too late."
____________________________________________________________________________________
"We'll show them what little people can do," Dennis said. Both pulled out a bag and started plucking ammunition off dead Death Eaters-most of it was explosives.
Colin glanced over at Dennis every so often; he didn't want to be too far from his brother. But even so, he couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement; they'd show them what little people could do.
A jet of green light whizzed past him. Fear twisted in his stomach, but he continued going from body to body, collecting unused explosives. Little people may be small, but they didn't give up.
Suddenly a voice roared, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Colin looked over in time to see a jet of bright green light hit his brother. Dennis fell to the ground, dead.
"Dennis!" Colin cried. "Dennis!"
Of course, Dennis didn't answer. Choking back sobs, Colin fumbled for his wand and summoned Dennis's dropped bag of collected explosives. Dennis would want the bag to reach his friends at the barrier.
Dennis was gone. His little brother was dead.
A curse was hurled towards him, but he ducked.
"Expelliarmus!" another Death Eater cried. The jet of red light hit him, and Colin's wand was jerked out of his hand and flew a few feet away, out of reach. Colin clutched the bags of explosives closer and started edging back towards the barricade.
Another jet of green light flew past him, narrowly missing him. If he was killed out here, it would have all been for nothing. He had to make sure that the bags made it to the barricade.
He hurled the bags at the barrier, and the bags dropped at the edge of the barricade.
Parvati quickly brought them into back into the safety of the magical barrier.
"Colin, come on!" she shouted; Colin didn't miss the horror on Parvati's face.
Colin started back, but a voice-the same one that shouted the curse that killed Dennis-screamed,
"Avada Kedavra!"
Colin turned in time to see a jet of green light rushing towards him.
Everything went dark.
