Chapter twenty- the Quidditch Pitch.

Ron's PoV

It took me a couple of seconds o come to my senses. I knelt up, looking around the grounds, at anything but Hermione, who was kneeling next to me. I heard her gasp and assumed that she had just realised what had happened. But at that moment, I realised *how* it had happened.

Deatheaters.

They were by the lake, about fifteen of them, and making their way up the hill to the castle, where we were. They had blown the greenhouse apart.

And they were raising their wands again.

"Get down!" I yelled, pushing Hermione back down onto the ground. I flung myself next to her just in time- I felt the air moving above me as curses flew over my head.

There was screaming and yelling- all the students who had come out of the school already were shrieking in fear and probably in pain. I raised my head slightly to look- it was chaos. They were all trying to get back in through the doors, pushing each other, getting stuck- some trampled- and all the time more students who didn't know what was happening were trying to get *out*.

"What's happening?" Hermione asked suddenly. I looked down at her. Her cheek was pressed into the grass and she was looking at me with fear in her eyes. I glanced over my shoulder and knelt up again. "Deatheaters." I said quietly.

Hermione's eyes widened and she also knelt up, looking towards the lake. The Deatheaters were making their way up the slope in a long line, and raising their wands again.

"Quick!" I said, jumping to my feet and pulling Hermione up as well. We made it behind Greenhouse Four just in time- a second lot of curses rained down towards the students on the front lawn. Several of them started to scream non-stop and I shuddered involuntarily. The Cruciatus Curse.

Hermione and I peered round the side of Greenhouse Four, where we could just see the front doors- just see them being slammed shut after the last student, that is. The Deatheaters were walking past the Greenhouses now, closing in on the front steps in a long line. I counted them quickly- there were fourteen.

One of the Deatheaters raised his hand and the rest of them stopped suddenly. "There is a Quidditch match tonight. Students will be at the pitch." He said, and I felt sick when I realised it was Lucius Malfoy speaking. The evil prat.

I was suddenly having trouble breathing, and I looked over at Hermione, who stood next to me watching the Deatheaters too. "Harry," I managed to mutter, sounding pretty frantic. "He's down there, and Fred and George- oh Merlin."

Hermione eyes widened and she swallowed hard; at the same time the Deatheaters began to walk to the Quidditch Pitch, in their long line.

Hermione turned to me and spoke quickly. "If we go down to Hagrid's, we could get there through the forest before them." She said. I nodded and looked down the slope to Hagrid's cabin. The way was dotted by fir trees and rose bushes, not to mention the Whomping Willow. We'd have plenty of cover.

I waited a couple of seconds for the last Deatheater to round the corner down to the pitch and then said "now". Hermione and I ran a couple of meters to the nearest tree, where we stopped and looked out. The Deatheaters had their backs to us, but we were still careful, only running a few meters at a time.

Finally, after a couple of minutes of running, stopping, and dodging the branches of the Whomping Willow, we made it to Hagrid's empty cabin, where it was only a couple of feet to the forest. We wasted no time in ducking in between the trees and then running flat out towards the Quidditch Pitch.

We got there within a minute, and I only tripped over once, which is pretty good for me. We entered the stadium from the back, running straight out onto the pitch. The *empty* pitch. Me and Hermione stood still for a couple of seconds getting our breath back and wondering what to do now, when suddenly we heard a yell and we knew where Harry and my brothers were.

They were in front of the stadium.

Me and Hermione started to run again, this time down the entire length of the pitch. By the time we got to the other end, to the front of the stadium nearest the school, I had a hell of a stitch in my side and I could barely breath. Hermione was also having trouble breathing as we peered round the arch leading into the stands.

The front doors of the school couldn't be seen from here, because Gryffindor Tower was in the way, and there were the Deatheaters- still in a line, and this time their wands were pointed at the six people in front of us.

The entire Gryffindor Quidditch team, (excluding me, obviously), were crouching behind the cluster of Oak trees that grow next to the entrance of the pitch. Harry had his wand out and pointed straight at the Deatheaters, and I had never seen him look so angry. And, thank Merlin, he wasn't injured.

Neither were Fred and George or, as far as I could tell, Angelina or Katie. Alicia, however, was clutching at her right arm, where her robes were badly burnt and she looked to be in a lot of pain. Her wand was lying on the floor next to her- snapped in half and blackened as if it had been burnt. Fred and George were kneeling either side of her, looking very much like protective lionesses with their cub. They looked pretty much the same as Harry did- furious.

I looked back at Hermione, and was surprised to see that she was looking equally angry, surveying the scene. She looked up at me and pointed to Harry. I knew what she meant- we had to get over to where he was. I totally agreed.

I nodded, and turned back. Crouching down as low as I could get, and started to crawl over to where Harry was. I could feel Hermione right behind me, and by using the same stop-start technique we had done to get to Hagrid's we managed to get over to Harry without being spotted.

"Hey mate." I said, kneeling next to him. Harry jumped and looked at me. "Where did you go? What're you doing here?" He said, looking totally shocked.

"We heard them say they were coming down here and we knew that's where you were." Hermione said, kneeling up next to me. Harry saw her for the first time, looked at me in surprise, and then turned back to the group.

"Listen, is this all of them. Are there any more?" He asked urgently.

I shook my head. "No, we counted fourteen. They're all here." I said, pointing my wand through a gap in the branches.

"Is Alicia OK?" Hermione asked worriedly. Harry tensed, looking over at his teammate. "I think so." He said. "Fred and George stunned the one who did it, twice, but they revived him." He added, nodding at the Deatheaters.

"Where are the Boltaveria lot?" I asked, remembering for the first time they were meant to be down here as well. Harry snorted. "They're hiding in their dressing room." He said bitterly. I looked over my shoulder at the pitch. "Pathetic." I muttered, looking through the branches again.

"STUPEFY!" Hermione yelled next to me. I watched her spell hit a branch, split off at angles and bring down two Deatheaters simultaneously. Wow. Impressive.

But not very effective, seeing as their friends used 'Enervate' straight away and they were back on their feet. I could see the problem now- it was a total stalemate. Even though there were less of us we were holding them off pretty well, and the Deatheaters couldn't get to us through the tree trunks and thick branches of the rhododendron bushes clumped thickly around the base of the trees. Of course, they could probably overpower us.

"Have they tried to-?" I began to ask but Harry finished the question. "Get us? They tried to, that's how Alicia got injured, but we were stunning left right and centre. They managed to get them all awake just in time." He said.

"Look!" Hermione said suddenly, pointing up at the castle. A large group of teachers, including Dumbledore were running down towards us. I'd never seen Dumbledore running- it was quite a sight.

The Deatheaters had noticed as well, and they were starting to spread out, some of them turning their backs on us. Me, Harry and Hermione promptly started stunning those ones, but quick as a flash they were being enervated, sometimes before they even hit the ground. It was hopeless.

Curses and restraints were now being fired into the Deatheaters from a different side as well, and the group were starting to leave, I noticed suddenly. One Deatheater pulled a tiny broom from his pocket, tapped it with his wand, jumped on the now full-size broom and flew away. Three others quickly followed him. I saw some of the teachers point their wand sup in the air at the air-born Deatheaters, but they dodged the curses.

The Deatheaters were now hopelessly outnumbered- about a dozen older students were now running down the lawn to help as well, probably against orders. And, I noticed, about thirty Ministry Wizards were running towards us from the gates. Now all the Deatheaters had brooms out and had taken off.

Suddenly Harry grabbed my arm. "That's Wormtail! There!" He yelled, pointing at one, short Deatheater, who was just pushing off from the ground. I stared, feeling a boiling hatred the way I always did whenever he was mentioned. I HATE Wormtail.

I pointed my wand straight at him and tried to stun him, but it didn't work- he dodged it. Then, instead of flying off with the others 9who were already pretty far away), he swooped down towards the three of us, pointing his wand at me. "Crucio!" He yelled.

The fact that he missed me shows what a total prat he is. I mean, he was about four feet away from me. I didn't even duck or anything- I didn't have time to. However, he did hit something.

Hermione.

Hermione suddenly started screaming at the top of her voice, shaking uncontrollably. My wand was up again straight away, pointing at Wormtail, who was flying swiftly away.

"STUPEFY!!!" I yelled, at exactly the same time as Harry. The two spells together flew further and hit Wormtail in the square of his back, and he fell off his broom straight away. I turned back round to Hermione, just in time to see her fall back and hit her head on a rock on the ground.

"Hermione! Hermione, are you OK?" I yelled, shaking her shoulder. She stirred slightly, trying to open her eyes, but then gave up and passed out.

I swallowed and turned round to look at Harry, who was looking at Hermione, his face really pale.

"Come on." He said, standing up shakily. "They're gone- we got him." He looked down at Hermione. "We'll get her to the Hospital Wing."

I nodded, and we turned to where all the teachers were coming towards us.

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The deep, dark, sometimes-sarcastic thoughts of Harry Potter-

Bloody Wormtail. Thank god we got him- if we hadn't, I would have tracked him down and killed him! Doing that to Hermione- who the hell does he think he is? Geez- Hermione. I hope she's OK. Dumbledore said she would be, but what if.? No! Snap out of it Potter. What the hell were they all doing here anyway? What's the point? And how did they get in? And how did they get out? And which ones were there?

Dear Diary, Oh God. I don't know what to do. There are Deatheaters outside, right now! Everyone who was outside has come back in, and we're all in the hall! But Ron, and the twins, and Harry, and Hermione- they're still out there! They might be hurt, or worse. I need to get out side! I have to! I can't leave them all, they're my family! All the teachers have gone outside, and Myra's trying to calm me down, but she's scared too- so are Boris and Greg. Where are they all going? A bunch of seventh and sixth years have just run off- they're going outside! I wish I could- my cousins would never let me. I'll talk later. Love Ginny xxx