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Saving the Saviour
Chapter 21: The Storm
It was just as the clock ticked over to two in the morning when they were woken by the sound of a muffled explosion and the whole building shaking.
Harry and Ginny jumped up and grabbed their wands just as April came running into the room. She was pale and looked very concerned. On seeing Harry and Ginny, she cried "Death Eaters have enter the building!"
Ginny glanced at Harry and saw a steely resolve harden in his eyes. It did a lot to calm her racing heart. She knew that if it was one thing that Harry was good at, it was he was good in a crisis.
April came over to them. "They're trying to evacuate the patients so I need to take you to one of the emergency exits," she said firmly.
Ginny couldn't help but smile when Harry just stared at her and shook his head. She had never felt prouder of anyone than she did of him at that moment.
April looked like she was going to protest but then she sighed and looked at him sadly. "There's no way I'm going to convince you to leave, is there?" she asked in resignation.
Harry just shook his head in reply.
April looked torn. She wanted to stay with but she also knew she needed to go help with the other patients. Fighting her tears she rushed over, taking each in turn in a huge hug. "Please be careful," she whispered huskily.
"We will," Ginny replied, with Harry nodding in agreement.
When April hesitated, looking at the pair forlornly, Harry said "Go."
April gave them one last concerned look before she spun around and rushed out the door.
Harry and Ginny
As the clock struck midnight, Voldemort summoned Wormtail. "Go bring the others," he commanded.
Wormtail's eyes widened in surprise but he wasted no time. He bowed and hurried from the room.
Though it took longer than he liked, he was able to inform all the members of Voldemort's inner circle that the Dark Lord required their immediate presence.
Some had grumbled about the lateness of the hour but Wormtail knew that they'd quickly cease doing so, least Voldemort found out.
Fifteen minutes later they were all gathered before Voldemort, some obviously having been awoken.
Voldemort eyed them critically for a moment before he stood. "Tonight we strike a blow against those who oppose us. Tonight we go to take care of Harry Potter once and for all," he said menacingly.
His pronouncement had the desired effect, all his Death Eaters before him perked up, looking excited.
"Bellatrix, Dolohov, I want you each to gather twenty-five of your most capable fighters," he commanded.
Both nodded in understanding.
Voldemort then looked at Lucius. "Lucius, you claim yours are superior so you assemble ten of your best," he said with a cold smirk.
"At once, My Lord," the senior Malfoy replied.
"Make sure you are here by one thirty," Voldemort hissed lowly. "Anyone who is late shall suffer my wrath."
All his followers hurried from the throne room, eager to prepare for the coming night's business.
At the appointed time Voldemort was pleased to see all his followers assembled and waiting, every one of them looking eager for the night's work.
"I have learned that Harry Potter is at St. Mungo's and has been for several weeks. If this is so he must be in a weakened state and is vulnerable to attack," the Dark Lord proclaimed with a cold smile.
"How will we be able to get through the wards?" one of Dolohov's men asked with a scowl, with several of the others grumbling in agreement.
"That is not your concern," Voldemort hissed in reply, eyeing the man menacingly. "Though causing disruption to St. Mungo's is a noble endeavour, our main purpose tonight is the death of Harry Potter, everything else is secondary. Have I made myself clear?" asked, his red eyes blazing malevolently.
"Yes, My Lord," his followers replied, knowing that they didn't want to do anything to draw the Dark Lord's ire on themselves.
Voldemort's eyes shifted to the clock and watched as the minutes ticked down. As the second hand swept up till fifteen seconds before the hour of two, he signalled for his servants to follow him to St Mungo's.
Seconds later there was the loud noise of multiple people Apparating onto the street in front of a somewhat dilapidated brick building that's marque read Purge and Dowse, Ltd.
Voldemort stared at the edifice for a moment. Even with his superior knowledge of the dark arts, he knew there was no way to totally collapse the mighty wards that protected the wizarding hospital. Fortunately for his followers he did know of a method that would create a hole in them that would allow their entrance.
The Dark Lord knew it would take a considerable amount of his magical energy to breach the wards but he wasn't concerned. Including himself, he had seventy people to complete his task. Even with him somewhat drained, that should be more than sufficient to handle one small boy who was obviously injured in some way.
As the clock ticked to two, he cast his dark spell and as a dark circle appeared before the entrance, he yell, "Attack!"
Harry and Ginny
Harry glanced down at himself and decided he didn't want to confront the Death Eaters wearing his pyjamas. Concentrating hard on what he had read in the book on Transfiguration that McGonagall had given him, he silently transfigured his clothes into a pair of loose fitting pants and a white t-shirt. Turning, he did the same for Ginny.
His action took Ginny slightly by surprise but when she saw what he had done, she smiled and gave him a nod.
Harry took a deep breath and asked, "Ready?"
Though Ginny's heart was beating rapidly, she nodded to Harry. She knew she had to be there for him.
They exited the room and paused, listening hard. At first everything was eerily quiet but after a moment, they heard the dull thud of an explosion. Wasting no time, Harry took off in that direction, with Ginny a step behind.
Harry started off at an easy trot, but soon slowed down to a fast walk. He couldn't believe how out of shape he felt, though as he thought about it, he knew he was totally out of shape due to his injury. He'd been hospitalized for almost two months.
He didn't let that thought deter him though. He was going to do whatever he could to fight the Death Eaters no matter he cost.
Ginny watched Harry carefully and grew worried. She could tell his hospitalization had weakened him considerably. She also knew it would be futile to try and stop him, so she vowed to protect him as best she could.
As they neared where the lifts were the sounds of fighting grew louder. Harry drew to a halt, pondering what to do. He knew to take one of the lifts would be tantamount to suicide if it opened on a floor where the fighting was taking place.
Motioning to Ginny to follow, he headed for the stairs. Once they had entered the stairwell, the noise of combat increased.
Harry hurriedly led Ginny in the direction of the sounds that seemed to be coming from a couple of floors below. As they neared Harry slowed, acting more cautious.
As they came to the turn in the stairs that led to the second floor landing they spotted a small group of the hospitals security members. They were being hard pressed by attackers coming up from the first floor, who for the moment remained out of his and Ginny's view.
Harry paused, trying to figure out the best way to proceed when suddenly a large spell hit the defenders, sending them flying.
Fortunately most rose almost immediately but it was obvious that many were injured. Several made their way through the door to the second floor with two retreating in Harry's and Ginny's direction.
Harry was glad when he saw the door to the second floor was sealed magically. While it wouldn't keep the Death Eaters from blasting through eventually, it would slow them down.
The two security men were surprised to see the pair and they halted just below them on the stairs.
"You best be getting out of here," one said. "The Death Eaters are right behind us."
Harry nodded in acknowledgement but made no move to leave. Instead he conjured a stone wall across the stairs, giving them something to hide behind.
It didn't take long before a contingent of Death Eaters appeared, most focusing on the door to the second floor.
Harry took the opportunity to cast Confringo, catching the attackers unaware, blasting most of them back down the stairs they had just come up.
The two security men looked at Harry in surprise. Not only had he cast an extremely strong Blasting Curse, he had done so soundlessly.
The one smiled at him, his face taking on a look of renewed resolve and he tightened his grip on his wand, ready to help defend their position.
Ginny had hurried to the other man's side. He was bleeding rather heavily and wasn't in any condition to help. Using a spell she had picked up in watching them heal Harry, she stopped the bleeding, though she didn't know enough to heal his obviously broken arm.
The man gave her a wan smile, his face white from loss of blood. "Thanks," he muttered weakly.
Ginny just nodded, turning her attention back to Harry, ready to help in any way that she could.
"Bart, get going. You can't help any more, see if you can get us some help," the first security man said to his partner.
Bart nodded, though you could tell it was reluctantly and he began to slowly make his way up the stairs.
Ginny watched as Harry peeked over the wall cautiously. Whoever was attacking from below was taking their time since a number of their ranks had been hit with the Blasting Curse.
Suddenly they heard a familiar voice scream from around the corner. "What's the hold up? The Dark Lord will be most displeased with any delay."
Harry and Ginny exchanged glances, both recognizing the voice. "Bellatrix," Ginny said lowly, her eyes widening slightly.
Harry just nodded and turned his attention back down the stairwell.
They heard the low murmur of voices before Bellatrix screamed again. "Move! Or I'll curse you myself!"
Harry readied himself but was still slightly taken by surprise when several Death Eaters came running up the stairs, casting spells blindly.
Harry cast another Confringo but it was only partially effective as his aim was hampered by having to duck quickly to avoid the spells flying in their direction.
Most when over their heads but a couple struck the wall, seriously damaging it.
Though his spell had taken out a couple of the attackers, others quickly took their place.
The remaining security man, who quickly introduced himself as Randy, fired off a spell but you could see his growing concern.
"We can't stay here," he said dejectedly. "A couple of more hits and this wall will crumble."
Harry nodded reluctantly, knowing the man was right. He motioned for Ginny and Randy to head back up the stairs before he rose, fired off a couple more spells and hurried to follow.
He wasn't gone from his position more than a second before a barrage of spells hit the wall, shattering it.
Harry paused at the turn in the staircase, firing off another Blasting Curse as a couple of Death Eaters appeared. He was pleased when he heard someone scream out in pain but he didn't linger as more Death Eaters surged forward, taking their fallen comrades places.
As Harry got to the third floor landing he saw Ginny and Randy holding the door open for him. He rushed through and immediately sealed the door. He knew it wouldn't hold long, but it would buy them some time.
He glanced around, shaking his head at the lack of cover. "Well, we'll just have to make do," he thought.
The only thing nearby were two chairs that were against the wall opposite the lifts. Harry levitated them over near the door to the stairs but off to one side, slight down the hall.
Randy glanced at Ginny. " He certainly doesn't say much, does he?" he observed.
Ginny just basically ignored him, other than giving him a quick annoyed glance.
Harry had Ginny and Randy move behind where he set the chairs. He then transformed them into a much stouter wall than the one he had conjured on the stairs.
He remembered something he had read in the book that McGonagall had given him about a transformed object was sturdier than a conjured one. He hoped it was true because it was going to be tested in the most brutal way shortly.
Harry's wall spanned the full width of the hallway but it was uneven along the top, leaving spaces where they could fire spells from while remaining as protected as possible.
Knowing they didn't have long, Harry turned to the other two, "Move. Don't. Shoot. Same. Place. Twice," he forced out.
Harry took the centre while Ginny went to his right and Randy to the left. They had just gotten into position when the they heard an explosion and the door buckled slightly.
One more blast and the door gave way in a shower of wood fragments. Fortunately with where Harry had built his barricade, they were out of the line of the flying debris.
Harry wasted no time and began to fire spells as fast as he could at the now gaping doorway. It took only a moment before Ginny began to fire spells too.
Randy was looking at them wondering why they were firing spells without waiting for anyone to appear but when he heard screams coming from just beyond the doorway, he followed suit and began to fire too.
It didn't take long before Death Eaters began to come through the door, all being cut down in the beginning. The problem was they kept coming and even with three people firing spells, there were still times when there was the briefest moment when a spell wasn't hitting.
As the Death Eaters began to get further into the open area, someone would have to aim their spell at them, further reducing the number that was keeping the cork in the bottle of the doorway.
They had taken out at least a dozen before one managed to get through and safely to the far side of the lift area where they had a modicum of protection from a inconvenient corner.
He began to fire spells at them, but the wall stopped them, taking only minor damage.
"A Shield, you idiot!" Bellatrix screamed.
The Death Eater shot an annoyed glance towards the doorway but did as he was commanded.
Though Harry's next spell took the shield out, the damage had been done and several more Death Eaters charged into the open.
Half were casting shields while the others fired an array of different curses, causing further damage to the wall.
Harry was firing mainly Blasting curses, each powerful enough to collapse the shield that it hit but that was all.
It took Ginny a moment to notice and she began to fire curses just a hair's breath behind Harry's and was able to take down two of the Death Eaters. Unfortunately more and more were pouring through the door.
Just as it seemed there were enough Death Eaters to overwhelm the three defenders, Bellatrix stepped out of the doorway, keeping the other Death Eaters between her and the wall.
"Stop!" she shouted, her eyes widening in glee. She had spotted Harry behind the wall and knew that Voldemort wanted the pleasure of killing The-Boy-Who-Lived himself.
Unbelievably to Harry, not only did they stop attacking, they dropped their shields too. Not one to waste the opportunity, he fired off the strongest Blasting curse he could, aiming in the direction of Bellatrix.
Unfortunately there were a number of Death Eaters between him and his intended target and they took the brunt of the attack.
The curse took out four Death Eaters but Bellatrix remained unhurt. "Shields, you idiots!" she screamed in rage.
As soon as several of her subordinates hastened to comply, she turned to one of the others. "Go and find the Dark Lord," she said lowly, so that Harry and his companions couldn't hear.
The man hurried off, back down the stairs they had just ascended while Bellatrix turned her attention back to Harry and his companions. "Has poor widdle Harry been ill?" she asked gleefully. "My Lord will be so happy to see you again."
Harry winced at her words. He suspected that she had sent that one Death Eater off to bring Voldemort to where they were.
"We can't stay here," he thought.
"I agree," Ginny said firmly.
Harry stared at her in surprise. He knew he hadn't said anything out loud and somehow Ginny was agreeing with him.
Ginny looked at him in confusion, wondering why he was staring at her like he was.
Harry knew that they didn't have the time at the moment to figure things out, that would have to wait till later, that was if they could get away. He glanced over the wall, assessing the situation.
"Blasting. Curses. As many. As you. Can," he said haltingly.
Ginny and Randy nodded and took up their positions, waiting for Harry's signal.
Harry took one last look and noticed that the Death Eater's shields didn't go all the way to the ceiling. With a smile, he looked at his companions, "Ceiling," he said softly as he glanced at where he wanted them to cast their spells.
Ginny nodded immediately but it took Randy a moment to figure out what Harry wanted. When he finally did, he smiled and nodded his head.
Harry held up three fingers to each and began silently counting in his head. When he got to three he began to fire off Confringoes as fast as he could.
He got off six, Ginny five, both soundlessly while Randy managed three, having to shout them out.
Their action took the Death Eaters totally by surprise and before any of them could react, the ceiling above them exploded in a shower of deadly debris.
Harry didn't wait to see he results of their attack. "Go!" he shouted, firing off a couple more spells directly at where the Death Eaters were.
It took Bellatrix a moment to realize the danger she was in. At first she thought that the attack had gone awry but her eyes widened in fear as the spells hit the ceiling above where she had the other Death Eaters stood.
Not bothering to warn the others, though in reality, she really didn't have any time to do so, she managed to get a partial shield cast over her head.
The ceiling exploded in a shower of huge concrete pieces that rained down on the unprotected heads of the other Death Eaters.
Only one of the dozen Death Eaters remained unscathed as he was off to one side and the debris missed him by inches. The others were so lucky and fell as the pieced of concrete fell on them.
When the dust began to clear only Bellatrix was moving, though she had had a large piece get past her shield before it was up. It had struck her left shoulder, shattering bones and tearing into her flesh.
All the other Death Eaters were dead, having been struck by the falling concrete, most in their unprotected heads, leaving a grisly scene of shatter skulls, pieces of brains and pools of blood.
Bellatrix was screaming, half the time in pain and half the time in rage at the incompetence of those around her.
As soon as Harry fired off his last spell, he took off running after the retreating Ginny and Randy, though Ginny was jogging backwards, watching to make sure that Harry was following.
As soon as he caught up to her, she turned and ran along side of him. She was worried because Harry was looking rather tired and spent. She knew adrenalin could carry him only so far.
Harry knew he was tiring. He had spent more energy both physically and magically than he had, well ever. That coupled with his weakened state, was taking a huge toll on him.
He made it as far as the Medi-Witch station before he stumbled and almost fell. He ground to a halt, hunching over, placing his hands on his knees, breathing in great heaving gasps as he tried to catch his breath.
"I need to rest," he thought.
"Yes you do" Ginny said softly as she came over to him. "Come back here behind the Medi-Witch's station." She was now greatly concerned, Harry looked as white as a sheet and she could see his hands trembling.
Randy had gone a little ahead but stopped when he noticed Harry and Ginny had fallen behind. He hurried back and was going to admonish them for stopping but quickly changed his mind when he saw how poorly Harry looked.
Harry looked questioningly at Ginny. That was the second time she had responded to something he had thought. Wondering if it would continue the thought, "We need to block the corridor."
Ginny nodded at him. "I'll take care of it," she replied.
As Harry leaned against the Medi-Witch Station and slid to the floor Ginny went and began to levitate chairs into the hallway. Once she had several in place she transformed them into a stout wall that blocked the hall completely to within a couple of feet of the ceiling. With a satisfied nod, she returned to Harry's side.
Harry smiled and nodded at Ginny when she got back to him, pleased with the job she had done. Like before, he knew it wouldn't stand up to a concentrated attack but it would offer them some protection and delay any pursuit.
Randy gave them a concerned look but kept quiet. He knew that Harry needed to have some time to recover before they could continue to see if they could find a way to escape. For now he just vowed to do all he could to help protect them, though they seemed to be doing a fairly good job on their own.
Ginny sat down next to Harry and took a hold of his free hand, letting her healing powers flow into him to help him recover.
"Where are the bloody Aurors," she said lowly.
Harry and Ginny
Nymphadora Tonks was sitting at her desk in the Auror Department trying to keep her eyes open as she read a dull and seemingly endless report on petty crime taking place in Diagon Alley. She glanced once more at the first page to see who had written the bloody thing, promising herself that if she ever met the person, she'd curse them ten ways from Sunday.
Deciding to get herself a strong cup of tea to help keep herself awake, she stood, stretched until she heard her back pop, and headed for the kettle at the back of the squad room.
She was just pouring the hot water when she heard someone coming up behind her. Once she had finished preparing her tea she turned around and was surprised to see Kingsley Shacklebolt patiently waiting his turn.
"What are you doing here?" she asked as she stifled a yawn.
Kingsley had to cover his mouth as he yawned mightily. "Stop that," he chided softly, though he gave the young metamorph a small smile. "I got called in when Roberts had to go home sick," he replied, looking rather bleary eyed as he prepared his own cup of tea.
He glanced around as he took a sip, taking in the half dozen or so Aurors who were all sitting at their desks. "Quiet night?" he asked.
"Yeah," Dora replied as she took a sip of her tea and sighed contentedly.
Just as she opened her mouth to say something else a klaxon blared loudly three times, followed immediately by a disembodied female voice announced "St Mungo's wards have been breached!"
"Shite!" both of them exclaimed as they set down their mugs of tea and began to run for the exit.
"Tonks! Take who we have here on duty while I call in back up," Kingsley commanded as he ran towards his office.
Dora nodded as she kept on running towards the exit. "Come on people!" she yelled as she took in the other Aurors who had just a moment ago been lounging at their desks.
As she waited for the stragglers to catch up, she fired of a Patronus to Remus. She knew he and Sirius would want to know what was happening.
She glanced at the small assemblage of Aurors, mainly younger men and women without much experience, the ones who traditionally got stuck with the over night shift.
She could see how nervous most looked. "All right, lets go," she said calmly, hoping to project that to the members of her team.
Without further hesitation, she Apparated away, wondering what they'd face when they got to St Mungo's.
Harry and Ginny
Sirius sat in the dimly lit parlour of his and Remus' small cottage, sipping a cup of strong tea. He had tried to go to sleep but for some reason just couldn't settle for the night. He felt a small prickling on the back of his neck that never boded well. The problem was he just didn't know what was causing it.
Suddenly a bright white Dove Patronus appeared and melted into his head. "Death Eaters are here at St Mungo's," he head April's voice say.
As he sprang to his feet, Remus came stumbling into the room, his face almost as white as the Dove had been.
"Dora. . ." he said.
"I know, April just sent me a message," Sirius said cutting his friend off.
Remus looked worriedly at Sirius but he knew there was no way that he'd be able to convince him to stay behind. Harry was in danger and nothing would stop Sirius from going to help save him.
Remus finished shrugging on his cloak as they ran for the door, hoping that everything would be okay.
Once clear of the wards, the two men Apparated away.
Harry and Ginny
Voldemort stood in the centre of the lobby of St Mungo's a small cold smile gracing his lips. Though he'd had to expend a large amount of magical energy to breach the wards and he felt somewhat drained, he was sure that he'd have no problem dealing with Potter once he had been located. After all the boy was here for a reason.
His smile grew as he watched the last of his followers head off in pursuit of the others, the sounds of their spell-fire growing fainter as they made their way deeper into the building.
He hadn't been alone for long when one of his followers came rushing down the stairs.
He came immediately over to the Dark Lord and bowed lowly. "We have located the Potter boy," he reported quickly.
Voldemort eyed the man intently. "Who was in charge?" he hissed sharply. He hoped that everyone remembered that he wanted to deal with the boy himself. Any who forgot would be punished severely.
"Bellatrix," the man replied immediately.
Voldemort smiled again, knowing Bellatrix would remember.
"Lead the way," he commanded.
The man hastily rose and led the way back up the stairs to where he had left Bellatrix and the others.
Voldemort forced himself to keep up with the Death Eater as he hurriedly climbed the stairs back up to the third floor. Though tired, he felt a renewed energy fill him as he neared the place where Potter was. He wanted to finish the brat off as soon as possible. The boy had been a thorn in his side for far too long. He felt compelled to avenge his loss to the boy all those years ago.
Just as they passed the second floor landing there was a loud explosion above them and the stairwell quickly filled with a cloud of dust.
Voldemort quickly cast a Bubble-Head Charm on himself. While it made breathing easier, it did nothing to allow him to see what was happening. It was many minutes before the dust had settled enough for even the most limited of vision.
The Dark Lord shook his head in irritation. The idiot with him had failed to cast a similar charm on himself and was now kneeling on the stairs coughing heavily and gasping for breath.
He managed to force out a gasping, "The . . . next . . . floor, My . . . Lord."
As tempted as he was to punish the incompetent, he ignored the man and proceeded onward, wanting to get to Potter as quickly as possible. Time was ticking away and he knew that eventually the Aurors would show.
Not that he himself was terribly worried but he didn't want to needlessly lose any more followers, it was a pain to spend so much time in recruiting new ones.
As he neared the third floor, he had to slow as there were pieces of debris on the stairs, increasing in size and number the closer he got,
When he finally arrived at the third floor, he paused just inside the doorway, his eyes sweeping the scene before him.
Dead bodies lay everywhere, most with their heads crushed from falling pieces of concrete. Though it was a gory sight, Voldemort ignored it for the most part, his attention focusing on the only two people moving.
The Dark Lord had to blink a couple of times as he studied the two people, in a bizarre sense they appeared to be living statues because of the thick coating of grey dust that covered them.
It took him a moment to recognize that the one laying on the floor, writhing and moaning in pain, was Bellatrix. The other figure was hovering over her, looking like he wanted to do something but didn't quite know what that was.
Voldemort sighed deeply in irritation and silently cast Petrificus Totalus, instantly stilling the writhing Bellatrix.
The man hovering over her looked up in surprise and began trembling when he saw it was the Dark Lord himself that had arrived.
Voldemort glared at the man. "Where is Potter?" he demanded.
"H-he w-went th-that w-way, M-my Lord," the man replied, pointing shakily down the corridor that was still blocked by the low wall Harry and erected.
Voldemort glanced in the direction the man pointed before turning his attention back to the man. "Take Bellatrix back and have her attended too," he said with a hard look.
"A-at once, M-my L-lord," the man replied, feeling relieved that he'd be getting out of the hospital early.
As Voldemort turned and pulled his wand, the man levitated Bellatrix's petrified body and he began to make his way down the stairs to get outside the wards so he could Apparate back to Malfoy Manor.
Voldemort cast a Evanesce, vanishing part of the wall blocking the corridor. Without a glance backwards he proceeded forward, wanting to end the debacle the raid was turning into as quickly as possible. Determinedly he made his way forward.
Harry and Ginny
Tonks and the other six Aurors appeared outside the main entrance to St Mungo's. Things were eerily quiet but that did nothing to quell Dora's feelings of dread.
She stood there for a couple of moments, assessing the situation. Not that she had a lot to go on but she'd be damned if she was going to go charging into an unknown situation unprepared.
"What are we waiting for," one of the youngest and newest Aurors said.
Tonks just glared at him for a moment. "Jackson, if we have to split up you take those three," she said, pointing at the ones she wanted to go with him. "But only if necessary. We'll try to stay together if at all possible but without knowing what's going on in there, it's hard to say what we'll be required to do."
Receiving nods from the group, she nodded back. Just as she was about to head forward there were two pops of people Apparating in behind them.
Everyone spun around and Dora had to grab the arm of one of the newer Aurors to keep him from firing off a spell.
The young man blanched and gave her a worried look but Dora just patted his arm and gave him a small reassuring smile. She knew how keyed up he had to be as this was the first time he had ever been in such a serious situation.
The young Auror gave her a wan smile in return so Dora turned her attention to the two figures coming at the Aurors out of the dark.
She relaxed when she recognized Remus but her eyes widened slightly as she took in his companion. She glanced quickly at the other Aurors and breathed a sigh of relief when none of them showed the slightest bit of recognition.
"Sirius, you damn noble idiot," she thought.
"We just got here and were preparing to head inside," she said as Remus and Sirius came up to her.
Remus gave her a curt nod in understanding. "I take it you lot are the first ones here?" he asked.
"Yes. Backup is probably five or ten minutes behind us," she replied curtly.
"You're letting them come with us?" the youngest asked incredulously.
Dora glared at him. "We need every available wand. Mr Lupin is a past Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts and his friend is no slouch with a wand either," she replied tersely.
"Come on, lets go," she said as she started forward.
Just as the group started forward, they saw someone come out, levitating what looked like a body with them. Before they could react, the person spotted them and hastily Apparated away.
"Damn," Tonks muttered in frustration.
As they got to the door, Tonks cast a spell and the wards briefly flickered, showing they were still intact.
"How did they get in if the wards are still here?" Jackson asked with a puzzled look.
"Someone obviously created a portal," Tonks replied. She glanced at Remus, who nodded back to her. Both knew that there were only a couple of people that had that kind of power and only one who would be attacking the hospital.
Sirius also knew who Dora was referring to and it made him worry all that much more. He knew who Voldemort's target must be and he prayed that Harry had escaped or was at least safe.
"If the wards are still intact how did that person get out?" the youngest Auror asked.
Tonks rolled her eyes but before she could retort, Jackson jumped in. "The wards only keep people out."
"Oh," the young Auror said sheepishly.
The group made their way inside to the lobby and though it was a disaster, there weren't any bodies laying about. Hoping that meant that the people who would have been there were able to get away before the wards were breached.
At first things were deadly quiet as they crept forward but then there was a muffled explosion heard down the corridor that went straight back.
"Jackson, take your squad and head down there," Tonks said, pointing down the corridor. "And take Junior with you," she added, pointing at the youngest Auror. Not that she really had anything against the young man but he was getting on her nerves and she really didn't need that right at the moment.
"All right," Jackson said. "Spread out and make sure all rooms are cleared before proceeding on," he added, wanting to make sure none of the newer Aurors got over eager and left them open to attack from behind.
Dora, Remus, Sirius and the other two Aurors headed for the stairs as it was obvious that some of the Death Eaters had headed that way.
They hadn't gotten far when they came upon the first of the Death Eater's bodies in the stairway. As they pushed on, they came upon more and more bodies and finally they came to the remains of the wall that Harry had conjured.
"Someone held them up here for a while," Dora said lowly as she inspected the area.
"I don't like this," Sirius said lowly.
Remus gave him a puzzled look. "Why?"
"I've just got a bad feeling," his fellow Marauder replied worriedly.
Remus shot a glance at Dora, trying to convey his concern about Sirius' feelings. He'd always had a knack for feeling things that others didn't.
"We'll get no answers here," Sirius said as he began to climb the stairs again.
"Wait!" Dora said lowly but intently. "Let us Aurors go first."
Sirius glared down on her but did hold up while Dora and the two other Aurors took the lead.
Their progress was slowed as they reached the area where the rubble grew thicker, not liking the sets of footprints they saw.
"Two went up but only one came back down," Dora said with a frown.
"Can we just get going?" Sirius whispered impatiently, giving Dora a frown.
Dora bit back her reply, knowing that Sirius was only worried about Harry and for that matter so was she but she had a job to do that included more than the young man she considered all but a younger brother.
They made their way up to the third floor landing and halted. Stunned by what they saw before them. The area outside the door and in front of the lifts was filled with bodies and was a gory mess.
"Shite," one of the Aurors said softly. "Almost wants to make one lose his dinner, it does."
Just as they were making there way forward onto the floor they heard a loud eerie scream fill the building.
"What in Merlin's name was that?" the other young Auror asked as he turned white.
Sirius ignore him and charged past the others and headed down the corridor.
"Sirius!" Dora screamed after him. "Get back here!"
"You really think that's going to stop him?" Remus said with a frown as he followed Sirius.
"Damn it!" Dora said as she charged after them. "This is going pear-shaped in a hurry."
Harry and Ginny
Voldemort reached the second wall and without hesitating began to blast his way through it. He was surprised at how resistant it was to his assault but he knew he'd get through eventually. He knew he could have taken it down with one powerful curse but he didn't want to expend so much energy feeling as drained as he did.
He had never felt so magically tired as he was feeling and he wondered briefly if maybe breaching the wards to attack the boy at this time might have been a mistake.
He quickly pushed that thought from his mind, he was Lord Voldemort and he didn't make mistakes.
Feeling that time was growing short, he put greater effort into taking down the wall and smiled in satisfaction as it began to crumble. He was sure that Potter was close and that he'd have his revenge soon.
Harry and Ginny
Ginny was glad to see that her efforts were having a positive effect on Harry, he no longer looked so pale and was breathing easier.
Harry looked into her eyes and smiled. "Enough for now, you need to conserve your strength," he though.
Ginny nodded reluctantly and stopped sending her healing powers into him but refused to let go of his hand. "Okay," she replied, leaning in and giving him a quick kiss.
Both of them jumped as they heard the first spell hit the wall.
"Bloody hell!" Randy exclaimed. "We'd better get going."
Harry sighed tiredly. Though he was feeling a lot better because of Ginny, he knew there was no way he'd be able to out pace any pursuit.
He locked eyes with Ginny, trying to convey with just one look how much he loved her.
Ginny could feel Harry's love like it was a physical thing and she gave him a curt nod. Then her lips curled up in a quirky smile. "Just to make things clear, there's no way I'm leaving you. We're in this together," she said softly.
Harry looked at her in surprise, the thought of sending her away had never entered his mind. "I . . . know," he said questioningly.
Ginny just shrugged, "Just saying."
As another spell shook the wall, Harry glanced at it. He knew it was going to fail soon. He looked back at Ginny. "We need to get Randy out of here or stun him or something."
Ginny nodded and stood up, looking at Randy. She took a deep breath to steady herself, knowing that their companion wasn't going to like what she had to say.
"Randy, you have two choices, leave now or I'm going to stun you."
The Security Wizard looked at her in shock. "Why?" was all he managed to get out, not understanding what was going on.
"We don't want you to die," Ginny replied. "We've grown rather fond of you," she added with a small smile.
Randy looked at her uncertainly. "You mean it, all of it, don't you?" he said softly.
Ginny nodded, hoping that he'd choose to leave.
Randy hesitated for a moment before another spell hit the wall, causing a large crack to form. He sighed deeply, torn between staying, wanting to help the young couple and doing as they asked.
He nodded his head reluctantly. "All right, I'll go and see if I can find some help. Hopefully the Aurors are here now and can lend us some aid."
Impulsively Ginny hurried to him and wrapped her arms around him in a huge hug. "Take care of yourself," she said huskily, as she released him.
Randy had to blink his eyes to clear the tears that were clouding his vision. He gave Ginny a wan smile before he turned and began to hurry down the corridor, praying he wasn't making a colossal mistake.
Ginny hurried back to Harry and helped him rise, giving him a worried look as she saw how tired he still was.
Fortunately for Ginny, Harry was not paying attention to her as he struggled to his feet. He locked eyes with her and with his free hand he cupped her cheek before slipping it behind her head and drew her face to him. He captured her lips in the most intense kiss they had ever shared.
"I love you," he thought to her.
"I know and I love you too," Ginny replied, praying that they both survived the next several minutes.
Their kiss ended way too so for either as they heard one last spell hit the wall and it finally gave way.
Harry reluctantly released Ginny and turned to face whoever came through, though he was sure who it would be.
It took a moment for the dust to settle but once it had a lone figure stepped through the breach in the wall.
The figure stopped, his red gleaming eyes fastening on Harry.
"Harry Potter, we meet again," Voldemort said with a small cold smile.
Harry and Ginny
A/N: So Voldy has finally found Harry. Exciting times, nicht wahr? Both Harry and Tom are not at their best so how do you think things will play out? And what will Ginny's role in the confrontation be? So many questions. You'll just have to wait to find out.
As always, your reviews are greatly appreciated.