Resolution

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All recognisable characters, content, or locations belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 35: April 2nd

The addition of Lupin and Sirius required a change in their plans, though it was fairly minor. Originally, Neville and Susan would have remain by the doors, on their own brooms, and prepared to fend off Greyback with a small horde of silver knives and family spells. In the meantime, Harry and Theo had planned to seek Greyback out on their brooms, certain he wouldn't be able to pass up the opportunity their presence presented.

Instead, Lupin and Sirius had gone on the offensive, as it were, and although it made things mildly easier with regards to keeping Greyback away from the castle, it also added an element of emotional involvement, too. Harry wanted to go after them, to watch over them and ensure they were okay, though he knew, realistically, that he would only distract them both.

Thus, the quartet opted to become the last line of defence, so to speak, and as the last dregs of daylight disappeared beyond the western horizon, Harry mounted his broom, felt for his wand and daggers, and prepared to wait out the night. At the same time, two different howls wrenched the air, succeeded by a deep, resounding silence.

"I hate waiting," Susan muttered, kicked off into the air, and withdrew her wand to cast a spell over her eyes. Upon sight of their expressions, she flashed them a grin. "A night vision spell. Auror level. I learned it over the summer hols."

"Care to share with the class?" Theo joined her in the air, and shortly thereafter, Harry and Neville followed suit.

"Maybe later," she answered. Before they could protest, however, she proceeded to cast the spell over their own eyes, too. "It should last the night, but if it doesn't, let me know."

Once he'd thanked her, Harry cast his gaze back to the Forbidden Forest, and marvelled. It was difficult to believe he could see so well in the dark. The proof was in front of him, however, lit up in shades of green, but clear all the same.

No wonder it wasn't common knowledge. If criminals got their hands on it, they'd have a field day.

Or night, as it were. Before long, however, the novelty of night vision wore off, and Harry grew restless. Like Susan, he hated waiting, and thus, it only took him about an hour to decide to fly over the trees.

Maybe he'd be able to catch sight of the two werewolves. Who knew? Maybe Lupin and Sirius could use his help.

He rolled his eyes, and carded a hand through his hair. He wasn't kidding anyone, least of all himself, and harry just wanted this entire mess to be over. He was tired of worrying, and wondering, and having to constantly look over his shoulder.

He wasn't the only one.

"I'm coming with you," Theo declared.

Harry was unsurprised. He was pretty sure Theo wanted Greyback dead, and although Harry couldn't care less which way Greyback left Hogwarts grounds,, he also wished Theo would stay by the castle, and thus out of the werewolf's reach. He couldn't protest, however - not when it was as much Theo's fight as it was Lupin's - and definitely not when it wasn't his place to decide what his friends could or couldn't do.

That said, he was inwardly skeptical about Theo's ability to kill the werewolf. He had the skills, certainly, and a wizard's wand was a weapon all on it's own, but to take a life? It was an entirely different matter. He still had nightmares of the way it felt when Quarrel literally disintegrated beneath his hands, and that had been self-defence, and entirely unintentional besides.

To actively seek someone out, and to knowingly, intentionally kill a person? Harry couldn't do that, and he wasn't sure Theo could, either.

"Thank Merlin," Susan exclaimed, "I'm coming too."

harry rolled his eyes, and glanced expectantly at Neville. His friend stared back, defiant. Obviously, he wasn't about to be left behind.

"Let's go, then."

Harry led the way, and his friends followed closely behind. He had no idea where he was going though, beyond the basic understanding that Greyback would remain close to the tree line. Moreover, if a fight was being had, it would be in a clearing to allow for space and range of motion, but that didn't give Harry many answers. Despite his various misadventures within the Forbidden Forest, he wasn't at all familiar with the woods' layout, and thus, he was more or less flying blind.

"What will we do when we get there?" Susan queried.

"Stay in the canopy," Theo answered, "Observe, and plan accordingly."

The silence between them that followed was tense - anticipatory, even - and Harry impatiently drummed his fingers along the handle of his broom. As he did so, his gaze searched the canopy for a break in the trees, and eventually, he found it near the far end of the Hogwarts grounds. There, a pair of wolves were locked in a violent tableau, oblivious to their surroundings, and to the black dog that observed them from the tree line.

Neville studied the werewolves below, and dryly asked what Harry wasn't willing to. "Which one's Greyback?"

It was difficult to determine colours through the night vision spell, and there wasn't much of a difference between the wolves besides. They were startlingly tall in the shoulders, with short, pug-like snouts and tufted tails. They were vicious though, snarling and growling, and clawing at each other with reckless abandon. All the while, Padfoot watched, tensed, and ready to intervene at a moment's notice.

"I've seen pictures of Greyback," Susan muttered, and began a slow descent below the canopy, "If I can just get closer…"

"Are you mad?" Neville demanded, and intercepted her path. Harry and Theo trailed behind the Hufflepuff, their wary eyes on the bloodied werewolves below. Padfoot had become aware of them, though at first glance, it seemed the werewolves had not. Their fight had raised in intensity, however, and Harry knew better.

"Susan, don't be an idiot," Harry reprimanded. Meanwhile, Neville was angry, and the Hufflepuff was preoccupied. Harry's eyes were on his friend, and it was thus that he barely managed to witness what happened next.

One of the wolves lunged for Susan. The second missed the intercept by a hair's width. Padfoot, who'd watched Susan's descent, and the wolves as well, lunged, and clashed with the attacking werewolf.

At the same time, Susan reeled in response to the offence, lost her grip on her broom, and fell to the ground beneath them. Harry watched her fall, horrified, but he was too far, and the ground too close, to catch her.

Susan landed with an ominous 'crack', and with a cry of pain that was drowned out by the growls and snarls of the two wolves and one dog several feet away. She was alright though, in pain and terrified, but blessedly conscious. He was irked by the complete disregard of her own wellbeing, but Harry didn't fault her for being afraid. He was scared, too.

"Bugger. Watch my back," Theo told Harry and Neville. He lowered himself to the forest floor, stood beside Susan's crumpled form, and spoke with her briefly.

While Neville watched over them, Harry dropped to her other side, and took a moment to study the Hufflepuff for injuries. She'd broken her wrist, and the fractured bone had broken skin, but Harry knew no healing spells, and even if he did, there was no time to tend to her injury. Instead, he turned back to the wolves, and watched as Greyback slashed a claw across Sirius' flank.

He winced as the dog whined, convulsively gripped his wand, and tried to think of any spell he knew that could help. He couldn't throw knives - not like Theo could, and to a lesser extent, Neville and Susan - but unfortunately, werwolf hide was particularly resistant to magic, and Harry wasn't proficient enough with Transfiguration to manipulate his surroundings.

He was familiar with elemental charms, however, but as a plan began to form in his mind, the situation changed.

Behind Theo, Greyback managed to separate himself from Moony and Padfoot's combined attack, and braced himself for another lunge towards the prone students.

Harry blanched, and his heart rate, already rapid due to his proximity to Greyback, spiked. He didn't have time to do much of anything defensive, so he did the only thing he could. "Theo!"

It seemed his warning was unnecessary. Harry had known his friend had plainly extraordinary reflexes, but he'd almost not seen the Slytherin move. Theo whirled, a knife pulled back, and launched it directly through Greyback's eye. The wolf dropped like a stone, the clearing fell silent, and Fenrir Greyback was dead.

Author's Note: Need to work on this one. I'm abysmal at action scenes, and suspense is absolutely beyond me. Practice makes perfect, right? Tell me how I can improve? Sorry for the small delay. I built this chapter up in my head, and suffice to say, it didn't meet expectations. *sigh*

It's all down hill from here. Thanks for your support. Until next time, -t.