Saving your life

She took a deep breath and tried to stop her hands from shaking; or at least to stop it from showing. It was surreal, it could not be happening. They had been preparing for it for days, many of them for years, but she still couldn’t believe it was happening. She felt Harry squeeze her hand softly, and she squeezed back.

He had been nervous earlier, when the first groups had left to settle in the positions Severus had assigned them to, but now it seemed as if he had accepted what was about to happen. He had come to the point where he didn’t fear what was coming any more. He didn’t think about what could go wrong, about how much they could lose; he simply focused on the task ahead.

Ron was standing by the door. He would nervously walk back and forth for a few minutes, and then stand still for a few more. She could see the fear and nervousness, as well as the determination on his features, his expression changing between those feelings as his eyes wandered about the room.

After a moment of silence, Harry stood up and walked towards Ron. He had probably sensed he needed him more than she did.

Draco was sitting on her other side, but not as close as Harry had been. He looked paler than usual, and slightly nervous, although she knew someone that hadn’t spent as much time with him wouldn’t notice. To a mere observer, he would look calm, perhaps even relaxed. He turned his head to the side, and when their eyes met she smiled at him and moved closer.

“It’s hard to believe it’s so close, isn’t it?” she asked, not sure what else to say but knowing she was the only one in the room Draco was comfortable around, and knowing he would probably want to talk to someone.

“It is,” he simply replied, but she felt him relax, if only slightly.

“What do you think will happen now?”

“Who knows,” he said, with a small shrug.

“Do you think we will be all right?”

“One way or another, it will end tonight. That’s all that matters.”

Draco’s words reminded her of Severus, of what he had told her the previous night, and she couldn’t help but ask him, “What did Severus tell you?”

“What?” he asked, confused.

“Yesterday, in the library. What did he tell you?”

He turned to her again, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he were trying to decide what to tell her.

“He needed me to know a few things, just in case.”

“Just in case of what?”

“Just in case he didn’t make it,” he said, his words bringing forth all the fears she had been trying to control.

“Things like what?”

“Just…things.”

“That’s not all, is it?” she asked, making sure she kept her voice low, so Ron and Harry wouldn’t hear.

“He asked me to do something.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing important, but if he didn’t want anyone else to know, then he probably had a good reason.”

“What did he ask you to do, Draco?” she pressed. There was something about his attitude that was making her feel uneasy.

“I already told you, it’s nothing,” he shrugged, then tensed when he heard the clock on the wall chime.

“It’s time,” Harry suddenly said, turning to her. “We have to go.”

With a deep breath she willed her body to relax enough for her to stand up, then looked at Draco one more time, smiled at him in what she hoped was a reassuring way, and walked to Ron and Harry.

“Give us a minute, and then Apparate there too.”

“I know the plan, Potter,” Draco replied coldly, not moving from his seat.

“Be careful,” she said to him, and waited until he nodded before taking Harry and Ron’s hands and Apparating to the clearing where she knew Voldemort would be waiting. It was a strange feeling, willingly walking into the battle.

*

The light cast by the almost full moon filtered through the trees around them, allowing her to see. She let go of Ron and Harry as soon as their feet touched the ground, but she remained close to them as her eyes searched the forest surrounding them. Her heart was beating so wildly she was sure every Death Eater around them would be able to hear it clearly.

They had to wait, she knew. They had to wait until the Death Eaters made the first move, or it wouldn’t work. Voldemort had to believe they had fallen right into his trap.

She tightened her fingers around her wand, silently going over every spell and curse she knew in her mind, waiting for Voldemort’s attack and knowing Ron and Harry were doing the same.

She had been waiting for it, but still the sound of Apparition startled her.

“You’re late, Malfoy,” Harry said, as soon as Draco stood in front of them.

“Sod off, Potter,” he replied, and then turned to her. “So, what was so important we had to come all the way here to discuss?” he asked, just as they had agreed he would.

They couldn’t know when Voldemort would attack, and they had to make him believe what he had seen in Draco’s mind about a meeting had been real for as long as possible, so they had decided on a conversation, hoping the first attack wouldn’t take too long to come. If they were just repeating words, and not busy thinking of what to say next, they would be able to stay more focused on their surroundings, ready to protect themselves. Or at least they hoped so.

“The objects you promised, where are they?” she asked, her gaze darting to him for a second before going back to search the woods around them.

“They’re safe. I’ll give them to you when you give me what we agreed upon,” Draco replied.

“And what is it, I wonder, that she agreed to give you?” a cold voice asked from behind the first line of trees, and the four of them turned to where the sound had come from, wands at the ready, just in time to see Voldemort step into the clearing, his red eyes shining under the dim moonlight.

“What’s this?” Harry asked angrily, turning to Draco for a moment, although he kept his wand trained at Voldemort all the time. The longer they kept him talking, the more time the Order members would have to get ready.

“What are you asking me for?” Draco shot back.

“So this is the reason why you betrayed your Master, your beliefs?” Voldemort asked with a sneer, as he took a step closer to Hermione. “All for this Mudblood?”

“Muggleborn or not, she’s…” Ron started.

“Silence!” Voldemort hissed, waving his hand in Ron’s direction, making him stagger a few feet back, his mouth still moving, but no sound coming out.

“Did you honestly think you could fool Lord Voldemort, child?” he hissed at Draco, his eyes gleaming wickedly. “Do you not know of my power?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a low hiss was heard all around them, the sound of the wind moving through the trees and rushing at them, and Voldemort smirked, clearly pleased at their surprised expressions.

“I spared your life before, but you shall not be so lucky this time. You will not live past tonight, I assure you,” Voldemort said coldly. “But before that, I have other matters to take care of,” he added, turning to face Harry. “So we meet again, Potter.”

“So it seems,” Harry replied, just as coldly.

“And I assume these are the people you brought here to die for you this time…a blood traitor and a Mudblood,” he said, glancing at her and Ron for a second. “It does seem like a good riddance, but no one will spare you this time, boy.”

She was surprised to see the calmness in Harry’s expression, the coolness with which he spoke to Voldemort. She wondered if their other meetings, when Harry had found himself alone facing the most evil wizard of all times, had been like that. But he wasn’t alone this time, and it wasn’t a trap, like it had been that time after the Triwizard Tournament. At least, it wasn’t Voldemort that had set the trap. This time, they were ready for him, and the outcome would be different. The entire Order of the Phoenix was there, to back him up; this time would be the last time, it had to be.

“Perhaps you are right,” Harry replied, “there is no need to get them involved in this. This is between you and I, and it should be settled that way.”

“Stupid Gryffindors,” Voldemort hissed with a cruel smirk, “always so ready to sacrifice themselves for others. Let me tell you something, boy, it isn’t worth it; it never was. Look at your Mudblood mother, for example,” he said, and Hermione saw Harry clench his fists by his sides, trying to control his temper. “She was so willing to die for you, to sacrifice herself so you could live, and it was all for nothing. She might have spared your life then, but you will still die at my hand, no matter what. All she bought you was a few years; your sacrifice tonight for these…friends of yours,” he said, grimacing at the word friends, “won’t even get them that much. Worry about yourself and forget the others.”

“All right, then,” Harry said, his tone still calm, even though she could see him tense. “Let’s get this over with,” he said, taking a step toward Voldemort and motioning for them to stop when they tried to do the same.

“Not so fast, boy,” Voldemort hissed, a wicked smirk contorting his face as he raised both his arms to the sides. As one, ten robed and masked figures stepped out of the shadows and into the clearing, all of them stopping in a perfectly straight line on either side of Voldemort, all wands aimed at the four of them.

She grabbed Harry’s sleeve when she saw him move protectively in front of her and Ron, but she couldn’t pull him back. There was silence for a few moments, and then Harry spoke again.

“It is me you want dead, not them. Why don’t you send your Death Eaters away and we settle this ourselves once and for all?”

“Why deny them the pleasure of seeing you die? I am sure they will all enjoy it,” Voldemort hissed, and a few Death Eaters nodded in agreement. “But you are right about one thing, it is time this is settled. I hope you enjoy the show,” he added, turning to her and Ron, “it will be the last thing you see.”

With a smirk so cruel it made her shiver, Voldemort took a long step forward, away from the Death Eaters, and Harry did the same, stepping away from them.

“Harry, don’t,” she said, her tone almost pleading, but he didn’t listen. His focus was entirely on the wizard before him.

“Braver than last time we met, I see,” Voldemort said, “but it won’t do you any good. Crucio!”

She gasped at the words, spoken so coldly, and again when she noticed Harry hadn’t even made a movement to stop it. But the curse didn’t reach him; an invisible force stopped it inches from Harry’s body and ricocheted it back towards Voldemort, who had to cast a Shield Charm to block it.

“What is this?” Voldemort asked, seemingly more intrigued that angered.

“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” Harry asked, his eyes glued to Voldemort as he took a step closer to them, his red eyes searching for the source of the protection around Harry.

“A shield like this, it is not what that old fool allowed to be taught at Hogwarts. Did you think this kind of magic would give you a fighting chance? Do tell, just how deeply have you delved into the Dark Arts, Potter?”

“Enough,” was Harry’s only reply.

“And you think a simple shield will stop me, boy?” Voldemort asked, rage now even clearer on his voice as he raised his wand and muttered a few words under his breath. She felt the air around them shake slightly, and knew no matter what kind of magic Harry was using, it wouldn’t last long against the wizard.

After a few seconds Voldemort took a small step to his side, and muttered a few more words, then repeated the action two more times. As the air thickened around them she knew the shield was almost gone.

“It’s all right,” Harry whispered by her side, then turned slightly to Ron and helped him lift the spell silencing him. “We will be all right,” he assured her, just as Voldemort broke through the shield.

“Watch out!” Ron yelled, when Voldemort suddenly aimed his wand at Harry again, and pushed Harry to the ground, the golden ray of light missing Harry by inches and hitting him on the shoulder.

“Ron,” she screamed, running to him as Harry raised his wand and stop Voldemort’s next curse while trying to stand up. She saw Draco move towards Harry and knew he was helping block the attack, but she was too worried about Ron to do the same. Hoping the two of them would be able to hold Voldemort by themselves for a few moments, she kneeled by Ron and touched his face with a trembling hand. He was cold as stone. “Wake up,” she cried, as she shook him slightly, but he didn’t react. As she shook him again, she felt something strange against her hand, warm and moist, and when she looked down she saw Ron’s shoulder was bleeding profusely.

She shook him one more time, desperation making it hard for her to think clearly, and she gasped in horror when suddenly Ron started convulsing, coughing blood and shaking, his eyes rolling back into his head. Tightening her hold on her wand, she aimed it at Ron and went over every Healing Charm she had learnt, which were quite a few, but she wasn’t able to stop the convulsions or the bleeding no matter what she tried. Then she heard Draco yell something beside her, and the next second a curse hit him and he flew a few feet away; that was enough to make her react. There was obviously nothing she could do for Ron there, but Draco and Harry needed her help, so hoping he would be all right, that someone would know how to save him, she reached inside his pocket and took the emergency Portkey out, slipping it around his wrist before moving away and activating it.

She jumped to her feet as soon as Ron was gone, turning to Voldemort, who seemed to be the only one duelling Draco and Harry. His arm was moving so fast she could only see a blur as he both deflected the attacks and threw curses at the boys. She had never seen anything like it, such power and control. She noticed all the Death Eaters kept their wands trained at the three of them, but none of them seemed to have moved since the first curse had been shot, apparently awaiting their Master’s orders.

Deciding it wouldn’t be a good idea to attack one of them and force them into action, she turned back to the fight, casting a shield around Draco when he fell, deflecting a curse just in time; just then, a strange idea came to her and she rolled to the ground, aiming her wand at Voldemort’s feet and firing, hoping the magical shield he had just cast around him would not cover them.

She had been right, but unfortunately Voldemort noticed her attack at the very last second, stepping to the side and dodging her curse by millimetres.

“Take care of those two, leave Potter to me,” Voldemort suddenly yelled, his tone angry and commanding, and the masked wizards followed his orders at once.

Knowing the time to ask for help had arrived, she aimed her wand up to the sky, red flames shooting from it and lighting the night above them for a second. It was the signal they had agreed upon, the call for backup. It only took a few second for the first Order members to step into the clearing.

As spells and curses lit the night around them she felt lost, confused, and just as she turned around, trying to make sense of the chaos around her, she saw a Death Eater shoot a purple ray of light straight at her chest, and she was forced to drop to the ground to dodge it. Everything was happening so fast, everything so was chaotic, it was hard to know who was around her, hard to tell friend from enemy. Still, there was no time to lose, and after a second she was back on her feet, fighting.

Only five Order members had answered the first call, following Severus’ plan. They were outnumbered, but they had not been expected, and so they had managed to hit many Death Eaters in the first few moments. She thought she had seen one or two Order members get hit as well, but she couldn’t be sure. She was too busy trying to dodge curses and throw them at the same time.

The fight was fierce, but after a few moments, though she had no idea how long it had really taken, for time seemed to have no meaning anymore, they had managed to surround the Death Eaters still standing, forcing them to back up until they were all together in the centre of the clearing. But of course, things could not go that easy. It was just their luck.

“Master!” one of the masked men yelled, and as focused as Voldemort was on his duel with Harry, he somehow heard him.

In a split second, the wizard had turned around, taken in the situation, and flicked his free hand towards them, a rush of wind hitting the Order Members surrounding the Death Eaters, making them stumble back a few feet, throwing quite a few to the ground. And giving the Death Eaters time to recover.

As she covered from the wind, she glanced to the side to make sure Harry was all right. That was when she noticed Voldemort moving his wand to his forearm for a second, and she knew he was calling for reinforcements. How long would it take him to realize he had been set up?

Then the fight around her started again, and she saw a few of the Order Members fall, some she knew, some she didn’t, but she couldn’t dwell on that. She had to stay focused on the battle.

She turned around to dodge a curse and ran into a Death Eater, his arm quickly grabbing hers as he moved his wand to her neck. At a moment like that, she would have expected to be terrified, or perhaps confused, her mind a blank; but suddenly everything was very clear in her head, her rationale taking over her instincts.

“Look what we have here,” the main said into her ear, as he pulled her closer. “Aren’t you Severus’ little friend?”

He was standing much too close for her to try to use her wand on him; he had his to her neck and would fire first. But she could do something unexpected. Blocking the sounds of the battle out of her head and gathering all the courage left in her body, she moved as fast as she could, lifting her leg up just as she moved her arm to the side, somehow managing to both knee the Death Eater hard between his legs and push the wand to the side when he tried to curse her. As she watched the wizard bend over in pain, she couldn’t believe it had worked. But she had to finish the job. The time she had gained was enough to lift her other arm and curse the wizard into oblivion. She knew he wouldn’t wake up any time soon.

From the corner of her eye, she saw movement, and then something came at her and pushed her hard to the ground. As the heavy weight fell on top of her, she felt the air being forced out of her lungs, and she gasped for breath while she fought to free herself.

“Easy there,” a voice she instantly recognized said by her ear.

“Draco,” she whispered, glad it was him and that he was all right.

“Have to be more careful, that curse almost hit you,” he said, and she could see the worry in his eyes as he looked at her, trying to make sure she hadn’t been hit.

Someone yelled near them, the words almost lost in the sounds of the battle, but she caught the word traitor before a Death Eater loomed over them and aimed his wand at Draco’s back. But he had somehow noticed, too, and as he rolled with her to the side, he lifted his wand at the masked man and yelled, “Avada Kedavra!” a flash of green light erupting from his wand and hitting the wizard square on the chest, killing him instantly.

She was about to speak when loud screams coming from outside the clearing caught both their attention. A fierce roar broke through the night, silencing all other sounds for a second, and then a dark figure in a mask flew over them, falling dead a few feet from where they laid. As her eyes searched the darkness, the part of the forest from which the dead wizard had been thrown, another roar made the ground tremble, and then another and another. Soon a small group of Death Eaters ran into the clearing, their robes torn and their bodies scratched and bleeding, but their wands still aimed at the darkness they had come from as they walked back, too worried about what they were running from to pay any attention to the battle they were stepping into.

Then she saw what they were escaping from, and she felt a chill run through her body.

A group of men and women, at least twenty of them, stalked after them, stopping right before the clearing. She could see their eyes shine golden in the darkness, and she instantly knew who they were. As they took a step closer and the light cast by the moon hit them, she saw the state they were in and gasped. Their clothes were torn, their hair wild, their bodies covered in what looked like mud. Their chests were heaving up and down as they stood, almost crouched, and stared at the terrified Death Eaters. The women in the group were few, but they looked tall and well built. The men were huge. They were tall, their backs broad, their bodies strong, muscled. And still, it was the fierceness on their expressions that made them really look like a threat. Most of them were holding wands of their own, but it didn’t look as if they had any intention of using them. They clearly liked another type of fight, more physical, and by the look of the Death Eaters they were after, they were more than proficient.

“Looks like more help is here,” she heard Draco whisper, and only then did she remember where she was, what was happening. When she turned back to him she saw something strange in his eyes as he looked at her in silence for a moment. “I have to go now,” he said in a soft voice.

“What?”

“There is something I have to do,” he told her, “but I will be back, I promise. Be careful” he whispered to her, before kissing her lightly on the lips. Without giving her time to react, he stood up, tightened his hold on his wand, and Apparated away.

*

As soon as Draco’s feet touched the ground, he moved behind the cover of a tall tree, waiting a few seconds to make sure no one had seen him before moving forward.

He stepped closer to the main entrance and waved his wand once. There were still wizards inside the place, he would have to wait.

He wished he could have stayed in the clearing, in the battle, with Hermione. He wanted to make sure she was all right, wanted to take her somewhere safe, but he knew she would never allow that. Instead, he was outside the Dark Lord’s headquarters, waiting for the last Death Eaters to be called to the battle, so he could go inside and do what had been asked of him. It was the one thing he could do to help, to try to make it all end.


*

Hermione’s eyes were still focused on the spot Draco had just vacated. She had no idea what had just happened, why he had left, but deep inside she was sure he had a good reason. He hadn’t just bailed on them, escaped from the battle. She knew if he had left, it was for a purpose, for something important.

Another roar was heard, and she turned back to the pack hovering by the clearing. One of the Death Eaters had shot a curse at them, which someone had deflected. As she watched the action unfold she was sure of one thing, those werewolves didn’t like the Death Eaters trying to curse them.

Like wolves they stalked forward, their eyes flashing and their faces fierce as they approached the trembling wizards. She had no idea what had happened before they arrived to the clearing, but she knew it had to be something terrible to have them scared in such a way.

As the first werewolf jumped forward, the Death Eaters scrambled around, desperate to get away from them. But then the others came to them as well, and a fight like she had never seen began.

The screams were deafening, and she watched, transfixed, as the werewolves fell onto the Death Eaters. Instead of wands, they were using their own bodies to fight. Every flash of teeth was accompanied by more screams. And blood, there was so much blood. For a moment, she wondered how someone could do so much damage with their own body. But they were fighting like a wolf would, using their strength, slashing and cutting every part they could reach with their teeth or their hands. It was like a horror movie, only real. And in only a few moments, the Death Eaters they had been following were dead, and they were turning to the other ones still on the clearing.

She wondered for the briefest moment if perhaps they would turn on the Order, but then she saw a glimpse of a familiar face by the clearing and relaxed. Remus was standing by the edge of the forest, his eyes golden as he looked at what the pack had done. His clothes were torn too, but not as bad as the others’, and he had his wand raised and ready. At the sight of him, she realized that as long as he was there, he wouldn’t allow the pack to hurt the Order. He would keep them safe, even if the werewolves lost control.

Then a scream broke through her haze. It was so loud, so full of rage, that it chilled the air around her. Voldemort had just realized what had happened to his Death Eaters, had just witness the werewolves turning against him, and just as she turned to him she saw him wave his wand at Harry, sending him flying backwards until his back hit a tree just outside the clearing, and then round on the werewolves.

“You will pay for your treason,” he seethed, aiming his wand at the ground where they were standing. His eyes flashed crimson, so bright it was as if the light was actually coming out of them, and then with a small flick of his wand, the ground seemed to explode, sending the pack flying all over the clearing. Through the pained howls and the bits of earth and grass still flying all around them, she saw Voldemort move his wand to his arm again, summoning the rest of his army.

*

Draco felt the Mark on his arm burn, and knew the Dark Lord was calling the rest of his Death Eaters to him. He wondered for a moment what was going on at the clearing, but then the sound of loud voices approaching distracted him, and he stepped back, quickly finding a place to hide as the remaining Death Eaters stormed out of headquarters, their masks already in place as they strode just far enough so that they could Apparate away.

He waited for a few moments to make sure no one had been left behind, and then moved around the house. Severus had told him it was extremely important for him to wait until everyone was gone before trying retrieve the object he had left for him; they couldn’t risk anyone seeing him with it. Draco didn’t even know what it was, all he knew was that he would need it to succeed on his mission, and at that moment, that was all that mattered.

The object, Severus had told him, was protected by many wards and a strong disillusionment charm set by himself, and although it wasn’t easy for Draco to find it and then get through the protections around it, all the information Severus had given him made the job much easier, and after only a few minutes he finally reached it, gasping when he realized what it was. He had seen it a few times in Dumbledore’s office, and had heard a few rumours about how it had been used before by Potter. Severus had sent him after Godric Gryffindor’s sword.

And neatly wrapped around it was a roll of parchment. Draco’s instructions.

After a moment’s hesitation and with tentative movements, Draco inched closer to the sword, his hand slowly reaching forward, a part of him wondering if he would even be able to touch it, being a Slytherin; perhaps there were spells or curses set in place by Gryffindor himself to keep away any wizard that didn’t belong to his house. But why would Severus send him after it then? Draco knew the wizard wasn’t happy with his and Hermione’s relationship, but if he had wanted him dead, he would have killed him long ago. He’d had more than enough chances.

Taking a deep breath, and praying to Merlin this wasn’t just a stupid trap, Draco took the roll of parchment and then wrapped his fingers around the cold handle, a sigh of relief escaping his lips when nothing happened.

His attention went back to the roll of parchment he had in his other hand. The previous night, in the library, Severus had explained to Draco he needed him to do something at the Dark Lord’s Headquarters, but he couldn’t tell him what it was, or even give him any details. It had taken Draco some time to understand Severus’ reasoning, but finally he had seen the truth in it. He was going to face the Dark Lord with Potter at the very beginning of the battle, and if for some reason Voldemort decided to use Legilimency on him again, there was no way he could stop it.

The only reason why the Dark Lord hadn’t been able to freely and easily enter Draco’s mind the last time had been Severus’ ancient magic, and although giving his former professor free access to his mind had not been pleasant in the least, Draco knew it was the only way to keep the other wizard out, the only chance to stay alive. Tonight in the battle, Severus had not been there to protect his mind, and if Draco had known any details of the plan, Voldemort would have seen it all in a split second. None of them could afford to take that risk.

Knowing there wasn’t much time, and that he could be needed in the battle, Draco read through the instructions carefully, making sure he didn’t miss a line, and then put them in his pocket. Covering the sword with the side of his robes just in case there was anyone left at headquarters, he made his way back to the main entrance and opened the door, his Mark burning slightly as he stepped through the wards and into headquarters.

After having spent so much time at the Order’s headquarters, he couldn’t help but notice all the differences between both places as he made his way inside. The coldness, the emptiness in this building was so different from what he had seen lately. It seemed as if everything here was grim, dark. Of course, the first few days he had spent with the Order had almost driven him crazy, all the friendship and niceties and hugs and puppies; it had been disgusting. But once they had started getting ready for war, once the tension in the place had become palpable, then he had started enjoying the place. It was a nice point in between the Dark Lord’s headquarters and the Order’s previous atmosphere.

Keeping his wand at the ready, Draco walked fast but carefully down the hallways, searching for a room he had never walked into. The Dark Lord’s private quarters.

As far as he knew, no one but the Dark Lord himself ever entered the room, although of course there were rumours concerning him and Draco’s aunt, Bellatrix, but no one dared speak of that freely, so it was impossible to know for certain.

Still, Severus had given him precise instructions as to how to find the bedroom, and Draco followed them carefully, making sure he got every step right. If what Severus had written about the wards protecting the room was true, the smallest mistake would have deadly consequences.

*

“Harry!” Hermione yelled, running to him through the clearing, mindlessly jumping over the figures lying on the ground and ducking to dodge the curses being shot throughout the clearing.

A dark figure, moving faster than anyone she’d ever seen, run past her, knocking her to the ground as it launched against a Death Eater, throwing him down and falling on top of him. The werewolf, since it was clear it could be nothing else, attacked the wizard with a viciousness that terrified her, nails and teeth sinking into the others’ flesh, blood soon running all around them.

Tearing her eyes from the action was almost as hard as convincing herself that she shouldn’t fear the werewolf attacking the Death Eater, that he was not a threat to her, but finally she managed to force her eyes away from the violent scene and stood up again, running to where she had seen Harry fall. The battle around her was so fierce that every step she took put her in the way of another curse or spell, making crossing the clearing almost impossible. The battle had restarted and, as the minutes passed, the first groups of Death Eaters had started to arrive, the rest of the Order joining the battle in response. Now this, she thought, was what a war felt like, and it was beyond anything she had imagined.