The Night •G•E•M•

~chapter 80~

E I G H T Y

***

HER FACE REMAINED impassive, even though she felt like she was dying from inside. Watching Albus Dumbledore, her mentor, her guide, die felt like she was being ripped apart to the core, piece by piece torn from her body, bone by bone shredded and crushed. She felt like she was dying. 

"Out of here quickly." Snape said.

He seized Draco by the scruff of the neck and forced him through the door ahead of the rest; Greyback and Amycus and Alecto followed, the latter both panting excitedly. Cassi didn't move from her place, she started at the place where Dumbledore just fell, where he was just standing. Even though he died in front of her, she wasn't ready to believe his death. 

Tearing her eyes away, she turned around and followed the rest outside. The dimly lit corridor was full of dust; half the ceiling seemed to have fallen in; and a battle was raging before her.

"It's time, it's over!" Snape said to other Death Eaters. 

Cassi looked around to see Ron's sister, Ginny, locked in combat with Amycus who was throwing hex after hex at her while she dodged them: Amycus was giggling, enjoying the sport: "Crucio — Crucio — you can't dance forever, pretty —"

With a jerk of her wand, Amycus was thrown away from Ginny. He slammed into the opposite wall, slid down it, and fell out of sight behind Ron, Professor McGonagall, and Lupin, each of whom was battling a separate Death Eater. Cassi looked around to see if anyone saw it, and Ginny did. She was staring at Cassi with a confused expression. 

Beyond Ginny, Cassi saw Tonks fighting an enormous blond wizard who was sending curses flying in all directions, so that they ricocheted off the walls around them, cracking stone, shattering the nearest window —

"We have to go," Snape muttered, making Cassi turn her head toward him. "Now."

Cassi nodded and they made their way to the front door. She saw Amycus and Alecto running down the marble staircase ahead and aimed jinxes at students and Order members, but merely hit several bewigged witches in a portrait on the landing, who ran screeching into neighboring paintings. As she leapt the wreckage of armor, Cassi heard more shouts and screams; other people within the castle seemed to have awoken. . . .

As they made their way to the front door, Snape blasted the front oak doors open. They got out of entrance hall, and out in the dark grounds. They raced across the lawn heading for the gates beyond which they could Disapparate. Cassi didn't even felt the cold night air, as she continued walking. 

And suddenly a shout was heard, retaliatory jets of light was seen: Hagrid had emerged from the cabin and was trying to stop them. She didn't stop and continued running toward the gates with Snape and Draco, as the other death eaters fought Hagrid. A jet of red light soared past Snape's head, making Cassi stop in her path. She turned behind to see Harry running after them.

"Run, Cassi, Draco!" Snape yelled and turned. Draco went, but Cassi didn't. Her eyes were on Harry as he raised his wand at Snape, hate evident in his eyes. 

Twenty yards apart, Snape and Harry looked at each other before raising their wands simultaneously. "Cruc —"

But Snape parried the curse, knocking Harry backward off his feet before he could complete it; Harry rolled over and scrambled back up again as the huge Death Eater behind him yelled, "Incendio!" Cassi heard an explosive bang and a dancing orange light spilled over all of them: Hagrid's house was on fire.

"Fang's in there, yer evil — !" Hagrid bellowed.

"Cruc —" yelled Harry for the second time, aiming for the figure ahead illuminated in the dancing firelight, but Snape blocked the spell again. 

"No Unforgivable Curses from you, Potter!" he shouted over the rushing of the flames, Hagrid's yells, and the wild yelping of the trapped Fang. "You haven't got the nerve or the ability —"

"Incarc —" Harry roared, but Snape deflected the spell with an almost lazy flick of his arm.

"Fight back!" Harry screamed at him. "Fight back, you cowardly —"

"Coward, did you call me, Potter?" shouted Snape. "Your father would never attack me unless it was four on one, what would you call him, I wonder?"

"Stupe —"

"Blocked again and again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!" sneered Snape, deflecting the curse once more. "Now come!" he shouted at the huge Death Eater behind Harry. "It is time to be gone, before the Ministry turns up —"

"Impedi —"

But before he could finish this jinx, someone hit Harry with an unforgivable curse; he keeled over in the grass, thrashing in pain.

"No!" Cassi screamed at Alecto, and she obeyed immediately. "You worthless piece of shit! Have you forgotten our orders? He belongs to the Dark Lord — we are to leave him! Now go!"

The Death Eaters obeyed, running toward the gates.

Cassi looked at Harry who lay on the ground, breathing heavily, and a tear dropped from her eye. Turning around, she wiped them quickly and was going to the gate, when she heard Harry fire a spell on Snape, and she stopped. 

"Sectum — !"

Snape flicked his wand and the curse was repelled yet again.

"No, Potter!" screamed Snape. There was loud bang and Harry soared backward, hitting the ground hard.

"No!" Cassi yelled and ran to Snape, but he ignored her.

Snape closed in and looked down on Harry where he lay.

"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them — I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, would you? I don't think so. . . no!"

"Kill me then," panted Harry, who felt no fear at all, but only rage and contempt. "Kill me like you killed him, you coward —"

"DON'T—" screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them — "CALL ME COWARD!"

"Please!" Cassi begged, with tears in her eyes. "Let's go!"

Snape glared at Harry for few moment, before turning around and they marched to the gate. Reaching the gate, where the Hogwarts boundaries ended, Cassi gave one last sad glance to Hogwarts, her school, her home, and then dissaparated.