CHAPTER III – SEIZING OF A HOUSE

The Death Eaters, apparently, had discovered this small loophole. All over the house, spells were hitting everything, even though the Dark forces had not even entered yet.

Every minute, Molly's profile was changing. Her usually warm and cosy aura had changed to one displaying extreme courage and power.

Everywhere in the house, there was a state of utter confusion. Spells were destroying anything they came into contact with. If you needed to walk down a corridor, you would be braving facing at least ten things blasting apart in your face.

Hermione, who knew the most number of counterspells, ran around the house. Meanwhile, Neville, Ginny, Luna and Ron had positioned themselves at dangerous points – the windows themselves. They crouched under them and waited for a break in the inward flow of spells. That is when they sent a few good spells back. Occasionally, they were greeted with a scream or a fall.

But Neville had been hit straight in the arm by a Reductor Curse as he had been getting up for another attack. Even after Molly had hurriedly healed him, he felt very dizzy, and moreover there was a seam at the place where his arm had disconnected and then reconnected with his body. Luna, meanwhile, had been almost hit by an unknown, more sinister curse. She had used the Protego spell just a minute late, and although most of the effect was neutralized, she had several wounds and gashes.

Hermione was a remarkable sight. She darted in between advancing spells with supreme indifference, turning back to simply wave her wand and vanish or neutralize them.

Molly Weasley too was using Magic to the fullest. She moved from room to room, repairing anything she saw, wandlessly and nonverbally. She pointed her wand at any stray spell she saw and simply gave it a thrust, dissolving even the most sinister of spells to bright, colorful sparks.

As she reached the drawing room, she saw the five children oddly gathered there, looking intently on the opposite wall. Molly saw it too; the wall was shaking: the Death Eaters had taken to gaining entrance to the house.

'Hermione, doesn't your spell work for walls too?' asked Ron.

'No,' replied Hermione.

'Bloody hell, what will we do now?'

'Face them courageously, what else?' said Molly bravely.

Even as they looked, a green-and-red light pierced through the wall, and crept to all corners of it. Molly pushed the children behind her; she knew what was happening. She had seen this spell the night Gideon and Fabian had been attacked in their house.

BANG.

The wall was blasted apart just as Molly raised her wand; cloaked figures were smirking and stepping inside. Debris flew through the air everywhere, but Molly's sphere of Magic that had enclosed the six people just in time turned all approaching debris to dust.

Through the dust, they could see the advancing figures. The six people were in grave danger, and in serious need of help.