Chapter 33: The Battle of Hogwarts

Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick started doing incantations all over the school. The armors started to move looked ready to fight. Professor sprout and her students took plants and started putting them in various places. These were plants that secreted poisonous gases. So when the death eaters walked the grounds, they’ll faint. A special antidote for this plant was given to all students. Some of the students were distributing potions to drink to every student. This was the Felix felicus that Profesor Slughorn had made before dying. People from outside Hogwarts had started coming from the various secret passageways. Crookshanks was standing under the womping willow keeping her feet at the right place so that others could get into Hogwarts while the tree stood still. The whole of the Wheasley Family was there. Neville’s grandmother and other relatives were there. Luna’s father had come with some of his friends. He looked just like Luna. He and his friends were as eccentrically dressed as one could imagine for this occasion. With florescent green cloaks that glowed like bulbs, there were easily noticeable even in the crowd of hundreds of people. ‘It bring supernatural powers to you’ said Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna’s Father. On which, ‘But you’re a wizard, you already have supernatural powers’ was the reply of Neville’s grandmother.

Harry was quiet surprised to see Aunt Petunia and Dudley there. ‘What are you doing here?’ asked Harry. ‘You can’t even do magic’

‘yeah!’ said Dudley, ‘But we can use guns. Got many of them. And hand grenades also. Those death eaters wouldn’t be expecting them. And besides, I have to take revenge of my father’s death. don’t I?’

‘I am proud of you, Dudley’ said Aunt Petunia.

People have started to hide in corners so that when the death eaters came, they can take them by surprise. And they started waiting. Harry, Ron and Hermione were behind the great hall entrance. Within one hour, Harry heard the same high pitched voice he loathed, Voldemort’s voice. ‘People of Hogwarts. I have nothing against any of you. If you give me Harry potter and his two friends, I shall spare your life. I –’

Before he could finish, Professor McGonagall spoke, ‘You are not getting anyone from here. Take them by fighting us Tom, if you can.’

‘The you shall all die’ said Voldemort in a bitterly cold voice. He was shocked to hear professor McGonagall take his real name like that. She sounded so much like Dumbledore. Harry felt proud of his Transfiguration teacher at that point. The main door of Hogwarts opened. This time the school allowed them to enter. Hogwarts knew that there was a battle going on inside it. As the death eaters started coming, the plants put by the students started releasing poisonous gases. Some death fainted but almost all had no effect of it. They had already taken precautions. There were hundreds of death eaters, along with almost that many dementors, twelve giants, and some other dark creatures lik werewolves etc.

And the Dudley threw a hand-grenade at the approaching group of death eaters. The death eaters did not see it coming and as it fell, it created a loud explosion. Many death eaters were thrown due to the explosion. Some were injured, and four died. For the first time in his life, Harry felt like hugging Dudley. This catalyzed the death eaters. They started firing curses at the castle. But the protective enchantments deflected the curses. As the death eaters were approaching the castle, there was an unexpected help that came. From inside the forbidden forests, centaurs attacked the death eaters, from inside the great lake, the merepeople started to throw arrows at the death eaters. At this point, people from inside the castle came out and started to fight. Within no time, a huge battle broke out. The whole Hogwarts was bright with the light of the curses. It was a complete chaos. Harry started looking for Voldemort. He knew it was now or never. The day had arrived where one will survive and the other would die. But Voldemort was not there. Neville were fighting so well that Harry felt weather Voldemort had made a mistake by not taking Neville as his possible enemy. Luna and Ginny were fighting with all their might. The Dumbledore’s army had turned out to be a very good army. They were jinxing people left right and centre. The fight was going on but there was no sign of Voldemort anywhere. Harry saw Malfoy fighting with his father. His father was saying things like, ‘Join us. You still have time. You must understand.’ But Malfoy did not consider any of his father’s saying. He kept jinxing his father. He raised his wand and said, ‘Stupify’. Lucius fell backwards. Then from behind, Bellatrix came. ‘You ungrateful bloke. How dare you hit your father. I’m gonna kill you. Avda ke Davra’

It happened in a moment. The spell had hit Malfoy directly on his face and he fell on the ground. Harry saw it happen. It took him a moment to realize what was happening. He ran towards Malfoy. Another death eater started fighting Harry. Harry saw Lucius Malfoy. He was expressionless, still as stone-faced as he had always been. The death of his son did not mean much to him. Harry couldn’t realize how a father could be like that, but then, Lucius was a death eater before a father.

Harry fought the death eater and then again started looking for Voldemort. There he saw that the aurors had also joined the forces. Mad-eye-moody, Kingsly Shacklebolt were fighting with all their might. They were fighting three-three death eaters at a time. The Wheasey family was also fighting bravely. Mr. Wheasley was fighting two men at a time. Bill and Charlie were throwing spells all over. Fred and George were using their joke shop products on the death eaters. the students were also doing a great job.

Harry still couldn’t find Voldemort. He ran out of the castle. While he was in the entrance, he saw Bellatrix. She was fighting Luna and Neville at once. Neville’s was filled with loathing. It was as if all the sadness he had in him because of his parent’s condition had been magically transformed into hatred. It was then that Harry remembered what Voldemort had told Harry that day at the ministry, the day when Sirius had died. You need to feel the hatred for the person in order to cast an unforgivable curse. Harry knew that it is the best moment for Neville to take revenge. He shouted ‘Neville, use the killing curse.’

Neville wasn’t distracted by what he said but Bellatrix heard it. ‘Telling your week friend how to fight Potter?’ she shouted.

Neville became even more red and shouted, ‘Crusio’. Bellatrix howled and moaned in pain. Harry could see the satisfaction on neville’s face, seeing her in utter pain. But Luna was looking uncomfortable. She said, ‘Stop it Neville.’

‘No I won’t’ said Neville. ‘you don’t know what she did to my parents.’

‘I know. But if you do the same, what does it makes you?’ said Luna. And Neville stopped. He looked at Luna and said, ‘this is a war. We have to kill them.’

‘I know. But we don’t kill for pleasure. We kill to end evil. That’s what separates us from them.’

Neville thought for a moment, looking at the almost unconscious Bellatrix on the floor. he pointed his wand at her and shouted ‘Sectumsempra’

She started screaming again. Blood was coming out of her body. She was developing cuts after cuts. And then she died. Neville and Luna ran to look for other death eaters to fight.

Meanwhile, Lucius Malfoy had started fighting Bill. They were fighting near Dumbledore’s office. Bill was fighting very bravely when he heard a scream. It was Fleur’s scream. He looked back and at Lucius used that moment to use the killing curse on Bill. Bill died instantly. The last thing he saw was Fleur running towards him, wandless, a deather eater chasing him. She frooze seeing Bill die. She looked at Lucius. He gave her a dark smile and pointed his wand at her. He shouted, ‘Avada Ke Davra’

Fleur fell on top of Bill.