A/N: Sorry, this is a really short one and a cliff hanger too :P That's because a hardly got any reviews for the last one. So there. Actually, it's because I have a full work load this week and I'm worried about making you wait too long for a good sized chapter, so I'll try to give you a little bit at a time until I have a day to really get down to the nitty gritty. See, I'm a considerate person. So why don't you review? Please? I have an inferiority complex and 100 something reviews ain't gonna cut it anymore! This bloody thing is 80 pages long! Also tell your friends. Also, what's archiving? Also, sorry about the rant and I'll get on with it. Don't mind me, too much Cherry Coke does this to me. I'll regain my humility by the next chapter. Oh, JKR owns this etceteras etceteras…
Chapter Twenty-One
"How many?" Aunt Marge asked, or rather Snape asked, standing up and pushing past Harry to get a view of the pub downstairs.
"Twenty, including Mr. Malfoy," Harry answered, relieved to once again be in his own body. He could only hope that Dumbledore had found the Blood Stone. Mr. Weasley's eyes perked up when Malfoy was mentioned. He had long wanted to get that particular Death Eater in his hands. "Where are the others?" Harry asked. He had expected a dozen wizards to be in that room with the Weasleys, but only a very ancient looking woman of Professor Flitwick's stature was there, sleeping on the bed as if nothing of great importance was happening.
"Downstairs, which is where we should be," Mr. Weasley answered, joining Snape on the balcony and taking a quick glance at the scene below.
"It looks like the new crew is holding its own. We might be able to get them all," Mrs. Weasley put in as she too joined Snape.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that. Lucius Malfoy has no qualms about using the Unforgivable Curses," Snape answered, as if it were a bad thing. "Let's apparate down behind the bar before they have a chance to come up the stairs."
"I'm coming too," Harry piped in, before they could leave without him.
"Out of the question!" Mrs. Weasley whispered as loudly as she could.
"Well it's either help you lot here or go back to Dumbledore," Harry said.
"Go back to Dumbledore," Mr. Weasley answered, before furrowing his brows and asking exactly where Dumbledore was.
"At Voldemort's lair," Harry answered, and seeing the look of horror on Mrs. Weasley's face, he apparated down behind the bar before they could answer him, nearly screaming out when he reappeared beside the body of Madam Rosmerta, eyes just like Cedric Diggory's had been only a few months ago. Luckily he had no time to dwell on the…unfairness of it all, for soon the others had joined him behind the bar and were whispering what hexes to use, and debating who should go for help. Mr. Weasley shot a few random Stunning spells out towards the throng of remaining Death Eaters that were still being held against the door as Mrs. Weasley apparated to the residential area of the village in search of a family that would contact the Ministry for backup, if it hadn't been done already.
"You look lovely," Harry whispered in between his own Stunning spells that he shot at the pack, along with some boils and tentacles and other nasty things that would annoy them. Snape merely sneered as he set fire to one of the wizard's robes. "It should wear off any minute now," he answered in his husky Aunt Marge voice. "I took the Polyjuice just before your owl got there."
"How'd you cope with the Dursleys? Any problems?" Harry asked, grinning as he saw Lucius Malfoy's teeth expand to the size of beavers'.
"Other than being with your family, no," Snape answered, trying to keep his anger in check so he wouldn't just kill one of those Death Eaters and earn a life sentence in Azkaban for it. Although Magical Law Enforcement officers had been granted the power to use Avada Kedavra in extreme emergencies, the fact that Minister Fudge did not openly acknowledge Voldemort's return and thus did not acknowledge the need for such measures meant that the creed of "Kill or be killed" did not apply to those brave enough to stand up against Voldemort and his cronies. "I think Moody was just chasing garbage cans again," Snape continued, having thankfully returned to his own form by the end of that long thought. "Either that or he wanted me to suffer cruel and unusual punishment."
Harry had no time to reply. One of the Death Eaters had noticed that some of the curses being thrown at them were coming from the bar, and in no time Harry found himself bombarded by the Cruciatus Curse. "Harry!" Mr. Weasley gasped, shouting "Expelliarmus!" at the man but hitting one of his companions instead as Harry continued to writhe in pain on the ground. Stop it! His brain shouted, and before he even knew what he was doing, before he could even think of raising his hand, a beam of cobalt light shot from Harry's outstretched fingers, hammering the man in the heart just before he fell to the floor. The pain stopped long enough for Harry to realize what he had done, and then a different strain of that emotion filled him to the brim. "I killed him."
Snape was staring wide-eyed at the body, Mr. Weasley staring wide-eyed at Harry. "It was an accident, Harry," Mr. Weasley comforted, at the same time as Snape asked "Can you do that again?"
Harry couldn't hear the argument that ensued between Snape and Mr. Weasley. He couldn't hear the on-going battle just beyond the bar, where more of the Death Eaters were being revived by their friends and more of the good wizards were falling dead to the ground. All Harry could hear was something Dumbledore had said at the end of his second year: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." What does that mean for me? I don't remember choosing to kill him, it just happened, like blowing up Aunt Marge had happened and setting that snake free had happened. But didn't I want those things, somewhere? An hour ago I wanted Voldemort dead. So maybe I did choose. And that means I'm a murderer. Harry didn't know what to think anymore, only that he didn't want to think at all. He wanted to be back with Ron and Hermione, playing Exploding Snap, listening to Hermione worry if 7 extra parchments was acceptable and listening to Ron complain about Percy complaining about cauldrons. Anything but listening to Snape yell at Mr. Weasley about using all of their resources and besides that what Harry had done wasn't one of the 3 Unforgivable curses so he probably wouldn't go to Azkaban for it. And Mr. Weasley shouting Look at the boy, killing one man has done enough! But it's not enough, people are dying out there! Harry thought, and before the two men before him could come to blows, there was a brilliant flash of light, and it was over.
A/N: me again. I know, I'm evil. Hardly worth the effort to click on my story, was it? How could I just leave it like that??? Why don't you just yell at me, or beg for more because I love a good beg. Review or I'll end the story like that! Don't Make Me Do It!!!