Little Secrets

Chapter 19

It felt like the battle had been going on for days before Hermione heard Neville had finally killed the snake.  She'd just sent a vicious curse she had learned from Harry's Halfblood Prince potions book at a Death Eater when Neville had appeared beside her holding the Gryffindor sword and Nagini's head.  The excitement of their success tore her eyes away from the man writhing in front of her and she raced to find Ron and Harry to tell them they could kill Voldemort.

"Has anyone seen Harry?"  she yelled as she ran through the crowds.

Anyone who actually listened to her shook their head.  As she darted through the hallways, she started to realise no one had seen Harry since he'd left with Zabini.  She paused before racing towards the Quidditch field.  Where was Harry?  She hadn't seen Zabini either, but Harry was their winning ticket.

She was so distracted by thinking about where Harry could possibly be, she didn't hear someone behind her until it was too late.  Rather than yell a curse at her, though, they jumped on her back and knocked her to the ground.  The air left her lungs as her face was crushed into the ground and she tried to turn her head so she could breathe.  Her attacker didn't let up, however, and pressed her into the ground until she started losing consciousness.

"Looking for your Harry Potter?"  the person growled.  She was rolled onto her back aggressively and looked up at the face of Fenrir Greyback.  Her heart stopped as he snarled above her.  "He's dead, love.  Dead like his parents."

"You're wrong,"  Hermione said, fingers stretching to where she could see her wand lying on the ground.  Draco had said he was alive and he wouldn't lie to her.  Greyback was just trying to catch her off guard.

"It's true,"  he said.  His face dropped down until it was mere centimeters from hers and she turned her head to the side.  He only leaned further until his lips brushed her ear when he told her,  "He screamed as they first attacked then crumpled to the ground like a baby.  Would you scream like he did?  Would you do it for me?"

His tongue ran along her ear and Hermione shivered.  Before she could worry just what he would do to her in the middle of a battlefield, his body went stiff and he was pushed off of her.  Ginny's face looked down at her worriedly before she reached down to help Hermione to her feet.

"Have you found him yet?"  Ginny asked.  Hermione didn't have to ask to know she meant Harry and not Voldemort.  She shook her head.  "I saw Zabini in the Slytherin dungeons.  Harry has to be nearby."

"Of course,"  Hermione agreed.  She heard Greyback's words echoing in her mind and shook them away.  "We need to find Voldemort, though.  Kill him now that the snake is dead."

"Not without Harry,"  Ginny insisted.  Hermione was about to protest before a voice echoed over the grounds.

"Harry Potter is dead."

Ginny sucked in a breath and Hermione turned to see Voldemort floating down from the mountain and levitating Harry's body.  That was impossible.  It should have been impossible.  They'd had a plan and this wasn't part of it.  Greyback was the liar here, not Draco, and Harry was alive.  As the battle slowed and people turned to look at Voldemort, it became harder to convince herself of that fact.

"Your battle is over,"  Voldemort cried.

As if by silent command, the Death Eaters returned to Voldemort's side.  Hermione noticed with a pang in her heart that Draco stood among them.  Blaise and Pansy stood by their fathers as well as a few other Slytherin students Hermione didn't recognise.  With the lack of spell casting and the sight of Harry lying on the ground between Voldemort and the castle, Hermione couldn't help but wonder if this really was the end of things.

"No,"  Ginny whispered.  Her hands wrapped around Hermione's arm and Hermione squeezed her fingers tightly.  They couldn't lose.  This wasn't possible.

"You all have seconds to join my ranks before I kill you all,"  Voldemort threatened.  No one moved.  Voldemort floated to the space where Harry was lying.  He kicked his body and nothing happened.  "Do you want proof your hero is dead?  Will that inspire your loyalty?"

Voldemort raised his wand and as he did, Harry raised his.  His cry of "Avada Kedavra" covered the gasps that sounded in the courtyard.  Voldemort shrieked before the spell hit him and he dropped to the ground, his body melting away as Harry got to his feet.  The courtyard was silent.

"Your Dark Lord is dead,"  Harry spat at the Death Eaters.

Hermione's mind was running at the speed of a thousand words a second.  What was happening?  Somehow Harry had fooled Voldemort into thinking he was dead, yes?  But how had he done it?

Harry marched over to the spot Voldemort had melted and snatched the Elder wand from the ground.  As he gripped the wand, several Death Eaters stepped back.  Harry glared at all of them.

"Your Dark Lord is dead,"  he repeated, pointing the Elder wand to where Voldemort had disappeared.  "And you will be held accountable for your actions."

McGonagall was waving her wand a second later, immobilizing the entire span of Death Eaters before any one of them could disappear.  Hermione held her breath as she repeated the spell four times just to sure.  As soon as they were certain the Death Eaters and nearby werewolves were stuck, McGonagall was the first to pull Harry into a hug.  Ginny and Hermione made it to his side next with Ron, Neville, Luna, and everyone else closing in shortly after.  Ginny was in tears, but so was most everyone else.  Hermione found her own eyes watering as she hugged her best friend then stepped back to find Molly and Fred and Charlie and all the other Weasleys she'd only seen in passing during the battle.

"Hermione, dear!"  Mrs. Weasley cried, pulling her in for a hug.  Her other arm wrapped around Ginny and soon the other Weasley boys were joining the hug and there was a large mass of Weasleys standing on the battlefield and hugging.

It didn't take too long for Aurors to come and gather the group of Death Eaters.  There wasn't enough room in the Ministry holding cells, however, so they were taken straight to Azkaban to await their trial.  Each Auror grabbed two Death Eaters at a time and within two hours, the whole group was gone.  Unfortunately, Hermione had realised too late Draco was among the group.  She'd managed to spot Blaise and Pansy before the Auror was able to apparate with them, trying to fix the confusion.

"They were with us, I swear,"  she said.  Holding Blaise's stiff arm so the Auror couldn't apparate without taking her too.  "Blaise was sent to help Harry and Pansy's been protecting younger students all year.  Them being there is just a misunderstanding."

"You can visit the Ministry in the morning to provide memory evidence,"  the Auror replied.  Hermione glared at him.  Before she could demand he listen to her as she was Hermione Granger, best friend to Harry Potter and clearly more in the know about what happened at the battle than this Auror, Harry appeared behind her.

"They were with us,"  he told the Auror.  The man was clearly uncomfortable letting the two go, grumbling as he removed McGonagall's spell from them and moving to grab two other Death Eaters.

"Thanks, Granger,"  Blaise said, rubbing his arm where she'd grabbed him.  "You gave a real compelling speech."

"Oh, shove it, Zabini,"  she snapped back.  Even though she'd prevented Pansy and Blaise from being wrongfully imprisoned, Draco had still been taken and she knew his family was high enough ranking in Voldemort's followers they would be a priority.

"Is Draco here?"  Harry asked her.

Hermione shook her head and refused to cry about it.  He'd be fine for one night.  She'd march into the Ministry the next day, provide memories proving Draco's innocence and he'd be out by the next night.  First, though, they had to finish checking on everyone after the battle and make a plan to fix the castle.