𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨 (𝖽𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗈 𝗆𝖺𝗅𝖿𝗈𝗒 𝗑 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋)

thirty

Draco and I made our way through the school, through the courtyard, and into the Forbidden forest. A huddle of wizards--Death Eaters--stood underneath a group of trees, and we walked up to them quickly. They were not talking, simply standing around eyes searching. Draco and I joined them without asking questions. I took a minute to look around me. Draco was scared; his hands were shaking and his eyes dark. Narcissa and Lucius both shared a far-off look, like they weren't mentally here. They looked terrified and defeated. Greyback was chewing his nails, and Rowle was holding his bloody lip. I remembered how burned I looked, and sighed.

Yaxley and Dolohov walked into the herd from my left, looking angry and defeated. Voldemort stood in the center of us, in front of a fire. Nagini floated behind him in a protective bubble.

"No sign of him, my Lord," Dolohov said to Voldemort.

Bellatrix looked up. She looked best out of all of us; she had a spot of blood on her face, but otherwise looked untouched. "My Lord--"

Voldemort shushed her with a raise of his hand. "I thought he would come. I expected him to come." He paused. "It seems that I was mistaken."

A voice from near the trees shocked us all. "You weren't."

Nobody spoke. The other Death Eaters and I all clustered closer together, ready to fight. The ogres and giants behind us roared. Potter walked forward to Voldemort. His wand wasn't in his hand; a bold move.

"Harry! NO!"

I turned around to see Hagrid tied to a tree. He looked dishevelled, and he kept yelling at Potter.

"Quiet!" yelled Rowle. He waved his wand, and Hagrid fell silent.

Potter and Voldemort stared each other down for a minute. Bellatrix had leapt to her feet. Nagini slithered around in her protective bubble, and the fire flickered brightly. Nothing else moved.

"Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived," said Voldemort, his voice cold and quiet.

Seconds passed, again.

Then Voldemort slowly and calmly raised his wand. Potter did not move.

"Avada Kedavra."

As the green light shot from the wand, a bit of surprise entered my head. Obviously this was what Voldemort wanted, but a part of me didn't believe he would actually kill Potter.

Potter fell onto the ground, unmoving. His face was in the dirt. In this moment, I decided to take a good look at him. His skin was dirty, covered in bits of dirt and dried blood. There were small and random cuts on his arms and what was visible of his legs. His jeans and shirt were ripped in places they shouldn't be ripped in, undoubtedly from today's battle.

A sudden movement from Voldemort drew my attention to him instead of the boy lying on the ground. The Dark Lord had also fallen to the ground, as if he was it with the Killing Curse as well. Had Potter's death physically hurt him? Many of the Death Eaters rushed to his side. I did not.

I turned to Draco. He was breathing heavily, his arms at his sides. He looked sickly. I put my arm on his shoulder, and he jerked, as if waking up from a nightmare.

In his defence, this whole thing is a nightmare.

Ten minutes passed. Nobody talked, or moved, or mentioned Potter, who was still lying on the ground, unmoving.

"My Lord," Bellatrix finally said, her voice a whisper. "My Lord. . . ."

"That will do." Voldemort began standing again, correcting his posture. Bellatrix remained kneeled by his side.

"My Lord, let me--"

"I do not require assistance," said Voldemort, his voice ice cold. "Is the boy dead?" Nobody moved, so Voldemort turned to Narcissa. "You. Examine him. Tell me whether he is dead."

She moved toward him, and kneeled down next to him. She put her hand on his back and said, "He is dead!"

Shouts and triumph rang through us. I smiled, only to give the illusion that I was happy about Potter's death, despite parts of me knowing I wasn't. Draco's face didn't change.

"You see?" Voldemort yelled. "Harry Potter is dead by my hand, and no man alive can threaten me now! Watch! Y/n."

My head shot up and I immediately came forward at the sound of my name.

"You know what to do," Voldemort said calmly.

I nodded and put my hand out in front of me, forcing my emotions into my hand, like I had been trained and forced to do so many times.

My emotions were a bit too weak, apparently. Potter raised into the air (which surprised me--I had never lifted anyone) and he began bouncing up and down for a few moments. I put him down roughly while the Death Eaters cheered. I walked back to Draco.

"Now, we go to the castle, and show them what has become of their hero," Voldemort spoke. "Who shall drag the body? No, wait--"

Voldemort walked over to Hagrid and untied him from the tree. A rope around his stomach kept him from going anywhere.

"You carry him. He will be nice and visible in your arms, will he not? Pick up your little friend, Hagrid. And the glasses, put on the glasses, he must be recognisable."

He did as told, and soon we were marching back into the school's courtyard. Hagrid was crying about Potter, but Voldemort stopped him.

"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone. The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of your castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live, and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together. Come."

We walked to the gates, and stopped when we reached them. I walked to the right, close to the gate. Draco was on my left, hand in mine as we clutched our wands with out free hands. I looked at him and nodded.

"We can beat this," I whispered to him.

Footsteps and commotion grew as fighters exited the castle. People began screaming for Potter, and yelling angry words at us.

"Silence!" Voldemort yelled, and that's exactly what came. "It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!"

Hagrid placed Potter in the grass in front of the Dark Lord, and he spoke again. "You see! Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"

I felt Draco squeeze my hand. I squeezed his in return, wanting nothing more but to run from Hogwarts and leave all things that had to deal with wizards.