QLFC, S6, R1 - Never Have I Ever
BEATER 1: write a writing style you've never written before — epic poetry
Team: Pride of Portree

Optional prompts:
2. (setting) thunderstorm
8. (word) homemade
14. (quote) Imagination is the highest kite that can fly. - Lauren Bacall

Characters: Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger
Word count: 1217

This is a Greek tragedy!AU of the battle of Hogwarts, inspired by the moment when Ron screams to Voldemort, "He beat you," and the question, "What if Harry was really dead?"
Like the Iliad covers only a few months of a ten-year-long war, this story doesn't cover the whole battle either.

Many thanks to Oni and Sarah for beta'ing :3

Proem

Your sonorous harp don't you silence
And tell me, o Muse, how Hogwarts fought,
The last glorious bastion of free magic,
Shining jewel amongst the Scottish stones.

Beloved of the Four, home to Merlin,
You who magic blessed with feels,
And were worldly envied and celebrated,
What's left of you now?

Sing, o soft-voiced Goddess,
How they came, cloaked in darkness,
To blacken and burn down,
Wicked and unforgivable.

Of swift cats and owls tell me, Muse,
Who escaped the towered halls and their fates.
As dark people went against Zeus' wishes
And all of the Underworld simmered.

May your crystal voice resound
And tell me, o Goddess, the resistance,
The love of those that opposed
Noble honor to ignorant egoism.

For the deeds of the Chosen One
Who the aoidos rightly celebrated
Thousands and thousands of moons ago
Were not the only ones worthy to be sung.

Now there's nothing but rain
On cold stones and naked ground,
Where once was grace and wisdom,
And honor ran in blood and souls.

So I invoke your help, great Muse.
Lead my imagination, raise it
Beyond any mountain covered in snow,
Over the clouds, carried by the wind.

So that, through my docile lips,
You can tell what happened
But was never narrated,
What was and is no more,
What for too long now
Has been buried, sunken in time.

Part 1

The noise of violent, black waves.
The wind that whipped the forest,
Bending and making the trees beg.
The rude cawing of the crows.
Metal clashing against metal:
Iron blades against bronze armors.

Helmets, spears, and shields
Barely shone for the sun missed
—Zeus' son and Leto's, Apollo,
Having hidden it in his anger—
And homemade they might be,
But they glowed with true courage.

The sound of a horn, howling,
Grimly moaning in the cold wind.
The rhythmic steps of the valiant ones.
The regular beating of their hearts.
Hogwarts lay beneath the dark sky,
Powerful and full of heroes.

The walls were sharp and mighty.
Unanimous was the warning:
"Enemies of the School, beware!
"This is home to fighters,
"This is the Death Eaters' grave,
"Where the unworthy meet their ends."

Ruthless statues jumped to protect,
The strong building castled itself
To prepare for battle, closing.
The clouds grew heavy in the sky,
An angry thunderstorm brewing,
For who would dare attack Hogwarts?

On the grounds, black flashes glowed
As the enemies gathered, cackling,
And aligned, arrogant and wicked,
The long, uneven line breaking
The harmony between sky and earth,
Gods and mortals, magic and nature.

On the wall, he rested his hands.
Neither they nor his heart trembled.
Up there, on the brave ones' tower,
The air felt rarefied, the silence unreal.
But he knew that'd soon change,
Turn into fierce battle cries.

Red lightning struck the ground,
Illuminating the massive black army
And reflecting in the man's deep eyes
As it made the whole earth shake,
Each stone, tree, and creature,
But no heart that beat in Hogwarts.

For Hogwarts defends her people,
Hogwarts defends her women,
Hogwarts defends her children,
Hogwarts defends her suppliants.
Help will always be given at Hogwarts
To those who ask for it.

But she can't always defend her warriors.
And sometimes, there's nothing
To prevent the fallen from falling.
Spring only comes once for mortals,
And never after they've been touched
By the winter frost and pallor: Harry died.

Part 2

Thunder like ghastly screams,
Lightning like gory blades,
The storm broke out, barking.
The livid mantle of the sky fell,
Cold rain on the field before blood
Stained it; still hot yet lifeless.

Gentle feet approached the warrior.
Her heart was heavy, but she didn't falter.
She didn't speak. He didn't turn.
Still, her eyes found his; depth met depth.
They listened to new sounds, far away.
It rained on their lashes, as if they were weeping.

Of the perfect creatures of yore
A beautiful reminder, the two stood,
Mahogany and copper against the wind.
Whole such creatures were
Before the Gods, ever envious,
Split them into two wandering halves.

White clothing she wore, soaked,
But she was unbothered by it.
Her shiny threads had turned opaque
For the absence of the sun,
Her coral hairpins were sea waste,
Fading beneath a torn sky.

Her dark eyes reflected the storm.
A lion's heart beating in her chest,
She was too wise to ask, "Why?"
"Do not let," she said, touched, concerned,
"Oh do not, pain bend your strength,
"Desperation cloud your mind."

A cold resolve was in his eyes,
Where ashes had replaced sapphires.
Hollow like the sunless sky above,
They spoke of dark, deathly whispers.
"My castle calls for aid; I'll answer."
All light was momentarily lost.

"What will your answer be, o knight?
"A foolish death won't help Hogwarts,
"As your strong arm would, your wand."
But his blood boiled; in his heart,
Only a prayer: "Unavenged, Harry lies.
"Injustice reigns. Let vengeance be mine."

If only he could complete the mission
Of the brother that the Gods
Shouldn't have sent to him
If such a cruel fate awaited them
To be torn apart so soon
After finding each other again.

His heart full of yearning, he waited.
When a bolt of lightning struck,
He smiled; a broken, twisted thing,
Full of teeth. The knife struck too
In his mind, claiming unworthy lives,
Hot blood quenching the thirst of beasts.

"He beat you!" A scream, a token of faith,
Heartfelt, stronger than the storm,
Its energy raw and unmatched.
Ode to freedom, love, and life,
It reverberated, evoking thunderbolts
And sparks that felt like a new chance.

The favored child of Athena smiled,
Recognizing the sign for what it was.
Light still shone in dark places,
Love still let himself be found.
His arm wrapped around her,
They'd meet their fate bound together.

And again did the horn sound,
Bitter and raw, calling to arms,
Replying to the foes' crude cries,
While melancholic bells raised
Above the thunders, full of regrets,
To noble souls bidding farewell.

Epilogue

O glorious Hogwarts,
What's left of you, beautiful Hogwarts,
You who superbly stood above all others?
No building was ever your equal.

Inks and scrolls and portraits
Graced your sacred halls,
Built to be an inviolate temple
By powerful Gods and magical beings.

How capricious of the Moirai
That your blaze was so bright,
Your fire so burning and alive
While Death at you already smirked.

You trembled and screamed, Hogwarts,
Hit by both human and elemental forces
And cursed your pitiful fate.
Once envied, you've fallen from grace.

Wretched, you witnessed, helpless,
As the snakes devoured you.
The sky, torn by lightning, bled too
Along with the Gods, your last hope.

Be now grateful that the greatest are dead
Among your children that so loved you,
Dead before they saw you fall
Unrecognizable, wrapped up in dark scars.

Be happy that the storm still rages,
Blackening stars and planets,
Its fury blind and devastating
For great is the outrage you suffered.

So here the Four's last vow: winged,
It marks the earth and thunders
From cave to cave, from tree to tree
Until the last creature is aware of it.
"No sun will shine on your ash,
"Until, have no doubt, you'll be avenged."