Rocks Begin to Roll
Disclaimer: JKR's Characters and settings: My Ideas (Sort of): Your time: Thanks for reading
Ron Weasley was sitting in a blindingly white room. The walls and floor were padded for his safety. His arms were wrapped tightly around himself, restrained by a muggle straight jacket. Normally the staff would never resort to such barbaric measures, but it was the only thing that would settle the patient.
Weasley was rocking back and forth in the center of the room. He kept repeating the same phrase over and over again. "The bitch forgave me. The bitch forgave me. The bitch forgave me. …."
Healer Krystal Bruce was observing her most infamous patient. She had removed him from his family home the night before after his little sister had broken his jaw in two places. Listening to him rant, she had almost wished that the healers had wired his jaw shut for 6 weeks as muggles were prone to doing. She had been filled in on the details of Ron's first visit home by the head of the DMLE, Arthur Weasley.
According to Mr. Weasley, Ron's ex-girlfriend had been invited to their home for the day. At dinner time he had confronted the woman that he had had a history of abusing. Healer Bruce thought that she had to admire Hermione Granger. 'I would have hexed the stupid prat into next year if he had confronted me like that.' Hermione had offered the gift of forgiveness.
She took a deep breath to steady herself. Her emotions were a little too close to the surface to deal effectively with Weasley. If he didn't start responding to treatment soon, Healer Bruce was going to administer a course of shocking spells. If nothing else, the temporary vegetative state would allow her staff some peace and quiet for a while. 'One more deep breath; count to ten; relax; calm energy; open the door.'
Harry's patronus streaked into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. The large stag followed George into the back room and said in Harry's voice, "George it's time."
A concerned Angelina Weasley looked at her husband with a worried expression on her face. "Honey, was that a message from Harry?" Tears began to stream from her eyes as she realized that her George was about to fight another battle. George wouldn't be the man that he was if he didn't drop everything to help his friends. She loved him for that.
George pulled his wife into a loving embrace. He kissed her warmly. "Angel, I want you to go to the Burrow and wait with my family. I'll send word as soon as everything is over. Take care of little Fred and if I don't …."
Angelina stopped George with a kiss. "Don't even finish that thought George Weasley, dying isn't an option."
George nodded his head and gave Angelina a sad smile. "I love you my angel." He picked up the rucksack that he had prepared earlier in the week and disappeared through the door of his shop without a backwards glance.
Cho, Daphne, and Neville were cuddling on a large bed. So far their plan had worked to perfection. Neville had taken possession of the Elder wand. He and his wives were about to rid the world of Harry Potter. If Cho had her way, then by nightfall Hermione Granger would be naked and chained to the foot of their bed.
He tried to relax before the showdown with Potter. A nagging doubt was stabbing at the back of his mind. Was he really strong enough to kill Potter, even with the Elder wand? He pushed those thoughts aside and began to focus on the task ahead of him. They were going to call Potter out and ambush him.
"Daphne, do you really think that Potter is stupid enough to walk into an ambush on his own?" asked Neville.
"Of course he is Nev. You remember what happened at Hogwarts just as well as I do. The dark pretender called him out and Potter gladly walked to his death."
"You're not having second thoughts are you Nev?" questioned Cho. "I mean I just went through the trouble of buying Granger a new wardrobe." She grinned evilly as she pulled a dog collar from the nightstand. Written on the collar in silver were the words 'Cho's Bitch'.
Daphne and Neville joined Cho in a loud chorus of laughter.
Cho dipped her quill in a vile of Dean Thomas' blood and wrote a set of coordinates and a time on a piece of parchment. She then scrawled the words 'face me alone Potter or I will destroy everyone you care about.' Cho rolled up the scroll and gave it to a crow to deliver.
The four friends were meeting at Luna's house. They were discussing the note that had been delivered. It was Luna that figured out that the numbers on the parchment were coordinates for a remote location in Ireland. Hermione cast a spell and determined that the letter was a port key.
"They can't figure that you would blindly walk into a trap; could they?" scoffed George.
"Of course they can George. At the battle of Hogwarts that's exactly what Harry did," chided Hermione.
"Only this time we're playing by our own rules. The three of you are coming with me and together we are stronger than anything that Neville and his friends can through at us."
"We should check this place out so that we can see if there is anything that we can use to our advantage. If I go as an eagle, then Neville wouldn't even know I was there," reasoned Luna. Suddenly Luna's eyes went white. She lifted her wand and pointed it at Harry and muttered a spell in a language that she did not understand. The process was repeated with George and Hermione. When Luna had finished her eyes returned to normal.
"That was weird," Luna thought in her head.
"Yes, it was," replied Hermione.
"What, I didn't say a word," gasped Luna "Can all of you hear my thoughts?"
Harry, Hermione, and George all nodded their heads.
Luna smiled and transformed into an eagle and flew out the window. She found that she was able to keep in contact with them up to a distance of 8 kilometres (5 miles). The other thing that Luna learned about the mental link was that Harry, Hermione and George could not communicate through the link with each other.
The four looked at a map of Ireland and picked out the nearest town to their destination. Luna apparated there and transformed into in eagle once again. She flew over the area that Harry was to face Neville and his accomplices. She took note that there were two people under a disillusionment charm watching the area. She did not bother to get close enough to see who they were.
When Luna returned to her home she found that Harry, Hermione and George had already begun to prepare for their part in the battle. She found that here three friends were wearing strange cloths made form moose hide. Both George and Harry were wearing pants with fringes hanging on the trim. They were shirtless and wearing brightly coloured breast plates made from what appeared to be many small bones joined together somehow. Hermione was wearing a similar breastplate over her dress. Hermione handed Luna a costume quite similar to her own. After Luna had changed Harry instructed the others how to paint their faces for war.
Before they left George provided Harry with a few of his inventions to help in the coming battle.
With less than an hour before sundown, Hermione, Luna and George apparated to the small village that Luna had scouted earlier. They quickly transformed into their animals and made their way to the site.
Behind a hill that overlooked a large circle George transformed back into himself and using Harry's invisibility cloak he set up several surprises. He then transformed back into a coyote and rejoined Hermione. Luna was circling high above the site. She was so high up that she resembled a speck in the sky.
Just before sunset eight wizards and witches apparated into position around the stone circle. Neville, Cho, and Daphne appeared on a grassy hill that overlooked the circle. Luna relayed the information to George and Hermione.
Back at Luna's house Harry had just finished smudging with sweet grass and burned tobacco as he prayed to the Creator. Just as Harry finished praying, he touched the parchment just as it turned blue.
Harry landed in the center of the stone circle and found himself surrounded by ten wizards and witches; their wands all pointed at his chest. They took one look at his appearance and began to laugh. Their momentary pause gave Harry enough time to draw his wand and for Luna to inform Harry of the situation. Harry asked that Luna tell George and Hermione to head off Neville and his group.
Harry recognized several of Neville's henchmen, Zacharias Smith, John Dawlish, Delores Umbridge, Marietta Edgecombe, Blaise Zabini, Tracey Davis, and Theodore Nott.
Before Hermione and George left they both set of decoy detonators. Spells began to fly all over the place Harry swiftly dodged the spells aimed at him. The fact that Neville had deployed his henchman in a circle gave Harry a tactical advantage. Most of the spells fired at Harry after the diversion had hit and incapacitated most of the idiots. In fact after that initial barrage the only person left standing was John Dawlish.
The ex-auror and Harry battled each other almost to a standstill. Finally, Harry managed to dodge a stunner and hit Dawlish with an incarcerous. Ropes flew from Harry's wand and wrap themselves around Dawlish. Harry then stunned Dawlish and disarmed him. He gathered Neville's gang together and snapped all their wands.
Neville removed his disillusionment spell and yelled his challenge to Harry. Cho and Daphne maintained their spells in order to ambush them one more time. As Harry approached Neville he was joined by a wolf and a coyote. Spells rained down on Harry from the hill top as he approached. The spells that were actually on target, Harry had managed to block easily.
Luna warned Harry that Cho and Daphne were moving behind him. She then apologized because it was getting difficult for her to see. She would touchdown on another of the nearby hills.
Suddenly the large wolf stopped and sniffed the air. Hermione could smell Cho close by. Using the wolf's strong sense of smell it launched itself at the disillusioned woman. A frightened Cho dropped her wand as Hermione tore into the flesh of Cho's wand arm. She pinned Cho to the ground and lightly clamped her jaw over Cho's exposed throat. The frightened woman knew that if she even so much as moved that the wolf would tear her throat out. Cho soiled herself at the thought.
Daphne and Neville were both too far away to aid Cho. Neville cried in rage and fired more curses at Harry and the wolf. Somehow Harry had managed to cast a shield charm that protected the wolf.
"I wouldn't try to hurt that wolf if I were you Neville," taunted harry." In case you haven't noticed she's placed her jaw over Cho's neck."
Hermione increased the pressure on Cho's neck, drawing a small trickle of blood, and Cho screamed into the night.
"Give up Neville and I just might let Cho live."
"Harry, just who the fuck do you think that you're kidding? If you were going to kill Cho you would have done it already. I am the true master of the Elder wand Harry and not even you can stand against me. Once you're gone there will be nothing between me and the power that is rightfully mine."
"That's not power Longbottom, it's just an illusion. It's unfortunate Neville, but you have been corrupted by a false vision. Your only chance is to give up and feel genuine remorse for what you've done."
"Fuck you, Potter!" Neville shouted. Just as he taunted harry Daphne managed to get close enough to Harry to fire a cutting hex at Harry's leg. Harry collapsed in a heap on the ground. The coyote attacked Daphne and soon had her incapacitated.
Neville smirked as he walked up to Harry. Potter was busily trying to stem the flow of blood from his leg.
Neville Long bottom stood over Harry with his wand pointer at Harry's heart. "It's time to die Potter. Good bye Harry it was not so nice knowing you."
