Harry Potter and the Battle of Hogwarts

[seek_to_end]

A pregnant hush lay over the grounds of Hogwarts, the eerie quiet of early, dark morning when all good children and creatures should be fast asleep. But no one slept that night. Students, teachers, Order members, Death Eaters, house-elves and creatures of the forest alike moved with silent, purposeful tread, some in fear and some in anticipation

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-In the Forest

[seek_to_end]

He was lying facedown on the ground again. He knew he hadn't started out this way, hadn't fallen asleep for no reason on damp dirt thick with leaves, sticks and undergrowth, and it was only the shock of it that kept him from moving. The smell of forest filled his nostrils, different from the warm air of the jungle, heavy with moisture and the scent of flowers, decay and new life. This was cold, hard, old. Old magic. He could feel it in the air and coursing through his veins, filling up his bones like marrow and strengthening them in some incalculable way

[halfscarlet]

Billy found himself in many dangerous or awkward positions over the years, some of which, at first glance, appeared more dangerous than the one he was in at the moment.

Waking up face down in dirt in a cold, dark forest wasn't so frightening at first, but as Billy slowly got up, knees digging into the dirt, he got a good look around. He recognized Katniss, but not the other kid near them or the large mass that looked a bit darker than the night around them.

"What..." As he looked around, little things began to sink in. The group of people a little distance away, words filtering through his groggy haze, the general air of danger and what felt like magic.

"I want a light," he whispered, falling back on the first spells he'd learned. Very faint blue orbs of light appeared in the upturned palms of his hands for a few moments before disappearing again, and Billy breathed out a small laugh. "Oh my God."

[burnwithus]

There had been one other time that Katniss Everdeen had woken up with her face pressed against cold dirt. Back in the first Games, after the Tracker Jackers had stung her she'd crashed into the brush, trying to run away from the terror thrumming through her very veins. Peeta had showed up to save her, somehow. She'd collapsed and passed out with the distinct feeling that ants were burrowing into her eyes.

There had been no ants. This time, there was one. She could feel it skittering against her cheek and as Katniss woke up, she brushed it off and tried to rub the dirt out of her eyes. This was not her forest, or the forest on the island - even in the dim night, Katniss knew that.

The dark-haired boy was someone she recognized, though, even if she didn't remember his name. "Where are we?"

[halfscarlet]

Dark forest and creepy figures aside, it hadn't taken Billy long to figure out they were in serious trouble. At first nothing had made sense, but after testing his magic he'd taken a look around, and just a glimpse of Harry had been enough to make his heart start racing, the sound loud in his ears.

He stayed low to the ground and moved over to where Katniss was, gesturing at the other boy to join them and keep their voices low. "We're in a forest, I think - I think this is Harry Potter's home. There are some seriously bad people over there, so just...hang on. Stay quiet."

-In the Castle

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The hour drew nearer to a close, but those taking shelter in the ancient halls of Hogwarts did not rush to greet it. Too much was unknown and too much had come to pass for them to move forward. Their leader lost, for the moment it seemed, they huddled together in the Great Hall, some planning, some steeling themselves, some mourning and some simply, desperately wishing this would all go away.

No one seemed to notice that a few among them were just waking up, leaning against walls or huddled up into corners. The night had been long and no one begrudged those who could sleep the chance. The night was far from over yet, and most were too wrapped up in their own thoughts and feelings to trouble others.

[red_ponytail]

Bill woke with a start and discovered just how deeply ingrained some things were when he saw he was at Hogwarts and immediately went for his wand. He had it, thankfully, and after a quick test using Lumos was relieved to see it now worked. But then, he'd known that it would immediately. He could feel that his magic was back, a five year absence making its return that much more pronounced.

He knew what this was. It had happened to him once before, waking up in Alphabet City in Roger and Mark's apartment. Now he just had to figure out who was here from the island, and which of the people who called this world home remembered. Wand at the ready, he set off down the hall. It had been a long time, but Bill still knew this place inside and out.

[feel free to find him in any of the public areas of the castle]

Re: -In the Castle

[honestlyrubbish]

It was a nightmare

[of_badfaith]

When he approached her, it was with caution, walking along the stone walls, half at a crouch, his empty palms held out where she could see.

They weren't friends. They'd likely never be friends. But he'd woken covered in soot, his mark burning on his arm, and it hadn't even occurred to him to join his fellow Death Eaters in battle. It hadn't occurred to him to take his place as an enemy of The Order.

The thought that had consumed him most, when he'd opened his eyes, had been finding Luna. It frightened him how little that thought had faded.

"Granger," he hissed, "Before you hex me, I'd appreciate if you'd take note that I am unarmed."

-The Battle

[seek_to_end]

At some point they left the forest: the gang of Death Eaters with their triumphant Dark Lord and Hagrid sobbing as he clutched the seemingly lifeless body of Harry Potter against his chest. The order to stop came and the sibilant hiss of Voldemort's voice projected out, magically magnified, over the grounds

[honestlyrubbish]

It was just a dream, right?

The thought echoed in Hermione's mind time and time again, even as Voldemort proclaimed Harry dead, even as she glanced up at Hagrid's expression and felt her stomach plummet- he wasn't a good actor, he wasn't a good liar, the devastation on his face could only be because he believed every word of Voldemort's, nothing more than that. Harry couldn't have been dead, too many people had promised that they knew what happened in the future. That the war ended in triumph. Gradually, Voldemort's words, booming as they were, faded into an indistinct buzz around Hermione's ears, leaving only those four words repeating, over and over: Harry Potter is deadHermione was sure that she screamed. Her throat felt raw, though her ears heard none of it. Shaking, she felt Ron's presence nearby, knew that he was there, that he hadn't left her for even a minute since they'd found each other in Hogwarts and wouldn't again by choice. But it felt very much like the entire world was suddenly distant, that a bubble was drawn around