Marauders In Time part 2

"It will be okay," Seamus assured a worried 6th year, who was sobbing into her robes. "It will all be over soon."

"And when it is, we will celebrate," Dean approached them, giving the girl a reassuring smile.

"You don't have to fight anymore," Seamus said. "If you want to stop, you can."

"No I want to fight," the girl said. "My mum died because of the Death Eaters. I will avenge her."

Both of them nodded and patted her back, standing up to move away. They were joined by their fellow Gryffindors Lavender and Parvati.

"Where is Neville?" Lavender asked. "And Ron and Hermione?"

"I don't know," Seamus said. "But they are probably doing something important. They wouldn't leave us in this mess. Especially Harry. He will want to-"

"Seamus," Dean tugged at Seamus' sleeve, staring behind him. "Look."

Seamus turned towards where Dean was pointing. He was staring through the broken window of the Great Hall and saw a group of people gathered facing the castle, with one standing ahead of everyone else.

"They are preparing for a second wave," Mr Weasley said from behind them. "We must gather what we have left."

"Is it worth it?" Lavender whimpered, noticing the amount of casualties that have happened in one night.

"Harry hasn't given up yet so I am not going to," Seamus said. "I'll fight to the death."

"Oh my god!" Parvati pointed out another figure through the window, this time not among the Death Eaters but at someone coming from the castle and walking out towards them.

"Its McGonagall," Seamus said. "We need to help her!"

Down at the entrance of the castle, Professor McGonagall walked slowly towards the group of Death Eaters standing just on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She kept her eyes locked on Voldemort, whose slits for eyes pierced through McGonagall, though she did not flinch. Instead, her wand is kept by her side.

"Who are you?" Voldemort asked. "Who is so daring to stand against me and my army?"

The Death Eaters laughed and cackled; there were two giants standing just behind the pack and they were both glaring angrily at McGonagall, who did not reply.

"Do you not speak?" Voldemort asked again.

McGonagall continued to stare at Voldemort, her face growing in anger and rage as she realized the one standing before him was the reason for so many of her students laying dead in her castle.

"Very well," Voldemort sneered. "Wormtail will kill you."

Peter Pettigrew was pushed into view, his face petrified as he stared at his former Head of House. McGonagall looked at Peter and felt almost sorry for him. A scared boy influenced and manipulated by the Dark Lord's powers, now forced into something she knew he could never do.

"Enough!"

Professor Flitwick suddenly appeared next to McGonagall, and was joined by Sprout and Slughorn. They all glared at Voldemort, Slughorn less convincing than the others.

Voldemort laughed, "So the 4 Head of Houses are the only ones brave enough to stand in front of me. Even you, Horace, who stands in the Slytherin robes yet dare opposes me."

Slughorn glanced around at the angry Death Eaters who seem furious of him betraying them, though he never was on their side. Slughorn recognized some of the faces of the Death Eaters, including Avery, Rodolphus and Dolohov, all being former students of his. He had cared for all of them, and now they stood opposite him and gave him looks that told him he would be dead as soon as Voldemort gave the order.

"You cannot win," Slughorn said, though not convincingly.

Voldemort laughed again, "You were my favourite teacher, and now you prove to be just as weak as everyone else."

"He is every bit a Slytherin Head of House that he is," McGonagall finally spoke. "And he wears the Slytherin robes proudly as part of our school."

"You will not harm our students any longer," Sprout challenged. "This ends here."

Again, Voldemort laughed, but this time it echoed so loudly that it was like it was coming from everywhere.

"Your students are nothing to me now. Your so-called enchanted castle is destroyed. Your children are dead and dying. What is there to stop me?"

And just as he said it, there was a screech from a distance. The screech of a phoenix. Everyone turned to the skies and saw a small shape of a bird circling the top, its screech turning into a sing-song tune. 

"Fawkes," McGonagall said. "She's singing Hogwarts' tune."

Right on cue, people started filing out of the castle and towards where the 4 teachers stood. The first to reach were the entire Weasley family, all clutching their wands, including Fleur, who had awoken and tied her hair back to reveal all her scars on her neck and cheeks. Following the Weasleys were Kingsley Shacklebolt, Remus and Tonks,  Dean, Seamus, Lavender, Parvati and every other remaining defendant of Hogwarts. Floating above them on broomsticks was Viktor Krum along with a few other fighters. Even the owners of the Hogsmeade stores had appeared, Aberforth leading them. Hagrid had even appeared to join the Hogwarts fighters, with Grawp stomping behind him and flanking the half-giant were the centaurs of the Forest, Firenze among them.

"You were saying?" McGonagall asked sarcastically, the phoenix now flying above the Hogwarts fighters and spiraling right in front of the Head of Houses. 

No one knew what the phoenix was doing, but it started to turn into fire and form a beacon for a moment before disappearing altogether to reveal Albus Dumbledore, Mad-Eye Moody, Barty Crouch Sr, Percy Weasley and Cedric Diggory, who was holding a broomstick in his hand.

"You asked what is to stop you, Tom?" Dumbledore said.

Voldemort was more than angry now. He was beyond furious. The fact that there were people still daring to oppose him and stand up to him caused him to shake with rage. His followers were growing restless, their wands either waiting by their side or already raised. Bellatrix had her tongue out as she eyed Mrs Weasley. Peter Pettigrew began to shake in fear even more, backing away into the crowd of Death Eaters as though hoping he could hide. The giants gripped their clubs as they glared menacingly at Grawp. The tension was at its absolute highest as Voldemort waited for Dumbledore's answer.

"Hogwarts."