I SAT WITH THE OTHER RAVENCLAWS.

Most of us were still in our pajamas, but a select few had gotten dressed. Many of us were confused; I was one of them. There was no possible way that He Who Must Not Be Named could ever attack the castle. The professors were smart—they had lots of enchantments and charms to protect us from harm. I’d bet they had loads. So how could this have happened? Maybe they were wrong. Maybe there wasn’t going to be an attack.

I turned my head to look at all of the other students in the Great Hall. They, too, were confused and scared. Meanwhile, in the front of the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall was addressing us.

“…evacuation will be overseen by Mr. Filch…� she continued. Evacuation? I turned towards Holly, one of my friends, and saw that tears were forming in her eyes. I mouthed to her to see if she was okay, and she nodded.

An older boy sitting at the Hufflepuff table stood and asked a question, but I ignored him. I was too busy thinking about what all of this meant.

More students asked questions as well, but I tuned them out. If You-Know-Who really was planning an attack, than that would mean the school could be destroyed. My first thought was that I had to get out of there. I was petrified. What if the horrible Death Eaters killed us all? What if He Who Must Not Be Named himself—
My thoughts were interrupted by a voice that seemed to have come from the castle itself. It was a loud voice that echoed off the tables. It was a high, clear voice that sent shrills down my back.

“I know that you are preparing to fight…� Holly screamed in terror, and so did a few others throughout the room. I looked up quickly, suddenly as alert as I had ever been in my whole life.

I sat there, terrified to move as the voice continued.

“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. Give me Harry Potter,� said the voice, “and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight.�

It was him.

Panic rushed through my veins, and suddenly I found myself looking at everyone around me, their terrified reactions…

And then, I saw that everyone seemed to focus their eyes on something. I turned and saw what looked to be like a seventh year, with black untidy hair and round glasses.

Although his hair covered his forehead, I knew immediately who the boy was.

“He’s there!� screeched a girl from the Slytherin table. She rose and pointed her finger at Harry Potter. “Potter’s there! Someone, grab him!�

At once, everyone at the Gryffindor table rose, as if guarding Potter. The same happened with the Hufflepuffs, and soon everyone around me stood, and so did I.

“Thank you, Miss Parkinson,� said Professor McGonagall, addressing the girl from Slytherin. “You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch; if the rest of your House could follow, please.�

All of the Slytherins stood without hesitation and rushed out of the Great Hall, whispering amongst themselves.

“Ravenclaws, follow on!� shouted Professor McGonagall. Holly and I stood, along with the rest of my House. I pushed the bench I was sitting on out of the way and followed the rest of the House with Holly at my side.

Holly appeared next to me, and as we walked, I noticed how pretty she was. Her hair was brown and wavy, and her face was flawless. I felt her hand slip into mine. I looked at her, and smiled. “We’ll be fine,� I told her as we walked, hand in hand. She squeezed my hand, and nodded.

As we left the Great Hall, something caught my eye. I noticed that the Gryffindors were dismissed, but half of them still sat at the long tables. They sat there, brave and scared at what was about to happen. Half of them were underage.

“Holly, what are they doing? Some of them are our age and they still want to fight!� Holly shrugged; she was too concerned about getting out of the castle.

I continued to walk with the Ravenclaws, but something was telling me to join the battle…and to be brave.

I slipped my hand out of Holly’s, who turned to see what I was doing. “I have to fight,� I told her. I turned around and got out of the line, but only to hear Holly shout my name.

“Owen! Stop, please wait!� Holly’s voice was right behind me again.

“I’m sorry, Holly. Something is telling me to go out there and be brave!� I turned around and saw that Holly was crying again.

“You are underage—you can’t fight! McGonagall’s orders, remember?�

“I don’t care. I’ve always been afraid, Holly, and I want to overcome that. Plus, I want to help—�

There was a sudden, deafening boom that seemed to vibrate the air. Holly screamed and cupped her hands and pulled them over her ear.

“I’m sorry, Holly. I have to go.� I ran away from the crying Holly, towards the Great Hall.

The select students that chose to fight were scrambling about the Great Hall as another giant boom rang throughout the castle. The sound of glass shattering was heard in the distance, and I realized what had happened. A corridor was demolished.

I didn’t know what to do. I pulled out my wand from the inside of my pocket and ran out of the Great Hall and into the corridors of the school.

In the back of my mind, I wondered if I shouldn’t have stayed behind. Perhaps I should’ve swallowed my pride for my own safety, and evacuated the castle with the rest of the students that were underage.

But I didn’t; that was all that mattered. As Hogwarts was beginning to fight, I rejoined the group in the Great Hall.

The teachers had pushed the four House tables to the sides, and were beginning to treat wounded students and teachers. Then, I noticed more people arriving at the entrance of the Great Hall.

Outside forces, other than the staff and students, were arriving to help. They were mostly adults, and I almost smiled to see that there were other wizards that were trying to help.

More and more thunderous booms rang in my ears. I stood against a wall in the Great Hall, and another bang sounded, this time louder than the other ones.

Then, I heard screaming. The screams echoed off the walls and were loud, as if the person was being tortured. I didn’t understand what was happening; I didn’t see any Death Eaters, or anyone dueling. But the battle had hardly begun.

FOUR PEOPLE ENTERED THE GREAT HALL.

Three of them wore long black robes that flowed around their ankles, and large black hoods covered the tops of their heads. Their faces were hidden under large, metal masks that gleamed under the starlit ceiling. All three of their wands were drawn, and were pointing at the fourth man, who was wearing a traveling cloak.

Death Eaters.

Everyone’s heads turned to them as they entered, and all became silent. But the three Death Eaters weren’t paying attention to them; they all raised their wands in unison, and they all spoke the same words at the same time. “Avada Kedavra!� Green lights all shot from the Death Eaters’ wands and they hit the men directly in the stomach at the same time.

The man was flung backwards, head over heels, and landed against the wall, dead. The room became silent for a second, but suddenly, without warning, half a dozen curses soared through the air towards the three Death Eaters. But they were ready—with a flick of their wands, the curses changed direction and hit the walls of the castle with loud bangs that echoed off my ear drums.

Dust was now swirling through the air, making it very hard to see. I began to cough, and so had many others in the room. I had to get out of there, out of the castle, as fast as I could. I had to stay safe. I could worry about my bravery later; right now, I just had to stay safe.

But how could I get out? I could hardly see anything—dust had gotten into my nose, mouth, and eyes. Plus, it was getting hard to breathe. I held out my wand in front of me in protection. I started to run forwards, towards where I thought the entrance was, but I stopped suddenly. To my left, I heard the Death Eaters dueling someone, but I didn’t care. I needed to get out of there as quickly as possible.

What spell could I use? I had learned dozens of spells, but for some reason, nothing came to my mind. I needed to clear out this dust…

I gripped my wand, and aimed it at the swirling dust in front of me. I concentrated on the dust, and shouted, “Deprimo!�

The wand in my hand suddenly jerked, so hard that I almost dropped it; a giant gust of wind exploded out of my wand, blowing in every direction. The dust in the air was blown away, making it easier to breathe. Now, I could see everything clearly.

The Death Eaters lay on the floor, apparently all cursed by a Stunning spell. There were massive holes in the walls, blowing in clean, fresh air. The stars outside twinkled above the school grounds. The magical ceiling above was no longer there, making the room seem gloomy and dark. More thunderous booms were happening more frequently now, and were getting louder. And then, without warning, a massive bang rang throughout castle. Then came the screaming. It sounded as if many people were being tortured, just out in the corridors.

Holding my wand out farther in protection, I stepped out of the Hall and what I saw shocked me to the core. There were at least a dozen hooded and masked Death Eaters, all of them dueling other students and teachers. A side of the castle was completely blown away, and debris was everywhere. And as I looked at the floor, I saw the body of a third year Hufflepuff student, one that I didn’t know the name of. My stomach lurched as I faced the truth…

Death Eaters had indeed invaded Hogwarts.

Maybe I could still catch up to Holly; but still, I had no idea of knowing where she was now. First things first, either way, I had to get out of the castle. I quickly started to run, and as I was running, I heard a deep voice shout, “Crucio!�

I fell to the floor in agony. My body had been set aflame, burning in unbearable pain. I shouted out as loud as I could, yelling for help, but to no avail. The pain began to get worse. I felt as if every bone in my body was breaking, and I felt like my skull was about to explode. I yelled louder for help, not caring about anyone who heard me. I had never been in such pain ever before. Before I knew it, I was barely gasping for air, for the pain was too much for me to handle.

And just as quickly as it had begun, the pain ended. I gasped for air, laying there for a few seconds. I felt relieved from all of that pain, and my throat hurt from screaming so much.

Finally, I stood up and saw a tall Death Eater, his wand inches from my chest. He raised his wand higher and acted as if he was about to say something, but he suddenly stopped and lowered his wand. “Son?� he asked briefly. Son? What was he talking about, and why had he called me son?

I suddenly recognized the Death Eater’s voice with a burst of anger. “Dad?� I asked through my gritted teeth.

“Owen, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know—�

“Dad, you are a—a—Death Eater?� Tears began to swell in my eyes. “How could you?� I asked.

“Son, please, you don’t understand—�

“Oh no, I understand,� I interrupted him. “You’ve lied to me, and mom, haven’t you? You’ve been working for You-Know-Who, but you’ve never told us. But you knew that I’d be here tonight, didn’t you? You—you—�

The tears began to stroll down my cheeks now. Even though a battle was raging on around us, all I could seem to see was my dad. That was all that mattered.

“Please, son, I had to follow his orders,� my dad said. “If I didn’t, he would’ve killed me, and you and your mother. Now, go and get out of the castle or else I’ll—�

“Or you’ll what, dad? Kill me? Well, why not, right? You’ve already killed probably dozens of other people…why not me?� I was shouting now, maybe even screaming, at the top of my lungs. My dad was getting angry as well.

He raised his wand and pointed it at me, but I was ready. I flung my wand up and shouted, “Expelliarmus!�

My dad’s wand flew out of his grip and fell to the floor. I held up my wand and pointed it at my dad, but it was only to scare him away. I knew that I hardly knew any defense spells, and even the ones that I knew probably wouldn’t work. But I kept my face serious and stern.

“Well, well, what have we here?� said a man’s voice from behind me. I slowly turned and I saw another Death Eater, and his wand was aimed at my stomach. This one wasn’t wearing a mask “Are you being a bad boy?� he taunted.

There was no use holding up my wand in defense now—this Death Eater could kill me in a second. “No,� I answered.

“What’s your blood status?� the Death Eater asked.

“Pureblood,� I answered him. It wasn’t a lie, either. My father probably wouldn’t have been able to become a Death Eater is we weren’t. I was waiting for my dad to step in and say to back off, and that I was his son, but he never did. I turned my head slightly to see if he was still there, but my father was gone. I was here, left to die.

“Hmm,� said the Death Eater, thinking. Finally, he raised his wand higher to my face. He opened his mouth, and I braced myself for the curse, shutting my eyes. Through my eyelids, I saw a bright green light flash, but I felt no pain. After a couple of seconds, I opened my eyes and saw the Death Eater lying on the floor, dead.

Who had saved me? I looked around, but everyone else was running around frantically, either dueling or trying to find a safe place. I silently thanked who ever saved my life, and wiped away my tears.

ESCAPING WAS NO LONGER AN OPTION.

Death Eaters were around every corner, and students, teachers, and even some people I didn’t recognize were joining the battle. If I needed to, I could always blast a hole in a wall to escape from; but right now, I realized that I could run or hide. My father was somewhere around here, and I needed to speak to him. I needed to know how he could betray me like this. How could he be one of them?

The debris that was scattered around the castle was beginning to pile up. As I ran through the halls, I saw things that I had wished I’d never seen. Bodies every here an there, and I saw one that I had recognized—a fourth year student that must’ve snuck back into the battle after evacuation.

At that moment, a large, thunderous boom sounded straight ahead, and the castle shook under my feet. I gasped and held onto the wall, and started to run towards where the sound had come from.

I suddenly stopped short, however; piles of debris blocked the way. Up ahead, I heard people scrambling, and I heard someone scream. I gasped at the sound of the wail. Maybe someone needed help.

I began to climb up the small pile of stone and debris, and what I saw made tears swell in my eyes.

There was a boy, probably about seventeen, with round glasses and jet back hair. I knew immediately that it was the Potter kid that He Who Must Not Be Named was after. He was holding a girl’s hand; the girl had bushy brown hair, and she looked completely stunned. At her feet was the dead body of a boy, who looked a couple years older than Potter and the girl. He had red hair, and a small smile was etched upon his face. His eyes scared me the most, for they were wide open as if the boy was laughing.

Leaning over the body were two other red headed men; one obviously older than the other. They were crying, but the oldest one was wailing hysterically. Beyond them, the wall was blasted apart. I could see the stars twinkling in the night sky over the Forbidden Forest.

“No! No! No!� shouted the eldest man, shaking the body. The words themselves tore my heart out, and left me breathless. If only I could help them—

And then, in the night, curses began to soar through the air. I ducked down, gasping and crying, as Potter’s voice shouted, “Get down! Percy, come on, we’ve got to move!�

I looked back at them, and Potter was trying to get the eldest redhead to get up and run. The younger redhead, a seventh year like Potter and the brunette, shouted, “Percy! Percy, you can’t do anything for him! We’re going to—�

A spider, the size of a small car, crawled through the gaping hole in the wall. More followed, and I turned around and ran as fast as I’d ever ran in my life as I heard Potter and his friends scream and shout.

The shrieks, bangs and booms of the battle were getting louder and louder every second. Death Eaters were everywhere now; they dueled students and teachers alike. Everyone I passed were hurt somehow, whether they be cuts or bruises, or even losses of limbs.

“Dad!� I shouted as I ran through the corridors, my wand out in front of me in protection. Every Death Eater I saw was either too short, too tall, or didn’t look like my dad at all. Some were masked, other weren’t. I began to shout curses to the Death Eaters, then dodging to get out of site. Once I had disarmed at least five of them, I had entered the Entrance Hall once more—only, it was now a battle field. The damage was immense. Death Eaters were dueling seventh years and teachers.

I stayed to the corners, out of sight, walking along, until suddenly, I felt a hand grab my shoulder. Gasping, I turned around and shrieked, “Stupefy!�

A jet of red light hit the Death Eater that had grabbed my shoulder; he fell to the floor, not moving a muscle. I rushed to him, crouched, and pulled of his mask. There laid my father, suddenly stiff and not moving. I pointed my wand at my dad, and said, “Rennervate!�

My father began to move. “I’m sorry,� I said, and I helped him sit up. But he pushed my hands away.

“Follow me,� he said, and he stood. Without anyone noticing, we slipped into an empty classroom and shut the door. It was dark, and I could hardly see any thing. The shrieks of the battle never left us, however.

“This is all because You-Know-Who wants that Potter kid, isn’t it?� I asked. My father nodded.

“I’m so sorry, Owen.�

“How did this all happen?�

My father sighed. “The Death Eaters were looking for purebloods, and when they asked me to join them, I couldn’t refuse. If I did, I knew that you and mum would be in danger, so I said yes.�

“Then, it was you,� I realized. “You saved me from that Death Eater earlier, didn’t you?� My father nodded.

I still didn’t understand…my dad would never have joined You-Know-Who’s side, even if it was for my protection. Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by a giant boom that shook the castle. I looked up, and I saw dust falling from the ceiling.

“Let’s go,� said my dad.

“Where?� I asked, but my dad just grabbed my hand and ran out of the classroom. We ran through the battle, and I pushed my legs faster, trying to keep up with my dad. We were running towards the side of the school.

As we ran, my dad whipped out his wand from under his robes and pointed it at the wall. He muttered a curse, and the wall was blasted apart. “Duck!� he shouted, and we crouched down as stone flew past us. We stood, and suddenly we were outside. The cool night air was so refreshing, and as we ran, I looked up into the stars that were shining above.

“Where are we going?� I asked again, but my dad didn’t answer. I turned my head and looked back at the school, and I felt the sudden urge to cry. The castle was up in flames; half of the castle was blown apart. Black smoke billowed from every corner, reaching towards the sky.

I looked away from the castle, and continued running. The Forbidden Forest loomed ahead of us, and its presence was like a safe haven compared to the burning school. I pushed my legs to keep going, but suddenly I ran over something, and I stumbled onto the grass.

My hand broke away from my dad’s. I quickly stood, brushed myself off, and looked at what I had tripped over. Pure horror filled me up, until I was crying. My dad ran over and shouted, “Owen! Let’s go!�

But he stopped when he saw who I was looking at. I had tripped over the body of a girl who I’d had a huge crush on. She was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen, and she still is. Even lying in the grass with a huge gash in her forehead, dead, Holly will always be best girl I’d ever know.

And here she was, dead. I was confused—she had evacuated! She had escaped! How could this have happened? And then I remembered her screaming my name, begging me to come with her and the rest of the Ravenclaws.

I sobbed even harder when I realized that Holly’s death was my fault. My dad put his arm around me, but he said nothing. After a few minutes, my dad shook me and said, “Owen, we really have to go. Come on…�

He pulled me and we kept on running, but my heart will forever stay with Holly.