Of Days and Ends

A/N: Back again after a seriously prolonged writing period. I hope you are all still with me.

My Snape has given the little voice in my head ammunition. That said, I still have to really force the lazy creep to do its job and dictate the story to me. Brat voice-in-my-head…

Anywhoo… where were we? Ah yes, Chapter 19—The Battle of New Years Eve
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Chapter 19—The Battle of New Year’s Eve

After Snape left, Hermione wandered slowly down the halls of Grimmauld Place. Once a safe place, the sense of foreboding left her shivering with fear as she made her way down to Tonks and Lupin’s bedroom. At their door, Hermione knocked softly. There was no immediate answer so she raised her hand to knock again.

“Oo’s there?” Tonks’s muffled voice called out softly.

“I—I have a problem in the lab. I need some help with this stage of the potion.”

Tonks opened the door a crack, hiding her body behind the door. “Oh, wotcher, Hermione?” She said politely.

“I—I need some help in the lab.”

“Couldn’t this wait, sweetie?”

“No. In fact, I need two people for this stage within the next five minutes.”

Tonks ran a hand through her hair and turned toward the bed where Lupin was still sleeping. “Give us a few, Hermione. We’ll be there soon.” Soon after, the door closed and Hermione was left alone again.

Quickly, Hermione made her way to the lab and stepped in. Looking away, she decided that she could use a quick cleaning charm on the cauldrons, and cleared away anything that could be used as a weapon in the room. She even reinforced the glass where potions were being kept, and sat down at a bench on the far wall to wait. After ten minutes went by and no one showed up, Hermione began to get very worried and paced by the bench. She didn’t dare to leave the safety of the Laboratory, but her curiosity did drive her to walk towards the door.

Just as she reached the centre of the large room, the door to the lab opened and a large figure beneath a black hood and Death Eater’s mask stepped in. Immediately, her wand was raised and she fired off a series of hexes, and he was forced to stand in the doorway and fight her where his fellow Death Eaters couldn’t get in to help him.

“STUPEFY!” She screamed when he hesitated, and closed the gap between her next opponent and herself with a leap forward. A green jet of light was shot towards her, but she dove to the side to avoid it. Her new opponent was not playing fair, and blasted her into the far wall, knocking the air out of her lungs long enough for he and his other team members to enter the room.

Realizing she was outnumbered, Hermione tried to stand up and her feet slid out from beneath her.

“Expelliarmus.” Snape’s voice calmly called, and he caught her wand as he made way for Wormtail behind him.

“Mr. Malfoy, will you please bind the mudblood?”

The Death Eater to her immediate right, followed his order, and Hermione found herself tightly bound in green cord.

“Thank you, now, we’ll just sit tight, and the Order should be here any se—”

A sudden whipping motion was the only warning that anyone had that Bellatrix was about to act outside of orders. “CRUCIO!” The witch screamed.

Hermione’s back arched and every muscle burned as if on fire and she screamed in a high, shrill voice that she didn’t know she possessed. Suddenly, the pain stopped, but not the screaming. Who was screaming?

Forcing her eyes open, she could see Bellatrix’s mask had fallen off as Snape tortured her under the same curse used on Hermione. “I thought, Bellatrix, that we had been over this before! Do not break ranks and always follow orders.” He released her from the curse, and sneered down at her. “Now, Madame Lestrange, go get the Werewolf and his whore!”

Bellatrix trembled, grimaced, and pulled herself up from the ground before staggering out the door. The room remained silent and still while she was gone, and Hermione took that opportunity to look around the room. There were a few Death Eaters that she could recognize despite their masks, in part because of an uncovered feature and part because they had revealed themselves when Snape called on them. The man to her right was Draco and beside him stood young Crabbe and Goyle. On her left, Wormtail flexed his metallic hand and Bellatrix’s spot remained empty. She continued to look around the room until her eyes met Snape’s. His mask covered too much of his face for her to know what he was thinking, and she carefully kept her mind blank to him.

A scooting sound in the hallway alerted everyone to Bellatrix’s return, and she entered the room, dragging a ashen Tonks and Lupin in by their hair.

“Bellatrix.” Snape called mock-sweetly as she began to return to her rank. The wicked woman turned with rebellion clearly written on her face. “What did you do to them?”

“Stunned them.”

“Before that, silly wench!” he spat at her.

Bellatrix didn’t respond and Snape couldn’t risk the others reporting him as concerned, so he just shrugged and stepped back into ranks. Bellatrix too moved to her place, and all eyes returned to Hermione. She wanted so badly to avoid their eyes and squirmed a bit, but hid the fear from her face. Tonks and Lupin’s eyes remained closed and Tonks’ breathing seemed laboured.

Eventually, Snape crossed the room to Hermione and circled her, “There is something the Dark Lord can use from you.”

Hermione shrunk back from him convincingly as he gripped her chin and looked into her eyes. “I suggest you tell me where Macnair and Narcissa are being kept.”

“I—I don’t know.”

“Yes you do.”

“No, I don’t.” She bit out.

He closed the gap between them and raised his wand to her face. “Legillimens.” He whispered. His mind was flooded with her thoughts as she released them to him. Calling upon specific memories to tie a message together for him, Hermione whimpered with the effort of combating his search, and repeated the memories that she chose. He couldn’t figure out the message and there was noise on the stairs, so he dropped her wand on the floor at her feet and whirled around, effectively blocking her from view behind his voluminous black robes.

“…not right. I can’t explain it. It just feels… wrong.” Ginny was saying.

All the attention of the Death Eaters went to the door and Hermione took that opportunity to lie on her back and grab her wand. Snape’s careful step back to check on her with the heel of his black boot went unnoticed by everyone else and she laid still. The door handle turned very slowly and Ginny opened the door only briefly enough to see the circle of Death Eaters and slammed it shut.

She ran from the room, screaming at the top of her lungs just as Snape blasted the door off of its hinges and stunned Ginny when she reached the stairs, sending her tumbling down the wooden steps. Seconds later the battle had begun and many of the Order apparated directly into the room while other members poured in through the door. Snape glanced back at her and a minute nod let her know that she should unbind herself. He fought in the little corner, refusing to step away from her until she was untied, shielding her from the view and curses of Death Eaters and Order members alike. When she finally accomplished her task, she kicked the last of the cords away, crouched behind Snape, and apparated to the bathroom on the same floor.

From there she could see that Death Eaters had even made their way to the hallway to fight with Order members and to her horror, a couple Order members had already died.

Stepping carefully into the hallway, she immediately gathered the two dead bodies and apparated them to her bedroom on the third floor. She set wards on the doors as she left the room and locked it before apparating back into the bathroom. Thus far, Snape was entirely correct about the fight, which had still failed to enter the bathroom. There was noise and screaming everywhere and Hermione cautiously made her way out into the fray.

Somehow, one of the Death Eaters set off an explosion from the floor directly below her and the wooden floorboards beneath her feet shattered and she began to fall. Her scream was piercing and she landed hard, but safely. Dust filled the small space and she coughed and choked on the fine powder. Squatting in the small space and crawling to a corner, she slowly scanned the rubble for signs of life. A choking sound made her crawl forward, her eyes darting around.

“Hermione!” Madam Pomfrey gasped. “I didn’t know you were here, dear.”

“The Death Eaters had me in the lab just before the Order arrived.”

“Are you injured?”

“I’ll be fine, but…” she grunted with the effort of uncovering the mediwitch, “…how about you?”

Madam Pomfrey slowly touched herself to ascertain her injuries, “I’ll be alright once I get out of this dust, I suppose.”

Hermione scanned the room now that the dust had settled and saw the Death Eater that had caused the explosion, “Oh!” Thinking for a moment, Hermione decided to take the Death Eater as well and dragged his limp body towards Madam Pomfrey. “Is he dead?”

Raising her wand, Madam Pomfrey performed a spell. “No.”

“Uhm… okay. Hold onto me.” The mediwitch listened and Hermione apparated them to the room where she was keeping the dead Order members.

“Oh Merlin!” The woman said.

“I’ll be bringing the injured here. If something goes wrong and my wards begin to fail, get the living out of here. Anywhere, just get them out of this house. It is no longer safe and we have been compromised.”

The older woman nodded her comprehension and Hermione grabbed the Death Eater just as he began to stir, apparating him to the room next door. There was no wasting of time as Hermione took his wand, bound him, warded and blocked the window, placed anti-apparation charms on the room, and warded the room from the inside and outside the door. Now, there was noise from both upstairs and down stairs, and Hermione leaned over the banister, looking down at Ginny’s body sprawled at the base of the stairs.

Hermione sprinted down the stairs and reached the young girl’s body at the base and wasn’t sure what to do. Gulping hard, she decided to take her to the bedroom, scooped her into her arms, and apparated to the bedroom. When she arrived, Madam Pomfrey immediately began bustling around the unconscious girl and Hermione didn’t stay to hear the results.

She apparated to the top floor bathroom again and was caught in the middle of a full fight between Snape, Rabastian, Bellatrix, McGonagall, and Harry. Snape slowed his attack to give Hermione the opportunity to get out, but Bellatrix and Rabastian continued to fire at her and Hermione was forced to join the fight. Harry and McGonagall continued to shoot hexes over her shoulder and she quickly found herself irritated by their bustling her, so she turned her wand back on them immediately after one of their interruptions to push them back before returning to her fight with the three Death Eaters. Because they were back in the hallway, two more Death Eaters noticed them and Harry and McGonagall were forced to abandon the fight in the bathroom.

“Aw… how cute, Severus,” taunted Bellatrix, to which Snape gave no response, “the little bitty kitty has claws.” Her husband looked disbelieving that she would pin herself against three of the best Death Eaters and be doing so well.

Without looking at him, Hermione cried, “Expelliarmus!” and Snape snatched at his wand as it left his hand. Her hand closed over the ebony handle and as though it were her own, Hermione grinned as she immediately used her own wand to block their spells and Snape’s to send three quick blasts over her shield to send each of them into defence. Unarmed, Snape was left to watch with disbelief and pride as the young Hermione hit their shields with a barrage of curses. Finally, she stopped only long enough for them to get up and attack her again. With two wands, Hermione was nearly unstoppable and Rabastian was struck down first. She barked a laugh that was reminiscent of Sirius Black in battle and Snape watched, as Bellatrix was quick to fall to Hermione’s double wand attack.

“Yes!” She shrieked with joy, striding forward to a surprised Snape, Hermione smiled and dropped his wand to the ground at his feet. Slowly he reached out and took it, their eyes locked, and Snape opened and closed his mouth several times. They remained transfixed on each other until the sound and violent shaking of another room’s battle brought them back to their senses. In response, Snape leapt up and grabbed the bodies of Rabastian and Bellatrix and disapparated to safety while Hermione turned and ran back into the melee.

The fights were fewer, but the most powerful now that the weakest and slowest had been weeded out. Hermione stalked from floor to floor, gathering the injured and the dead. During one of her trips back to the fighting she apparated into the bathroom and found herself surprised by the strong, disillusioned arms that snatched her behind the curtains of the shower. Somehow, she knew not to be afraid and recognised her husband’s body behind her. “Do not talk, just listen.” He whispered as quietly as he could and still be heard over the din. “The Dark Lord is coming, Hermione, you must get Potter and Weasley out now! Offer no explanations! Bind them if you must! Just be gone by the time he comes, understood?”

Hermione knew better than to do any more than nod.

Satisfied and confident that she could handle the task, Snape kissed her neck, and released her before disapparating back to the lab to join any fight that was going on.

Taking a deep breath and stilling her nerves, Hermione stepped out of the shower and stealthily made her way from floor to floor in search of her friends. She quickly came across Neville who had broken out in boils and was looking for the next fight, but Hermione stopped him, “Go to my bedroom! Madam Pomfrey is there and will need help moving everyone out!” Neville started to object and move toward the most recent explosion, but Hermione slapped him and screamed in his face, “GO, NOW! ORDER MEMBERS ARE DYING!” Confused by her strong arming tactics, Neville obeyed her with shock clearly evident on his features.

Taking a deep breath, she didn’t know where to start looking for Ron, but just as she was about to turn to go back to the lab, Ron’s voice behind her saved her life.

“Avada Ked—” a raspy voiced female was saying.

“STUPEFY!” Ron’s spell incapacitated the woman and he ran up the stairs to her, “Are you alright, Hermione?”

“We have to find Harry! We have to get out of here!”

“No, no. The fight’s almost done! We’re winning this thing, Hermione!”

“NOW RONALD!” She roared and snatched his arm. Dragging him down the hall, they looked into several rooms, and ignored the dead and injured Death Eaters and Order members. Hermione was slowly becoming more and more panicked. “When did you last see him?”

“I haven’t seen him since the beginning.” Ron was looking at her oddly as they continued to the second floor. “What are we running from?”

Opening her mouth to reply, Hermione shrieked in surprise and blocked a curse sent by five Death Eaters charging up the stairs towards them before disapparating Ron and herself to the top floor bathroom once again. As soon as they arrived, they each immediately felt a cold fear crawl up their spines at the sight of Voldemort himself standing in front of them.

“This couldn’t be any more perfect.” Voldemort’s sinister voice said as he raised his wand against them.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she saw Ron’s hand rise beside her in tandem with Voldemort’s. Thinking desperately, Hermione thrust her wand into the air and screamed, “ACCIO WAND!” Voldemort narrowed his eyes at Hermione and his hesitation gave Ron an opportunity to send the first curse, which was parried with ridiculous ease. His laughter would have made Hermione cringe, except that the feeling of Severus’ wand handle smacking into her palm made her feel buoyant and confident.

“Stupefy! Petrificus Totalis! Expelliarmus! Sectumsempra!” Hermione called out in rapid succession and Ron recovered quickly, sending two hexes of his own at Voldemort. Without giving him time to take down his shield, Hermione sent a spell at Ron that knocked him down before using the same powerful spell that she used when fighting Headmistress McGonagall and Mrs. Weasley. The shock wave spread out from her, contacted Voldemort’s shield and made his feet slide a meter backwards. Strategically, Ron remained on the floor, firing at Voldemort.

For a moment, it looked as though, they had Voldemort pinned until Harry came charging to their aid and the three friends faced Voldemort together. Hermione was momentarily distracted and that provided just the right amount of reprieve for Voldemort to change his strategy. Putting up a different shield spell, the trio watched in wonder as each of their spells were absorbed and seemingly stored in Voldemort’s shield.

Hermione was the first to stop firing and stare curiously at his magic. Eventually, both Harry and Ron stopped too, and it quickly became obvious that they had a problem. Voldemort was not making his move and the brightly lit and highly charged shield began to exude a pulsing vibe that seemed to move through their bodies like a bass beat that grew stronger and stronger as the powerful wizard made it smaller and smaller. The walls began to shake in time with the increasing pulse and particles of stucco fell from the ceiling. Hermione’s dawning comprehension caused her to grab both boys by their collars and yank them towards the door. She screamed, “RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN!” and just as they reached the staircase, Voldemort’s incoherent spell reached their ears before a massive explosion made walls and parts of the roof crumble.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry dove down the stairs, tumbling down two flights before crashing on the landing. Untangling themselves, the trio moaned at the pain in their limbs. A sudden sound of wind coming their way was the only warning that the battle was not over, and they gripped their wands tightly. They thought they were prepared for anything, but when the very spells they had used against Voldemort rushed toward them with ferocious speed, the only thing any of them could do was cringe against the cold blast before being knocked unconscious.


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A/N: This was my ultimate favourite chapter to write, and I hope you see it just as clearly as I do in my head. I have yet to decide on the casualties. I am so attached to so many of these characters that it may take me a while to decide what to do next. JKR was so brilliant with the losses… and so bold! The little voice in my head is a bit reckless with its killings, so we’re going to be asking logic if it would like to come out and play. Hopefully, they can get along and make a decent decision.

I was soooooo glad to see a lot of my old reviewers come back out to comment, and I just absolutely love how patient you have all been.

I say! Thank you to you all! I love you all dearly, and were it not for you, I would have given up a long time ago.

1. catysmom
2. openthedoor
3. sslover
3. meankitty69
4. Sureves Epans
4. Queen Celestia
4. Perservero
5. Jen618
6. Johanna3030
7. Sampdoria

BTW!-- Go check out "Saving Your Life" after this! OMG! It is a fantastic fic, and I just thought I'd plug it here. lilmisblack truly deserves recognition for that story. I can only write and hope that she will one day deem my story worthy of a review. That would be my fanfic dream.