Chapter Eighteen:
The Traitors
Once inside Hogwarts itself, Harry, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Charlotte, and Tonks quickly debated amongst themselves where to go.
There was no immediate sign of opposition in the first of the ground-floor corridors, but the werewolves in the group could better hear the sounds of commotion in the distance than their human friends.
Harry wanted to get to the set of staff rooms he had shared with Ron during the autumn, in order to retrieve his invisibility cloak, his Firebolt, and – most importantly – the Marauder's Map, which would reveal the movements of everyone in the castle. Tonks, however, was naturally eager to find Remus Lupin.
"Professor Trelawney told me that he was being held in a storage room which had been converted into a dungeon," Tonks informed the party, as her hair started changing colour again, in her agitation. "It's not far from here!"
Harry considered this, and then exchanged glances with Hermione and Luna. There was a moment of unspoken, shared communication between the three of them.
"Professor Lupin is our pack leader," Luna stated matter-of-factly. "Ron said to us, last night, he felt he was still alive. We have to rescue him. And soon."
"Hermione?" Harry turned to her. She had stopped, and seemed to be focusing inwards. Suddenly, she looked at Harry and smiled. "Ron's close by. I can sense him, coming down from one of the towers. His plan was to get into Gryffindor Tower, after all. Look's like that werewolf psychic theory of yours, is good, Luna!"
"Okay…," Harry pondered. "Do you want to go to Ron, Hermione?"
She looked relieved. "If it's fine by you guys! I'll tell Ron where you are all going. See if we can join up together!"
Neville flashed her a smile. "Don't worry about us – we'll be alright." But he crossed the fingers of his free hand – until Charlotte scowled and nudged him.
"Good luck!" Hermione called out to them. Then she ran off for the nearest stairwell, following her werewolf-enhanced intuition.
"You too!" Harry then turned to Tonks. "Lead on!"
"Right… This way!" She led the remaining band of Freedom Fighters along a side corridor…
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
En route, the team managed to ambush another Dementor floating around the ground floor. Whilst the younger members of the party each used their Patronus charm to corner the wraith, it was Tonks, her emotions heightened by the hope of being reunited with Professor Lupin, who managed to destroy the Dementor with the force of her magic.
After that, they all followed her down to a basement area that Harry had not visited before – though he, Ron, and Hermione had learnt about it, since their return to Hogwarts last September. The large chamber contained a permanently-heated Turkish bath, for the use of the staff.
Harry's eyes took in the richly-tiled room and hot waters. The fragrant smells filled the nostrils of them all, especially the werewolves present.
"Over here!" Tonks urged them on, heading to the far side of the chamber where there was a thick barred metal door. Using the skeleton keys taken from Mundungus, Tonks got the door unlocked. It squealed on its hinges as she pushed it open.
"Remus!"
Harry's nose was still twitching, after being assailed by the scents of the bath oils. By the time he had entered the shabby, bare stonewalled chamber, Tonks had dashed across to the half-starved prisoner chained by his hands to the far wall. The latter stirred, lifting his unshaven, scarred and dirty face to squint at the young woman before him with red-rimmed eyes. Harry smelt the grime, and the sense of despair and rage, on the captive. To add further insult to injury, the man was wearing the type of clothes that an Azkaban prisoner would wear. Harry remembered hearing about a typical day in Azkaban from Sirius' talks about his experiences in that hellish place.
"Nym… Nymphadora?" Professor Lupin croaked.
"Yes – it's me!" Tonks soon freed the prisoner from his chains – then flung herself around Lupin, and kissed him passionately as they slid down to the floor. For once, she didn't object to being called by her full first name.
When she finally allowed him to speak again, Professor Lupin gasped for water. Anticipating this, Tonks opened up her knapsack and carefully raised a plastic bottle to his parched lips – then fed him some dried meat. Slowly getting his strength back, Lupin cast his eyes around at Harry, Luna, Charlotte, and Neville.
Harry stepped forward and hugged the joint-DADA teacher – his pack leader. "It's great to see you again, Remus! We're in the process of taking back the school…"
"Are you now…? I'm glad to hear it, Harry… And it's good to see you alive again, too! Damn Fenrir… He told me you were dead… I mourned for you – like a father for his son." Lupin shuddered, and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I… I heard about Ginny… I'm so sorry, Harry. I felt like I lost a daughter. At least Minerva persuaded the Death Eaters for Ginny to be cremated. It was heartbreaking to watch…"
Harry swallowed back the lump in his throat. "I'm… I'm coming to terms with losing her, Professor. She sacrificed herself, to save countless others." He managed a small smile. "But you have other daughters, now. As well as other sons."
Puzzled for a moment, Lupin sniffed the air. His lips quivered as he took in Luna's scent.
The young witch grinned, then curtsied before him.
"You're my pack leader, as well, Professor. Hermione's too!"
"My word… Luna Lovegood? Hermione? You two are kindred, as well?"
"Yes. And you have other sons besides Harry and Ron…," Luna pointed out.
"Er… Sorry to interrupt… But – what's this?" Neville called out.
The rest of them turned round. Neville had spied a large gemstone set behind the opened cell door. It was pulsating with a soft white light.
"Oh… I forgot about that…" Lupin's face fell. "It's a magical sensor! We need to get out! Before…"
There was a sudden distortion of the air inside the large cell room. Then several people materialised – along with a pink-coloured Wellington boot.
"Stupefy!"
"Expelliarmus!"
Harry and his friends were struck before they could fire first. Neville and Charlotte were slammed into the nearest wall by the force of the spells hitting them – whilst the other would-be rescuers found themselves disarmed. Their wands fell to the floor, out of reach.
"Down on your knees! All of you – now!"
Harry, Tonks, and Lupin glared at the welcoming committee – but complied. Luna's eyes were merely wider than usual. She calmly sank down with the others. Meanwhile, Neville and Charlotte looked as though they were both unconscious.
On the other end of the poised wands were four newcomers. The gruff speaker was a rangy-looking, tall man, with dirty hair and yellowing fingernails, dressed in loose-fitting dark clothing.
"You are so predictable – you soft-hearted fools!" Fenrir Greyback leered at them. He bared his large, crooked teeth, as he grinned.
Next to him were two ex-pupils. Harry and Luna exchanged startled glances at each other, then turned their faces back towards the expressionless gaze of the tawny-haired young woman that was Lavender Brown, dressed in a smart lilac dress and pastel-coloured blouse. Her eyes bore a flicker of recognition as she stared back at Harry's party – but it was clear that she had been comfounded.
No gold collar on her, though…, thought Harry. Her scent's human… Same with this git…
His jaw tightened as he turned to see the alert, grinning face of Zacharias Smith, who was wearing the black robes of a Death Eater.
"Oh, hullo Zacharias. You were in Dumbledore's Army!" Luna declared, matter-of-factly. "Why are you here? Have Wrackspurts fuzzed up your brain?"
"Far from it, Loony Lovegood!" the former Hufflepuff pupil declared. "Dumbledore's Army was effectively over when the old man died. And I'm not going to be on the side of the losers! When our lot turn the tide today, the wizards and witches of this country will recognise our authority. And I'll be one of the high-flyers in the new Ministry of Magic within a matter of years – more senior than the Professor's new secretary besides me… Just you wait and see!"
"Hem, hem," the final member of the team of captors gave a little cough. "Ahh, Mr Smith… I doubt that they will live that long…" She smiled serenely, triumphantly, at Lupin and the Freedom Fighters.
"All that effort – and still you fail the ultimate exam, Mr Potter." Delores Umbridge turned her full attention to Harry. Her eyes became cold. Murderous.
"There will be no chance for a retake, you understand," she added softly.
Harry's heart raced as he stared back, with hate, at the toad-like ex-Ministry official. A quick glance at the floor told him that he, Luna, or Tonks had only to dive aside and retrieve their wands, about six feet away from their current, rooted position. In their eyes, he could see the ladies weighing up the options too.
The door to the room was still open…
We'll be cut down before we could fire back, he thought bitterly. But if we all moved together, in different directions…, to confuse them… Maybe one of us would survive…
"So," Luna suddenly asked. Her dreamy-sounding voice was in stark contrast to her pounding heartbeat, Harry noted with his werewolf-enhanced hearing. "What do you intend to do now, Professor Umbridge? For someone who officially told us Lord Voldemort had not returned as a threat, you're awfully happy to work with his servants!"
Umbridge flinched at the Dark Lord's name. Her shallow, fixed smile slipped for a moment.
"She does what we ask her to!" Fenrir barked. "The Professor knew that the best provision for her future was to fall in with us, and be Headmistress of the improved regime at Hogwarts!"
"That is so true!" Umbridge purred. "And soon the great plan – the utilisation of the Gaunt Stone – will wipe out all unprotected, impure, human life for miles and miles from here. After that, the whole of this Mudblood-stained country will become governed by Ms Lestrange and her nephew – the Regent. It will be an end to the follies and destructive ways of the Muggle race. Why do you wish to impede the onset of order, of progress, children?"
"We've seen and felt your ideas of order!" Harry snarled. He tensed his fist, and showed the back of it before Umbridge's eyes. The sight of the still-present marks there, caused by Umbridge's magic when she forced Harry to write lines, made the Headmistress stiffen.
"You have never apologised for your treatment of me, and my friends, Professor. I told the truth about Voldemort's return to power. But, oh no, swallowing your pride and admitting you were in the wrong isn't your style – is it!"
Umbridge stepped closer to Harry to press the tip of her wand against Harry's throat. "What's done is done!" she hissed, her eyes and expression now cold and bitter. "And now I'm going to silence you forever – you impertinent young man! All of…"
But she trailed off, as Luna suddenly spoke. Her soft, high tones actually carried above Umbridge's. As Harry listened to her, he thought he glimpsed a shadow crossing the doorway to the room…
"Before you kill any of us, there's something you should see. A secret of ours…"
"And what's that, girl?" The odious Umbridge looked at her sharply.
Greyback gave a staccato bark of a laugh. "Don't play us for fools! I know some of you are werewolves!"
Luna gave him a serene smile. "That is true. But there is more to it than that. Since you're in school as well, you might as well learn something. May I?" Without waiting, she slowly rose. Encountering no active resistance, she walked over to a far corner of the cell, so that she was well away from both the door and the others. As she passed by Harry, Tonks, and Lupin however, she winked.
Umbridge looked as though she was about to fire her wand at Luna – but Fenrir Greyback seized her wrist and lowered it. His eyes were narrowed, wondering what was about to happen.
Meanwhile, Neville and Charlotte groaned as they recovered their senses. Fenrir snatched up their wands and tossed them into the corner of the room behind himself and the Headmistress.
"Watch the prisoners, Miss Brown!" Umbridge snapped at her hypnotized, unwilling secretary.
"Yes, Headmistress," Lavender answered in her small, over-cute voice. She displayed no emotion as she held her wand tightly.
"As for you, Mr Smith – stay close to Miss Lovegood. Kill her if she attacks!"
"Sure thing, Professor." Zacharias didn't even blink at the thought of committing murder, as he drew in closer to Luna's position.
"Oh! I wouldn't want to be killing anyone," Luna declared airily. She got down on her hands and knees, turned towards the wall, and then closed her eyes. Seconds later, her clothes shimmered and disappeared on her.
"What…!" Greyback roared. He had never before seen a werewolf transform along with their clothing…
Harry hurriedly glanced across to the doorway again. This time, there was more than just a shadow. The Weasley twins were at the ready…
"Now!" he yelled.
Lupin and Tonks leapt for Professor Umbridge, and sent her flying with an improvised rugby tackle. Harry rolled aside, just missing a spell from Greyback. It slammed into the far wall, and shards of stone were sent flying in all directions.
Fred and George threw in a couple of Decoy Detonators. The little rubber-bulbed, horn bodied devices landed on the floor and hopped forward on their tiny legs – honking loudly as they did so. Then they exploded, casting forth plumes of acrid smoke.
In the dim light of the now-smoky chamber, and with the blur of motion present, a temporarily-deafened Harry wasn't sure who was attacking whom, at first. He still managed to hear Lavender's squeal, though. Then he focused and jumped on Zacharias Smith, who had spun back to deal with a now half-lupine Luna.
"Avada…!"
"NO!" Harry bellowed. The thought of losing his new girlfriend, his mate, made the wolf in him add its fury to his human anger. As they slammed into a stone column, Zacharias lost his wand. The two of them were soon clutching at each other's throats…
Zacharias yelled wildly. He threw a punch which connected with the side of Harry's jaw, sending the latter off-balance. Seconds later, Harry tried to get back up off the dusty floor. He rolled aside and got to his knees – then froze as he saw Smith aim his wand directly at his face.
"Time to die, Potter!" The traitorous ex-Hufflepuff pupil grinned.
In the next instant, a grey-and-white mass of fur and fangs crashed into Zacharias, with a loud snarl.
"You will…NNOT…hurrt himm!" Luna managed to say. Then her fangs and claws ripped into the screaming young man. Blood was splattered upon the nearest wall.
She made it quick for Zacharias.
Breathing rapidly, Harry heard the noise of fabric tearing. He spun round, to see Professor Lupin turning into his wolf man persona. He shook off his tattered clothing – before colliding with a now-wandless Fenrir Greyback, who was also in mid-transformation.
A furious wolf man to wolf man fight broke out. Everyone else quickly dodged aside, least they chanced being clawed, or crushed, in the whirlwind of their struggle.
There was a shriek from Umbridge, as one of Lupin's claws tore in her jacket, causing her to stumble. Recovering her wits after her fall, the Headmistress cast forth a fireball spell. It flashed across the room and struck Luna on the shoulder, igniting her fur. She howled as the scent of burn hairs and flesh began to fill the place…
"Aquamenti!" Harry shouted, as he grabbed his wand from the floor close by. A jet of water struck Luna, extinguishing the flames.
"Luna!" He ran over to the fallen young wolf woman. She was whimpering, and her eyes were closed…
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
Close by, Greyback snarled and side-stepped as Lupin ran up to him. Using the DADA teacher's momentum against him, the alpha werewolf of the Death Eaters applied the strength of his furred arms and sent Lupin rolling through the cell door.
Greyback bounded after his former victim, and seized the smaller wolf man from behind. The Professor whined, then snarled – using all his strength to prevent his werewolf-creator from getting a lock on his neck.
"I've ddefeatted you before…, andd I'll do so again!" Fenrir growled. "You servicced as bbait, Remus – noww you're no lonnger nneeeded. Gooddbye, you failurre!"
Lupin gasped for breath. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw an injured Tonks fall to her knees in the doorway of his cell room.
"Incendrio!" she yelled, her face lived with rage.
Although most of the werewolves in Greyback's pack were fitted with their collars of obedience, protecting them from spells cast against them, Fenrir himself wore no such collar – being his own master. As such, he had no protection from the fireball shooting into his back from close range…
The force of the spell blew him off-balance. Still wrapped around Professor Lupin, Greyback and the other wolf man both toppled into the Turkish bath, with an almighty 'splash'.
Lupin panicked - then he forced himself to concentrate and act. He had a chance now…
Twisting out of the grip of the stronger – but wounded – Greyback, Lupin snarled and quickly slammed a half-paw upwards into the grey-furred wolf man's chin, stunning him.
"Urrhh!"
"I'm nno failure, Fennrir…!" Lupin snarled, as he wrapped both of his half-paws around Greyback's muzzle, sealing the nostrils tight in the process. "I hhave a ppack of my ownn noww – to love andd cherrishh… I will nnot let them downn…!"
Greyback tried to snarl his defiance – but Lupin's hold on him would not break. Even the bleeding claw marks he now inflicted upon the teacher, as he fought for breath, failed to free him.
Professor Lupin thought of all the horrors and suffering Fenrir Greyback had been responsible for. How many families he had destroyed with his policy of recruiting unwilling victims into his werewolf pack. He remembered the anguish inflicted upon his own family. Then Remus Lupin poured his emotions into his body as he forced the head of the larger werewolf underneath the waters of the bath.
"Nooo!"
There was a rapid formation of air bubbles rising to the surface, as Greyback continued to struggle. He kicked out at Lupin, and the Professor consequently fell forwards onto his opponent. Keeping his own muzzle above the waterline, he maintained the pressure of his hold on Greyback's jaws…
The air bubbles became fewer in number. A minute later, they stopped altogether.
Greyback's arms were now slack - just floating in the sweet-smelling water. And so was the rest of him.
At last… Lupin allowed a wolfish smile to spread across his lupine face. Tipping his head up, ears cocked back, he howled his victory to the domed ceiling of the bath chamber.
"Remus…"
Tonks was lying slumped against a nearby marble column, her wand at the ready. She looked bruised and exhausted – but she managed a smile of relief.
The sight of her touched his heart. Still a wolf man, Lupin got out of the pool with Tonks' assistance. They flopped down together besides the pool. She brushed her hand across his wet, furry face, and played with his whiskers. He smiled.
"Episkey," Tonks whispered.
Her wand glowed and helped to repair the wolf man's already-healing wounds…
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
Hermione met Ron and his party near the top of one of the moving staircases. He, Viktor Krum, Krum's friend Hans Grogan, Marcus Belby, and Anthony Goldstein were hurrying down the steps, stopping every now and then to hold back the Dementors pursuing them, using their Patronus charms.
As Hermione caught up with Ron, however, his worried expression turned into one of joy. Without any words exchanged, the two of them held hands, then concentrated on the next burst of spell casting.
Krum and the other young men in the party cried out in frustration, as their Patronus spells – whilst repelling the Dementors – were failing to prevent the half-dozen flying wraiths from coming back for more. The Dementors were hungry, Ron sensed. They were desperate to feed on their mounting despair and panic…
"Fall back behind us, lads!" Ron yelled.
They did so – carefully watching their footing on the now-immobile staircase on the way. Their hands still clasped together, Ron and Hermione took up position – as the nearest pair of the floating horrors homed in on them…
"Ready, 'Mione?" Ron asked her.
"I'm set," she answered. "One, two, three…"
"Expecto Patronum!" They yelled in unison, with the full force of their shared emotions.
Their silvery-bright Patronuses – an otter and a terrier – raced out from their wands, and leapt for the two Dementors. The wraiths screamed and within seconds were torn apart by the bared teeth of the swift-moving magical defenders.
The other four Dementors paused, then – as one – swooped around the stairwell, in another attempt to catch their prey from an unexpected angle…
"Watch out!" Anthony bellowed.
Four more Patronus spells were cast by the group – this time capturing the former guards of Azkaban Prison, holding them in mid-air. Ron and Hermione then redirected their magical creations, and another pair of Dementors were destroyed as the otter and terrier slammed into them. Encouraged by this, Viktor Krum's Patronus charm grew stronger – and his silver-white beam of light disintegrated the Dementor that had tried to take him.
The final Dementor was torn apart by the joint efforts of Anthony Goldstein and Marcus Belby.
"Yay!" The two former Ravenclaws punched the air, and high-fived each other.
Krum and Hans breathed a sigh of relief. But as Hermione seized Ron and shared an ecstatic kiss with him, she saw – over Ron's shoulder – a hurt look on the dark features of Viktor Krum.
Ron's right… Viktor's still in love with me! Hermione realised. Not that we actually spent that much time together when we last met – but still…
"Thanks, 'Mione!" Ron laid his hand on her shoulder. "Where's Harry, Luna, and the rest of your team?"
"Umm… They've gone to rescue Professor Lupin," she answered. "What about Harry's items? The Marauders Map, and so on? Have you been to your rooms?"
"Oh, yeah. Look's like the Death Eaters never got past the magical locks placed on our rooms." Ron smiled. "But we were beaten to it by Fred and George! I told them the secret passwords. Three sets of hands being better than one…"
"They've taken whatever Harry had stashed away." Marcus Belby nodded. "They left a note for Ron and Harry."
"Perhaps vey have gone to look for Harry's party, Her-mai-on-ney," Krum declared, in his Bulgarian-accented English.
She nodded brightly. "I reckon you're right, Viktor! Best if we all join up. Once we get to consult the Marauders Map, we can locate Professor Flitwick, and stop him from activating the Gaunt Stone!"
Ron froze, then closed his eyes for a moment – as if meditating. Then he reopened them.
"Professor Lupin's in trouble! I can sense it!" he suddenly announced. "Let's go!"
The team nodded and quickly headed down the stairs, with Anthony Goldstein acting as advance guard, in front of Ron and Hermione. Behind them were Krum and Hans. Marcus Belby watched their flank. On the way down, they noticed that all the portraits which lined the walls of the stairwell had been removed.
I guess the people within the frames complained too much of what the Death Eaters were doing to the school…, Hermione mused, absent-mindedly.
Suddenly, the flight of steps beyond the next landing began to move. The party halted, waiting to see how the new route would be aligned.
"Stupefy!" a voice abruptly snapped.
Hermione gave a cry as she was struck by the unexpected spell from behind. She was slammed against the wooden post at the corner of the landing – and her world turned dark…
"Wha…?" Anthony Goldstein froze momentarily on the stairs beyond the landing – then spun round. The next thing he knew, there was another cry of "Stupefy!". This time, it was delivered by a different voice. Knocked aside by the spell striking his chest, Anthony lost his balance, and rolled backwards down the stairs. He screamed as he toppled over the lip of the last, exposed, step…
He plummeted straight down from the third floor level, and landed on the hallway below with a sickening 'thud'.
A bewildered Ron Weasley had only scant seconds to take in everything that was happening. Thanks to the instincts of the wolf inside of him, he quickly twisted round and dodged behind the cover of the wooden stair rail – just past the landing where Hermione was laying flat out, eyes shut.
He was just in time to avoid another spell – this one aimed at his darting figure.
"Incendrio!"
The small fireball slammed into the stair rail, setting it aflame. Ron quickly jumped back – and almost failed to regain his balance in the process…
"Petrifico Totalus!"
"Stupefy!"
Marcus Belby cried out as he was struck. Ron carefully peeped out around the new corner in the staircase as the flight of stairs he was on locked into its new position. Belby actually had the sense to twist his body backwards in the instant before he lost consciousness – and he collapsed onto the steps behind him. Meanwhile, Hans Grogan, hit by the ex-Ravenclaw pupil's full body-bind spell, rolled backwards down the staircase – and crashed into Ron's attacker. Viktor Krum gave a curse in his native tongue, as he and Hans ended up sprawled on the landing – falling next to Hermione.
Brandishing his wand, Ron quickly cried out.
"Accio wand!"
Krum made a snatch for his dropped weapon – but he was too late. His wand flew into Ron's outstretched free hand, and the latter tucked it behind his belt. Then he kept the tip of his own wand pointed at the former Durmstrang pupil.
"What the hell are you playing at, Viktor! Are you on the side of the Death Eaters?" Ron bellowed. "Watch it…! Keep those hands up!" He quickly fired a water spell at the burning railing, to extinguish the flames and smoke. Then he took aim at Viktor again.
Krum slowly rose to his knees and raised his arms above his head. The Bulgarian International Quidditch team Seeker gave a weak smile, and glanced down at the paralysed, moaning Grogan.
"Myself and Hans made a deal vith your Dark Lord's servants three years ago, yes," Krum admitted. "Our information helped them to locate that cowardly Ikor Karkaroff…"
"You…turned against…your own Headmaster?" Ron seethed. "And what about Anthony Goldstein? You've just… You've killed him! And…and, Hermione…"
Krum slowly shuffled backwards on his knees and glanced at the young witch at his feet. "She is merely…unconscious. I do not vish her dead, Ron Veasley." He smiled again. Broadly, this time.
"Oh… I get it! She's your main objective!"
"Exactly! Once Bellatrix Lestrange bevitches her mind – like she has vith the head pupils here – Her-mai-on-ney vill make a fine Death Eater. A vorthy companion for me!"
"She's…my…mate!" Ron growled at him.
Krum shrugged. "To me, it matters not, her being a verevolf – or a Mudblood. I still vant her! And Lestrange's magic cuts deep. Indeed, the Dark Lady is amused by the thought of the girl becoming von of ours. Once she vears the collar of obedience, Her-mai-on-ney Granger vill despise the memory of you and Harry. She vill be loyal to us – and to me!"
"Not…a…chance, you nutcase!" Ron's face flushed with anger. "Hold it! Keep away from those other wands… Now - get on your feet, and walk towards me."
The captive did so. With both arms still raised in surrender, Krum took a few, careful steps in Ron's direction. But his demeanour was too calm for Ron's liking…
"So… Now you know, Ron Veasley! Vot are you doing to do now?"
"Knock you out, of course! Then rouse the others," Ron snapped back.
"Fine. Before you do…, let me show you a trick that my friends here hov taught me since zey made their changes here at Hogvorts…" Krum's serene expression suddenly turned cold. "J'aboube!" he barked.
Ron cried out in alarm, as the flight of stairs they were both standing on shifted once more – in response to Krum's coded command. He managed to grab the rail to his left – but his wand fell onto a step before him…
The Bulgarian wasted no time. Having already seized the banister as the stairs moved again, he leapt forward at the unbalanced Ron, with the aim of sending the younger wizard falling from the re-exposed bottom stair.
They collided. Ron grunted as Viktor Krum struck him. But his outstretched arm managed to seize the back of the Quidditch Seeker's knee…
Krum yelped in surprise as his weight buckled from underneath him. His grip on the rail was dislodged, and he tumbled down with his opponent. The vast hallway spun around both of them…
Moments later, they came to an abrupt halt. Ron's wide eyes took in the unnerving drop below. Both of his hands were wrapped around Krum's shoe and trouser leg. The rest of him was hanging in mid-air.
Gulping, Ron forced himself to look up. Krum was desperately holding onto the bottom post of the banister – his composure now shattered. Both young men glanced to the left, to see the shifting staircase about to dock with the next landing…
Before the impact could dislodge them both – and send two more wizards on a crash course of flying without broomsticks – Krum was screaming at the staircase again.
"J'aboute! I adjust!"
The stairs shuddered, halted – then slowly began moving back to the position it had just come from.
Great! We can chose to run into one landing or the other, thought Ron, as he continued to panic. Then a smile broke out on his flushed face, as it occurred to him that Krum would not be able to kill him now, without sacrificing himself in the process…
"Hah, hahh! Keep it up, Viktor!" he yelled. "If I go, you come with me!"
The Bulgarian swore again in his own tongue. He tried, unsuccessfully, to kick Ron free from his held leg.
"Levicorpus!" a female voice commanded.
A carefully-aimed spell struck Ron, and he found himself rising into the air, ankle-first. Gasping with relief, he let go of Krum – and was levitated to safety by Hermione, who had regained consciousness.
As Ron made contact with the landing, next to his friend and rescuer, Hermione glared down at Viktor Krum – who was having trouble pulling himself back up onto the swinging staircase. Hearing growling, he glanced down.
A pair of Fenrir Greyback's werewolves had arrived on the scene, attracted by the smell of Anthony Goldstein's broken body. Then they looked up at Krum, and licked their dark lips.
Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, and smiled – communicating without words. Hermione nodded, and pointed her wand at the man she had danced with at the Yule Ball at Hogwarts, four long years ago. Her expression was merciless.
"No! I love you, Her-mai-on-ney!" Krum roared. Frantic now, he began to pull himself over the bottom step of the flight of moving stairs…
"You don't know what love is! Goodbye, Viktor," she almost whispered. Then she raised her voice. "Stupefy!"
The red bolt of light blasted him clear of the staircase. Krum yelled as he plummeted to the hallway.
Wincing as they heard the 'thud' of impact, Ron and Hermione looked over the balcony. The traitor was still alive, moaning as he tried to move his shattered limbs and get up from the floor.
The gold-collared werewolves snarled – then leapt straight for him.
"Stop! I am on… Agghh…! AGGGHHH!"
Ron turned to face Hermione. She was staring rigidly at the scene below.
"Did I ever tell you, Hermione…, that sometimes you can be really, really, scary?"
"I believe that you once did, Ron…" Suddenly, she turned and buried her head against Ron's chest. He held her tight as she sobbed.
Ron glanced, just once more, at the mess the wolves were making below.
"So much for the spirit of international friendship that Dumbledore wanted," he muttered.
"Oh, shut up, Ronald." Hermione smiled weakly through her tears. "You have still got Fleur for a loyal sister-in-law…"
