This was what Harry had been afraid of: allowing the battle to drag on until enemy reinforcements came. Night hadn't yet fallen though it was dangerously close. They had another hour at best. Brad appeared to be alone but even the partial vampire advanced their problem.
Gerald still held George and had settled into glaring at both the wizards and his bandmate. The fleeting moment of sorrow he had shown had returned to agitation. This time it was a more noticeable frustration that presented even in his voice, "The fuck are you doing, Brad?"
"Me?" the subvamp asked incredulously, taking a single leap to near himself to the crowd whilst remaining on the hill, "What are you doing? And with him?" he gestured at the twin.
Gerald ignored him, growling with such loud volume that each wizard felt the vibration.
"Ger, are you..." Brad took another, smaller jump, coming to stand fifteen feet from the investigators and less than ten from his friend. "You can't betray them like that," the sub's tone had hushed.
"Betray?" Gerald scoffed, annoyance turning to anger, "You don't even know the meaning of such a thing!"
Harry wasn't sure what thought...what memory had caused the switch, but once more he saw the old Gerald; the one that was constantly on the verge of losing control. It could either be a very beneficial change...or a very deadly one. At any rate, he wanted to see if just another word from the muggle would push the demon over the edge. Although he felt doing so was gambling with the twin's life.
George did not look scared. His face was beginning to wet, the tears that had welled in his eyes having started to crawl out of their puddles. Yet there were no sobs. His expression was still, reserved, despite the obvious despair he carried. He wasn't afraid of death; his concerns lied elsewhere.
Either the rest of the family was contemplating the same choice the lead auror was or simple uncertainty kept them from acting. Gerald's arm loosened slightly around George's throat and his risen hand seemed to weaken, falling out of its aggressive position. Whatever was in his mind, he didn't want to hurt the grieving wizard.
Waiting for Brad to say something further didn't work because instead of continuing trying to convince Gerald, he jumped again, this time into an attack. The wizards instantly readied their wands, aiming for the subvamp as his body neared the group. Brad, however, didn't intend for them. His focus remained on Gerald. Just as he had done when the vampires first revealed themselves, he rushed for his brother's back.
Fortunately for Gerald, he saw it coming this time. Letting go of George and shoving him back to Ginny who had stayed within an uncomfortable proximity the entire time, the demon twisted just in time to face Brad. The moment the sub grabbed Gerald's shoulders, he let go, cutting his eyes to the twin and running. His speed was impressive, but not as incredible as the true vampires.
"Lumos solem!" Ginny commanded, instantly remembering that she was not dealing with one of the corrupt creatures.
The intensity of the light was off-putting yet not harmful and Brad was mostly able to ignore it. As the muggle vampire kept on his path to George, the rest of the wizards closed in. But it was Gerald who landed the first spell.
"Incendio!" the dark wizard's shout set his enemies on the defensive.
Half kept their attention on the sub and the rest put theirs on Gerald. The fire charm successfully hit its mark, drawing a scream from Brad as his clothes burst into flames. Dumbfounded, the surrounding eyes leapt from the burning creature to stare at Gerald.
He had attacked his own ally? The person he called brother?
Wands lifted toward the dark wizard who had stopped after the attack. He stood, awkwardly...in an unprotected position, vision on the ground. George and Ginny had joined with the group where Molly gave the twin his wand back. It was on odd scenario where the wizards were actually torn between saving Brad, who had no way of putting out the fire that engulfed him as he dropped to the ground, rolling in an attempt to do so...and just letting the vampiric minion be.
They absolutely could not hesitate any longer, though. With that thought, Harry threw 'petrificus totalus' at the seemingly stunned Gerald, only to discover that he had been right: the demon had been losing control again...and he had just lost it.
Right before the petrifying curse struck him, Gerald's form began shifting. Shadowy, ash-like energy swirled his body, enveloping it and then wafting away as bony wings extended. Bright red eyes emerged from the mist.
Harry recognized that the showy display signified his complete shift from human to beast. The demon's head moved rigidly to the side as the beaming energy that lit the sockets in his pointed face considered the companion he had set to flame. It appeared that Brad had almost freed himself from the fire as he was rising from the ground under the weight of Gerald's voiding eyes.
"Incarcerous!" came two shouts.
"Expecto Patronum!" yelled another three.
"Incendio!" the last two commanded.
The wizards judged the situation instantaneously and quickly made their assault. The patronus charm would affect the demon better than any other spell that they were currently aware. In the event of Gerald fleeing from it, the binding 'incarcerous' would tie ropes around his body to stop his escape. They likely would not hold him for long, but repeated, it should allow them to weaken and overtake the demon. And since fire had worked so well on Brad just now...
Ropes flew through the air, one set snaking around both of Gerald's flimsy wings while the other managed to curl his arms against his torso. The sheer height of the beast kept the spell from fully encompassing his body, but the succeeding patronus charms shone so brightly that he screeched in pain. Brad had barely been able to dodge the fire charms as he spun, jumped, and landed right beside Hermione, who had been the closest to him.
The moment his face appeared before her, his teeth barred in a hiss and she cast another spell, "Stupefy!"
Shockingly, the subvamp grabbed hold of her wand just as the word left her lips. He ripped it from her grasp, throwing it behind him. Taken aback by his success, the witch stumbled in her backpedal, falling down on her backside.
"EXPUSLO!" Charlie's voice sounded strongly as he stepped up to his sister.
Brad was flung backwards, crashing into the hill where he had first come upon the battle. The dragon keeper reached down, offering to help Hermione, who gladly used his hand to pull herself up before jolting toward the spot where her wand had been discarded. After retrieving it, she put her eyes back onto Gerald with the others.
The demon had broken out of his binds easily, but had remained stunned, hurt by the light of the beaming patronus energies as a corporeal weasel scurried around him in circles, confusing him as to how to break away. Harry, Arthur, and Molly continued forcing the powerful charm while George and Ginny rapidly fired the binding curse over and over to keep the beast struggling. The tactics were delightfully efficient. Gerald seemed fully at his wit's end tearing apart the endless stream of ropes.
"Harry? We have company!" Hermione called loudly.
The family all cut their eyes to the side where Charlie and Hermione had been fending off Brad. This split in their attention caused the binds to come less frequently though the patronus charms appeared to maintain nearly the same strength as before. On the hill, Brad was standing again, but along with his form, could be seen another, flashing in and out of sight as it sped toward them.
Harry glanced at the sky. It wasn't completely dark though apparently dim enough... Vision back on Gerald, he forced more power into the beam of his patronus. Molly put a strong foot forward and did the same while her husband ordered his weasel to leave the demon alone and fly toward the approaching vampire. Likewise, his daughter-in-law began conjuring her own and Charlie had begun inciting flame spells when Brad joined in the pursuit.
Gerald took advantage of the lessened focus on him and dropped his maw, opening it at a surreal angle as an orb of bright red energy formed amidst his many jagged teeth. The demonic attack had been seen in this stage before, but never actually fired. With more people seeking to help Gerald during this fight, the wizards feared that they might now find out the damage it caused.
The next binding spell was intelligently aimed for the beast's mouth. Rope wrapped around Gerald's jaws, forcing them shut and ending the advancement of his magic. Unfortunately, the subvampire and newly seen accomplice had already made it to the scene. Successfully avoiding each spell cast in his direction, Brad had grabbed hold of Ginny's wrist, taking her wand and snapping it in half just before having to jump to get away from a blow from Charlie. The true vampire had his sights set on George. He allowed the twin to believe he was about to be taken by the coming sunlight spell, only to flash away and appear behind him.
"GEORGE!" Molly cried.
Catching onto his distress out of the corner of her eye, she was incapable of focusing on the demon in front of her. She commanded her bear to bound away from its spot and instead shuffle through her son and fend off the vampire behind him. The patronus pained the pale-skinned man causing him to falter yet he did not flee. George spun around as soon as he was free of his captor, and commanded 'lumos solem.' The intensity of the two spells together seemed to keep the creature from reacting in any way. If it weren't for Brad swooping in from above and kicking Molly to the ground, they would have surely killed the vampire.
As the being disappeared, George rushed to his mother, casting the same spell and driving her attacker away. When the twin stopped to help the woman up, he saw that Gerald was actually bending under the pressure of continued exposure to the light-leaning spells. The focus of the binds having moved to keeping his jaw shut, though, led him to instead stretch out his skeletal wings in a sudden motion to prick at the wizards behind the bright energy. And it was enough to make all the patronus fade.
The wings, which were more like a collection of spikes, reached out, threatening to stab the attacking wizards. Harry spun, narrowly missing one as it hit the ground and then retreated. Arthur likewise dodged one by mere inches while Charlie threw up a shield and George pulled his mother closer to him so she would not be damaged. Molly did not get out scot-free though. The bone slid against her shoulder blade, taking a layer of fabric and skin with it as it did. Blood rose from the gash as ash from the demon fell off into the wound.
"Iremise!" an unfamiliar voice said.
Attention was given to the source of the sound. It belonged to the vampire who had most recently entered the battle. He had stopped across from Gerald, on the opposite side of the wizards. He was speaking loudly, but not yelling. Whatever he was saying was a command and he seemed intent on having Gerald obey.
"Iremise! Xereis ti kaneis," he continued.
The demon emitted the same strange sound they had heard from him before: a deep screech. He took a deliberate pace forward and squealed again. None of the family planned on waiting to understand the interaction or to see what came of it. In a silent exchange of nods and gestures, the group split, each side facing either the vampire or the demon.
"LUMOS SOLEM!" The sunlight spell was cast at the vampire from either side.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Ethereal animals danced around the demon.
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" was sent toward the now burning creature of night.
"INCARCEROUS!" An advanced form of the curse successfully conjured enormous chains to restrict and weigh the dark wizard down.
The assault simply had to work...the overwhelming amount of effort and energy expelled in the spells was weakening the wizards too greatly...and they had run out of time... Night had now fallen and they were all in severe danger, but none wished to leave empty-handed. They had saved George which had been their goal- all they wanted...yet after it all...they couldn't help but feel defeated unless capturing Gerald at last...
The whole area had quieted. The air had become stiff. On one side of the family, lay the vampire, unmoving and slightly burned...but alive. On the other...the demon rolled on the ground, his screeches muffled by his trapped mouth as he struggled against his chains...and he was slowly wriggling free. As Harry noticed the metal binding begin to fall from Gerald's jaw, he weakly started toward him to summon the conjuration again. However, he only managed to call upon plain ropes that the demon easily cast away with a twitch of its head as he snapped his mouth free from the last of the chains.
The crimson energy formed so quickly within his jaws this time and the family was too worn to properly react...to do anything more to stop it...
Suddenly, a new person arrived on the scene.
The figure flashed just in front of Gerald.
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
The demon's head fell instantly, thudding to the ground as his body ceased movement. Gerald's form morphed back into his human self, the chains binding him becoming loose as he once more turned into the small man. The company looked upward, gazing at the newcomer.
"Ronald!" Hermione rushed forward, throwing her arms around her husband.
The auror had been revived and so he returned. Taking in where the battle had gone in his absence, he had apparated to the fallen enemy, forcing his wand inside the open jaw and casting the petrifying curse.
"How did you know that would work?" the witch asked as she left the embrace and stared down at Gerald.
"Well, I didn't," Ron answered plainly. "But you're always weaker on the inside, right?"
Hermione pondered the seemingly deep thought for a moment as the rest of the company came closer and huddled about. Harry was the only one not looking at Gerald. His eyes were on the hill beyond.
"We need to get out of here," he breathed, watching as Brad turned around and began heading back from where he had originally come.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: You're always weaker on the inside.
