FIGHTING

Hi everyone! This is just a story that came into my head, and I felt an extreme need to write it down. I hope you all like it! Review at the end with your thoughts, please!

I own nothing that you recognize

"Tonks, you have to come back!" I heard someone call from behind me. "I'm sure he's okay. You have to come back!" The voice was now little more than a whisper in the back of my mind as I sprinted through the Hogwarts corridors, urgency and adrenaline coursing through me.

I paused in front of a small window, trying to get a glimpse of what had happened outside. Fighters covered the grounds, the multicolored lights that surged from their wand tips lit up the night sky like a fireworks display. Shouts of spells and curses echoed through the grounds and reverberated on the castle walls. He could be down there, I thought to myself as I aimed my wand at a hooded figure directly below me. My spell hit the Death Eater directly on the top of the head, and he fell on top of the cold, dark ground. I have to get down there. I whipped around and started down the steps of the Grand Staircase. Despite my extreme clumsiness, I sprinted down the stairs, taking them two or three at a time.

A purple jet of light whizzed just inches in front of my nose, hitting the wall to my left. A resounding boom echoed through the hall, and stones and dust covered the air, forcing me backwards onto the ground and covering me in debris. A sharp pain flowed through my hip as it made contact with the hard stone floor. I fought to get up, shoving heavy stones off of my arms and legs as fast as I could. A hooded figure turned toward me. His face twisted into a manic smile upon seeing me covered by the remnants of the wall. He raised his wand, and I struggled to do the same from beneath the rubble. "Avada—" he cast hoarsely.

"Stupefy!" I screeched the moment my wand arm was free. The spell hit the Death Eater square in the face, lifting him off his feet and into the ongoing battle.

I forced the remaining bricks off my body and made my way to the bottom level of the castle. The huge double doors that led to the Great Hall were splintered and now revealed the horrible battle occurring outside.

Screams and shouts pierced the night sky. Giants with huge weapons thudded through the Entrance Courtyard, lifting people into the air with every swing of their huge clubs. I paused just long enough to find the best place to enter the fight before tossing myself into the multicolored jets. My Auror training began to take control of my every movement from the spells I cast to the second I dodged a curse. I sprinted through the grounds, mentally scanning every face I saw for Remus'.

A large red-headed Death Eater approached me. "Confringo!" I shouted. My spell missed by less than inches.

"Crucio!" he returned. The curse hit my side, and I was forced to collapse onto the ground, my whole body burning like it had been thrown into a fiery inferno. After several seconds, I was allowed to breathe again and my body cooled. I struggled to rise from the bloodstained grass. I reached for my wand and cast "Locomotor Mortis!" The Death Eater's legs bound immediately to his side, rendering him immobile. He struggled to break free of the spell, allowing me enough time to rise from the ground. "Stupefy!" I yelled when I finally rose to my feet. The Death Eater fell backwards onto the ground with a thud.

I turned to go back into the fighting. He had to be here somewhere. He hadn't left that long ago. He couldn't have gotten far. I sprinted through the grounds looking for Remus everywhere I went. I reached the eastern side of the castle. An entire wall had collapsed to the ground, breaking the partition between the indoor and outdoor battles. There was now a seamless transition from the fighting that occurred outside and those that dueled within the confines of the school. I turned to run into the castle and help those inside.

Suddenly, someone shouted "Confringo!" The spell hit me in the back and forced me forward into a pile of rubble. I slid forward, and my head hit hard with the remains of the fallen wall. Pain coursed through my body until everything finally went black.

-oOoOoO-

My eyes fluttered open, and I realized that I was still near the fallen wall. But now, something was different. There were no screams and screeches of fighting, no colored streams of light, no more bangs and crashes. Now, an eerie silence clung to the grounds, holding everyone and everything in its tight grip. I rose to my feet and searched the area around me. Several bodies were strewn across the corridors. I felt a pang as I saw some fighters that had once been in my year at Hogwarts. It was horrible, I thought, that people that had once been so happy, people that had once had such happy memories now stared unseeingly at the stone ceiling.

I heard someone's footsteps from behind me, and I whipped around, raising my wand. Kingsley's surprised face stared back at me. His arms were raised in surrender.

"It's okay," he said defensively. "It's just me."

I lowered my wand and stored it safely in the pockets of my robes. "What happened?" I asked. My voice sounded rough and foreign to my own ears.

"Voldemort called the Death Eaters back," he explained. "He said he would give us time to recuperate and let Harry think about what's happened."

I nodded, "Harry's not going to give himself up, is he?" I questioned, desperately hoping the answer would be no.

Kingsley sighed. "I hope not." For the first time, I detected the pain and exhaustion in Kingsley's voice and face. His brow was scrunched in worry, making him appear older and more tired. His voice was heavy with the huge losses we had faced and with the anticipation that the worst had yet to come.

I searched his face for anything that said that he would know where I could find Remus. If Voldemort was giving us time, this could be my one chance to find him before the whole thing ended.

"Where's Remus?" I asked, pulling Kingsley out of some deep thought. He looked up to face me with worried eyes.

"He was with me when we led a group onto the southern edge of the grounds," he began, "but that was hours ago."

I nodded and began to take off through the grounds, but Kingsley held me back. I stopped and turned to face him with a frustrated expression plastered to my face. I had to find my husband. This was possibly my one and only chance.

"Tonks," he started warningly, "don't you think you ought to get that checked out?" he indicated to my head. "We have an infirmary set up in the Great Hall."

I reached up and touched my forehead, surprised when I found that it hurt the moment my fingers made contact with the skin. I removed my hand and saw that it was covered in blood. I shook my head and tried to wipe away some of the blood with the sleeve of my robe. "I'm fine," I assured. Kingsley shot me a look of disbelief. "I promise."

Kingsley released my arm and allowed me to take off. "Just be careful," he yelled after me as I leapt over a pile of rubble.

I ran as fast as my tired legs and dizzy head would allow. I passed so much devastation as I continued my run through the castle. I ran past McGonagall, who had once stood proudly on the front steps of Hogwarts as she spoke inspirationally of protecting the school. Now, her face was tired as she instructed people in the Great Hall. As she gazed around at the bodies that now littered the Hall, her eyes were heavy with the thought that if Voldemort called for another attack, we probably would not be able to hold the Death Eaters back.

I saw the Weasleys huddled in a corner of the Hall, Molly crouched on the ground and clutching a mess of red hair to her chest as she sobbed uncontrollably. It took nearly every bit of my resolve to restrain myself from comforting her and continue my search for my own family.

My footsteps echoed loudly through the halls as I kicked various stones and debris from my path. He's alright, I assured myself as my imagination began to reel with possibilities. He's going to be okay. I'll find him, and it'll all be okay. My head started to spin, and blood spilled further into my eyes. I wiped it away with my sleeve and pushed on through the castle.

Finally, after an exhausting run through the castle, I reached the southern edge of the grounds, and I felt my mouth hang agape. The devastation was the worst I had seen in any part of the school. One side of a tall tower had collapsed, spreading dust and dirt everywhere. Trees had been uprooted and thrown across the grounds. The gate lay in a twisted, tangled heap on the edge of the woods, revealing a glimpse of unearthed roots.

I strained my eyes for any sign of Remus, but everyone left had been caught in tree roots and had been killed trying to escape their grasp.

I felt my stomach churn. I had to find him. He had to be here somewhere.

Suddenly, I noticed someone shift out of the corner of my eye. I whirled around and caught a glimpse of patched robes beside the crumpled remains of the South Gate. I rushed over, fear clutching at my bones and making my insides run cold.

He was hurt—badly. Dried blood covered his face and most of his robes, and more spilled from a large cut in his chest. His arms twisted at painfully awkward angles, and he coughed uncontrollably as he gasped for air.

I kneeled beside him, holding his head up so as to help him breathe. "Dora?" he questioned weakly, his barely open eyes met mine as another cough racked his body. "What are you—?" he was forced to stop and try to regain his breath.

"It's okay," I told him, hoping my voice sounded steadier than it felt coming out of my mouth. "I'll fix you up, and you'll be just fine," I added as tears threatened to leak from my eyes. My breathing became quick and shallow, and I hoped he didn't notice. He coughed again, and I reached into my robes with shaking hands. I searched my pocket for my wand, but it was gone. My hand poked straight through the fabric.

It took nearly everything I had not to collapse in defeat. Here was my husband, dying, and the one thing I could use to save him had slipped through a hole in my robes.

"Where's your wand?" I asked shakily, hoping I could use it instead.

"It broke a while ago," he informed quietly. My mind became frantic, and I searched the grounds for a stray wand.

"It's okay," I assured in what I hoped was a positive tone. "Let me just…." I trailed off as tears fell down my face. "I'll get you to the infirmary and they can do something there."

I turned to look to him for a response, some reassurance that he knew this would all turn out all right in the end, but instead I was met with terror. There was no more coughing, no more heaving breaths. Now, he lay still in my arms, his eyes closed as if he were sleeping. I panicked.

"Remus?" I called quietly. "Remus?" I asked again, this time louder. "Remus, you have to get up!" I close to yelled, my tears falling into his face. I shook him, but still he did not move. "Remus!" I looked around the grounds for someone. "Help!" I screamed, praying somebody heard. "Help! Please!"

Three men emerged from the rubble of the fallen tower and ran toward me. "Help!" I sobbed again. One of the men kneeled next to me and looked into my face with kind eyes. "Please help me," I cried. The man looked down at Remus and then back to me with an expression that told me everything I already knew but wouldn't dare admit.

"He's gone," he said quietly.

"No," I denied. "He can't be gone," I nearly shouted through the tears. He couldn't be gone. He had so much left to live for, so much life ahead of him. He had a son waiting for him back home. A son that had been born mere weeks before. He couldn't be gone now. I still needed him so much. The man put a comforting hand on my shoulder while I let the tears fall down my face and hit Remus' closed eyes.

The man called the others over, and they stood in a small huddle around us. "Do you want us to take him?" the first man asked hesitantly.

I paused for a moment before lifting Remus up and hugging him tightly. I placed one last kiss on top of his head before laying him down on the ground and nodding, staring at the ground.

One of the men pulled Remus up by the shoulders, and the other by his legs. I watched their every motion as they lifted him off the ground and carried him into the castle to lay him in the temporary cemetery in the Great Hall.

When they had taken Remus' body around the wall and I was left completely alone, I sat on the ground and pulled my knees to my chest, allowing my tears to soak through my robes and onto my kneecaps. He's gone, I told myself, trying to fully register what had just happened. What am I going to do now?

Well, there's the first chapter. I'm sorry that it's really sad, but I promise that this story won't be like this all the time. It will get happier.

Please send me a Review with your thoughts! I'd love to hear what you think!