camellia withlock│draco malfoy ✓

61│battle of hogwarts II

CHAPTER 61: battle of hogwarts II

"You bloody fools! What were you thinking coming here? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is--"

"They know how dangerous it is, Aberforth, but we don't care," the trio looks at Melia with wide eyes. They left for Gringotts without her and didn't know when they would see her again. She walked towards Hermione and hugged her, "I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to come or not."

Hermione laughs under her breath, "It's not that easy to rob Gringotts." Melia shakes her head playfully. Aberforth goes to get some food for the trio and comes back later. Melia walks to the picture of Ariana, telling her to get Neville. Ariana nods her head with a smile.

"You don't strike me as a fool, Mr. Potter. So I'll ask you again. There must be a reason. Why do you trust anything my brother ever said to you? Why?"

"Because I need to. Because if I don't, I don't know who I am anymore. I've lost too many people to lie down now. I'm not interested in what happened between you and your brother, I don't even care that you've given up. I trust the man I knew. I'm going to see this through," he pauses looking at the others. "I need to get into the castle tonight." Aberforth nods his head at Melia who just winks at him with a smirk. Ariana comes back with Neville and the trio smiles warmly at the boy. They walk through the tiny hallway with Neville and Melia in the front. She had been at the castle a few times, giving the others food. They really hated Aberforth's cooking, so Melia helped make food they could actually eat. Almost all of them didn't trust her at first, but after some time they started to believe her more and more. But they were still scared of her.

"How bad is it, Neville? With Snape as Headmaster?"

"Hardly ever see him. It's the Carrows you have to watch out for-- oh and Camellia!" they stop for a moment looking at Melia. "I'm sorry, I forgot," she just shakes her head and keeps walking. She opens the door and gets out. People look at her with scared eyes and she just rolls her eyes. While the trio gets praised and applauded, Melia starts walking to where the Order would arrive. She didn't want to stay by the trio right now, because people still saw her as a Death Eater, a monster. She came to the point where they would come and when they saw her Percy through a spell at her. A dark blue light flowed out of her and blocked the spell automatically.

"Well, that was totally unnecessary," she looks behind him and over to Bill.

"We told them, it's just that my brother is a little trigger happy," he says as he places a hand on his brother's shoulder. Melia laughs and goes towards Remus, hugging him and apologizing.

"Melia, everyone loses themselves sometimes. But as long as you can get back, it doesn't matter," she smiles at him before showing them the safest way to the Great Hall. They wait for the right moment to strike. The door opens and the Order walks in; Melia. Ron. Hermione. Remus. Arthur. Molly. Fred. George. Percy. Luna. Dean Thomas. Bill. Fleur and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"It would seem that, despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you have a bit of a security problem, Headmaster," Severus looks right at Harry before locking eyes with Melia who gives him a faint smile. You could see his eyes softening a little at her small gesture, but then he remembered where he was and his face turned blank again.

"How dare you stand where he stood?!" Snape watches Harry draw his wand, pointing it at him. "Tell them how it happened that night. Tell them how you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you... and killed him. Tell them!" Severus hesitates a little before taking out his wand. Minerva pushes away Harry to fight Severus. The Carrow siblings get their wands too so Melia raises her hand in front of her and lights of green move towards them. They know all too well what it means and apparates right away. Cowards! The order looks at her with wide eyes. They had heard of this magic she had done, but they had never seen it.

Severus takes the measure of the room and sweeps his wand over his head, reducing the torches that line the wall to smoke and pitching the hall into total darkness. Then he apparates away too. Minerva lights the hall again, shouting after Severus. Then Harry suddenly winces slightly, pressing his fingers to his temple. Melia can feel her neck starting to burn a little too and winces in pain.

A slow rumbling fills the hall. Harry and Melia glance up and sees dark clouds coagulating in the enchanted ceiling. Minerva follows their gaze, as do others, watching as the clouds shift eerily, like blots of blood. Suddenly the flames in the torches along the walls tremble as a chill breeze consumes the room. The hall slowly dims and everyone becomes silent until a loud scream can be heard from one side of the room. Harry rushes through the crows pushing past them until he finds a young Ravenclaw student screaming louder and louder.

Everyone watches, afraid and confused about what's happening. Harry starts to move towards Melia, who winces in pain. Harry notices and moves towards her putting a hand on her shoulder when he himself winces, pressing his fingers to his temples. Another person screams somewhere in the Hall, then another. All are a mirror image of the Ravenclaw student now, grimacing in pain. Harry and Melia stare, confused, stricken with pain. Then a deathly whisper fills their heads;

"I know that many of you will want to fight. Some of you may even think this wise. But this is folly. I wish you no harm. I have great respect for the students of Hogwarts. I was once one myself after all. I ask for but one thing and if granted no magical blood shall be spilt... Give me Harry Potter. Do this and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave Hogwarts untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded," everyone's eyes move towards Harry, then a younger Slytherin student points at him.

"But he's there! Potter's there! Someone grab him!" instinctively, Ginny steps in front of Harry, wand drawn. Then, as one, the Gryffindors assemble in a line and face towards the Slytherins, shielding Harry. Moments later, the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs do the same. Harry's eyes glitter at the sight, moved. Ginny lowers her wand. Then Filch comes running in.

"Students out of bed! Students in the corridors!"

"They're supposed to be out of bed, you blithering idiot!"

"Oh. Sorry, ma'am."

"Wait! As it turns out, Mr. Filch, your arrival is most opportune. If you would, I'd like you to lead Miss Heather and the rest of Slytherin House from the Hall."

"Right away," he stops for a moment. "Er, exactly where is it I'd be leading them to, ma'am?"

"The dungeons should do," Melia looks at Minerva wondering if she heard right. She can't make the whole Slytherin house leave!

"Stop. You can't do this, Minerva," some of the students look at her bewildered as she uses her first name. "The whole house doesn't deserve to be thrown into the dungeons just because one person wanted to survive."

"The Slytherin house is only on his side!" a boy in the crowd shouts.

"No, they're not. The only one who is from the Slytherin house willingly is me. I was the only one who did it of choice," a few gasps erupts around the hall. She turns to the Slytherins, "Those of you who want to fight for your home stays. The rest of you can leave with Filch," some of the students take a few glances at everyone before following Filch. Not only Slytherin students, but also from the other houses.

(A/N) Some of the lines in this chapter are from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 movie script, which mean that I don't own it. Everything else is written by me.