Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings.
Chapter 20: Knight-mare on the Bus!
April arrived, and with it came Fred and George's birthday. Turning nineteen wasn't such an important event in the wizarding community, but the twins decided to make it that way. They closed the shop for the day in order to celebrate with Lee, Merry, and Pippin!
Back at Godric's Hollow, Harry took Ginny aside. "I was thinking, you still don't know how to Apparate," he told her.
"Right. Are you suggesting teaching me?"
"If you want to, I thought it'd be a good idea," replied Harry.
"It is," said Ginny, "And Luna doesn't know how to either, so maybe you could teach her too?"
"I'll try," said Harry, "Bring her in." He had realized how crucial it would be if one of them was trapped and needed a quick, easy way to escape. Apparition would be the best method, but not everyone could do it. Still, even though there was nothing to be done for his Middle Earth friends, Harry knew he could help Ginny.
Meanwhile, several of the families living in Diagon Alley were debating on whether to summon Ministry officials. Obviously, these were dangerous times, and they didn't want the government angry over what would probably look like a false alarm. On the other hand, the owners of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes were causing such a racket; it was probably only fair that somebody put a stop to them!
Finally, Tom was hearing so many complaints at the Leaky Cauldron; he decided to talk to the boys himself. He found mass chaos in the shop. Shelves and boxes had been knocked over by the Wild-fired Whiz-bangs, butterbeer bottles were rolling all over the floor, the place was littered with Exploding Snap cards, and Lee Jordan was slumped on a stool with a vacant expression on his face.
"Ok Pippin," Fred was laughing, "I think that's enough on the Whiz-bangs, we need those for selling and self-defense!"
"Fine," said Pippin glumly, putting one of the boxes back.
"Isn't he awake yet?" asked George, waving a hand in front of Lee's face. He didn't react. They had all helped themselves to a box of the Patented Daydream Charms, and then had to tell the rest of the gang exactly what their dream had been about. No details could be left out, especially if there was romance involved. This was the twins' birthday after all, and they needed more than one way of entertaining themselves!
Tom cleared his throat, and they looked up. "Ah, Tom!" said Fred, "Just who we wanted to see! Do you think you could get us some firewhiskey?"
"Er…I'm afraid not, boys," said Tom. He ignored their crestfallen faces and continued, "The rest of the neighborhood's been complaining. They think you're making too much noise, and I'm afraid firewhiskey would only make it worse. I'm actually here to ask you if you wouldn't mind toning it down a notch."
They looked at one another. "But where else are we supposed to go?" asked Merry, "Mrs. Weasley would be much less tolerant than you, and Harry won't want us throwing a loud party at God…where we're staying."
"I'm sorry," said Tom, "But I'd prefer if my day didn't consist of me hearing the same complaints for hours. They're even talking about reporting you to the Ministry."
"Oh," said George, "Thanks Tom. We'll think of something else."
"I appreciate it," said Tom.
"Well?" asked Merry, after he'd left, "Now what do we do? I can't believe you guys gave in like that!"
"I said we'd think of something else," corrected George, "I never said anything about giving up!"
"Yeah, who do you think we are?" asked Fred.
"Sorry," said Merry, "So what's your plan?"
"Plan? What plan?" asked Lee, suddenly waking up.
"Excellent, you're awake," said Fred, "Then for starters, you can tell us what your dream was about!"
"I'd rather not," said Lee, as his face started to burn with embarrassment.
"Lee, what were the rules?" asked Fred.
"Sharing first; privacy never," groaned Lee.
"That's right!" said Fred, beaming, "Now, what did you dream about?"
"Nothing!"
"You didn't dream about nothing, you were out longer than the rest of us…"
Lee picked up the box. "That's because I used one that says 'Daydream Charms: Part 2'."
George examined the box. "Oh yeah," he said, "Well, what do you know? We weren't supposed to stock these yet. We haven't even tested them!"
"Pippin, aren't you in charge of stock?" asked Fred.
"Yeah," said Pippin sheepishly, "But I did give the job to Merry for one day…"
"Nice try," replied Fred, "Now Lee, stop changing the subject. Tell us what your dream was about."
Lee groaned. There was no backing out of this one, but he was going to be the laughingstock of the group for a very long time! "Well," he began, "I was sneaking into Umbridge's office. This must've been back when we were at Hogwarts. I was going to unleash five Nifflers on the office, instead of one. I turned around to leave, when Angelina Johnson walked in."
The twins started snickering. They remembered how Lee had used to have a crush on Angelina during their school days. Lee just shuddered. He knew everything was about to get much, much worse.
"She started talking to me about Quidditch. She told me how much she loved my commentaries, and how she really did want to go out with me, but thought it would cause a lot of gossip at Hogwarts. She wasn't prepared to handle that. I told her…we could have a secret romance if she wanted…"
"And?" asked Pippin eagerly.
"And…she really liked that idea…" Lee was mortified. It was one thing to shout random things to her during commentaries, one thing to brag to his friends about how she really did like him, despite the opposing evidence. It was quite another to have to do this. "So she came over…"
"And you started kissing?" asked Merry.
Lee nodded quickly.
"Thought so," said Merry, as the others started laughing, "It was obvious right from the beginning."
"Is there more to it?" asked George.
"Er…"
"That means yes!" cried George gleefully, "Well, go on. Tell us!"
Lee shut his eyes. This next part would be painful. "So we were kissing, when all of the sudden, she started changing. Her body began to shrink, her skin grew paler and flabbier, and her hair turned gray. She…she turned into…Umbridge!"
"You were kissing Umbridge?" gasped Fred.
"Yes!" moaned Lee.
There was a few seconds of silence, and then his friends began howling with laughter. Merry and Pippin were rolling on the floor, the twins had tears in their eyes. "That's not a dream!" gasped Fred, "That's a nightmare!"
"Looks like we have to go back to testing them," said George.
"Come now," said Merry, with an evil grin, "I think Lee and Umbridge make a very cute couple!"
"Shut up!" groaned Lee.
"Is there more to it?" asked Merry.
"Well…I tried to break away, obviously, but…she just wouldn't let go…"
That set the four of them off again. They were laughing so hard, they could scarcely breathe. "That is the most disgusting dream I have ever heard of!" said George.
"Thanks," said Lee dryly. "But then Snape walked in on us…"
"What?!" howled Pippin, "This just gets better and better!"
"Yeah, well, he walked in on us, and then things actually started going the way I wanted them too. He started yelling at Umbridge, blamed the whole thing on her, and then he pried her away from me. He took her down to the dungeons and made her clean up the huge mess the first-years made."
"A fitting end!" laughed Pippin.
"Wait a minute," said Merry, "Did you say he had to pry her away from you?"
"Well…well…maybe, just a little bit…"
"Awwwww!" said the others in unison, before they started cackling.
"Shut. Up."
"Well, that was fun to listen to, but it looks like we need to retrace our steps on that product," remarked George, "Unless of course, you enjoyed every minute of that, Lee. If you did, then I see no reason to change it!"
"What did I just say?" groaned Lee.
"Ok guys," said Harry, "I don't think I can be the best teacher of Apparition. I'm not even that good at it myself."
"Nonsense," said Ginny, "You were a great D.A. coach."
"That was different," said Harry, "This is harder than casting spells."
"My dad was planning on teaching me," said Luna dreamily, "But we didn't get to do a lot. Something about destination, deliberation, determination?"
"Yeah," said Harry with a grin, "The Three D's. You just have them in the wrong order. First it's Destination. You have to visualize where you want to go. I want you guys to simply Apparate to the other side of the room." He watched as the girls shut their eyes, imagining the other side of the room in their heads. "Then there's Determination. You have to really, really, want to be on the other side of the room. You have to long to be on the other side of the room. Got it?"
"I'm trying," replied Ginny, not bothering to open her eyes.
"Luna?"
"Yes, I understand," she said happily.
"Ok, the final step is Deliberation. You have to step forward and will yourself to be where you're Apparating to."
Luna almost did it. There was a pop! sound, but she only made it halfway. Ginny stumbled a few feet forward, but that was the extent of it.
"Ok," said Harry reassuringly, "That wasn't bad. Luna, you did great for the first time!"
"That wasn't my first time," said Luna absentmindedly, "Like I said, Dad started to teach me, but he never finished."
"That's still really good," replied Harry, "Let's try that again."
"Say," said Pippin, "I have an idea. Let's ride the Knight Bus!"
"Where to?" asked Merry excitedly.
"Who cares?" replied Pippin.
Everyone cheered. "Brilliant!" said Fred, "I'll flag it down!"
The giant purple bus appeared with its typical BANG! Laughing, the five of them ran aboard, ignoring their neighbors' glares and shaking fists.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus," said Stan.
"Yeah, yeah, we know," said George, stuffing some gold in his hand.
"Where'll we be taking you gents today?" asked Stan.
They looked at each other. "Just around London," said Pippin.
"Got it!" said Stan, "Take 'er away, Ernie!"
The bus lurched forward, and the boys screamed with delight as they began their rollercoaster-like journey!
Five tries later, the girls were starting to look discouraged. Harry tried to keep their spirits up, but it was no good. "Come on," he said, "Let's try again. You almost had it."
They tried again. This time, however, things turned out worse than Harry had anticipated. Ginny screamed in pain; her left arm had been Splinched! "Ginny!" cried Harry, rushing over to her, and wincing at the sight. "Are you ok?"
"No!" cried Ginny, fighting back tears. The pain was worse than she could have ever imagined. "Can anyone here fix it?"
"I'll go get Hermione," said Luna.
"Hurry!" shouted Harry, as he laid a comforting arm on Ginny's other shoulder. It was the best he could do under the circumstances.
"Stop the bus, Ern," said Stan, "Someone's flaggin' us down!"
Ernie did as he was told. The doors opened, and several hooded Death Eaters climbed aboard. Stan turned pale and started shaking. With apparent ease, the lead Death Eater Stunned him, and then turned towards the boys. He and his minions began cackling.
"Quick!" shouted Merry, "Up the stairs!" The boys followed him to the second floor, just as Ernie, who had not been paying attention to what was happening, slammed the door and zoomed forward. The Death Eaters, who had been making their way towards the stairs, ending up falling flat on their faces and began rolling all over the floor. As for the boys, all they could do was hold on tightly to the stair rail! Fred and George managed to cast a few spells towards their enemies, but their aim was poor, due to the fact that the bus kept lurching around in different directions.
All this time, Ernie was oblivious to what was going on. He continued making his usual stops. The Death Eaters would seize this opportunity to get closer to the boys, who would continue moving farther away. The new passengers who started to climb aboard, however, saw what was happening and immediately got off again.
"Keep moving!" shouted Fred, leading the gang towards the third floor.
"Come on you fools!" shouted the lead Death Eater, who happened to be Rodolphus Lestrange. He was still furious about his wife's death, and meant to avenge her by any means necessary. But every time he tried to get up, he was simply knocked over again.
Back at Godric's Hollow, everyone came to see what had happened to Ginny. By now, the pain had grown so bad that she'd fainted. Harry sat next to her, running his fingers through her hair gently. He couldn't look at her arm, it made him feel sick.
"Ginny!" shouted Ron, "Is she ok? What are we going to do?"
"Hermione, can you do something?" begged Harry.
"Not me," said Hermione, "We'd better get her to St. Mungo's!"
"How are we going to do that?" asked Aragorn, struggling not to wince.
Gandalf produced a clean cloth, which he bravely used to wrap around Ginny's splinched arm. Then Harry wrapped his own arm firmly around Ginny's waist, visualized St. Mungo's and Apparated there.
With his fame, not to mention the seriousness of the situation, it was fairly simple to get help from the Healers with relatively few questions asked. They took Ginny up to the Spell Damage ward, and when Gandalf appeared moments later, quickly re-attached the arm. The Healers were also gracious enough to let Ginny stay in her bed until she had woken up and was feeling better.
Not far away, the Knight Bus was stopping by the Ministry of Magic. Ernie still didn't have a clue what was going on behind him. Most of this strange battle was taking place upstairs anyway.
The bus stopped to pick up one passenger. It was a young man with red hair and freckles: Percy Weasley.
Percy was exhausted; it had been another hard day at the Ministry. With a slight pang, he realized that he had not seen his father at all. It hurt to have his entire family hate him, but it hurt even more to admit he had been wrong. Sighing heavily, Percy sank into the nearest chair and closed his eyes.
But they were not closed for long. Several loud bangs from upstairs attracted his attention. He climbed up the staircase and was shocked to see several bodies lying there. Bodies wearing Death Eater robes. Realizing what this meant, Percy charged forward, running up the stairs to the final floor. He was horrified to see his twin brothers, as well as their friends, cornered at the very back of the bus.
Rodolphus laughed. "You can't hide from us anymore!" he sneered, raising his wand. Quietly from behind, Percy did the same.
Suddenly, the bus pulled out, and everyone fell over again.
Ginny opened her eyes, and saw Harry at her side. With a sudden relief, she realized the pain was gone, and she could feel her arm working again. "Hi!" she said cheerfully.
"Ginny! How are you feeling?" asked Harry anxiously.
"Fine," she said, bouncing right up. "What about you?"
"I've been feeling a bit nauseous since you had your accident, but I plan to recover."
She laughed. "Well, when am I allowed to leave?"
"As soon as you're ready."
"Excellent! We have to get home so I can practice again! I know I almost had it!"
Harry shook his head. "Not today."
"What?! But I feel great! Is this your way of trying to protect me again?"
"No," said Harry, "But I don't think any of us fancy going to the hospital twice in one day, for the same accident!"
"You make a good point," sighed Ginny reluctantly, "But I expect lessons to continue tomorrow!"
"Deal!"
At last, the bus pulled into its final stop, Diagon Alley. Rodolphus and his friends got up, only to have Percy attack them from behind. The others joined in to help him, and soon Percy had them all on the ground, bound and unconscious.
"I'll be taking them back to the Ministry," he said lightly.
"Is that why you helped us?" asked Fred bitterly, "So you could bring more glory to yourself?"
"No," said Percy softly, staring at the ground. He couldn't look at their faces; he knew they were all glaring at him, and he felt so ashamed. Finally, after a long, awkward pause, he trudged slowly down the stairs, levitating the Death Eaters' bodies in front of him.
For the first time, the twins felt unsure of what to do. They knew he had just saved their lives because he wanted to help them, but years of hatred are hard to overcome. It was Pippin who broke the ice. He went over to the stairs and called out, "Thanks Percy!" Swallowing their pride for a single instant, Fred and George followed suit.
Percy looked back and smiled. "No problem," he said, "Say hello to everyone for me!"
The twins nodded, and watched Percy get off the bus, Death Eaters in tow.
A/N: How will the others react to Percy saving Fred and George? Will Ginny and Luna learn to Apparate? Have Fleur and her spy team learned anything new? Stay tuned for Chapter 21: Azkaban Attacked! Note: Despite the title, there are no major battle sequences in the upcoming chapter!