Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and Whatnot

“Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone.”

We heard the eerie voice echoing over the grounds again.

“The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anybody who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together.”

Everyone was silent. We stood, George kept one arm tightly around me and gripped his wand in his other hand. All those in the Great Hall that could, walked to the entrance of the castle. We watched the Death Eaters approach and spread out in a line in front of us.

Then, the light from the entrance reached Hagrid, who sobbed fat tears and carried a body in his arms.

“NO!”

The scream was terrible because it was never the kind of sound I thought I would hear from McGonagall.

Moving towards the front, I saw that the body Hagrid carried was Harry. As if flipping a light switch, all hope drained from me. Our hero, our symbol of resistance, our Harry was gone.

I turned my face into George’s chest and he wrapped his arms around me securely as we heard Ron, Hermione, and Ginny cry out too.

There were more shouts triggered by theirs, people calling out abuse at the Death Eaters.

“SILENCE!” cried Voldemort, and there was a flash of bright light.

Silence was forced upon all of us.

“It’s over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!”

“You see?” said Voldemort.

No, I didn’t want to see, I refused to see. I kept my eyes closed, and my face against George’s chest.

“Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!”

“He beat you!” yelled Ron, and the charm broke.

People were shouting and screaming again until another bang brought more silence.

“He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds,” said Voldemort, “killed while trying to save himself—”

But Voldemort broke off and there was a shout and another bang. I turned this time to see Neville fall to the ground with a groan of pain.

Voldemort threw Neville’s wand aside and laughed.

“And who is this?” he hissed. “Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?”

Bellatrix laughed with delight, “It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?”

“Ah, yes, I remember,” said Voldemort, looking down at Neville, who was now struggling to his feet.

He was unarmed and unprotected, standing in the no-man’s-land between us and the Death Eaters.

“But you are a pureblood, aren’t you, my brave boy?” Voldemort asked Neville, who stood facing him, his empty hands curled into fists.

“So what if I am?” said Neville loudly.

“You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom.”

“I’ll join you when hell freezes over,” said Neville. “Dumbledore’s Army!” he shouted.

There was an answering cheer. The Silencing Charms Voldemort put on us didn’t seem to hold up well.

“Very well,” said Voldemort, and the calmness of his voice seemed scarier than he’d ever sounded “If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head,” he said quietly, “be it.”

Voldemort waved his wand and an oddly shaped object flew through one of the shattered windows in the castle. It landed in his hand and he shook it out. Then we all saw what it was, the Sorting Hat.

“There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School,” said Voldemort. “There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield, and colors of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone. Won’t they, Neville Longbottom?”

He pointed his wand at Neville and he grew rigid. Then, he stuffed the hat onto Neville’s head, so far it went over his eyes. Worried about what was about to happen, I moved to help him, but George’s arms held me back as the row of Death Eaters raised their wands, keeping all of us back out of fear.

“Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me,” said Voldemort.

A single flick of his wand was all it took, and the Sorting Hat burst into flames atop Neville’s head. Screams rent the air around us and Neville could only stand rooted to his spot, with his head on fire.

Suddenly, many things happened at once. There was a loud cry as hundreds of people, or creatures, came running towards the castle.

Grawp came stomping around the side of the castle at the same time, yelling, “HAGGER!”

Voldemort’s giants answered with cries of their own and stampeded towards the littler one. Then, there were hooves and arrows flying at the Death Eaters, who broke their ranks out of surprise.

Neville broke from the curse, the flaming hat falling off, and he pulled something long and glittering from it. It made no sound, yet it drew every eye. With one single stroke, Neville sliced the head off the snake. Voldemort’s mouth was open in a scream of fury that no one could hear and the snake thudded to the ground at his feet.

“HARRY!” Hagrid shouted. “HARRY—WHERE’S HARRY?”

Chaos broke out. The centaurs were scattering the Death Eaters and we were all fleeing the giants’ feet. The reinforcements that came from God knows where were thundering nearer while we plus the Death Eaters were all being forced back into the castle. I lost George in the commotion.

We were all dueling again, and I noticed Charlie Weasley and Professor Slughorn leading what looked like the friends and families of every Hogwarts student that stayed back, as well as Hogsmeade shopkeepers and homeowners up the front steps. The house-elves burst into the Great Hall, yelling and waving kitchen knives. They began stabbing at the shins and ankles of Death Eaters.

With a twinge of affection, I saw Kreacher leading them all, Regulus Black’s locket around his neck, screaming, “Fight! Fight! Fight for my Master, defender of the house-elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!”

I looked around for George and saw him dueling Yaxley with the help of Lee. I ran in that direction, dodging spells and stopping only once to Stun a Death Eater that was chasing Luna.

George and Lee struck Yaxley to the ground just as I reached them and I grabbed his hand.

We looked around, checking for more Death Eaters. We saw Voldemort in the center of the Great Hall, dueling McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley all at once. Bellatrix wasn’t too far away, also dueling three at once, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna. They were fighting with their all, but she was equal to them.

Suddenly, Mrs. Weasley came sprinting towards Bellatrix.

“NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!”

She threw off her cloak as she ran, and Bellatrix spun around and laughed maniacally at her new challenger.

“OUT OF MY WAY!” she shouted, pushing the girls out of the way and beginning to duel.

Bellatrix’s smile was quickly replaced with a snarl.

We ran forward to help, but Mrs. Weasley cried, “No! Get back! Get back! She is mine!”

There were hundreds of people lining the walls now. Wanting to help, we stood at the front of the crowds. I held my breath, watching the two fights; Mrs. Weasley against Bellatrix, and Voldemort against his three opponents.

“What will happen to your children when I’ve killed you?” Bellatrix sneered “When Mummy’s gone the same way as Freddie?”

I gripped George’s hand harder.

“You—will—never—touch—our—children—again!” screamed Mrs. Weasley.

Bellatrix laughed, and Mrs. Weasley’s curse soared straight under her outstretched arm, hitting her chest right above her heart. Bellatrix’s twisted smile froze and for a moment, you could see she knew what had happened. Then, she fell backwards. The crowd roared and Voldemort screamed in fury, blasting all three of his challengers backwards.

He pointed his wand at Mrs. Weasley and I gasped.