Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 112: Final Clash
From where they were standing, McGonagall and the others were not able to completely see the full scope of the destruction caused by the spell Voldemort had used.
However, they were shocked to witness the Great Hall reduced to rubble while bits and pieces of the walls and roof were falling over.
Everything beyond the hall was now gone, and one could see the outside very clearly.
The first ones to charge at them were the pack of werewolves, who were now transformed and growling like savage beasts. There were a dozen of them, enough to put terror in the heart of anyone. A single wound caused by their fangs or claws, and you would be cursed forever, even in the unlikely case of survival.
"Don't let them get too close to you. Kill them quickly." Tonks got to the front.
Professor Flitwick went to her side. "Conjure some silver if you can. It's especially effective." He said as several silver blades hovered before him.
The werewolves got separated before attacking, trying to flank them.
Flitwick started to shoot silver blades on one side while Tonks tried to do the same on the others.
McGonagall and Hestia conjured potent shields to protect them while Hagrid aimed at the beasts with his crossbow.
Half of the werewolves had fallen before the other six reached them. Their claws and fangs clashed against their protections.
Suddenly, a column of fire descended upon the remaining werewolves, burning most of them away.
It was none other than Fawkes, who had appeared with Dumbledore.
"My apologies for the delay." The Headmaster said. "I had to do something to keep those Dementors away from the castle. At least for a while."
McGonagall noticed a large bleeding gash on his forehead. "You are hurt."
"Oh, this is nothing. The explosion from before caused tremendous damage to the castle. I was merely hit by some of the debris…I'll be fine." Dumbledore brushed aside the concern. "We have bigger problems now."
As he said this, the tribe of giants was breaking everything in their path while moving directly towards them.
A group of trolls armed with wooden clubs was not too far away from them, and Death Eaters flew above the creatures with their brooms.
"It's too much…there are only six of us!" Hestia cried. "Where are the others? Where is the rest of the Order?"
"Considering the small numbers of the invaders, I have the feeling that the Dark Lord has orchestrated attacks in several places at the same time," Dumbledore suggested.
"You mean…the House of Black…" Tonks muttered.
"Probably." Dumbledore simply turned towards the incoming threat, wand in hand.
The giants' charge was met by a barrage of spells.
Dumbledore and McGonagall focused on transfiguration, due to the giants' and trolls' resistance to harmful magic.
"Careful! Above you!" Hagrid shouted a quick warning when he spotted half a dozen Death Eaters who flew over the giants and trolls and positioned themselves for an ambush.
It was a well-calculated attack, as Dumbledore and the others were too busy handling the powerful creatures' advance to defend themselves from above.
"Stupefy!"
"Incarcerous!"
"Reducto!"
Sparks of light flew over their heads and impacted on the surprised Death Eaters, making them crash against the walls and ceiling of the castle.
"Who?!" Dumbledore turned his head just in time to see Sirius Black, Arthur Weasley, Molly, and their eldest son, Bill, who came running from the back of the castle.
"Reinforcements are here!" shouted Sirius.
"What happened to you? We could not get in contact." Hestia asked.
"Death Eaters attacked us." Arthur said.
"Is everyone…" Hestia stopped. There should be two more people here right now.
"We can talk about that later." Sirius shook his head. This was not the moment to mourn the dead.
"Where is Harry?" Dumbledore asked while placing a massive stone wall in front of them, preventing the giants from getting any closer. "I thought he was with you." The old Headmaster was growing more desperate by the second.
"Harry? He is already here." Sirius stated. "Why do you think the Dark Lord is nowhere to be seen?"
This made them realize something. The Dark Lord's army had been trying to kill them the whole time, but they had yet to see Voldemort himself. He seemed to have disappeared after breaking the wards.
"He is fighting the Dark Lord by himself?!" Tonks exclaimed.
"He may be able to do something about him," Bill spoke next. The recent events were still vividly engraved in his mind, and how easily Harry dispatched all of those wizards at the house.
The giants and trolls hit hard at the wall.
"Tsk…this is not going to hold," Dumbledore grunted.
"Let them come. We can fight them together." Bill said.
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
While the battle inside the castle continued, on the outside, there was a different clash about to take place.
When Voldemort had finished casting the Grand Sorcery that he stole from V's memories, he had needed a moment to recover while his troops made their way into Hogwarts.
He observed the destruction with a satisfied grin on his face. With a single spell, he had destroyed one of the most powerful protections in existence. That was enough to make him feel proud of himself.
"He is already here."
Voldemort was surprised after hearing the magical hat speak. It had barely done so since he got it, and it was even rarer for it to speak out of its own free will.
He did not need to ask who was here. Voldemort turned around and saw the black portal appear close by and…a moment later, Harry walked out of it.
The grin on his face widened. He thought he would need to spend months looking for this boy, searching all over Britain for his hideout. But now…here he was, ready to be butchered.
"You are not escaping my grasp this time around, Potter." The runes on his arms started to glow with anticipation for the battle that was to come.