Casualty of Love: Turning Tables

This Is Our Fight

Within a few days of my waking up, Draco, Elijah, Nehemiah and I had all been moved to Ron's Aunt Muriel's house where everyone else, including my parents, were stationed. It was great being there with Ginny, Fred and George. It was a welcomed escape in a time so danger-filled.

Fred and George had taken it upon themselves to constantly make fun of Draco for his predicament and Draco was quick to complain about it every chance he got. Secretly, I thought it was hilarious but I would never tell him that. Meanwhile, Ginny and I had found a book on astrology in Muriel's library that named all of the constellations so we were having a great time coming up with names for the babies. On top of all that, my due date was fast approaching.

We spent weeks in a little bubble and nothing could touch us. That was until Ginny's coin from the DA sent her a message. Harry was in the castle and they were fighting. Everything had come to a head. Everything could be over tonight.

Ginny had left, along with with Fred and George and all the others where making plans to leave. "Draco, we have to go too. We can't just stay back and let everyone else fight."

"We can't, Allie. It's way too dangerous for you," he said, his eyes pleading.

"Draco, look. All year we've been taken advantage of. We are in this situation right now because of You-Know-Who. This is our fight. Let's get our lives back, Draco."

He looked down and stayed silent for a long time. I was beginning to think that he wasn't going to reply when he said, "You're right. This is our fight. But we're only going if you promise me that you'll be careful."

He looked back up at me and I smiled reassuringly. "Of course I will, Draco. I will do whatever it takes to keep me and the babies safe."

Just then there was a knock on the door. "Yes?" I called.

It opened to Mrs. Weasley. "I just thought I ought to let you know that we're all leaving now."

I stood up. "We're coming too."

"Are you sure that's a great idea, dear? You're about to pop," she said, eyeing my stomach as if it would explode at any minute.

"I'll be fine. I feel fine. We have to do this, Mrs. Weasley."

She stared at me evenly for a few moments. "Alright then. Come along."

After a few minutes of waiting, Harry came into the Room of Requirement where we were all stationed. Nobdoy knew what was happening exactly, but the excitement in the room was contagious. I felt as if nothing could touch us.

"Harry, what's happening?" Lupin asked him immediately. I leaned forward to listen.

"Voldemort's on his way, they're barricading the school--Snape's run for it--What are you doing here? How did you know?"

"We sent messages to the rest of Dumbledore's Army," Fred began. Emmy was by his side, gripping his hand tightly. She looked worried. "You couldn't expect everyone to miss the fun, Harry, and the D.A. let the Order of the Phoenix know, and it all kind of snowballed."

"What's first, Harry?" called George. "What's going on?"

"They're evacuating the younger kids and everyone's meeting in the Great Hall to get organized. We're fighting."

Everyone cheered and ran towards the stairs, swarming to the Great Hall. Draco and I stayed back whilst Nehemiah and Elijah, along with my parents, went to the Hall. I needed to talk to Emmy and see if she had seen anything. I motioned for her to join me after catching her eye and she regretfully let go of Fred's hand and found us. 

"Have you seen anything Emmy?"

Her eyes found her hands and a watery film covered them. "I'm not sure. I had a vision but as soon as I woke up, it was gone. Almost as if my brain couldn't handle it and just...forgot. But I had this terrible feeling left over. Like something awful is going to happen."

Her expression shook me to the core. Whatever she had seen was crippling her, whether she remembered what it was or not. I wrapped my arms around Emmy, not knowing what else to do or say. I couldn't make it better.

After a few more minutes, Draco and I decided to head to the Great Hall where the evactuations were taking place. Professor McGonagall was just telling everyone to move quickly and calmly when a voice sounded from overhead. "I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have a great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."

Silence filled the Great Hall now; silence that was louder than any screaming could be. "Give me Harry Potter and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."

I squeezed Draco's hand hard but he didn't protest. "But he's there! Potter's there! Someone grab him!" Pansy Parkinson yelled, piercing the silence. 

"Somebody please knock her out," I said under my breath. Years worth of frustation geared towards Pansy bubbled to the surface as my teeth ground together. And as if answering my prayers, almost everyone in the room got up and pointed their wands at Pansy. I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. I wanted to laugh.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson. You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your House could follow," McGonagall said.

Soon most of the Hall was cleared out, save a majority of the older students. "We've only got half an hour till midnight, so we need to act fast--" Kingsley began.

Draco leaned forward, putting his mouth to my ear. "I just realized that I don't have a wand."

My eyes grew wide instantly. "What?" I said, astonished. I watched as Harry ran out of the room.

"I completely forgot. I have to go find one. I can't fight without it. Stay here, okay? I'll find you soon."

I watched, open mouthed, as he left the Great Hall without a backwards glance.

I had somehow found myself in the thick of things. All kinds of fighting was going on separately and here I was, hiding behind Elijah. Draco hadn't reappeared yet and my anxiety was taking a toll. I had tears streaming down my face steadily and the most intense cramps I had ever experience rocking my torso. I had a feeling that they were contractions but I couldn't do anything about them.

"Elijah, I think I'm having contractions or something," I yelled at him to make sure he heard over the thick of the battle. A death eater had just been knocked out right next to us.

He turned around abruptly, eyeing my stomach with wide eyes. "Now? What the hell are we supposed to do?" His voice was frantic.

"I don't think there is anything we can do..."

"WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING," he screamed. "What if you just give birth right here, in the middle of this battle?"

"I don't--" I started to say right before I was cut off by my own screaming. An abnormally large and silver wolf ran across my vision in a blur, taking a screaming Elijah down with him.

The wolf tore into his skin and blood splattering everywhere. "Stupefy!" I screamed, holding my wand out in front of me. The wolf was knocked back but he immediately got back up and ran in the other direction.

I ran to Elijah and waved my hands over his body uselessly, not sure what to do. The muscles in my stomach tightened again. Oh God, Elijah is dead. I'm going die. It's over, I thought to myself just as a wave of blackness overtook me and I collapsed on the ground.

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I know there is a lot of controversy over whether or not Greyback was actually a wolf during the Battle of Hogwarts but for the purpose of this chapter, he was. Lupin wasn't because he never hit direct moonlight, or so the theory tells me.