Brontide

Chapter Twenty-Four

"I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."

A silence fell across the Great Hall, one so heavy it seemed to weigh down upon me.

"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. You have until midnight."

The bodiless voice that I could only assume belonged to Voldemort had stopped talking. The entirety of the school had been gathered together by Professor McGonagall, my ever-unyielding favorite teacher, though even she looked rightfully afraid. Everyone had turned their attention to Harry, who was standing not too far in front of the rest of the Order. Rae and I were looking at each other nervously. We'd only just entered the Great Hall.

A Slytherin girl I didn't recognize stood up from her seat, pointing a finger at Harry and yelling, "But he's there! Potter's there! Someone grab him!"

All at once, the Order moved in front of Harry and we stared at the girl, who was beginning to look regretful once most of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff houses stood to glare at the Slytherin table, wands raised and at the ready.

Professor McGonagall swiftly stepped in before a fight broke out. "Thank you, Miss Parkinson. You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch, if the rest of your House could follow."

The Slytherins, along with the students under age, were being evacuated, while the Order gathered on an empty spot at the Gryffindor table. Harry had gone off to look for what he'd come to Hogwarts for, as well as search for Ron and Hermione, who we still hadn't seen. According to Kingsley, we only had about half an hour before midnight, so we needed to agree on a strategy quickly. We started formulating a battle plan, and ultimately it was decided that Professors Flitwick, McGonagall, and Sprout would cover the three highest towers with groups of fighters. Fred and George would organize the defense of the secret passageways, while Rae and I would go with Mr. Weasley and a few others to the school grounds, Remus and Kingsley taking groups with them as well. I could tell Rae was relieved once they agreed to let her and myself pair up, and I was too.

When it came time to separate from everyone, Fred and George pulled Rae and me in for a group hug, the four of us holding onto each other tightly.

"Be safe, you two," Rae said with a sigh.

"Don't worry about us," George said with a smile, "I reckon this'll be a right blast, eh Freddie?"

He let out a chuckle, a grin spreading across his freckled face. "George, it's been too long since we got to blow anything up. I haven't been this excited since we were fifteen. The Great Toilet Massacre, remember?"

I was too anxious to say anything. The feeling of being near my best friends before a potentially large-scale battle spoke in and of itself; I was worried we'd never had this again.

Before they went up the staircase, Fred backtracked and placed a kiss on my lips. "Shoot straight, alright?" he said with a smirk.

"I will if you do," I smiled back, watching as he and George took the stairs two at a time and disappeared around a corner.

We left the chaos of the school behind and Rae and I hurried after Mr. Weasley, who'd gone ahead of us with a few Ravenclaw students. From the sounds of people yelling and the flashes of light that appeared in the distance, I knew it must've been past midnight then. Through the darkness, I could see people to our left and right in the midst of battle. Though we couldn't see it, a roar was heard that sounded remarkably like a giant, and a chill went down my spine at the possibility of having to fight one.