I can't think of anything witty right now. You'll have to fill in the funny part yourself, and laugh accordingly. Here goes … I {insert funny stuff here} Harry Potter. (Mind out of the gutter, people!)
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36. Surrey to drop in unannounced
As Harry felt the world return to normal, he opened his eyes to the surprisingly familiar sight of his childhood home. Not taking the time to figure out how he had arrived in Surrey, he jerked his right arm away from the shocked Death Eater. He reached for his second wand (the one he had won from Rodolphus last summer, incidentally) and it appeared in his hand in a flash. With a quick upward swipe, he had silently stunned Macnair. He turned his wand toward his second captor, but Rodolphus was already moving. He shoved Harry to the ground, and trained his own wand on the boy, preparing to strike.
Luckily, Harry had been expecting a curse – really, what else would a Death Eater try – and he'd put up a hasty Shield Charm before he'd even hit the ground, confident that the Death Eater wouldn't be casting the Killing Curse. The shield was quickly followed by another spell, and Rodolphus had to dodge the combination of Harry's spell plus his own reflected curse, giving Harry enough time to jump back up.
Rodolphus aimed his wand behind Harry and summoned a garbage can, which flew into the unsuspecting boy. Harry fell to back to the ground, face-first this time. The force of the tumble knocked the breath out of the kid, and Rodolphus took the opportunity to revive his partner. By the time Harry began to stir, the two Death Eaters were prowling toward him.
As they stalked toward their dazed prey, the front door of Number 4 flew open. Vernon Dursley, having picked a most unfortunate time to investigate the noise on his front lawn, stared at the sight before him. He took in the strange clothes and the sticks the men were holding, and then registered the boy on his lawn. "Now see here," he bellowed, shaking his right fist in the air, "you freaks aren't supposed to be here. We won't take the boy back!"
Macnair, who was closest to Vernon, turned toward the intruder and casually hit him with the finger-removing jinx, leaving only the thumb and index finger on Vernon's right hand. Vernon panicked when he saw his hand, and began swearing loudly as he frantically shook the hand, perhaps in an attempt to make his finger re-appear.
As the two Death Eaters laughed at the Muggle's response – he was calling them names like 'godless freaks' and 'immoral abominations' even as he demanded they put his hand to rights – Harry gingerly climbed back to his feet. Before he had the chance to do anything, Macnair grew tired of the Muggle's crass accusations and cast the Cruciatus Curse at the obese man. Vernon's screams filling the night air.
Harry sprang into action, heading toward his uncle to help the man, but Rodolphus saw the movement and cast his own Cruciatus at Harry. That seemed to remind Macnair of the task at hand and he lifted his curse from Vernon, leaving the man quivering on the ground, where he promptly emptied his stomach. Forgetting the Muggle, both men concentrated on attacking the lone teen.
By sheer luck, Harry dodged the worst of the curses that were raining down on him, and began casting his own. Mostly he used attack curses he had learned in his training, ones that were designed to debilitate the opponent, but he mixed in the occasional disarming spell. For a few moments Harry had the upper hand, his offensive having taken the Death Eaters by surprise, when a new sound caught the attention of all three combatants.
From the house next door, an elderly gentleman Harry had always thought of as kindly had come out to see what the yelling was about. Macnair turned toward the man, and as nonchalantly as one might say 'hello', he said "Avada Kedavra". The man's lifeless body fell over, and Harry knew if he looked, he would see an expression of surprise on the face.
Incensed at the loss of an innocent life – a man whose only crime was honest curiosity – Harry turned his wand on the assassin. He shouted "Tysonius" as he dove behind his uncle's car, and watched through the vehicle's windows as his curse hit it's mark and Macnair was thrown several feet to the ground, out cold.
While Rodolphus tried to wake his cohort, Harry inched forward and reached around the front of the car. Remembering a trick Remus had taught him, he animated the large tree in the front yard, causing it to behave similar to the Whomping Willow. The tree lunged for the human trespassing in its space, missing the man but snaring his robes. As Rodolphus was forced to turn his full attention to freeing himself, Harry sprinted to Vernon, who was still lying on his side several yards from the front porch. Checking the man quickly, he decided Vernon was only winded and weak, but not otherwise injured, not counting the missing fingers. Harry pulled the large man to his feet – not an easy feat, but then Harry had magic on his side – and moved back toward the front door, intent on getting the man back into his house.
As Harry had been working to lift his uncle to his feet, Rodolphus had finally thought to un-animate the tree and had wrenched his robes free. He stalked toward Harry and the fat man as those two began moving toward the door. They had almost made it – the doorway only an arm's length away– when Harry heard the Death Eater speak.
"I didn't think you cared about the Muggle, Potter," the man goaded. Harry was forced to slow his progress as he knew better than to turn his attention away from the still talking Death Eater. "Now that I know better, maybe I'll let you watch him die before we go to see my Lord."
As Rodolphus began casting the Killing Curse Harry heard the popping noise of Apparition, but he didn't have time to see if the new arrival was friend or enemy. 'for enemies!' Harry saw the green light speeding toward his uncle, and reacted on instinct. He quickly shoved his uncle, who flew into the door jam, knocking over and shattering the ceramic garden gnome that Petunia proudly displayed. The deadly curse missed Vernon by inches, but Harry barely noticed. He had already turned his wand toward Rodolphus, and with a forceful swish toward the hated enemy, he shouted "Sectumsempra". The spell erupted from Harry's wand and sped toward its target.
The Death Eater knew the curse was coming but hesitated for a moment, either from surprise or from fear, Harry didn't know. By the time he started to move, it was too late. The curse hit him below the waist, moving diagonally across his body and exiting near the ribcage. Rodolphus fell to his knees, wand forgotten as both hands clutched his bleeding abdomen. His gestures were for naught; he'd been sliced wide open, squishy objects Harry didn't want to identify popping through the gapping wound. The sight nearly made Harry vomit. It had only been seconds, but blood already coated the man's hands and legs and saturated the ground below him. 'People can't lose that much blood and live.'
Harry turned away from the gruesome sight as he fought to keep from sicking up. The newly arrived wizard – Harry's mind registered he was an Auror – was rapidly approaching the fallen Death Eater. The newcomer was shouting something to Harry in a familiar voice, but the words never registered in his mind. He just knew that the threat here had been neutralized, and he needed to get back. With one last glance at a pale and trembling Vernon he summoned his holly wand and, without a word, Disapparated.
-0-
As Harry was fighting to save Vernon Dursley, Ginny Weasley was standing just inside the thick, slightly foreboding doors of the library. A flesh-colored string had snaked its way under the barricaded doors, and she was listening to the sounds outside their sanctuary. Turning away from the doors, she yelled across the room to her brother, "I think it's safe".
Ron was standing next to Madam Pince; not that the librarian was of any help. She was sitting in her chair, knotting her hands in her lap and whimpering softly. Definitely not a fighter, this one. She hadn't even thought to barricade the doors when the alarm had sounded. Although, that had turned out to be a blessing.
By design, Ron and Ginny had been roaming the halls together earlier that evening – appearing to anyone watching to be looking for Crookshanks. When the alarm had sounded, they had set off on their real task, which was to find and assist stranded students. They were rewarded with a group of Hufflepuff First Years that they found cowering in the Trophy Room. It was clear they couldn't stay there. The gleaming glass showcases might look impressive, but they could turn deadly in a fight if the glass splintered when hit by spells. Unfortunately, they were too many floors away from the Hufflepuff dormitories to think they could make it there safely. So instead, they had started going up, intending to take the firsties to their own common room.
On the Fourth floor, the group had run into two other DA members that had been patrolling: Dean Thomas and Ernie Macmillian. Those two had also adopted a group of stranded students; an odd assortment of two young Ravenclaws, the Hufflepuff chaser Cadwallader, and a small Slytherin girl that had tried to hide in a boy's restroom when the alarm sounded.
The four DA members had decided the closest safe place was the library, with its sturdy doors and many aisles and alcoves to hide in. They made it there with no trouble, but as they started to enter, a brutal-faced Death Eater stumbled into the hall. The man had obviously been on the receiving end of a fight, judging by the disheveled, torn robes and missing mask. He was also limping heavily, as if he'd broken his foot. The younger students were ushered into the thankfully easily-opened Library, and the older four made short work of incapacitating the lone Death Eater.
Afterwards, they had moved inside the library, taking their bound, disarmed and stunned prisoner with them. Ignoring the bewildered librarian – who Ron thought was more concerned about damage to her books than the students – they set about barricading the chamber and reassuring the youngsters. Ginny had then taken her place at the door, listening for more trouble or help. Her hopes were answered when she'd heard the approach of Professor Flitwick and a Ministry Auror outside the doors, and she'd let Ron know that help had arrived.
-0-
Soundlessly, Harry Potter appeared near Honeydukes and immediately raced toward the store. Judging by the crowd that had gathered on the street, word of the attack at the school must have reached the village. He hadn't actually taken the time to listen to any of the gossip, but the crowd had been looking toward the school, craning their necks as if they could see the action. Harry spared the castle one quick glance, and was relieved to find no Dark Mark hovering over it. 'he must still be alive!'
It made him feel sick, that the villagers were behaving as if the attack were a spectator sport, but he ignored them as he continued on his way. He reached the wide-open front door of the candy shop and ran inside. The store was deserted; the careless clerk and any would-be patrons were no doubt part of the gawkers out in the street. Oh well, their thoughtlessness allowed him to make his way into the basement without being seen.
Safely inside the hidden passageway, he paused to take stock of the situation. He was scratched and bruised, had hit his head pretty hard, and somewhere along the way he thought he might have twisted his ankle. All in all, he considered himself well enough to fight if necessary. He knew he probably wasn't acting rationally, but he was worried about the situation in the castle. Steeling his resolve, he headed down the dark, dank passageway.
He sprinted the entire way, ignoring the pain in his ankle, and reached his destination in record time. Just before he entered the school, he took a second to prepare himself. Beyond this statue, he had left a dead classmate and a near-dead professor; and roaming the halls were an unknown number of Death Eaters. He would give anything for his map, but he had left it with Albus for the evening. He listened for the sounds of fighting, but heard nothing. Easing the hidden passage open, he cautiously looked into the area. Malfoy and Fortescue were gone; the blood wasn't. But at least the hallways were empty, allowing him to leave the passage and head toward the Headmaster's office.
-0-
The Dark Lord Voldemort sat waiting on this throne. It was his favorite place to sit; it gave him a regal appearance, and the hard wooden seat was charmed to stay warm and cushy. In his left hand he held the vial of Draught of Living Death that Snape had delivered two days ago. He had hoped to hear back from his invasion force by now, but he wasn't overly worried. He had made it clear that they should not return until both objectives had been accomplished: Dumbldore's death and Potter's abduction.
As he tipped the vial over, watching the draught slide to the other end, he speculated. Surely by now the arrogant fool's son had made his move, which most likely had ended in failure. He considered the Senior Malfoy, awaiting news of tonight's outcome in a room down the hall, and smiled. He was looking forward to breaking the news of his son's failure to the man. His incompetence could no longer be accepted, and his son would pay for both of their mistakes – either by the ministry for attempted murder, or by him, personally, for failing in his task. A sickening smile crept across his face as he considered making Senior do the deed himself. He spared only a moment to wonder about Snape's fate.
Tipping the vial again, he turned his mind to Potter. Or as he now thought of the boy, his 'little insurance policy'. He knew enough to guess that the boy was putting up a fight. He had only assigned two Death Eaters to capture the boy, Alecto and Amycus Carrow. Could the boy, with his unearthly luck, have bested them? No matter, for although the Carrows had been specifically sent to retrieve the boy, all of his faithful knew to grab him on sight. They were not to return until Potter was his. 'Stay all night if you have to', he had directed them. Potter would not see another day of freedom.
He glanced at the ornate bed off to the side of the room, its glass encasement on the floor beside it. In a moment of inspiration, he had recalled the sickly-sweet story of Snow White from his childhood at that filthy Muggle orphanage. Potter was Muggle-raised, and was sure to have learned the tale as a child. The Dark Lord hoped the symbolism behind his resting place wouldn't be lost on the stupid boy. Like the princess of that story, little Harry was destined for an eternal sleep; but in this tale, there would be no reprieve by love's first kiss. Stupid Muggles and their misguided belief that love conquers all. It would be he, Lord Voldemort, that did the conquering!
Imagining Potter lying in perfect repose in his glass prison, displayed in the Great Hall of Hogwarts as proof to all of what happened to those that would defy him, he nearly laughed. Oh yes, Snow White's step-mother had certainly had the right idea when it came to dealing with troublesome children who refused to learn their place. Not that the wicked queen of that story had anything on him!
He relaxed into his chair, wishing Nagini were well enough to keep him company. Tipping the vial over again, he watched the thick draught slide down the inside of the glass, imagining it was instead sliding down a certain teen's throat.
-0-
Unaware of how many Death Eaters were still roaming the school, Harry crept along slowly, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. He knew what he should have done. He should have gone to Headquarters, like he was originally supposed to. Well, Albus was just going to have to forgive him, but no way was he going there now. Blame his 'saving people thing', but he would not leave this castle until he knew Albus, Ginny, and the others were all safe. A quiet voice in the back of his mind told him he also needed to tell Albus about his trip to Surrey, but he easily shushed it.
Harry didn't have his invisibility cloak – it had been left in the corridor where he'd been captured, but was missing now – but he barely needed it. Like Fred and George before him, he'd memorized every hidden passage and knew every trick staircase. He used that knowledge and moved silently, using shadows, furniture, and suits of armor to hide himself. He knew he was taking what could be described as the scenic route, but he chose to be cautious instead of quick. After all, he doubted his luck would hold if he was captured a second time.
As he made his way down a deserted corridor, he thought he heard something. Listening closely he recognized it to be a voice – an unfriendly and unwelcome female voice – taunting someone in a familiar baby-like manner. Following the sound, he realized he was headed for one of the corridors mostly used by the Ravenclaws. Harry crept to the juncture and cautiously took a peek around the corner. Spotting Bella's victim, he nearly gave himself away in his anger. He backed up, so as not to be seen, and tried to calm himself as he quickly formulated a plan. Going for help wasn't an option. Bella could be vicious, and Luna had already been at her mercy for heaven knew how long.
Harry knew he had to stop the Witch, and he would only get one chance. He silently rounded the corner, moving closer as he prepared his curse, but stopped short when he heard Bellatrix viciously screech, "Sectumsempra". Harry watched as the curse – the very curse he himself had used tonight – hit Luna in the shoulder, and she dropped to the ground screaming in pain. Enraged, Harry jabbed his wand at the hateful witch and cursed her. Bellatrix never heard the curse coming; she was too busy cackling at the hurt girl before her.
Harry was actually surprised at the words that left his mouth. He had planned to say 'Petrificus Totalus', putting the Full-Body Bind on her; but what came out instead was "Quasso Igum", that nearly-forgotten spell that had been used on him back in September – the one that broke a person's connection to their wand, making their spells all wonky. Bellatrix seemed to glow red for a second, which was the only indication that the spell had hit its target. It must have worked, though, because a moment later she tried to cast the Cruciatus Curse on Luna, but it only made the girl twitch a bit.
The bewildered witch looked at her wand, shaking it as if to clear an obstruction. Harry, still unseen behind her, was about to curse her again when three things happened simultaneously.
First; Luna, despite her pain, managed to cast a corporeal Patronus, which came barreling up the corridor.
Second; ahead of Harry, and behind where Luna was lying, Hermione and Neville entered the hall. They had their wands drawn as if they had heard the sounds and knew what they would find.
And third; from behind Harry, three bodies came tumbling into the corridor. One of them had fallen into him and pushed him into the wall, effectively hiding his presence from the dark-haired witch. The three continued their fight undisturbed, barely registering the others in the hall.
Luna's silvery-white hare charged Bellatrix, passing over her before slowly circling back, having been unable to find its prey. It was just enough of a distraction that Bella failed to notice the two students moving to help her victim. Hermione had immediately stooped down to tend Luna while Neville seemed to be standing guard, willing to face Bella himself if needed. Neither Hermione nor Neville paid much attention to the happenings at the opposite end of the hall, caught up as they were in their own drama.
It had only taken a few seconds for Bellatrix to determine the Patronus was no threat, and she turned her attention to the three students, seemingly deciding to leave the Order members to her fellow Death Eater. She had recognized Neville, having faced him a year ago at the Ministry, and she moved forward with an evil smile on her face as she began making nasty comments about his parents. Harry saw Neville hesitate for a moment and he desperately shouted "Don't just stand there!" to his friend, and he was relieved to hear Neville start giving back.
Harry himself was unable to do much, as the three new arrivals not only had him surrounded, but they were moving around so quickly he wasn't able to safely aim. Bill Weasley and Tonks were taking on a bulking, wild-haired man, using a mixture of magic and fists. It was an oddly physical fight; the three bodies dancing around, breaking apart any furniture and picture frames in their paths. The Death Eater wasn't wearing a mask, and as he passed by Harry could plainly see he was enjoying the fight, as he was smiling open-mouthed, revealing his unusually pointy teeth.
He was also intent to beat the other two at any cost, and it showed in his fighting. He was sending curses without care; because of this, most missed harming people by inches if not feet. At one point, he moved dangerously close to Harry, and as he spotted the boy, he suddenly changed direction and sprung toward him. Harry tried to react, but misjudged and his spell missed. With a wild laugh, the man viciously kicked his left kneecap. Harry dropped to the ground as he felt his knee shatter.
Bill Weasley had been unable to stop it, but he immediately jumped between Harry and the grey-haired man, switching from offensive to defensive spells in a heartbeat. Harry was relieved to note that while Bill was favoring a heavily-bandaged leg, he otherwise seemed unharmed.
The man, whom Bella was calling Fenrir – 'that's Greyback!' – continued to fire off spells, apparently at anything that moved. At least he was smart enough to remember that Harry was not to be killed, as he had stopped using the Killing Curse as soon as he'd recognized the boy. Looking down at the injured teen, the beast couldn't help but taunt the boy. "Don't worry yerself about that knee. Walkin' ain't exactly in your future." He couldn't wait for a response though; Bill was surprisingly vicious in his fighting, and Greyback needed to turn his full attention back to the red head.
Meanwhile, Tonks had somehow ended toward in the middle of the corridor, and was trying to fight both the male Death Eater and her aunt. Her actions were somewhat hampered, lest a stray spell hit one of the students. But as Harry went down, she seemed to abandon that strategy and instead made her way to him.
For his part, Harry had ignored Greyback's jeer; he'd heard enough Death Eater boasting to know better than to let it get to him. Besides, from his place on the floor Harry had little doubt that the Order would triumph. He knew that Bellatrix's spells wouldn't work right for her, and he said as much to Tonks as she ducked down to hastily check on him. Tonks nodded her understanding, then stood and shouted to Hermione and Neville to 'stop that bitch from getting away' while she and Bill redoubled their efforts to take down Greyback.
The fight lasted a few more minutes, but as Harry had fervently hoped, the Order was victorious. Greyback was the first to fall, but not to magic. While Tonks garnered his attention, which wasn't hard because he was busy snidely promising to come find her the next full moon, Bill got behind him and walloped him in the head with a broken table leg.
Bellatrix had still been trying to curse everyone in sight, but as had been happening ever since Harry's spell, she couldn't get anything right. The Stunner she had sent toward Hermione, for instance, merely hit the girl like a Stinging Hex, thought Hermione did fall backwards as she tried to shake off the pain. Lestrange was subdued shortly after Greyback went down when several curses hit her seemingly at the same time: Tonk's 'Stupefy', Bill's 'Incarcerous', and from his place on the floor, Harry's own 'Expelliarmus'. At the other end of the hall, Harry could see that Neville had also cast something at the witch, although he had been unable to identify either the spell or its effect. Bella's bound, unconscious body hit the ground with a satisfying 'thunk'.
Bill reached down and helped Harry to his feet, a difficult task considering his own leg injury, which was bleeding through its make-shift bandage. Picking up the broken table leg he had clubbed the wolf-man with, Bill transfigured it into a crutch and offered it to Harry. Using the crutch to help his balance, Harry turned to check on his friends. Luna's wound had already stopped bleeding thanks to Hermione's quick spell-work, but it would still require Pomfrey's special care. Seeing the wound reminded Harry of the horror he had felt when he's heard Bellatrix screech out the spell. How could she have known a spell from his Potions book? With a feeling of unease, he vowed to himself to discuss this further with his guardian.
He was brought from his musings by a light tap on his shoulder. Hermione had come to his good side, and was patiently waiting for him to move. He threw her a grateful look as he started to hobble his way down the hall. Bill walked on his other side, ready to help should he falter, but also keeping his wand at the ready should they encounter any more trouble. Tonks had moved forward to help Luna to the hospital wing, and Neville was walking with them, trying to lighten the mood by asking Luna silly questions about a recent Quibbler article. The two subdued Death Eaters had been left in a broom cupboard for the Aurors to retrieve.
Noticing Bill's wand at-the-ready, Harry jokingly thanked him for his 'constant vigilance'. Bill seriously replied that by his estimation, there were two Death Eaters unaccounted for. With a shudder, Harry recalled the fate of the two missing invaders. Without explaining, he told Bill that the other two weren't a threat. Bill looked at him with a doubtful look on his face, and Harry suspected he was about to question Harry on his statement. But Harry had a more immediate concern, and cut off Bill's question with one of his own. "What about the Headmaster, Bill?"
"Not to fear, Harry. As far as I know, nothing's happened to him. Last I heard, he was running things from the Hospital Wing, more for convenience than anything. There were injuries on our side, but I don't believe he was harmed."
The group passed the rest of their journey avoiding serious topics, instead joining Neville in questioning Luna about the Minister's secret plan to cross-breed owls with fwoopers, so that seemingly harmless post owls could be sent to attack unsuspecting enemies.
When they finally arrived at their destination, Harry's eyes scanned the room searching for his guardian. He found Albus sitting next to one of the hospital beds, and he appeared to be deep in conversation with its occupant. The man had definitely been busy tonight. His robes, which this morning had been a cheerful, vibrant blue, now looked dull beneath the grim and blood coating them. Watching, Harry saw Albus lean closer to the patient, as if to hear a secret being whispered, and Harry got a better look at his guardian. Exhaustion seemed to roll off the man, but also as he turned his head and locked eyes with Harry, there was relief. Harry had to stop himself from calling out to Albus in his relief that the man was in fact unharmed.
Harry's own exhaustion hit suddenly as the adrenaline rush faded away. He hobbled to the nearest bed, and plopped down, careful not to aggravate his wounded knee or now-swollen ankle. Once reasonably comfortable, he rested his head on the fluffy pillow and closed his eyes a moment. Now that he felt safe and his body began to relax, he noticed a dull ache in his head, and he decided to ask for a potion for it. He opened his eyes and sat up, but when he saw how busy Madam Pomfrey already was, he waved her off. He knew his own injuries weren't life-threatening, so he applied a few numbing charms to himself and settled back again to wait his turn.
Bill had moved over to Albus and spoken with him quietly, all the while gesturing in Harry's direction. Albus nodded his understanding, and with a last wistful glance at the bed's now sleeping occupant, he moved over to sit on the edge of Harry's bed. Bill moved to stand nearby, but Harry focused only on Albus. Sitting up, he described in the vaguest of terms how the two Death Eaters had attacked Malfoy, Fortescue and himself; how they had taken him from the castle; how he had been able to fight his way to freedom. When pressed for details, he would only say that the Death Eaters were surely in custody as Aurors had arrived moments before he himself had returned to the castle. Albus wasn't the only person who had more questions, but he was thankfully the one that put off further questioning until Harry had been healed.
Albus moved on, making the rounds of the various patients and visitors, and as Harry waited his turn with the nurse he listened to the stories of those around him. Bill Weasley had been hurt in the initial attack when Greyback had viciously slashed his thigh, but he had insisted it was only a superficial wound, and it certainly hadn't kept him from defending the castle. Pomfrey disagreed, and he was forced into a bed with the damaged leg elevated. Fortescue had been found too late; the Curse on the Defense Position had struck again, this time claiming a life. Across the room in the bed Albus had been sitting beside was Mad-Eye Moody, who had also been injured in that initial fray. He wasn't responding to treatment. Harry wondered why they hadn't called in the crisis team from St. Mungo's, like they had for his Boiling Blood, until he was able to piece together what was unspoken. Namely, that there was no treatment for Moody. He would likely not survive the night.
Minerva had appeared to report that all students were now accounted for. The majority of them had responded quickly to the order to return to their dormitories, and members of the DA had worked in teams to round up any stranded students. Harry smiled with pride as he heard her describe Ron and Ginny's actions.
Harry listened silently as the adults discussed the Death Eaters. He feared that if they realized he could hear them, they would stop talking. Of the original eight that had entered the castle, five were in custody here in the castle. One of those – someone named Carrow – had been seriously injured; she was in a bed in the far corner. The other four had been rounded up and were being held in the same tower room that Sirius had been held in back in Harry's Third Year. They would remain there until they could be transferred to Azkaban. One other, Gibbon he thought they'd called the man, had been killed during the fighting in the seventh floor corridor. No Order member had used the Killing Curse, so it had to have been one of his own side that had done the poor bastard in. Even if he hadn't been pretending not to listen, Harry wouldn't have told tell them his suspicion that there were actually two dead Death Eaters.
By the time Madam Pomfrey came to Harry's side, tutting on about things boys could do other than getting themselves hurt, he had heard all he wanted to hear and was glad for the excuse to tune out the rest of the discussion. She easily mended his broken knee cap, once again reminding Harry why he loved magic, and was checking over his other injuries when Albus finally came back to him.
"Alastor has left, Poppy," he solemnly spoke, and the nurse looked over his shoulder to the bed the retired Auror occupied. She swiftly finished with Harry and left him in Albus' care so she could make her way to the retired Auror's bed, not looking forward to what she would find.
Albus wasted no time in liberating his boy while the others were distracted, guiding him to their private rooms where he sat him down on the sofa. He took the seat next to Harry, and put his arm around him, pulling the boy close. They sat in silence for a time, each lost in their own thoughts. Without moving from his comfortable spot, Harry tiredly asked, "What about Professor Snape?"
"Never you mind, my boy," Albus answered quietly, himself not wanting to disrupt the peace of the moment. "I am certain we can trust Fawkes to retrieve our dear Potions Professor."
Finally, Harry straightened up, looking into the tired eyes of his guardian. "I know you probably want me to talk about it, but please ... not tonight. I'm tired, and I'm sore, and I just don't think I could make my mind function enough for a serious discussion."
Albus began to say something, but Harry put up his hand to forestall him. "I'm not trying to avoid it, I just can't do it right now … besides, I think we should have Dr. Tony be here for it. I'm not, er … desperate or thinking about … you know, but I just think maybe I should talk to him. I've seen a classmate die before, but not like this, it was so … cruel. At least Cedric was quick and painless, not that that makes it any better, really. And Cedric was facing up but Malfoy wasn't," he rambled on, no longer making sense to Albus. "And all the Professor's blood … it was … bloody … and what happened on Privet Drive was just … not good, you know?"
It was obvious to Albus that Harry no longer knew what he was saying. He grabbed the goblet that was sitting next to the couch, and pressed it into the boy's hand, guiding it to his mouth. Harry drank the potion without question, and within moments had relaxed against Albus in a dreamless sleep. The tired old man gently lowered his child onto the sofa, covering him with a soft quilt. Straightening up, he watched the boy sleep for a moment, wondering what new horrors he had been put threw this night.
Sighing loudly as he realized that Harry had survived yet another attack where others would have no doubt failed, Albus turned and made his way back to his office. At least his boy would be unconscious and therefore untouchable when Voldemort learned that both his plans had failed, but that was small conciliation. He left his chamber door open a crack so he could keep an eye on his charge as he worked – not that Harry would be doing anything but sleeping for the next eight hours, but he felt better watching nonetheless. He dropped into his seat, welcoming the soft trill from Fawkes. The school had survived the invasion, but at what cost to his boy?
** end chapter **
Notes: Harry and company ended up in Surrey because Harry's determination to go somewhere other than to Voldemort was stronger then the Death Eaters' desire to please their master. And let's face it, the kid can do some pretty incredible things when pushed into a corner.
Bill Weasley will have a hideous scar, but no other side effects of his injury. He was hurt by Greyback's claw-like nails, not his teeth, so there was no 'contamination'.
A quick refresher for two spells – 'tysonius' (the Tyson Obdomio spell) is the one that knocks an opponent unconscious for about 30 minutes, and they can't be awakened in that time; 'quasso igum' was used on Harry way back on the train ride to school. All other spells are canon, and can be found on the HP Lexicon.
Housekeeping - as of 3/23/10, I've edited Chapter 13 as follows: In the immediate aftermath of Harry and Ginny being attacked at Diagon Alley, there was no mention of the fact that Snape was involved. In hind sight (and thanks to a reviewer for pointing it out), there should have been; Harry would have made it a point to rat the man out. I've added that discussion. It doesn't change anything plot-wise, but if you wondered about that, now you can go back and read it.