~~ Chapter Thirty-One: The Final Hour, Part IV ~~
When the green light from the Killing Curse faded, Minerva was not dead.
Icarus Knight, however, was.
Overcome with shock, Minerva slowly lifted her hand into the air and looked at it, amazed that she even had the strength to do so. "What the... how is this possible?"
Albus Dumbledore was equally surprised. "Y-you're alive," he stammered. "You survived the Killing Curse."
"Not survived," Artawny thundered. "Escaped. It was deflected by something even stronger: the Nundu's Curse. That fool Knight did not know that the only way to remove a Nundu's Curse is with the Killing Curse, which in turn kills the one who cast it. The Nundu's Curse always claims a life, but in this case, it was not the life intended to be taken. He has paid the ultimate price for his stupidity, and now you will, too!"
With a roar, the furious Nundu lunged at the two of them. Dumbledore threw himself on top of Minerva and rolled over, taking her with him and getting them both out of harm's way. Artawny slid on the slippery floor several feet, long enough for the two humans to get back on their feet and run over to their companions near the fireplace. All were amazed by the events that had just taken place, but now was not the time to revel in the unexpected defeat of Icarus Knight. They had something bigger to worry about - Artawny.
"Really mad Nundu," said Ron. "What do we do?"
"Confess your deepest, darkest secret," Draco replied, "and make it snappy, because here it comes."
Artawny was starting to come out of his slide.
"Not yet," Chang said. "I have an idea, but it's risky and it might not work."
"Hey, at least you have an idea," said Harry. "That's good enough for me."
"Hurry, Eko," said Dumbledore. "He's regaining control."
"Everyone grab the hand of the person next to you," Chang instructed. "Now!"
Ron cringed as he realized that he was standing between Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy, but did as the Minister of Magic instructed anyway.
Once he was sure they were all connected, Chang shouted, "APPAREO!"
All ten of them vanished, and in the blink of an eye, reappeared in the hallway just outside the room they were in.
"Albus! Room-sealing spell! Now!" Chang yelled, and then fainted.
"What happened, Professor?" Hermione asked after Dumbledore cast the room-sealing spell on the room that now contained a Nundu enraged beyond comprehension. "What did Minister Chang do?"
"He Apparated all of us out of there," Dumbledore realized. "In all my life, I've never... He could have died doing that. Never before have I seen such a difficult spell of this intensity performed."
Minerva dropped to her knees next to Chang and lifted his head into her lap. "Minerva," Snape said, "is he dead?"
Minerva closed her eyes and shook her head. Tears of relief began falling down her cheeks. "He's alive," she informed them, "but barely. If we don't get him medical attention soon, he'll die." She opened her eyes and looked at Alina, who was also laying on the ground with Lucius's blood-stained outer robe pressed to the cuts on her chest. "The same goes for Professor Terringer. We've got to get out of here."
"But the Nundu!" said Harry. "If it gets out of there, there's no telling what it will do!"
"He's right," Alina said in a voice so soft it could barely be heard. "You must stop the Nundu."
"How?" asked Ron. "It's so powerful."
A loud crash was heard. Artawny was throwing himself against the door in hopes to break it open.
"And it never gives up," he added.
"That sounds like some people I know," Dumbledore said, looking at each of them individually, save for the unconscious Chang. "We are nine. He is but one."
There was another crash.
"He's also a Nundu," Snape pointed out. "I'd say that's good for about fifteen of us."
"Nothing is invincible," Dumbledore said. "Not e-"
He was interrupted by yet another loud crash.
"Not even a Nundu," he finished.
"Well, we could always pray for a natural disaster," Ron suggested, "like an earthquake or something."
At that moment, the room gave a slight tremble.
When the shaking stopped, Dumbledore looked at Ron and said, "Have you ever considered studying to become a Seer, Mr. Weasley?"
"I think he should," said Harry. "He's really good at this prediction stuff."
"Did I really just predict an earthquake?" asked Ron.
The room shook again.
"It would appear so, Mr. Weasley," said Snape.
Hermione walked over to the door that led into the room they were just in and looked at it carefully. "I don't think it's an earthquake," she said. "We aren't on a fault line, so I don't see how it could be."
Ron snapped his fingers. "Blast. And just when I was thinking I had some skills my brothers don't."
"Don't worry, Ron," said Hermione. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to prove your competence in Divination some other time." She pressed her ear to the door for a moment, then pulled away and said, "Professor Dumbledore, what do you know about Nundus?"
"I think she was talking to you, Albus," Minerva said when she saw her husband looking at her. "I know more about pop culture than I do about Nundus."
"They're extremely rare and native to East Africa," Dumbledore began. "They are considered to be the most dangerous creatures in existence. Their breath carries disease and death, including what we now know as the Nundu's Curse."
"Can they change size?" asked Hermione.
There was another tremble, and a crash from inside the room.
Dumbledore realized what Hermione was postulating in that shrewd little mind of hers, and said, "Yes, Miss Granger, I believe they can change size."
"The Nundu is expanding himself in order to break out of that room," Hermione concluded. "That's what's causing what we thought might have been an earthquake. Do you think he can break out of there?"
Hermione's question wasn't answered by Dumbledore, but rather, by the walls around them exploding. Snape managed to cast a shield charm just before the falling debris crushed them. Artawny was bigger and madder than ever.
Ron looked up at the enraged Nundu, who was now bigger than an elephant. "So, um, who wants to go first with that deepest, darkest secret thing?"
Suddenly, Lucius got an idea. "The underbelly," he realized, and transfigured a piece of nearby rock into a sword. "Cover me," he told the others.
Snape's eyes grew wide with shock. "Lucius, what are you doing?"
"Severus, I have an idea. Just trust me. And if I don't live through this, I love you all in whatever sense of the word applies to you." He picked up the sword and made his way toward the Nundu. "Create a distraction!"
Draco picked up a piece of rock. "Hey, Furball!" he called. "Over here!" He then threw the rock. It hit Artawny in the eye. The Nundu roared in pain and struck out blindly with his paw, hitting one of the walls and sending more debris showering down on them.
"I don't think that's quite the kind of distraction your father wanted, Mr. Malfoy," said Minerva.
"No, it's brilliant!" Harry said. "When I was fighting the Basilisk last year, Fawkes scratched its eyes out. I don't think I'd be alive today if he hadn't done that. If we blind the Nundu-"
"But we don't have Fawkes," Hermione interrupted, "and it's extremely unlikely that we're going to blind it with a few well-placed stones."
Ron groaned and looked at Minerva. "Oh, why couldn't you have been some vicious bird of prey instead of a cat, Professor?"
Dumbledore's blue eyes began to sparkle. He looked at Minerva, and she smiled knowingly and nodded. Dumbledore smiled, too, and turned his gaze toward Artawny. "Like, say, a falcon?"
Suddenly, he vanished, and in his place was a falcon with reddish-brown feathers. The bird took flight and headed straight for the Nundu's eyes, fearlessly tearing at them with its sharp talons. Artawny was angrier than ever, and let out a thunderous roar to let them know it. He snapped at the creature that had done this to him, but the falcon was too swift and nimble for him, and was soon gone.
The falcon transformed back into Dumbledore just before landing. "Don't tell Fawkes that I decided to copy him," he warned the others.
Ron's mouth was open so wide it looked as if his jaw would hit the floor. "That's it," he said. "I'm not saying another word."
While Artawny was snapping blindly at the air, thinking the falcon was still nearby, Lucius spotted his opening. There was a pile of debris just under where the Nundu's heart should be. If he could just get there...
He began running, carefully sidestepping Artawny's gigantic paws as he stomped them in his pain and frustration. It was now or never. He sprinted up the pile of rocks, and just before reaching the end, noticed that it was still too short. He would have to leap, and leap he did, driving the sword deep into Artawny's flesh.
Artawny emitted a sound that resembled a cross between the cry of a mandrake and an erupting volcano. "Cover your ears!" Dumbledore shouted. "The Nundu's final defense is its death cry, and it can be fatal!"
They did, and as Artawny fell, they remained standing. When all the dust and debris settled, the bruised, battered Lucius Malfoy looked at his companions and said, "We did it."
Then, everything went black.
When the green light from the Killing Curse faded, Minerva was not dead.
Icarus Knight, however, was.
Overcome with shock, Minerva slowly lifted her hand into the air and looked at it, amazed that she even had the strength to do so. "What the... how is this possible?"
Albus Dumbledore was equally surprised. "Y-you're alive," he stammered. "You survived the Killing Curse."
"Not survived," Artawny thundered. "Escaped. It was deflected by something even stronger: the Nundu's Curse. That fool Knight did not know that the only way to remove a Nundu's Curse is with the Killing Curse, which in turn kills the one who cast it. The Nundu's Curse always claims a life, but in this case, it was not the life intended to be taken. He has paid the ultimate price for his stupidity, and now you will, too!"
With a roar, the furious Nundu lunged at the two of them. Dumbledore threw himself on top of Minerva and rolled over, taking her with him and getting them both out of harm's way. Artawny slid on the slippery floor several feet, long enough for the two humans to get back on their feet and run over to their companions near the fireplace. All were amazed by the events that had just taken place, but now was not the time to revel in the unexpected defeat of Icarus Knight. They had something bigger to worry about - Artawny.
"Really mad Nundu," said Ron. "What do we do?"
"Confess your deepest, darkest secret," Draco replied, "and make it snappy, because here it comes."
Artawny was starting to come out of his slide.
"Not yet," Chang said. "I have an idea, but it's risky and it might not work."
"Hey, at least you have an idea," said Harry. "That's good enough for me."
"Hurry, Eko," said Dumbledore. "He's regaining control."
"Everyone grab the hand of the person next to you," Chang instructed. "Now!"
Ron cringed as he realized that he was standing between Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy, but did as the Minister of Magic instructed anyway.
Once he was sure they were all connected, Chang shouted, "APPAREO!"
All ten of them vanished, and in the blink of an eye, reappeared in the hallway just outside the room they were in.
"Albus! Room-sealing spell! Now!" Chang yelled, and then fainted.
"What happened, Professor?" Hermione asked after Dumbledore cast the room-sealing spell on the room that now contained a Nundu enraged beyond comprehension. "What did Minister Chang do?"
"He Apparated all of us out of there," Dumbledore realized. "In all my life, I've never... He could have died doing that. Never before have I seen such a difficult spell of this intensity performed."
Minerva dropped to her knees next to Chang and lifted his head into her lap. "Minerva," Snape said, "is he dead?"
Minerva closed her eyes and shook her head. Tears of relief began falling down her cheeks. "He's alive," she informed them, "but barely. If we don't get him medical attention soon, he'll die." She opened her eyes and looked at Alina, who was also laying on the ground with Lucius's blood-stained outer robe pressed to the cuts on her chest. "The same goes for Professor Terringer. We've got to get out of here."
"But the Nundu!" said Harry. "If it gets out of there, there's no telling what it will do!"
"He's right," Alina said in a voice so soft it could barely be heard. "You must stop the Nundu."
"How?" asked Ron. "It's so powerful."
A loud crash was heard. Artawny was throwing himself against the door in hopes to break it open.
"And it never gives up," he added.
"That sounds like some people I know," Dumbledore said, looking at each of them individually, save for the unconscious Chang. "We are nine. He is but one."
There was another crash.
"He's also a Nundu," Snape pointed out. "I'd say that's good for about fifteen of us."
"Nothing is invincible," Dumbledore said. "Not e-"
He was interrupted by yet another loud crash.
"Not even a Nundu," he finished.
"Well, we could always pray for a natural disaster," Ron suggested, "like an earthquake or something."
At that moment, the room gave a slight tremble.
When the shaking stopped, Dumbledore looked at Ron and said, "Have you ever considered studying to become a Seer, Mr. Weasley?"
"I think he should," said Harry. "He's really good at this prediction stuff."
"Did I really just predict an earthquake?" asked Ron.
The room shook again.
"It would appear so, Mr. Weasley," said Snape.
Hermione walked over to the door that led into the room they were just in and looked at it carefully. "I don't think it's an earthquake," she said. "We aren't on a fault line, so I don't see how it could be."
Ron snapped his fingers. "Blast. And just when I was thinking I had some skills my brothers don't."
"Don't worry, Ron," said Hermione. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to prove your competence in Divination some other time." She pressed her ear to the door for a moment, then pulled away and said, "Professor Dumbledore, what do you know about Nundus?"
"I think she was talking to you, Albus," Minerva said when she saw her husband looking at her. "I know more about pop culture than I do about Nundus."
"They're extremely rare and native to East Africa," Dumbledore began. "They are considered to be the most dangerous creatures in existence. Their breath carries disease and death, including what we now know as the Nundu's Curse."
"Can they change size?" asked Hermione.
There was another tremble, and a crash from inside the room.
Dumbledore realized what Hermione was postulating in that shrewd little mind of hers, and said, "Yes, Miss Granger, I believe they can change size."
"The Nundu is expanding himself in order to break out of that room," Hermione concluded. "That's what's causing what we thought might have been an earthquake. Do you think he can break out of there?"
Hermione's question wasn't answered by Dumbledore, but rather, by the walls around them exploding. Snape managed to cast a shield charm just before the falling debris crushed them. Artawny was bigger and madder than ever.
Ron looked up at the enraged Nundu, who was now bigger than an elephant. "So, um, who wants to go first with that deepest, darkest secret thing?"
Suddenly, Lucius got an idea. "The underbelly," he realized, and transfigured a piece of nearby rock into a sword. "Cover me," he told the others.
Snape's eyes grew wide with shock. "Lucius, what are you doing?"
"Severus, I have an idea. Just trust me. And if I don't live through this, I love you all in whatever sense of the word applies to you." He picked up the sword and made his way toward the Nundu. "Create a distraction!"
Draco picked up a piece of rock. "Hey, Furball!" he called. "Over here!" He then threw the rock. It hit Artawny in the eye. The Nundu roared in pain and struck out blindly with his paw, hitting one of the walls and sending more debris showering down on them.
"I don't think that's quite the kind of distraction your father wanted, Mr. Malfoy," said Minerva.
"No, it's brilliant!" Harry said. "When I was fighting the Basilisk last year, Fawkes scratched its eyes out. I don't think I'd be alive today if he hadn't done that. If we blind the Nundu-"
"But we don't have Fawkes," Hermione interrupted, "and it's extremely unlikely that we're going to blind it with a few well-placed stones."
Ron groaned and looked at Minerva. "Oh, why couldn't you have been some vicious bird of prey instead of a cat, Professor?"
Dumbledore's blue eyes began to sparkle. He looked at Minerva, and she smiled knowingly and nodded. Dumbledore smiled, too, and turned his gaze toward Artawny. "Like, say, a falcon?"
Suddenly, he vanished, and in his place was a falcon with reddish-brown feathers. The bird took flight and headed straight for the Nundu's eyes, fearlessly tearing at them with its sharp talons. Artawny was angrier than ever, and let out a thunderous roar to let them know it. He snapped at the creature that had done this to him, but the falcon was too swift and nimble for him, and was soon gone.
The falcon transformed back into Dumbledore just before landing. "Don't tell Fawkes that I decided to copy him," he warned the others.
Ron's mouth was open so wide it looked as if his jaw would hit the floor. "That's it," he said. "I'm not saying another word."
While Artawny was snapping blindly at the air, thinking the falcon was still nearby, Lucius spotted his opening. There was a pile of debris just under where the Nundu's heart should be. If he could just get there...
He began running, carefully sidestepping Artawny's gigantic paws as he stomped them in his pain and frustration. It was now or never. He sprinted up the pile of rocks, and just before reaching the end, noticed that it was still too short. He would have to leap, and leap he did, driving the sword deep into Artawny's flesh.
Artawny emitted a sound that resembled a cross between the cry of a mandrake and an erupting volcano. "Cover your ears!" Dumbledore shouted. "The Nundu's final defense is its death cry, and it can be fatal!"
They did, and as Artawny fell, they remained standing. When all the dust and debris settled, the bruised, battered Lucius Malfoy looked at his companions and said, "We did it."
Then, everything went black.