Suddenly, a huge burst of flashes were coming from outside. The Death Eaters who had once retreated were back, and their numbers seemed to double.
The Order could not fail though, these were the best Aurors that the Ministry had to offer; if they failed, then no one could defeat Voldemort. It would leave no hope for the outside Wizarding World. The students couldn’t hold up to the power of full grown wizards and witches who knew all sorts of Dark Magic, and it was a real gamble to expect them to fight. It was a mistake to let them fight.
McGonagall looked up to see the students in smaller numbers, and almost half of the Slytherin’s turned up their hoods and battled the students. It hurt her to see such fine upstanding students die, or turn against Hogwarts. How could they forget their past like that? No Hogwarts student would do that, she didn’t teach them that.
Snape looked at his house in fear and sadness, thinking the same thing as Professor McGonagall, he didn’t teach his students to behave like that. It was grievous that his own house turned against Hogwarts, turned against him, the man who had lead Slytherin to victory in the years before Potter.
Professor Flitwick found an interesting way of levitating Death Eaters and send them flying on to other Death Eaters. This enthused the students a bit more than regular dueling did.
Harry and Ron ran through the corridors, not caring about any one in the pictures who were absent mindedly telling them about the fight. They ran through the dark corridors, and through the screams with an invisibility cloak on. They couldn't really hide from the ture terror though.
They bumped into Tonks who was rather confused in the stir, and realized who it was. She begged silently for Harry to return to the office, but she didn’t want to talk too loud for fear that Lord Voldemort would hear her and find out that Harry was in the room.
The cold voice sounded the second they entered the room, sending a shiver through everyone’s spines. “Hello Harry, how lovely of you to join us.”
Harry jumped, he was not expecting that. His mind was flashing, the time he battled him in the Graveyard in his fourth year was stirring in his memory as his scar seared his forehead. He wanted to shout out in pain, but before he could get anything out of his mouth, McGonagall was shouting at all the students to move forward, and push the Death Eaters out of the Entrance Hall.
Mad Eye Moody was staring intently at the spot where Harry stood. Harry must have figured that Voldemort must be somewhere in front of him. Somewhere so close that he would be able to touch him if he reached out his hand. Ron gave a whimper from the side.
“Ron, stay in the cloak, and get the hell out of this area. Tonks, you heard me too. Get out of here,” Harry said, and then revealed himself to the invisible Voldemort. Tonks shook her head tearfully, and grabbed Harry, and pushed him out of the way just as a green flash escaped his invisible wand, Ron was missed by a hair, and he ran faster than ever imagined down the stairs, pulling out his wand.
Ginny was staring hard at Hermione, then looked up occasionally at Harry. She was worried about both, but she felt it was her duty to make sure that Hermione wasn't stolen or finally killed by a Death Eater. Ron ran to her, and took off his cloak. He stared at Harry from the distance with tears in his eyes, and a wheeze in his breathing. Ginny rubbed his arm and told him everything would be alright.
“Alright? I nearly got killed!” Ron screamed.
McGonagall started to shout again. “Forward! Not backwards! Are you not students of intelligence?! Move forward! They are Death Eaters not spiders!”
Hagrid could be seen jumping in the corner of the Entrance Hall. At the mention of spiders, his eyes grew wide. Ron looked up to see his expression.
“Oh no, not the spiders, not the spiders, anything but the spiders.” Ron was muttering to himself.
Harry looked up to see Tonks leaning on himself panting, she was already tired from jumping on him, but he also saw something else, she had the same twitch that could be found in those hit by the Cruciatus Curse. Harry looked into her eyes, but briefly. They were cold, and no longer glimmered. Her metamorphagus talents were being put to use, as her eyes went from blue to green, and her hair color was changing vibrantly from purple to yellow, to long to short; her face overall was becoming distorted.
Harry looked up and saw nothing. Lord Voldemort was playing hide and seek with him. The memories from the Graveyard were flashing through his head, Voldemort’s cold heartless voice was ringing through his ears, as he remembered oh so clearly what happened that night.
“And you call me a coward, this isn’t a game of hide and seek,” Harry said as he set the twitching Tonks gently on to the ground, her characteristics constantly changing. He turned around and there was still no one there.
Lavender heard screams and the crying from way up near the common room. The voices were ringing in her ears, as tears finally escaped her eyes. She should be down there, she was a 7th year, she knew more than the younger years whom were fighting down there. She knew how to defend herself more properly, they were only children down there. Although she knew that this fight did belong to everyone, she knew it did not belong to them. Voldemort was before their time, this war should be amongst adults and trained staff and personnel who know how to deal with this kind of stuff.
Harry reached out his hand into the middle of air.
Ron was muttering to himself, keeping a close eye on Hagrid who had spells bouncing off of him; Ron was stunning several Death Eaters as he made his way to join Hagrid.
“No,” Ron said in the middle of the stunning charm.
“No, what?” said Hagrid looking down at him, and then started punching a Death Eater down with his massive fists.
“No spiders,” Ron said again, as he enjoyed watching Hagrid’s method of destroying Death Eaters.
“So you met Aragog, did yeh?” Hagrid said, picking up another Death Eater and throwing him off to the side.
“I met him alright, he wanted me for dinner!” Ron yelled as he saw his mother fighting with the Order.
“Well, what did yeh do to offend ‘im?” Hagrid asked.
“Nothing!” Ron yelped as a Death Eater started coming at him, apparently the Death Eater lost his wand and was trying to the muggle way to solve things, with his fists.
Before the Death Eater could even get a clear shot of Ron, Ron took up his fist and punched the Death Eater square in the nose, and then Hagrid threw him off to the side. Ron smiled at their method, and continued to disarm and stun.
Harry reached just a bit further, and gasped from both from the pain of his scar, and the shock of being met. Another hand reached out and grabbed his arm. The hand was cold, and rough. No one he knew. Then as if he stepped out of this wall, Voldemort took a step forward to meet Harry eye to eye.
The few Death Eaters who had seen Voldemort emerge from invisibility and grab Potter all cheered him on gleefully, but were quickly knocked out by spells cast by the order, as McGonagall made a mad dash for the stairs to get to him, and Lupin was right behind her.
Harry thought about what McGonagall had told him earlier, that he was a chance for hope among staff, students, and the entire wizarding world. From his bravery, they found their own. Students on the stairs stared intently, but dared not move from their spots, as they were shaking from nerves. Mainly because the back students were third years.
“This time, your parents are nowhere near, and won’t be popping out of my wand!” said the chilling voice. Harry smiled.
“My parents are always here. They are always protecting me. They are always loving me,” Harry said as he watched McGonagall reach the top and start slowing down to walk his way.
Voldemort stared at Harry and then looked cautiously to McGonagall and Lupin. The Dark Lord looked at the two, and then back to Harry, possibly confused on who he should attack first.