Disclaimer: I do not own the concept and characters of Harry Potter or the Wizard of Oz, either the books or the movies. Warning: Out-Of-Character-ness ahead! AU, Crossover.
Summary: Harry is sent an anonymous Christmas present; it's time to meet the real Golden Trio… perhaps the adults should run for cover?
Harry Potter and the Wizard of Oz
By Arishaa
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Chapter Six:
Night On Bold Mountain
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In the far West of Oz, sitting precariously atop a jutting mountain peak, loomed an ominous castle. Guards patrolled the only safe access to the witch's domain – a drawbridge across a deep moat that used to hold murky waters and a carnivorous water creature with a nasty temper. Unfortunately for the monster, the witch's was nastier, and after consuming her favourite hat after it had been blown off her head upon take-off, the witch banished the creature and dried up the moat. It was still effective in the witch's opinion – impassable by any means but the draw-bridge, unless you happened to have a magic flying broom. Of course, that theory had never been tested because, really, no sane person would come to visit the witch willingly, and unwilling visitors didn't last long.
The witch had just returned from putting the fear of the West into those Ozian simpletons, and was now pacing the floor of her Power Room. Everything she needed to practice her Art was kept here; away from prying eyes and wandering hands. The only thing on her mind, however, was the famous Power Foci her sister had created. Their magic should have transferred to me, she thought furiously, but her sister had always been jealous of her power and more feared reputation. It was just like her to have a spell on those shoes to prevent her sister from getting them in the event of her death. But they would be hers. The Minerva Witch wasn't that powerful. Once the woman was under her control she couldn't hold up for long.
She strode over to her viewing globe, focusing her will and watching the helpless travelers within. She didn't know why they were now headed in her direction, though she could guess it had something to do with that ridiculous wizard. Perhaps with the shoes, she would finally have to power to defeat him and those annoyingly good witches he consorted with… in any case, the Minerva Witch was coming her way. She gave a macabre grin. "Let's make it easier for her, shall we?" she cackled, calling the head of her flying army to give it instructions. Having issued her orders, she sat back to watch them carried out.
Had she focused her attention a little closer to home, she would have noticed three steadfast travelers, coming closer and closer to the bottom of the cliffs her fortress was perched upon, and showing no signs of stopping or slowing down…
Harry, Ron and Hermione weren't far from the witches' castle – which had so many DANGER: TURN BACK signs, getting progressively gruesome (Wicked Witches Castle: 1 Mile – I'd turn back if I were you!; Wicked Witch in Residence, Enter at Own Risk; Go No Further – Soon it will be Too Late [1]; Caution! Wicked Witch Ahead – known to turn Bunnies and People into Toads and Certain Destruction Lies Ahead – her initials are WW. The last one they encountered was especially horrific, so much so that there are no words to describe it) that they were guided right to her front... drawbridge.
The same way the sun seemed to perpetually shine over the rest of Oz, as they approached the wicked witches' domain the sky steadily darkened; storm clouds giving the land a permanent grey sky. Suddenly Ron stopped, ears pricking up.
"What is it Ron?" Harry asked his feline friend.
"I hear something… it's… I think we need to hide," Ron answered quickly.
They barely made cover when the witch's flock of flying monkeys shot by over head, travelling straight towards the Emerald City.
"Do you think they're after McGonagall?" Ron asked.
"It's a good bet," Hermione answered him.
"We'd better hurry," Harry urged.
They continued on.
The adults had left the city in various states of mixed fury and fear. They set a brisk pace towards the witch's fortress and had travelled the morning through without stopping when their journey came to a sudden halt.
Sirius heard it first; the strange sound teasing his canine hearing. He pointed his nose to the sky, trying to use the dim sight of his animal shape to find the source of the sound.
"What's the matter, Padfoot?" Moony asked when he noticed the dog animagus had stopped.
"Don't you hear that?" Sirius asked in turn.
Remus paused, focusing his sharper-than-normal senses on his environment. "Yes. What is it?" He asked, also looking toward the sky. By this time, they had all paused and were looking skywards in apprehension.
It was Severus, with his years of observing the world around him, who saw the danger first. "There!" he pointed, and they realized with dawning horror that something was flying toward them, straight from the witch's castle, and it probably wasn't friendly. Scratch that, it was a whole flock of somethings, and they all seemed to realize at the same time that now would be a very good time to take cover. They scattered, diving for protection, but it wasn't fast enough. The cloud of flying doom had come too close, overtaken them too fast, and the next thing any of them knew they were surrounded.
Minerva screamed as the winged creatures took a hold of her and lifted her off the ground, immediately flying back with her the way they had come. Severus had taken hold of Albus and pushed him under the thick branches of a low-growing tree, standing in front of the old wizard to protect him, and was unable to do a thing for his older female colleague. He watched in helpless fury as she was carried away. Remus immediately tried fighting his way toward where he'd heard Minerva scream, and was doing quite well, his werewolf strength wielding a solid branch with deadly accuracy; but he was soon taken a hold of, flown high into the air and then dropped. He didn't move again. Padfoot was easily the most maneuverable, and was darting in and out of the bushes; biting, retreating, coming around for another attack from another angle with ease of long practice. He was too far away to help Minerva when she screamed, and his heart stopped when he saw Moony hit the ground. He headed immediately for his friend – but was again distracted by another cry.
Severus was quickly covered in bites, scratches, bruises and cuts; but he refused to give up his position of protection over Albus. His heart had cried out when Minerva had screamed, and he'd felt a surge of rage when Remus hit the ground, fear clutching at the edges of his mind. It distracted him enough that he didn't see the rather large primate fist on course for his head, and the next thing he knew, he was down on the ground. He looked up into the feral face of what he was sure was his death, as the primate again swung his meaty fist towards him.
Albus had watched in sick fear and pain as his friends fell before his eyes; but when Severus took the blow to the head, he shouted in denial. He watched, helpless from his position, far too deeply in the cover of branches to help, as the monkey-like creature raised his fist in preparation for a death blow.
Severus refused to close his eyes. He had flirted with death too often to turn from it now. Time almost seemed to slow down, his body felt heavy and useless, and he was dimly aware he'd suffered head trauma. Just as the fist came down upon him, though, a blur of black fur and teeth and claws and determined eyes came flying past him with a terrifying growl.
Canines bared in threat, Padfoot launched himself at the creature standing over Severus without a second thought, rage burning in his mind. His godson was missing. His godson's friends were missing. They were his pups and they were gone. Minerva, the only real maternal influence in his life, had been taken. His best friend, his brother, his family, had been grievously injured. Albus, the one who always knew the answers, the one he always turned too, was in danger. And Severus Snape, the man he loved to hate, was not going to be next on the list. Instinctually protecting his pack, his family – and he would gape at himself later for including Snivellous in that group – Padfoot struck, and struck true. His teeth found and closed around the throat of the creature with deadly accuracy, and the danger was gone.
Severus stared in incredulity at the animal in front of him. Sirius Black had just saved his life. There was only one thought that could penetrate the shock that had frozen his mind.
Gryffindoors... figures.
Sirius didn't have time to feel victorious over the fact he'd killed one of the menacing creatures. He was quickly surrounded, and no matter how he snarled, snapped, growled, wriggled or squirmed, he could not get free. Rough hands lifted him into the sky, and he waited for the drop… that didn't come. They were flying him away! He yelped, calling for help, but there was nothing those left behind could do. It looked like he was going to find Minerva…
It didn't take the monkeys long to return – carrying a shrieking Minerva and growling Sirius with them. The three transformed students exchanged glances and hurried towards the bottom of the cliff face.
The climb towards the witch's fortress was steep and hazardous and Harry especially had a hard time with his now inflexible body; but they made it. Hiding in the rocks and peering over an outcropping, the three discussed how they could get in.
"Do you think the original idea will get us in there?" Ron wondered aloud.
"I'm not sure. Let's hope so. Keep an eye out, yeah?" Harry cautioned.
The other two agreed and the three split up. It didn't take long to find three victims and subdue them. They then took the uniform coats and hats from the witch's guards they'd knocked out and dressed in them, though getting the clothes to look right on Ron's newly feline body had been a challenge. Now all they had to do was wait for the changing of the guard. It didn't take long.
Sirius and Minerva had been carried by the aerial primates quite a fair way. Soon a sinister fortress had appeared on the horizon, and both knew then that they'd been captured by the Wicked Witch of the West. Their captors deposited them in a room and then flew away again. The room itself was round and made of stone, obviously in one of the towers they'd seen. Bits of odds and ends were scattered through the room; potions and powders and other magical means of bewitchment; and near the window, sitting next to a padded stone throne, was an enormous viewing globe. The door was solid wood and, of course, locked.
"Look around, Sirius, there must be something here with which we may defend ourselves," Minerva instructed.
A quick but thorough search of the room turned up only a pair of fire-tongs from the banked fire-pit in the middle of the room. Minerva's attention was attracted to the viewing globe.
"I bet she uses this to spy on the whole Land of Oz," Sirius muttered when he saw what she was looking at.
"More that that, Sirius; such instruments can be spelled by a skilled practitioner to send spells over a great distance," Minerva explained.
"Like that sleeping spell in the flowers," Sirius realized.
"Yes, exactly like that – " Minerva was cut off by the heavy door to the tower opening. Through the opening came the Wicked Witch of the West herself.
Left with only Severus and Remus, both of who were injured – Severus barely conscious, Remus still not moving – Albus did the only thing he could. Making one of the hardest decisions he'd ever recall making, the old man took his injured and returned to the Emerald City for help. Luckily they were only a couple of hours walk from the City itself, and as they left behind the Haunted Forest, they encountered the People of Oz working in the outlying fields. He didn't know how much further he and Severus could have dragged Remus; the Potions Master falling unconscious himself not long after they'd been helped into a horse-drawn cart and had set off.
Minerva and Sirius were on their own against, Albus shrewdly guessed, the Wicked Witch of the West… except for a rescue party consisting of three transformed children, not yet finished their schooling and without magic to aid them. Albus could only hope they lived up to their previous successful record against overwhelming, impossible odds.
The trio waited until the guard finished their perimeter sweep, meeting back up outside the castle and marching back inside. The disguised interlopers tagged onto the end as the drawbridge closed behind them… locking them inside the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West.
As she entered the room with the Commander of the Winged Monkeys at her side, the witch gave a very ugly grin. "Well, well – it seems as though I have visitors," she said smugly.
Sirius snorted, "as if you didn't know," he muttered.
Minerva nudged him with her foot. "Quiet," she hissed, then turned herself to address the other woman. "Explain yourself, madam – what is the meaning of this outrage?" she demanded.
The witch was taken aback. Didn't these two know they were prisoners? That she was the most feared, evil, ugly thing in the Land of Oz that everyone took care to avoid? She frowned severely to cover her unease. "You know very well what I want, my fine lady," the Witch drawled sarcastically, and Minerva knew she would be strongly tempted to ask Severus to look up his family tree for a Wicked Witch of the West the next time she saw him, because at that moment the villain she faced sounded very much like her younger colleague. Blinking away her distracting thoughts, Minerva frowned thoughtfully at the green woman.
"The Good Witch of the North was most adamant that you should not get your hands on them," she said somewhat neutrally, as though inviting the Witch for an explanation – one she did not seem inclined to give.
The Witch snarled. "Very well!" She made a sharp motion towards Padfoot, commanding the Winged Monkey by her side. "Take that flee-bitten mongrel to the river and drown him," she sneered.
"Wait!" Minerva said in panic – Sirius would be unable to defend himself against more than two or three of these things, especially with water involved, and he was unable to transform. She took a deep breath, and even though she loathed to do it – "Alright. Take them!"
The Witch's expression melted into satisfied greed, and she said patronizingly, "that's a good little girl – I knew you'd see reason!"
Minerva scowled – little girl indeed – but was distracted by the Witch's screech of pain – she had tried to touch the Ruby Slippers on Minerva's feet, and been zapped by their protective magic.
"Well honestly, what did you expect? These are powerful magical objects, of course they'll protect themselves!" Minerva said in exasperation. She sighed. "I'm sure we can come to some suitable compromise here – " she was cut off by the Witch, who it seemed, had come to the end of whatever store of patience she possessed.
"No! Fool that I am – I should have remembered! Those slippers will never come off," her furious expression melted into one of contemplation, and she smiled cruelly. It made sense; the magic that held the slippers to the Minerva Witch could only be active as long as she had life in her body. "…as long as you're alive," she drawled. Minerva swallowed heavily. "But that's not what's worrying me," she hurried to reassure her horrified prisoners, "it's how to do it; these things must be done delicately, or you hurt the spell," as she spoke, her eyes roved over Minerva's face, contemplating how powerful she might be, what magicks she might know, how to be sure… and her eyes lit up in insane satisfaction.
Minerva straightened her back, looked down her nose in distain, and said superiorly and with as much confidence as she could muster, "you won't ever get these shoes." She had faith in her companions – they would not let her and Sirius down.
The witch snarled in rage, grabbing up an already prepared spell in the form of an hourglass. The blood-soaked sand within would react with the runes carved around the entrances to the room to kill all who were sealed within it. "You see that? That's how much longer you've got to be alive! And it isn't long, my pretty – it isn't long! I can't wait forever to get those shoes!" she cackled as she turned the hourglass over, activating the death magic, and left it behind to work as she left the room, locking the door behind her.
Harry, Ron and Hermione followed the column of guards until they disappeared around a corner in the entry-way of the Witch's castle, then they ducked into cover to wait for the sounds of their marching feet to completely fade away.
After a few minutes, Ron nodded decisively, indicating they were alone. "Come on," he urged his two companions, and the trio rushed back toward the door of the castle and then up a set of stone stairs that were immediately left of them. Ron and Harry reached the door first.
"Wait! Better check first," Hermione warned. She knocked on the door, calling through the thick surface – "Padfoot? Professor? Are you in there?"
"Hermione! Is that you? Yes, we're both here – how did you know we were both here? Never mind, get us out!" Padfoot's answer was as quick as it was confused with questions of his own.
"Let me at the door," Harry instructed as he hefted his ax. "Hermione, help Ron off with that uniform and get rid of your own," he added as his friends moved away to give him room to swing, Hermione noticing that he'd already dispensed with his own ill-gotten garments.
By the time she'd wrestled the uniforms of both her own transformed body as well as Ron's, Harry had chopped around the lock and Padfoot and Professor McGonagall where tumbling out of the room. Before they could become distracted, Hermione urged them out, and they turned away and ran down the stairs towards the door, which stood open with the drawbridge down, their escape avenue free and clear.
As they came closer, however, the heavy wooden doors swung closed, cutting them off from their freedom. From the balcony overlooking the entry hall, the Witch's voice, full of smug satisfaction, grated over them.
"Going so soon? I wouldn't hear of it," she smiled cruelly. "Why my little party's just beginning!"
"Great. We're trapped. Trapped like mice," Ron muttered under his breath, though he was loud enough for his compatriots to hear him.
"Rats," Harry and Hermione corrected him together.
"Whatever," he mumbled back.
Their banter was interrupted by the arrival of the Witch's green-skinned guard, as they flooded the entry-way leveling spears at them and growling.
Hermione swallowed. "Experiencing the movie from this angle is a lot scarier than I ever anticipated," she whispered to her two friends.
Whatever the boys might have replied was interrupted by the witch, who encouraged her feral protectors. "That's right, don't hurt them right away, we'll let them think about it first," she ended her taunting with a good deal of cackling.
Harry's mouth tightened and his eyes narrowed. "Get ready. Hermione, help me swing the ax, Ron grab the professor – we just have to trust in the script right now."
Just as he finished his whispered instructions, the witch gave a loud shriek, cuing Hermione to grasp the ax handle just above Harry's own grip and Ron to take the Professor's arm. As the witch threw the hourglass onto the stone floor between the prisoners and her army, Harry and Hermione moved – chopping a rope that just happened to be anchored right next to where they were trapped, which held aloft a giant chandelier. Classically, the lighting device dropping onto their enemies causing fear and chaos and in all the confusion – the five scarpered.
The Witch came running down the stairs from the balcony, screaming at the top of her lungs, "seize them! Seize them! Stop them you fools, stop them! Seize them! Seize them!" The entirety of the guard obeyed.
The rescue party along with their two rescue-ees managed to double back on their pursuers, rushed through the entry-hall and then back up the stairs. Not far behind, the Witch and her posse followed. They came out onto one of the defensive walls of the castle, rushing to beat the witch to the other entrance so they could disappear back inside the voluminous building. The witch had been clever though – she had sent half her guard to cut them off. The prisoners had no choice but to retreat, becoming trapped in one of the guard turrets – half the soldiers at their front, the rest at their back. There was no-where to go.
As they realized this, the guards in front of them parted, letting the Wicked Witch of the West through their midst.
"Well… ring around the roses, a pocket full of spears – thought you'd be pretty foxy didn't you?" she snarled at the troublesome group in front of her. She had to get rid of them or all of Oz would be laughing at her! It was unacceptable! She glared at the Minerva Witch – in her mind the one responsible for all her troubles. "Well! The last to go will see the first three go before her…" her eyes dropped to Padfoot, who was growling and baring his teeth "…and her mangy little dog too!" If it hadn't been for all the spears pointed at him, this comment might have caused her much trouble, but as it was, Sirius could do nothing.
The Witch then smiled sadistically, raising her broom to a lit torch illuminating the guard room. The fire eagerly spread onto the head, consuming the branches the crude broom consisted of. "How about a little fire, scarecrow?" the Witch asked, causing no-end of horror for Minerva and Sirius, then ever-so-slowly lowering it towards the straw girl... before it got anywhere near Hermione, however, Harry saw his chance. He picked up the bucket of water oh-so-helpfully sitting on the windowsill behind them and flung it right in the Witch's ugly green face.
The Witch's aborted cry of "don't throw that water!" did nothing to help her; as she felt the liquid hit her face, she screamed. Immediately smoke started seeping off her.
"You cursed brat! Look what you've done!" They were all looking – in stunned repulsion were they looking. "I'm melting – melting… oh, what a world, what a world!" the Witch moaned as she disappeared in front of their eyes. "Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful Wickedness?" As she slowly but surely became nothing, she screamed again, then whimpered "Look out! Look out! I'm going… oh! Ohhhhhh!"
Everyone who had watched was speechless. The Captain of the Flying Monkeys cautiously examined what remained – her cape, hat and broom – then hissed at the room and clapped. Finally the head of the guard spoke. "She – She's dead… you killed her!"
It occurred to Minerva and Sirius then that they could be in a lot of trouble right at that moment. Minerva spoke quickly. "We didn't mean to kill her. Truly, it's just that we couldn't let her hurt our friend," she explained, hoping it would be enough. Both she and Padfoot were completely astonished at what happened next.
Instead of attacking, the Head Guard knelt in front of them. "Hail to Minerva! The Wicked Witch is dead!" he proclaimed. In response, the Winged Monkeys and the rest of the Guard all knelt as well.
"Hail! Hail to Minerva! The Wicked Witch is dead!" they all repeated.
Hermione nudged Minerva to get her attention. "The broom," she whispered.
"The broom? Oh!" Minerva realized. "Her broom – may we please have it?" she asked the guard.
He immediately picked up the sorry-looking object and handed it to her. "Please! And take it with you," he responded.
Minerva smiled in relief. "Thank you so much!" The guards stood around them as she addressed those with her. "Now we can go back to the Wizard, and give him the broom!"
Ron grinned, and then said loudly, "and we can tell him the Wicked Witch is dead!"
"The Wicked Witch is dead!" All the Witch's former slaves yelled again – in relief, and happiness, and victory, and freedom long denied.
A/N: An arranged version of "Night on Bald Mountain" is played during the scene where the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion rescue Dorothy from the Wicked Witch of the West's castle.
1) The crazy sign idea is from the movie 'The Labyrinth', and this one is a direct quote. If you haven't seen it before I recommend it – for the funny bits if for nothing else!
2) Most of the Witch's dialogue in this chapter is directly quoted from the movie 'The Wizard of Oz' which does not belong to me, and is quite brilliant.
Thanks especially to all who stuck with this story and to all those who reviewed over the last few months – every time someone did, I went back to this chapter and plugged through it some more. Because this bit followed the Wizard of Oz movie more closely, it was sometimes difficult to fit my characters around. Hopefully though, it worked, and I hope you all enjoy!