Yeah, I kind of stopped writing my other story for a while (darn writers block!), so these chapters might come out more quickly for a while. Um, this is chapter seven, and -yeah. Please review and all that jazz. I'll send you a yummy cake if you do, with your choice of frosting! Ok, in this chapter we- well, it's more of an action chapter than the last couple. Not much, I don't write action very well. If you beg to differ, feel free, but... be prepared. Be prepared folks....
Oh, and I know absolutely nothing about Tarot, so bear with me, ok? All I know is some of the cards.
Chapter Seven: Surprise Attack
"Ok, so we just scribble down what we see in our Tarot?" Ron asked. Harry stared at the layout of the cards.
"Um, I think so. I got the Hanged Man, right here. What does that mean? In conjunction with this card?"
"Harry, that is the Knight of Pentacles," Hermione huffed from where she sat. She was peering over her Arithmancy book. Harry stared at her.
"I thought you thought this was a load of rubbish," Ron reminded her. Hermione smiled at them.
"Don't you remember when I spent the summer with Viktor?" she asked. Harry heard Ron mutter something under his breath which sounded very much like 'Vicky', but Hermione either didn't hear it, or chose to ignore it.
"His mother reads the Tarot a great deal. She taught me a bit," laughed Hermione. Ron stared at his cards once more, then turned to his bit of parchment.
"Ok, my cards will predict... suffering. Because of... the Tower in conjunction with the Queen of Wands. That sounds all right, right? What about you Harry?" Ron asked as he scribbled down his answer. Harry stared at the cards. Then he shrugged.
"My cards say that a great battle will occur soon, and that someone will die in it. Because of what I said, Hanged Man, which I would think symbolizes death, and the Knight of Pentacles, which can just mean a battle. Next combination... the Hermit. Oh, great. Even I know what that means," scowled Harry. Hermione glared at him.
"In the Tarot sense it doesn't mean quite what you think. It means that you refuse to listen to good advice. It also means that you've fooled everyone into thinking that you're unconcerned about life, at least in this instance," Hermione snapped.
Harry paused. That did sound like him a bit. Oh well, moving on.
"High Priestess. Doesn't that mean a great deal of magical power or something?" Ron asked. He squinted at his card. Harry shrugged and stared at the book. Then he threw it to the floor.
"Useless thing. Just say that it means you'll be a great wizard when you're older, but you'll end up dying because of the Fool card. You know she loves misery," Harry grinned. Ron smiled too, and added it to his list.
Harry began concentrating on his cards. There were just to many of them. He didn't know what meant what!
He paused and began thinking again, when he felt a flash of burning heat. Then he saw blackness, pure and unrivaled.
"Wormtail, we grow close," a voice hissed. A small, balding man nodded beside the man. The tall figure pointed at Hogwarts.
"Disable the wards, Wormtail," the voice commanded. The small man clearly blanched.
"My- my Lord. I am n-not suited f-for disabling s-spells," the man stuttered. The tall figure glared at him, and then turned to a wispy figure.
"Miyuki, disable the wards," the voice snapped. The wispy thing floated forward and raised her hands. For a brief moment, her eyes glowed green, and then she whirled around.
"It is done, my Lord. We are permitted," she whispered. The tall figure pointed at the small man.
"Release the creatures from there confinements." The tiny man hurried forward to a large, silver cage, and he snapped open the door. Out bounded multiple creatures. Dementors, chimaeras, manticores, quintapeds, trolls, everything!
The tall figure pointed a finger at Hogwarts and smiled grimly.
"Attack."
Harry snapped awake, clutching his scar. Ron and Hermione stood over him, looking worried.
"Is everything all right, Harry?" asked Ron. Harry scrambled to his feet.
"No, nothing is right. I- I have to go. I'll be back. Don't worry," Harry said quickly. He ran out of the Common Room, and dashed down the hall, ignoring the portraits that told him to walk.
Finally, he reached his desired destination. Dumbledore's old office. McGonagall's new office. He stood in front of the gargoyle and thought quickly.
"Ok, Dumbledore liked sweets, maybe McGonagall stuck to them out of habit... Chocolate Frog? Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans? Cauldron Cakes? Pumpkin Pasties? Fizzing Whizbees?" Harry asked to the gargoyle. It didn't move.
"Oh, come on. It's an emergency! Lemon drops!" he yelled. To his surprise, the gargoyle swung open. He stared at it for a minute, and then disappeared inside.
"... now Meghan, it just doesn't seem possible. You know what I think of Sybil, and-"
"Exactly, I know what you think of Sybil. And I know a real trance when I see one, and it was a real one!" shouted a voice in return to Professor McGonagalls. Harry raised his hand hesitantly to the door, but made up his mind quickly. He knocked.
Professor Micaro answered the door, and blinked in surprise at seeing him.
"Er, hello Harry. Do come in," she said rapidly, her voice sliding down. Harry smiled nervously at her and entered the office.
It had changed little since Dumbledore had died. The previous headmasters and headmistresses were along the walls of the circular room, but this time they were all awake. They looked particularly worried this time. And Fawkes was still there, sitting on his perch. He was joined this time by another bird, another phoenix supposedly. This one was bright purple. The Sorting Hat was sitting on the shelf, as was the sword he had pulled out of the Hat in his second year. And of course, in the cabinet, the Pensieve.
There were new things in the room as well. A jeweled mirror was against one of the walls. Two owls sat far away from the phoenixs in the corner. And there was a jumble of odd looking cords revealed. Before, Harry assumed, they had been hidden.
McGonagall looked at him in surprise.
"Why, Harry! What do you want?" she asked kindly. Harry cleared his throat a bit, and looked nervously at Micaro, who smiled weakly at him.
"Professor McGonagall, Voldemort-" Here, McGonagall winced, and Harry sighed. "Oh, sorry, You-Know-Who, is planning an attack against the school! I had another one of my vision things. My scar started hurting, and I guess I passed out. I saw Vol- You-Know-Who giving directions to Wormtail to let down the wards. He couldn't do it, so some lady did it. And he's bringing with him a bunch of Dark creatures. Trolls, Dementors, manticores, everything, Professor!" he nearly shouted. McGonagall blinked at him, and then jumped to her feet.
"This must be true, then. If Sybil AND Harry both saw it, then it must be true. But what I don't understand is why the wards still appear to be tied..." McGonagall trailed off, pointing at the mess of white cords. Micaro seemed distressed by this also, and she approached them carefully.
"You're right, Minerva. There doesn't seem to be any disturbance, and there doesn't feel like there is any disturbance, but both Sybil and Harry know there is a disturbance. What-" Micaro never got to finish. The cords came untied at a faster rate than the eye could see. Harry stared in amazement as McGonagall ran out the door. Micaro began to follow her, but then turned back to Harry.
"Harry, go back to your dorm. Tell anybody who is a fifth year and up they have to help us. Fourth year and below, find a safe place and hide. Go!" she called over her shoulder. Before Harry could register, she was gone.
He was frozen for nearly a minute, and then he ran. He ran, and ran, and ran, until he reached the Fat Lady.
"Kneazle- fur! Open up, it's an emergency!" he puffed. The Fat Lady swung open immediately, and Harry ran inside. Thinking quickly, he pointed his wand at his throat.
"Sonorus! EVERYBODY REPORT TO THE COMMON ROOM! NOW, NO EXCEPTIONS!" Harry screamed. The Common Room began to shake suddenly, as though a bunch of elephants were running down the stairs. Quickly, the entire Gryffindor house was standing in front of him. He kept the charm on.
"VOLDEMORT IS ATTACKING THE SCHOOL. ANYONE FIFTH YEAR AND UP PLEASE REPORT TO THE GREAT HALL WITH YOUR WAND. YOU WILL BE HELPING IN THE FIGHT. ANYBODY FOURTH YEAR AND BELOW, PLEASE FIND A SAFE PLACE AND STAY THERE. DO NOT COME OUT UNTIL WE SAY!" Harry shouted again. The house stared at him for a split second, and then all chaos erupted.
Fifth years, sixth years, and seventh years were scrambling to get their wands, while the younger ones were panicking. Harry could barely see that Hermione and Ron were making their way to the portal, and that Luna and her friends were trying to organize people. Before he could even blink, his friends were gone. He grabbed his wand from his pocket, and jumped into the crowds, ready to fight.
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"We should be out there!" yelled Rose through the crowd. Amy and Lita whirled around instantaneously.
"Are you nuts!" they shouted at the same time.
That would have been amusing, were the situation not so serious, Luna thought to herself as she grabbed Michelle by the arm.
"Come with us," she hissed. Michelle, eyes wide with panic, nodded quickly, and leeched onto her arm. Luna shook her off.
"Don't. Go with Amy and Lita. They'll take you to the dorm. I need to get more people," she said into Michelle's ear. She nodded again, and then latched onto Amy. She shouted her directions at Amy, and the rest of them headed off for the dorm. Then she turned to the crowd.
Some fourth years were grabbing a few of the third years and pulling them with them to hide. A bunch of second years were crying near the fire. Luna scowled at them, and they rushed off after the fourth years. Suddenly, someone slammed into Luna. She stared at the boy, and then realized who it was.
"Brian! Get Allen and Tim! Now!" she yelled. Brian nodded at her and yanked his friends after him. He followed Luna up to the dorm, and she nearly laughed as she saw his timid approach to the Girls Dorm. She grabbed his arm, and then they tumbled into the dorm.
Rose, Amy, Lita, and Michelle sat on Amy's bed. She led the boys over and sat them down.
"Look, we don't have a good place to hide. What should we do?" she asked the group. Rose's eyes darkened.
"I say we fight. They're going to need us. We're top in curses and charms!" she protested. Brian and Allen nodded. But Amy and Lita looked a bit unsure.
"You heard Harry's directions. Hide. Isn't that what we're supposed to do?" whispered Lita. Amy nodded, and so did Tim. Then they looked at Luna. It was a tie. She began to think hard about what they all knew.
Lita is top in our Charms class. She knows seventh year charms, for heaven sakes! The guys know some better and newer hexes and jinxs that might not really have a block. Rose and I are top duelers in class, and we know the old and forgotten curses. Amy... well, she knows everything. But what about Michelle? Luna thought. She looked at the pale, trembling girl curled up on the bed. She didn't look very brave.
Wait. Her shield was aqua. According to the book, that is a really good shield to have in times of need, or urgency. And she was the first one in class to be able to cast it. I wonder...
"Michelle. Your shield. Do you think you could cast it over multiple people?" she asked sharply. Michelle looked up at her blankly, and nodded slowly. Luna made up her mind.
"We fight. The second you get hurt, get out of there. Don't ask questions, just run. Lets go. We'll try to join some of the younger groups," Luna snapped out quickly. Rose grinned, while Lita just turned very, very pale. Luna smiled an encouraging smile at her, and they raced out of the portal.
The school was chaos around them. People running around left and right. They ended up slamming into a screaming guy or girl a couple of times. Finally, they ended up in the Transfiguration corridor. A bunch of masked people were fighting some seventh years that Luna didn't recognize. She pointed her wand at the Death Eaters.
"Satum Saturum!" she yelled, aiming her wand at the tallest Death Eater. He shrieked in surprise, and one of the seventh years sent a curse flying at him.
Luna quickly resolved herself to putting diversionary spells on the Death Eaters. Rose was actually dueling, Michelle was putting up a shield, and Amy and Lita were sending duo spells. As Luna raised her wand toward another Eater, she heard a dark, angry voice call out in the chaos.
"Menimenous!" it screamed. Luna didn't have time to prepare for the spell, and tried to block it, but she didn't even know what the spell was. She found out soon enough, though.
Suddenly, a burning hot pain met the spot in between her eyes. She screamed and dropped her wand. The pain was gone almost instantly, but it hurt like heck.
"Menimenous!" the voice yelled again. This time it hit Luna in the arm. She screamed. And then Rose screamed as someone put the curse on her. Then Lita and Amy cried out at the same time. Then the boys. And finally, Michelle.
Luna watched as Amy rose unsteadily to her feet. She pointed her wand at the ceiling and muttered something under her breath. Instantly, the ceiling collapsed. She watched in horror, and then yanked Michelle out of harms way.
A huge barrier was formed, the students on one side, and the Death Eaters on another. Luna stood up slowly and looked around. The seventh years nodded their thanks at them, and ran away quickly, probably to look for another battle. Luna smiled at her friends.
"Well now, that didn't go over very well. I suggest we do what we were supposed to- hide."
Rose, Amy, Lita, Tim, and Brian all nodded, but Michelle and Allen shook their heads.
"We have to help," Michelle argued. Luna pointed one of her fingers at the barrier.
"You really want to get Menimenoused again, don't you?" she asked angrily. Michelle shook her head.
"I was against this from the start, if you'll remember. But now that we're involved, we have to help. We cannot just run away like cowards," she snapped back. Rose pointed her wand at Michelle and smiled brightly.
"Sure we can- watch!" she said happily. Mumbling something under her breath, a blue light shot from her wand. It hit both Michelle and Allen. Their eyes glazed over, and Rose nodded happily. Amy stared at them, then turned to Rose.
"What the heck did you do? They look like zombies!" she hissed. Rose rolled her eyes.
"It's a spell that'll make 'em follow us. It's harmless, really. Now let's get out of here!" she whispered urgently. Rose grabbed Lita's wrist, and Amy and Luna followed.
They ran down several corridors that they recognized, passing battle after battle. Luna closed her eyes once, to avoid having to watch someone be killed. Finally, they reached a door that not even Amy recognized. Luna slammed the door open, and they all tumbled to the floor.
It was a dark room, with no lights or anything. The walls were perfectly smooth, not a single crack or crevice in it. It was a large circle, the only door being the one they had come in. The floor was softer than their beds. It was covered in carpet that felt fluffy to the touch. Luna pulled out her wand.
"Lumos," she muttered. A dim light flooded the room, and they could see that the walls were black, and that the carpet was a lovely bluish color. She leaned against the wall and covered her eyes. Rose touched her.
"You ok?" she asked softly. Luna nodded, and rubbed her eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just worried about the others," she mumbled. Rose nodded.
"I wish we could see them," she said quietly.
The walls began to glow. They began slowly turning blue, and Luna jumped into the middle of the room. Rose stared at the walls in astonishment, but Amy broke into a smile.
"Oh my gosh! I've heard of these!" she whispered excitedly. Lita had her wand raised, and looked ready to attack. She looked wildly at Amy.
"Can it kill us?" she asked fearfully. Amy shook her head and touched the now light blue walls.
"No... it's a Wish Room. They're so rare. A person in them makes a wish, and it comes true. This is probably a Visual Wish Room, judging by the walls. They're the rarest of them all, really. You make a wish to see something or someone, and the walls fill with the image. So many people die without ever being in here," she muttered. The walls were now a bright blue, and the room was filling with blackness. Luna's wand went out without her command, and a cold chill overcame them.
"Are you positive this thing is good?" Michelle asked nervously. All the spells cast had obviously been destroyed.
"Yes, I'm sure. They aren't alive, they can't be good or evil. It's creating an atmosphere like the one that the others are feeling. Boy, I feel sorry for them. Now watch out, this really isn't like a movie theatre," she said. Rose blinked in the darkness.
"A movie theatre?"
"Meaning the images are going to pop out at us. It's going to be like we're in the battle, and not as though we're watching it. We can pass through people, and we won't feel the weapons, but it'll be way to real."
"Oh. Wonderful. Just ducky."
"Isn't it though?"
Luna watched as the room filled with an unnatural mist. The walls that had glowed blue were now turning into the sky, with stars and clouds. Most of the sky was gray from poor lighting. People began appearing slowly, as if the Wish Room was just beginning, and warming up. Luna sat down on the ground, slowly and carefully. She wasn't sure if she wanted to.
"Amy, does it show us exactly what happens?" she asked. She assumed that Amy nodded, and her voice confirmed it.
"Yes, it does. Why?"
"So you're saying, someone's blood could come running down here?"
"Not exactly... it would just be an image of the blood."
"Ditto to Rose's answer."
"Shhh! It's warmed up and ready to begin!"
People surrounded Luna and Rose, who had joined her. Some they recognized, such as Harry and Ron. Some they didn't, such as a few fifth years. Everybody had wands, and many were injured. The Death Eaters had their hooded robes up, which covered their faces. Luna reached out tentatively to touch the robe, and was surprised to see her hand pass right through it. No one moved. She frowned, and then nodded slowly.
"Begin," she commanded. Instantly the battle began to play. Students, professors, and Death Eaters stepped on Rose and Luna, but they didn't feel it. It was so real. Almost too real. Luna began to watch carefully as the battle ensued.
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"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled at the Death Eater. The wand came flying out of it's hands, but it grabbed it back instantly.
"Boy, do not toy with me. Your childish spells have no control over me," it hissed angrily. Harry reflected on how it sounded oddly like a snake, and he glared at it.
"Do you Death Eaters have any courage at all? You don't even show your faces!" he snapped. He pointed his wand again, trying desperately to remember the spells Professor's Lupin and Moody had taught him.
"Uh... Prosterno!" he yelled. The Death Eater was knocked onto the ground. Harry continued to think. He didn't want to kill him, that wasn't what he was supposed to do. He nodded slowly.
"Petrificus Totalus!" he yelled instantly. The Death Eaters limbs snapped to his sides, and his wand fell harmlessly to the ground. Harry knelt over the body and picked it up, pocketing it so the Death Eater couldn't use it again. He turned around to see Hermione battling an ugly beast. A Quinteped. She seemed alright, so Harry looked somewhere else.
The battle was going on everywhere. The trolls had disappeared. So had the Dementors and a few other creatures. Harry looked across the grounds, searching for the evil hooded creatures that Remus had taught him to fight against. They were completely gone... where were they? Harry didn't know how to defeat a manticore or a chimaera. Ron was fighting the Death Eaters valiantly. And where was Voldemort for that matter?
The only things Harry was looking for he couldn't find. He couldn't think about it long, however, as another Death Eater was busy sneaking up on him.
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Remus and Sirius slipped quietly through the empty halls. They had helped a group of seventh years defeat some Death Eaters, and now were trying to find a quiet area to lure some others in. The Transfiguration corridor appeared blocked, for some odd reason, so that left the Charms corridor. It was the best place.
"Think you remember how to do a Compelling Charm?" Remus hissed at Sirius. He could practically feel his friend roll his eyes.
"Please. I've been doing those since my second year," he whispered back.
"Yes, you have, Black. Unfortunately, your plan won't work. Expelliarmus," a loud voice said. Their wands flew out of their hands. Remus and Sirius both looked up. They knew that voice...
Peter stepped in front of them, smiling a bit. Behind him were several Dementors. He snapped his fingers at them.
"Don't move, Dementors. Not until I say," he snapped. The ghostly things moved back into the shadows, waiting for his command. Sirius bared his teeth and scowled at Peter.
"Hello Peter. It's nice to see you're not hiding behind stronger things any more. What changed your mind?" he asked harshly. Peter laughed, but you could see the sweat beads on his head.
"Maybe because the Dark Lord has made me stronger. Or maybe it's because I know that we'll win this battle," he said simply. He was practically laughing. He fingered their wands gently, smiling ruefully.
"A pity... such nice wands. The Dark Lord will have fun snapping them. Sadly enough, he's given me orders not to, so I must wait. But to have a spell cast on you from your own wand? Why, that must be very ironic," he laughed. Remus grabbed Sirius by the arm to hold him back.
"Peter... you know we're stronger then you. You know that we could just attack you. We don't even need our wands," Remus said gently. Even though Peter was a traitor, he still had to treat him with respect. Peter laughed at him.
"I don't think so, werewolf. You've lost what strength you had by the transformations. And that one," he said, pointing at Sirius, "is still weak from Azkaban. I doubt you could take me," he said. Then he shrugged. "Besides, the Dementors would be on you in a second."
"Not if we ripped your vocal cords out first!" yelled Sirius. He lunged at Peter, yanking his arm away from Remus. Peter leapt back, and screamed.
"Dementors! Attack him!" he yelled. The Dementors swarmed around Sirius. Unfortunately for Peter, he had managed to grab his wand back. Peter ran from him, but didn't get far.
Remus tackled him, knocking his head into the floor. He snatched his wand from his pocket and pointed it at Peter.
"I'm sorry things had to turn out this way," Remus said sadly. He kicked Peter in the gut quickly, and then ran over to help his friend. Pointing his wand, he concentrated on a happy thought.
"The day that Sirius was announced free of all charges," he thought.
"Expecto Patronum," he yelled. A silver beam shot from his wand, forming a wolf. It hit a few of the Dementors, but it could get no farther. He felt a searing pain on the back of his neck, and he dropped his wand in surprise. It came again, and he howled.
Peter picked him up by his robe collar and tossed him as far as he could, away from Sirius. He hit the ground hard, his head connecting with the ground in a cold Snap! Peter smiled evilly at him, and showed him his silver hand.
"A gift from the Dark Lord. I hope you enjoy it," he growled. He slapped Remus hard across the cheek, and Remus howled again. The burn mark was left, and Peter laughed coldly.
"Once a wolf, always a wolf, Remus," he laughed. He kicked him in the head, and he curled up into a ball.
I have to help Sirius. Get up, you lout! You have to help Sirius. He needs you... he can't face those Dementors alone.
"Peter..." he said weakly. Peter leaned close to him.
"What is it, werewolf? Asking me to say good bye to your loved ones for you?" he said cruelly. Remus nearly laughed on the inside.
"If I'm.... If I'm always a werewolf.... then I have the strength of a werewolf at all times. Now go back to your master!" he yelled. He jumped up and punched Peter in the jaw. Peter tumbled to the ground, and Remus scrambled to grab his wand. He snatched it up from the ground and pointed it at Peter. Peter snarled at him, and jumped on him. His silver hand kept hitting Remus, but Remus was still managing to get the best of him.
"You never were a good fighter," he panted. Peter snarled and continued to attack. Remus shoved him off, and jumped to his feet.
"You always hid behind James and Sirius when we got in a fight. Never could stand up for yourself," Remus remembered aloud. Peter snapped.
"At least I'm better than you! You were what they were constantly protecting. It was always 'Poor Remus this, and poor Remus that'. Well what about poor Peter! I had a life too, you know! You were a dark creature. You weren't deserving of their attentions. It should have just been the three of us. It would have been better that way!" Peter bellowed. Remus shook his head sadly.
"Three years ago, Peter, maybe two. That's when that would have worked. I don't take time to feel sorry for myself anymore. It isn't worth it," he whispered. Suddenly, Sirius appeared behind him, his face pale and his hands shaking.
"And I beg to differ, Wormtail. You were the only one not deserving of our attentions," he sighed. Then he pulled out his wand and grinned wolfishly.
"And Peter? I have my wand back."
Remus smiled briefly at Sirius, and turned to take care of the Dementors. There had been 20, now there were 13. Remus felt the rush of cold dread and anxiety, but he ignored it. He turned to another happy memory, desperately reaching for one.
The day Luna and Lupita were born. Angelina was so happy. She was practically glowing, with sweat pouring down her face.
But the memory brought nothing but sadness. All he could think of was that Angelina died twenty days later, and that Sirius and James hadn't been there. He focused on something else.
The day Luna and Lupita got their acceptance letters to Hogwarts!
Focusing on that, he pointed his wand.
"Expecto Patronum!" he yelled. The silver shot out of his wand again, and the wolf hunted the Dementors. Five vanished instantly. Yet Remus felt drained, like he couldn't keep it up any longer. His hands were trembling violently, and he backed up to see how Sirius was doing.
Sirius was on top of Peter, punching him in the face, while Peter punched Sirius in the stomach. Neither looked very good, both being pale and covered in sweat. Remus dug out his wand and concentrated hard on finding a good spell, preferably one that wouldn't kill Sirius. Or Peter, but some things couldn't be helped.
"Anxieto Extremus!" he yelled. The spell drained him completely, but it hit Peter spot on. His face went pale, and his eyes went wide. Sweat dripped down heavily from his forehead, and tears formed in his eyes. He pushed Sirius off of him, and ran away. Remus collapsed to the floor, leaning against the wall. Sirius pressed his forehead to the floor, panting. He touched his arm carefully and winced. The bone was sticking out of his arm. Remus closed his eyes.
"That wasn't fun," he whispered. Sirius dragged himself over to Remus and joined him at the wall.
"I'll agree," he said hoarsely. Remus felt the tears begin to trickle out of his eyes, and he glanced at Sirius, to see he was long ahead of him. He choked most of them back, and looked over to where the Dementors had been. He was surprised to see Draco Malfoy standing there, holding a few off, while Harry was holding off the rest.
Will anything surprise me nowadays?
He touched his cheeks lightly to feel the ugly burn marks. He sighed and turned to Sirius.
"How did he hurt you? And where?" he asked. He decided to let Harry and Draco take care of the rest. He and Sirius just weren't up for it.
"The bastard broke my arm. And he bit me," he said, displaying his broken arm, and the finger where Peter had bitten him. Remus nodded and looked at the broken arm.
"Beyond my skills, sorry," he muttered. Sirius shook his head.
"I didn't want you to fix it. Let Pomfrey take care of that. She's used to seeing us. What about you?" he asked. Remus shook his head.
"Burns and bruises, that's all. Nothing serious," he said. He rose shakily to his feet, and helped Sirius up.
"I didn't-"
"Let's not start with the Sirius-Serious jokes, ok? I've heard enough in my life time," Remus snapped. Sirius grinned at him, and raised up a hand.
"Fine. Come on, I think the battle is over," said Sirius. Remus nodded.
They walked carefully down the halls, stepping lightly and quietly just in case. While turning down the History of Magic corridor, something jumped on top of Sirius. Remus gasped and slammed himself into the wall.
It was a Manticore, and the head was leering at Sirius. Remus pulled out his wand, struggling to remember a charm that would kill the beast. He had no qualms about killing an animal.
"Sirius, hold very still. Don't move. And if it pulls it's stinger on you, get out of it's way," he said, making his voice soft and gentle. Sirius glanced at him, and made a look of 'Are you nuts?'. Remus smiled sheepishly at him.
"Cast Kaylecia, Sirius. Best shield there is," he crooned. Sirius drew his wand carefully. The Manticore stared down at him, drool slipping from it's teeth. Sirius opened his mouth slowly and carefully.
"Kaylecia," he murmured. A clear shield instantly formed around him, and the Manticore was thrown off of him. Remus whipped around and aimed his wand.
"Ripreciperium!" shouted Remus. The monster's brains came flowing out of his ears, and Remus winced. Sickening. But it didn't stop, for some reason. He watched in horror as it jumped on top of Sirius again, breaking through the shield, it's tail poised. He was just about to hit it with another spell, when he felt something slam into his back.
Remus heard a mighty roar, and was shocked to realize he was going to be fighting a Chimaera. He groaned.
"Lovely. Simply lovely. Only one known successful slaying. Yes, I'm going to have fun," he yelped. He struggled heavily to turn himself around, and as soon as he did, he wished he hadn't.
The lion's head was staring eerily down at him, it's teeth bared. It wore a black collar, with a lavish 'V' on it. It snarled viciously at him, and swiped at his arm with his paw. The claws dug into his arm, and Remus screamed. He groaned an instant later.
"Today is not my day. First of all, get off. Ventosus!" he snapped. The Chimaera didn't move much, but Remus slid out from under him. He sighed, and rubbed his head. He was getting a major headache.
"Ok, look, if you run away, then I don't have to do the evil thing and kill you," he said simply. Not like the Chimaera could understand him, but it was worth a shot. The lion head growled at him, and began circling Remus. He glanced over at Sirius, who seemed to be gaining the upper hand, albeit slowly. He sighed and pointed his wand at the Chimaera.
"You asked for it. Cosudious!" he whispered. The lion began to roar, and Remus covered his ears. The roar was horribly loud, and Sirius nearly dropped his wand in surprise. The Manticore yelled, and turned and ran. The Chimaera growled at Remus one last time, and then joined the Manticore in it's exit. He looked at Sirius.
"Are you ok?" he asked. Sirius nodded, and then passed out. Remus smiled briefly, and then collapsed himself. It was just too much.
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"Father!" Luna yelled.
"Uncle Sirius!" Rose yelled at the same time. The twins looked at each other in distress.
"Professors!"
Luna and Rose leapt to their feet. Both ran towards the door, but Amy got there first, her arms blocking their way.
"Not now, guys. We have to wait until the battle is over," she snapped. Luna glared at her, but backed away. Rose didn't budge.
"Excuse me? Amy, my uncle is out there. And if he dies, I will kill you," she snarled. She made a move for the door, but Amy stopped her.
"Listen to reason, Rose. They aren't dead. They're in a secluded area where few will attack them. The Chimaera is dead, the spell is a slow killer. And painful. The Manticore was bleeding horribly when it left. The Death Eaters are busy on the grounds. The Dementors were extinguished by Harry and the other boy. If we left this room, we'd be in more danger than them. And if you die, Professor Black will die, no matter what. End of case," she said simply. Rose covered her face with her hands, and then fell to the ground crying.
"Why now?" she sobbed, "Why does this have to happen? If I ever meet that jerk I'm killing him!"
Luna looked sympathetically at Rose, but turned back to the images. The Death Eaters were fleeing, she noted with pleasure.
"They're leaving. Let's go."
Luna stood up, but looked at Michelle and the guys. Lita noticed her dilemma.
"Hey, Michelle, guys, let's go back to the Common Room, all right? Celebrate with the rest of the Gryffindors?" she asked. Michelle looked slowly at Rose, and then nodded. Allen, Brian, and Tim stood up immediately and went to her side. Lita opened the door carefully, and then disappeared down the halls with the rest of the people. Luna looked at Rose.
"Ok, now our job is search and recovery. Let's go, go, go!" she yelled. Rose cracked up. Luna raised an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry, you just sounded so much like a military person. You'll have to forgive me," she snickered. Luna rolled her eyes, and grabbed Rose by the wrist.
"Let's go, singular," laughed Luna. Rose snickered, and Amy followed them out of the room. Straight into a Death Eaters arms.
Amy screamed first, Luna not far behind. She pulled out her wand, but Rose was much more effective. She kicked the Death Eater right in between the legs. He (the gender was now known to them) groaned, grabbed his crotch, and fell over. Rose kicked him, and then smiled sweetly at Luna.
"Nobody gets between me and my uncle," she cooed. Luna smiled, and they raced down the corridor.
Thankfully, it appeared the Death Eater they had run into was the last one. They managed to reach the Charms corridor with no problems. When they got there, Luna raced over to her father, and Rose rushed over to Sirius. Amy stood in the middle, watching them.
"Father? Father, wake up. They're gone. They've run away. Please wake up," she begged. His eyes opened slowly, and he rubbed his head.
"I'm going to feel this in the morning," he moaned. Luna jumped into his arms.
"Father! You're alive! We watched you, it was amazing, the room- it glowed, and then all these people appeared- and you fought, and father, remind me never to make you angry, and-"
"Whoa, Luna. Slow down, honey," he laughed. He wrapped Luna in his arms. Rose was busy tapping Sirius.
"Uncle Sirius? Come on, you lazy bum. Let's move," she whispered. Sirius groaned, and then opened one eye. He closed it almost immediately and called over to Remus.
"Hey Moony, you catch the number on that bus?" he asked. Remus looked over at him.
"What?"
"Muggle humor, never mind."
Rose hugged Sirius tightly, and then whacked him on the shoulder.
"Hey, what was that for?" he protested. Rose scowled at him.
"That was for making me scared. I actually started crying in the Wish Room!" she snapped. Sirius laughed, and hugged her.
"Sorry Rose. I'll never do it again."
"Promise?"
Sirius and Remus glanced at each other. Remus shrugged as lightly as he could, and momentary gloom passed over Sirius. His eyes clouded, and then he forced a smile in place.
"I promise, Rose."
I wish we could promise, Padfoot my friend. I wish we could promise.
I'm sorry this took so long. I got really sick for a while, and then I got bored with the story. Hope you all enjoyed!
StormWitch RD- I promise that Luna won't become a Mary Sue. Really, she isn't all that important in the prophecy. Only thing she really does is have small prophetic dreams and... something else. Very minor. Angelina was a Seer, which is why anyone she knows has prophecies cast on them. She has several for her children, mostly because they're her children. As for the American slang: I'm American and have never been to England. The only English I really know is Cockney (I played the Artful Dodger in Oliver at my theatre). I would fix it if I knew how, but I don't. Moonroses do become important, actually. And.... Luna's name does need explaining. You'll see why...
CreamyCoconut43 and ShadowDragon- Thanks for the reviews! Creamy, I'll read more of your story as soon as possible, ok?
