Doppelganger

Chapter 42 Battle! Part I

Minerva made her way to the battle room as the castle told her that those she required would be there. She looked to the men in the room as they glanced up from the table and noticed her arrival.

Harry looked to her. "Headmistress a pleasant surprise. What keeps you up so late at night?"

"You are no longer my student Harry so call me Minerva. These were sent to Hermione by Severus. It is the battle plans of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Laying the parchments out on the table for them.

Mr. Potter took up the sheets and looked to them intently. They detailed everything and saw that the Dark Lord also anticipated the draining of magic and his initial assault would be one of physical means to decimate his group as a heavy fog would take over the grounds at his command. He was pleased that he went to the Castle's armory and pulled everything out. He chuckled inwardly as he saw the parchment named "Weakness of the Wards" and read it. So the wards would be brought down, enabling the use of the muggle weapons that he planned. His plan was clicking into place.

Harry looked to Minerva. "How is she doing?" He asked.

"Not well Harry as she realized that her husband is going to die." Minerva replied as she left the room.

Harry immediately left the room and doppelganger to plan as he made his way to her quarters. He touched the handle and opened the door and saw his friend sitting on the bed crying. "Hermione…" He breathed out as he rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her. He released her long enough to remove his outer robes and kicked off his shoes as he lay down beside her and wrapped her into his arms. "Let it out Hermione. "Mourn for him and I will be here for you. I think that he is the bravest man that I have ever known."

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Severus sat at Spinners End and watched the Floo flare green. There was only one other than the Dark Lord that could enter. "Draco." He stated as the blonde haired wizard spun out and stood, not bothering to brush the ash from his robes.

Severus stood up from his chair and poured two large helpings of Fire whiskey and handed one to the young man. "Were you successful? The Dark Lord questioned me about my absence."

Draco was unusually subdued as he softly replied as he looked to his Godfather. "Look for yourself."

The tall wizard pulled his wand out and whispered "Legilimens" and entered the young wizard's mind and saw the meeting. He was touched at the pleasant sound of her surprised voice as he said his name before she realized it was Draco. He finished the memory and left Draco's mind.

"Where are they?" Severus asked and watched as Draco pulled out the two phials of Phoenix tears and handed them to him. "Such a valuable gift Draco. A wizard would be instantly wealthy if even one phial were sold." Handing the young man one back as he continued to look at the pearly white contents of his phial.

Draco took his silence as a sign to leave and he did just that leaving the older wizard to his own thoughts.

He was not worthy of the gift that Hermione Snape bestowed upon him. It would do him no good at the end but there was another that could benefit from it.

HGSSHGSSHGSS.

As the week passed the army of Voldemort began to appear outside the castle gates. Everyone knew that there were more hidden in the woods.

Hermione finished marking the last witch with a mark that could only seen by their side. "It is finished Harry." She muttered in exhaustion.

Harry looked to the Doppelgangers. "You know what you need to do."

Mr. Potter clasped the hand of the younger version of himself. "We do. Our troops are already in place. Send the signal and we will act. Farewell young Harry as we sense that we will not survive as we help you to complete your prophecy. It is fate and one cannot control that. I am a soldier and it is by my action that fate does what it needs to."

The magical and doppelgangers chatted quietly to each other until it was time to for bed. Everyone watched as Hermione approached the be-spectled older man who was the doppelganger of her best friend.

Hermione gently kissed his lips. "I wish that there was some other way Mr. Potter. I will miss your guidance and conversation. You are an amazing man General."

"I am only a man Hermione. But sometimes a man is allowed to do great things. Fate has chosen us to play an active part in saving the world."

Hermione looked to him sadly. "A story that will never be told in your world."

"Yes Hermione, but in your world it will be if we prevail. Remember we were given a choice."

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Ron looked to Melody as she undressed and joined him in bed. "I wish I was in my own body tonight Ron."

"Love, I tell you again I only see the true you. And as long as it is you next to me then that is all that matters." Slipping into her warm fold as he slowly made love to her.

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Mr. Potter looked to his wife as she slowly undressed before him. "You know I was kidding all those years ago when I said I wanted to go out in a blaze of glory."

He looked to his wife as he remembered her remarks when they were dating. "At last you will have that dream fulfilled."

She squealed in surprise as he suddenly pulled her closer to him.

"Any regrets Mrs. Potter?"

"None at all Mr. Potter." Pushing her husband onto the bed as she joined him. "Let's make our last night rememberable."

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Minerva joined Hermione at the Astronomy tower. "I'm not surprised to see you here Hermione."

The young witch pulled her gaze from the stars. "This is their last night together. Everyone should be with who they love tonight as no one knows how everything will play out at the end."

Minerva wrapped an arm around her as she looked up to the stars. "My love was unattainable and yours is not available. We are grand company Hermione."

Hermione chuckled. "I suppose we are Headmistress."

They stood together and looked to the twinkling lights in the forest and left one another to their own thoughts.

HGSSHGSS

Voldemort broke the wards and outer walls of the castle close to sunset and his army followed behind him. He pressed his wand to his neck being careful not to hit the snake wrapped around his shoulders as he whispered "Sonurus."

"I require a word with Harry Potter if he is brave enough to approach me. Bring along your seconds as I have brought mine as well. I will observe the Wizarding requirements of a proper battle even though it is one sided and I will win." He walked forward one hundred yards along with Severus, Bella, and Draco.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached Voldemort and waited for him to speak.

"Harry Potter The-Boy-Who-Lived-And-About-To-Die. Give yourself up to me and I promise I may spare those that support you." Voldemort snarled out as he looked to the young wizard, his eyes glittering.

"No Tom, I will not." Harry replied back. "You will kill them all anyway. I know you through this." Pointing to his scar.

Nagini slithered down from the Dark Lord and coiled behind Severus.

Voldemort chuckled. "You are right Harry and I have a traitor in my midst. It does not matter that you know my plans for I will win anyway. Don't you agree Hermione Snape?"

Hermione gasped out in surprise as she saw the snake loom up behind her husband. "Severus! Watch out!" She shouted.

Severus felt the first bite of the snake as he fell down, the poison entering his entering his body as he pulled out Slytherin's dagger and waited for the snake to strike again. Merlin! So weak! Could he do this? He saw Lily, Major Granger, and Private Reese standing before him in their translucent forms.

"You can do this Severus." Lily encouraged him.

"I told you that we would meet again." Private Reese called out.

"Do it for Hermione!" Major Granger shouted to him.

Just as the snake struck again he pulled the last of his strength from the words of the muggle major as he used the magical dagger as the snake struck his neck once more as he severed the head of the snake from its body, the head still latched to his neck as he dropped the dagger and struggled to pull it away from him, forcing even more poison into his body. Severus panted out as he shuddered for a few moments and stilled.

Hermione watched as her husband's body twitched a few times, hands wrapped around the head of the dead snake in death.

He looked down at his dead Familiar and then looked up in anger. "I give you thirty minutes. Come willingly to me and lives could be spared." Voldemort spat out in anger he turned his back and walked away with Bella as he called out." "Draco bring the traitor."

Hermione ran to her husband and knelt down as Draco shouted out. "Away from him Mudblood!"

She stood up and noticed Draco walking up to her.

He knelt down and pulled the head of the snake away and then removed the Celtic knot necklace and threw it on the ground next to her. "He wanted you to have it as he knew that he was going to die anyway. Maybe the legend behind it will be true for you today Hermione." Speaking softly so that he could not be heard. "Tell them of my loyalty Hermione and if you ever run across Astoria tell her that I loved her."

Bending the dead body's legs at the knees across his shoulders enabled him to stand while the head touched the ground. "I'll meet up with you again Mudblood and it will be my pleasure to kill you as you are the cause of my Godfather's death."

Hermione watched Draco walk away, the head dragging on the ground leaving a trail of bright red blood behind.

Harry and Ron walked up and hugged her as Ron whispered. "He's always been a prat Hermione. Don't pay him any mind."

She released the hug and looked to her friends sadly. "He's a hero Ron. He has been spying just like Severus. Only three people knew and two of them are dead. I need to talk to Kingsley." She bent down and picked up the necklace that Draco left and looked at it for a moment before she placed it around her neck. "Let's go."

They stopped as they heard shouts of anger and Ron turned and looked to where a group of Death eaters was kicking the body.

Harry held her tight and began pulling her. "Do not look Hermione. He is dead and it is only his body. He is at the Veil now and I am sure that he is at peace. Hold your anger Hermione and bring it out in the battle. We need you to be strong as everyone looks to us as their strength."

"It's alright Harry. I mourned for him two nights ago with you."

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Hermione stood waiting with the rest of the castle's protectors as she tightened the band holding the goblin formed protector plates on her arms. To think that all of her book learning did not mean anything. Oh it will come in handy when they would be able to use magic but the first rush would be with swords. To think that in the age of computers and lasers here they were in fighting with swords. She shook her head as she watched as Voldemort's army approached all of them carrying swords. So far the General's predictions of Voldemort have been true. She removed her outer robes and drew out the sword that it hid and held it high in the air and walked to the front of her group and waited for the sign and began a mantra to calm the building fear within her. "Fear will be my death…fear will be my death….." She clutched the shield in her other hand tightly.

Suddenly the army ran towards them holding their swords out before them as the notice me not charms faded around the machine gun emplacements as the rat tat tat of them resounded out. Lines of the enemy fell in the hail of bullets and the sound suddenly stopped as fire suddenly surrounded them and burned the witches and wizards manning them as a green light flared out in the darkness.

"Charge!" She shouted out as she brought down her sword and ran forward.

The Deatheaters had stopped at the bullets but as soon as they moved forward as the enemy rushed towards them and soon armies merged into one another with clanks of steel heard and the screams of dying witches and wizards.

A dark fog suddenly enveloped the battlefield indicating the presence of Dementors and a deep forlorn was felt by everyone on that bloody field as they continued to fight.

At first the Dementors did as the Dark Lord commanded of them, targeting only those protecting the castle. But soon the sweet smell of fear drove them to target anyone as it was just too much for them to ignore. The paltry meals they had been allowed as keepers of Azkaban were barely enough to keep them alive and one could not ignore the feast before them.

A purple light shot out into the sky and the two hundred wizards and witches kept back casted their patronus and sent them into the fog to attack the evil creatures.

The battle continued and the fog never let up.

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Severus rose from his body and stood next to the translucent forms of Lily, Major Granger, and Private Reese and watched the interaction between Draco and Hermione. He was proud of the man as he did what he requested of him. It would help in the Veil's decision when he met his death. "Where is DEATH? Isn't the great Specter supposed to take me to the Veil and condemn me to the hell that I deserve?"

Private Reese went to silence him. "Severus, DEATH is angry with the Veil right now…" And stopped speaking as DEATH appeared.

DEATH looked to the wizard that had been so close to him so many times in the past just to be wrenched away. "Professor Severus Snape why do you wish to rush forward to your eternal damnation?"

Severus looked to DEATH. "Well, what more is there? I did what I had to do and that was to die. Not that I regret it for I knew I would never survive." He pointed to his wife at the front of her group with her sword held high. "But am I damned to watch her suffer and die as well? Just as I found my love and Lily released me I am here. I've already begun my trip to damnation DEATH." He snarled out.

DEATH looked to Severus in understanding. "The Veil has closed itself to me only saying I can ferry after the battle is complete. So feel free to walk about. The battle begins." Pointing to the wizard's witch as they watched her drop her sword and began to run towards the enemy. "I must go but I will be back Professor Severus Snape as soon as the battle is ended." Fading away.

Major Granger touched the translucent form of Severus and whispered. "Soon you will not be the only one waiting."

A/N The battle continues