Chapter 10: Anything

Harry's POV

My throat was dry, and realising this I also remembered that I hadn't eaten since yesterday. My stomach growled in response to these thoughts, and I shook my head to regain concentration. It really shouldn't be this hard. I had done it before when I was eleven, before I even knew that I was a wizard. Of course, I hadn't meant to do it, but if I could do it without any effort at all, why was it so difficult now? Especially since I had apparently just come into my full magical power having come of age. But so far I had made no progress at all, and it felt as if I never would.

I needed to focus. I needed to really want this. I did want this. "Wingardium Leviosa." The stone shook, or quivered might be a more accurate word. It didn't matter anyway, because what was really important was the fact that the stone had moved, and I had done it without a wand. I placed the stone into the palm of my hand and brought it up so that it was level with my face. "Wingardium Leviosa." My eyes widened as the stone rose into the air smoothly, coming to a stop in thin air. I pictured it moving to the left, and the stone moved as if I was directing it with a wand. Euphoria bubbled up inside me, a ridiculously strong reaction to such an insignificant result, but it was the first positive sign I had seen since my capture. "Yes!"

"Very good, my pet."

I froze, the warm buzz of success disappearing instantly to make room for a chilling emptiness. Greyback's voice echoed in the large space, and I realised that everybody was now listening. I looked up and my eyes met the cold eyes of my captor, his mouth twisting into an evil grin before he let loose a malicious bark of laughter. The other werewolves remained silent, out of fear or respect I knew not which. I could feel my face grow red with both humiliation and anger.

"Another skill that will help us in the war against wizarding kind. Pet, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I really must insist that you desist," he sniggered softly at the way the words sounded as he spoke them, "because we really can't afford any accidents. In just a few minutes time, we will be leaving this place, venturing forth into the night and embracing the moon. And in the light of our existence we will undergo the transformation which so repulses society."

"Power, strength, feeling like they have never experienced, and yet they cast us out. But the time will come when we take control, when we are the leaders of society, and they will grovel at our feet like the pathetic creatures that they are." I shivered at the conviction in his words, his eyes noticing the slight movement. "Do not think that I have forgotten about you, my Pet. When the moon takes us, so too will I take you. And once I have claimed you, marked you as my own, then you will have all the time you could ever want to practice your magic." His jagged teeth flashed an evil grin, daring me to oppose him.

He'd probably been listening to me practice the entire time, laughing inwardly at my failure. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if most of the other werewolves had been able to hear me as well thanks to some convenient effects of the werewolf condition. I glared at him, feeling my emotions meld together into an unstoppable fury as I opened my mouth to allow the words I had withheld for so long to escape. Before the first word had formed in my throat the chain suddenly flew up and wrapped itself around my chest, pushing the air from my lungs as the heavy links crushed my arms against my already bruised sides. I gasped for breath but the chain only squeezed tighter.

Greyback's face was now directly in front of my own, my eyes staring into the emptiness of his as I was held in place by the chain. I could feel the eyes of all the other werewolves boring into my skin from behind him, but I couldn't move my head enough to see past his face. "Don't you dare even think about challenging me. I am your master, and you will obey me! You will not try to escape again Pet. You will never escape." He turned around, and the chain fell to the ground, once more limp and lifeless. I breathed in; shaking from the lack of oxygen as well as from the cold air which blew across my bare skin.

I lay back down onto the cold tiles, the strength I had felt having drained out of me along with any hope that I had of saving myself. I was alone. Nobody knew where I was or even who had taken me. I was weak. My magic was useless. I was alone. I pressed my face into my shoulder, my long silky hair providing a cover for the tears which now fell from my eyes. I thought of the Nest, my friends, of Charlie and of how I was never going to be able to return to them once I was taken by Greyback. There was nothing, and I was nothing.

From behind my eyelids I saw a flash of light, and opening them I saw something that stopped the tears. A cloud of smoke, dust and dirt, thick and dark, was rushing through the station from the opposite end. And then there were voices.

General POV

The thick smoke filled the entire room, the sounds of the forty or so werewolves coughing being swallowed by the sudden silence left behind by the swelling cloud. A voice echoed through the station, each word clear even as it was repeated over and over again by the tiled surfaces of the large space.

"Harry Potter is the property of the Dark Lord. He will be surrendered to us immediately. Those who oppose the one true master will fall."

The darkness of the cloud vanished just as quickly as it had arrived, and as sight was restored all heads swung towards the source of the voice. Three figures stood beside the tunnel at one end of the platform, their faces and any other recognisable features hidden from view by the black hooded robes and cold metal masks of the Death Eaters. A loud growling rose from the werewolf army as each person drew their own wand, ready for the attack that would surely follow.

Greyback threw back his head and unleashed a loud barking laugh, joined as he did so by several of his followers. The three Death Eaters simply stood there, apparently unmoved by this display of disloyalty to their master. Greyback began to speak, and immediately the other voices ceased.

"Harry Potter will be remaining here. The Dark Lord may have you to do his bidding, but he has no such authority over the werewolves. They remain loyal only to me, Fenrir Greyback, future ruler of all creatures. Who are you to demand something of me?"

A slight pause followed, and then the three figures reached up simultaneously and removed both their masks and hoods. In the centre of the trio stood Lucius Malfoy, his platinum blond hair instantly recognisable as it fell across his shoulders. Flanking him on either side, the two shorter figures of Alecto and Amycus Carrow stood smirking, their eyes bright as they took in the reactions of the werewolves. Almost as one, as the faces were revealed, the army took a step back, the reputations of those standing before them being enough to instil fear. Lucius glided gracefully forwards, the Carrows moving out on either side as they too approached the mass of uncertain werewolves, who shuffled backwards and pressed together. When the Death Eaters stopped, the space behind them remained empty while the centre of the platform was occupied by the mass of werewolves, who stood before their leader as he remained at Harry's side.

"Come now, Greyback," Lucius said, his tone saturated with a pleasantness that could not be trusted, "we are all on the same side. Remember that the Dark Lord has promised to reward you when the time comes. It would be foolish to stand against him now."

"It is not that we are on the same side so much as it is that we have the same goal." Greyback bared his teeth in an amused smirk, however he did not move forwards. "It is true that we both seek to bring down the current ruling magical force, however it is also true that both sides also seek control over all other races and creatures, a feat impossible to achieve without the elimination or enslavement of either werewolves or wizards. Also, something else that brings us together is our common desire to find Harry Potter, however my reason for this is very different to your own. It is with Harry that we will have the power necessary to gain control, and now that we have him, why would we give him over to you? It would be, as you said, foolish." Greyback flashed his teeth at them again, this time more as a threat rather than a smirk.

The two Carrows, rather than being taken aback by these words, cackled loudly, filling the space with an eerie sound that sent shivers down Harry's spine. Lucius held up his hand, the two voices fading as the echoes receded down the dark tunnels of the station. When he spoke again, his tone was calm and almost bored. "Yield to the Dark Lord and surrender Potter. If you refuse the Dark Lord, I will have no choice but to force a favourable solution."

"You and what army? You can't possibly imagine that the three of you will be able to take down my entire werewolf army."

"Oh no, that would certainly be a most unwise course of action. We have come prepared." With no obvious signal from either Lucius or the Carrows, the large cloud of smoke once more rushed from the tunnel behind the three Death Eaters and filled the space entirely, the werewolves listening for any sounds of approach. There were none, and nothing could be seen more than a foot away from ones face due to the impenetrable darkness. And then the smoke was retreating, being sucked back down the tunnel and leaving everything behind exactly as it had been before. Everything, that is, except the newly materialised Death Eaters, of which there were forty seven, fifty including the three original Death Eaters.

A shuddering intake of breath was all that could be heard for several seconds as the werewolves, now outnumbered, took in the army that had come to destroy them. Then it was as if something clicked, and screams, both maniacal and fearful, burst from the lungs of Death Eaters and werewolves alike. Those werewolves closest to the robed force turned and fled, knocking over others as they scrambled in a desperate attempt to escape. Just as the few who had been at the back rushed past a still shocked Greyback and towards the opposite tunnel, Lucius flung his arm out, wand pointed at the other end of the station.

"Reducto!"

The arched entrance to the tunnel exploded in a burst of fire and rubble, the entire station shaking and groaning with the force of the blast. Tiles fell from the curved ceiling, shattering into thousands of shards as they struck the platform below. The werewolves covered their heads with their arms, but for those closest to the tunnel it was too late. The entire ceiling at that end began to collapse, huge slabs of rock falling to block the only escape from the Death Eaters.

Harry, still chained to the wall, pulled with all his strength as the wall shook with a dreadful rumbling. Greyback, seeing that his prize was just moments away from being crushed, raced forwards, grabbing the end of the chain and ripping it from where it was attached to the wall. He continued to pull roughly, dragging Harry by the neck into the centre of the platform where the werewolves now stood, their eyes watching both the destruction and the Death Eaters. Dust and rubble flew from the now blocked tunnel, forcing both werewolf and Death Eater alike to cover their eyes, the masks worn by the Dark Lord's servants doing nothing to protect them from the dust.

The last sounds of crumbling died away as the dust settled, fresh, cool air sweeping down into the space which for so long had been closed off from the world above. Fenrir's army, with only a few unfortunate individuals missing, was huddled together in the centre of the platform, on one side blocked by an impenetrable layer of rock and debris, on the other by fifty Death Eaters. Lucius was the first to remove his robed arm from across his face where he had been holding it to protect his eyes. What he saw caused him to stop breathing, his face draining of all colour to an impossibly paler shade. His lips quivered as he took a horrified step back, the arm with which he held his wand shaking violently.

"N-no. No! No!" His voice was not loud, however in such a deathly silence as had followed the collapse, it was clearly audible to both the Death Eaters who stood close by as well as to the werewolves with their sensitive ears. As heads swung to see what had so frightened Lucius Malfoy, several people gasped.

Where before there had only been tiles, the large curving roof pressing down upon those who stood within the confined space, there now was nothing, only emptiness and space. The rock and earth which had separated the underground station from the muggle structures above had fallen inwards to fill the tunnel at one end, leaving behind an opening, through which crisp air now rushed. But it was not the air that so worried Lucius, but rather the pale beams of moonlight which now filtered through the emptiness. Moonlight which illuminated the scene below and all involved. Moonlight both beautiful and ominous. The light of a full moon.

Fenrir was the first to react, letting loose a howl that filled the air and sent shivers down the spines of the horror struck Death Eaters. More howls joined his in a dreadful chorus, heads being flung back as if they were basking in the glow of the moon. Several of the werewolves dropped to the floor, clutching at their sides and at their limbs as they seemed to swell and morph. Greyback remained standing, his chest and back rippling while his whole body vibrated with explosive energy. His skin erupted with shaggy grey hair, replacing the torn clothing he had been wearing. His hands and feet seemed to lengthen, yellow nails growing into jagged claws which clenched and unclenched repeatedly. His jaw stretched outwards to form a muzzle filled with pointed teeth. A tail emerged, rising up behind him as his legs bent into a threatening crouch. Grey eyes, before so cold and hollow, narrowed to give a predatory appearance to the large grey werewolf.

All around him, other werewolves completed their transformations and rose to stand on their hind legs, taller than an average wizard. None were as tall or as impressive as Greyback however, who stood at the rear of his newly changed force, gloriously frightening. A low growl emanated from the mass of werewolves, the very ground shaking with the vibrations. From the Death Eaters, a single high pitched whimper sounded.

Charlie's POV

"Done."

My feet froze before I even consciously processed Bill's announcement. It seemed as if I had been pacing up and down the small stretch of pavement outside the closed off station for an eternity, but in reality it had probably only been close to twenty minutes. During that time, Bill had been working as fast as he could, his hands moving in intricate patterns as he detected and removed the enchantments which protected the entrance to the werewolves den. And yet, even though I knew that we could not have possibly moved any faster, I still felt like we were too slow... too late.

No. I shook my head in an attempt to dispel that thought, moving towards the door beside which Bill now stood. Just as my fingers closed around the door knob, a loud crash filled the air, the force of what could only have been some form of explosion shaking the ground and buildings along the street. My eyes widened and I turned to look at Bill. His eyes had also widened and some of the colour had drained from his face, but a slight shake of his head reassured me, and it seemed to do the same for him.

"That wasn't one of the protective enchantments. I know I haven't missed anything. It must have come from somewhere else... or even from inside."

Before the last word even left his mouth I had turned the knob and pushed the door, entering into the dense darkness that filled the abandoned entrance hall. I drew my wand, still moving towards the opposite end of the empty room. "Lumos." The tip glowed a bright blue, illuminating only a small area but enough to see a few feet ahead of my quick steps. In the centre of the far wall a single passage continued onwards, sloping gradually downwards as it made its way to the underground platform. I rushed forwards, the sounds of my footsteps echoing off the bare stone walls being joined by those of Bill who I knew to be just a short distance behind me.

Breaking into a jog, I could feel my heart beating and my pulse racing, not because of the physical exertion but due to the feeling that was rapidly filling my entire body. A warm tingling, like sunlights gentle caress on bare skin, washed over me and I knew that Harry was close. He was here, just metres away, and I would be with him once more. I felt my lips twitch up into a smile, knowing that this was inappropriate considering the circumstances but unable to suppress it.

"Charlie." Bill's voice so close to my ear made me slow down, the sound strong and commanding. "Stop for a second and listen." I strained my ears, trying to hear past our heavy breathing for anything coming from the passage ahead. Of course, Bill's sensitive hearing would have alerted him to any sounds that I would not have been able to hear, but without the loud echoes of our footsteps I should be able to hear something. And there it was, a low rumbling or moaning. Just as I was about to move forwards again, a single howl filled the darkness that was beyond the reach of our wands. My breathing stopped altogether, the sound of my heart becoming louder in my ears. And then there was another howl, this time joined by several others before it died away.

I felt Bill's hand grip my arm tightly before he pulled me forwards, my legs automatically moving to equal his fast pace. He began to mutter to himself as we ran, only one word reaching my ears clearly. "Werewolf." And then I was sprinting, rushing past Bill and down the final few metres of the passage towards the soft light which filled the platform beyond.

As my eyes adjusted to the moonlight which I could now see pouring from the open ceiling above, my body froze where it was just inside the large space of the abandoned platform. I could feel the blood drain from my face and I clenched my hand tightly around my wand, blinking even as I tried to understand the scene that lay before me. Bill's solid form crashed into me from behind, but I was so shocked I didn't even react, his leaner body simply bouncing off my firm back. I heard him gasp and knew that if I could have made any sound it would have been once very much the same.

The passage had opened abruptly onto the large underground platform, or perhaps what was once an underground platform but was now more of an open crater. To my right the ground was covered in rubble and large boulders formed an impenetrable wall which seemed to rise only to meet the emptiness of the night sky. Directly in front of me, moonlight illuminated the massive forms of what must have been Greyback's werewolf army, their razor claws and teeth glimmering in the pale beams from above. But all this I had been prepared for. I had expected to meet a werewolf army, the thought that moonlight would be necessary for change never having crossed my mind. I had expected a scene of destruction and confusion. What I hadn't expected was the mass of black cloaks and hooded figures which occupied one entire side of the remaining platform, wands drawn and metallic masks set with an evil sneer. Death Eaters.

Before I could even begin to react, lights exploded from the tips of the Death Eaters wands, brilliant greens and reds shooting towards the pack of werewolves and lighting up the dark tiled walls. Almost immediately after the first spells had been fired, several of the werewolves at the front of the pack leapt forwards, their claws and teeth preceding their large masses of matted fur. Explosions shook the walls as poorly aimed curses caused more tiles to crash to the floor, dust and dirt creating a haze through which individual moonbeams took on a solid appearance.

Bill pulled me to the wall as more werewolves surged forward, trampling over their fallen comrades as rage and hunger guided them onwards. Growls, fierce and terrible, rung in my ears, the deep sounds pierced occasionally by the violent screams of their victims. The Death Eaters fell back into a defensive array against the wall, their black cloaks pressing together as they fought to keep the massive creatures at bay. Bodies, both werewolf and human, littered the ground, deep scarlet rivulets of blood mixing with the grime of the tiles and the falling dust.

"We need to find Harry and get out of here!" Bill's tone was urgent and immediately I tore my eyes away from the dreadful scene taking place before me. I scanned the walls, knowing that Harry would have chosen a defensible position as far from the chaos as possible. The image of his body, bruised and covered in blood just as it had been the night Voldemort attacked us while leaving his muggle home, flooded my mind and I had to fight to suppress them. He couldn't be dead. We had made it in time. He had to be alive.

My eyes fell upon a small form huddled against the fallen boulders, bare skin pale in the moonlight. Harry. His eyes were focused on the raging battle, obviously not having noticed either myself of Bill. I began to edge along the wall, keeping as much distance as I could from the werewolves I knew would turn on me as soon as they saw my human shape. Bill grabbed my arm in an attempt to slow me down, his body being pulled along as I refused to slow my pace. As we reached the mass of fallen stone I saw Harry's emerald eyes flicker towards us, his body flinching back instinctively. Those brilliant orbs widened slightly, his lips shaking before forming the smallest and most welcome of smiles.

I rushed forwards, crushing his smaller form against my body and feeling the warmth and relief that had for too long been missing.

"Aaahhh!"

I dropped him, taking a quick step back at the sudden scream of pain that had come from Harry. He clutched his sides with his hands, eyelids clenched in what I knew to be an attempt to hold back tears. "What is it? Are you hurt?" He didn't need to answer that question, not now that I could see the deep purple bruises which almost covered his entire body, visible even with his arms mostly covering his chest and sides. I could hear myself growling, fury taking over as I saw what they had done to him.

Before I could do anything, Bill was there at my side to calm me down. "We can't afford to waste any more time Charlie. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. Whoever did this is probably in enough pain at the moment anyway, and any stupid moves right now could cost us all our lives."

Of course he was right, and with great effort I suppressed the rage and tried to focus my attention once more on getting Harry to safety. But the growling, the deep and threatening sound I had thought to be only myself, continued. I spun around, wand drawn, ready. What seemed to be the largest werewolf in the pack was facing our small group, the others still engrossed in the loud and bloody fight. Its fur was relatively clean compared to the blood and dirt stained coats of the others, the grey colour matching its eyes. At that moment I knew that this must be Greyback, the fearless leader using his servants as shields from the continuous barrage of spells and curses.

He held a solid metal chain, one end wrapped securely around his arm and the other, as I followed it with my eyes, encircling Harry's bruised neck. His teeth glinted in the moonlight, an evil smirk directed straight at me. "NO!" But it was too late, and with a sharp and powerful heave Harry was pulled away from me, his body crashing into the ground as it was dragged across the space which separated us.

Bill reacted faster than I could have, aiming his wand at Harry rather than Greyback. "Relashio!" The chain which had formed a collar around Harry's neck broke apart, Greyback moving fast enough to avoid the backlash of the metal length. Harry, his face contorted with a pain that left him breathless, was sprawled in the centre of the space between Greyback and ourselves. I looked up at the monster which threatened one so close to my heart, knowing that I would do everything I could to stop it.

"Stupefy!" The jet of red light soared towards its target, but the werewolf just stepped to the side, his legs a flash as the spell continued past him and into the violent fight. They wouldn't notice one more spell, just as they hadn't noticed either Greyback's absence or Harry's scream. As werewolves, their only concern would be a threat or a meal. In this case, the Death Eaters provided both. For some reason however, Greyback seemed to be in control. His sole focus was not on us, but instead he seemed to want only Harry.

I tried again, this time Bill adding his own spell, any yet Greyback simply crouched low, both jets of light passing over his head. Just as quickly, he stood again and swung the length of chain, each metal link adding its own dreadful sound to the movement. We were not as fast, the chain colliding with both of our chests and knocking the breath from our lungs as we fell to our knees. I swung my head up in time to see the shaggy creature lunge from where it stood, covering the distance between us in less than a few seconds and smashing its solid arm into Bill's side, knocking him to the ground with a resounding thud.

I lifted my arm, aiming my wand at the werewolf's head and muttering the first half of a spell. Again, too slow. Greyback reached towards me and crushed my arms against my sides, lifting me from the floor so that I was suspended just a few inches above the surface, enough so that I couldn't reach the ground. Over its shoulder I could see Harry watching, his eyes wide with a fear that I could do nothing about. His lips moved and I heard him mutter something that sounded like the body bind spell 'Petrificus Totalus'. But his voice was weak, and the beast kept moving, its jaw opening impossibly further as it lowered its maw to my neck.

With an audible crunch, it clamped its teeth down, delivering the final blow... ...and I felt nothing. A horrible whining filled my ears, so loud that I struggled to free my arms just so that I could cover my ears. Greyback dropped me, staggering back and shaking his head. I looked down, trying to discern any signs of damage, any blood dripping down my torn shirt. The skin appeared unbroken, as if it was made of stone... stone. Harry hadn't cast the body bind spell at all! He had cast the same spell I had seen him use on the night of his seventeenth birthday. 'Petrifilicticus,' a spell which made a person's skin as hard as stone. He had protected me, saved my life once again.

Greyback was still moaning pitifully, and now I could understand why. The force of that bite had shattered his teeth, his jaw broken and his gums left bleeding. This time I would not miss. "Stupefy!" The surge of red light hit him right in the chest and he toppled over, numb and useless. I would leave him for the Death Eaters to find. Surely anything I could do would be nothing compared to the punishment he would receive for betraying Voldemort.

Forcing my aching limbs to cooperate, I moved over to where Harry lay, propped up on his elbows and smiling at me as if I had been the one who had saved his life. Bill rose unsteadily, making his way over to where we were while assessing his damaged body. "Nothing's broken I think," he winced as he extended his left arm, bending it just to be sure. "As for you Harry," and he placed his hands on Harry's sides, gently feeling the places where bruises marked the skin, "there appears to be no broken bones at least. These bruises are pretty serious, but they're nothing Mum can't fix." With that, he looked up and smiled.

"Can we go now?" Harry's voice, although weak, conveyed the relief and joy I knew he felt.

"Charlie, will the anklet still work?" I thought for just a moment before answering.

"It brought me to this street when Harry wasn't wearing it, so it should take us back to the Nest where we left the necklace." Bill nodded and Harry sighed in relief, grateful that he would neither have to travel through the long passage or leave by apparition. With the tip of my wand I tapped the anklet I still wore, the comforting glow surrounding us. "Home," I said, my voice full of longing.

"Home," Harry repeated, eyes glimmering in the soft glow.