Insomniac• a Harry Potter Fanfiction

23. The battle of hogwarts

I basically cried whist writing this

   We were standing in the room of requirement; looking back at old faces that we hadn't seen in years. Oliver Wood, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet. Besides Fred and George, I was standing next to Bill, Fleur, Molly, and Arthur. On top of that: Lupin. Harry was walking down the steps.
   "Harry, what's happening?" Asked Lupin. I basically had the exact same question. The twins had dragged me here, and I still had no idea of what was going on,
   "Voldemort's on his way, they're barricading the school - Snape's run for it. What are you doing here? How did you know?"
   "We sent messages to the rest of Dumbledore's army." Replied Fred beside me. "You couldn't expect everyone to miss the fun, and the D.A. Let the order Order know."
   "What first, Harry?" George said, "what's going on?"
   Me too, George. Me too.
   "They're evacuating the younger kids and everyone's meeting in the Great Hall to get organized. We're fighting."
   I gasp. I looked up from my shoes that I had been staring at. I look up at the twins and mouth seriously? To them it may have come across as annoyed, but actually it was a realistic question. The two of them only nodded.
   The crowd was thinning as people were walking towards the Great Hall. Only a few of us had decided to stay back in the room of requirement. Next to me Mrs. Weasley was shouting at Ginny. "You're underage! I will not permit it! They boys and Meagan, yes, but you, Ginny, you've got to go back home!"
   "But I won't! I'm in Dumbledore's army-"
   "A teenagers' gang!"
   "A teenagers's gang that's about to take him on," Fred said matter-of-factly. "Which no one else seemed to dare to do."
   "She's sixteen! She's not old enough! What were you two thinking, bringing her with you,"
Fred and George looked ashamed. I just kept my head down.
Truth be told, I had to take Molly's side with this. Even though I'm nineteen, I don't even think I'm ready for this.
"She's right, Ginny." I sweetly said to her. "I really believe that you can do this, but you just can't. Look, I'm nineteen and I don't think I'm ready to do this. Everyone underage is going to have to leave. It's only right."
Ginny looked the angriest that I had ever seen her, "I can't go home! My whole family's here. I can't stand waiting there alone and not knowing what's going on!"
"Ginny,"
"Fine. I'll say goodbye now, then, and-"
At that same moment, someone had clambered out of the tunnel. "Am I too late? Had it already started?" The voice was familiar. It was Percy's.
Everyone was staring at him in awe and disbelief. But of course Fleur had to ruin it, "So- 'ow eez leetle Teddy?"
Lupin stared at her, startled. "I - oh yes, he's fine!" Yes, Tonks is with him. At her mother's." Frozen, everyone else was staring at Percy. "Here, I've got a picture."
Then Percy lost it; "I was a fool! I was an idiot! I was a pompous prat! I was a -"
Then Fred lost it; "Ministry - loving, family - disowning, power- hungry moron!"
I nodded. Its not like it was a lie.
"I was!"
I stepped forward to him, "Well you can't get fairer than that." The twins agreed with me.
Molly had burst into tears and strangled Percy in a hug. "I'm sorry, Dad." Percy told Arthur, crying.
"What made you see sense?" Asked George.
"It's been coming on for a while. But I had to find a way out and it's not that easy at the Ministry; they're imprisoning traitors all of the time. I somehow managed to make contact with Aberforth, so here I am now."
Sad to do so, I broke up this family bonding moment by saying, "Okay, we need to get upstairs and fight, or all the good death eaters, like dates for the Yule ball, will be taken."
As I was walking out with Fred and George, I turn my head to look at the Room Of Requirement once more. After all, it could be my last chance to.
Inside the Great Hall, the familiar four long House tables were lined with students.
Every student's eyes were fixed on Professor McGonagall, ". . .evacuation will be overseen by Madam Pomfrey and Mr. Filch. Prefects, when I give the word, you'll organize your House and take your charges to the evacuation point."
Students looked up at her, petrified. At the hufflepuff table, a student stood up. "But what if we want to fight," he shouted.
"If you are of age, you may stay,"
"What about our possessions?" Another student said.
"You have no time to collect possessions. The important thing is you get out of here safely."
Right after that, a high, cold voice echoed throughout the Great Hall. There was no telling where it had come from. "I know that you are preparing to fight. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have a great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not wish to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry potter, and you will be rewarded." Without even having to think about it any further, I knew it was Voldemort. The voice was so chilling that it made students scream. Fred held me close. "You have until midnight."
There was a silence until Pansy from the Slytherin table shouted, "but here's right there! Harry Potter is right there! Someone grab him!"
Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs were standing in front of Harry. Everyone around me, including myself, pulled out their wands. The twins and I moved in front of Harry. I wasn't going to let go of the guy I grew up with like that.
"Thank you, miss Parkinson. You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your house could follow," said Professor McGonagall. "Ravenclaws, follow on,"
Only a few Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors stayed behind in their seats.
Harry walked over to the Weasleys and I at the Gryffindor table. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"
Before anyone could answer, Kingsley stepped forward on the raised platform. "We've only got half an hour until midnight. We need to act fast! A plan has been agreed to between teachers of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix. Professors Sprout, McGonagall, and Flitwick are going to take groups of fighters up to the three highest towers. The astronomy, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor towers where they'll have a nice overview from which to work spells. Meanwhile Remus, Arthur, and I will take the grips into the grounds. We'll need somebody to organize defense of the entrances of the passage ways into the school -"
"Sounds like a job for us," said Fred, motioning to himself and George and I.
"All right? Leaders up here and we'll divide into the troops."
On the way to the Entrance Hall, the three of us stop at a balcony. It was overlooking the other side of Hogwarts. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I just let go. I started sobbing. "Can I tell you two something?" I ask them, testing my arms on the edge of the balcony.
"Yeah," they both replied.
"I'm scared." I let out another sob, "Is that selfish?" I put my head in my hands. "Is it selfish that I'm supposed to fight for everyone , and yet, I'm scared."
"That's not selfish." Fred told me. "If it was, then everyone would be selfish. It would be inhuman to not be scared,"
We sit in comfortable since for a moment.
"Remember that one time we pranked you by dying your hair blue?" George asked me.
"What about it,"
"It was actually a permanent dye. The only reason it got out was because I used a spell against it,"
My tears stopped for a second, and for the first time that night I smiled, "well at least you're being honest. Remember that one time I drenched you two in pink glitter?"
"Yes,"
"It took about a month later for it to come out of your roots. No one told you two about it because I told them not to,"
The three of us laugh for a few minutes. Just enjoying the moment and not caring about what was coming up next. "I love you two. Love you so much." I tell them, like it was the last chance to. "Fred and George, you've helped me through so much. I was so alone . . . ."
"I love you." Said Fred. Neither George or I knew who it was to.
"I love both of you, too," George told Fred and I.
Like walking into a dentist office, I got the courage to say, "let's do this,"
Only this wasn't the dentist. My parents weren't holding my hands telling me, don't cry Meagan. It'll be over soon, trust me. My breath steadied as I think about my mom quietly saying to me, it'll be over soon.
   Soon.
In front of the entrance hall, we were fighting off Death Eaters until we decided that it was time to go back to the room of requirement. George headed off to who knows where, "Okay, I'll just be one moment," he told us before he left. I wanted to tell him that now was not the time to. That any other time would be okay, but just not today.
Fred and I ran as fast as we could to the room of requirement. We had do it quickly considering Death Eaters had penetrated Hogwarts. There was one moment where Fred had pulled me behind a corner and kissed me. As dramatic as it sounded, it had a high chance of being out last. That was the first time I had actually seen Fred cry. Usually he kept his head down, shake his head, and laugh it off. Only this time it felt real, if that makes sense. "C'mon," I told him as I held him by his wrist, leading him to the room of requirement.
Surprisingly, Percy was already there. Seeing how he was struggling with three death eaters, Fred and I decided to help him.
We were battling death eaters back-to-back. The three of them were masked and hooded men, "interesting choice of costume, guys." I said, trying to make a joke out of the situation, which caused Fred and Percy to laugh. The man, who was dueling Percy, hood slipped back. Fred and I looked to see a high forehead and streaked hair.
"Hello, minister! Did I mention I'm resigning?" Said Percy, sending a jinx straight at him.
"You're joking, Perce!" Fred Shouted as he shot a jinx at his death eater. Fred looked at Percy with glee. "You are actually joking, Percy. I don't think I've heard you joke since you were - "
At that same time, the air exploded. Fred pushed me out of the way. The world seemed to resolve itself into pain and semidarkness. Fred was half buried in the wreckage of a corridor. He was bleeding on the side of his cheek. "No - no - no!" Someone was shouting beside me. "No! Fred! No!"
I push myself off the ground to see Percy shaking Fred and Ron kneeling beside him. Somehow Fred was still smiling.
   The fog, from the crash, told me that this was only a dream state.
   Only it wasn't.
   My vision was blurred. My hair was drenched in my blood, along with part of my face.
For a second I almost laughed. "What are you all doing?" I asked the two of them. They looked at me like I was crazy. "He's kidding, isn't he?"
I kneeled beside Fred, "c'mon, Fred. Get up. Okay, I claim you the king of pranks." I looked at Percy, "why is he just sitting there?" I grab his arm and tug on him to pull him up. He wasn't responding. I pulled harder on his arm to pull him up. Still nothing
Percy only stared at me like I was going insane. "Oh my God," I sobbed out. I realized what was going on. My shaking hand reached out to him. I then realized that this had been what I had been dreaming of for so long. I pulled my shirt over my face so no one could see me sobbing. It was completely useless though, considering how loud it was.
   Through my unsteady and uneven breathes, I could taste blood.
   This is a movie. In a few minutes, people from backstage are going to come and get you. Only this wasn't a movie.
   This wasn't the recurring nightmare I always had.
   This wasn't a book.
I noticed something in Fred's pocket. I reached to get it. It was a small, velvet box. I opened it- inside was a diamond ring. I sobbed even harder as I realized that he was going to propose to me.
   Somehow I managed to sob even harder.
He was just laying there. My best friend was just laying there. The love of my life was just laying there. My soon-to-be-husband was just laying there.
He was there, but he wasn't. He's supposed to be laughing about how Voldemort for some reason didn't have a nose. But he wasn't laughing. Neither was George.
   I didn't even want to look at George. If I did, I would only see Fred.
If the world had fallen, why had the battle not been ceased? The entirety of the castle was silent, for the exception of my, and everyone around me's sobs. I shook my head. Fred Weasley could not be dead. This was all a dream. I'd wake up any second now, to find that I was wrapped in his arms. I must be hallucinating.
Put the look on Percy's face told me that it was real. Harry was hovering over my shoulder. "Meagan! Meg, you can't do anything for him! We're going to -"
Screams were behind me. Curses were soaring behind me as well. I stayed in the same spot. It didn't matter if I died. I'd just sit there. "Let's move. NOW!"
Next to me, Harry stooped to seize Fred's body under his armpits. Percy helped. Realizing what was going on, I nodded and decided to hug Fred once more. And I heard the most beautiful sound that I think I've ever heard and the most beautiful sound I will ever hear.
Fred's heartbeat.
A few minutes after that, Harry told me that he was going to fight Voldemort, as crazy as it sounded. "I can go with you, y'know." I told him.
"No you can't, Meagan."
I knew I couldn't, but I felt like I needed to ask.