Guardian Angel Chapter 13: The Destruction of Hogsmeade, a harry potter fanfic

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, I do not own thee. Okay, a little warning before we move on with the fic: This has a HUGE cliffhanger in this chapter. I sort of got inspired for this particular plot twist by watching a certain episode of a certain show with Sarah Michelle Gellar. Need I say more? (You'll see which episode I mean when you get to the end of the chapter.) Plus, you also find out what exactly is the thing Fiona was wearing to ward off dementors. Forgive me if it sounds corny.

Chapter Thirteen- The Destruction of Hogsmeade

It was now late at night, almost midnight. The sky was pitch black, only lit up by the many stars in the sky, and the fire that was completely destroying Hogsmeade.

Fiona and the other teachers were desperately trying to gather as many people as they could, but it wasn't easy. The fire wasn't the only danger in the burning town; Death Eaters were there also, killing as many people as they could find. Dead bodies littered the ground everywhere in sight.

At this moment, Fiona and Snape were rescuing a family of three from a burning house. In her arms, she held a very small child; Snape was helping the mother and father to safety.

Fiona had never been so horrified in her entire existence. Never had she seen this much death, suffering, and despair. At least the dead were at peace, she could see many of their angels leading them away to Paradise. And yet, in the midst of all this fear, she couldn't help wondering where Harry was and whether he was safe or not....

Tom, she thought despairingly. Tom, why did you do this? Just because you suffered in your childhood days, didn't give you the right to cause all these other people suffering... What would your mother think if she saw you now?

She immediately banished the thought, because the thought of poor Belle turning in her grave at the sight of what had become of her son made her feel worse. There was nothing she could do for Tom now, just as she couldn't do anything for Harry, he was nowhere to be found.

She just prayed that he was safe, and that he'd escape Tom's- Voldemort's clutches.

***

Back at Hogwarts, the dementors stirred around. They could sense death nearby... They grew excited; death was always a great thing to the dementors....

It was coming from the distance. They followed the sense of despair away from Hogwarts, and to the town of Hogsmeade... Whatever death was going on down there, they wanted to see it.

***

Far from the Death Eaters encampment, Harry and Emily were hiding within the trees, just in case Voldemort sent his Death Eaters after them. Or worse, the dementors, if they were even there.

Harry had untied Emily's bonds, and now the little girl was bent over, her hands covering her face, crying hysterically. Harry tried to silence her and look comforting at the same, but he knew that no words could take her mind off of the fact that Voldemort had just murdered the only family she had left.

"I-I can't believe that this happened!" she sobbed as Harry put his arm around her. "W-Why did they have to d-die? First Mum and Dad died, and now Joshua and Lili are g-gone... w-what's going to happen now?"

"I... I don't know," said Harry slowly. He almost asked her if she had any other relatives, but that was stupid; if the Baudelaires had any other relatives they could stay with, then why did they have to take care of each other for all those years? "I'll take you back to Hogwarts, I'm sure they'll let you stay once they know what happened... Now come on, let's go. I don't know if the Death Eaters are around here..."

Emily slowly got up. "What about the Death Eaters at Hogsmeade? The town is burning; w-we saw it before they got us..."

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you," Harry vowed, taking Emily's hand. "I promise. Stay close..."

Emily nodded sadly. The two orphans silently walked the path to Hogsmeade. Emily was still weeping softly, her bright brown eyes dark with sadness. Harry clutched her hand tightly. He had to protect her, she had no one else now. The memories of what had just happened were still fresh in his mind, they kept playing in his head all over again: the Death Eaters torturing Ron, Hermione, and Ginny; his capture; Voldemort torturing the Baudelaires and finally killing two of them; their escape...

At one point, Harry vaguely wondered what was going to Emily once they got to Hogwarts. Would Dumbledore put her in some kind of orphanage for young witches and wizards? Or possibly a Muggle orphanage? Harry cringed at that thought. He had never been to a Muggle orphanage before, but from what he had heard, they were horrible. However, Harry was sure it would have made a better home than Privet Drive.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted when he and Emily got to Hogsmeade... and saw the grisly scene that awaited them...

The entire village was aflame, making the night even warmer than it should have been. People were running everywhere, screaming bloody murder. The Death Eaters were indeed there, murdering every person they could see. Dead bodies were scattered almost everywhere. The sight of it all made Harry sick to his stomach.

So, he thought. This is what it was like when Voldemort was at his full power. This is what it used to be... "Come on," Harry said to Emily, who looked as bad as Harry felt. "We have to get out of here."

They started to run into the village as fast as their legs could carry them, but as they passed what looked to be the ruins of The Three Broomsticks, Emily let out a scream that mingled with the other cries into the night. Harry turned and saw Emily staring in shock at the dead body of Madam Rosmerta.

"They must have killed her after we left," Emily whispered hoarsely. "When the Death Eaters came, she told us to get out and make a run for it; she said she'd hold them off."

Harry nodded numbly, thinking of how his father had attempted the same for him and his mother, that fateful night fifteen years ago... "Let's go," he said quietly, tugging at her hand. "We can't do anything for her now..."

Even though Harry said these words, he only half believed them. He felt horribly guilty for all the suffering the people of Hogsmeade were experiencing, Emily most of all... if there was something he could do to change it... anything at all...

The two continued to run through the burning village, dodging curses of nearby Death Eaters they passed. As they were coming to a turn of the ruins of an alley, Harry thought he saw the familiar outlines Dumbledore and other Hogwarts teachers far away...

"I think that's some of the Hogwarts teachers!" he yelled to Emily. "We're almost there, Emily! Hang on!"

Suddenly, Harry felt a familiar coldness in his insides. The screaming of the people and the sounds of the Death Eaters shouting spells seemed to fade to silence. He and Emily slowly turned around...

A huge group of the dementors at Hogwarts were behind them. They must have sensed the horrible things at the burning village... Sirius told Harry once that death always got the dementors excited...

"Emily," Harry whispered. "Emily, go. Go the teachers. They'll take you to Hogwarts."

"What about you?" Emily asked in a rather high voice.

"I'll handle them. Just go." Harry drew out his wand. The screams of his dying mother were in his head again.

Emily didn't move.

"GO!" shouted Harry. Finally giving in, Emily ran off. Concentrating on the most happiest thought he could think of, Harry began to chant, "Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum!"

A silvery substance started to come out of Harry's wand... but it wasn't strong enough... Voices were sounding in his head...

It wasn't just his mother this time. It was his father yelling for his mother to run for it... and then it was the many times Harry gotten into trouble at Hogwarts... when everyone thought he was the Heir of Slytherin... the time he and Ron had that fight in his fourth year... Every single horrible moment in his life was playing in Harry's head over and over again.

Harry fought against the voice and kept yelling, "Expecto Patronum....expecto patronum..." The silvery gas came out again, but a dementor simply waved it away...

And then Harry realized that this whole thing was his fault. Voldemort came here to kill him, and because of that, he and the Death Eaters destroyed Hogsmeade. It was his fault... the moments repeating in his head told him that...

His wand dropped from his hand as he put them over his head. "Make it stop..." he mumbled madly. "Make it stop..."

***

Fiona and the other teachers were with the survivors they rounded up, waiting for further instructions. Fiona gazed at the frightened faces of the survivors. Most of them had lost people they loved in the brutal attack. She knew exactly how they felt. Death, if you expect it or not, is never how you think it will be.

Dumbledore started to say something, but was interrupted by a voice crying out, "Wait!"

A little girl with frizzy auburn hair was running towards them. She looks the same age as Harry when I first met him, Fiona remembered.

"Who are you, child?" Dumbledore asked her gently when she reached him.

"Emily Baudelaire," the girl panted. "Someone.... in... trouble..."

"You're not making any sense, dear," said Fiona soothingly. "Take a deep breath and talk slowly."

"The Death Eaters caught me, my brother, and my sister," explained Emily breathlessly. "The Dark Lord killed them.... and he might have killed me too if Harry and I hadn't escaped..."

"Harry?" Fiona blurted out mindlessly. "Where is he?"

"We got away... went into town.... and these scary hooded things surrounded us... Harry told me to make a run for it..."

That was all Fiona needed to hear. Without another word, she ran off, despite hearing Dumbledore shout, "Fiona, wait!"

She didn't have to ask where Harry and the dementors were. She just needed to follow her insticts; angels could sense their unholy presence... Sure enough, in a ruined alley, there they were. They crowded around what Fiona was sure to be Harry. Quickly, she pulled out black cord around her neck and clenched whatever it was attached to it in her fist.

The tiny beam of light emerged, but quickly faded away before it hit the dementors. Fiona tried again, with the same results. There were too many of them. She had to stop them... but how?

There was only one way... but it was a very risky one.

It could mean getting revealed, but it would be worth it to save Harry...

She began to morph.

***

The coldness was cutting into Harry's insides, the mist swirling about him. He could barely see one of the dementors lowering it's hood. It was going to preform its Kiss on him....

It's all over, Harry could hear himself think faintly, the voices still clear in his head....

What happened next was nothing short of shocking. Before the dementor could do the Kiss, something began glowing behind them. A warm, heavenly sort of light lit up the entire alley. The dementors recoiled. Part of this strange light hit the dementor nearest to Harry, and it crumbled into dust.

Squinting, Harry could see something walking towards them. It looked like a woman.... except no woman could ever look like that. Whoever she was, she glowed with the same heavenly light. She wore a pure white gown, her long brown hair was sleek and cascading, and-- it looked like she had large, glossy wings... The creature seemed so lovely, it was almost inhuman. She almost looked like a ghost, very like a spirit...

It didn't take long for Harry to realize what she was. He had seen paintings and statues of them many times before, except they didn't quite resemble what he was seeing now. It seemed impossible that he was seeing one... yet here she was right in front of his eyes...

The angel glowed with such bright light that the dementors fled with fear, leaving Harry and the angel alone. She stared at Harry in an eerie way, as though looking straight into his soul. Harry recognized her at once.

It was Professor Clark.

As she helped Harry to his feet, Harry noticed the black cord around her neck, and he finally saw the thing attached to it that had been chasing away the dementors all year.

It was a small wooden cross.

She handed his wand to him, and quick as a flash, changed back into the human woman calling herself Fiona Clark, ashes all over her face and robes, her hair in tangles.

"You're..." Harry started to say. "You're a..." He couldn't quite say what she had been just moments ago, still shocked about what he saw. But Professor Clark held up her hand.

"I'll explain later," she said simply.

She and Harry began to walk out of the alley, when they heard shouting voices up ahead. It sounded like Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge...

Professor Clark seemed surprised, but she seemed to get a hold of herself. She turned to Harry and said. "Wait here. Don't move."

She walked away, and Harry stayed behind, somehow trusting her, though she was something else than what she had appeared to be this entire year.

He could hear Dumbledore saying, "Look around, Cornelius! Hogsmeade is destroyed! Many are dead, the survivors homeless! The Dark Mark had lit up the sky! And you *still* believe that Voldemort has not risen?!"

"See here, Dumbledore," Fudge snapped. "I saw no Dark Mark in the sky! There is no evidence that You-Know-Who and his supporters could have attacked the village!"

"Ask the survivors," Professor McGonagall shouted. "Ask the witnesses! They saw what had happened! They saw the Death Eaters destroying their homes and murdering their friends and family! You need evidence? Ask them!"

"Be reasonable, Fudge," Dumbledore said in a calmer tone. "If Voldemort and the Death Eaters didn't burn Hogsmeade and kill innocent people in that sort of rampage, then who do you think did?"

"Why don't you ask Harry Potter?" asked Fudge coldly. "I'm sure he knows."

There a moment of silence. Harry could hardly believe his ears. Fudge thought *he* attacked the village? He refused to believe the obvious so badly that he used his assumptions of Harry as an excuse.

"I didn't do it," he murmured to no one in particular.

Oh really? a nasty little voice in his head said. Think about it... Voldemort killed your parents to get to you... Cedric was murdered because he was with you... and Emily's brother and sister were murdered because Voldemort wanted to get a rise out of you... All these people are dead because of you...

There were shouts at Fudge following his statement, but Harry never heard them. He vaguely felt himself slide down against the wall of the alley and sit down. All my fault... Harry kept thinking. This is all my fault... I'm responsible for all this...

It happened so fast that Harry barely knew what happened to him. Everything just started spinning and the next thing he knew, to his shock, he was underwater. He looked around and recognized it as the underwater of the black ocean from his dream. He didn't know how on earth he got there, he just knew that he had to get out before he'd run out of

air.

Before he could swim to the surface, something grabbed his ankle. He looked down and saw one of the shadow creatures from his dream. He struggled against its tight grasp on him and tried to call for help, but those cries only ended up as bubbles.

Then everything went black, and all he knew was lost.

***

Fiona arrived to where the teachers and the survivors were just in time to see Professor McGonagall shouting at Fudge. She tapped Dumbledore on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, Professor, but I've found Harry. He's alright, just a little bit shaken." She looked at Professor McGonagall and Fudge and asked, "What's going on?"

"Apparently, Fudge saw the dementors leave Hogwarts, and came down here to investigate," answered Dumbledore grimly. "He sees the village burned down, and yet he refuses to believe that Voldemort was responsible. He thinks Harry did it."

Fiona was shocked and furious. "Harry? Burn down the village? Balderdash! Why would he believe such a thing?"

"I will explain later," said Dumbledore shortly. "Go and get Harry." In a louder voice, he announced to everyone, "There is no time to argue about things. Severus and Minerva, take the survivors back to Hogwarts, and escort the Minister there too. The others and I will be with you shortly.

Fiona nodded and walked back to the ruined alley. Harry was still there, sitting with his back against the wall, head on his knees, and his arms around his legs. He looked like a small child in this position.

She walked towards him and said gently, "Harry, we have to go back to Hogwarts now. Come on..."

But Harry didn't move.

Fiona didn't realize that something was wrong with him. "Harry, come on. Get up."

Nothing.

Fiona gulped. That horrible feeling of dread had returned to her. "Harry, get up," she said in a panicky voice. "You're scaring me."

Harry still didn't move. Fiona walked closer to him, calling his name at each step she took. "Harry?" she asked.

Step. "Harry?"

She knelt down beside him. She could hear him breathing, so he couldn't be...

Banishing that thought immediately, she snapped two of her fingers in front of his face. He didn't even blink. She tried again. Nothing happened. In a soft, scared whisper, she called out, "Harry?"

At that moment, what must have happened to him struck so hard, it was almost as though she was hit by a rock.

"Harry! Harry! Harry, I'm so sorry!" she cried out, putting her arms around him. Cradling him, she began to cry those words again and again: "I'm so sorry!"

To be continued...

All right, before you flame me to kingdom come, I have two things to say:

1) No, Harry is not dead. If you know now which episode of that television show that I got inspired by for this part of the story, you'll know that it's something else.

2) If you're mad at me for this cliffhanger, I apologize, but this is part of the story.

Are we clear on this? Okay then. I can't really talk about the next chapter without giving anything away, except that it will be both sad and strange. Stay tuned!