I'd die for you - A Battle of Hogwarts love story ✅

Chapter 9

Owen’s arms were around me before I’d even spotted him.

‘Thank Merlin you’re all right.’ he mumbled in my ear.

When he let go of me, I noticed he was wearing a heavy traveling cloak on top of his pajama’s. He obviously hadn’t had the time to dress properly. Now I thought about it, I hadn’t seen anyone in normal clothes besides Suse, Sky, Dave, Peter and myself. I noticed several students eyeing me with curiosity because of it, but I didn’t pay attention. I sat down at the Ravenclaw table, pulling Owen with me. Sky was sitting next to Andrew, both of them looking away from each other. Suse was sobbing against Dave’s shoulder and Peter was trying to calm the younger students down.

‘So – when are you leaving?’ I asked Andrew. ‘Has McGonagall already discussed the evacuation?’

‘No.’ he replied. ‘But I’m not leaving.’

‘Yes, you are.’ Sky argued. ‘You’re too young.’

‘For what? To fight or to be with you?’ Andrew raised his eyebrows at her. ‘Why would you care about me anyway?’

‘Andrew...’ Sky sighed. ‘Please don’t be like that.’

‘I’m staying to fight.’ He folded his arms stubbornly.

‘You can’t.’ Owen said sternly. ‘You won’t. I’m still your older brother and I won’t allow it.’

‘I don’t care if you allow it. I’m not leaving.’

‘Suse will take him.’ Dave said to Owen. ‘They can leave together.’

‘What?’ Suse’s head snapped up and she stared at Dave in complete disbelieve. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

‘I’m sending you home.’

‘No, you’re not.’ Suse dried her tears and looked at him with blazing eyes. ‘I’m just as old as you and I’m way better at DADA than you are. I’ve got every right to be here.’

‘I can’t have you in danger.’ Dave protested. ‘You have to go.’

‘That’s too bad – I’m staying.’ Suse turned away from him and looked at Andrew instead. ‘But you’re not. You’re too young for this.’

‘I’m sick of being told I’m too young.’ Andrew bellowed. He turned to Sky with an expression of rage. ‘I’m only one and an half years younger than you are, but you just decide than I am too young to be with you. Don’t think I don’t know – I’m not stupid. And now you’re making me leave? You think I’m leaving you unprotected? I’m one of the best students of my whole year at DADA and I’m probably just as good as you are. I’m not leaving you. Not now.’

‘Andrew!’ Sky said shocked, her cheeks flushing red.

‘Sky, tell me something.’ Andrew sighed. ‘Do you even like me? Cause if you don’t, then you’ve got even less to say about this. I’m staying anyway, but if you only want me gone because I’m Owen’s little brother, you have got no right to try to convince me other ways.’

We all gasped when Sky’s hand shot toward Andrew and she slapped him in the face.

‘You idiot!’ she yelled. ‘How can you even think I only want you gone because you’re Owen’s little brother? You fool, you prat, you stupid jerk!’ She slapped him again. ‘Of course I like you – I love you, for Merlin’s sake! I love you more than anything in the world. I love you more than I thought possible. I love you more than my own life. That’s exactly why you’ve got to leave. You need to leave. You are going to leave. I can’t have you here – I can’t.’ A single tear poured out of her eye and dripped off her cheek. ‘I can’t...’

Andrew smiled exuberantly. ‘You love me?’

‘Don’t act like you didn’t know!’ Sky’s voice broke. ‘Of course I love you.’

‘I love you too.’ He wrapped his arms around her trembling body and kissed her passionately.

‘Finally.’ Owen sighed next to me. ‘Took them long enough.’

‘You’re not going to try and convince me into fleeing, are you?’ I accused him.

‘No.’ Owen sighed again. ‘I would, but I know you too well to do that. It would be completely useless. Besides, I’m not going to let anything happen to you, so you might as well stay here.’

Tears welled up in my eyes when I realized I was going to lose Owen tonight. He didn’t seem to fear death as much as I did, though. Maybe... maybe there was hope after all.

‘Attention students.’ professor McGonagall called from the raised platform at the top of the Hall. Behind her stood the teachers, including the centaur, Firenze, and a group of tough looking wizards and witches I didn’t recognize. ‘The Dark Lord’s coming. The war is finally coming. You’ll have to leave the castle for your own safety. The evacuation will be overseen by Mr. Filch and Madam Pomfrey. Prefects, when I give the word, you will organize your house and take your charges, in an orderly fashion, to the evacuation point.’

‘We’re not allowed to stay?’ Suse whispered shocked. ‘She’s got to be kidding.’

‘I’d like to see them making me leave.’ Sky said through gritted teeth. ‘I’m seventeen, they can’t boss me around anymore. I’m legally an adult now.’

At the Hufflepuff table, Ernie MacMillan stood up. ‘And what if we want to stay and fight?’

I raised my hands to clap them together. He received a smattering of applause from the Hall.

‘If you are of age, you may stay.’ McGonagall said, obviously not liking the idea at all.

‘What about our things?’ Daisy called from our table. ‘Our trunks, our owls?’

‘We have no time to collect possessions.’ McGonagall said sternly. ‘The important thing is to get you out of here safely.’

‘Where’s professor Snape?’ a panicked voice shrieked form the Slytherin table.

‘He has, to use the common phrase, done a bunk.’ replied professor McGonagall.

Everyone except the Slytherins cheered loudly. At least there was some good news in this mess.

‘Look!’ Sky pointed toward the Gryffindor table. ‘Harry!’

‘So it was his voice...’ I mumbled. That was good news, too. Without him, there would be no single spark of hope at all. With him here, I started hoping that I’d live through this after all.

‘We have already placed protection around the castle.’ McGonagall proceeded. ‘But it is unlikely to hold for very long unless we reinforce it. I must ask you, therefore, to move quickly and calmly, and do as your prefects-’

But she was interrupted by a high, cold voice that seemed to issue from the walls around us.