Falling with the Rain

It was midnight already and Yaxley knew that they'd receive their orders soon. He and a group of five Death Eaters were huddled on the cliff-face Hogwarts was built upon. They were only one of the many groups placed around the school, awaiting the Dark Lord's orders. They'd been planning this for months, and at last the attack was to begin.

The cold air stung Yaxley's chest and the freezing rain blew into his face. They'd been sitting there for well over four hours and his legs were starting to go numb, but he knew it would be worth it. The Dark Lord would greatly reward the invaders of Hogwarts.

"Not long now," he muttered hoarsely through chapped lips. "Not long now."

OoOoO

It was the pattering sound of the rain that kept Hannah awake that fateful night. It tapped its angry fingers on the window pane while the wind whistled through the gap. She tossed and turned many times, but it didn't work; the noise was still there.

"Stupid wind," she muttered, covering her head with the soft sheets. But the wind still howled in her ears no matter what. With a growl, Hannah sat up, drew her four-poster curtains and snatched up her wand from the bedside table.

There must be some way to block the noise, she thought, grasping the cold curtain and pulling it aside. The view from the window was blurred from the rain and the pane rattled loudly. Guessing that it wasn't shut properly, Hannah clasped the handle and pushed the window open.

The freezing night air filled her nostrils with its sweet taste and submerged her forearms like water. The strong gale played with her pigtails and made her night-dress flap around her ankles. The Hogwarts grounds stretched below her and were tinted a dark indigo colour that reminded Hannah of Ernie's favourite jumper. She smiled; it was a hideous jumper, but Ernie loved it.

She was about to slam the window shut when something caught her eye. Peering down at the ground below her, a group of five or six people were crowded behind an old oak tree. One of them was rubbing his legs furiously, while another fiddled with something on the floor. Fear tightened inside Hannah's stomach. Professor Sprout had warned them earlier in the year about a possible Death Eater attack. After Dumbledore's death, the school's defensive spells had faded away. Professor McGonagall was currently replacing them, and with great difficulty. The school wasn't going to have any form of defence for at least another week. All the prefects had been briefed about this, so had the Head boy and girl: Ernie and, Hannah remembered with a sick jolt, Pansy Parkinson. The idea of Pansy Parkinson spending hours alone with Ernie made Hannah's head spin with jealously, not that she liked to admit it.

"Close the window," muttered Susan Bones' sleepy voice, making Hannah jump. "It's getting cold."

With one last glance at the suspicious crowd, Hannah swung the window shut. The howling stopped and there was silence in the room. Wiping the rain from her arms and letting the warmth claim her again, Hannah snuggled back into her bed, ready to go back to sleep.

But she still couldn't sleep. The image of the crowd behind the oak tree kept springing up every time she closed her eyes. They could be Death Eaters, plotting to take over the school like Professor Sprout said. Why else would they be sitting outside at this time of night in this type of weather? She had to tell Professor Sprout!

Reluctant to climb out of her warm bed, Hannah shrugged the covers off and slipped through the four poster curtains again. It seemed colder this time, so she picked up her crumpled school robes from the floor and pulled them on over her night-dress. Feeling slightly warmer, Hannah picked up her wand, crept slowly across the room and soundlessly opened the door.

OoOoO

The common room was empty, as it should be at that time of night. Hannah wished that the fire was still burning, but even that had been put out, in fear that Death Eaters could travel via the Floo Network. Professor Sprout's room was through a door next to the common room, so Hannah wasted no time stumbling around in the dark. Grasping the cold handle; she turned it slowly. The door gave a loud creak, making her jump again.

"Professor Sprout?" whispered Hannah, her eyes darting around the room. "Professor Sprout?"

No answer. Feeling slightly annoyed, Hannah tried again, only louder. "Professor Sprout? Wake up! There's someone -"

"Who's there!" barked a voice behind her. Hannah screamed with shock and swung around, wand poised and her heart hammering. A beam of light shone in her face, and the voice gave out an excited exclamation.

"Hannah!" It was Ernie. "It's only you!"

The chandelier on the ceiling faded on and Hannah laughed loudly, feeling the shock wash away and new, happier emotions bubbling inside her. Ernie was wearing his usual yellow pyjamas and green nightcap. His Head boy badge was pinned clumsily to his chest.

"Ernie, you gave me a shock," giggled Hannah. She felt much warmer now Ernie was here. It was as though the cold never existed.

"That's what I was going to ask you," Ernie smiled, tucking his wand into his front pocket. "Going for a night time stroll?"

Hannah shook her head, and then explained to Ernie everything she saw through the window.

"So I was going to find Professor Sprout," she concluded, "but I looked and she isn't there."

"No, she's gone to check on the midnight roses in the Greenhouses, remember?" Ernie drew out his wand again. "That's what she told me, anyway. She should be back in a few minutes."

"This can't wait a few minutes!" exclaimed Hannah, pulling at her pigtails in frustration. "I've got to do something now. Forget Sprout, I'll go visit McGonagall and tell her, she'll know what to do."

"But if you get caught…" started Ernie.

Hannah placed her hand on his shoulder, feeling his warmth underneath her palm, "I'll explain what I've seen then. This is really important, Ernie. I didn't come back to Hogwarts just to see it invaded by Death Eaters."

Ernie's face fell, and he nodded solemnly. He hated being reminded of the several months he spent at Hogwarts without Hannah last year. "Yes, of course. I'll come with you if you want. I know the password to McGonagall's office."

Hannah smiled and let her hand fall from his shoulder. "Thank you."

OoOoO

"Sir, they're here."

Yaxley snapped out of his daze and stared groggily at the young Death Eater in front of him. "Who are?"

"The Inferi."

Yaxley stood up, sneering. Why waste valuable lives when you had an army of dead to do it instead? "Tell me, Adney, are they ready?"

Adney nodded nervously. Yaxley chuckled and glanced at the castle, the Dark Lord's orders churning in his mind. There were already a few Death Eaters stationed inside Hogwarts awaiting orders. As soon as the Inferi arrived, they would be sent army-like into Hogwarts. An unstoppable dead force would explode through the corridors, in the classrooms and within the dormitories. In their wake; he — Yaxley — and his Death Eaters would claim Hogwarts as their own. He smiled at the thought. The Dark Lord would be most impressed!

"Excellent," said Yaxley, pulling out his wand from his belt. "Get them into formation and alert the other groups. In ten minutes, our invasion will begin."

Adney scurried up the cliff face. Yaxley watched him for a few minutes before turning to the other Death Eaters lying against the cliff wall. They looked up at him with excited eyes. Yaxley resisted the urge to kick one. They'd need all their energy for the fight.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Get up you lazy bastards and get ready! The man who kills the most students gets Slytherin House."

OoOoO

The stone floor felt like ice on Hannah's feet and the chilly breeze froze her ankles, but the warm, fuzzy feeling remained. She and Ernie were halfway down the corridor, walking quickly yet silently. Every now and then, Ernie might cast a paranoid look around next corner, but no one saw or stopped them. Hannah was even beginning to enjoy their little night time venture.

"Shouldn't be far now," announced Ernie, as they reached another staircase. "Pansy and I often make the journey to McGonagall's office…"

A wave of jealous nausea suddenly struck Hannah, "Really?"

"Yes," continued Ernie, oblivious to Hannah's change of tone. "It's quite different to what it was like in Dumbledore's day. I nearly tripped over a cat toy the other… Are you alright?" Ernie stopped and turned to Hannah, worry displayed on his face.

"How much time do you spend with Pansy?" asked Hannah, a little more forcefully than she wanted.

"Erm… only at Head meetings and the odd watch," he looked at Hannah's nervous face, "but that's it."

Hannah met his eyes and felt a different, happier knot tighten in her stomach. "Are you sure?"

Ernie almost laughed, "Of course I'm sure!"

Hannah smiled, and shivered violently, "We should keep moving."

Ernie nodded, "You're right, we should hurry or -"

Suddenly, a loud crack of noise rushed around them. Ernie cried out; Hannah screamed. It was a roar of pain like no other; it was bone-chilling and unnatural. Hannah's heart was pounding and she found herself clutching Ernie's arm, burying her face into the warm cloth as the tears began leaking out of her eyes. She felt Ernie's other arm wrap around her shoulders and he pressed her against him. Hannah felt his rapidly beating heart vibrate within his chest and his whole body shiver with fear. The sound was getting louder and Hannah wrapped both her arms around Ernie, feeling the warmth of his body and letting his smell fill her nostrils. She'd never been this close to Ernie. Then again, she'd never been this afraid around him.

Then, it stopped. There was complete silence in the hall, except for Ernie's heavy breathing. Then he drew away from her, almost reluctantly, and gripped her hand, pulling her down the corridor.

"This is an invasion," chocked Ernie, his face pale.

"What?"

"That wasn't any old cry. That was the cry of the Inferi," Ernie let go of her hand and sprinted towards a hideous gargoyle halfway down the corridor. Hannah caught him up as the gargoyle stepped aside, smirking mischievously.

"No way! What would Inferi be doing…" but her voice trailed off as, with a horrible cold punch, she realised that she was right all along. "The Death Eaters… they're attacking Hogwarts, aren't they?"

"Yes, now hurry!" Ernie took one step forward, but stopped.

Hannah snarled with frustration, "Don't stop, Ernie! Just -"

"There will be no need for that, Miss Abbott," said a stern, yet calm voice. Hannah looked up and saw Professor McGonagall standing in the doorway. She was wearing her dressing gown and her glasses were askew. Hannah felt relief flood through her, washing away her fury. Now that McGonagall was awake, everything will be alright.

McGonagall cast a furious look at Hannah and Ernie, before whisking out her wand.

"Get into my office now!" she barked, grabbing hold of Hannah's robes and pushing her towards the entrance. "Why are you both -?"

"Professor, the castle is under attack!" yelled Ernie, stepping sideways to block Professor McGonagall. There was no time for this. "They've got Inferi and -"

"I know it is! I thank you for your consideration, Macmillan, but right now you two are in remarkable danger. Now get into my office before the Death Eaters arrive!" McGonagall shook her wand dangerously at Ernie. He didn't move.

"Ernie, please!" pleaded Hannah. She could feel the hysteria stirring up inside her again. She wanted to be safe and warm back in her own dormitory or at least in her house, anywhere but in the middle of a cold corridor with Inferi rushing towards them.

"We can help you," insisted Ernie. "We were both members of the DA two years ago. We know how to fight." Hannah saw that his lips were pressed and his arm was shaking.

McGonagall opened her mouth to answer, but she ran out of time.

It all happened so fast. There was a yell; a scream and red light danced around the corridor. Then Hannah felt McGonagall push her into the study. Hannah cried out and tripped over a small step in the entrance. She landed on the stone cold floor painfully and heard the gargoyle grate back into place.

"NO!" Hannah leapt up and winced. Her leg was bruised. "Ernie! Ernie where are you?"

Ernie wasn't in the study with her.

OoOoO

"WHAT?" Yaxley roared, his eyes blazing and face twisted.

"I — I'm sorry, sir," stuttered Adney, shaking slightly, "but we think it's one of the new Hogwarts defences.

Yaxley stared down at the pile of ash that had once been a blood-thirsty Inferi. He snarled and kicked it, spraying the ash into the blustering gale. It, along with all the other Inferi, had burst aflame as soon as they stepped inside Hogwarts School. Dolohov gritted his teeth, the Dark Lord would be furious with him.

"New plan," he barked at Adney. "We go inside ourselves now, and attack the teachers. There are only a few of them, so it should be easy. Then break into the common rooms and round up the students. If any of them resist, kill them. Any questions?"

"Can we use Sectumsempra?" Adney suddenly smiled.

"Snape didn't teach it to us for nothing," barked Yaxley. "Any other questions? Good, now do the Dark Lord proud!"

OoOoO

It was with a heavy heart that Hannah climbed up the stairs to McGonagall's office. The gargoyle refused to let her out. 'Headmistress' orders' he'd muttered, and refused to budge. There had been silence through the door anyway, she thought, as she miserably hiked up the stairs. Her left side ached from the hard stone and tears swirled in her eyes. She was afraid.

"Ernie," she whispered again. Her chest hurt with fear. Stupid Ernie! He was out there fighting for his life. Hannah saw how terrified he looked; he was in trouble.

At this thought, she finally reached the top of the staircase and faced a large wooden door. She pushed it open gently and looked inside.

Hannah hadn't been in Dumbledore's office since he died. It was still the same circular structure, but the unusual objects and items were gone. The curtains were now tartan and piles of paper were stacked neatly on the table next to a small mirror. A cat basket sat in the corner and a chunky book sat next to it, open at 'chapter 13'. It was a lot neater and emptier than in Dumbledore's day, and less interesting.

Hannah flung open the curtains, but the pane was completely blotched from the rain. Feeling frustrated, Hannah grabbed at the handle and tried to push it open. It stuck fast.

"Come on!" she snarled, banging against the freezing glass. "Open, for God's sake! Alohomora!"

The window still didn't budge. Hannah pulled at her pigtails in frustration and turned around — staring straight into the mirror on McGonagall's desk.

It was like staring into another world. The mirror's glass seemed to fade away, and Hannah was faced with a blanched world. Dull grey fog tumbled over itself as it crossed sides. The ground was ash black with crinkled dead flowers scattered among the dark grass. Up ahead, near the horizon, a small lump protruded out of the ground. Slowly the mirror's vision moved forward towards the lump. Whatever it was, Hannah knew she didn't want to see it. She began to feel afraid again and tried to back away, but she couldn't. The mirror held her gaze like glue. Her eyes were stuck to the picture. The lump came closer and closer, out of focus and as dark as the night.

Then the edges sharpened, and colour exploded into the vision. It was a boy, around Hannah's age, lying on the grass. His hair covered his eyes and it was impossible to tell what he was wearing. His whole body was covered head to foot in blood.

Then it dawned on Hannah.

"Ernie," she whispered. "No. Please… NO!" and with an Earth-shattering scream, she raised her fist and smashed the mirror.

OoOoO

It wasn't going well. Yaxley cursed as another spell whizzed past his right ear and smashed against the opposite wall. He was hiding behind an upturned desk. It was terrible shelter, but it was exceptional circumstances.

"Hurry up!" he snarled at Adney, who was running towards him. He was carrying a large, bronze trophy.

"What's that?" Yaxley jabbed his finger at the trophy.

"We can melt it down and -"

"Idiot! Drop it! It'll slow us down!" Adney sighed with disappointment and did just that, propping it up against the wall. "What should we do now?" he asked.

Yaxley groaned. Things had been going from bad to worse ever since the Inferi had incinerated. At first they'd outnumbered the Hogwarts staff, but then a blunder by one of the teams had cost them dearly. Now half of the Death Eaters were lying dead in the lake. Slowly, they were being picked off one-by-one.

Then something caught Yaxley's eye. Hiding behind a corner, shooting a spell out every few seconds, was a young man of around seventeen. He was chubby and had a ridiculous green nightcap. Yaxley smiled; it was a student.

"See that boy over there," he pointed him out to Adney.

"What about him?"

"We're going to capture him."

"What?"

"If we can't capture the castle," hissed Yaxley menacingly, "then we might as well kill ourselves now! The Dark Lord will have our heads! If we bring back a student…"

Yaxley's voice trailed off as he eased himself upwards, his eyes staring hungrily at the boy like a lion analyzing its prey.

"Sir, I don't think -"

"Don't think, you idiot," snapped Yaxley. "After him!"

And with that, he leapt forward and sprinted around the corner, Ernie's image imprinted in his mind.

OoOoO

Ernie ran along the corridor, his eyes darting left and right. Death Eaters were everywhere, but now their attack was waning. Ernie had felled at least five of the buggers. He smiled; wait until he told Hannah!

Confident that there were no Death Eaters around, he slumped down next to a suite of armour; leaning his head against the cold metal. The thought of Hannah made him feel all warm and snug inside. His mind kept drifting to that moment when Hannah had clung to him. She'd felt so warm and soft against his body, and her hair had tickled against his cheek. He'd never hugged his friend like that. He'd never felt about his friend like that. Before it had been like a forbidden zone; a quarantined area he'd dared not to venture into. But somehow that embrace had smashed down the boundaries.

It was then that he realised, with a thumping heart and a rush of Euphoria; that he was in love with Hannah Abbott.

"Gotcha!" roared a voice, and Ernie was jerked back into reality by a growling voice. A Death Eater!

Ernie reached for his wand, but the Death Eater kicked it away. Grasping Ernie's arm with a painful grip, he pulled him upright and twisted his arm back. Ernie cried out with pain.

"Silencio!" the Death Eater yelled. Ernie felt as if someone had just ripped his throat out. His lips formed the words, but nothing came out. Panic began to pound in his chest.

"Oh, so you did find him, sir."

Ernie looked up to see another Death Eater, but he was smaller and his features were younger. Ernie guessed that he was a little bit older than himself.

"Indeed I did, Adney" the older Death Eater twisted Ernie's arm further. Ernie felt tears of frustration begin to well in his eyes. He recognised the older Death Eater as Jonathon Yaxley, a mass murderer who'd evaded capture for a long time.

"Aw, look," patronised Yaxley. "The little fat kid is crying."

"What are we supposed to do now, then?" questioned Adney.

Yaxley nodded towards the window at the end of the corridor, "We escape into the woods."

OoOoO

Fear and anger rushed through Hannah's veins. She couldn't stay here! She had to get out of her; to save Ernie who was dying.

Kicking the cat basket out of the way, Hannah snatched up the open book beside it and ran towards the window. She held the book up high and brought it down on the window glass. With a loud shatter, the window pane broke into a thousand pieces, scattering onto the floor and slashing at Hannah's arms. She winced at the pain, but that had to wait. The freed wind blew in her face and the cold rain stabbed at her skin. Eyes squinted; she pulled out her wand and yelled: "Roperius!"

A single, gold rope sprung out of the tip of her wand. Hannah watched it fall until it hit the bottom, before tugging at the wand tip to remove the other end. Tying it firmly to the leg of the desk, Hannah climbed onto the window sill. She broke away the remaining glass with the book, careful not to cut her hands. After sufficient room was created for Hannah to climb out, she turned backwards, grabbed the rope with both hands and — heart pounding — she began to ease her way down the wall. It was far from easy. The wind made the rope sway dangerously, and the rain made everything slippery. Hannah was terrified that she'd slip and fall to her death, but the thought of Ernie kept her going.

OoOoO

"Look there!" Yaxley laughed as he stuck his head out of the window. "Someone's kindly made us an escape route."

He pointed to the golden rope swaying beside the window. It had appeared out of nowhere, and Yaxley saw it as a sign of good fortune.

"Make fatty go first," he prodded Ernie, whose hands were tied firmly behind his back.

"I can't cling onto the rope!" croaked Ernie, his voice was coming back. "You'll have to un-tie me!"

Yaxley laughed, sending shivers down Ernie's spine. "Sorry fatso, but you're not escaping that easily!"

He turned to Adney, "Throw him down."

"What?" Adney looked horrified. "No way! He'll die!"

"Don't be stupid," snapped Yaxley. "We're only two floors up, and with all that fat, he'll bounce like a rubber ball!"

"But Sir -"

"Do it!"

Ernie took a deep breath. He wasn't going to give them the pleasure of screaming or yelling like a three year old. "Throw me down if you want, but I'll just run away."

"Not if Adney goes first, now hurry up!"

Sighing, Adney slipped through the window and eased himself down.

"See? Now your turn," with a lurch and a push, Yaxley grabbed Ernie and flung him through the window. Ernie couldn't help it, he screamed.

"Ernie!"

OoOoO

Hannah saw his head through the window, and couldn't believe what she was seeing. With a yell, Hannah saw him fall.

"Ernie!" she let go of the rope in horror, and found herself falling with him. Before she knew it, both of them landed painfully in a large bush below. The twigs scratched Hannah's face and became tangled in her hair, but none of that mattered. Wrapping her arms around Ernie, she dragged him out of the bush. The rain pelted down even harder and the ground became soft mud, streaking Hannah's night-dress and robes.

"Ernie you idiot!" she yelled, tears streaming down her eyes. "Why did you do that? Why did you lock me in the office?"

"The Professor did that and I — I wanted to protect you…" Ernie stammered. "I stunned five Death Eaters, you know, and none of them…"

But before he could finish, Hannah kissed him.

Suddenly, a volt of pain jolted through Hannah's side. Spinning around, Hannah came face-to-face with Adney.

"Step away from him," he ordered, his wand pointed at Hannah's chest.

Hannah grabbed for her wand, but it slipped out of her hand. It landed next to Ernie, who was struggling with the rope around his wrists; his heart almost exploding with fear.

"I said step away from him!" Adney roared again.

Something inside Hannah snapped. The mirror's image floated into her mind again, clearer than ever. Slowly, she stood up in front of Ernie and spread her arms wide.

"Never," she hissed, sounding braver than she felt. "You'll have to kill me first."

"Hannah NO!" Ernie struggled harder against his bonds, flexing and pulling the rope. "Hannah! Please!"

Hannah stood defiant, her jaw set and determination pouring out of her eyes.

There was a loud yell and a horrible crack. Hannah's rope had worn away while Yaxley was climbing down. It was with a blunted shock that they realised that the crack was the sound of his neck breaking.

Rage banging inside him, Adney yelled the first spell that sprung in his head, "Sectumsempra!"

Ernie barely saw it. There was a blood-curdling scream — Hannah's scream. Rose-coloured blood smeared onto Ernie's face. "NO!"

Hannah cried out from the pain. Her blood fell onto the grass below and sunk into her clothes. She could hear Ernie yelling; she had to protect him.

Using every effort in her body, every muscle and every ounce of will, Hannah stood back up. The pain was unbearable but she resisted it. She had to resist it.

"I'm not moving that easily," she snarled, blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth.

Adney raised his wand again. Ernie's bonds finally snapped and he lunged for Hannah's wand.

"Stupefy!" he screamed

"Sectumsempra!" roared Adney.

Who was faster?

Ernie was too slow. Hannah screamed again and crumpled to the ground. Adney was hit by the red beam. It thumped painfully against his chest, before he sunk to the floor.

Ernie threw the wand down, and ran over to Hannah. Tears flowed freely from his eyes and his heart was squirming rapidly in his throat.

She can't be dead, he thought. She can't be! I love her too much! Please… please God... let her live...

"Hannah!" He fell by her side as Hannah opened her eyes slowly. Relief poured through Ernie. She was alive!

"Ernie…" she could barely whisper. "Ernie… I tried… I tried so hard…"

"Hold on, Hannah," Ernie lifted her up into his arms. Her blood coated his sleeves and she whimpered with pain. In his arms, she felt like a broken rag doll; so limp and so light. She stared at him with misty eyes. A small smile played feebly on her lips.

"Ernie…" she rested her head in the crook of his elbow and gripped his bloodstained top. Every breath she took; every word she said was an effort. "Ernie… I… I love…"

He felt it in his arms; her last, shuddering breath. Every nerve in Ernie's body was screaming at her to live. She couldn't die! He hadn't told her!

"Hannah! I love you!" It all rushed out, like a river's dam finally broken. "I've loved you since the day we met, and I'll keep on loving you until the day I die! You're everything to me! I can't survive without you! I… can't…"

But Hannah did not stir. She looked so peaceful like that; like she was sleeping. Only sleeping, and any moment now, she'd wake up, all alive and laughing like nothing had happened.

Ernie wrapped his arms around her, pressed his head against hers, and cried. While up ahead, the rain kept falling down like nothing had happened.

The End