Chapter 4: The Beginning of the End
Martha and her friends were settling back into the rhythm of classes at Hogwarts quite well, but there was still the air of fear right through the whole school. And Martha could understand their fear – Voldemort was planning an attack on Hogwarts and would kill everyone who got in his way. And what set everyone on edge even more, was the fact of their previous headmaster, Professor Dumbledore's death at the end of the previous year. Even the teachers were on edge, dreading the time when Voldemort suddenly attacked the school. The current Headmistress and Paige's mother, Professor McGonagall, was having a hard time of keeping order in the students and teachers. The matrons, Natalie and Martha's grandmother, Madam Pomfrey, were worried, because of the amount of injuries people could receive and the amount of deaths that could happen in the school.
The first sign that Voldemort was on his way to attack the school was one windy October Thursday afternoon when dragons came out of nowhere and swooped down on the school, forcing everyone who was outside for Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures to take cover. Several students that were too slow were picked up in the dragons' talons and dropped from several hundred feet. Quidditch was cancelled that year, because of the looming threat of Voldemort's attack. And what worried Martha and her friends most of all, was the looming full moon. Full moons this year were far more dangerous because Voldemort was planning on taking control of all werewolves to kill as many people in Hogwarts as possible. He was also trying to control the giants and had obviously already taken control of the dragons, which were dangerous enough as it was without his help.
"Martha, look out!" Christina's voice came out of nowhere. Martha looked up and saw a dragon swooping down on her, its claws outstretched. She ducked too late. It picked her up in its talons and carried her hundreds of feet into the air. Looking up, she saw something on its back – it was a Death Eater and she knew that Voldemort was behind this attack. She struggled in the dragon's grasp and eventually managed to make it let go. Instead of falling, she held on to its ankle, climbing up, using its rough scales as hand and footholds. Eventually she was over its hind leg and on its rump. Clinging on to its spines for dear life, she slowly climbed up and grabbed the Death Eater's head, catching him by surprise. Using her werewolfish strength, she jerked his head to the side hard, breaking his neck. After that, she dropped him off the dragon's back, to ensure that he died. With that, she looked down at the ground and realised the ground was coming slightly closer; the dragon was swooping down for another person. Sirius, in his corgi form, leapt onto the dragon's tail and climbed up, eventually reaching Martha. He transformed back and used his wand to land the dragon, before he and Martha dismounted and he magically made the dragon free from Voldemort's grasp, before becoming a corgi again.