HPDS 34
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Harry's dreams were interrupted by a flash and loud bang. His eyes snapped open to see the canopy of the Forbidden Forest above him illuminated by bright lights shining through the tree line from the direction of Hogwarts Castle. The flares continued in eery silence before another large boom shook through his body and made the branches around him shake.
In a moment he was on his feet and dashing through the underbrush and low branches between him and his destination. His strides carried him meters at a time but still he knew it would be more than twenty minutes before he reached the edge of the woods. Even as he pushed himself to move faster it seemed that the lights of battle spells coming from his home came only slightly closer. Yet again he found another way that the problems caused by his curse were never-ending.
It was at this moment he heard the beating of large feet against the spongy ground close behind. Before he could react a large arm lifted him and began carrying him in the direction he had been heading. Judging by the bouncing motion and greatly increased speed it took only a moment to realize what was going on, though his wand was more than ready to cast several deadly spells.
"Dark Walker," started the voice of the centaur that carried him through the forest, "It is time for you to fight in this realm." Whatever face the magical creature made he could not discern through the darkness and blur of foliage. However it was quite obvious that the Centaur spoke with certainty.
"Is it the Dark Lord? Has he come to sack Hogwarts?" He asked even though the answer was certain.
"This is true. The faceless snake seeks to gain power on this ground. Our stars are unable to speak what he seeks but only you can warp his goals." Harry hoped for a moment that the centaur meant he would be victorious despite what his gut told him.
"Will I kill him? Is there any hope to end this today?" They centaur did not respond for a moment which made Harry feel he would not like the response.
"Nay, we both know his spirit is beyond that." The thumping of hooves slowed as he said this, coming to a stop at the edge of the tree line near the Lake. "The road ahead for every soul in this world shall be tragic. You are its cause, but also its redeemer." Harry could see only the glimmer of magical sparks in the centaurs eyes. "Fear not the path ahead, your power shall guide you through the pits of despair and to the edge of conquest. From there fate will allow you to decide the end to your tale."
"I guess thats encouraging, can you tell me-" Harry began, about to ask for a more solid explanation. Before he could he was swung down to be placed on the ground and the horse-man disapeared into the dark woods as if he had never been there. "Fine, ill go figure it out on my own then!" He yelled into the night. After a moment without response Harry turned and ran towards the castle.
As he drew near, thuds of powerful spells raked his body alongside the scream of battle that filled his ears. His blood pumped with magical energy and both hands found his favored weapons. His wand hummed against his palm while his sword waved through the air as he sprinted. Most of the battle seemed to be focused on the far side of the ground but there were seemed to be a sizable party trying to enter from nearby. It was fortunate they did not expect a surprise attack on themselves.
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"Hold the line you fools! The Dark Lord shall not forgive failure against only a single school child!" Screamed the commander of a group of Death Eaters Harry currently faced down. Between them lay the bodies of nearly a dozen masked Death Eaters as well as a pair of bodies belonging to students that were unlucky to be caught outside. Harry still breathed heavily from his run to the castle and following attack on the unsuspecting wizards, but far from enough to slow him down in battle. He grinned as he realized his advantage in the situation, with the dark wizards backed up against a closed gate and the unorganized battle line the wizards held after his surprise attack. Many of them realized this as well, hesitating for several moments as the Boy Who Lived caught his breath. Even then his moment of relief was not long lived.
Spells flew at him from the line of enemies. Some were clearly cast improperly and most flew far from their intended target. It was fairly easy for the young wizard to dodge what few spells flew close as he began barraging the line of enemies with the most powerful curses he could cast quickly. One blast of crackling electricity bounced off the solid shield produced by the commander but three more smashed right through flimsy walls of light cast by others. The wizards hit by the blasts flew back against the castle walls with tremendous force and did not get back up. Still outnumbered he did his best to move around the glowing spells sent his direction while also sending blasts of energy and glowing curses back at them. A cutting spell caught the bicep of his sword arm but caused him to reflexively dodge out of the way of two more that followed. The pain was minimal and only faltered the young man for a moment afterwards. Unluckily this was all his opponents needed to send him on the defensive until Harry had retreated back behind a cluster of rocks.
"Push forward you bastards!" Yelled the commander. Peaking around the edge of his cover Harry saw the dark forms of his opponents approaching towards where he hid. Normally he knew that his odds would be quite slim but after so many nights of experience he had more than one spare trick up his sleeves and began forming thoughts of the instinctual magic from his dreams. With a final flick up his arm upwards he sent several glowing orbs above his head which loomed well over the cover he hid behind. Looking back around his cover he saw all of his opponents only feet away paused at the strange sight. Their forms were clearly illuminated in the darkness as they waited behind their shields to see what the strange spell would do. As the balls of magical energy above him glowed brighter, signaling their imminent release, he leapt out from behind his cover.
Each of the orbs shot towards different Death Eaters. One managed to duck out of the way of the deadly projectile while four more were left with large holes burnt into their bodies after the magic struck. Harry sent two boiling hexes as he dove from cover and landed with a roll. One hit its mark, eliciting a scream from two Death Eaters before they turned into desperate gurgles. The other burnt through a collarbone and sent another servant of the Dark Lord to the ground screaming.
Two of his opponents managed to find their brains and sent spells after him but cast so hastily he had no trouble stepping out of the way. With only a handful remaining he decided to let loose, wanting to end the fight quickly. Some he simply disarmed and stunned, as the spells were quick and easy to cast, but others were engulfed with flames or dismembered by spells many would consider illegal. As Harry dodged spells that would definitely be considered prohibited he did his best to close the gap between himself and the remaining opponents.
A dark purple spell singed his hair, as well as another deep red wave of magic that cut through his cloak. To the three remaining opponents his speed seemed inhuman as he charged forward, although it was likely their inexperience with close quarters fighting. One was slashed across the chest and spurting blood before the others realized their young opponent was even holding a sword. Another fell screaming, Harrys's sword buried in his chest, before the last wizard started running away in the direction of the lake.
"What kind of monster are you!" Yelled the terrified Death Eater. The man tripped and fell on his face less than twenty yards from where Harry stood. Walking calmly towards the frightened wizard Harry decided the man deserved an answer to his question after roughly kicking the robed man onto his back.
"What an absurd question coming from a Death Eater." His wand glowed a turquoise color as he bound the wizard in thick ropes. "I am the abyss here to consume the darkness." Harry almost chuckled at the whimper the wizard gave at his words. He flipped the man over to look him in the eyes. "Ill leave you here, just know that you are at the mercy of whoever finds you, wether it be the Dark Lord or one of my comrades." Another spell sealed his lips shut before Harry made his way back to the gates.
His first push against the solid wood resulted in no reaction. However he heard the sound of the large beams of wood bracing the door closed sliding out of place. His next attempt at opening the gate resulted in the large doors sliding smoothly open. Without a second thought he strode inside, the timber swinging shut and locking in place behind him.
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"Bloody hell Harry, where have you been?" Shouted Parvarti as Harry entered the famously private library shared by himself and his friends. Luna was the first to jump up and give him a tight hug which was returned with just as much compassion.
"Im glad you're okay." She said, still clinging to his side. He didn't doubt that their entire time during the attack had been spent in an intense state of fear. Several of the younger students, apparently taking refuge in the hidden abode, were crying or looking at him with sad faces. Neville himself had been pacing on one side of the room until noticing Harrys arrival. He strode quickly up to where Harry stood and gave him a quick hug.
"Its damn good to see you. Any trouble on your way back from the forest?" Neville asked the question so casually that Harry stood for a moment unable to answer. He had assumed his nightly outings were at least somewhat secret.
"How do you-" he started, but was quickly cut off by the tall Gryffindor.
"Oh please, we all know where you go. Ill be damned where exactly you disappear to despite my stalking." He grinned, placing a hand on the black haired boys shoulder. "Don't worry, pretty much everyone in the school knows at this point."
"I guess the invisibility cloak doesn't protect from gossip then." Harry admonished with a sigh. "The trip back inside wasnt too bad, only a couple dozen Death Eaters. Not to mention Peeves was being more of an arse than usual."
"Bloody hell, if it was anyone else id think you slipped by them but I know you. How did you manage that fight?" Neville sat down in a chair nearby. Harry also took a seat on a couch, landing in Luna's lap before she gave him a tight hug.
"I caught most of them by surprise." Harry explained, giving Luna a peck on the cheek. "The rest were so disorganized it wasn't too difficult to put them down. Judging by how shit they were at casting spells they must have been recruits anyway."
"I wish so many Magical's weren't so stupid as to fight for that bastard." Parvarti said while making her way over to Neville, sitting on the arm of his chair.
"It does worry me that I most likely killed people our own age, but we all know what it means to take the mark upon your arm." He gave a glance around the room, seeing that several were amazed at how bluntly he talked about the violence. However he was glad to see a look of determination on many others. "Do you all have any idea what is going on at the front of the castle?"
"Death Eaters everywhere casting whatever spells they can. No sign of Voldemort luckily, and the Professors have the castle locked down for now." Replied Neville.
"Nobody knows where Headmaster Dumbledore is though," continued Luna, "Do you know where he is? Even Professor Mcgonagal didn't know when I asked her."
"I really have no idea," Harry stated, "It has been days since I last talked to him. Whatever he is doing, Voldemort clearly knew he would be gone and took the chance to attack. I can only assume that means Dumbledore will be held up for quite some time or possibly got caught in some sort of trap."
"What are we supposed to do then!" Yelled one of the younger wizards in the room, a Hufflepuff if the colors of his tie meant anything.
"It means we either fight or surrender, the same as if the Headmaster were here." Retorted Neville with a bit of anger in his voice.
"Dont be so harsh," Harry replied, "We all know the situation is bleak. For now I suggest you hide here unless you want to go to the gates. Speaking of which, it is about time I make my way there. Is anyone coming?" It was almost natural to look towards Neville for support, though he quickly caught the gaze of everyone else in the room afterwards. Besides the younger students he knew that the majority of the room would be accompanying him. Needing no verbal confirmation from them he stood and gave a nod to the room. "Right then, lets go see if those fuckers are ready to give up yet."
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A/N
Another step forward. My plans should have the next chapter be a bit more of a leap though.
Thanks for reading!