In Which the War Begins
Chapter 38:
They came in waves; masses of black cloth, moving slowly but steadily forward. Methos had one thought before all else.
'Thank whatever gods there are that the children haven't returned yet.' He looked at Severus and nodded. It was time to fight. BATTLE STATIONS!
Gryffindor Common Room
Percy and Oliver flew out the portrait hole, ordering everybody to go to the Great Hall and not leave under any circumstances. They met up with Methos and Severus in the entrance hall.
"They're attacking from the forest. Remus and Sirius are out there already." Methos brought them up to speed as they raced to the front lines. Several Teachers were there already, firing counter curses and protective spells. Methos ran over to Remus and Sirius, who were dealing out a hefty punishment for all who came near. Somebody cast a jelly-legs spell at him, to trip him up and put him out of commission, but all he felt was a tingling sensation and a slight wobble before continuing on normally. It was hard to curse an immortal.
"What happened?" he called out at a pause in the fighting.
"They came out of nowhere!" Sirius yelled back. "And they keep coming, so keep fighting!" Methos nodded and sent another hex at a black robed Death Eater.
Meanwhile, Severus was on the other side of the field, cursing every Death Eater that got within his range, while at the same time not making it obvious that he was on the side of the light. He pulled a vial out of his pocket and hurled it at a cluster of hooded figures. It exploded, the smoke sending all near into a deep slumber.. Satisfied with his work, he went of into the mêlée to find his lover.
Percy and Oliver were in the thick of things; fighting perfectly together as if they were two of one mind. Hex him. Block her. Jinx them. Over and over it went, the black robes falling like flies, but still more came.
Methos saved Remus from a particularly nasty curse when he was tackle from behind, his wand flying away onto he dirt. He pushed himself up and spat mud from his mouth, all but ignoring the weight on his back.
He flipped over, throwing the guy from his back. The man rushed foreword again, only to be met by Methos' fist. He fell to the ground unconscious. Methos looked down at him and scoffed.
"That was one stupid thing to do. Idiot."
"And that was one impressive move there." Methos turned to see Severus behind him, holding Methos' wand. "I think you dropped this." Methos smiled at him, accepting his wand.
"Thanks love." He looked around. As he had grappled with the Death Eater somebody had called a retreat, and all those who could still walk, ran.
Hospital Wing
Ginny Weasley hurried behind Madame Pomfrey. She hadn't been allowed to heal on the battlefield, as it was too dangerous, so her skills were now being put to use after the battle. As she rushed into the ward after Madame Pomfrey, she was surprised to see so many people there. Most were Death Eaters, still in their robes, in full body binds, some obviously in pain. Those she would heal first. Madame Pomfrey spent her time healing the minor injuries of the teachers, as Ginny was the only one who could heal through the body bind.
Madame Pomfrey led her to a nearby bed. The Death Eater"s leg was bent at an odd angle and was obviously causing him a lot of distress. His face was pale and rivulets of sweat fell down his brow, both from pain and fear. He was unmasked int eh presence of an enemy. Never a good thing.
"Just remember what I told you, dearie, and you'll do fine." Ginny nodded at Madame Pomfrey's words and placed her slender hands over the broken leg. The Death Eater watched her through the slits of his eyes.
Her honey brown eyes drifted shut as she concentrated, feeling the warmth flow to her hands. With a whipered word the heat left her and entered the man on the bed. Ginny's hands were glowing red-hot. With a sudden jerk she pulled away and stood there breathing heavily for a moment before moving over to the next bed.
The Death Eater felt his knee. It seemed to be completely healed. He grinned to himself. Tonight he'll escape and report back to his master. Voldemort would be pleased to hear of the healer.
Later that night
The Death Eater breathed a sigh of relief. The medi-witch had finally retired and the mental counter curses he had been doing all day had broken his unseen bonds. He stood slowly, not even his robes making the slightest of sounds. He checked his pockets and was not surprised to see his wand was missing. 'it's probably still outside…or broken by now.' It didn't matter, however. He had been sneaking around for a long time and didn't need magic.
He left the ward under cover of night moving more silently than a ghost. He hurried down the winding staircases to return to the entrance hall, where he could finally escape. Having graduated from Hogwarts himself, he felt confident that he could not get lost. What he hadn't accounted for, however, was the staircases themselves. They realized one of their students was in danger and would protect her. They led him, in fact, down below the entrance hall into the dungeons.
Severus jerked awake. He always was a light sleeper, even when he was…ahem…exhausted…from the previous night's activities. His partner in said activities, slowly awoke when Severus jerked.
"Sev?" Methos asked, his voice muddy with sleep.
"There is an intruder in the dungeons. I have an alarm net set to alert me when that happens and it just woke me up."
"Who do you think it is?"
"Well, it ignores teachers and students, so I'm sure it's one of those captured Death Eaters. That's the only possibility." Methos nodded.
"You stay here and rest love. I'll deal with this." Severus looked ready to protest. "No. You need the sleep more than I do. I'll go." Severus grudgingly agreed as Methos stood and padded over to his clothes. He pulled on his jeans and his robes.
"Be careful, love." Methos grinned.
"The only way to be." He walked back over to Severus. "I'll be right back." He kissed him softly. Severus nodded and bedded down once more, rolling on his side to watch Methos leave the room. As Methos left he felt the weight of his sword ion his back and his gun in the pocket of his robes. The Death Eater was a threat that had to be eliminated.
Methos walked up to the wandering Death Eater and was brought up short before his presence was known by the mild buzz. The Death Eater was a pre- immortal. Great. Just what he needed. No wonder he got out of the body bind. This had only one way to end.
"Going somewhere comrade?" The man spun around, his hand going for his nonexistent wand. "Missing something?" The man started to back away. Methos grinned. It was a feral grin. "Oh, don't run. I'm going to get you out of here." The man paused.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"Why?"
"Because you don't do me a bit of good here, and I don't want anything in my way. Maybe a Gryffindor would have left you, or taken you back, but not me. I am a Slytherin after all." The man looked at him, measuring. He finally nodded.
"Ok." Methos raised one side of his mouth in what could have been called a smile.
"Wonderful. This way." He brought the man through the lower catacombs, down into the very pit of the castle and into a hidden room. Methos began to talk.
"This chamber is very old and very secret. It hasn't been used since the days of Slytherin himself. He built it to conduct certain experiments in, and, as a result, this is the only place on the ground that isn't holy ground. The blessing would interfere with his spells." He led the man into the center of the room. "He did it against my wishes. I din't want it to be known that there was a place for immortals to fight so close, but he never told. I don't think Dumbledore even knows about it." He paused.
"Then again, there is one good thing. Here I can truly embrace my race, my heritage, and kill like so many before me." He paused as the man's eyes widened. "You didn't actually think I was going to let you live, did you?" He laughed. "You did! How quaint. You are of no use to me here, and by keeping you alive, you endanger my lover and my students. I can't let that happen." The man ran to the door and tried to open it.
"The door is locked, by the way. The only way out of this room is in a body bag I'm afraid." He pulled out his gun. "Normally I would just shoot you with this. It's quicker, less painful, and not to mention easier to do. However, this" he held it up again before putting it away, "wouldn't do it's job. This, on the other hand," he pulled out his sword, "will." Methos started to advance on the shaking man.
"Who are you?" he whispered, trembling. Methos' smile was not to be found on any living creature, but rather on the bleached skulls of the desert, and rotting corpses. He raised his sword.
"I was once called Death."
The sword came down.
The Astronomy Tower
Cassandra awoke with a start. She glanced around her room. Noting was there, and there were no dreams to wake her. She cast her mind back. It was a power surge that had woken her, unlike anything she had felt for a few centuries at least. It was like a mini Quickening. Confused, but unable to find a reason for her sudden bout of consciousness, she settled down for a restless night's sleep.
The Hospital Wing – the next morning
Dumbledore entered the ward in a rush, having received a rather panicked summons from Madame Pomfrey.
"What is it? I'm here."
"One of them! He's gone! Just up0 and left while I was sleeping! On, and he knew about dear Virginia! Oh no!"
"Calm down, Poppy dear. There is no reason to panic yet."
"There is no reason to panic at all." Came a voice behind them. Methos entered the ward, his eyes haunted, though his face showed none of it. "He's been taken care of. He's no longer a threat to you or to anyone."
"What happened to him? Did the Aurours get him?" Methos shook his head.
"He was outside of their jurisdiction. He's been taken care of. That's all I can tell you." The look in his eyes was enough to stop her questioning.
"Are you alright Adam?" Dumbledore asked.
"I will be." Dumbledore nodded, accepting that answer. There was peace…for now.
The students came back the next day without a problem and the Aurours came to take away the Death Eaters and imprison them in Azkaban. Fudge, still in denial (what a moron), refused to allow the Aurours to be stationed at Hogwarts, so the teacher's vigils continued. Classes progressed, Quidditch was played, and tests were taken and given. Everything returned to a state of normalcy (or as normal as Hogwarts ever gets). Over time people started to relax. Instead of 5 patrols a night, there were three. People stopped jumping at shadows. Our HEROES, however, knew not to relax. It was they who noticed, in late April, when the second attack came.
TBC.
Muahahaha!!! I save you from one cliff hanger to leave you with another!!! Haha ha!! The good news is the next chapter's written already and should be out soon. I'm sorry I didn't post this sooner. My Computer's been having problems.
Tea – who comes out next…hmm…I don't really know. I think it'll be Draco and Harry, but to a small few. There'll be no more outings in this book anyway. There's not enough room. In the Sequel, Harry Potter and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. (I think that's what I'm calling it.) That'll be out over the summer sometime.
Vampire Child – ok. This is what the necklace and bracelets do. Harry's necklace warns him of magical danger while boosting the power of his bracelet; which is full of protective magic. Basically, he's got magical armor and a spidey-sense. Methos' necklace warns him of danger of every kind, the type of danger depends on the color.
Lady Cinnibar – She'll find out before the story ends. I'm not telling when, though. I'm flattered, really. I never thought my stuff was that good. I must say…I feel very loved right about now.
Aurumlupi – Scarletjedi is another name that I have for a different thingie. The two are so similar I get confused, but I only wrote Scarletjedi at the beginning of the story. At least I thought I did. Anyway, I mean immortaljedi. Sorry.
Herald-Mage Brianna – I loved the song. I was so happy! I broke 200!!! I broke 225! Now I'm shooting for 250! I'm really glad you liked the story. It is fabulous isn't it. (yeah, and I'm modest)
Until next time I was, am, and will forever be, Immortaljedi.
Chapter 38:
They came in waves; masses of black cloth, moving slowly but steadily forward. Methos had one thought before all else.
'Thank whatever gods there are that the children haven't returned yet.' He looked at Severus and nodded. It was time to fight. BATTLE STATIONS!
Gryffindor Common Room
Percy and Oliver flew out the portrait hole, ordering everybody to go to the Great Hall and not leave under any circumstances. They met up with Methos and Severus in the entrance hall.
"They're attacking from the forest. Remus and Sirius are out there already." Methos brought them up to speed as they raced to the front lines. Several Teachers were there already, firing counter curses and protective spells. Methos ran over to Remus and Sirius, who were dealing out a hefty punishment for all who came near. Somebody cast a jelly-legs spell at him, to trip him up and put him out of commission, but all he felt was a tingling sensation and a slight wobble before continuing on normally. It was hard to curse an immortal.
"What happened?" he called out at a pause in the fighting.
"They came out of nowhere!" Sirius yelled back. "And they keep coming, so keep fighting!" Methos nodded and sent another hex at a black robed Death Eater.
Meanwhile, Severus was on the other side of the field, cursing every Death Eater that got within his range, while at the same time not making it obvious that he was on the side of the light. He pulled a vial out of his pocket and hurled it at a cluster of hooded figures. It exploded, the smoke sending all near into a deep slumber.. Satisfied with his work, he went of into the mêlée to find his lover.
Percy and Oliver were in the thick of things; fighting perfectly together as if they were two of one mind. Hex him. Block her. Jinx them. Over and over it went, the black robes falling like flies, but still more came.
Methos saved Remus from a particularly nasty curse when he was tackle from behind, his wand flying away onto he dirt. He pushed himself up and spat mud from his mouth, all but ignoring the weight on his back.
He flipped over, throwing the guy from his back. The man rushed foreword again, only to be met by Methos' fist. He fell to the ground unconscious. Methos looked down at him and scoffed.
"That was one stupid thing to do. Idiot."
"And that was one impressive move there." Methos turned to see Severus behind him, holding Methos' wand. "I think you dropped this." Methos smiled at him, accepting his wand.
"Thanks love." He looked around. As he had grappled with the Death Eater somebody had called a retreat, and all those who could still walk, ran.
Hospital Wing
Ginny Weasley hurried behind Madame Pomfrey. She hadn't been allowed to heal on the battlefield, as it was too dangerous, so her skills were now being put to use after the battle. As she rushed into the ward after Madame Pomfrey, she was surprised to see so many people there. Most were Death Eaters, still in their robes, in full body binds, some obviously in pain. Those she would heal first. Madame Pomfrey spent her time healing the minor injuries of the teachers, as Ginny was the only one who could heal through the body bind.
Madame Pomfrey led her to a nearby bed. The Death Eater"s leg was bent at an odd angle and was obviously causing him a lot of distress. His face was pale and rivulets of sweat fell down his brow, both from pain and fear. He was unmasked int eh presence of an enemy. Never a good thing.
"Just remember what I told you, dearie, and you'll do fine." Ginny nodded at Madame Pomfrey's words and placed her slender hands over the broken leg. The Death Eater watched her through the slits of his eyes.
Her honey brown eyes drifted shut as she concentrated, feeling the warmth flow to her hands. With a whipered word the heat left her and entered the man on the bed. Ginny's hands were glowing red-hot. With a sudden jerk she pulled away and stood there breathing heavily for a moment before moving over to the next bed.
The Death Eater felt his knee. It seemed to be completely healed. He grinned to himself. Tonight he'll escape and report back to his master. Voldemort would be pleased to hear of the healer.
Later that night
The Death Eater breathed a sigh of relief. The medi-witch had finally retired and the mental counter curses he had been doing all day had broken his unseen bonds. He stood slowly, not even his robes making the slightest of sounds. He checked his pockets and was not surprised to see his wand was missing. 'it's probably still outside…or broken by now.' It didn't matter, however. He had been sneaking around for a long time and didn't need magic.
He left the ward under cover of night moving more silently than a ghost. He hurried down the winding staircases to return to the entrance hall, where he could finally escape. Having graduated from Hogwarts himself, he felt confident that he could not get lost. What he hadn't accounted for, however, was the staircases themselves. They realized one of their students was in danger and would protect her. They led him, in fact, down below the entrance hall into the dungeons.
Severus jerked awake. He always was a light sleeper, even when he was…ahem…exhausted…from the previous night's activities. His partner in said activities, slowly awoke when Severus jerked.
"Sev?" Methos asked, his voice muddy with sleep.
"There is an intruder in the dungeons. I have an alarm net set to alert me when that happens and it just woke me up."
"Who do you think it is?"
"Well, it ignores teachers and students, so I'm sure it's one of those captured Death Eaters. That's the only possibility." Methos nodded.
"You stay here and rest love. I'll deal with this." Severus looked ready to protest. "No. You need the sleep more than I do. I'll go." Severus grudgingly agreed as Methos stood and padded over to his clothes. He pulled on his jeans and his robes.
"Be careful, love." Methos grinned.
"The only way to be." He walked back over to Severus. "I'll be right back." He kissed him softly. Severus nodded and bedded down once more, rolling on his side to watch Methos leave the room. As Methos left he felt the weight of his sword ion his back and his gun in the pocket of his robes. The Death Eater was a threat that had to be eliminated.
Methos walked up to the wandering Death Eater and was brought up short before his presence was known by the mild buzz. The Death Eater was a pre- immortal. Great. Just what he needed. No wonder he got out of the body bind. This had only one way to end.
"Going somewhere comrade?" The man spun around, his hand going for his nonexistent wand. "Missing something?" The man started to back away. Methos grinned. It was a feral grin. "Oh, don't run. I'm going to get you out of here." The man paused.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"Why?"
"Because you don't do me a bit of good here, and I don't want anything in my way. Maybe a Gryffindor would have left you, or taken you back, but not me. I am a Slytherin after all." The man looked at him, measuring. He finally nodded.
"Ok." Methos raised one side of his mouth in what could have been called a smile.
"Wonderful. This way." He brought the man through the lower catacombs, down into the very pit of the castle and into a hidden room. Methos began to talk.
"This chamber is very old and very secret. It hasn't been used since the days of Slytherin himself. He built it to conduct certain experiments in, and, as a result, this is the only place on the ground that isn't holy ground. The blessing would interfere with his spells." He led the man into the center of the room. "He did it against my wishes. I din't want it to be known that there was a place for immortals to fight so close, but he never told. I don't think Dumbledore even knows about it." He paused.
"Then again, there is one good thing. Here I can truly embrace my race, my heritage, and kill like so many before me." He paused as the man's eyes widened. "You didn't actually think I was going to let you live, did you?" He laughed. "You did! How quaint. You are of no use to me here, and by keeping you alive, you endanger my lover and my students. I can't let that happen." The man ran to the door and tried to open it.
"The door is locked, by the way. The only way out of this room is in a body bag I'm afraid." He pulled out his gun. "Normally I would just shoot you with this. It's quicker, less painful, and not to mention easier to do. However, this" he held it up again before putting it away, "wouldn't do it's job. This, on the other hand," he pulled out his sword, "will." Methos started to advance on the shaking man.
"Who are you?" he whispered, trembling. Methos' smile was not to be found on any living creature, but rather on the bleached skulls of the desert, and rotting corpses. He raised his sword.
"I was once called Death."
The sword came down.
The Astronomy Tower
Cassandra awoke with a start. She glanced around her room. Noting was there, and there were no dreams to wake her. She cast her mind back. It was a power surge that had woken her, unlike anything she had felt for a few centuries at least. It was like a mini Quickening. Confused, but unable to find a reason for her sudden bout of consciousness, she settled down for a restless night's sleep.
The Hospital Wing – the next morning
Dumbledore entered the ward in a rush, having received a rather panicked summons from Madame Pomfrey.
"What is it? I'm here."
"One of them! He's gone! Just up0 and left while I was sleeping! On, and he knew about dear Virginia! Oh no!"
"Calm down, Poppy dear. There is no reason to panic yet."
"There is no reason to panic at all." Came a voice behind them. Methos entered the ward, his eyes haunted, though his face showed none of it. "He's been taken care of. He's no longer a threat to you or to anyone."
"What happened to him? Did the Aurours get him?" Methos shook his head.
"He was outside of their jurisdiction. He's been taken care of. That's all I can tell you." The look in his eyes was enough to stop her questioning.
"Are you alright Adam?" Dumbledore asked.
"I will be." Dumbledore nodded, accepting that answer. There was peace…for now.
The students came back the next day without a problem and the Aurours came to take away the Death Eaters and imprison them in Azkaban. Fudge, still in denial (what a moron), refused to allow the Aurours to be stationed at Hogwarts, so the teacher's vigils continued. Classes progressed, Quidditch was played, and tests were taken and given. Everything returned to a state of normalcy (or as normal as Hogwarts ever gets). Over time people started to relax. Instead of 5 patrols a night, there were three. People stopped jumping at shadows. Our HEROES, however, knew not to relax. It was they who noticed, in late April, when the second attack came.
TBC.
Muahahaha!!! I save you from one cliff hanger to leave you with another!!! Haha ha!! The good news is the next chapter's written already and should be out soon. I'm sorry I didn't post this sooner. My Computer's been having problems.
Tea – who comes out next…hmm…I don't really know. I think it'll be Draco and Harry, but to a small few. There'll be no more outings in this book anyway. There's not enough room. In the Sequel, Harry Potter and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. (I think that's what I'm calling it.) That'll be out over the summer sometime.
Vampire Child – ok. This is what the necklace and bracelets do. Harry's necklace warns him of magical danger while boosting the power of his bracelet; which is full of protective magic. Basically, he's got magical armor and a spidey-sense. Methos' necklace warns him of danger of every kind, the type of danger depends on the color.
Lady Cinnibar – She'll find out before the story ends. I'm not telling when, though. I'm flattered, really. I never thought my stuff was that good. I must say…I feel very loved right about now.
Aurumlupi – Scarletjedi is another name that I have for a different thingie. The two are so similar I get confused, but I only wrote Scarletjedi at the beginning of the story. At least I thought I did. Anyway, I mean immortaljedi. Sorry.
Herald-Mage Brianna – I loved the song. I was so happy! I broke 200!!! I broke 225! Now I'm shooting for 250! I'm really glad you liked the story. It is fabulous isn't it. (yeah, and I'm modest)
Until next time I was, am, and will forever be, Immortaljedi.