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Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Harry Potter or anything to do with it.
A/N: First I want to say SUPER thank you to Claire, a friend of mine because without her there would be no story! She has encouraged me and kept me motivated, so thank you sooooooooo much! The rest I’ll say at the end.
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Chapter 4 ~ The Beginning
Voldemort had come. . . .
The room was tense, cautious, wary and nervous. Everybody waited, it was light against the dark. Huge masses of black cloaked death eaters and dementors faced the, once bright, now timid students.
The Order stood side by side with teachers trying to block and protect the students, but it was useless. The death eaters outnumbered them nearly three to one. The Hall was silent. Each side was waiting for the other to strike.
They stared face to face and nobody fired. Harry was anxious in the tension filled silence. What are they waiting for? He thought. Harry was on his guard waiting for another trick and everyone but him seemed taken aback when the first shot was fired.
It was certainly a ruse; a death eater fired a spell that released more dust and a resounding bang. The rest of the death eaters spread throughout the crowd and began to attack. The battle had finally begun.
Harry could tell that the death eaters were surprised at the student’s knowledge and skill. They were able to protect themselves and fight back. Obviously, this had been unexpected because the death eaters seemed stumped when the students were able to attack them.
It seemed they expected this to be a push-over, well it wasn’t going to be and the death eaters didn’t even know about the fifth years, Harry had assumed. Yet, as prepared as the students were, this was a tough battle. The death eaters were evil and powerful.
Harry glanced around the hall and realized how many dementors there were. Very few people besides Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, the teachers, and the Order could perform a Patronus and to defeat all these dementors everyone had too.
Luckily, Dumbledore, Harry, and Hermione had particularly strong Patronus’s. Harry saw Dumbledore signal to everyone to produce a Patronus and they all did. An amazing thing happened when they did, but judging by his looks Dumbledore had expected it.
All the Patronus’s joined together. The made an unusually large, bright Patronus shaped like the Hogwarts Crest. It spread a blinding light throughout the hall, it was like the heavens opened up. It repelled every dementor right off the grounds. It even took down a few death eaters from its sheer power.
Dumbledore said a special spell that preserved the Patronus and it hovered in the Hall helping anyone in need of power especially the students. It was a strong, light-filled power that could easily defeat evil.
Everyone fought like a warrior, a true Gryffindor in Harry’s opinion. The only problem seemed to be the endless supply of death eaters. They seemed to keep refilling their status after someone fell. Harry had defeated only one himself though, being in the middle.
As the fighting progressed the crowd began to disperse around the hall and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were out in the open. They were now in the thick of the battle. Ginny came over to them with a cut across her face looking scared but determined, Hermione healed her and they fought side by side.
Now he could see a lot more of the fighting, he saw countless death eaters running around shooting spells in various directions. One death eater sped past Harry leaving a trail of air behind him and Harry saw a flash of bleach blonde hair. It was Lucious Malfoy. Harry wanted to personally take down Malfoy.
Harry let his thoughts pass however because he knew his task. He was to fight, but stay as safe as possible until he found Voldemort. So, for once he listened and let Malfoy run past, for now. Ron seemed to have the same thoughts as him though because Harry saw his fist clench and his eyes narrow.
They four continued to fight off nameless death eaters and protected each other. They stayed close, especially Harry. He would never forgive himself if one of his friends got hurt.
Thankfully, the most dangerous thing he had to fight was a stunning spell sent accidentally by Neville. Harry had yelled at Neville for his dangerous actions and told him never to send a dangerous spell. Harry hadn’t meant to be harsh but his nerves were on edge.
There had been no casualties for the light side as far as he could see but it was still early. He knew the fight would go on for many more hours. He was still thankful though, it could be going much worse, in fact it was going quite well, for now. This always crept into Harry’s thoughts, for now.
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Hermione watched as the doors of Hogwarts and the safety they had once held came crashing down. Voldemort had finally come and they finally had to fight. Hermione had never been more nervous in her life, this was fifty times worst that taking the NEWT’s.
The dust and dirt from the door cleared and Hermione saw death eaters and dementors standing no more than fifteen feet away. She stared at them, wondering why they weren’t firing. She looked at Harry, he seemed to have a look of precarious understanding.
She was surprised at the sudden booming sound that issued throughout the Hall and it was filled with dust again. It had been a trick she thought to herself. She stared around the hall preparing to fight.
Hermione seemed nearly as shocked as the death eaters at how well the students were fighting. They should all be in Gryffindor. Slowly, death eaters were falling around them. Hermione felt at a slight loss however, she wasn’t able to help from “in the middle.”
Until she noticed all the dementors swarming the Hall, she knew she could help with this. She looked at Dumbledore, and almost as if reading her mind, he sent a signal. Everyone who could, performed the Patronus, Harry’s and Dumbledore’s being the strongest in Hermione’s opinion.
Hermione, however, wasn’t so amazed at the Patronus’s new form, she had read about it in a book but she thought, despite its blinding light, it was beautiful. It dazed her for a second before she put her mind back on the battle.
She noticed she was no longer, “in the middle” the crowd had spread out. She looked around, now she was in the thick of things. She caught a glimpse of Lucious Malfoy running by and saw the look and Harry and Ron’s face. She was glad they didn’t go with their instincts and go after him, it could have been a mess.
She looked away from the two and noticed Ginny came over. Hermione healed the cut on her face and Ginny stayed with them fighting with all her determination.
Hermione also noticed how protective Harry was being. It was like he was watching over them, almost like a Guardian Angel, Hermione thought. I guess he just wants to keep us safe she pondered.
She took into account Neville’s clumsiness as well. She made sure to keep clear of his target range, he had almost stunned Ginny after all. Regardless of the total chaos, Hermione could tell, for now, the light side was winning.
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Ron could not stand the intensity of the Hogwarts doors falling. It was like the fall of the great school and all his students and for the first time he realized how important it was to fight. To save the world, keep out the dark.
He was petrified and bold all at once. He saw the band of death eaters staring at them and knew he had to kill them, all of them. They were mud-blood hating scum. It was his, and everyone else’s, only chance, they had to win. He had faith in Hogwarts.
He took a quick glance at Ginny and prayed for her, hoping she could join them soon.
He though, was taken surprise by the spell of the death eater and by the fact they spread throughout the Hall. Ron, in the middle, could not help everyone but watched as they students bravely fought back.
They could really fight, he thought. They had as much courage as any Gryffindor and could fight when they wanted too. This proved it. The death eaters weren’t ready for a real fight.
Ron noticed the dementors as well, he didn’t think of waiting for a signal to send his Patronus but luckily Dumbledore noticed everything and gave the signal the same time Ron sent his Patronus. Ron was actually quite shocked. His single Patronus was feeble but it still took full form.
He was also astonished by the joining of the Patronus’s. He admitted only to himself how beautiful it looked. He watched it wipe out the dementors and then turned back to the battle.
Ron went on defensive as the group of people unknowingly spread out around them. He shot spells at a few death eaters, took down only one. He watched them whip past only going for one’s he could actually hit until he saw that flash of blonde hair.
His muscle’s tensed, he had to control himself. He squeezed his wand tight and looked away, at Harry. He noticed his jaw was set tight, he had seen Malfoy too. Harry was watching over them, Ron noticed. Ron understood why though, they were all Harry had, it was like him to Ginny.
He was relieved Ginny had come to join them finally. He stood by Ginny, he had to protect her, if no one else. She was his little sister, he loved her and cared for her. His whole world would fall apart without her, but he could not protect the rest of his family, they were on their own, for now.
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Ginny had tears in her eyes as she watched the doors of Hogwarts fall. She glanced at Ron, Hermione, and Harry. She wished to be near them, standing there fighting beside them but she stood her ground.
She waited for a death eater to start the fight, and one did. They sent out a spell with a loud bang and more dust. The death eaters came towards them in groups of two per student. Ginny was good at curses and hexes but still she was nervous.
However, the first curse sent towards her brought out her Weasley-Gryffindor side and she fought strong. She kept watch on everyone around her but, it seems the battle brought out everyone’s hidden Gryffindor side. They fought like warriors beside her.
She saw Dumbledore send the signal for Patronus’s and with all her happy memories yelled “Expecto Patronum.” She watched with surprise as the Patronus’s joined together and warded off the dementors.
She saw the students scatter while fighting and reveal Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She sent a Bat-Bogey Hex at a death eater running towards her but not before he hit sent a curse towards her. It was intercepted with the floor when he fell though and a blast of stone came towards her instead.
She ducked but a small, sharp rock cut across her face. It seared with pain but she ignored it and ran towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She was grateful when Hermione took notice of her and healed her wound.
She concentrated on the battle surrounding her. She, like the other three, saw the flash of blonde hair streak by. She saw Ron using all his will power to control himself, even though she felt enmity towards the man as well she did not fancy a fight with him.
Ginny was a bit angry with Neville when he nearly hit her with a stunning spell but she knew now was not really the time to get angry with anyone. So, she made sure all his spells were towards the enemy, instead of them.
She almost felt trapped between her protections as well. Harry and Ron were around her like lions on prey. They hardly ever let a spell near her. She was also not really able to fire spells because she was afraid of hitting them. So, she was a little irritated but stood quietly, for now.
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Dumbledore glanced around the hall. He was proud of Hogwarts for standing as strong as it was, like a stone wall in a fierce storm. They were fighting and winning, for the moment.
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Lupin was on his guard. His eyes kept flicking toward Harry, Harry had to stay safe. Harry was his last connection to the life he loved. Lupin promised himself he would do anything for Harry, anything to keep him alive.
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Harry thought the fight was going pretty well, even though he knew it was early. He, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stood their ground and stood sturdy. Harry kept taking fleeting looks around the hall the death toll was at zero, for now.
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A/N: Not my best chapter, sorry. Did you like all the different POV’s or was it too confusing?? Again, please REVIEW!!!!! Also, always look at authors replies, sometimes I leave hints or info! Now, I’m up to writing chapter 5 but I am having some writers block, so chapter 4 and 5 might not be out for a while. Please don’t kill me but if you have any ideas/comments/anything else please let me know because now I’m open to anything! Once again, SUPER thanks to Claire, look out in the next chapter. ; )