1 The Battle of Hogwarts

01 - The Battle Of Hogwarts

Alexander Grey was not the same person he had been ten years ago. If you met the younger Alexander, you would see a young man who had hopes and dreams, filled with potential. Now, if you asked him what his plans for the week were, he wouldn't know what to tell you. After all, plans and expectations were luxuries to him. A man on the run, with no place to return to and no place to be, couldn't afford such things.

With a loud clap like sound, he arrived in front of a lone cottage by the beach via Apparition. He walked toward the house after carefully looking around his surroundings, making sure no one had seen him.

He checked himself over before knocking on the door. He appeared to be a little rugged, but that was to be expected after living in the wilderness for months.

A tall red-headed man opened the door. Alex recognized him immediately. However, the prominent scars on the man's face surprised him.

"Alex, it's been a long time, hasn't it?" said Bill Weasley, Alex's old friend from school.

Alex and Bill were sorted in different houses in Hogwarts, but they had become friends because they both played Quidditch.

"Sure has. What happened to your face?"

"Werewolf," replied Bill with a sigh.

"Wh—Did you?" asked Alex concerned.

"Yeah, unfortunately. But, we're managing."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Alex. He didn't know what else to say.

Lycanthropy was an incurable curse. Turning into a werewolf every night there was a full moon was something Bill has to live with for the rest of his life.

They were silent for a moment. A werewolf and a destitute muggle-born. There was a time when they believed in their prospects. After all, they both graduated from Hogwarts with top marks.

"Well, at least you don't look so girly any more," said Alex trying to lighten up the mood.

Bill snorted at that, making a small grin. They entered the house and settled down in the living room.

Alex looked around the house since it was his first time visiting. It seemed that Bill was set up to live a quiet and peaceful life.

"So, what made you decide to visit?" asked Bill as they sat down. "Not that I don't welcome it but it has been a very long time."

"I need your help, Bill," Alex confessed. "I heard that you're working for Gringotts. I don't know in what capacity. But is it possible that you have a way for me to leave the country unseen?"

He felt quite ashamed showing up rather abruptly to ask for a favour like that but he was grasping at straws.

"I might have something, although it's risky," said Bill. "Have you tried the muggle way?"

"I can't, somehow the Snatchers managed to put me on a watch list in the non-magical government. I'm a wanted man anywhere in this country, Bill."

"I may have something." He leaned in closer to Alex and lowered his voice. "I know a couple of illegal Portkey makers that can take you to the continent. But like I said, it can be risky. No doubt the Dark Lord's men already know about them."

Before he could answer, they heard a woman's voice from the kitchen.

"Does our guest intend to stay for dinner?"

There stood a petite blond woman who had just finished cooking judging from her attire.

"Oh! Um, this is my wife, Fleur." Said Bill flustered. He stood up and put his arm around the woman. "And this, love, is my old friend from Hogwarts, Alexander Grey."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs Weasley. Call me Alex," greeted Alex. It was his first time hearing that his friend was married and to a very beautiful young woman, it seemed.

"Call me Fleur, please," she said. "Mrs Weasley is my mother-in-law."

Bill and Fleur laugh. If there was a joke there, Alex didn't know it.

"So, will you be staying with us for dinner then, Alex?" asked Fleur.

"I'm happy to. I can't possibly turn down a dinner invitation from a beautiful lady such as yourself. You have to tell me how Bill here managed to catch someone like you," joked Alex.

***

They were enjoying some wine after dinner. Fleur was happy to tell Alex how she and her husband met while working at Gringotts and how awkward Bill was at their first meeting. And Alex was glad to recount their days from their Hogwarts days to Fleur, telling her some of the funniest times they had there. Bill was glad that his old friend and his wife were getting along, although he could do without them sharing all his embarrassing moments.

All of a sudden, a wolf Patronus came into the room and jumped around the table, making them all stop talking. Bill, apparently, was its intended target. The expression on his face changed from being glad to worry as he appeared to be receiving some grave news from the apparition. Alex didn't know that a Patronus could be used to convey messages but decided not to ask about it at that time.

"I have to go to Hogwarts," said Bill sternly after the Patronus had done its job.

"What is it? I'll go with you," declared Fleur. She was visibly panicked.

"No, my love," said Bill, holding her hand. "I need you to stay here. I promise I will return."

They argued for a while, but Bill was adamant that he would not take Fleur with him. It took quite a lot of convincing, but she ultimately relented.

"What's this about, Bill?" asked Alex, finally finding the moment to interject.

"I supposed I can tell you," said Bill, choosing to trust in his old friend. "Harry Potter has been spotted in Hogsmeade. My brother must be with him. And if they showed up in Hogsmeade, they must be heading to Hogwarts," Bill said heavily.

Alex had long suspected Bill was involved in the resistance, he just didn't know up to what extent. He understood that if Harry Potter was in Hogwarts, the Dark Lord and his army would surely follow soon.

"You aim to fight them?" he asked alarmed.

"Yes," said Bill, determined.

Fight the Dark Lord and the Death Easters? Was his friend crazy? Alex didn't understand it. Why fight when they could leave the country? However, something in him had moved.

Maybe. . . maybe it was what he has to do. Why not?

No. . . That was not it. We are obligated to. We must fight. So be it, he thought.

"I'll join you then," he said simply.

"You sure?"

"What else could I do at this point? I might as well fight. Besides you can use an extra wand."

"All right, but we'll have to go through Hogsmeade. Have your wand at the ready," said Bill. He knew they wouldn't be able to avoid fighting, and Alex was a good man to have in a fight.

They arrived by Apparition outside a tavern in Hogsmeade. When they came in, they saw that several people were already there. Among them, he recognized Mr and Mrs Weasley. Bill introduced him briefly to the others and vouched for him.

From there, they reached Hogwarts via a tunnel hidden behind a portrait. After reaching the other side, they were received by Bill's brother, Ron, and Hermione Granger, a muggle-born witch.

Alex couldn't help but observe Hermione. The desperation in her eyes was all too familiar.

The Weasleys and the others were all fighting for what was right and good. While they may have been on the losing end of the war, they retained their pride and dignity. Alex only had respect for such good people.

Hermione, just like him, was fighting for her survival and freedom.

They reached the Great Hall where they found Harry Potter standing defiantly in the middle of the crowd, accusingly yelling at Prof. Snape. When things got too heated, Prof. McGonagall stepped in to protect the young wizard. The two professors had their wands pointing at one another.

Spells were fired and Alex was already holding his wand, ready to assist should the need arise. But, he didn't need to act, it seemed. Prof. Snape was only defending himself and not firing back. Then, he deflected an incoming spell which ended up hitting the two Death Eaters behind him, knocking them out, before escaping through the main window.

Alex's eyes widened after noticing that Prof. Snape had picked up the wands of the fallen Death Eaters before escaping.

Why did he do it? Alex wondered.

As the room went off in a thunderous cheer, he realized that the matter with Prof. Snape couldn't be that simple. Just by his manner of escape, Prof. Snape demonstrated his mastery of the duelling arts. If the man was capable enough to deflect the incoming spells, he was capable enough to fire back. Alex knew that the Professor was a competent wizard from his years in Hogwarts.

Then, the room got darker. Some of the younger students started screaming in complete terror. A hoarse voice was whispering directly inside the head of everyone in the room.

It was the Dark Lord, himself, that was speaking to them. He offered that he would leave Hogwarts untouched only if they would surrender Harry Potter to him.

Alex, however, did not buy any of it. The Dark Lord, in his sick perversion, was playing on their fears. Hogwarts was too important to be left alone.

A Slytherin girl yelled out for everyone to grab Potter. He was quickly surrounded by the students who supported him. For a moment, it looked like the students would resort to fighting. However, Prof.McGonagall asked the caretaker to escort all the Slytherin students to their dorms.

Potter and the professor exchanged some words and he made it clear that he needed time to accomplish something important in Hogwarts.

Alex couldn't believe how these people could entrust their fate to the young wizard. However, Bill made it clear to him how important the Potter boy was in the fight against the Dark Lord. So, he decided to just go along with the friend he trusted. He was fully expecting to risk it all anyway in the coming battle.

His only regret was not having the time and the method to call for more help. Surely there were other muggle-borns out there who would rather die fighting than to live long in fear and indignity.

While the others were all busy preparing the defences of the castle, Alex was just leaning against the wall contemplating what was about to happen. He was surprised by all the anger building inside of him. Perhaps the incoming battle had made him realize some of the deep emotions he was too afraid to admit. He silently thought about the things that led him there.

***

When he lost his parents as a child, he was taken in by his paternal grandfather. He knew others were less fortunate than him, but he couldn't help but think how much his early childhood affected his outlook on life.

His grandfather was a stern man who lived a simple life. He was provided with the necessities but not much else. Even as a young boy, Alex knew he had to live by his grandfather's rules. After everything was said, Alex was still thankful.

He was very excited when he received his Hogwarts letter. Surprisingly, his grandfather was not averse to magic. Alex dreamed about the adventurous life that he would have with magic. Independence, freedom, excitement—he could have it all.

His time in Hogwarts was certainly not boring. He was among the top students of his year and a member of the Quidditch team. He made some good friends and some terrible enemies.

However, it didn't matter how well he performed in Hogwarts. He could not find any decent jobs even with his qualifications. There wasn't even anyone willing to offer him an apprenticeship. Unless he was accepted doing some less than legal work, he couldn't make a good livelihood. All of this was because of his blood status as a muggle-born or mud-blood as the less civilized would call him.

At first, he did not think too much about it. He thought that he'd win them over with his skills and work ethics. However, even when he was fortunate enough to land a legitimate job, his place of employment would get pressured to let him go. One of his employers even showed him an anonymous letter they received demanding that they shouldn't hire Mud-bloods

Eventually, he wound up doing some jobs on the criminal side of things. He stole small trinkets that he could sell for some quick money. He couldn't steal something truly valuable, however. After all, he was stealing from other witches and wizards. He stole just enough for him to get by.

That was when he fell out of contact with the few friends he had. He was too ashamed to let them see what he had become. In the eyes of the law-abiding citizens, it was better to be destitute than to be a scoundrel. But, it was hard to stick to your principles when you were hungry.

When the Muggle-born Registration Commission was enacted, the same people that he had worked with were the ones who betrayed him first. At the way things were going, being a known thief was better than associating with muggle-borns.

He heard of the trials presided by the detestable Dolores Umbridge on the WWN. muggle-borns were being legally stripped of their status as Witches and Wizards and their wands were being confiscated. Resisting will lead to a term in Azkaban or death.

He decided to run rather than submit himself to such a trial. At first, he found safety by staying out of the magical world. But, that ended when two policemen showed up in his apartment. He was a suspect in several gruesome murders which, he knew, were committed by Death Eaters. So, he's been living in the wilderness ever since.

***

They prepared what they could in the short time that they had. The adults in Hogwarts seemed to have resolved to protect the students with everything they had. Of course, no one could say no to some older students who volunteered to fight. At least, the younger ones are hidden deep in the castle.

With Prof. Flitwick's leadership, every capable wizard helped in the creation of a great protective barrier that would surround the whole castle.

When the battle began, Alex watched in amazement when the first volley of attacks rained down on Hogwarts. There must have been over a hundred wizards that laid siege to the ancient castle.

The protective ward was holding. For a small moment, they allowed themselves to hope.

That was until Voldemort, himself, fired an overwhelmingly powerful spell. The barrier broke apart like a fading illusion. Some of the defenders of Hogwarts couldn't help but shriek at the sight.

Alex wondered how could a single wizard be capable of such a magical feat. Such raw power. It was no mystery how an entire country had learned to fear Voldemort.

With the way opened, the enemies rushed toward the castle shouting. There were Giants, Werewolves, and Acromantulas among them. It seemed like a scene from their worst nightmare had come alive.

As the Giants were ploughing the stone men-at-arms of Hogwarts, the wizards who could fly had done so to cross the ravine. Being one of the defenders who were adept at flying, Alex had gotten on his broom and taken flight as a part of an impromptu flying formation made up of former and current Hogwarts Quidditch players.

The battle raged on as Alex and his squad rained spell fire on the enemies while avoiding incoming spells as one would avoid a Bludger. The other flying wizards recognized his skill on the broom and naturally began to follow his lead. This way, they were able to counter the onslaught of the airborne assault of the enemies.

However, the battle on the ground was a different matter. The defenders were just too outnumbered. Furthermore, they were composed mostly of older Hogwarts students, while the enemies were more experienced and merciless fighters.

It took several spells before they could take down a Giant, while the Werewolves use their superior speed to flank their defences. Some Dementors had even joined the chaos. Fortunately, they were repelled quite easily by a powerful omnidirectional Patronus charm.

After just an hour of fighting, the castle was already unrecognisable from how it was that morning. Even the stone of the castle was aflame. The courtyard was where the battle was heaviest. Whatever battle lines they had drawn earlier was long forgotten.

Alex swooped in and fired a Bombarda at an area where enemy wizards were concentrated. He didn't bother looking at the result of his attack before retreating from some angry wizards who had taken flight to chase him by turning into black smoke the way Death Eaters were known to do. His experience as a Quidditch chaser enabled him to choose his engagements wisely, knowing when to press and retreat as the situation required.

He signalled his flight squad members and pointed at the giant in the middle of the courtyard. It seemed to be one of the giant leaders as it was wielding a large halberd and wearing some rudimentary armour.

They formed an attack line and descended on the giant. The explosions came in quick succession as they peppered the monster with Bombarda and Reducto. The giant fell like a collapsing tower, wailing in anguish.

However, even with several successful engagements on their part, their side was still on the losing end. With the Hogwarts wards shattered, the enemies were able to come and go into the castle. Alex decided to join the fighting on the ground. He left the command of the flight squad to a 7th-year student who performed pretty well despite her age.

He blasted one of the windows, then, he flew in the opening. He found himself in one of the classrooms, and from there, he proceeded to secure the corridor outside. He didn't have to wait too long before finding two wizards strutting along looking for more victims.

With their back against him, he quickly fired two Flipendo's, knocking the enemy back. Then to finish them off, he sent a Diffindo on each of their necks, killing them quickly with a big slash on their throats.

As a fighter, Alex preferred using simple spells whenever he could. They were easier and quicker to cast, and the results were much more predictable. He never really understood the Pure-bloods' unhealthy reverence towards the Unforgivables and the Dark Arts.

He had gone from one corridor to another in search of more enemies. Whenever he saw a fighter on their side, he lent a hand. If he found an enemy, he struck decisively. There was no point in holding back. Especially, when the enemy clearly could control Dementors and escape from Azkaban whenever they wanted.

In one corridor, he found the current Head of the Department of Magical Enforcement, Corban Yaxley, who was retreating from wherever he came from along with two other Death Eaters.

"Bombarda!" shouted Alex as he fired the curse along their path.

The ground exploded sending pieces of the floor in all directions. The three wizards were thrown back due to the blast. He made sure the two Death Eaters were dead with a cutting charm to their necks, saving Yaxley for last. Then, he made sure to take the enemy's wand.

"Incarcerous," he worded. Yaxley was tied up tightly with the conjured rope. He dragged him to a nearby room, locked the door, then sound-proofed the room with a spell.

Alex had wakened the man and greeted him, "Hello Yaxley."

He was certainly familiar with Corban Yaxley. He was always on the papers being praised for his work in catching some Witches and Wizards who had been labelled as Undesirables. Alex knew they were all muggle-borns like him.

"Who are you?" asked Yaxley, quickly recognizing his situation.

"You don't know me. You and I don't run in the same circle if you know what I mean," said Alex with a grin.

"Mud-blood! How dare you do this to me!?" yelled Yaxley.

"How dare I? I'll tell you. It was quite easy. I did it simply using magic!"

"Your kind is a plague to our world! You should be glad that we let you live!"

"But you didn't, let us live, I mean. You persecuted us, imprison us, and humiliate us. And now, it's come to this. Pure-bloods, Mud-bloods, it doesn't matter. This war you started will eventually kill us all just the same. . . But that is for tomorrow, let's focus on the now. You are here lying by my heel. Mud-blood and pure-blood, only one of us will be walking away. I wonder who?"

"You wouldn't dare! The Dark Lord will hunt you, your families!"

Alex laughed aloud. "This is exactly how I want you to be!" he exclaimed. "Let's see how long you can stay proud! Crucio!"

The spell caused Yaxley to scream, his body convulsing. Alex held the spell for about ten seconds.

After recovering his breath, Yaxley was still glaring at him defiantly. Just as when he was about to say something, Alex hit him with another curse.

He knew that he should be out there fighting, but he couldn't help himself. He tortured Yaxley until the man was drooling on the floor, body spasming uncontrollably.

"It looks like our time has come to an end," said Alex as he pulled up Yaxley's head by the hair, making sure that their eyes met. "I want you to know that a Mud-blood was the one that sent you on your way," he said calmly.

"No… Please…" pleaded Yaxley.

"Diffindo," he said softly. He put more than usual power in the spell causing Yaxley's head to be completely cut off.

Alex walked out of the room leaving the body there on the classroom floor. He knew some people would find it later. He could only imagine how they would react. Would they be shocked, horrified, or vindicated? Would they see the irony as he did?

Then just as before, the Dark Lord's voice was heard again throughout the castle. This time he said that he was ordering his followers to withdraw from Hogwarts and that Harry Potter should surrender himself to him at the Forbidden Forest before the night was over. If not, he would kill anyone who dared to hide the boy from him.

This allowed the defenders of the castle some much-needed break. When he reached the Great Hall, he saw where the Weasley family was gathered. Mrs Weasley was crying loudly. One of the Weasley boys, Fred, had died. He immediately went to Bill to offer his sympathies.

The Weasley's were just one of the many people grieving in the Great Hall. Nymphadora Tonks and her husband were also among the casualties. The most unfortunate, he found, was the number of students that died that night.

"I'm so sorry, Bill," he said solemnly.

"He was such a joker, my brother," said Bill. "It feels like one of his jokes. I just didn't—"

"He didn't die in vain. None of them did," Alex said. He wanted to say something more comforting, but it was not the time for mourning.

"I'll make sure of it," Bill promised.

***

Alex was resting in a quiet spot when he realized that Harry Potter was nowhere to be seen.

Did the boy go to the Forbidden Forest, he wondered. That boy, he said to himself, even if he was Harry "god-damn" Potter, he surely couldn't do that to them.

Even if he didn't know the details, he believed that Harry Potter was the key to finally defeating Voldemort. The Order of the Phoenix made that clear enough. So, he could not let the boy get himself killed and let all they'd done be for nothing.

He decided to go to the Forbidden Forest himself. He followed the most likely route that anyone would take, and before long, he'd found Harry Potter.

He was about to give the Boy-Who-Lived a talking to when he heard him speaking. He couldn't make up the words from where he was standing, but it was obvious enough to know that the boy was talking to someone. However, there wasn't anyone else there.

Was he talking to ghosts? He wondered. No, he would have seen it otherwise.

Harry Potter was holding a small stone before dropping it on the ground. After that, Harry went on to his destination.

Alex picked up the stone and wondered what it was. It was an eight-sided grey crystal with a strange symbol within. He decided to keep it as he had a feeling that it could be important later on.

He caught himself being absorbed by the trinket. Perhaps he was too tired, he thought. He looked around and realized that Harry was gone. When he found the boy, he was standing in front of Voldemort and his followers. He also saw Hagrid, the Half-Giant, being held back in chains as he struggled in vain to get to Harry. Alex quickly hid behind something before he was seen.

"And so, the Boy-Who-Lived had come to die. . ." Alex heard the Dark Lord say.

Some of the Death Eaters laughed at that as if it was the funniest joke they had ever heard.

"SILENCE!!!" the Dark Lord commanded. He stared at Harry for a while without saying anything as the boy stood there. The anger slowly showing in his face, as if he could not believe the audacity of the boy to stand before death as he did.

"Avada Kedavra!" the Dark Lord yelled.

Before Alex could do anything, the Dark Lord sent a powerful Killing Curse towards Harry. A big explosion happened upon the curse's impact. Both the caster and the target were knocked over at the same time.

Alex was in disbelief at what he just witnessed. The Boy-Who-Lived was dead. And somehow, his death has affected the Dark Lord who had fallen over and was visibly disoriented. Alex didn't know what might have happened to the Dark Lord, but, the only thing on his mind was the dead Harry Potter.

Without thinking much further, Alex grasped his wand tightly and charged.

"Bombarda Maxima!" he yelled, putting as much power as he could with the spell.

He followed it up with a quick 'Reducto' aimed at one of the wizards who was restraining Hagrid before the Death Eaters could recover from their surprise.

"Hagrid! Get Harry!" Alex yelled.

The Half-Giant roared like a bull and ran towards the fallen Harry. No one could stop him as he bulldozed everything that tried to stop him. Alex did his best to protect him from hostile spells.

After Hagrid had picked up Harry, Alex looked over to the enemy. He knew he had to stop them from chasing Hagrid. With Voldemort weakened, it might just be his only chance. There was one curse he could use to either stop the enemies or force them to retreat. Being inside a forest, he knew it could very well lead to his death.

"You forced me into this! I will see you all in Hell!"

He held his wand aloft and cast Fiendfyre with all the power he could muster. Continuous gout of cursed flames came from the tip of his wand, forming into a fiery bird as it descended upon the Death Eaters.

Then, a spell fired by Bellatrix Lestrange struck him from the side which blasted him away unconscious. His wand arm was missing, blown-off by the spell. The cursed flame was already fully unleashed, however.

Bellatrix had left the Dark Lord's side when the chaos started, too mad and impulsive to prioritize her weakened master. Before she could do anything else, she was engulfed by the cursed flame. In her last moment, she caught a glimpse of the fallen Voldemort and his snake as they burned before she was dead.

Anyone who did not have the presence of mind to Disapparate was consumed by the fire. Whenever the flame stalled, it split up forming into more fiery beasts. Eventually, the fire has consumed all living things on that side of the forest including its creator.

That event was later known as the Great Forest Burning. It was the single most destructive fire of the Magical world. There were more than a hundred pure-blood wizards and witches that died in the forest.

Many of the creatures that lived there also perished in the flame, most notable were the Werewolves and Acromantulas. It was very fortunate that the Centaurs and the Unicorns were on the other side of the forest and were able to escape before they got surrounded by the fire.

The most amazing news, however, was the death of Lord Voldemort and most of his closest followers. Another news being celebrated was the unlikely survival of Harry Potter who had survived the Killing Curse a second time after Hagrid carried him out of the burning forest.

The name Alexander Grey was known to every Witch and Wizard of Britain after that night. Speculations to his origins were a favourite topic among historians in the following years. Some claimed that he was a great hero, a martyr, while others labelled him as a terrible villain. However, all of them would agree that Alexander Grey had forever changed the Wizarding World.