From the author of "Harry Potter and the Dream Book"

HARRY POTTER AND THE ARCHWAY OF THE DEAD Chapter twenty-five

Harry clambered up the stairs with difficulty. A part of him wanted to go back to Viktor Krum's side and rejoin the battle, even though he knew that in his present physical condition he would be more of a liability to Krum. The other part of him, disproportionate to his desire to fight, was his want to pursue Ginny's kidnapper. However, his reason was telling him that she ought to be far from reach by now.

As he climbed step after step in the dark narrow corridor, he kept replaying the events in his mind: the black smoke that took him and Ginny back unto the first platform, Ginny disarming him, Ginny holding the Elder Wand, the red light hitting her from the back, the Triskelion standing over Ginny's unconscious form and twiddling with her Weasley brooch, Ginny tied in magical ropes, Krum's hood slipping to reveal his face, and then Ginny soaring out of sight. How could he have let this happen?

"Harry, is that you?" said a voice through the dark.

It took his brain a few seconds to realise who the speaker was.

"Hermione!"

She was standing just a few steps ahead of him, half-concealed in the darkness, her wand held aloft.

"Hold it! What was Professor Snapes' Patronus?"

"A doe, like my mum's," he replied hastily, not even bothering to stop his ascend.

"I had to make sure it was you," Hermione apologised as she helped him through the entrance of the secret staircase.

As Harry glanced around he was glad to see that the Great Hall was completely empty except for him, Hermione and Ron who was standing next to the four golden statues with his rucksack tightly under his left arm and his wand in his right hand. There was a red and swollen bruise on the side of Ron's nose.

"All right, mate?" Ron asked mechanically.

Hermione did not wait for Harry's reply.

"Viktor said to regroup in the Great Hall, and not to hang around for him. Where's Ginny?"

Harry couldn't contain his emotions.

"They've taken her. We've got… We've got to go back!"

There was a short moment of silence during which Ron grew paler, if possible, but neither he nor Hermione were making a move.

"Come on! We've got to go after her! They can still be in the city," Harry shouted imperatively, trying to sound in charge and not hysterical.

Hermione and Ron exchanged a glance.

"What's got into you two?" Harry shrilled at them.

"Well, they're not going to kill her, are they?" said Ron reasonably. "I mean, they need her as a hostage, don't they?"

"What? Leave her? I can't… I'm not going to let her be a hostage, Ron. That's just out of the question."

But Ron remained, in Harry's opinion, unusually level-headed.

"It'll be a lot worst if they catch you, mate," he said. "I reckon they expect you to come after her."

"Ron's right, Harry. Listen to what you're saying. She's probably far from here by now. You'll just be throwing yourself back at them. We've got to think this through. We should regroup like Viktor said, and then we can come up with a plan."

"No!" Harry shouted and his voice echoed on the polished floor.

He was furious. How could his two best friends not understand how important this was? Ginny was Ron's sister. Years ago, Ron had followed Harry down into the Chamber of Secrets, a terrifying place, in order to save her. This situation wasn't any different to Harry. He was going to save her again, and in his mind there was no time for planning.

"Harry, if you rush into this you'll get yourself killed or worst. You've got to calm down and…"

"What?" he cut in abruptly. "Come with you? Do as Viktor says? You don't trust me anymore, is that it? You think I've been corrupted by the Deathly Hallows."

He was so mad at them that words were pouring out of his mouth faster than he could think.

"No, Harry, we've been through this. You know we don't think that," Hermione burst out, sounding a little annoyed.

Ron, who had moved next to Hermione now, placed his hand on Harry's shoulder in an almost fatherly way.

"You're not corrupted, mate. You're exhausted and you definitely need a break and you're in love with my sister for some reason, but you're not turning evil or anything like that. You're a bit mental, but you've always been so I'm not worried about that. Now, can we just get out of here?"

For a fleeting moment, Harry felt like throwing off Ron's hand and running as fast as possible towards the exit, but then, seeing his friends so close to each other, he was reminded of Ron's distress and rage when Hermione had been taken. Ron really knew what Harry was going through. An understanding passed between them and Harry muttered a feeble "Yeah, let's get out of here". He thought that he heard Hermione sigh and whisper something to herself while he turned to the task at hand.

They were still standing at the far end of the Great Hall. It was very quiet except for their voices. The light was dim and no shadows were moving. It was so still that it was hard to believe the battle that was taking place in the Duelling Stadium.

"What do you reckon?" Ron said, following Harry's glance towards the only visible exit. "We could make a run for it."

"Viktor didn't happen to mention a back door, did he?" Harry whispered to Hermione.

She shook her head.

"The Cloak?" Ron asked.

"That would tell them where it is," Hermione replied hastily.

"Let's go through the front door, then, but keep your wands handy."

Following Harry's lead, the three of them started at a fast pace towards the entrance. They were not halfway there when Harry noticed a shape on at the other end of the Hall, which had been absent before. Ron and Hermione seemed to notice it too because they slowed down and came to a stop next to Harry.

"What is that?"

But to Harry, the answer was obvious.

"Ginny!"

He started to run as he said her name. He could hear his feet echo on the marble floor as they had in the Chamber of Secrets. As he got closer, Ginny's unconscious form became clearer. The words on Harry's mind were, for the second time in his life, "Please, doesn't be dead."

And then he was hit by a spell and fell hard on his back. Before he even knew what had happened, the Triskelion Karl was looking down on him with a contemptuous smile.

"Sorry, but she isn't here, Potter."

Pointing his wand in the direction where Ginny's body was, he gave a little wave and the image disappeared as though it had been only a recording of her, like a hologram. Harry felt as though he had just been stung. How could he have been so stupid?

"No, you two stay where you are," the Triskelion cried out to Ron and Hermione. His wand was now pointing between Harry's eyes. "If you try anything, I'll put another scar on his forehead."

"Where is she?" Harry asked bluntly.

"Don't worry, Potter. I'm keeping her warm for you. I'm going to offer you a deal so listen carefully. You have five hours, by which time you will show up in front of the Archway of the Dead. I'm sure you know where it is. There, you will walk through the Arch and do what we require of you. You will negotiate the return of Grindelwald and Lord Voldemort. Miss Weasley's life will be spared if and only if you can make this bargain. If you're a coward and you don't show up, she will die. If you try to be smart and attempt to defeat us, she will die. If you step through the Gate and you do not return, she will die. Do I make myself clear?"

"Expelliarmus!"

The spell had been Hermione's. It caught the Triskelion unawares as it hit his right hand. Unfortunately, he managed to retain hold of his wand. But Harry immediately saw the change in his eyes. Hermione's bold move had made the strong man very angry.

"Silly schoolgirl! Your feeble spells won't work with me. Don't you know who you're fighting with?"

He then turned his whole body in the direction of Ron and Hermione and Harry saw on the strong man's face how much he really wanted to hurt them. Pulling out his wand, Harry cried the first spell that came to his mind: "Crucio!" As he said the Unforgivable Spell, he thought only of how badly he wanted to keep his friends from harm.

The spell hit the tall Triskelion on his left side, which sent him sliding a good distance on the marble floor with a surprising bang and a muffled cry of pain, but it was barely enough to keep the Triskelion short of breath for a second. Hermione and Ron both immediately sent spells in his direction but he dissolved the two curses to ashes, literally, with a sweep of his wand. And then, just as Harry was getting back on his feet, the Triskelion cast off another curse that hit him square in the chest. Though no word had been spoken aloud, Harry instantly knew what spell had been used as he felt the sting of the Torture Curse take hold of his body.

But as the spell hit him with such violence, so too did the realisation that he could deal with this sort of pain. He had experienced it before. It wasn't real, this ache that he was feeling in every one of his muscles. Losing Ginny, losing a friend, that was real pain, but magic was an illusion, a trick played on his brain. If he could discipline his mind, close it to any kind of assault, he should be able to withstand these sorts of spell. And why shouldn't he? After all, he had been able to control Lord Voldemort's invasion of his mind.

As he thought this, his left knee fell on the floor, but he did not feel the agony such as he had when Voldemort had used the same curse on him. He felt pain, yes, but nowhere near as intense, and that gave him a boost of energy and self-confidence. He got up without much difficulty and as he looked up, he saw that his adversary was noticeably taken aback.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid to fight me? Are you afraid I might have the Elder Wand? I duelled against Lord Voldemort twice. I can take you."

Harry heard Hermione scream "Harry, no!" several times, but he did not care: he was ready to fight just as he had been ready to die. He wanted to settle this now. He could not wait five hours and risk loosing Ginny's life.

"Very well, Potter, since you want to play in the big leagues…"

Raising his wand high above his head, the Triskelion took up a Duelling position such as one that Harry had seen used by Death Eaters during the battle of Hogwarts. And then, several things happened: Krum's lion-shaped Patronus came up running in the Great Hall, followed closely by its owner; a sound like thunder was heard high up and a number of stone fragments fell on the marble floor at once; and then there was a flash of blue light as the imposing silhouette of a man appeared right in the middle between Harry and his opponent.

He was a heavily-built man dressed in long black and red cape lined with silver and fur. Harry could only see him from the back but his head was completely bald and his wand was the longest that Harry had ever seen. It was almost like a small sword.

"Petr Konstantin," snarled the Triskelion. He took up another Duelling position in front of the newcomer.

"So it has come to this, Karl, yes? Very well, we shall dual," said the bald man. And, tossing his heavy cloak aside, he added in a booming voice: "Mr Krum!"

The Bulgarian Seeker who was now up to Harry's level, answered at once. "Yes, Headmaster."

"You will take Mr Potter, Miss Granger and Mr Weasley away from the school premises, yes?"

"Aye, sir," Krum replied at once.

He immediately seized Harry's arm and motioned pressingly to Hermione and Ron. The amount of stone and dust falling from the ceiling was now such that the polished marble floor was sparingly visible. Hermione was holding a Shield Charm above her and Ron's head as they came up to where Harry and Krum were standing. It was hard to see high above because of the absence of light, but Harry was sure that he saw something beastly moving up there. The Triskelion Karl, however, did not seem interested in the change that was taking place in the Great Hall. His attention was focused on the impressive figure that was the Durmstrang Headmaster.

"How long I've been hoping for this moment, Konstantin! I never understood why the Board of Directors appointed you as Headmaster. It should have been me. Well, now I will show everyone how worthless you are. Your pets don't impress me. I know a kind of magic that's beyond your reach and understanding."

Amongst the crashing sound of falling rocks, Harry distinctively heard a loud growl, followed by overlapping squawking and roaring. Hermione's eyes were turned upwards and she was trembling. Following her glance, Harry looked up to see that the gargoyles that had been nesting on the high walls had become alive and were now flying menacingly low over their heads.

"Don't be scared by them," Krum whispered. "They protect the school, and they obey the Headmaster."

"I'm not scared," Ron uttered shakily.

"Now would be a good time to do what is required, Mr Krum!" said the Headmaster forcibly.

Right then, the Triskelion sent a flashing curse in the direction of Viktor Krum and the others, but the Durmstrang Headmaster was quick and, placing his whole body right in front of the fiery light, transformed the powerful curse into a stream of snowflakes which was followed by a gush of cold winter wind that Harry felt on his face.

"I always knew that the only way to bring out your claws was through your cubs, Konstantin. You're so keen to protect the young ones, even the filthy Mudblood brats. But after tonight, Durmstrang shall be what it once was."

The Triskelion was circling around the Headmaster like a predator having spotted a prey, but the Headmaster seemed indifferent to the taunting remarks.

"Now would be a good time, Mr Krum!" he repeated boomingly.

But something had to be wrong with Viktor because he wasn't moving and he wasn't speaking. Harry wondered if Krum was thinking what he was thinking: what if the Triskelion died? What orders had Karl given the other Triskelions concerning Ginny if he did not return? Were they to dispose of her? Was there a second-in-command who would take charge and decide her fate? All these questions only led to one conclusion: the Triskelion Karl could not be killed. Harry had to make sure the Headmaster was aware of that situation, and since Krum was suddenly speechless…

"You can't kill him, sir," he yelled out, pushing Krum aside and taking a step forward. "They've got her, the other Triskelions. They've got a hostage. It's… Ginny Weasley."

He had to bite his tongue because he had almost said "my girlfriend" and that would emphasize her importance in the eyes of the Triskelion.

"Yes, yes, I'm aware of that, Mr Potter. We're on the same page, as they say, yes?"

Harry wasn't sure if he was supposed to reply.

"He understands," said Ron in a hushed voice. "That's settled then. Why aren't we moving?"

Harry looked at his side and saw Viktor Krum's face wincing almost in a painful way. He was staring at the front door of the Great Hall and also at his Headmaster and he seemed thorn between the two.

"Headmaster, I can help. Let me fight besides you."

There was no telling what was on the Headmaster's face because he kept his back to them, but he said something in Bulgarian which seemed to affect Krum very deeply. It also made the Triskelion Karl snort derisively.

"Let's go," Krum said finally between clenched teeth.

"Yes, go!" The Triskelion yelled as the four of them started to run towards the front door. "This is not a place for children anymore. A battle is about to begin such as Durmstrang as never seen!"

They were almost at the door when Hermione let out a high pitched scream. Something had hit the Shield Charm above their heads, but it wasn't a stone: it was an enormous flying gargoyle. It landed right in front of them with a roar. It looked like a creature half-way between a lion and a bull, but with sleek clay instead of fur. Small clouds of dust were coming out of its nostrils.

"Let us pass!" Krum said imperatively. "Expecto Patronum!"

Krum's impressive lion-shaped Patronus came out of his wand silver and shining. The gargoyle and the silver lion started growling at each other and as they did so Krum pushed Harry, Ron and Hermione hurriedly through the door. Harry had almost forgotten what lay beyond the Great Hall and he felt slightly surprised by the closed space of the elevator. Viktor Krum came in last and as the door closed, Harry followed the Bulgarian's glance towards the battle that was now raging in the Durmstrang Great Hall.

"You would only have made it difficult for him," Hermione said softly to Viktor.

She had voiced exactly what Harry had been thinking. He had seen the fight between Dumbledore and Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic, and it seemed to him that duals at such high level could only take place between two exceptional wizards. His own desire to take on the Triskelion was foolishness. He still had a lot to learn to take part in a battle of that kind. Only with the Elder Wand would he have been able to…

That's when it hit him.

The pain on his chest was gone.

The Elder Wand was gone.

Ginny was gone.