Chapter IX

"Shopping and Saving"

Tonks and Ginny returned with everyone's money shortly after the Malfoy incident had been all settled out.

"Wotcher Harry, we're back." Tonks looked at her charges and their new companions. She immediately noticed Harry's ruffled and dirty clothing and the mark on Hermione's cheek. She drew her wand and pointed it at Cloud's chest. "What happened?" she demanded. Ginny quickly drew her own wand and leveled it at Tifa.

Tifa quickly raised her hands into the air, displaying no threat. Cloud reacted naturally. At least what is natural for him. He drew his sword, fast as lightning, and leveled its massive tip at Tonks' vulnerable throat. It was a stalemate: Tonks stood ready to curse Cloud into nothingness and he was poised to cut her down.

The two combatants remained at the ready for several seconds until Harry stepped in between them.

"Stop this, both of you!" he shouted. He quickly explained to Tonks and Ginny what happened in the alley with Malfoy and the cronies. It took a while for the two girls to settle back down; they were both furious. Tonks was furious at herself for not being there to protect her young charges.

"Mad-Eye's gonna kill me, Mad-Eye's gonna kill me," she kept muttering to herself.

Ginny was upset for a totally different reason. She was fuming over the fact that she missed out on all the action. She had been practicing her Jelly-Legs Jinx all summer at the Order's headquarters, but no one would be a target for her after she jinxed her older brother Bill into dancing for the better part of a week.

"You couldn't have saved one of them for me?" she asked Harry sweetly.

"Sorry Ginny," replied Harry sheepishly. "I was kinda knocked out when Cloud and Tifa showed up."

Ginny pouted half heartedly before smiling brightly. "Well I'm glad they were more help than my pathetic brother," she said mocking Ron.

"Oh, come on now Ginny. That's not fair!" whined Ron in protest. Everyone laughed at the sibling's harmless teasing.

"Well I still wish I could have at least seen Malfoy get what he deserves," said Ginny.

"Oh, I'll never forget it," said Ron. "I mean, it was bloody spectacular when Hermione punched Malfoy out our third year, but this was just…wicked."

Tifa looked at Hermione with a bright smile on her face. "You knocked him out?" she asked.

"Hermione blushed and raised a single finger. "One punch," she replied.

"Oh, I missed that too! Why do I always miss the good stuff?" complained Ginny. Everyone just shrugged and laughed.

"Well now that you two aren't trying to kill one another," said Hermione towards Cloud and Tonks. "Now what are we going to do?"

"What we started out to do," said Harry. "Come on, let's deal with these school lists. They packed more stuff on these things than ever before." Everyone nodded in agreement and set off down Diagon Alley.

The first stop was Flourish and Blotts Bookstore. As soon as they walked into the store, Hermione disappeared behind the tall shelves of books, dragging a helpless Ron in tow. Harry shook his head and went about helping Cloud and Tifa find their books. The two were clueless on what books they needed. They didn't even know the simplest spells from any of the previous years. Harry and Ginny shrugged it off figuring they had a different curriculum at their old school. They were able to find all the assigned books fairly quickly. After checking out they waited patiently for Hermione to finisher book shopping. After nearly fifteen additional minutes, Hermione walked out carry her purse. Ron came out behind her, hidden behind a massive stack of books. The tottered left and right, trying to keep his balance while carrying the immense load.

"Jeez, Hermione. How many classes are you taking this year? You didn't get another Time-Turner did you?" asked Harry.

"I'm not taking any extra classes," said Hermione defensively. "It's just a little light reading before the start of term." Harry and Ginny shook their heads knowingly while Cloud and Tifa just gawked at the statement.

"There isn't anything light about it Hermione," stammered Ron from behind the books. Everyone laughed before helping Ron with the load.

They headed back down the alley and into Quality Quidditch Supplies. The store was jam packed with people. Everyone seemed to be crowded around a small glass case. Harry and his little group managed to elbow and squirm towards the front of the crowd to see what was in the case. It was a shiny new broom. A small fireball adorned the handle and the twigs at the end were a bright fiery red. A small card lay atop the case.

Brand New!

International Standard Broom

The Firebolt II!

Twice as Fast as the Original!

Special Order Only

See Sales Rep for details

Serious orders only!

Ron and Harry gasped at the sight of the broom; Ron nearly started drooling onto the glass case. It was a magnificent sight, but it was totally wasted on Cloud and Tifa.

"What's the big deal?" whispered Tifa to Cloud.

"I guess they like cleaning a lot or something," answered Cloud. Ginny overheard and quickly filled her new friends in on the basics of Quidditch before they embarrassed themselves. Tifa and Cloud liked the sound of the game and decided to take a shot at it when they returned to Hogwarts. They both purchased brooms. Not the Firebolt II, despite Ron's very loud protests. Tifa bought a Nimbus 2002, a very fast broom just under the Firebolt. Cloud bought an older, almost antique Nimbus 2000.

"I don't know why you bought that old wreck," said Ron. "Even my broom is better than that and I'm still using Charlie's old broom!"

Cloud ignored him. "I've got an idea for this old broom." Harry took offense to Ron's statements.

"Hey that was my first broom too Ron. It's a good broom no matter how old it gets." Ron apologized as they left the store.

"But you got to admit, it would be wicked to play on a new Firebolt."

-VII-

"Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C." said Cloud outside the narrow and shabby shop. They entered the shop accompanied by a tinkling of an entry bell above the door. Stacks upon stacks of thin wand boxes were housed upon row after row of shelves. Mr. Ollivander slipped out from behind the shelves and cases to greet his customers. He recognized Harry immediately.

"Ah," he exclaimed. "Welcome back Mr. Potter. What can I do for you today? I do hope you've been keeping good care of your wand. After all, now that its brother has returned from the darkness, you will be needing it."

Harry bristled at the subtle mentioning of Voldemort and the wand cores that they shared. He was able to keep his feelings in check when he answered though. "Nothing for me today. My new friends need wands."

"Of course. And where are the young first years?" Ollivander scanned the space behind Harry for young children but only saw Tonks looking closely at a display case. She leaned forward and accidentally bumped into the glass. The case shifted forward and fell to the floor with a loud crash. Mr. Ollivander rolled his eyes as Tonks smiled guiltily.

"Ms. Tonks, would you please be so kind as to put your clumsy, well-defined posterior into a chair while I still have some shop left?" Ollivander scolded. Tonks, well known for her clumsiness nodded and sat down in a near by chair.

"Now then where were we?" asked Ollivander. "Of course the first years. Step forwards my friends." Cloud and Tifa stepped towards Ollivander, who looked increasingly more and more puzzled. "You two can't be first years," he murmured.

"We're transfer students," said Tifa.

"I see, said Ollivander curiously. May I see your old wands please? Perhaps I can merely provide some wand maintenance instead of replacement."

"We don't have any wands," said Tifa looking at the floor as if she had done something wrong.

"Didn't you use wands at your old school?" asked Ollivander half-jokingly. His smile faded when he saw that neither Cloud nor Tifa were smiling. "Didn't you?"

Tifa looked at Cloud nervously. 'How do we explain this one?' she thought.

Cloud came to her rescue. "Our wands were damaged on the journey here. We need to replace them," he said.

Ollivander nodded, looked like was going to saw something else, but Cloud's hard gaze made him think otherwise.

"All right then. Ladies first. Miss, which is your wand arm?"

"Um, I'm right handed," answered Tifa.

"Very good," said Ollivander as he started to measure Tifa's arm. After a few moments of measuring Ollivander disappeared into the shelves of the store and returned with a long, thin wand box.

"Twelve inches, White Ash with a Unicorn mane hair. Very strong, not very bendy. Excellent for charm work." Ollivander handed the wand to Tifa. "Go on, give it a flick."

Tifa flicked her wrist and golden sparks sprayed out of the tip like glorious fireworks. Harry and his friends cheered and clapped. Tifa handed the wand back to Ollivander; afraid she had done something wrong. He smiled and handed it back to her.

"The wand has chosen you, my dear. Use it well and in good health."

"Thank you very much," smiled Tifa.

"Your welcome. And now for you sir." He beckoned to Cloud. "Which hand do you wield that massive sword attached to your back in?"

"My right."

"Very well." Ollivander began measuring Cloud's arm as he had Tifa's. After a while he ran back into his shelves and returned with a wand box.

"Ten inches, Oak with a dragon heartstring. Very bendy." He handed the wand to Cloud. Cloud flicked his wrist the same way Tifa had, expecting similar results. Instead Cloud's flick of the wrist sent an invisible wave across a shelf of wands. Boxes and wands flew across the shop, making a mess out of the once well-organized shelf. Ollivander quickly plucked the wand from Cloud's hand.

"No, no that won't do at all." Ollivander grabbed another wand from another shelf. "Eleven inches, Willow with a phoenix tail feather core." He handed it to Cloud and Cloud gave it a little wave. Another shelf of wand boxes flew into the air and began to pile up at everyone's feet.

"Nope, let's try again. Cedar, thirteen inches, dragon heartstring."

An invisible blast fired from the wand tip, blowing a round hole through the front window. The glass shattered, spraying the shop's occupants with the broken shards. Ollivander took the destruction in stride and brought out another wand.

"Beech, ten inches, unicorn tail hair."

A shelf of wands erupts into flames. Harry and Hermione quickly put it out with their own wands. Cloud drops the wand and steps away.

"Maple, nine inches, phoenix tail feather."

A shelf gets knocked clean over, smashing into another glass display case.

"Redwood, thirteen inches, Unicorn mane."

A fireball fires from the wand tip, nearly striking Ollivander in the face. He manages to duck in time so that the blast doesn't kill him; it merely singes his hair a bit.

"Shit," whispered Ron.

"Sorry," says Cloud softly.

"It's alright," says Ollivander, gently touching his burnt hair. "Let's just stay away from Unicorn wands from now on." Ollivander stood in concentration for a moment. He was beginning to grow uneasy; it was taking far to long to find the right wand. There were some cases where it took many, many attempts before the proper wand was found. Potter had been like that. They must have tried dozens of wands before trying the twin brother of You-Know-Who's wand. However, there had never been a single case where the wands had such violent reactions. And never, ever, had one set anything aflame or destroyed so much of the shop. It was going to take him a while to clean up this mess, even with magic. He had to find this boy a suitable wand while he still had a shop.

There was one wand that he was let to try, ever. He never brought it out of its box, not for anyone. He had never told anyone about this wand, well save for Dumbledore. But that was merely for security reasons, in case it was ever stolen. And now there was this boy. This boy with glowing blue eyes. There was something very unique about this boy, something powerful. Those eyes spoke to Ollivander.

'This boy has fought his way out of hell once already. And he has a world of fighting left to do still…' he thought. Without hesitating, Ollivander walked to the back of his shop. He removed the black box that contained from its hiding place under the floorboards. It was a Muggle hiding place, a wizard breaking in wouldn't expect that. He brought the wand out of its box and placed it on the counter, the only counter he had left, in front of Cloud.

"Here try this one. Fifteen inches, Ironwood, with a Phoenix Pinion core. This is one of my rarest and most powerful wands."

Cloud heard Hermione gasp when she heard Ollivander describe the wand. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Ironwood is extremely rare. There are only a few places left in the world where it grows. It is extremely durable, more like metal than wood. It is completely invulnerable to all but the most powerful of magic. But Phoenix feathers are very common for wands."

"This is the only one that ever gave up it wing Pinion," said Ollivander quietly. He stood at a distance from the wand, as if he was scared of it. "Phoenix's are very powerful magic creatures," he explained. "Their tears can heal any wound, they can lift and carry many times their own weight, and they are almost completely immortal. There is a great deal of magic in their tail feathers, which is why they are used for wands. But the bulk of a Phoenix's magic is found in the wing feathers, the Pinion the most powerful." Ollivander stepped back away from the wand. "No one has ever tried this wand before son," he said to Cloud. "I have no idea what it is capable of. You just try to be careful with it."

Cloud took the black wand cautiously. He had already accidentally destroyed most of Ollivander's shop and was starting to feel a little bad about it. And if this wand was as powerful as everyone thought it was, he could do some real damage this time. He grasped the wand and felt a warm sensation crawl up his hand into his arm. He waved it in the air and a golden light emerged from the wand, immersing Cloud in its radiance. The light grew brighter and brighter until it blinded everyone else in the shop. Light poured out of the broken window, filling the street. People walking by were drawn to the light, like moths to a flame. The light soon faded and people went back about their business. The occupants of Ollivander's Fine Wands were left a bit more astonished. It was Ollivander who broke the silence.

"It seems the Phoenix has chosen its master."

Cloud remained silent, still entranced by the Phoenix's power. He came out of his trance and looked at Ollivander.

"Thank-you," he said softly.

Ollivander bowed his head slightly. "That wand is capable of very great things, my young friend. Terrible, unspeakable things if wielded for the forces of evil, but wonderful, magnificent things if wielded for the forces of goodness. Remember that," he warned.

Cloud and Tifa paid for their wands and left with Harry and their friends.

"Oy, Ollivander is always so serious," said Tonks. "Everything is the end of the world with him."

"He gave me the same speech when I bought my wand," agreed Harry. "Where's the next stop?" Harry asked everyone else.

-VII-

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes stood out like a sore thumb against the dull, listless backdrop of Diagon Alley. The front double doors flaunted a kaleidoscope of bright, comical colors while the display windows were filled with boxes upon boxes of gags, practical jokes, and novelties. The group walked in through the front doors and were greeted enthusiastically by two magical mock up's of Fred and George Weasley.

"Welcome to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, my dear friends and family. Would you like to try our newest Skiving Snackbox, Cherry Upchuck?" asked the mock up Fred.

"Er, no thanks," replied Harry.

"If you are looking for us Harry, we are currently in the back next to the register," said the mock up George.

"Thanks," replied Harry. The group headed into the store to find Fred and George. The store was filled to the brim with people, mostly students looking for gags. There were bins of trick wands, Dungbombs, Extendable Ears, portable insta-swamps, "How-to" books, and there was even a small kennel in the back full of magical creatures like niffers and pixies for pranks. There was cursed clothing (guaranteed to turn the wearer's skin bright purple), cursed objects (Harry winced at the sight of rouge Bludgers), and even Muggle magic tricks like card jokes and slight of hand gimmicks.

The store was so full of people that it took forever for Harry to reach the rear of the store. Ginny had vanished early on to look at the pixies, while Tonks was pouring over the trick wands. Ron and Hermione had strayed off to look at Muggle magic tricks for Ron's dad. Cloud and Tifa remained close by to Harry, unsure of their surroundings. All of this was still very new to them and they were fascinated by even the simplest of gags. Eventually, Harry saw Fred and George. Both lanky red heads were wearing dark blue dragonskin vests and matching pants. Fred (or was it George) spotted Harry and came over to him at once.

"Hello Harry. Welcome to our humble little enterprise. Who is she, Harry? Blimey, she's gorgeous!" exclaimed George as he noticed Tifa. Tifa blushed slightly at George's comment and even more when she noticed Cloud's hand slowly move towards his sword.

"These are my new friends Cloud and Tifa," introduced Harry. Cloud and Tifa shook hands with the twins, although Cloud may have gripped George's hand a little too firmly. George gave a barely audible grunt of pain and quickly shoved his injured hand into his pocket afterwards.

"It's about time you got here Harry. After all as Vice President you have certain obligations to fulfill," said Fred.

"What kind of obligations?" asked Harry curiously. "I'm not being one of your guinea pigs. I remember what happened when you tried those early Canary Crèmes on Neville."

"Oh no," said George quickly. "We do all our own testing, it's cheaper that way."

"Well then what do you want?" asked Harry. The twins grinned mischievously at one another.

"You remember your birthday letter, right." Harry nodded. "Well, as chief mischief maker, with little Ronnie-kins, you need to live up to our legacy. Now we'll help you get started, we already have some delightful care packages thought up to send you. All jokes and pranks aside, there are several other things that bother us about this upcoming year," said Fred.

"No one knows more about Hogwart's secret passages than we do," said George. "No one except for the Marauders that is."

"I don't think my dad, Sirius, or Lupin is going to be sneaking around Hogwarts anytime soon," said Harry solemnly.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" asked George.

Harry looked blankly at him for a moment. He ticked off the names of the original Marauders in his head. James potter AKA Prongs, Sirius Black AKA Padfoot, Remus Lupin AKA Moony, Peter Pettigrew…

"Wormtail," Harry whispered lowly. The twins nodded.

"Pettigrew was the Marauder's rat. No doubt they sent him ahead at night to make sure the paths were clear before the rest of them headed out at night. And who knows how many nights he wandered Hogwarts while he was Ron's pet. He must know those passages better than anyone alive," said Fred.

"If You-Know-Who were to attack Hogwarts, Wormtail could lead him in completely undetected to anywhere in the castle," said George.

"What can I do?" asked Harry worriedly.

"First of all, tell Dumbledore. If he doesn't already know about this, then he needs to be told," said George. "And second of all you can put these in all the passageways." He handed a small pouch to Harry. Harry took the pouch and began to open it.

"WAIT!" shouted both twins. Several other customers turned and stared at the commotion. The twins ushered Harry, Cloud, and Tifa back behind the register.

"These are special mines Harry! You cant go playing with them like they're Dungbombs!" scolded Fred. George carefully opened the pouch and removed one of the mines.

"May I present Weasley's Warding Watchdogs," said George proudly. "What you need to do is plant a few of these in each and every passage. You say the magic password to arm them. Then no one can use those passages without meeting a messy end."

"What exactly do they do?" asked Harry.

"Well that depends on the password you use," said Fred. He lowered his voice to barely a whisper. "To make them explode, the password is 'Dragon Fire'. To make them bark like a real watchdog at anything that approaches, the password is 'Fluffy'. And we charmed them to ignore disillusionment charms and Invisibility Cloaks. The third feature we are very proud of."

"We call it Sticky Surprise," said George proudly. "When tripped, the mines explode in a sticky spider-web like mess that traps anything nearby by. It's a good way to save the intruder for questioning rather than blowing him up. The web is almost impossible to break, even with magic."

"That password is 'Spidey'. To deactivate the mines, just say the password again three times," said Fred in a low whisper. George put the mines back in the pouch and handed it back to Harry as Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Tonks approached, their arms full of Fred and George's products. Fred gave Harry a quick glare, telling him without words to stash the mine pouch for now. Harry understood and put the pouch in his back pocket before anyone could ask what it was.

"Hey Fred, how much for all this?" asked Ron. His arms were full of trick wands,

exploding candies, Skiving Snackboxes, and a deck of Muggle cards. Ginny and Tonks were right behind him, both of their arms full of things too. Soon all three were pestering the twins about price. Fred started to laugh.

"Come on, you really expect us to take your money? You all get the friends and family discount. Everything is on the house, just as long as you don't want to take the entire store," said Fred.

"Consider it our way of thanking everyone for putting up with us for all these years," said George. "Besides we can always take it out of Harry's salary."

Everyone looked strangely at George.

"What salary?" asked Ron.

"Since Harry got our little enterprise on its feet in the first place, we decided that he should Vice President," explained George.

Everyone was flabbergasted. Ron was especially irate.

"I just asked you two for a job last week and you two said no!" he shouted.

"Yeah, well that was last week," countered George. "And if you don't like it you can pay for all that stuff instead."

Ron shut up.

The next stop on the door was Madam Malkin's Robes. While Cloud and Tifa got their school robes, the others kept themselves busy looking at dress robes. Fortunately, Cloud and Tifa didn't take very long in picking out school and dress robes.

"I'm hungry. Let's get some ice cream," suggested Ginny.

"Good idea," said Tonks as she shrank their bags into her pocket. Cloud remained himself to learn that spell for his sword. He loved his blade, as all swordsmen do, and would never part from it. However, carrying a sword as large as the Ultima Weapon on your back all day gets old quickly.

-VII-

The troop of students and young guardian crossed the alley and headed for Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. They waited to enter the shop as a large, slimy blue blob slithered past. A young man was chasing after it, his clothes dripping wet.

"That's a Water Flan," whispered Hermione.

"I've never seen on of those before," replied Tonks. "They can be very dangerous creatures if they aren't properly trained."

"Looks like that one needed a little more training," laughed Ron as they watched the man try to put a leash on the escaped flan. They continued on their way into Florean's, careful to avoid the slimy trail of goo left in the Flan's wake.

As they approached Florean', Harry could see into the large display window that took up much of the storefront.

Inside was a young couple, no older than Tonks, eating ice cream with a baby boy. He was tiny, only a year or two old, and was having more fun playing with his ice cream and getting it into his blonde locks than eating it. His parents did not scold or reprimand him, they just laughed and cleaned him up cheerfully. The sight of such innocence and happiness brought a smile to everyone's face and warmth to their hearts. All day long they had been discussing the war against Voldemort and how bad things had gotten. Now looking through that picture window, Harry and his friends were reminded of simpler, happier times playing Quidditch or having snowball fights in the castle courtyards. It reminded Cloud and Tifa of relaxing on the beaches of Costa De Sol and of sitting by the Cosmic Candle in Cosmo Canyon. Looking through that window, it reminded Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Tonks why they were fighting so hard against Voldemort. It reminded Cloud and Tifa why they had struggled so hard for the sake of the Planet and why they were going to fight someone else's war.

They fought for people like this young family. They fought for those who couldn't fight for themselves. So that others could live happily in peace…

BOOM!

Nobody saw it coming. No one could have, it happened too fast. It happened just as Harry was reaching for Florean's door. All hell broke loose in Diagon Alley…

Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor erupted in a magical burst of flame. The force of the explosion hit Harry fully in the chest, sending his body flying through the air. The blast knocked everyone behind him back several yards, burning their hair, clothes, and exposed skin. Debris from the shop rained down on top of them, partially burying them in a fiery mess of wood and metal.

Cloud was the first to recover. He immediately leapt into action, his SOLDIER instincts taking over his thought process. He sprang up throw the burning rubble on top of him, splintering the wood into matchsticks. He quickly threw the refuse off of Tifa and the others. Not seeing where Harry landed, Cloud put the boy in the back of his mind. There were others that needed his help now.

"Get the others moving," he said to Tifa as he helped her to her feet. "Get that fire out," he ordered as he recklessly rushed headlong into what remained of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Cloud could barely make out Tifa screaming his name before the roar of the flames drowned her out.

-VII-

It was the fire incinerating his t-shirt that brought Harry back to the land of the living. He quickly patted the flames out with his hands and shook his head clear. Dazed and confused, Harry slowly stood up and awakened fully into Hell. Most of Diagon Alley was aflame; people were running around screaming, burning. Harry saw a legion of Death Eaters spewed from the darkness of Knockturn Alley, swarming the streets. They were cursing innocent people in the streets in broad daylight. Shoppers and Shopkeepers ran in horror, only to be struck down moments later. Voldemort himself couldn't be seen from Harry's vantage point, but Harry knew he was here. His scar was blindly painful; it only hurt like this when Voldemort was close. The last time it hurt like this Voldemort had been standing right next to him at the Department of Mysteries. And Harry felt as if his head was going to split in two. Voldemort had to be close.

Harry shook off the pain and returned to the situation at hand. This was his war and if this were to be its first battle than he would participate as such. Removing his wand from his jeans, Harry prepared for battle. He cast a quick thought for his friends and he prayed for their safety, but he couldn't worry about them now.

'They're fine. Go do what you have to do,' thought Harry as he ran towards the conflict.

-VII-

Cloud barely registered the fiery blaze surrounding him. He stained his enhanced hearing above the roar of the fire for any signs of life. He found Florean behind the counter. Or what was left of him. He must have been close to the source of the blast judging by the remains, or lack there of. Only a silvery, partially melted nametag was left atop a pile of ashen bones. Cloud felt a pang of pity for the man.

'This is no way to die,' he thought before continuing his search. The fire was becoming more powerful, a raging inferno of heat.

"This is no ordinary fire," he muttered as he pushed away a fallen roof beam. The structural integrity of the building was starting to fail; the roof could collapse upon him at moment, trapping him inside.

Cloud neared the rear of the store. So far he had covered most of the parlor and had found no signs of life. He began to head back towards the entrance, the only exit that hadn't been buried in rubble or sealed off by flame. As he approached the front door, he heard a faint cry nearby. Cloud whirled around, trying to home in on the soft noise amidst the roaring conflagration. He began to burrow through burning wood and roofing, desperate to find the sole source of life left in this hellfire. For what seemed like hours, Cloud dug into the wreckage, his hands burnt and blistered from the fire. Cloud worked past the pain, using the techniques he learned as a member of SOLDIER. He blocked out everything; the heat, the fire licking at his hands and face, the bits and pieces of roof falling on top of his head, and he focused his will solely on the task at hand. He had to find what was hidden in the burning wreckage of the ice cream parlor before it was too late.

-VII-

"Cloud!"

Tifa screamed his name as he leapt into the burning building.

'Why the hell does he always have to be the one to go and do something stupid and noble like that? It's going to get him killed one of these days!' she fumed. Shaking her personal feelings aside Tifa looked at the scene before her.

She was accustomed to scenes of devastation; she had seen many before. She had watched the Midgar plate collapse upon the helpless people of the Sector 7 Slums. She was there when Mideel sank into the Lifestream. She saw the destruction caused by the many WEAPON attacks upon the innocent. So when she saw Diagon Alley in flames, she didn't freeze up in horror or fall to her knees in terror. Just as Cloud had ran into the burning ice cream parlor, Tifa also leapt into action. She quickly removed the rubble and various wreckage that laid on top her new friends. She quickly got them all to her feet and began barking orders.

"Hermione, you and Ginny see to the fires. Get them out quickly before they start to spread!" Hermione and Ginny nodded and ran off.

"Ron, start getting these people out of here. Get them to whatever exits you can find that aren't burning or under attack." Ron, looking a little pale, found the courage to do what needed to be done and took off.

"Tonks, you're with me." Tonks pulled out her wand, brandishing it like a sword. Tifa tightened her gloves and ran into the alley, Tonks following close behind. There were skulls in need of cracking and they were just the girls to do it.

-VII-

Harry ducked underneath the latest Stunning spell, cursing his luck. He hadn't gone ten feet before he had been spotted by a small group of three Death Eaters. Now he was pinned down behind a row of garbage cans, rising occasionally to fire his own spells. His plan had been to sneak up on the unsuspecting Death Eaters, stun them before anyone could notice and move on to another group. He wasn't doing anyone any good sitting on his arse behind some smelly garbage cans. That's when the idea hit him.

Garbage cans.

Harry reached up, feeling with his free hand. He grasped the handle of one of the can lids and quickly brought it down.

"I hope this works," he muttered under his breath. He pointed his wand and exclaimed in a clear voice, "Protego!" The trash lid glowed silver for a moment then appeared normal once again. Harry grasped the lid like a shield.

"Here goes nothing," he said as he leapt out from behind his cover. He ran towards the Death Eaters, brandishing his trash lid. The Death Eaters stood shocked for a moment at the absurdity of the sight then started firing spells at the advancing boy. Unfortunately, Harry Potter was very good at casting The Shield Charm. All their spells reflected off of the trash lid and returned directly at the castor. The Death Eaters stunned themselves into submission. Harry lowered the lid and pointed his wand at the fallen evildoers. With a quick word, coils of rope wound about the three Death Eaters. Satisfied that they could do no more harm, Harry ran back down the alley.

He cursed Death Eaters on the run, often hitting them in the back as they were about to inflict harm upon someone else. Harry kept running, he kept cursing until his legs felt like lead and his lungs burned in his chest. Even his wand arm was beginning to feel like jelly. But he refused to stop and rest even for a moment. All the anger that had stewed and boiled inside of him all summer long was finally being let out and it felt good, no better than good. And the more he let that anger out, the more it seemed to grow inside him. It was as if the anger fed off of the violence and danger. So Harry kept on running and he kept on fighting; now not only to save the people remaining in Diagon Alley, but to also satisfy he own lust for vengeance.

-VII-

Hermione and Ginny ran towards the fiery blaze that had once been Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Wands drawn they aimed the tips at the burning rooftop.

"Aguamenti!" they shouted together. Jets of water shot from the wand tips, spraying the ruined roof. Yet the flames did not diminish. The fire still burned, stronger than ever. Hermione and Ginny kept casting the charm. And after each attempt the fires grew stronger.

"Run and find Tifa!" Hermione ordered Ginny. "Maybe the magic she learned at her old school can help!"

Ginny nodded and ran off, leaving Hermione alone to fight the fires.

-VII-

Cloud began to dig harder, faster. He struggled to reach the source of the soft whimpering, buried somewhere beneath the pile of rubble. His clothes were starting to burn, his hands blistering from the heat, his arms felt like rubber. But he kept digging. He came up for air and listened for the hushed whisper of sound. Cloud heard it again, louder this time. He was getting closer.

Cloud began to dig again with renewed fervor. He flung pieces of fiery trash and refuse over his shoulder. The noise grew louder from underneath the burning pile of debris. Cloud grabbed hold of a fallen roof beam, struggling to lift it. Beneath it was the young family he had seen through the picture window earlier. Cloud threw the great beam aside, his anger and fear fueling his body. He rushed to the spot where the young man and his pretty wife lay. Cloud felt his heart sink at the sight. The man and woman lay prone on the floor, not moving. The fires hadn't quite reached them yet. But Cloud had been around too many corpses to think they were still alive. Their deaths were reenacted in Cloud's mind. They hadn't been injured by the initial explosion, just scared out of their minds. Cloud could almost hear the baby screaming, terrified by the heat and smoke. The young mother had picked up the child, clutching its struggling form to her bosom to try and protect it. The young father undoubtedly tried to get his family to safety when the roof collapsed upon him, breaking his back. His death had been as quick as it had been tragic. His wife, shocked by her lover's sudden demise, knelt at his side when the smoke claimed her life. She drew it into her lungs unknowingly and fell beside her husband. The baby…

Where was the baby? Cloud eyes widened in horror. The baby was nowhere to be seen. It couldn't have gotten far from it's mother when she died. Cloud tightened his fists as a cold fear gripped his insides. Could the fire have gotten it? Maybe it was buried under more rubble? Maybe he was already dead?

"NO!" shouted Cloud into the inferno, refusing to give up. He knows that he heard something still alive in this shattered husk of an ice cream parlor. Cloud kept digging, kept climbing through the burning wreck. He refused to leave without that baby boy, dead or alive.

Cloud lifted aside another roof beam, burning his hands in the process. He cursed and clutched his injured hands. The fire was getting worse. He wouldn't be able to withstand the heat and smoke for much longer. If he didn't find the baby and get out of there soon, he would become a permanent resident of the ice cream parlor. The thought made Cloud laugh slightly.

"Heh, Tifa would kill me," he mumbled in grim humor before he began digging again. He hadn't heard the soft noise for some time and was being to lose hope.

Cloud abandoned the pile of rubble and returned to the bodies of the young couple. He reached down and brushed some errant ashes away from the young woman's face. As he touched the woman's face, he heard the noise again. It was coming from underneath the young mother. Cloud gently turned the body over, reveling the baby. His mother had practically smothered him in protection. She covered her child with her own body, sheltering him from the flames. Cloud bent over and cradled the baby in his arms. The baby lay still in Cloud's arms. He pressed his head against the tiny chest and heard a faint heartbeat. Cloud breathed a sigh of relief. The kid might just make it. Cloud's relief vanished as an entire section of the roof collapsed right next to him. Cloud managed to roll out of the way just the nick in time.

'No time left,' Cloud thought. 'I got to get out of here.'

-VII-

Ron wasn't having much luck with the mass of crazed people running about in Diagon Alley. He tried everything to get their attention: fireworks, magically enhancing his voice, he even magically wrote "Don't Panic! Calmly head for the exit," in the sky and walls of the entire Alley. Still no one paid him any attention. The people of Diagon Alley had become a crazed mob, something that was just as dangerous as the Death Eaters swarming around. Much like the mob rushing at Ron right now.

"People, please head for the exits. Just be calm…AHHHH!" Ron screamed as the mob bore down on him. The mob knocked Ron over and would have trampled him to death if two pairs of strong hands hadn't pulled him out of the way in the nick of time.

"Blimey Ron, with the amount of trouble you get into it's amazing you ever made it past puberty," said Fred.

"Yeah, what would you do with out us?" asked George.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe be happy for once," growled Ron as he brushed the dust of his clothes. "Where did you two come from?"

"Our shop obviously. We heard all the explosions and when we realized it wasn't coming from our shop, we came running," said Fred. "What is going on anyway?"

"Death Eaters," said Ron. "They blew up Florean's and are attacking everyone in the alley."

"Well what in the bloody hell are we standing around here for?" demanded George angrily. "Lets go!" He took off down the alley, hell bent on fighting Death Eaters. Fred was right on his heels.

"Here we go," muttered Ron as he chased after his brothers.

-VII-

"Beat Rush!" exclaimed Tifa as another Death Eater fell under her assault of punches and kicks. There was a growing line of unconscious and possibly dead Death Eaters lying prone on the sidewalk behind her. She cut a swathe through the Death Eaters, punching and beating down anyone who came within reach. Tifa was a whirlwind of fists and feet, something that the people of the Wizarding World were completely unaccustomed to. They were used to fighting with spells and wands; not hand-to-hand. Several of the Death Eaters fled from Tifa after watching her defeat their comrades so effortlessly.

Those that ran didn't make it very far. Tonks was waiting for them, cursing them with practiced aim. She used her natural skills as a Metamorphmagus to sneak around; disguising herself as an old woman, a dashing young man, and even another Death Eater to get close enough to blast the bad guys. She jinxed or cursed the Death Eaters, then slipped back into the shadows of the alley only to reemerge as someone different. She and Tifa were clearing the alley of Death Eaters. They had taken out a great deal of the bastards, but more and more kept coming out of the back alleyways.

Tonks stared from behind the eyes of elderly man as Tifa dodges a burst of lightning from a Death Eaters wand and floors him with a single kick to the head. The Death eaters were regrouping and decided to try and out maneuver Tifa. A group of seven Death Eaters surrounded Tifa with their wands drawn. Tifa stood stock still in the center of the ring of certain death, her eyes scanning over each and every Death Eater.

"AVADA KEDAVA!" the Death Eaters cursed simultaneously. Green bolts of fire flew at Tifa from all directions. Tonks turned away, unable to watch. She shuddered when she heard a body fall to the floor. Then another fell, and another, and another. Tonks peeked out from behind the corner where she was cowering. Tifa stood in the middle of a circle of seven dead Death Eaters. Tonks walked towards her new friend, completely dumbfounded.

"But...how…seven…killing curses…" Tonks stammered dumbly.

"I ducked," laughed Tifa.

"Oh," replied Tonks. "Never thought about that."

Their respite from the battle was interrupted by Ginny Weasley tearing down the street. She spotted them and ran towards Tifa, panting.

"We can't put out the fires. Hermione told me to find you, something about your magic that might help."

Tifa nodded. "Let's go then."

Ginny ran back towards Florean's, leading Tifa and Tonks back towards the inferno.

-VII-

Cloud dodged another falling beam as he tried to find a way out of this ice cream death trap. He had reached the front door, only to find it caved in behind a pile of burning debris. He could have cut his way through quickly with his sword, but that would mean he would have to put the baby down. Cloud refused to endanger that poor baby any more. He held the baby close and dashed into the next room with the only remaining picture window. The roof and walls were coming down all around him and Cloud knew he had only one chance left to escape. He tucked the baby into his SOLDIER uniform.

"Go for broke," Cloud muttered and dashed for the picture window. He ran full speed at the window and crashed headfirst with a thud. Cloud bounced off the window and fell to the ground. Luckily he still had the sense to fall on his back and not crush the baby. He picked himself back up and faced the window.

"Ok, lets try that again." Cloud drew his the Ultima Weapon and advanced on the window again. He swung the sword and cracked the window.

"What the hell do these people do to their damn windows?" he growled as he slammed the crystal blade again and again into the window. With each hit the cracks grew larger and more numerous until there was a massive spider web upon the windowpane. He swung the massive blade on more time and the glass shattered explosively. Cloud sheathed his sword and leapt out of the broken window. He landed on the hard pavement of Diagon Alley and ran away from the burning building.