To Have and to Want

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted. The spell glanced off Bellatrix's shield, and she cruelly laughed.

"Child's toys, Potter. Crucio!"

Bellatrix missed. "Neville, don't!" Harry shouted, seeing as Neville was ready to charge into the forest.

"What do we do?" Ron asked.

"What do we do?" Bellatrix mocked.

Harry sent another stunner, without success. "Follow me! Avenge my cousin, Potter."

It took all the will Harry possessed not to do as she said.

"What're we waiting for?" Smith asked.

"Parvati, Ginny, Ron, and myself will take to the air and try to get her."

"I'm a Quidditch player too, in case you forgot," Smith said.

"Fine. The rest of you, follow her on the ground."

"Follow her? I thought we were after the cup?" Padma asked.

"I have no intention of getting killed from behind while looking, and you probably don't either."

"One more thing," Kingsley Shacklebot suddenly interrupted. He lifted up a Nimbus 2000. "I'm going with you."

Tonks approached. "Harry, I hope you don't mind, but to further confuse them..." She transformed into a copy of himself.

"Tonks, this is dangerous. You don't--"

"It's the best way, Harry," Hermione said. "We don't have time--"

Harry nodded, and six broomsticks took to the sky.

"Sonorus!" Harry said, and then, at the top of his lungs, shouted, "BELLATRIX!"

The reply was another killing curse, which missed. All the broomstick riders sent stunners to the point where it came from, but they got no result except lighting up the landscape for a moment.

Harry spotted a flicker of fire in the distance, and pointed there. His companions understood and followed him towards it.

The fire was in the center of a small clearing. Harry spotted only one person next to it and was about to stun him when he tumbled.

"Protego!" he yelled instinctively. This had no effect. Looking around, he saw that the others were in the same position, as if invisible strings were pulling them towards the fire. Harry felt the pull, but, thanks to the better broomstick, descended slower than the rest.

"Sectumsempra!" he said, aiming at the location where the string, if it was visible, would be. The pull stopped.

Fearing he would be seen and caught again, Harry dived into the forest. He landed, put on the invisibility cloak, and headed for the fire on foot.

By the time he reached the clearing, another person got there. Bellatrix was warming herself at the fire, while Snape stood silently a foot away, next to a large rock. Five forms of Parvati, Ron, Ginny, Smith, and Kingsley were stuck to the ground next to him.

"See where taking orders from a child gets you, Shacklebot?" Bellatrix asked. "You could have--"

"Bellatrix!" a new voice yelled from the forest. "I've caught Potter!"

Harry recognized Theodore Nott's father. Nott Sr. was leading Tonks, transformed into himself. Her--his--hands were bound.

Snape flicked his wand, and Tonks was thrown ten feet and tied to a tree. She looked at him with hatred. Harry had to grant that Tonks was a good actress. I hope she's also a good Occlumens, Harry thought.

"How do you like my air traps, Potter?" Snape asked, pointing at the other prisoners. "I only regret you decided not to utilize your, frankly, overestimated Quidditch abilities, and not taste them yourself."

Four more Death Eaters appeared. All carried stunned bodies: Rookwood Padma's, Goyle Sr. Neville's, Crabbe Luna's and Avery Hermione's.

"Here they are, Bellatrix," Avery reported.

Bellatrix nodded. She and Snape quickly bound the stunned teenagers to trees.

Harry realized it was time to act. He pulled out two items from Fred and George's shop. The first was a multi-stunner. Harry put it at the end of his wand. Now, if he cast a stunning spell, the bolts would fly out in five different directions, aimed by the short pipes on the device. This weakened the spell, of course, but Harry hoped he wouldn't need much time.

Then he took out a batch of instant dark powder and tossed it into the air. The fire went out.

"Stupefy!" Harry said, and five bolts flew towards Avery, Rookwood, Nott, Snape, and Bellatrix. The last two managed to throw up shields, but the rest fell. Harry quickly stunned Goyle and Crabbe and turned to the two people he hated more than anyone in the world except Voldemort.

"How can this--"

"The metamorphmagus," Snape said. "Clever, Potter."

"Harry! It's in the rock!" Smith shouted.

"Reducto!" Harry cried. The large rock next to Snape broke apart, and a small golden cup fell out.

"Accio!" Bellatrix shouted.

"Accio!" Snape yelled a moment later.

"Accio!" Harry cried in desperation.

Harry's spell prevailed and the cup sailed into his hands. Snape aimed his wand at him, but had to throw off someone else's attack. Harry glanced behind. Tonks already freed Hermione and Neville, and was helping Luna.

"Quasso," Snape said, and sent a spell upwards. The result was a distant roar.

Within seconds, the rest of the prisoners were freed. Snape and Bellatrix barely managed to dodge all the spells thrown at them.

The roar that Harry heard when Snape cast his spell was getting louder. "Avalanche!" Ron yelled.

Several people screamed. "Accio broomsticks!" Harry shouted, and fired off another Sectumsempra at Snape.

"Bellatrix, get over here!" he yelled. "Accio Nott. Accio--"

Harry's next spell hit his hand, and Snape dropped his wand. He glared at him with hatred.

"I don't think so!" Neville rushed and grabbed Bellatrix, who was trying to get to Snape. Snape, holding Nott's body, vanished. A white wall of snow crashed through the trees a moment later. The broomsticks leaped up.

Hovering over the snow river, Harry counted the fliers. Ron, Hermione, Parvati, Ginny, Smith, Kingsley, and Tonks were all present. Luna! Neville!

"Help!" Luna's voice yelled, far below.

Harry flew faster than he ever did in his life. He registered a broken broomstick--the reason for Luna's situation. He reached out.

"Luna! Catch!" Neville yelled from even farther off. Luna looked up, caught the Portkey cup, and vanished.

Harry cursed himself for not thinking of something so simple. He took his own cup, and, steering with the same hand that held the Horcrux, rushed towards Neville.

"Neville!" he yelled.

Neville looked up. "Har--"

With the full force of the avalanche, Neville smashed into a rock. The snow was immediately bloodied.

Harry dropped both cups and they sank into the snow.

"NO!" Harry shouted, and, ignoring the danger of falling himself, yanked Neville's body out.

There was no doubt that he was dead. His body had a large hole in the back of the head, one leg torn off, and a huge bruise, black from internal bleeding. Harry lifted him out and flew up, ignoring everything.

"Harry!" Ron shouted. "Where's--"

"Neville!" Hermione yelled. "We saw. Is--"

Harry could barely nod. Tears were falling out of his eyes.

"What's that?" Smith asked, pointing downwards.

Bellatrix's body, Harry thought. Who cares?

But it wasn't. Instead, it was a large spot of black snow. Smith flew down, and Harry, clutching Neville's body, followed.

A small creek roared at the bottom, washing away the snow of the avalanche. The expansion of black snow reached the water at one spot, and there, on the bottom of the creek, lay two pieces of the golden cup.

Harry realized this meant that the Horcrux was gone, and the black snow was the effect of release of an evil soul. They did what they came to do... but Harry felt miserable. How much more would they have to pay for victory in this war?

Smith picked up the pieces of the cup. Harry struggled to look at him. If he said anything about how valuable this cup was to him, anything about family relics, Harry would tear him apart in rage. Perhaps Smith realized that, so he simply pocketed the pieces and got back on his broom.

"Let's go," Harry said. Then, knowing he couldn't shirk his duty, he gave Neville's body to Kingsley and prepared to leave.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

Harry turned. "I've got to tell Mrs. Longbottom what happened." Before anyone could reply, he took off, faster than any of them could follow. He was almost afraid Neville's ghost would literally haunt him now.