AN: I'm sorry for the delay. I've had a lot of stuff going on and this took longer than I expected. In my defense, I made this chapter a bit longer.
Battleground
Caroline shuddered in response to the wave of nausea that swept over her. Her back throbbed with pain from the wings that had torn through her flesh. She glanced at her sisters, seeing that they had managed to remain upright despite the searing pain.
They were inside a building that looked like an abandoned warehouse. The lighting was dim, but it was enough to show the three women how much danger they were in. There were too many people to count standing in the large open room, and they were all staring at the Sirens.
"I'm so glad you could join us," said a voice that made Caroline's skin crawl. Grant approached the women, not bothering to spare a glance for the vampires that dutifully stepped aside to allow him to pass.
Grant stopped in front of the Sirens, his eyes drinking in the sight of Caroline. "You look amazing," he murmured sincerely, his lips curling into a slight smile. The smile faded when he saw her flinch away when he reached for her. He dropped his hand back to his side and sneered. "You should have returned to me when I asked so nicely," he said, his tone now cold.
"Nothing sweeter than threatening someone's loved ones," Sam said sarcastically.
"Shut up Sam," Grant snapped.
"Not a chance," Sam responded calmly.
Grant stared at her incredulously. "Are you blind?" he demanded loudly, gesturing to the large crowd of vampires. "You're surrounded and outnumbered. What the hell do you think you're going to do against this many vampires?" He sneered cruelly. "Do you think a handful of Guardians are going to find you? And even if they did, would they survive? Of course not."
"You don't know our Guardians," Jenna argued stubbornly.
"I don't need to," Grant replied. "They wouldn't stand a chance. Especially if they're anything like poor Andy," he added, mocking their friend. "Is he still prancing around doing your makeup?"
"You leave Andy alone," Caroline snapped.
Grant turned to face her again. "No," he said angrily. He moved closer, his narrowed. The Sirens backed away as he approached, but found themselves against a wall. Grant reached up and jabbed his finger into Caroline's sternum roughly, pleased when she winced. "I'll do as I please. Nobody is coming for you. Not only will you be my love, but I will have your power as well. I will break you," he snarled.
Caroline slapped his hand away from her and then cringed, knowing he was likely to strike her. As expected he brought up his hand to slap her, but Jenna's arm snapped out and she grabbed his hand. She swiftly twisted his arm backward as Sam's fist connected with his face.
Grant howled with pain and rage and stumbled back a few paces, clutching his face. The other vampires started to rush forward but Caroline sang out a long piercing note. Her sisters started singing as well, making the vampires stop. They knew they couldn't keep it up indefinitely, but the Sirens were hoping to keep the vampires at a distance long enough for the Harbingers to reach them.
The Harbingers stood in a clearing just outside the woods that neighbored the town that was their destination. Upon arrival, they had sent the Guardians out to sweep through the town to keep down the risk of being overwhelmed by vampires. Pansy had insisted that Grant would have a large number of vampires spread out through the town just in case anyone attempted to destroy his plans.
Pansy pointed with a shaking finger toward a large concreted building in the distance. "Grant's wards won't let us get any closer," Pansy managed to pant, wrapping her arms around her middle as sharp pain enveloped her. She was shocked when a hand rested lightly against her back. She turned around and stared at Hermione with wide watery eyes. Pansy was simply in too much pain to jerk away from the touch, so she settled for a glare.
"Let us help you," Hermione said softly.
After a brief pause, Pansy felt several hands come to rest upon her back, arms and head. Before she could fully comprehend that all twelve of the Harbingers were touching her, they began to sing. There were no words, only lovely, flawless notes that seemed float and swell before sinking into her skin. Pansy had never heard anything like it.
The singing stopped and Pansy looked around at the Harbingers in amazement. "That was..." she began, but she fell silent as she realized that the awful pain had stopped.
"You're cured," Hermione told her, smiling slightly.
Pansy narrowed her eyes as she looked around at the Harbingers. The tension in her body showed her mistrust and fear. She couldn't fathom why they'd cure her with no guarantee that she wouldn't betray them. Though she wouldn't admit it, she knew that these Gryffindors weren't stupid. As her gaze fell on Snape and Draco, she wondered if the potion that she had ingested was more than a cure. Had she been foolish enough to step into a trap?
"You're really cured," Draco told her, his expression strained. "There's no trick. We only ask that you help us get to the Sirens. We do not expect loyalty. I just want my wife back," he said, his voice unsteady. "Just help us get to her. I can't promise that you won't be expected to pay for your crimes, but we could speak on your behalf to encourage a lighter punishment." He shot a glance at Harry and was relieved when Harry nodded in agreement.
"Absolutely," Harry said firmly. "You have my word."
"And ours," the rest of the Harbingers said together.
Pansy stared at them for a moment and then gave herself a little shake. She then rolled her eyes. "So dramatic," she muttered. "Stop being ridiculous and we'll get going." She gave an impatient huff and started to march toward the town. After a moment, she glanced over her shoulder to see that they followed her. She was unnerved by their intense concentration and the fact that they didn't make a sound as they moved. Her own steps were accompanied by the sound of the tall grass rustling as she disturbed it and the occasional crunch of a dried leaf.
Grant wanted to scream with frustration. The Sirens had stopped singing and looked exhausted, but the vampires kept their distance in order to recover. He took a breath to calm himself. It wouldn't be long now.
"You can't keep that up," Grant said, his tone teasing. "If you'll surrender now, I'll make it easier on you."
The Sirens were panting, the effort of holding back a large crowd of vampires wearing them down. "Why are you doing this?" Caroline managed to gasp.
Grant glared at her. "You hid your true nature from me," he snapped, his tone accusatory. "I wanted to share a life with you, but you hid that from me. When I realized, I was just angry at first. Then I understood that such power shouldn't be wasted or hidden away." His feral grin made Caroline's stomach lurch unpleasantly. "With your power, I could control everything. I can form an army and take over one country at a time, replacing their ministry officials with myself. Hell, I can rule the muggle world as well. The Roman Empire would have nothing on me."
"What a psycho," Sam grumbled. "We're never gonna help you."
"If that's the case," Grant said, "then I'll just find a way to take your powers from you. It's in your blood. What do you think will happen if I simply drink all three of you dry?"
The sisters paled at the thought, clinging to one another in sudden panic. They were too tired to keep fighting. There was no sign of the Harbingers and a feeling of hopelessness was washing over them.
"Don't do this," Jenna begged, as she sunk to her knees. Her legs were too unsteady to hold her up any longer. Her sisters lowered themselves to the floor as well. Sam grabbed hold of her sisters hands and held on tightly. Tears trickled down Caroline's face.
The vampires appeared to have recovered and were looking down at the Sirens with undisguised delight. The three woman seemed unable to draw the strength to fight any longer.
Suddenly, the warehouse gave a shudder. The vampires paused but seemed to brush it off quickly. It had probably been a small earthquake. There had been an earthquake in the area just a few weeks prior, but it had been fairly mild.
Everyone froze again when the warehouse gave a more violent shudder. The metal walls made an awful racket as they vibrated and shook against the steel frame of the building. A loud bang at the huge double doors made Caroline and Jenna shriek in terror. The hinges groaned and strained under the weight of the heavy doors. Another loud bang and one of the hinges broke from the pressure of whatever force was outside the door.
Caroline turned to her sisters with wide eyes. There was a strange tightness in her chest that nearly took her breath away. A sob of relief burst from Jenna's mouth and Sam sighed heavily.
A third loud bang broke the doors from their hinges completely. Just outside the doorway, the Sirens could see their Harbingers. In the front stood Hermione, Draco, Harry and David. They stood with their feet apart and their knees slightly bent while the hands were stretched out toward the doorway. They led the rest of the Harbingers inside, followed by Pansy.
Grant's eyes swept over the Harbingers and paused when he reached Pansy. "This betrayal will cost you," Grant told her coldly. He smirked when Pansy shuddered. "Twelve Guardians," he scoffed, turning his gaze back to the Sirens. "What the hell did you think they were going to do? Although, breaking the doors was very impressive. Bravo," he said sarcastically.
"Get the girls out," Neville said firmly.
Minerva and Luna rushed to the Sirens and helped them up. Pansy moved forward to help, cringing when a cluster of vampires pressed closer.
"Don't even think about it," Harry said sternly, his hand outstretched toward the vampires that were a little too close to the Sirens. The vampires withdrew, but only a little.
Grant made a noise of disgust. "Are you kidding me?" he demanded, glaring at the vampires. "There are only twelve guardians, and one of them is an old lady. Crush them," he added with a cruel sneer.
"Go now," Ron shouted.
Everyone seemed to move at once. The Sirens ran for the open doors with Pansy while Minerva and Luna whirled around to fire stunners at the vampires that were closest to them. The other vampires rushed toward the Harbingers, snarling and firing hexes. The Harbingers used wards and spells to push the vampires back and create a barrier, but it would only hold for a brief moment.
"Go! Go! Go!" Andy cried out.
The Harbingers dashed through the door way and then turned back to the building. "Bombarda!" they all shouted, throwing their hands out toward the building.
The collapse of the warehouse shook the ground. Before a word could be spoken, Draco had hurled himself at Caroline and wrapped her up in his arms. He didn't speak. He simply cradled her against his body, his hands trembling as he caressed her hair. Behind them, George and Neville had pounced on Sam and Jenna.
"George, I'm fine," Sam objected, laughing breathlessly as George peppered her face with kisses.
"We're so glad you're safe," Neville said, carefully inspecting Jenna for injuries.
"Don't get comfortable yet," David said, drawing the attention of the couples. His eyes were locked on the remains of the warehouse. The damaged sheets of metal were being shifted from underneath. "There are survivors under there. I bet they're really pissed off now," he added, flashing a mischievous grin at Andy.
Andy rolled his eyes. "Don't get too excited," he said dryly. "That was a lot of vampires. And since the Guardians are still gone, I'm assuming there are a lot more."
The harsh scraping of metal against metal made the Harbingers cringe and shudder. Ron eyes widened as he eyed the wreckage with alarm. "Get down!" he shouted, tugging Luna to the ground.
Instantly, everyone dropped to the knees and lifted their arms. Massive chunks of metal were propelled through the air at them. They struggled with wards, shields and other charms to keep the shrapnel from them. While they were occupied, some of the vampires continued casting spells and throwing chucks of twisted metal while the others climbed their way out of the rubble.
A startled shriek made everyone pause. The vampires that had been using their wands stumbled forward, shouting obscenities and whirling around in circles while their arms flailed.
"Look!" Ginny cried, pointing toward the panicked vampires. One of the vampires had jerked around and now had his back to the Harbingers and they could see a patch of orange fur firmly attached to his upper back and shoulders.
"That's Cadence," Severus commented, his voice sounding baffled but amused.
"How the bloody hell did my cat get here?" Hermione shrieked.
"It's all of them," Andy replied. "They're all here."
The mother, Aria, could be seen with her claws dug into the torso of one of the vampires. She was biting his arm and somehow managing to avoid getting thrown off. One of her offspring, his fluffy gray fur indicating that it was Fortissimo, had apparently snatched the vampire's wand and was running around with it in his mouth. He was weaving through the legs of the other vampires, making several of them stumble or fall. Minuet and Lyric were hiding and then rushing out to scratch and bite one of the vampires before darting away again. Cadence bit into the neck of the vampire she was clinging to and then viciously attacked his hands when he tried to throw her off.
"What the hell kind of cats are they?" Ron shouted. But, his question remained unanswered for the moment as several vampires rushed toward them.
"Merlin, they're everywhere," Dean panted, dodging a curse that had been flung at him. "I hope the Harbingers are alright."
Charlie cast a trip jinx at one vampire and chuckled when the vampire knocked over three other vampires on his way down. He glanced at Dean with a frown. "I'm sure we'll feel it if something happens," he said, though he sounded as if he was trying to reassure himself.
"We will feel it," insisted another voice with a pained grunt. Lucius Malfoy had just been slammed into the unforgiving stone of a wall. Any further comments were momentarily stalled by the forearm of a large vampire being pressed against his windpipe. Lucius gasped and struggled to push the man away.
"Lucius!" Charlie cried out in alarm.
Lucius drew in a harsh breath when the pressure suddenly lifted from his throat. Charlie had yanked the vampire away and shouted "Petrificus Totalus" with a hasty wave of his hands. He was startled when Lucius shoved him aside with one arm while extending the other arm and firing a hex at a vampire that had been a breath away from tackling Charlie.
A short distance away, Molly and Narcissa stood side by side, firing spells and dodging curses. A strange gutteral cry from above them caused the two women to glance upward and take a hasty step back, pressing against the stone wall behind them. They watched as a body came hurling from an open window two floors up in the building at their backs. Seamus had apparently rushed inside and waited for the right moment before throwing himself out of the window and onto two of the vampires that were pressing toward the two women.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" demanded another voice from above. Narcissa and Molly looked up to see Percy standing at the open window looking appalled. "Bloody idiot," he growled to himself, quickly hauling himself through the window while casting disarming spells.
Seamus jumped to his feet and grinned widely at the two women. "Hello ladies," he said cheerfully, as if he was preparing to serve them tea.
"You could have broken your neck you imbecile," Narcissa snapped at him.
Seamus looked taken aback, but Molly swiftly intervened before he could think of a retort. "Narcissa, he was just, well... being a Griffyndor," Molly said, giving the other woman's arm a soothing pat. She then turned her stern gaze to Seamus. "Mr. Finnegan, our Harbingers are depending on us. Now is not the time for such foolish stunts. We all need you."
Seamus looked sheepish at her words. "Of course," he muttered. "My apologies. I got caught up in the excitement." He took a step closer to the women. "May I remain with you and offer my assistance?" he asked, apparently unable to keep the playful smile from his lips. He grinned even more when the women rolled their eyes but nodded.
"Help me down you idiot!" Percy called out.
Seamus chuckled when he spotted Percy hanging from the window, his boot caught in a trellis adorning the outer wall of the building. "Watch my back," Seamus told the women before using the trellis and window frames to get to Percy.
A high pitched sound caught everyone's attention. The Guardians all looked around and saw a red streak shooting straight up in the sky. The vampires paused to watch the red streak as well before taking off running in the direction of it's origin. The Guardians observed the retreat with bewildered expressions.
"Do we go after them?" Parvati asked, bending over slightly to place her hands on her knees while she caught her breath.
Kingsley sighed heavily, running one long fingered hand down his face. "Let's reunite with the other Guardians," he suggested. "We can decide how to proceed when we're all together."
"It looks like they're ahead of us," Arthur commented, standing at Kingsley's side and pointing down the street. A crowd of people was jogging toward them and were easily recognized as the other half of the Guardians. The sight of lovely white wings alerted Arthur and Kingsley to the fact that the Sirens were present as well.
When the group had gotten closer, the cluster of approaching Guardians parted to allow the Harbingers to walk between them. "Thank Merlin," Arthur sighed with relief. "It's good to see you all in one piece."
"Indeed," Severus agreed, his eyes drifting over the Guardians as if to reassure himself that they were all there. "Any casualties?" he asked stiffly.
"None," Kingsley responded. "We had a few close calls and several injuries, but nothing that wasn't easily fixed." He was mildly surprised when Severus breathed a sigh of relief and his posture relaxed slightly.
Loud incessant meowing drew everyone's attention and they watched as the cats darted past the Harbingers and ran straight to Lucius. They sat down at his feet and stared up at him, alert and expectant. Lucius crouched and allowed them to crowd closer so he could pet them.
For a moment, everyone just stared. Then...
"What the hell Lucius?" David asked incredulously, making Andy snort with laughter.
Lucius huffed indignantly. "I was merely concerned," he said primly. "So I thought I'd send some extra help. They did quite well against the vampires before," he added gesturing to the cats that were now rubbing against his legs and pressing their faces against his hands shamelessly.
"We cleared one of the houses of vampires and Lucius used the floo," Charlie explained with a grin.
"You floo called the cats?" Draco asked his father with a smirk.
Lucius gave an indignant huff. "Despite what you think, these are not ordinary cats," he drawled, standing up and straightening his shoulders. "They understand perfectly well when spoken to and they are fiercely protective. Since your Guardians could not be with you, I thought that sending your furry companions might be a suitable alternative." He scowled at Draco's amused snort.
"It was actually a good move," Harry assured Lucius, rolling his eyes at Draco. "They took down a few vampires and that big one stole a wand," he said, pointing to Fortissimo. To his surprise, the gray cat looked around to glare at him. Harry let out a surprised laugh. "I wasn't calling you fat." The cat meowed at him and went back to nuzzling Lucius' shin.
"That's hilarious," David said, shaking his head and chuckling. "It must be a sort of bleeding effect. Aria has been with the Sirens for many years, as was her mother. There is kneazle in the bloodline, so that may explain some of the intelligence... But I also think that close proximity to the Sirens has changed them over time."
Caroline nodded slowly, frowning thoughtfully. "Aria has always been very intelligent," she said. "I guess since we've had her for so long, we forget that other cats aren't like her." She watched as Cadence turned from Lucius and walked toward Hermione and Severus. Sitting down at Hermione's feet, the cat looked up and meowed loudly.
Hermione knelt down in front of the cat curiously. Cadence blinked at her and then shifted closer to rub her face against Hermione's abdomen, purring loudly. Severus crouched at Hermione's side, watching the cat's movements.
"Do you think she knows?" Severus asked Hermione quietly. He was amazed when Cadence looked at him and made a sort of chirping noise. The other cats moved to stand with Cadence, each one purring and looking at Hermione.
Andy stood next to Severus and looked down at the cats fondly. "Does that mean that you'd like to help us?" he asked. The cats stood up instantly and stared at Andy intently. "Good enough for me," Andy said, looking around at the other Harbingers.
"Then lets get moving," Ron said impatiently. "The vampires are gathering and are waiting to face us."
"We're severely outnumbered," Percy reminded.
Ron grinned mischievously. "It's not going to matter," he said cryptically.
Grant dropped onto a chair with an irritable huff. The betrayal of Pansy Parkinson had been unexpected, and he was going to enjoy punishing her for it. Still, he supposed that it was for the best that the Guardians had been led to him. It would be better to handle the Sirens and Guardians all at once and be done with it. He'd retreated to the boarding school on the opposite end of town and called his followers to his side. They would eliminate the Guardians one by one, forcing the Sirens to watch. A cruel smile curled on Grant's lips at the thought.
He took in his surroundings with a bored sigh. It was a shame that the students were gone for the summer holiday. The few staff members left behind weren't enough to satisfy the thirst of the vampires, but it was rather entertaining to watch them cower in fear as the clutched at the wounds on their necks. Before long, they would join the vampire army.
A loud bang shook the building and Grant scrambled to his feet, rushing to look out the window. Rows and rows of vampires stood on the lawn behind the school, waiting for their signal. They were shifting impatiently and sniffing at the air with hungry expressions. Turning to one of his men, Grant waved a hand toward the entrance. "Let's go downstairs and greet our guests," Grant said, smirking.
The Sirens stood in the spacious entrance hall, looking around at the portraits on the wall as if they had been offered a tour. Sam spotted Grant coming down the stairs first, and grinned. He looked rather puzzled and disconcerted by the fact that there were Guardians in sight.
"I must say that this is a step up from the pile of scrap metal from earlier today," Sam quipped with a smirk.
Grant's eyes narrowed but he managed to smile coldly. "Indeed," he agreed. "And relocating gave me the opportunity to persuade the headmistress and some of her teachers to join our cause."
Caroline made a small noise of distress, but didn't move a muscle. Sam flinched and swallowed tightly while Jenna snapped, "You sorry song of a bitch. I hope the Guardians rip you apart."
Grant rolled his eyes. "Please, there's only twelve of them," he scoffed. "And where are they now?"
A thump from overhead made everyone freeze and look toward the ceiling, as if they'd be able to see what was happening on the next floor.
"I think that's them now," Sam said, her tone bored. Then she grinned, a wicked glint in her eye. "I wonder what they're doing?"
Grant let our a furious growl. "Grab the Sirens and then kill those Guardians," he snarled.
As five vampires moved to seize the vampires, Draco, Neville and George yanked off the cloaks that had been concealing them. They had been standing just behind the Sirens watching over them. Now that they had revealed their presence, they jumped in front of the Sirens and made a quick pushing motion with their arms, throwing the vampires back several feet. As one, they turned and faced Grant, smirking when he bolted back up the stairs.
Grant skidded to a halt in the hallway, looking around for his men. The remaining three vampires that had been at Grant's side kept glancing at the stairway, waiting to be followed.
"Looking for us?"
Grant and his cronies whirled around and were alarmed to find that a man with red hair had popped into the doorway... Upside down. He appeared to be hanging from the ceiling somehow and his lower half was hidden from view by the portion of the wall between the door frame and the ceiling.
Ron cackled wildly at the startled expressions of the vampires. With a wave he sent them tumbling into the opposite wall. One of the vampires proceeded to roll right back down the stairs. Ron chuckled when he heard the giggles from the Sirens.
Ron grasped the door frame for support while muttering the charm that would release his knees from the ceiling. He promptly fell to the floor with a resounding thud. He groaned at the impact and the fact that the Sirens had come up the stairs in time to witness his clumsy maneuver. The were giggling as Draco, George and Neville hurried them up the next flight of stairs.
"Smooth," David commented with a grin, offering his hand to help Ron up.
"Shut up," Ron grumbled, but he allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. He rushed up the stairs followed closely by the rest of the Harbingers.
Grant got to his feet and screamed with rage. He was not going to be bested by a dozen Guardians, his ex-girlfriend and her two bitchy sisters. He had an army and a carefully laid plan.
One of the other vampires stumbled to his feet, snarling. "Where's that stupid ginger?" he growled.
Grant grasped the front of the vampire's shirt and sneered. "Get them out," Grant hissed. "You get the other guards and you force them out of the building." The vampire nodded curtly and ran up the stairs the moment Grant released his shirt.
The Harbingers were so tired. They'd managed to avoid serious injuries, but it was clear that they needed help. It wasn't long before they realized that they were being corralled toward the back wall. Thirty vampires had crowded into the classroom the Harbingers ended up in. They were pressing closer to the Harbingers, using defensive spells and shields only, forcing the Harbingers and Sirens to back into the wall.
"Time to go," Andy said, turning and standing on his toes in an effort to see what was below the window. He could clearly see army of vampires waiting on the grounds, but chose to ignore them for the moment. Trusting that his friends would cover his back, he muttered a spell that shattered the windows and forced the shards of glass outward. Without a second thought, he climbed onto the windowsill and looked down, relief flooding through him when he spotted the second floor balcony just under him. "This way!" he called over his shoulder before dropping from the window. He was quite pleased when he realized the charms on his boots had held, cushioning his fall and protecting his joints.
One by one, the Sirens came through the window, followed by the Harbingers. They looked down and saw the Grant was now standing in the grass and peering up at them with a smirk.
Severus caught hold of Hermione's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I love you," he said softly.
Hermione took a deep breath, unwilling to let herself cry. "I love you too," she replied.
The Harbingers carefully shifted around one another until each managed to sit on the short stone railing around the balcony. Hermione's hand was still held by Severus and Luna reached over and grabbed her other hand. The two women nodded to one another and then leaned forward to drop to the ground below with the other Harbingers. Their landing was particularly graceful and they stumbled a bit, but everyone managed to stay upright. The Sirens dropped to the ground as well, their wings flapping slightly to slow their fall.
"I'm going to enjoy watching you all die," Grant said coldly. He lifted one hand, obviously giving a signal, and smirked as several vampires directed curses at the Harbingers.
The Harbingers shifted to keep the Sirens behind them while holding their arms in front of them, producing shield charms. Grant rolled his eyes. "Keep it up," he growled. "They can keep those shields up forever."
After several minutes, the Harbingers had dropped to a kneeling position, their legs shaking with exhaustion. "Where are they?" Ginny panted, resisted the urge to wipe swear from her brow.
A hex broke through the weakening shield charms and struck Minerva's shoulder. She cried out in pain and toppled to one side, knocking over the row kneeling Harbingers. The shields dropped and they were all hit with a Cruciatus curse.
The Sirens opened their mouths and sang out, making all the vampires freeze. The curse was ended and the Harbingers huddled together, seeking comfort in one another.
"They can't do that for long," Andy muttered, slumping against David for a moment. "There's just too many."
The Sirens stopped singing and Caroline looked down at Andy with a slight smile. "We don't have to," she said softly. Then she turned her eyes to Grant. The vampires were blinking slowly, unable to do much else.
"You can't beat us," Grant snarled, furious that he found himself unable to move toward the Sirens. "You can resist for now, but there are two many of us for you to win. I will have the power of the Sirens," he growled.
Sam chuckled darkly. "You're in for a big surprise," she said playfully. She gestured to the Harbingers that were slowly getting to their feet. "These aren't regular Guardians." She grinned when Grant rolled his eyes.
"They're Harbingers," Jenna said, winking at Neville.
Grant stared at them for a moment and shook his head. "Congratulations, you gave them a new name," he said sarcastically.
"Don't be stupid," Sam snapped. "Just renaming them would be pointless."
"They are a warning," Caroline said calmly. "They signal the approach of something else."
Grant growled in frustration. "Like what?" he demanded.
Sam's wicked smile made Grant's stomach clench with sudden fear. "They signal the approach of the Guardians," she said.
Grant's eyes grew wide as he tried to make sense of what he'd just heard. Sensing his confusion, Caroline spoke up again. "When you stand against the Harbingers, their Guardians are close by," she explained, chuckling when Grant took a step back and bumped into one of the other vampires. The vampires had regained their ability to move around and were now pressing closer to the Sirens and Harbingers, despite the fact that Grant was looking rather panicked.
Everyone froze as the breeze carried a faint sound onto the grounds. The sound slowly became louder and was quickly recognized to be singing. The Harbingers pressed closer to one another as the Guardians came into view.
The Guardians approached the vampire army from behind. Their song filled the air, but the vampires were unsure of what effect it was having. They were still able to move and the Guardians weren't inflicting any pain. The vampires were even more confused when the Guardians all dropped to one knee, their hands planted firmly on the ground. They continued to sing from their kneeling positions.
"This is stupid," one of the vampires grumbled, and he began walking closer to the Guardians. He paused when he felt the ground vibrate slightly under his feet. Glancing around, he saw that the other vampires had felt the vibrations as well. A glance at the Harbingers was very telling.
The Harbingers had stepped into the grass and had taken up kneeling positions as well. Their hands rested against the grass and their eyes were locked on Grant. Magic tingled in their hands and spread warmth up their arms and through the bodies. Hermione shuddered as she felt her magical energy restored and her fatigue melt away. She sighed in relief as she shifted her hands outward to clasp the hands of the Harbingers next to her, her gaze remaining on Grant. Severus caressed the knuckles of her left hand with his thumb while Luna gave her right hand a gentle squeeze.
There was a strange heat behind Hermione's eyes. It wasn't painful, but the sensation was quite strange. A glance at her husband revealed that his dark eyes were obscured by white light.
The Harbingers stood up in unison, their movements smooth and deliberate. To their amusement, many of the vampires gasped and shifted backward.
"Sweet Merlin," Andy grumbled loudly. "Why the hell are my eyeballs so warm?" This caused his friends to snort, but it only seemed to horrify Grant.
"What did you do to them?" Grant demanded, glaring at the Sirens. Obviously, he cared nothing for the twelve Harbingers, but the twelve pairs of glowing eyes was unsettling.
The Sirens didn't answer Grant. Instead, they joined in as the Harbingers pressed forward to continue the fight.
The Guardians were already back on their feet, spreading out to box the vampires in. It wasn't an easy task considering that they were greatly outnumbered, but the Guardians were about tip the odds in their favor just a bit more.
"Down!" Lucius shouted suddenly. In an instant, the Guardians dropped to crouching positions as more people appeared behind them. They pulled off invisibility cloaks and cancelled disillusionment charms just before using their wands to send balloons zooming at the vampires. The balloons burst on impact, splattering a thick purple substance all over the vampires.
At first, the vampires had just tried to wipe the substance off to continue fighting. But after a few moments, the vampires succumbed to pain as the potion got to work. As those vampires dropped to the ground to writhe in pain, another volley of balloons was fired to strike the vampires that were closer to the center. Enraged, Grant and several of his men charged at the Harbingers. A few of them stumbled as the five cats darted past them. Three of the five cats were running with wands in their mouths.
Grant halted and growled as the other vampires attempted to subdue the Harbingers. "What kind of circus is this?" Grant demanded furiously. "Disarm those Guardians!"
"A bit bloody difficult when they don't have wands!" one of the vampires shouted back.
Grant's eyes narrowed as he swiftly scanned the Guardians and Harbingers. Not a single one of them held a wand, though the unknown witches and wizards that had been pelting balloons did have wands. Thinking fast, he did his best to blend in with the masses to sneak closer to the Sirens.
The Harbingers were grateful that they'd had so much physical training. Once the vampires realized that attempts to disarm the Harbingers were useless, they launched themselves forward determined to overpower the Harbingers. Hermione side-stepped at the very last second and watched as one vampire tumbled past her. She quickly stretched out toward him and clenched her hands into fists before making a swift pulling motion. The vampires shrieked as his body was jerked back the way it came and knocked over five other vampires before they could reach the Harbingers.
Ginny was firing bat-bogey hexes rapidly while Harry used that distraction to use a body bind on the distracted vampires. George was casting jelly-legs curses and laughing maniacally when the flailing limbs caused even more of the enemy to fall down. The five cats were darting between vampires, tripping them and adding to the chaos. Three of the five cats were carrying wands in their mouths again.
"Stop!" Luna shouted, making the other Harbingers look around quickly. To their horror, Grant had managed to get close and had one hand clamped down on Caroline's left wing while his other hand pressed a knife to her throat. Sam and Jenna looked stunned and furious, but remained motionless since they didn't want to risk Caroline getting hurt. Caroline let out a whimper as Grant gave her wing a harsh tug.
"Let her go!" Draco snarled, his fist connecting with the face of the vampire that was trying to bite him. He ignored the sudden splatter of blood and shoved the vampire away, taking a step toward Grant.
"Don't do it," Grant warned with an evil smirk. "I'm not above killing her to get what I want. Just surrender your gloves and step back. I give you my word that I'll let you leave this place."
"We'd never leave the Sirens with you," Harry snapped.
"You have no choice," Grant replied coldly. "Their power will be mine. If you want them to live, and I know you do, you have to surrender."
Sam chuckled humorlessly. "You're so stupid," she told Grant, her tone disbelieving. "Haven't you realized that we're not the true power here? The Harbingers have overshadowed us for a while now."
"And you'll never get that power," Caroline added through gritted teeth.
Grant pressed the knife closer to Caroline's neck with a sneer. "Oh I think I will," he purred at her.
"Take a look," Sam said, sounding smug.
Grant's eyes shifted to find that his vampires seemed to be fighting against an invisible wall. The Harbingers were all turned to face Grant, but each had one arm outstretched toward the other vampires. The barrier they had created was blocking spells and keeping the vampires safely on the other side.
Andy started singing suddenly, carefully maintaining his stance. One by one, the other Harbingers joined in, adding rich harmonies and complicated rhythms. One they were all singing, they made a rapid pushing motion toward the vampires. The barrier dissipated, but the first row of vampires was thrown backwards to knock over the next two rows behind them. Hermione swept her arm toward Grant in a sort of slapping gesture and the knife was jerked from his grasp. As the singing continued, Grant struggled against it but his grip slackened, allowing Caroline to wriggle free from him. Hermione turned her hand over, her palm facing down, and slowly lowered her arm. Grant lowered himself to a kneeling position and remained perfectly still when magical rope appeared to bind him.
The Harbingers stopped singing and were pleased to note that all of the remaining vampires were sitting on the ground with dazed expressions. The Guardians rushed forward with vials of the vampirirsm cure, since they'd run out of balloons, and made certain that each vampire received a dose. Once that was completed, they split into twelve teams again and beckoned the Harbingers to them.
Hermione sighed in relief as her Guardians looked her over carefully. Gentle hands and soft humming restored Hermione's magical energy and soothed the aches in her body. "What would I do without all of you?" Hermione asked, looking around at the six Guardians with a fond smile.
"We don't intend to find out," Charlie responded. "Now I think your husband wants you."
Hermione turned and saw Severus striding toward her with an anxious frown. She launched herself into his arms, laughing breathlessly. "We did it," she murmured.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his grip tightening slightly.
Hermione pulled away to meet his eyes. "Of course," she insisted. "We'll have Poppy check on the baby when we get home. That Cruciatus..." She trailed off as anxiety flooded through her again. She hadn't been under the curse for long, but she didn't know what effect it would have on an early pregnancy.
"Just be calm," Severus said softly against her hair. "Let's just finish up here." He kissed Hermione's forehead once he felt her nod in agreement.
Grant seemed to be gathering his senses more quickly than his followers. He struggled against the ropes angrily and glared at the Sirens. "What the hell just happened?" he snapped.
"The Harbingers have a great deal of power," Caroline said, sighing happily when Draco trailed his fingers over the feathers of her wings. "And their Guardians will make sure that they keep it." The Guardians cheered in response, making the Harbingers laugh.
Sam looked around with a frown. "Is anybody going to explain who these other people are?" she asked, gesturing to the other people standing behind the Guardians.
"Reinforcements," Seamus replied with a grin.
"We got the word out that we were going to take down the vampires," Dean said. "These are the people you saved and their families. Well, not all of them," he amended with a shrug. "Not everyone was willing to come, and obviously we left muggles out of the invite."
"Nice," Sam said, impressed. "Great balloon tossing guys."
A series of loud pops indicated that someone had arrived. Fifteen aurors appeared and marched over to look down at the large crowd of vampires writhing in pain on the ground.
"Oh yeah," Seamus said, sheepishly. "Forgot to mention that we took down the apparition ward and called the aurors."
Ron approached one of the aurors and spoke for a few moments before turning back to his friends. "We've done enough here," Ron announced. "Let's go get some rest and we'll help the DMLE sort out this mess tomorrow." This suggestion was accepted with enthusiasm and the Harbingers quickly called the cats over to them and apparated back to Malfoy Manor.
AN: The end is near. Please review and let me know what you think.
