Chapter Sixteen:
Operation Butterbeer
Harry anxiously glanced at his watch again. It was nearly four-fifteen. About an hour and a half before dawn.
All of the teams would be in their allocated positions now, ready to strike against the backdrop of a gloomy, cloudy sky. There were only a few stars visible, and the moon was only half-full. Still, Harry knew, from the information gathered on the enemy in the last year, that Greyback's werewolves were just as capable of transforming on any night as Harry and his own friends were. But they had one advantage over Greyback's pack - the enemy wasn't able to transform their clothing along with their bodies. That would give the Ministry-backed werewolves the edge when it came to speed and an element of surprise.
Hopefully.
And the dawn - when it did come - would be a hindrance to the Dementors on patrol around Hogwarts.
Harry stared at the school in the near distance, as he kept himself within the line of trees at the border of the woods where his party was gathered. The team that was to be the spearhead of the invasion. He was afraid of being spotted by the Dementors before they could surprise them - he was fearful of countless things that had the potential to go drastically wrong. And he dreaded how great the cost would be - how many good people would be dead or seriously injured, before the battle was done with.
But to do nothing would result in a magic-enforced massacre of both muggles and wizarding folk…
Harry hoped that none of his friends were going to perish this day.
I hope that I will survive this, too, he thought to himself - the ghost of a smile playing at his lips. I'm not ready to die. Not now - not when I've got my friends to share my life with. Not while we have got it in us to make this world a better place…
Harry stuffed his hands in the pockets of his casual black trousers, in an attempt to keep them warm. He sniffed the air, and froze momentarily as a pair of arms seized him from behind - then he relaxed as Luna rubbed her face against his. Like him, she was dressed for the occasion - both of their jackets had their zips removed (courtesy of Mrs Weasley's skills) so they could shape shift quicker. But where as Harry's coat was a green colour (matching his eyes), and his sweater a cherry red - Luna's was brown, and her jumper an aqua blue-green, which blended in well with her smart, electric-blue jeans.
No butterbeer necklace tonight… Harry grinned.
"I still remember seeing it for the first time. The school I mean," Luna announced softly. "As Hagrid took us across the lake in the boats."
"Same here." Harry reached back and brushed Luna's pale-blonde hair with his fingers. "It was a joyous moment."
Luna saw that the smile on Harry's face didn't reach his eyes. She thoughtfully tilted her face at him. "What is my mate thinking?" she asked, squeezing his hand.
"Pretty much the same as you were, the night before last, Lu," he admitted. Harry now felt as close to Luna as he ever did with Ginny, Ron or Hermione. Hearing her describe him as her mate touched his heart. "Some of us won't even live to see the dawn - let alone the sunset… And yet, we've got pupils, and ex-pupils prepared to risk all for us… We've even got representatives from all the British and Irish Quidditch League, all dressed in their robes for this job. The Holyhead Harpies, the Montrose Magpies, the Chuddley Cannons, the Pride of Portree…"
"They all know the score, Harry," Luna whispered to him. "We have to do this. Before the Gaunt Stone unleashes that Oblivion spell on countless, innocent people. I know you're scared of us dying because we're following your example - but we have faith in you to be strong and do the right thing. I believe in you, Harry. I believe in Ron, and Hermione, and in all of those who've proved their worth to us. Please don't give up having faith in yourself!"
Harry swallowed back the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him. He gave Luna a hug. "Right… Well, I made Voldemort pay for his sins…," he reminded himself, forcing a smile. "So, yeah – let's finish the job by destroying his cult of nutters!"
Luna grinned. Following her lead, Harry took a minute to clear his mind by practicing Zen techniques. Then Luna checked her watch. "It's time, Harry," she declared.
He took another deep breath, then nodded. "All right. Ready when you are."
The two of them quickly walked back to those gathered in the nearby clearing. Alex and Charlotte, Clifford, Elliott, Neville, and Tonks were present – along with four other pupils, two boys and two girls. The youngest of those present was fourteen.
Harry smiled as he watched the youngest members of their party. Ewan Abercrombie, who had been sorted into Gryffindor four after him was now sat on a log, hand in hand with Rose Zeller, a Hufflepuff student from the same year. Close by, Terry Boot, from Harry's year - who had been a Ravenclaw member of the DA – was kissing a seventh year Slytherin pupil by the name of Razwana Din.
The old barriers between the different Houses had broken down in the past nine months since Voldemort's death. Harry hoped – whatever the outcome of the battle to come – that what he was seeing now was a taste of future bonds and friendships to come.
Another person – an older man, dressed in dirty-looking clothes – stood next to the Threstrals at the clearing's edge. He was small, with matted hair – and his eyes made him look like a Basset hound. This was Mundungus Fletcher. A thief who was a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Mad Eye Moody had tracked him down, and forced the cowardly Fletcher to join the invasion squad. Harry understood Moody had used 'persuasive means' to achieve this. He didn't want to know any more. So long as Fletcher kept his nerve long enough to do his share of the work…
"We're set, Harry." Clifford gave Harry and Luna a brief flash of a smile. Harry smelt his apprehension. No doubt Clifford and the other werewolves could smell his, also.
"Still no Padma?" Harry asked him.
Clifford's expression turned sad, and he gave a shake of his head. "No – she's still at the Ministry, being there for the werewolves who were conditioned by the Death Eaters. There's still a chance she might get here, but…" He sighed, missing the young Asian witch who had become his girlfriend. "Let's get to it."
Harry nodded and regarded his team for a moment, taking in their nervous, but determined, expressions.
"Okay, everyone! You know the drill – let's get this done!" he barked.
They got to work. Each member of the party climbed onto the back of a Thestral. In addition, every one of the creatures had been fitted with a saddle, into which a shop window dummy – complete with clothes – had been carefully strapped.
"Okay, cousin…" Alex Greenway muttered, exchanging a glance with Charlotte. "Now we find out if the Thestral flying lessons we conducted were good enough for everyone."
Charlotte grinned as she pushed her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose. "At least we didn't have any injuries in training… Well – nothing we couldn't repair!" Turning to Neville, she gave him a quick hug which he returned.
Harry smiled at the scene, then climbed up behind the neck of his Thestral, and sat in front of the wizard-robed dummy. He whispered instructions to the beast and it obediently began to take off. The draught from its flapping wings ruffled his clothes and hair. He hung on tightly.
"Hogwarts – here we come!" he yelled.
One by one, the Thestrals took off. Following Harry's lead, the riders got their airborne mounts to steer towards the school grounds.
Harry felt a sense of exhilaration rising within him. It came, not only from being on the back of a flying creature that was soaring high, but also because the castle – now lit by just a few lights in the pre-dawn hours – was set out before him in all of its splendour as he and his companions flew first across the valley of the loch, then over the railway line that the Hogwarts Express travelled on. Next, the lake was below them, reflecting the lights from the castle as well as the moon high in the dark, cloud-ridden sky. The only sounds Harry could hear were the pounding of the Thestrals' wings, their occasional cawing, the whistling of the light wind blowing from the west, the excited whooping from his party, and also his hammering heartbeat.
Then another, harsher sound made itself known. A piercing screeching noise rang through the cool night air, as a dark apparition rose from one of the school's turrets, to intercept them in mid-air. Several identical nightmarish wraiths followed it.
"Okay – here come the Dementors! Keep your nerve, and follow me!" Harry yelled out loud, hoping that his team would keep to the plan.
He didn't need to worry. At Harry's urging, his mount changed direction – turning forty five degrees to the left – before they reached a point above the roof of the Great Hall. He glanced over his shoulder, to see Luna and the rest of his party keeping close together, not far behind him. Now the Thestrals were flying past the west side of the school, heading north-east for a point beyond the castle, a spot on the edge of the Forbidden Forest that was close to the main gates. As they did so, they flew over a localised mist that shrouded the northern approach to Hogwarts.
The awful screeching rang out again, louder this time. The noise was harsh to Harry's wolf-sensitive ears. His heart thumped madly, and he swallowed hard – trying to keep his focus. He knew all too well what it was like to be assailed by Dementors…
"They're gaining on us!" Alex yelled. He was on Harry's right-hand side now.
"Keep going! We're almost there!" Harry shouted back. He urged his Thestral to fly faster, hoping that they weren't about to fall at the first hurdle…
Moments later, the Thestrals were diving – changing direction as they wheeled around and descended towards their habit in the Forbidden Forest's north-western reaches. Within the next minute Harry's team had landed. Quickly, and with mounting panic, they each unbuckled their accompanying dummies and, stepping down, flung them away from the Thestrals - before casting a certain spell at the slumped manikins.
"Awakario!" Harry hissed. His wand zapped at the dummy he had just thrown into the clearing. Hearing the sound of movement coming from the manikin, he grinned with satisfaction – then turned and shooed his Thestral towards the safety of the trees, before joining his party beyond the clearing.
The dark shadows swirling into view overhead slowed their approach, as if uncertain of where their prey had vanished to.
Neville's head peeped out from behind the trunk he was using as cover, and he repeatedly poked the air with his outstretched finger.
Charlotte gave him a strange look from her position behind the next tree. "What are you doing, Neville?" she whispered loudly.
"I'm counting! There's about eighteen of them. And only thirteen of us!" he retorted.
"We had better not mess this up, then!" Tonks piped up. "We may not get a second strike!"
"Spot on, Tonks." Harry raised his wand again. Following his lead, everyone else followed suit. The only exceptions were Mundungus and Elliott, who each fished out form his pockets a jar containing a liquid made to the same recipe as perfected by Professor Lupin last June. They then hurriedly took of the lids.
"This had betta work, you know!" Mundungus exclaimed in his cockney-like accent.
Harry ignored him, and instead addressed the team collectively. "Right, allocated wand-bearers! You know why you were picked. You all have love for someone. Alex for his cousin, and the late Yasmin. The rest of us for our own chosen partners. And, thanks to Luna here…" Harry smiled at her, and nodded for her to continue.
"…we now know what weapon can destroy a Dementor – apart from the special vials we have. The fiends can't abide strong, positive emotions. Feelings that are totally alien to them." Luna raised her eyes to Harry, and gave a broad smile. "So, our weapon is love. Focus on your feelings for those you care for. Then let your magic rip at the Dementors."
"Here they come!" Clifford warned the whispering group.
They all fell silent, and hid behind the trees.
With a piercing yell, the mass of ragged, dark entities descended upon the clearing. Ignoring the cries of the Thestrals, the Dementors floated over to the dummies lying on the ground, sensing life and heat in them. Life that they were eager to drain…
As the Dementors dived upon the manikins, the one-month old Blast-Ended Skrewts started to wiggle out of each of the hollowed-out plastic backs – having been awoken by the recent spells cast on them…
As one, the Dementors froze in confusion – hovering just above the hybrid, lobster-like creatures emerging from the dummies.
Then one of the Skrewts lived up to its name and suddenly expelled a shower of fiery sparks into the face of the nearest Dementors. Its ragged cloak caught fire, and the wraith screamed.
"Now!"
At Harry's cry, the team leapt out and fired their wands at the nightmarish wraiths. Moments later, Elliott and Mundungus sprinted out from the flanks and flung the contents of their vials at two Dementors at the far side.
The screeching reached a nearly-unbearable level. Silvery-white forms of various animals – a stag, a unicorn, a wolf, a cat, a hamster, and a toad, amongst them – leapt upon the former guards of Azkaban Prison, blurring the edges of the terrifying shades. Those transfixed in the ambush tried to move – but could not. Those not yet under attack tried to swoop down upon Harry and his allies – but they were repulsed by the energies emitted from the Patronuses.
Within the minute, thirteen Dementors had evaporated into a mass of various stinking puddles on the ground.
The Patronuses disappeared. The wizards and witches who'd cast them fought to recover their breaths.
Giving a scream of what Harry interpreted as fury, the remaining wraiths wheeled above the now-vulnerable crowd, and swooped down.
Then Harry, Luna, Tonks, and Alex struck again – freezing the Dementors in mid-attack.
"Yes! Let's do it again!" Razwana Din whooped.
The rest of the gang rallied themselves, and fired their wands in support. The last of the Dementors withered under the concentrated assault of the Patronuses. Soon, they too had ceased to be a menace to anyone, ever again.
"Finite!" The silvery-white guardians vanished, as the magical forces were stopped.
"Wow!" Neville collapsed upon his knees, next to Charlotte – who had already fallen down from her exertion. They gave a look of astonishment at still being alive, then hugged each other.
The rest of the group were recovering, also. Harry and Luna exchanged broad smiles.
"Yay! We did it!" Alex punched the air, and slapped palms with an equally-delighted Elliott Eamesworth. Close by, Ewan and Rose hugged each other – as did Terry Boot and Razwana.
"Well done!" Harry announced. "Now for the next bit… Mundungus?"
The thief shuffled his tatty-looking shoes, then raised his eyes to meet Harry's. The ghost of a smile played on his lips.
"Alright, then… I'm ready."
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
It took only a few minutes for the group to arrive at the school's main gates, on the north side of the grounds. As suspected, the Alohomora spell failed to unlock them.
There was a barely-visible aurora of magic extending upwards from the gates and fence, which carried on as far as the eye could follow. Harry's wolf senses told him that anyone trying to force their way either through the fence, or over the top of it or the gates, would not live long enough to regret it. In the past week, the Ministry's Aurors had made skirmish intrusions in daylight, so they could carefully examine the magical barrier that prevented intruders from approaching Hogwarts by land. Stones thrown at the barrier had exploded – and then the Aurors would have to leave, unable to find any way to Hogwarts by aerial travel, except from over the loch.
The other useful detail the Aurors had been to gauge was that the source of the magical force field lay in the gates themselves. Unlock the gates, from within, and the barrier would be broken…
Now, detecting no other protective magic on the gates themselves, Harry nodded the go-ahead to Mundungus. The thief got to work with his skeleton keys. The problem was that he had four locks to undo.
The rest of the party covered for him, wands held at the ready. Although the grounds were eerily silent as the eastern horizon slowly grew lighter, the mist still shrouded the pathway from the gates to the school buildings. It also hung over the grounds to either side, as far as the Quidditch pitch to the west. But Harry's team now knew what the mist was hiding, as the evidence was on their shoes.
Even though they had skirted around the edge of it, the advance party of Flitwick's Freedom Fighters were dismayed to discover the Death Eaters had turned the approach to the school into a marsh.
As the others nervously kept their eyes and ears open, Mundungus continued to work away, levitated by Charlotte and Neville's carefully-controlled Wingardium Leviosa levitation spells. With a grunt of satisfaction, the fingersmith flung aside the second lock that he had managed to open.
Alex, who had wandered a little further along the path than the others, suddenly twitched. Cocking his head to one side, he hissed to the rest of the team.
"Something's coming! Hurry!"
"Won't be long, now," Mundungus grumbled, not bothering to look round as he raced through his keys – trying to find one to fit into the third lock.
Firstly, the other werewolves became aware of the danger – then all of the team could hear it. Thumps. Heavy footsteps. Coming closer. Closing in on them through the shifting white veil of the thick mist. Then there was a bellowing roar.
Luna inadvertently let loose a growl, reminding Harry that beneath her clam and eccentric demeanour she was a predator. A fierce were-creature of the night. Like him.
"Sorry, guys," she apologised, upon seeing the worried expressions of Tonks, Euan and Rose. "Nerves."
Neville suddenly scuttled backwards with fright. "Merlin's beard! A giant!"
The huge fiend, dressed in dirty makeshift clothes and patchwork armour, emerged from the mist. The giant strolled along the pathway, swinging a club in one long-limbed arm. It paused, startled to see the numerous intruders before it. Then, billowing again, the giant thumped its chest and picked up its pace. The creature did not think to raise the alarm – it was only concerned with killing the tiny beings, and finding out what they tasted like…
"Expelliarmus!" Tonks yelled as she ran forward. Her spell struck the armour covering the giant's torso. But it only paused, as if being buzzed by a fly – before pressing onwards.
More spell-absorbing armour, by the looks of it – like that which saved me from Voldemort's attack, thought Harry…
"Stop it!" He encouraged his team. "Aim for someplace where it's not armoured!"
They leapt into action, firing various spells. The giant took the damage, and moaned with pain – but there was little other noticeable effect. Stunning jinxs and fireballs continued to hit it, making the sentry sway – but not fall down.
"Quickly, Mundungus!" Luna urged the nimble-fingered thief.
"I'll…soon…have them…open, missy," he panted. "Lordy! Tricky locks, these!" There was a loud 'click', and the third padlock sprung open. "Hah! Jus' one to go…"
Meanwhile, Harry and the others had spread out around the giant. At Tonk's prompting, they took it in pairs to desperately shoot more spells at the oversized giant – firing from different directions. But still the giant refused to go down. However, the co-ordinated assault was preventing the creature from making a focused counter-attack. Instead, it lashed out in fury with the club, as it turned and tried to bring its feet down upon anyone who got too close. Harry and the team had to cast quick spells, then dive aside, and stop to fire again, repeatedly – to avoid being bludgeoned, or crushed.
Their strength was waning fast, now…
Elliott gave a roar of frustration.
"Aagghh! Let's see how it likes a change of tactics!" The Slytherin pupil dropped his wand and closed his eyes, to concentrate. Seconds later, his clothes blurred and vanished on him as he crouched down. Then his body shifted form and grew fur. Within the half-minute, Elliott had become a young wolf man – who then promptly bounded forwards, snarling. He lashed out – biting and clawing at the calf muscles of the giant. The sentry cried out and turned round, in an attempt to stomp the transformed werewolf with his huge, leather-clad feet.
"Watch yourself, Elliott!" Alex yelled to his friend. He quickly unleashed another fireball spell – hitting the giant in the nose, below the reach of the creature's helmet. Again, the monster was goaded into a state of rage.
As the fight continued, Mundungus gave a shout of triumph as the fourth lock 'clicked'. He pulled it free of the bars and threw it, with care, at the giant. The metal lock bounced off the sentry's stomach, momentarily stunning it.
"Let's get 'em opened up!" the thief cried out, as his feet touched the ground again.
Harry and Luna got to it, and helped the fingersmith to swing the heavy gates apart as far as they would go. The shielding spell extending upwards from the opened metalwork was abruptly cancelled, now that the gates were ajar.
"The signal, Tonks!" Harry gasped from his exertions.
"On it!" she called back. From her wand, a wispy form was conjured. Rapidly taking the shape of a silvery wolf, it bolted along the path outside the gates and quickly disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile, the giant continued to struggle against the witches and wizards surrounding him. Clifford and Charlotte both yelled as the club 'swished' through the air, just missing their dodging forms. As Harry, Luna, Tonks, Mundungus, Terry Boot and Razwana Din added their wand firepower to the struggle, there was a short wail of agony as the giant's foot managed to crush somebody underfoot…
Then there was a vibration. Coming along the wide path that led to the gates from the railway station.
Harry spun round. His lips slowly rose into a smile, as he glimpsed a shape in the near-darkness, racing towards them at an unnatural speed.
"Here it come! Dive!" he urged the advance party, as he grabbed Luna's hand. Together, they rolled towards the edge of the path. The rest of the team scattered – leaping in different directions. Rose Zeller gave a shriek of panic, and jumped aside – along with Euan.
"Urrhh?"
The giant grunted, froze, and then turned to face the oncoming menace.
SPPLATT!
There was a flash of purple as the Knight Bus slammed into the sentry of the gates. The unlit triple decker carried on along the pathway for another hundred yards, until it reached a sharp bend on the pathway. With unnerving precision, Ernie Prang the driver stopped the vehicle a split second before the Knight Bus could leave the safety of the path to the school. However, the giant was still in motion – obeying the laws of physics.
The sentry landed, with force, into the deep marsh that lay besides the path. Wailing, the creature flailed its arms, trying to find something solid to grip onto, as it began to sink, face-up, into the swamp. One outstretched hand nearly managed to grasp the parted club which had landed not far away. But the wood soon disappeared into the dark waters and shifting murk – leaving its bellowing owner to fend by itself.
The efforts of the injured creature were to no avail. Harry and the rest of the team gingerly got back up and stared numbly as the giant gurgled and disappeared in stages into the dark mire.
The last parts to go were the befuddled expression on the huge face, and the thick fingers of the raised hands. A trail of bubbles rose to the surface – then all fell silent and still.
"Golly! It must be deep in there!" Neville observed.
Luna managed to smile. "Bang on! Well done, Ernie!" she called out to the bus driver.
The others gave a cheer – but the moment was short-lived, as they turned and saw the damage the giant had achieved before it had met its match.
The young wolf man that was Elliott Eamesworth was lying on the path – his body crushed.
Razwana made a choking-like noise, and had to be comforted by Terry Boot.
"Elliott! No!" Alex rushed to his friend, who weakly looked up at him with pain-wracked eyes.
"Elliott – hang in there!" Harry crouched down besides him. He raised his wand at his pack-brother and recited the spell of healing. "Episkey!"
A red glow lit up the wolf man's chest, but he shuddered and coughed up blood. Shaking his head faintly, Elliott gripped Alex's arm with his remaining strength. A tentative smile appeared across his muzzle. "We beatt 'em, Al-lex! The Demen-tors… We gott inn…!" he managed to growl.
Then, with a laugh that turned into a choking cough, Elliott Eamesworth released his grip, and his body fell limply to the ground.
Harry and Alex remained frozen in their places.
"Oh, hell!" Clifford muttered from close by. He and the rest of the party said nothing more.
Then the silence was broken by the rush of new arrivals. Harry forced himself to look around. The invasion was running as planned. The centaurs were now galloping through the opened gates – each of them baring a witch or wizard on their backs. Firenze's passenger was Ernie Macmillan, armed with his bow and a quiver of arrows. His wand was tucked into his belt.
"Harry! Luna! Neville!" Hermione raced out from the Knight Bus, wand at the ready. Hagrid and Mr Filch were running behind her.
Hermione's excited expression changed as she saw the advance party gathered around Elliott's body. "Oh!" she gasped.
"I don't know what to say, Alex," Harry admitted. He rested his hand on Alex's arm.
The other young man swallowed, then reached out and closed Elliott's open eyes. "We'll howl for him later, Harry. After we bring this war to an end!" he declared. Alex then stood up, and took in the watching centaurs, staff and students. "We've got our foothold. Let's not waste time!"
Harry nodded and called to the crowd around him. "Right – let's keep the operation moving! You all know what to do."
"We sure do," Filch rasped. Without further prompting, he set up a firework on the path and fired it into the air. It exploded high above, casting forth a brilliant glow of purple sparks.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
"There's the signal!" Kingsley Shacklebolt yelled to the small crowd behind him, as his keen eyes finally sighted the purple blaze he'd been watching out for.
The party jumped to their feet. Extinguishing their dimly-lit lanterns, the pupils, ex-pupils, and other enlistees in Flitwick's Freedom Fighters quickly raced over to their broomsticks waiting close by. Soon, they were up in the air above tree-level. Ron, dressed in a set of Quidditch robes and padding that had been newly bought for the occasion, was in the middle.
"Dawlish? Mr and Mrs Weasley? Are you present and correct?" Kingsley's rich voice betrayed no sign of anxiety as he turned his head from side to side, checking on the hovering riders around him.
"I'm here," the Auror Dawlish responded. "And so are the other Ministry lads."
"Nous sommes ici," Fleur declared proudly, turning to exchange a smile with Bill.
"What she means is, 'we are here'," Bill helpfully added.
"Then let's secure Hogsmeade!" And with that, Kingsley sped off on his broomstick. The rest of his group – made up of Fleur's friends from Beauxbatons School, plus a score of ex-pupils from Durmstrang School – followed in his wake.
"Bon chance!" Bill and Fleur cried out to Ron as they flew above the forest bordering the grounds of Hogwarts."
"You too, you guys! Be safe!" Ron retorted. He watched the specks against the dark sky vanish into the distance – then swung his own broomstick round to face the rest of the floating army gathered.
Ron cleared his voice, and tried to keep his nerve about him. "Alright, then… Everybody ready?" he yelled.
"I am," Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson called out simultaneously.
"Me too!" Marcus Belby replied.
"Itching to go," declared Anthony Goldstein.
"I'm good," Dean Thomas responded.
"Ready when you are." Marcus Flint grinned.
"All present and correct, Mr Weasley," Madame Hooch piped up.
Ron glanced around at the faces closest to him, illuminated only by the glowing wand tips held against the broomsticks by their riders. Viktor Krum and his friend Hans Grogan both gave a nod of readiness. Oliver Wood, looking worried, shrugged his shoulders and forced a smile. Davy and Galvin Gudgeon glanced at each other, then Davy declared with relish, "Let's teach the Death Eaters a lesson they won't forget!"
Ron grinned as he swung back to face Hogwarts. There were about two hundred of them in all, each one hovering in the air ready on their broomsticks – every man, woman, boy, or girl prepared to give the best fight of their lives.
"Let's go!" Ron yelled.
The front line sped off, with Ron in the middle of them. A few seconds later, the second cluster followed, then a pause, and the third row accelerated into action, and so on.
In the faint light that heralded the dawn yet to come, the aerial army was an impressive sight as they swooped in, like hawks, from the east. Soon, however, the next wave of Dementors rose from within the enclosure of the castle itself, though there were only a dozen of them. But the other sentries of the Death Eater army were making themselves known now. From out of the south-western corner of the Forbidden Forest, there emerged giants and trolls – about five of each. On the upper reaches of the Great Hall, Ron saw – to his horror as he drew in closer – a pair of gargoyles slowly grinding into life. With leering expressions, the grey stony wings of the guardians fanned out and began pounding furiously. Then they rose from their perches, and rose to meet the invaders.
"Oh, hell…! Where are you, dad?" Ron yelled to himself. He banked to one side, as the first of the gargoyles flashed by – outstretched clawed arms missing him by a matter of seconds.
"Tally ho!" Ron heard a near-distant cry. He looked up.
Coming into view was Mr Weasley, behind the steering wheel of the flying Ford Anglia – its lights piercing the gloom of the sky before it. Next to a wound-down window, sitting in the front passenger seat, was Mad Eye Moody, firing off carefully-aimed firebolt spells at the nearest pair of screeching Dementors. The edges of their billowing cloaks were lit up with flames – and they pulled away from their counter-attack, to seek the waters of the lake below, in order to recover…
As the battle commenced, with the invaders carefully flying one-handed as they fired off spells with their wands, the blue Ford Anglia caught up with the gargoyle dogging an anxious Ron.
"Now then, you rascal! Leave my son be!" Arthur Weasley cried out. He pressed his foot down on the accelerator.
'Wham!'
The stony fiend screamed as the car's bumped slammed into its wing. The impact sent the creature spiraling sideways away from Ron
"Finish 'im off, Alistor. There's a good fellow!" Mr Weasley urged him.
"Certainly, Arthur." Professor Moody's false eye swiveled round and locked onto the injured gargoyle. He pointed his wand through the opened window. "Specialis Petrificus Totalus!"
The wand fired off a white beam of light that resolved itself into an animated cord snaking around the wings and torso of the rocky assailant. Within seconds, the gargoyle's wings were bound fast.
With a piercing wail, the gargoyle fell out of the sky. It ended striking a troll's head, before bouncing off and smashing into pieces against of the school's walls.
The troll was effectively dead without even knowing what had hit it. A moment later, it too had gone down. It toppled and crashed head-first into one of the greenhouses at the eastern side of Hogwarts. The ground shook, just as the fighting broke out in full.
The final battle of Hogwarts had begun.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
Ron gave his father and Professor Moody a thumbs-up, which they returned. Seconds later, the Ford Anglia was banking in the air, as its passengers turned their attention to the Dementors still chasing after the other airborne wizards and witches.
But Ron had now sighted his destination. He turned round and yelled to the party close behind him.
"Dean – you lead your allocated team to the steps leading from the lake! Viktor, Anthony Goldstein, Marcus Belby, Michael Corner – you lot follow me!" Ron directed his broomstick towards Gryffindor tower.
As they draw closer, there was an explosion. Part of the tower roof was blasted from within. A dark-cloaked figure emerged onto the edge, where the sloping tiles stopped just before a protruding turret.
In the gloom, he was unaware of Ron slowly drawing up behind him. The man was instead gazing in astonishment at the battalion of broomstick flyers in the air. Not to mention seeing the sky blue Ford Anglia car making tight turns as it weaved a path between two Dementors.
It was one of the Death Eaters. Ron, along with the other principal Freedom Fighters, had seen prison photos in the Ministry's possession of the escaped Azkaban prisoners – and he recognised the watcher as Avery.
Suddenly, Fred and George flew by, within Ron's range of sight, aiming for the Astronomy Tower. The Death Eater gave a cry of fury, and fired off a killing curse – just missing the protesting Fred.
"Oi! Watch what you're doing, ugly!"
Ron released the breath he had just sucked in. His face turned red with anger.
Alright, Avery! Let's see if you are an avian or not!
He pushed himself on, and flew down to meet Fred's attacker from behind. The change in air movement alerted Avery – and he spun round, re-aiming his wand as he yelled in panic. But it was too late.
"What…? Agghh!"
Avery screamed as Ron's broomstick banked into a halt – in the manner of a motorcyclist – slamming into Avery. The Death Eater lost his one-handed grip on the turret, and tumbled backwards over the rim of Gryffindor tower. His lingering cry ended abruptly, upon reaching the ground below with a 'thud'.
Nope…! He's not an avian…, Ron drily mused to himself.
Moments later, Fred and George landed upon the exterior balcony high up on the Astronomy tower. They waved in gratitude to Ron.
"Nice one!" George nodded down at Avery's body. "Race you down to the ground floor, eh, little brother?"
"Watch yourselves, you two!" Ron retorted, smiling.
Once they got past the simple magical locks on the door, the twins vanished into the Astronomy tower. Ron then glanced round. The other young men he was leading had caught up with him. Their broomsticks came to a stop, and hovered feet away.
"Glad you lot got here!" he exclaimed.
"Can't lose us for too long, boss," Michael Corner laughed. His eyes moved to the hole in the Gryffindor tower roof. The others followed suit.
"Hey! I wanted to do that!" Anthony Goldstein scowled.
"A Death Eater got there ahead of me, Anthony. "Still, we stick with the plan! We go down Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers via the holes we punch into the roofs and windows! Michael and Marcus – you deal with your house, and rouse the Ravenclaws in the dormitory room. See if the kids are happy to see us or not. Deal with any confounded pupils as humanely as possible!"
"You've got it." Marcus Belby and Michael took off on their broomsticks and raced across to the West tower, home to the Ravenclaws.
"And us, and Anthony, with you. Yes?" Hans Grogan smiled at Ron.
"That's right. Down the rabbit hole, so to speak," Ron muttered.
"Lead!" Viktor Krum gestured with his head to the jagged gap in the roof. "Ve will follow."
Once they had reached the dormitory floor below, Ron, Anthony, Viktor, and Hans left their broomsticks, and draw their wands. They began to address the excited Gryffindor pupils now waking up.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
Draco Malfoy yawned and exercised his neck, as he rose from the four-posted bed. Smiling, he slipped on a dark-grey dressing gown and matching slippers – then languidly walked over to the window. He had left it open a notch, to prevent the room from getting too stuffy during the night. And in his half-dreaming state, shortly before waking up, he had fancied he'd heard one of the giants yelling.
Probably fighting amongst themselves again over the food we gave them, Draco though, snorting to himself. They shouldn't complain – after all, we killed the weakest one last week, to add to their rations…
He pulled the curtains across, and peeped out of the windows. To one side, the edge of the magically-created fog could be seen, and in the dark-blue skies of the east, there was…
Draco sharply sucked in his breath. A hiss escaped his mouth, and he was jolted into a sudden state of full alertness.
The Heir-To-Be turned and ran back to the bed. Throwing aside the blankets on the other side from where he had risen, he slapped the exposed, fat-cheeked face of Pansy Parkinson.
"Urr! Dra-cco… Owwl! Stop it!"
"Wake up, lover girl! And get dressed. NOW! We're being invaded!" he snapped.
Pansy's eyes widened as she bolted upright in the bed. "Potter…?" she gasped. "And the escaped pupils? How many?"
"Too many to count! They're flying around the school!" Draco spat. "I warned that stupid Umbridge she might force their hand, by issuing that threat to the Ministry about the Gaunt Stone. But, oh no, she had to have her gloat at her former employers!"
Dressed only in a T-shirt and knickers, Pansy shot out of bed and ran over to the window. She gave a scream of horror as he took in the bed raging outside. Meanwhile, Draco was getting changed.
Best to alert Aunt Bellatrix first, he thought. Once he was suitably attired, of course. Then he would drag Crabbe and Goyle out of bed. The two gormless dolts had failed to prevent the escape of that ridiculous hippie Professor Trelawney before Christmas, despite orders to keep a watch on her. Draco had punished his henchlings by passing them over to Fenrir Greyback to make better guards of the undynamic duo. Now Crabbe and Goyle were also obedient to Greyback, thanks to the gold collars fitted around their necks – and bound by the werewolf blood in their veins.
Draco had watched his friends transform, for the first time, during a full-moon night – with a cell door separating them. He had heard their cries of agony as their bones twisted and grated. The screams had pleased him.
Crabbe and Goyle hadn't dared to be incompetent again, after that. The two were thankfully proving to be more efficient as punishers – and on occasion, executioners – of uncooperative pupils in the new school regime under Headmistress Delores Umbridge.
And now, he, Draco Malfoy, would order his lackeys to rouse Greyback and the other werewolves, to prepare for battle.
After that… Well, Umbridge could have her beauty sleep disturbed – like the rest of them.
Too bad, thought Draco, as he slipped on the Nightshadow jet amulet over his black wizarding robes. Meanwhile, Pansy had retrieved the Solstice Star. Thanks to the information they had forced out of the comfounded Professor Flitwick, they weren't about to let the two magical stones get too close to each other…
Soon, he and Pansy were both dressed. Grabbing their wands, they bolted out to find Aunt Bellatrix and get all of their forces fighting.
Somewhere in that invading array of rag-tags would be Potter and his friends, Draco knew. He smiled, looking forward to the moment when he would finish off the Dark Lord's killer, once and for all.
It would be a pleasure to hear Harry Potter scream. At least once – just before the son of a mudblood died.