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Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Harry Potter. JKR does.
A/N: Please READ and REVEIW!! I don't want to lose faith in you people! Its encouraging when I have feed back, even if its not so good, I guess.
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Chapter 3 ~ The Fake-Fake-Out
“Harry, I see you all are still awake.” Dumbledore walked into their room. “You should really have gotten some sleep last night.” They just stared back at him with a dead look that read, do-you-really-think-we-could-sleep-at-a-time-like-this.
“Well, you might as well come and eat breakfast. We need to start preparing soon.” Dumbledore highly doubted they would eat but figured he should try. They followed him to the Great Hall.
In attempts to please Dumbledore they all took a bite of toast, but they could eat no more. They felt like they were swallowing cotton balls. Instead they sat and listened to Dumbledore’s plan of action.
“All the fifth years will be waiting in here, prepared to come and fight when called. The sixth and seventh years will stand behind the teachers and the Order in the Entrance Hall, you Harry will stand in the middle with Hermione and Ron next to you.”
They nodded in agreement, they really didn’t know what to say. This was a scary experience for them, no matter how brave they wanted to be. The darkest wizard in the world is about to come and attack them, to take away their best friend, what could they say.
Soon, all the teachers arrived in the Great Hall. McGonnagal looked worried, Snape was emotionless, and Dumbledore looked old. Old and worried, but Harry knew he was strong and powerful underneath his cover.
It was getting later, and the time came to go and retrieve the students from their common rooms. Flitwick went to the Ravenclaws, Sprout went to the Hufflepuffs, Snape went to the Slytherins, more to try and persuade them to come and fight for Dumbledore, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione went with McGonnagal to the Gryffindors.
The Gryffindor students looked as if they had gotten about as much sleep as Harry and they looked ten times as scared. They solemnly gathered around McGonnagal preparing to leave. Ginny clung to Ron and Dennis Creevy would not let go of Colin to go let him fight. “You have all been ordered by Dumbledore to never leave the common room for any reason. No matter what happens, you stay here.” McGonnagal told them.
Colin pried Dennis’s arms off his stomach and followed the rest of the group. All the brothers and sisters seemed to have just as much trouble sending their siblings to fight. They walked in a tight pack, cautiously turning every corner.
They went back to the Entrance Hall to meet all the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and a total of fifteen Slytherins. Dumbledore gave them their orders, they obeyed like an army, and waited for the moment to arrive.
Everyone who would be in the Entrance Hall was stationed in a certain spot by Dumbledore. Everyone had a partner, they were supposed to protect their partners and keep each other safe. Dumbledore hoped to keep the death toll at zero, or close to it.
The Order arrived after the students were partnered up. Lupin went to Harry. Lupin hugged Harry, “it will be okay, your parents loved you and they are watching over you now.” Harry knew this was true but he was also wishing they were standing there with him. He missed him now more than ever.
Thoughts of his parents also brought thoughts of Sirius. He wished Sirius was here too. Sirius was like his father, he meant the world to Harry. All Harry could think was that it was his fault Sirius died, another loss to Voldemort.
Fred, George, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Charlie came over to them. They hugged each other, Mrs.Weasley looked terrible. She was pale, nervous, jittery, and looked on the verge of tears.
Tonks came over to them as well. She was so nervous that she couldn’t control her looks. She had hot pink hair, then blue hair, then a pug nose, then purple lipstick. It was quite an odd thing to look at, thought Harry.
Harry saw Kingsley also. He did not come over, however, he did wave from a distance. Harry was glad though, he didn’t think he could bare to see anymore nervous and scared people. It made him feel worse then he did already.
In the distance he saw Fleur Delacour, he wished he hadn’t. She made him think of the Triwizard Tournament, of Cedric. He didn’t want to think of Cedric now. It had too many bad memories linked to it.
He thought of all the people that had died because of him, all the suffering he had caused. It weighed heavily on him now. Today was probably the day the most suffering would occur, and still, it was because of him.
He spotted Cho in the corner crying with her friends. He saw Colin Creevey, hiding in a corner. He even had a camera with him. He saw Ginny, she was pale and scared. She was partnered with Neville, who if possible, looked worse than her.
He saw his fellow 7th year Gryffindors, they looked lost. Parvati was gripping Lavender, they both looked as if they were trying really hard not to cry. He saw everyone, scared, unaware of the real danger. They knew they were in peril but they have never experienced the wrath of Lord Voldemort.
How come life has to be this way, why does everyone have to die, to suffer. Harry felt trapped in his own head, he had too many thoughts circling around his brain, almost none of them good. He didn’t know if he could handle the pressure anymore. Everyone was depending on him. No matter how much they tried to hide it, Harry knew it. They were all looking to him for survival. He wanted to run away, and just keep running.
The Hall was deathly silent. The only sounds that could be heard were the sporadic crying of students. They were all waiting in suspense. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were standing in the center of them all, like hero’s ready to save them but they knew they were just as vulnerable as everyone else.
There was a small knock on the door that was so little it could have been caused by the wind. Everyone froze, they waited for the worst, for an explosion or an invasion. But nothing happened. There was another small creak.
Harry was full of revenge. That’s all he wanted, revenge, for his parents, for Sirius, for everyone that had to suffer. Then he thought of Dumbledore, what he said, “If there is one thing Voldemort can’t understand its love.” Harry needed to think love, not revenge. He loved his parents and Sirius and Ron and Hermione. Harry’s thoughts were cut short by a sudden burst of pain in his scar, “Ahhhh…”
“Harry! Harry, are you alright!” Harry heard a feminine voice yelling. It sounded distant. “Come on mate, say something.” Harry knew this was Ron. “Voldemort…” Harry whispered. Then he opened his eyes, Hermione and Ron and Dumbledore were on top if him.
“What happened Harry?” Dumbledore’s commanding voice took control. “Voldemort…It’s a trick…Slytherins…now” Harry spluttered out incomprehensible words. McGonnagal brought him a glass of water. He sat up.
“Now Harry, what’s a trick, what did Voldemort do?” asked Dumbledore a little too calmly. “He tricked us. The creaks on the door were a trick. He is planning to attack somewhere else. He is collecting the Slytherins from their common room now! I think he is planning to attack each common room, he knew you would leave the younger kids there.” Harry spit this out quickly and frantically.
Dumbledore quickly took action. “Severus, take twenty-five students down to the Slytherin common room. See if this is true. The rest of the teachers go to your houses with twenty-five students and keep guard.” Everyone began to scurry around heading to their houses.
“Harry, I want you three to stay here. Protect the students that are left.” They nodded. Dumbledore took off for his office, leaving them with all the fifth years and the few remaining sixth and seventh years.
In the Slytherin common room, everything Harry had said was true. The Death Eaters were there taking every Slytherin student as young as first year. Most of them, however, followed without needing to be forced.
The Death Eaters and the Slytherins seemed to be leaving though, heading back outside. Snape was confused, why were they not attacking yet? He made sure they had actually left and went back to the Entrance Hall, bewildered.
Meanwhile, in all the other common rooms, about two Death Eaters had shown up for each. They were easily taken down by the teachers that had gone there to keep guard. When they looked out the window though, there seemed to be many more on the ground.
A great mass of black seemed to be heading toward the front doors. All the students and teachers rushed back down there. They met together and resumed positions on Dumbledore’s order. Harry was glad everyone had returned, but he wondered why they were back so fast.
When a loud bang was heard on the door, he knew the answer. Voldemort’s trick had actually been a trick. He wanted Harry to think he was attacking every common room so he could easily enter Hogwarts. Well, “Ha ha” thought Harry. It didn’t work.
He might have misled them but they came out on top in the end. There was a sound louder than a bomb and the front door crashed to the ground almost crushing half the people in the Entrance Hall. Dust and dirt filled the air blocking all vision. Voldemort had come.
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A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short. The next one will be long, I promise. The battle will begin! Please review. It will motivate me to update faster!!! Please!!! :)