Chapter 22 ? The Beginning

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story and has kept up with it. I thank you for your kind reviews as well.

All canon characters belong to JKR.

Thanks as always to June, for all of her help and suggestions.

Chapter 22 – The Beginning

The morning of December twenty-third was dark and cold. The previous night had blanketed the grounds of Hogwarts with a heavy layer of crisp white snow. Albus stood in the Astronomy Tower, high above everything as he surveyed the school grounds. There were no more meetings or reminders. Everyone knew what to do and where they should be.

The war had begun. Already that morning, he had received reports that the attacks on Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade were in full force. Soon the newly fallen snow here at Hogwarts would also be stained red with blood.

Albus closed his eyes and filled his lungs with the cold morning air. He then walked to his office and prepared for the coming invasion.

In the dungeons, Severus had woken up early to mentally prepare himself for his tasks. He allowed Hermione to sleep in. As he was fastening his heavy winter frock coat and cloak, he heard a faint familiar voice coming from the Floo in the living room. Immediately he walked over, knelt down, and saw Lucius' face.

"Severus," said Lucius.

"Lucius."

"He has called for me," Lucius said somberly.

Severus felt a tightening in his chest and a lump growing in his throat. The attack on Hogwarts would start soon, and his friend would be standing with the enemy, looking just like every other Death Eater.

"Be careful, Lucius," begged Severus.

"I will."

Before Lucius disappeared, Severus called him again. "Lucius."

"Yes?" answered Lucius.

"You are not allowed to die today," whispered Severus, as he felt his voice leave him.

Lucius smiled.

"I do not plan to." His face grew serious now. "Be careful, Severus," said Lucius as a tear fell down his cheek. "If I should never see you again, know that you have been the greatest friend I have ever had. I love you."

Before Severus could answer, Lucius cut the connection.

"I love you as well, Lucius," whispered Severus as he reached his hand out towards the ashes.

Hermione watched from the hallway. She wiped her tears away and slowly approached her husband. Leaning down, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him close.

Severus felt his wife's arms around him now and leaned back into her embrace. He turned and stood, her arms still holding him by the shoulders and his arms now wrapped around her waist.

"I need to go, love. I have to take my position," he said softly.

Hermione held him tighter, not wanting to let him go.

"I...I'll be watching from the Headmaster's office." Her voice trembled with emotion.

Severus pulled back and kissed her deeply, as though it were the last time he would ever feel her lips against his. He touched her cheek lightly and smiled.

"Do you have your watch set?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. Fifteen minutes after they arrive, I say the word and release the sparrow."

Severus nodded and gave her one final kiss. "I love you, Hermione." He then walked out of the room, not daring to look back.

Hermione watched his retreat and wrapped her arms around herself.

"I love you too, Severus," she said to the empty room.

After Lucius closed his Floo connection with Severus, he walked to the guest house. Everyone at Malfoy Manor had awakened early this Sunday, unable to stay in bed with the knowledge that today was the day of battle. Instead of wasting time with maudlin sentiment, he had wanted a bit of normalcy; besides, they all needed to eat. He and Ginny had been having breakfast in the guest house with Draco, Harry, and Neville when he'd felt his Dark Mark burning and left to notify Severus. He now returned to the guest house, where he walked inside and found everyone readying themselves for the trip to Hogwarts.

"We're ready, Father," said Draco. He held Harry's hand as Neville stood behind them. Neville was now involved with the Order because his girlfriend would be at Hogwarts as Voldemort's prisoner; although her rescue was not his assignment, he could not stay away while she was in danger.

Lucius closed the distance between Ginny and himself. He held her tightly and kissed her. His Mark now felt as though it was burning a hole through his skin, but he didn't care. This could be the last time he held her.

"Ginny, promise me that you will not leave the castle until the fighting is over," begged Lucius. He felt her shake her head.

"No. Please don't ask me that. I can't just stay inside and watch. If I see you in trouble, I have to help you. What if you need healing?"

Lucius grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly.

"Please, Ginny, do not leave the castle. You must stay at your post with Minerva, your mother, and Hermione; that is your assignment. There will be others who will need healing after the fighting is finished." He leaned his forehead against hers and took a deep breath. "If something happens...if things do not go as planned, I cannot bear the thought of you there...of you, of you watching me die."

Ginny sobbed and cupped his face. "Don't say that. You are not going to die."

He smiled sadly at her. "I have served death far too long, Ginny, for it to just leave me be this time. If I know you are there, I will not be able to think of anything else but your safety. If I see you in any danger, I will defend you with my last breath."

Lucius placed his hand on her stomach, and looked into Ginny's eyes one final time. He then turned to the others. "Make sure she is in the castle when the attack begins." He could not ask them to stay with her, as the boys would be leaving the castle themselves to join in the fighting. Emil and the other house-elves had to stay at Malfoy Manor. House elves were not permitted to take sides during any kind of battle concerning wizards. Free or not, they were forbidden. However, they were not under any such obligation to anyone who came onto the property for harm. If any Death Eater made their way to Malfoy Manor, they would get a lesson in hospitality, house elf style.

Lucius then turned and walked outside then Apparated to the grounds of the Riddle home.

When Lucius arrived at the estate, he was amongst several hundred Death Eaters. He quickly secured his mask and pulled his hood over his head, making sure that for the moment, he looked like every other Death Eater there in attendance.

After waiting five minutes, Voldemort finally came outside, dragging Lynnette behind him. The Dark Lord raised his arms and looked across the lawn, now crowded with his followers.

"It is time!" The crowd roared in response. "To Hogwarts!" yelled the Dark Lord.

Every Death Eater Apparated following Voldemort, except for one, Rodolphus. He looked around and made sure he was the only one left. He took his wand from his robes and held it tightly as he looked to the sky. At nine o'clock in the morning, he saw the signal in the sky he waited for. As soon as the Phoenix appeared in the sky he ran into the Riddle home.

His first stop was Nagini's cell. It was her feeding time, and Wormtail would be there as well. Quickly, Rodolphus ran down the hallway. When he found the door he was looking for, he opened it with little trouble.

Nagini was held by a large magical chain around her head. Before Wormtail had a chance to take it off for her feeding, Rodolphus burst into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Wormtail questioned.

Rodolphus said nothing; he pointed his wand and aimed at Wormtail's chest.

"Petrificus Totalis!" shouted Rodolphus.

Wormtail's body stiffened and fell to the ground, although he was fully conscious and could hear and see.

Nagini's tail flailed as she hissed.

Rodolphus turned and held the door open for himself; he was now ready for his next step.

"Alohomora." Rodolphus aimed his wand at Nagini's chain and watched it fall to the ground.

The large snake then attacked Wormtail's prone body.

Rodolphus closed the door and ran down the hall to Voldemort's room, assured that both Wormtail and Nagini would be detained.

He opened the bedroom door easily, as it had been left unlocked. He looked around the room and noticed the young Isabella sitting in the corner with a chain also around her neck. She backed away in horror, as she looked at the masked man before her.

Rodolphus pointed his wand towards her and whispered the spell to release her. He ripped the mask off of his face and pulled back the hood. He lowered his wand and held his hand out to her.

Not knowing if Isabella spoke English well, he had studied a few words the previous night to put her at ease.

"Por favor, no tengas miedo. Vine para ayudarle." Rodolphus noticed her calm as he spoke to her in her native tongue. "Confíe en mí."

Isabella relaxed and slowly approached the handsome man.

"I speak English," said Isabella. "Are...they all gone?" she asked, as Rodolphus noticed her lovely Spanish accent. She felt oddly comforted having heard the man speak to her in Spanish when he entered.

"Yes, but please, we must leave now. There isn't much time left." Rodolphus now took her hand, and they both ran out of the room and toward the front door. As they approached the door, the walls began to burn.

"What is happening?" asked Isabella as she clung to her rescuer now.

"The house is being destroyed. We must hurry!" yelled Rodolphus as they ran toward the front door. Knowing that by now all doors had been locked down by the spell Albus had placed to burn the house, Rodolphus blasted a hole in the door. They ran out just as some of the old timbers began to fall into the foyer.

After running several yards they stopped to catch their breaths. Isabella had also grown weaker from lack of exercise during her captivity.

Rodolphus looked back at the burning home, satisfied that Voldemort would have nothing to come back to if he was victorious. He then turned to Isabella.

"Where is your home?" he asked.

"I live at 42 San Martino Avenida, in Barcelona," she answered, as he used Legilimency to see the house in her mind.

Rodolphus wrapped his arm around her waist and he Apparated with her.

They appeared in the living room of a richly decorated home. Their appearance drew surprised gasps from Isabella's mother and father.

Her parents were both Muggles, and had been contacted by a Ministry of Magic official just after Isabella had been taken captive from St. Mungo's. They knew there was nothing the police could do, so they decided to stay in Isabella's home, hoping their daughter would eventually return.

"Hija!" yelled Isabella's mother.

Rodolphus released the young woman as her mother ran and hugged her. Her father followed.

"Mama, papa, please, I am fine." Isabella moved back slightly and looked at Rodolphus. "This man, he saved me."

Before he could receive thanks from her parents, Rodolphus took one final look at Isabella.

"I must leave," he said.

Isabella rushed to him. "Please, stay just a little while."

Rodolphus shook his head. "The war has begun."

Now Isabella grabbed his arm. "All the more reason to stay with us."

"I am involved with a group that has worked tirelessly to make sure Lord Voldemort is not triumphant. I cannot stay." Rodolphus backed away from her and looked into her dark brown eyes. "Take care of yourself. Goodbye...Bella."

He was then gone.

Isabella's father placed his hands on her shoulders. "Isa, who was that man?"

She turned and looked at her father with sad eyes. "I fear that I may never know, papa."

The fight at Hogwarts was not yet in full swing. There were heavy concentrations of Death Eaters entering through the front gates, never thinking why it had been so easy to get through the property wards. Voldemort himself was so overconfident that he believed his great powers had easily overcome "the old man's wards."

As the Death Eaters now ran towards the castle doors, they literally rammed into an invisible barrier. Those on the front line felt the full brunt of the shock, but recovered quickly. They immediately spread out and formed into their assigned attack groups.

Severus watched from the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Not yet!" he yelled to the others. He watched the Death Eater groups forming, readying themselves to raise their wands and break the shield surrounding the castle.

"Now!" Severus and fifty Aurors mounted their brooms and rushed down the short hill towards the Death Eaters. Severus yelled at the top of his lungs. "Hold the line! Follow me!"

They swooped over the heads of the Death Eaters and released an invisible net, capturing several groups at once. As soon as the net fell upon them, those Death Eaters disappeared. The net was a Portkey that would take them directly to Azkaban. While there were still many Death Eaters left at Hogwarts, their numbers were now greatly reduced. The Portkey net was a one-time use, since it took time to make sure the spell was entwined within the net and did not go through the holes. It was one of Hermione's brilliant ideas for the battle.

After the captured Death Eaters disappeared, Severus and the rest of the Aurors took their place on the field.

Voldemort moved close to the shield and began working to bring it down, as Albus and several Order members watched from the Headmaster's office.

Minerva and Molly held their positions, Minerva to the east and Molly to the west, as they both kept the shield up; Hermione and Ginny were there to take over when they grew tired. Hermione stood next to Ginny as both women struggled to keep an eye on their wizards. Hermione spotted Severus on his broom, and was able to keep an eye on him for several minutes before she lost him. She'd taken her eyes off of him to look at her watch; she had five minutes left before she would whisper the spell that she and Severus had created, to send the sparrow off in the direction of the Dark Lord to deliver its "message."

Ginny had a more difficult time spotting Lucius. He still had his mask and hood on. She hoped that he hadn't been in the group Portkeyed to Azkaban.

Draco, Harry and Neville met up with Ron and began their fight through the crowd. Off in the distance Charlie led an assault of dragons.

Voldemort looked up towards the sky over the southern edge of the castle. He took out a two-way mirror from his pocket and spoke.

"Now, you fools!" Voldemort yelled. The ground began to tremble slightly as an army of trolls came running from the south. He smiled as he saw the terror in the Aurors' eyes, but his smile was too soon wiped from his lips, when from the corner of his eye he noticed large hairy creatures coming from the forest. The giants had joined the fight and were now making their way towards the trolls.

The Dark Lord cursed the sky as he looked towards the Headmaster's office, knowing the old fool Dumbledore had managed to create a truce between the giants. He held Lynnette against him tightly by her neck. The shield was proving difficult to bring down.

Severus had been flying over the field, taking out Death Eaters one by one, first making sure none of them were Lucius or Rodolphus. He then landed just next to Hagrid's hut and placed his broom against the steps. Hagrid was already in the battlefield with his brother Grawp. Severus looked around and took off his cloak, then rejoined the battle.

Lucius spotted Severus and saw that he was safe. He then looked for Draco and the others, seeing that they were holding their own. Then took off his mask and pulled his hood back. It was time to get Lynnette away from Voldemort.

Up in Albus' office, Hermione looked at her watch one last time and took the sparrow in her hand. It was time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Translations:

Hija – Daughter

Por favor, no tengas miedo – Please do not be afraid.

Vine para ayudarle – I came to help you.

Confíe en mí – Trust me.

I'll begin the next chapter at some point this week. I hope you all enjoyed this one. Thanks for reading.