A/N:  Oh well, yes I got with the fighting, but it ran on into a double chapter as it was so yes, this is a cliffy!  But It answers all the oddness.  A lot of you seemed a bit confused but that was the point of the last chappy, it should be explained now, if not I put up a summary at the end =) 

K, someone pointed out that this is getting a bit long.  Yep, I know, it was never meant to be this long, it was supposed to be about 15 chapters, but that Idea went out the window.  I have it all planed out now though, all written down and decided, there will be two more chapters and an epilogue after this chappy.  I will be so sad to see this fic go, but I am getting bored of it anyway!

Thank you to all who reviewed, and are still reading this. 

Chapter twenty eight: Oddness Explained

    Harry gasped as the door to the Room of Requirement swung open.  This was the reason the castle had re-arranged so much, this room, that had once passed for a broom closet was now huge, Harry bet it was at least ten times the size of the great Hall with room to spare, it must have been the whole of the first floor of Hogwarts, at the least.

    Along the two side walls were fireplaces people were flooing into, there were swirling portholes and vortexes depositing, people among other things, on the floor.  At the far end of the room was a fifty foot archway that lead onto the grounds, but the most amazing thing was what was filling the room.  The biggest assortment of creatures Harry had ever seen in his life.

    There was a group of about five hundred elves clad in midnight blue baring Bows and arrows lined up about twenty meters from where he stood, there were six giants propped up against one wall fast asleep, a huge crowd of Vampires were darkening one corner, Veelas standing opposite them, Auroras were working in groups to sort the incoming people and there were even some Hogwarts professors helping out.  There was a group of shape shifters going through drills and winged creatures Harry couldn't even name, actually there were quite a few things Harry couldn't even name.

    After what felt like hours of searching Harry found the familiar lime green and purple robes that just screamed Albus. 

    "Ah, Harry my boy."  There was something sad in the old mans voice that Harry couldn't help but pity.  "I will be with you in a matter of moments."  Albus turned around to talk to a group of elves. These however didn't carry bows, but sparkling violet spheres.  The lead elf bowed his head, turned, and began talking to the rest of his group. The headmaster turned back to Harry.

    "I sent someone out looking for you, but as I'm sure you noticed, they did not find you."  The headmaster smiled at Harry, the twinkle in his eyes dimmed but not gone.

    "I, I had something I needed to do." Harry shuffled his feet a little; he didn't know people had been looking for him.

    "Never mind my boy; I am glad you are here now."

    "Have you seen Severus?"  Harry asked hopefully.  "I, I, I mean Professor Snape?"

    "No, I was hoping you would have.  However Lucius has promised me that he has provided Severus with a means to get to Malfoy Manor.  I don't trust that man with much, but I know he still has a weak spot for Severus.  I trust he is safe."  Even with saying it Harry could hear a grim resignation in his voice.  Dumbledore motioned for him to follow as they weaved in and out of the groups of creatures filling the hall.

    "Sir, If you don't mind me asking, what are the Triwizard Champions doing at Hogwarts, it's a little, well odd."

    "They are here with there schools teachers.  Most of the Hogwarts teachers are deeply entrenched in helping me with the resistance and will be needed on the field, but I still need people to look after the younger years, so called in some favours from contacts at other schools.  Miss. Delacour and Mr. Kurm are also here, they proved themselves to be exceptional wizards when the Goblet of Fire chose them, they will be able to help," Dumbledore looked slightly regretful, "they will give the children hope as well, to see people their brothers and sisters and friends have talked about fighting Dragons and sea creatures defending them." 

    Harry swallowed hard.  So Fleur and Viktor were being used just like he was, as a figure head, to inspire people, no matter what the danger.

    "Come now, there is much to do."   

    They spent hours talking to different groups, slowly but surely Harry was getting an idea of what all of them could do.  The elementals had fascinated him.  A group of twelve males and females dressed from head to toe in white satin stood in a circle chanting with there palms toward the circles centre.

    "What are they doing?"

    "Ah well, they are summoning a storm." 

    "What for?"  Harry got the impression it wasn't for dramatic feeling, but he would never put it past the old man.

    "It will make it extremely difficult for any of Voldemorts supporters to fly here, or away from here, unfortunately it seems Tom has a group of apposing elementals working to keep the weather clear, it is a battle of wills between the two."  Harry just nodded, noticing the look of pure concentration on the faces of each of the Elementals.

    And hour after sun set Falwks smashed through the glass on the archway at the other end of the room and let out a piercing note that carried through the whole of Hogwarts.  The race was on. 

    The Vampires went out first, concealed in the shadows, ready to attack, the violet orb toting elves next , and so on until eventually every one was in there place.  Harry standing on the front line at Dumbledores right hand side, a position Harry was all too aware should have been Severuses.  His heart returned once more to the sinister black eyed man that he had fallen in love with before he pushed all thoughts aside and focused on the incoming wave of attackers.

    He reached for his wand first, a Wizards strongest weapon.  Every one fanned out as they met head on with Voldemorts minions.  Harry blocked his first curse as The Elementals finally won and rain came down in heavy sheets, to late to be of use.

    A hand grabbed him from behind and pulled at his neck, Harry felt hot breath on his neck, apparently Dumbledore wasn't the only one in contact with Vampires.  Harry threw his weight back toppling them both to the ground.  He heard a sickening crack as the Vampires head split on the hard stone underneath.  Pulling himself away he attacked a Death Eater with an unforgivable, feeling a morbid satisfaction as he fell to the ground screaming.  There was a shout somewhere to his left and he dodged just in time to feel the remnants of a spell slice three cuts into his side.  The man he was holding under crutico was realised, but lay on the ground shaking as his friend attacked Harry, the duel was quick, Harry won, the cuts in his side bleeding still though. 

    It felt like hours, but could have only been at the most ten minuets before Harry felt a cold rush flood him, clawing him down into the crimson stained mud from blood that had already been spilled some of it his.  There was a group of Dementors surrounding him, there rattling breath lost in the chaos but noun the less effective.  Screams filled his head, images he tried to shake, his mother, Cedric, the face of his first kill all pulling the breath out of him.

    He closed his eyes.  He had to focus.

"No, not Harry, please, not Harry."

    Happy thoughts, Graduating, flying, Christmas, Draco. "Expecto."

"Kill The spare."

    His first kiss, Dancing, Winning the house cup.  "Expec…Expecto Pat."

"I'm so sorry, Id didn't mean it, please don't be dead, It wasn't me, I couldn't help it."

    Severus, Severus, the way his top lip curled instead of an actual smile, his dryer the stone sense of humour the way he kissed, his hands...  "Expecto Patronum!"  A brilliant white stag erupted from his wand, and the cold sinking feeling lifted as the Dementors shied away. 

    An Elf ran up next to him, he looked terrible, blood soaked his hair and a wound was bleeding heavily from his left arm.  He said something in a language Harry couldn't understand and threw something at the main clump of Death eaters.  The ball expanded into a huge glowing purple bubble and trapped the Dementors inside.  A second Elf fired an arrow into it, bursting the bubble with a bang.  As the light disintegrated all that was left of the Dementors was a soldering pile of ash.  Harry looked round but the Elves were gone. 

    Pain stabbed through his leg, a black dart was buried in his calf.  Looking round to find the person or thing responsible, the battle around him dimmed, his sight fading as ice cold poison leaked into his blood stream.  Everything became fuzzy, faint glowing lights became the only way to tell things apart. 

    Breathing fast he cast a shielding charm, and yanked the dart from his leg.  He felt something blast against the shield repeatedly.  Harry fell to his knees as a fifth blast just barely missed him, another hit and he was done for.  He couldn't even see to fight back.

    His fission was filed with a yellow light, and immense heat.  A hand pulled him roughly up into the air and clawed onto him for dear life. 

    "Fuck Harry, what the hell is wrong with you."  The wind howled in his ears and he could tell he was along way from the ground but he had never been so happy to hear that voice.

    "Draco, I can't see!" He shouted, as strong hands hoisted him up onto the back of something very much alive and flying. 

    "In my robe pocket."  Draco yelled, "there is a poison detoxer, grab it."  Harry felt around Draco for a moment before delving into a pocket and finding a set of bottles.

    "Which one?"  He felt his 'ride' lurch forward and he gripped for his dear life to Draco, finding no purchase on the leathery hide of whatever he was sitting on. 

    "The small square one."  Harry downed the bottle and his vision slowly cleared up.

    "A Dragon Malfoy, a FUCKING Dragon!" 

    "Harry, meet Sagitta my dragon."

    "You're insane Draco."

    "I know."  With that Draco pulled at a bridal and the dragon plummeted, blazing a trail of fire through a group of Voldemorts Vampires.

    "How the hell did you get her?"

    "I used the Floo in Dumledores office, my father owled to say that Severus was at the manor, so I went and got him and I found out if Sagitta would still let me fly her."  They made a sharp right to doge a stunning spell.

    "She could have killed you!  It was too dangerous to see her after a term of being away.  You hadn't seen her is six bloody years!"

    "Yeah well, I think I've earned my Gryffindor stripes.  I'm going to put you down here, I left Severus over there." Draco pointed a little way off and flew close to the ground.  "You're going to have to jump."

    "What?"

    "Jump!"  Draco yelled, Harry dropped and rolled as a huge winged bird came up hot on Dracos tale.  Harry saw Draco loop three times before turning his attention to the fight going on around him.

    Three vampires, six Death Eaters, and several other nameless things later Harry was still holding his own, his wand was safely tucked away in his sleeve and his sword had come into play, slicing anything that came to close. 

    "Well, my little lightning, you are looking well considering."  A hard smile spread across Harrys lips.  Finally, he would kill or get killed, anything to get out of this goddamned bloodbath.

~*~*~Tbc~*~*~

OK, for any one who didn't get that, the Castle changed so much because it had to adjust for the size of the Room of Requirement.  Fleur was there to look after the Hogwarts students and make them feel safe, and Draco wanted the password to Dumbledores office so he could Floo to the manor to find out if Sagitta was still tame enough to fly, and he flew back on her, taking Severus with him. 

C ya all in Chappy 29 hopefully.