HP • 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 ─ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐱 𝐎𝐂

Final Battle

The victory procession marched onto the open field, and after some time. They finally arrived.

"Halt," Voldemort ordered, and Hagrid was forced to stand still.

Then, with his magically amplified voice, designed to carry across the school grounds, resonating in everyone's eardrums, he proclaimed, "Harry Potter is dead. He was struck down in full flight, trying to save himself while you offered your lives for him. We bring here his corpse as proof that your hero no longer exists."

That never happened, but he didn't need to know the truth.

"The battle is won. You have lost half your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and The-Boy-Who-Lived is finished. The war must cease. Whoever continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be exterminated, along with all members of their family. Leave the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters, shall live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

Silence fell over the gardens and the castle.
"Come," Voldemort ordered, and Hagrid was compelled to follow.

Nagini was finally free from the cage, and Cassi followed closely, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Harry," Hagrid sobbed. "Ah, Harry... Harry..."
When they reached the front of the castle, Voldemort spoke again.

"Stop."

The Death Eaters halted and began to disband, forming a line in front of the open doors of the school.

"NO!"

The cry was filled with anguish, and Cassiopeia shuddered. She had never imagined Minerva to be so desperate.

Her face bore a cut on her cheek, tears streaming down as she fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

Just a second passed, and she saw the entrance start to fill with people as the survivors of the battle stepped onto the steps, to face their conquerors and see with their own eyes the reality of Harry's death.

Voldemort stood a little ahead, caressing Nagini's head with a white finger.

"No! - No!"

"Harry! HARRY!"

The voices of Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were worse than McGonagall's.

Hermione also fell with a thud as she screamed. Ginny was hunched over as if in physical pain, and Ron was struggling to breathe between sobs as he held his sister back from advancing towards the Death Eaters.
The survivors started shouting in response, the crowd of survivors joining them, shouting and hurling insults at the Death Eaters until...

"SILENCE!" Voldemort exclaimed. Then, a crack, a strong flash, and silence fell upon everyone.

"It's over! Put him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!"

Cassi stood a bit apart. It would be difficult to get the wand to Harry.

"See?" Voldemort said, pacing back and forth. "Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, you deluded fools? He was nothing. He never was, just a boy, confident that others would sacrifice themselves for him!"

"He defeated you!" Ron yelled, and the spell broke, and the defenders of Hogwarts resumed shouting and insulting until a second, louder crack silenced their voices once more.

"He was killed trying to flee the castle grounds," Voldemort said, and there was pleasure in every word. "Killed while trying to save himself..."

However, Voldemort was interrupted:
Neville lunged forward, and Voldemort quickly pointed his wand at him, a red flash and a groan of pain.