Author's Note: In this chapter, my readers, action abounds!!! -dances- This was another hard chapter to write, for some reason... but it progressively got easier. -shrug- Dunno why.
Hope you enjoy! And don't forget to leave your feedback!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with "Harry Potter." I only own Silas and Thoreau.
11. Midnight
The first few minutes passed in a blur.
"They're here," Filch managed to rasp before promptly falling to the floor in a gorey heap. Those two words acted as an invitation for ten masked and robed Death Eaters to appear in the doorway, already throwing spells at the group in the middle of the room.
Harry felt himself get grabbed roughly by the collar of his robes and shoved below the table. Within moments he was joined by a pale and startled Hermione, who had apparently just been forced down by Professor McGonagall. Harry peered out from under the table in time to see Lupin whip out his wand and step away; it had been he who had pushed Harry to safety.
"STUPEFY!" Professor McGonagall had begun to fight. A black-robed Death Eater collapsed immediately, hit by the stunning spell, but another soon took their comrade's place.
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Harry jumped; the spell had been called out from right behind him; he turned and saw someone in slim black robes - Thoreau.
"This is not good," Hermione whispered frantically, her eyes wide. She was shaking, but Harry noticed her wand was in her hand. He fumbled for his own and found he felt much better holding it.
"We can't just sit down here and do nothing," he muttered as two Death Eaters fell to one of Dumbledore's attack. For every enemy that was beaten, another was revived, and the six Order members were being outnumbered.
"No, Harry, we should stay out of the way," Hermione insisted, but Harry ignored her and climbed out from under the table. Almost immediately, a jet of red sparks flew at his face, but before he could even lift his wand a familiar voice yelled "PROTEGO!" and a pale, shimmering shield rose around him, causing the attack to disperse. Harry let out the breath he had been holding and turned to face Lupin, who had thrown up the shield.
"Please don't make me do that again," the Marauder said, breathless with relief. Harry nodded, pleased that Lupin hadn't scolded him for wanting to fight.
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" Hermione had risen to her feet, as well, and her spell struck a Death Eater in the chest; the robed figure halted in their tracks and toppled over like a board.
There was a scream somewhere to their left; Harry whipped his head around just as a Death Eater yelled "AVADA KADAVRA!" and hit Thoreau directly. The jet of green light struck her stomach, the impact lifting her off her feet and throwing her against the wall; she slid to the floor and crumpled into a motionless heap.
"P-PROFESSOR!" Hermione screamed, eyes wide with shock. There was a moment when spells stopped flying altogether; everyone was staring, either surprised or horror-struck, at Thoreau's body. A single Death Eater took the opportunity to send a curse at Dumbledore, who merely lifted a shield and was left unharmed, and it was the cue for the battle to continue.
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Harry ducked under the spell sent his way and aimed his wand at the offending Death Eater.
"REDUCTO!" he cried. The Death Eater ducked, as well, and a balloon that had been behind him exploded loudly as it was hit with the curse.
Harry took the momentary reprieve to control his thoughts; he shook his head slightly and glanced over toward Thoreau's body, and gasped.
Throeau was slowly rising to her feet, brushing her robes off as though nothing had happened. Finally she lifted her face to the ceiling, shaking her dark curls out, and Harry caught sight of her eyes. Mere moments before they had been a healthy violet, but now they were as black as the night sky above.
The five remaining Death Eaters (the other five were currently stunned or otherwise knocked out) had noticed her revival and frozen in place. Harry knew if he could see their eyes they would be wide as saucers. He glanced over at Hermione to see her reaction and was surprised to see her smiling.
"Of course," she whispered, edging closer to Harry so he could hear her. "She's a vampire. A curse can't kill her!"
"Albus." Thoreau's calm, crisp voice sliced through the tense atmosphere like a knife; the Headmaster turned to her calmly. "That curse seems to have drained my blood supply rather quickly. May I refresh myself?" she asked, hungrily eyeing the tall, shaking Death Eater who had tried to kill her. Dumbledore inclined his head politely.
"Do as you wish," he said. Thoreau grinned maliciously and Harry felt a shudder run up his spine, just as it had when he had run into Thoreau two weeks ago; this was the first time he saw her gleaming, inhuman fangs. In the next instant she was upon the Death Eater, who only had time for a single step back and a choked half-scream. Hermione took in a sharp breath and turned away, burying her face in Harry's shoulder and gripping his arm tightly, but Harry watched.
Thoreau had latched onto her victim, knocking the mask off to reveal a man's bearded face twisted into a mask of agony. He was still on his feet only by Thoreau's strength; she held him up with no problem, her face hidden by her black curls as she bit into his neck. Harry couldn't help but watch, transfixed, trying to imagine what it would feel like to have your blood drained...
Someone grabbed him from behind, a cool hand covering his mouth so he couldn't cry out. A muffled "mph" from Hermione revealed that she had been grabbed, too; Harry lifted his wand, but a voice spoke softly in his ear and made him stop.
"Calm down, it's just me," Lupin hissed. Hermione stopped struggling when she heard his voice, and the Marauder continued. "I'm going to get you out of here. Don't talk, don't hesitate, and whatever you do, don't stop." The hand covering Harry's mouth was removed, and he felt himself get carefully pulled backwards. The attention of the room was still fixed upon the feeding vampire and her victim, now deathly pale. The remaining Death Eaters seemed reluctant to save their comrade, and even the members of the Order looked a bit frightened.
Harry scanned the room as the three of them slowly retreated toward a side door, and noticed something:
Snape had vanished.
He opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione noticed and shook her head frantically; they were so close to the door now, it would be ridiculously stupid to ruin it now.
"Alohamora," whispered Lupin, and the door clicked open softly. He pushed Harry and Hermione unceremoniously through the threshold and made to close it behind them, but Harry caught the door before it shut.
"Snape's gone," he breathed at last. Lupin frowned and looked back into the Great Hall, where shouts could be heard; the battle was back on.
"So it would seem," the older wizard muttered darkly after a quick glance around the room. He turned back to them. "Don't worry about it. It's not your job to keep track of him. Just go; this passage leads down to the kitchens, then out onto the grounds. From there you can make a run for Hogsmeade. Go to the Leaky Cauldron, and tell Madam Rosmerta what's happening. She'll know what to do." Lupin turned away, prepared to go back to the fight, but Hermione caught his arm desperately.
"Y-you're not coming with us?" she whispered. Lupin shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm needed here."
"But what if we need you?" Hermione asked; Harry didn't think he had ever heard her so frightened. Lupin hesitated, glancing back into the Great Hall, then sighed and entered the corridor, closing the door behind him. He locked it from the inside, whispered a sealing charm, and finally turned back to Harry and Hermione with a grim smile.
"All right, let's go."
-----
They made it to the grounds without mishap. The house-elves in the kitchen were hiding well; Harry didn't see a single one as they ran through, which was a first.
Once outside, Lupin instructed them not to light their wands.
"If there are any Death Eaters out here keeping watch," he said quietly, "we obviously don't want to call attention to ourselves."
The three of them had just walked past the lake when they heard it; a soft, growling laugh, coming from the Forbidden Forest. Lupin instinctively placed himself in front of Harry and Hermione so he was facing the dense foliage.
"Remus Lupin," the voice growled. "What a wonderful coincidence." Something prickled in the back of Harry's mind; he knew that voice...
Lupin stiffened and tightened the grip on his wand, but otherwise remained calm.
"Having a pleasant evening, Silas?" he called.
Harry's eyes widened. No! Not him!
A great, hulking figure stalked out of the woods, chuckling. It looked like a man, but was covered all over with thick, dark hair and had sharp claws and even sharper canines. Harry shuddered; the last time he had seen those fangs was when they were covered with Lupin's blood.
"Pleasant enough, but it just got much better. And you?" the feral asked. Lupin smirked.
"Mine just got worse."
"Ah. What a shame. I see you have two young ones with you," Silas said conversationally, craning his thick neck to see behind Lupin. The Marauder positioned himself more in front of Harry and Hermione, glaring protectively. Hermione gripped Harry's arm again, and he could feel her shaking. "I love the taste of the young ones. Will you let me have them?" the feral asked mischeviously.
"No, I'm sorry, but these two 'young ones' are off limits," Lupin said, his voice still just as calm as if he had been teaching a class.
"Then can I have you?"
"I'm afraid not," Lupin answered coolly. Silas grinned, baring rows of sharp teeth, and lifted a long, thick wand, pointing it directly at Lupin's heart. The Marauder tensed, preparing for an attack. "Are you going to kill me?" he asked quietly.
"No, that is not what the Dark Lord wants. He wants you alive, Lupin, for whatever reason. He said, however, that I can bring you to him in whatever way I prefer, and I must say that I would prefer to fight with you, but not as a human." Lupin's eyes widened, and he took a step back, faltering for the first time.
"But how -"
"Just a little trick the great Lord Voldemort taught me. Now, hold still." With that, Silas shot a bolt of silver light out of the tip of his wand. Lupin dodged it, grabbing Harry and Hermione and diving behind a large group of bushes.
"Get out of here," he hissed as Silas laughed in the background. "Go to Hogsmeade, and the Leaky Cauldron -"
The same silver spell blasted a hole in the leaves above their heads. All three ducked, and Lupin grimaced.
"I'll have to fight him myself. Harry, make sure you tell Madam Rostmerta what is happening at Hogwarts," he said.
"But you -"
"I'll be able to handle him for a little while. Now go!"
With that, he pushed them away from him and ran out from the cover of the bushes, throwing a stunning spell in Silas' direction. It bounced off of the laughing feral and shot into the sky.
"You fool! You cannot hurt me with spells!" Silas yelled, apparently enjoying himself greatly. Lupin glared and paused, about to throw another curse.
"Harry, we can't just leave him," Hermione whispered; she and Harry were still hiding in the bushes, crouched rather uncomfortably.
"We're not going to. He's coming with us to Hogsmeade," Harry said defiantly. Hermione gulped and
nodded, and the two of them knelt and peeked through the bushes to watch the fight.
"If you don't cooperate, I'll be forced to kill those little ones you have with you. Obey me, and I shall leave them unharmed. Resist, and they die," Silas said, still pointing the thick wand at Lupin's heart. Lupin appeared to be thinking hard about this, and then - to Harry's horror - he pocketed his wand and held his hands out at his sides.
"Fine. Do what you will," he called.
"NOO!" Harry cried, leaping to his feet, but it was too late. Silas roared with triumph and shot a silver bolt of light straight at Lupin. It struck him directly in the chest, and he was lifted off his feet, hovering for a second as the charge illuminated his body. Then the spell completed itself and he fell, landing on his back, spread-eagle on the grass. Harry ran, ignoring Hermione's screams for him to stop, and fell to his knees beside the body.
Lupin's hazel eyes were wide and lifeless, and he wasn't breathing.
Harry choked, disbelieving; his heart was pounding somewhere in the region of his adam's apple, and his stomach had clenched horribly with a tight feeling of despair. He lifted his wand and pointed it at Lupin's chest.
"Ennervate!" he shouted. Nothing happened. "Ennervate! Ennervate, damnit, ENNERVATE!"
Nothing.
Oh God, please let him not be dead. Don't let him be dead. He can't be dead, Harry thought desperately.
"H-Harry, I think he's gone," said a quiet voice; Hermione was standing above him, looking down at Lupin's body with tear-filled brown eyes.
"How touching," Silas growled, still grinning maniacally. "Are you sad because you think he's dead?" Harry said nothing. His hand clenched into a fist, shaking uncontrollably.
"We think he's dead?" he asked with deadly calm.
"Just wait," the feral said. Harry was about to rise to his feet and curse the living daylights out of the bastard when suddenly -
B-bmp.
Surprised, Harry looked down at Lupin. He hadn't moved at all, but Harry was sure he had just heard -
B-bmp.
There it was again! It sounded like a heartbeat!
B-bmp.
"You two might want to move back," Silas called, barely able to contain his glee. Harry, although he didn't know why, obeyed and crawled away from Lupin. Hermione crouched beside him, her tear-filled eyes locked on their ex-professor.
B-bmp.
Lupin's body began to emanate a slight silver glow.
B-bmp.
A throb of power and an explosion of silver light around Lupin made Harry's eyes widen as he realized what was happening.
"Holy sh - "
Author's Note: Oops - another cliffy. And watch your tongue, Harry!
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