The Dust rolled through Hogsmeade, a town now filled with debris and waste. It had once been a lively little community, with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Young Wizards would queue up outside Zonko's joke shop, eager to pull a prank on one of their fellow class mates. Drunken men would try and charm the waiter at the three broomsticks into a drink, but only to receive a slap on the cheek. And where Harry Potter and his friends would escape from the stifling castle for some fresh air. But all this is but a vague memory now, Ever since the Martians arrived.
"Move it" Harry exclaimed when Ron, lifting a table out of three broomsticks, tripped on a root of Red Weed and fell into the snow.
"Easy on Harry, the Martian patrols won't be here for another couple of days, remember what Luna said, they're in Kent, rounding up those muggles" Ron, gasping for breath muttered.
"I just want to be ready, remember what happened to Hermione" Harry said, on the verge of tears.
"Yea, but just because she's dead, doesn't mean you have to start pounding pressure on me, now that there's one less person". Ron was getting agitated now, working himself into a fight.
"Let's just get this job done and see what the morning brings, ok?"
"All right mate lets get some sleep" Ron muttered sarcastically.
And with the last words they pulled the table into the remains of Zonko's joke shop and apparated into The Burrow.
They flew in tight formation, three firebolts speeding over London. A Tripod loomed up ahead, oblivious to the speeding trio approaching from behind. Harry pulled the nose of his broomstick upwards and felt the wind rushing around his head come to a standstill, his friends (Ron and Hermione) did the same. As he unsheathed his wand to cast the reductor curse, the tripod turned on its three spindly legs to face him. Its heat-ray lit up in the familiar way as it prepared to fire a jet of molten heat towards him. He only had time to mouth a scream before the heat engulfed him. But it was not Harry that was hit, as he heard an all too recognisable scream next to him. The heat beam slammed into Hermione and within five short seconds she was no more.
Harry James Potter woke up suddenly, his forehead beaded with small droplets of sweat. He pulled back the covers and silently fully moved past Ron who was dreaming about the chudley cannons, muttering things like: "you've got the quaffle, SHOOT!" and such happy dreams that Harry could not muster for himself.
He moved down the hallway past the Twins rooms but heard no snoring as they had been crushed by Big Ben falling when the Martians launched their storm through London two years previously.
With a tap of his wand the shower instantly began gushing out hot water and it took an hour under the most scalding heat he could withstand before his hands stopped shaking after the horrible nightmare.
Remus Lupin moved cautiously through High street in London, wand out. He had been stalking a Martian handling machine for the past three hours as it made its way through the various charred streets and avenues of southern London. Remus came up behind a rubbish can and aimed at the bronze machine gathering bodies off the streets and placing them into its basket.
He pushed all his magic into the front of his arm and fired off a Diffindo cutting charm hitting the contraption below the left leg. It turned awkwardly towards him and emitted and strange sound like "Ulaah!", before it launched a beam him with its deadly heat ray, he ducked and rolled to the side into wall.
Unfortunately the force of his body weight hitting the wall resulted in the loose structure of the building crumbling and as wooden beam landed on his leg. Remus screamed out in agony and propped himself up against the broken wall and fired 'Nukeatias' a military-grade spell that he had learnt from the Australian ministry task force.
The curse out a steady beam of yellow light that pushed the Martian into the building 'Crandal&Sons" and then exploded with astonishing force. Pieces of Martian Flesh, drops of alien blood, bits of gravel rained down, but the deluge eventually trailed off. Before him was a smoking crater, almost thirty feet across.
He agonisingly pulled his leg free from the beam and hurried away into a nearby alley. Those Martian squads would be all over him soon.
After his shower Harry couldn't go back to sleep, so he pulled on some flying gear, grabbed his Firebolt 360 and moved out to the orchard behind the Burrow. The sky was blue, there was minimal wind, in other words it was almost perfect flying weather.
As Harry mounted his broom he thought of Ginny, and how she would be doing in Rome, helping out the remnants of the Italian ministry deal with the Martian Invasion.
He tried a few Wronski Feints and then landed near the kitchen. Hedwig was waiting for him with a letter attached to his leg. He carefully unrolled the weather-beaten parchment and spread it flat on the windowsill.
It read:
Rome
To Harry James Potter
Dear Harry,
I have to make this short as a Martian Handling machine has been spotted moving towards our position. The Martians have pushed their advance as there is an aluminium mine south of our position. I hope that everything in England is underhand?. Well if so i hope to be home before the year is out. Give Ronald my love.
Your Love,
Ginny Weasley.
Harry left the letter for Ron and started preparing breakfast. Thinking of what he was going to tell Remus.
A/N