Disclaimer: None of the characters from the Harry Potter series belong to me, only new characters I have created within this story.
A/N: Many thanks to my beta
Harry was standing at one end of a massive room, about that same size as Hogwarts' Great Hall. Large bookshelves lined the walls on either side. The ceiling itself was high and arched, four oak pillars splitting from the middle of it, making their way down to the wooden floor, creating corners to a large golden rectangle in the centre of the room.
Approaching the rectangle, Harry could see its fine detail. Lines of pure gold twisted and curved their way around the pillars and onto the floor, where they spread out to form the rectangle. Gold and silver stars were dotted around these gold lines. Focusing on the middle of platform, Harry could see a large gold circle surrounding the gold inlay of the Ministry of Magic logo. At the opposite end of the room, in long black robes similar to Harry's, stood Hermione; her wand was drawn. Harry drew his, and they both stepped past the gold lines onto the rectangle.
A woman's stern voice echoed out from nowhere.
"Welcome, prospective candidates. Yesterday, you each sat three theoretical examinations. Each of these exams put your minds to the test. I am pleased to report, you passed those tests.
"And now is the time for your final challenge. This shall test whether you can put the theories you have learned into good practice. The two of you in the hall need to work together to overcome your obstacles. This is all the information I shall give you."
Harry looked at Hermione. She looked more relaxed after hearing this – she had previously worried they would need to fight each other, as did he.
"The test – begins!"
As soon as the last word was spoken, the floor beneath them shook violently, and the rectangle started to rise up. It continued to rise until it left the floor altogether, becoming a ten inch thick massive solid oak platform hovering over the ground, eventually stopping twenty feet in the air, as stable as it would have been were it still secured to the ground.
They both looked to the circle in the middle of the platform, and ran towards it. Back-to-back would make it much easier for them to defend themselves from attack. They didn't make it five paces before their first attacker apparated into the circle, firing three stunning spells at Harry as he materialised.
Protego! Harry screamed inside his head, allowing him to block the first two beams of red light before diving to the floor to avoid the third. As he looked up, he saw his attacker turn to Hermione, who had already fired a jinx, striking him square in the face. Turning back towards Harry, the attacker tried to aim his wand through swelling eyes.
"Expelliarmus!"
The red beam of light Harry had unleashed struck the attacker's wand, knocking it out of his hand and over the edge of the platform. Before Hermione could move to freeze him to the spot, he disapparated.
Harry pushed himself to his feet and dusted off his robes. "Nice jinx!"
"Similar to the one I hit you with in the forest all those years ago." She smiled warmly. "Try not to speak the spells though Harry – it gives the enemy a better chance to block them." She tightened her grip on her wand. "I doubt this is over yet."
Turning their attention back to the centre ring, they moved towards it again. This time they barely moved two paces before three figures apparated inside the circle – two men and a woman – each wearing silver Death Eater masks. But Harry and Hermione both had their wands raised and ready this time.
Petrificus Totalus! A grey mist shot from Harry's wand and hit the lead Death Eater in the chest, causing him to seize up as stiff as a board before falling backwards. Hermione had sent a stunning spell at the second Death Eater, knocking her to the ground with a thud.
The third Death Eater took his chance. Having that extra time while his two comrades fell paralysed, he moved his wand in a series of complicated flicks and twists before firing a small, shiny black ball from his wand.
"PROTEGO!" Harry screamed at the top of his lungs, slashing his wand upwards as he dived to his left. The shielding charm was so powerful the ball bounced back at an intense speed, glowing with heat as it whizzed past the Death Eater, missing him by mere inches and burrowing itself deep into the wall at the other end of the room. The Death Eater was knocked sideways by the force of the deflection, nearly falling out of the centre ring.
"Take this! And that! You dirty, filthy, scoundrel!" Harry looked up to see Hermione sending nearly every curse in her arsenal at the Death Eater, who was surprisingly managing to stay within the circle, moving himself back to the centre as he defended himself. Getting back up, Harry pointed his wand and began firing spells of his own.
Stupify! Confundo! Reducto! Expelliarmus!
At last a spell struck, knocking the wand out of the Death Eater's hand. But he must have been expecting his downfall. As the spell struck, the Death Eater spun to disapparate, taking his wand and the other two Death Eaters with him.
"Are you ok Harry?" Hermione asked, running up and hugging him quickly.
"Yeah, I'm ok. Are you?"
"Of course, I'm fine! Don't worry about me! Did that spell hit you?" she asked frantically while spinning him around, checking for wounds.
"No, I'm fine Hermione. Honestly. What was that spell he used anyway?"
"A particularly nasty concoction of dark magic." Hermione sighed. "Draculos Inferno. It could have killed you if it struck!"
Harry stood, dumbstruck. "But I thought deadly spells were forbidden in this test?"
"They are. That contestant just got himself kicked off the course at the last hurdle… if he was even a contestant."
"What? You think he is a real Death Eater?"
"Maybe… I don't know, Harry… But he did just use a very complex piece of dark magic." She turned back towards the centre ring, focusing once more on the task at hand. "I think I know what we have to do."
"Good, 'cause I don't!"
"Don't you see, Harry? Each time we've approached that circle, we've been attacked. Try to apparate." Harry spun on the spot. "See! We can't apparate outside that circle. We need to get inside it and apparate. That'll move us to our next challenge."
"Ok," Harry said, preparing to run towards the centre ring. "On the count of three then?" Hermione prepared to run. "One… two… three!"
Together, they bolted towards the circle. They were just two feet from it when a black portal opened up from within, blasting the two friends backwards as Dementors flooded through it into the hall.
Jumping to his feet, Harry ran over to Hermione as she struggled to get up. Dementors came swooping in from all sides. As he reached her, Harry lifted up his wand and yelled "Expecto Patronum!"
A silvery-white stag erupted from Harry's wand and flew straight at the oncoming Dementors, driving them back. Lightning fast, the stag ran a perimeter around Harry and Hermione, blasting back any Dementor that tried to break through.
"There must be at least a hundred of them," Harry noted as he observed the massive room, now practically filled with Dementors. He helped Hermione to her feet. "Are you ok?"
"Yes, I'm good. Thanks Harry." Hermione straightened her robes and pointed her wand at the Dementors, a fierce look in her eyes. "Expecto Patronum!"
An otter exploded from her wand and propelled itself forwards, driving more Dementors back while creating a path to the circle.
"You're incredible Hermione!" Harry exclaimed as they walked forwards towards the circle. His patronus continued to keep Dementors at bay.
As they reached the circle their patronuses disappeared, but the Dementors did not move. They were protected within the glistening golden circle.
"Right," Hermione said, keeping an eye on the Dementors as she thought. "Where do we apparate to?"
"I have an idea," Harry said, taking Hermione's hand. "Fancy a trip to The Burrow?"
/ - / - / - /
Harry and Hermione apparated into a field of thick, tall grass. It was night, the stars twinkling away high above. But it was not the usual marshy plains that led to The Burrow. This was unusual terrain.
"Lumos," Harry and Hermione whispered together. Light shone from the tips of their wands, revealing a single dirt track leading into the grass in front of them.
"Harry," Hermione muttered. "I don't think I need to tell you that this is not The Burrow…"
"Yeah… I noticed." He started to walk down the dirt track. "Come on."
They followed the track for ten minutes, eventually coming to a large clearing. The grass was cut short here, and they had a beautiful view of the full moon above them.
As they entered the clearing, a dark figure apparated in the centre ahead of them. They stopped short, wands raised and ready.
"Hold it right there!" Harry ordered. The figure started to walk towards them. "I said don't move!"
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Mr Potter, put your wand down before you take someone's eye out!"
They both lowered their wands.
"Professor McGonagall?" Hermione asked, surprised to hear the old Transfirguration teacher's voice.
"Good to see you too, Miss Granger," McGonagall noted as she became visible in their wandlight. She was wearing a dark green cloak over similar-coloured robes. Her wand was clutched in her right hand.
"Um, Professor, did you bring us here?" Harry asked.
"Yes, Potter, I did. We all have a lot to discuss." Harry and Hermione looked at McGonagall curiously. "I know you were both finishing the first stage of your practical examination to become Aurors, but this is… this is huge!" As she said that, a green flash shot into the sky behind them. Turning around, they saw the Dark Mark form in the sky above them.
"As you both entered the centre circle in your test, you became full-fledged Aurors." McGonagall advised. "But the three opponents you faced half way through your test were not other candidates in disguise." She looked up at the sky and sighed sadly. "They were Death Eaters…"
A/N - Draculos Inferno is a dark spell I have created that can cause serious/fatal injury on its target
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