Harry Potter books, and all characters therein are belong to J. K. Rowling, © 2001/2002 Warner bros. In short, they aren't mine, so please don't sue.
kkisblpeen@aol.com
I would like to thank my terrific Beta-reader, Seldes Katne, who didn't scream at me when I broke the world record for most stupid mistakes made in a Fanfiction chapter.
Once upon a time
By Kirkis
Chapter Seven: Castle Onslaught
"Executed!" Ron and Harry said in unison.
"Yes, and that isn't all, Robin. Lady Marion is to marry Sir Guy tomorrow," the breathless man said. Ron snarled in frustration and turned to Harry.
"This damn story! To hell with it, we've got to save them!" he said turning and heading for his horse. Harry figured they might be making a mistake, but he didn't care. He had had just about enough of the story, too. He started after Ron when Will called out to them.
"Hey, any news?" he said, jogging over toward them. Ron answered him without stopping or even taking his eyes off his horse.
"They got Dumbledore and my sister, I'm going after them. If you want to help, come along then," he said bluntly. Will rushed forward to restrain Ron.
"Whoa, you can't go back to Nottingham tonight," said Will. Ron attempted to side step him, but Will kept himself in front of Ron. "At least come up with a plan, Robin!" he shouted as Ron was now trying to force him out of the way. It did seem like a good idea. Though Harry thought it had better be a quick plan.
Ron was understandably frustrated about having to wait to go after Ginny and Dumbledore. But Harry, who was usually the one to lead, had agreed with Will about making a plan. At least a quick one. Harry knew the man who had come back telling them of the execution and wedding was sent purposely by Prince John or Sir Guy. The point of both the execution and the wedding was to draw out Robin in the open again. But it didn't matter that they knew it was a trap; Ginny and Dumbledore needed to be rescued, and Robin Hood was the only one who could do it. Harry also knew that Robin would end up in a one on one duel with either Prince John or Sir Guy; probably the latter.
Will suggested they build a model of Nottingham's outer courtyard, where the execution was to take place, utilizing as much information they could get from every Merry Man. At first, Ron thought this was a waste of time, but part way through building it, he seemed to realize just how helpful it could be. By the time it was done and they'd begun estimating how many guards would be where, Ron was concentrating on it as if it were a chessboard. It was decided that it would be impossible to get them out tonight. So the plan was to rescue them in the morning.
"So, the prisoners will be brought out from here, and taken to the gallows. It won't be a good idea to make your move as they're being brought out. Best to attack once they're in place on the gallows."
"No, what if we can't get to them in time and they end up getting hanged?" said Ron.
"It's too risky trying to rescue them when they're being brought out. They're guarded and if our men get caught, we're all dead. So our men in front of the gallows will wait till the prisoners are in position. Once they are all set, they'll rush the platform. One or two should cut them loose and the rest should fight off any guards that try to stop you."
'I'll cut them loose," said Ron.
"No, you've got to go after Maid Marion," said Harry.
"Look, I already told you, to hell with the story," Ron snapped.
"I'll cut them loose, Ron. You have to go after Hermione. You're Robin Hood," said Harry. Ron opened his mouth to protest, but Harry cut him off. "It might be the only way out of this book." Ron stared at Harry for a moment, as if unsure of him. "I'll save Ginny, Ron," Harry added. Ron nodded slowly, then turned back to Will.
"So, while Harry is rescuing the prisoners, what am I doing?" he said. Will bit his lip slightly and looked down at the model.
"Well," he started off. "This balcony here," he pointed out a large balcony off the main Keep, "is where we think the wedding is going to take place. So you'll have a harder fight, really. You've got to break into the Keep, though by the time all the commotion starts, they'll probably have evacuated the balcony."
"Great," said Ron. "Glad it isn't anything difficult." Harry might've laughed if things weren't so serious. A thought came to mind as he looked down at the model.
"Which one of us makes the first move?" he said. Again, Will bit his lip and looked down at the model. Ron, on the other hand, answered almost immediately.
"I do," he said confidently. "It'll draw attention away from the gallows and make your job easier. We'll also need some men to secure an exit, I don't want Ginny hanging around when there's fighting going on."
"This looks like the best exit," said Will. "It's closest to the gallows and-"
"No," interrupted Ron. "Look there. It's right beside the Keep and the doorway from the dungeons. There's probably a soldiers' barracks there," Ron pointed out the darkened spot on one log that represented the door way the prisoners would be coming out of.
"How do you figure that?" asked Will. Harry wondered too.
"Look how close it is to the Keep, to this exit, and that one there," said Ron, pointing to another exit on the far side of the Keep. "That's the best place to put a soldiers' barracks. It'll be too easy for them to bring out reinforcements if we try to take that exit. We should go for this one here," he said pointing to a smaller exit on the opposite corner of the courtyard from the Keep. "It'll be a little further to go, but they won't have as many guards there, and they won't be able to bring more soldiers out once we've taken it." Harry had always marveled at Ron's gift for strategy in wizard chess, and now he felt a small surge of pride that one of his friends had such a great mind for strategy.
"Sounds good, Robin," Harry said, sharing a smile with Ron. "We should probably bring along some extra weapons, too. Once we've freed the other men, they can fight too," he added.
"Oh, yeah," said Will. "That's another thing - security. No doubt they'll have guards at every entrance searching people."
"Damn," Ron snapped. "Now we've got to find a way to sneak weapons in?"
"Wish we would've known ahead of time, the courtyard was probably deserted during the archery tournament," said Harry. "We could've hidden weapons then," he added. Ron elbowed Harry painfully in the side.
"Why couldn't we do it now?" he asked optimistically. "Why can't we go in and hide weapons now?"
"The castle's locked up tight as a drum, Robin," Will answered.
"We broke into it before," said Ron. "At the Banquet. Scaled the wall. Remember?" he asked. Will looked down at the model for a moment.
"We should make it a voluntary mission," said Harry. "I'll lead. That way, Robin can get some rest for tomorrow," he added. Ron caught Harry's eye and for a moment it looked like he would protest. But he nodded and looked back toward the model.
"No, you've got the prisoners to rescue tomorrow, John. I'll lead the group into the courtyard tonight," said Will. Harry and Ron didn't argue. Harry had only volunteered himself to hide weapons mainly because he didn't want Ron to try it. "We should probably come up with some ways of hiding weapons on our men in case my group gets caught."
"We'll work on that, you go round up some men for your group," said Harry. Will nodded, sprang up and then trotted off. Harry watched him go then turned back to Ron.
"Ron, I should tell you," Harry started. "You'll have a sword duel with the main villain tomorrow." Ron looked up, horrorstruck.
"A duel," he repeated, glancing back down at the model. "Damn this bloody book!" he hissed and looked up again. "This is all Hermione's fault. If she wasn't such a bookworm…" he left the end of his statement open, but shook his head with a sigh. "If we ever get out of this book, remind me never to speak to Hermione again," he said sarcastically.
Dawn came too soon for Ron and Harry. It seemed like they had just fallen asleep when they were awakened by Mrs. Little before the sun was up. The forest was still dark as night when they went down to the Meeting Hall for breakfast. It was much more subdued in the Meeting Hall that morning than it had been for the past week. Everyone knew what was happening today, and what was at stake if they failed.
Failure isn't an option today, Ron thought pushing the food around on his plate. He had more reason to be worried today than any other day he'd been inside the book. He had another fight coming, and not just any fight, a duel with the lead villain of the book. Harry said it was probably the last fight he'd have, and he had to win. But Ron had more to worry about, his sister was scheduled to be hanged today. His stomach did a nauseating lurch as he dwelled a little too long on Ginny's fate. Harry said he'd save her, and he will, Ron thought.
Sometimes Ron forgot that Harry had killed a towering Basilisk and the memory of Tom Riddle to save Ginny's life. This was one of the reasons he agreed to let Harry handle the prisoners. The other was the fact that Harry had faced Voldemort, dueled with him and overpowered the Dark Lord's magic, and still managed to make it back to Hogwarts with Cedric's body. Stuff like that always reminded Ron that Harry was Harry Potter without even trying to be.
Ron hoped Harry Potter would come through today and rescue Ginny and Dumbledore. He kept telling himself that they'd all be fine. Harry had done much better yesterday, when they were forced to fight their way out of Nottingham. The gash on Harry's shoulder had mostly healed and the swordplay practice he had been taking helped a lot.
Today they had to covertly enter Nottingham Castle's outer courtyard; they'd go in one at a time to keep from looking suspicious. After that they had to retrieve the hidden weapons their team had placed there last night. (provided they weren't caught) get into their positions and wait for the right moment. It fell to Ron and his team of Merry Men, who would be assaulting the Keep to rescue Maid Marion, to set everything in motion. They'd make the distraction, giving Harry and his team a chance to cut the nooses from the gallows. Harry said last night that the team was responsible for fighting off any guards, and that he, Harry, would head straight for the gallows.
Ron noticed Harry wasn't eating much either, but then, he rarely ate much before something this big. Harry was forcing down what little he did eat, so Ron figured he should probably force something down too. The last thing he needed was to start getting weak from lack of food right in the middle of his duel. Eggs and sausages, Ron thought, taste terrible when you have no appetite.
Within no time at all, breakfast was finished and they were heading out for Nottingham just as sunlight was starting to filter in through the trees. The trip through Sherwood Forest seemed much shorter this time. By the time they got to Nottingham, the sun was already shining brightly. They'd managed to come up with a few good ideas for sneaking swords and bows into the Courtyard. One was to wrap them in large bundles of small branches and carry them in. The guards would think it was firewood. Another, was even stranger - bake daggers inside loaves of bread. Harry got the idea from the old Muggle trick of hiding a file in a cake so someone can break out of jail. Bull had the idea to cover a cloak in horse dung and walk straight in with a sword concealed by his side.
The wagon lurched to a stop and all the men clambered out and headed off in different directions.
"Good luck, mate," said Ron turning to Harry.
"You too," he replied and hopped of the wagon heading off toward one of the entrances.
Albus actually never had trouble going to sleep while standing. It was one of the wonderful things that came naturally with getting older. It was a good thing, too. Because he'd been chained to the wall since the previous evening and hadn't even been given a chance to empty his bladder. Now, with the sun up, he figured now was as good a time as any.
"Excuse me," he said politely to the large, bald Jailer. A grunt was his only reply. "I don't suppose you would unchain me from the wall long enough to relieve myself?" Albus went on.
"You'll have to go there, old man," The Jailer grunted without moving.
"Then I suppose asking you to remove these chains so that I can properly pray would be out of the question?" Albus added. The Jailer turned his head toward the cell. "I was hoping," Albus went on," to pray for the souls of those who are to be hanged today, as they have committed no crime against God." The Jailer stood motionless, searching Albus with his eyes.
"All right, but only a minute or I'll get in trouble for taking those chains off," he said, opening the cell door. He fumbled with his keys until he found the right one. With a click, he unlocked Albus' left arm. Another click, and Albus' right arm was free. The Jailer stepped back a step. "All right, old man, pray," said the Jailer. Albus put on the most benevolent smile he could, and patted the Jailer on the shoulder.
"Forgive me, my son," he said softly. He grabbed the Jailer's shirt tightly and jerked him forward, slamming his head against the wall he had just been chained to. The Jailer slumped senselessly to the floor, knocked cold. "I'm afraid I cannot let those souls be hanged," said Albus, retrieving the keys from the Jailer's limp hand. He slipped stealthily through the cell door and off toward the dungeon's exit.
Harry managed to slip past the guards checking people at one of the entrances while carrying one of his dagger-loaves. He had some trouble figuring out where things were, since he'd only had the very crude model they had built to go by. He could tell where the Keep was, and the gallows, but most of the rest was questionable. He found a shady spot to break open the bread and get the dagger out of it. Then tried to determine where the large black hut was, as this was the rendezvous point for his team.
There were five on Harry's team, including himself. They figured there would be a few guards in place in front of the gallows. So four of them would cut a path for Harry to get to the gallows and free Dumbledore, Ginny and the other Merry Men. Harry wandered to where he thought the black hut should be, but all he found was a dilapidated thatch hut, with a cloaked man sitting against it. Harry walked up, hoping he was one of the team members.
"What a day," Harry said nonchalantly to the man. He looked up at Harry and smiled.
"I was beginning to think no one was coming," he said, standing up and dusting off his backside.
"I wasn't sure if this was the right place, it's not really a black hut," said Harry. He was glad he'd found another Merry Man. He was beginning to think they'd all run off. Two more Merry Men arrived a minute later with an extra sword a piece. They gave them both to Harry, as he would be the one to set the other men free. Harry slipped them surreptitiously under his cloak and put them in his belt.
"Did you hear the rumor?" one Merry Man said. Harry and the others shook their heads, so the man went on. "They say King Richard has returned to England and that Prince John has sent an army to capture the King so he, Prince John, can remain in power," he finished. Harry suddenly remembered that it was customary for King Richard to show up at Robin and Marion's Wedding. He thought very little about this as they still had to rescue Marion. Harry was starting to worry they'd attract too much attention in a large group. He told two of them to stay there, and he took the third into the crowd to get into position.
Harry felt like he'd swallowed a few Bludgers. It was impossible to tell when midday was because the sky had gotten overcast. It was probably only an hour off he guessed but his feet were already starting to hurt from standing so long. He hoped Ron could manage to stay out of sight until it was time. Ron would make the first move, and Harry had stressed to him the importance of waiting until the right moment, when the prisoners had been put in place on the gallows. Harry glanced up at the foreboding apparatus. Six nooses hung from a long, thick wooden beam, held up by a massive frame. It was on a raised platform, about six feet off the ground, with one stairway on the side and a pale red awning hanging over top. A stool stood beneath each noose. Harry didn't want to think of what would happen if he didn't succeed. Dumbledore's and Ginny's lives were at stake, and he had no magic to help him out this time.
After about twenty minutes of waiting, trumpets sounded from the balcony high above. The wedding must be starting, Harry thought. Good, not long now. The voice of the announcer from the Archery Tournament broke over the crowd.
"Ladies and Gen'lemen, Prince John and the Regent of No'ingham, Lord Guy Gisbourne, welcome you to this 'istoryic event. Today, you'll all witness the marriage of Lord Gisbourne to Lady Marion Fitzwal'er!" There was scattered applause. "You'll also witness the execution of six evil criminals 'oo tried to kidnap Lady Marion from the Archery Tournament jus' yesterday." The crowd seemed more vocal about the execution, most were cheering loudly, but some were booing just as much. "An 'ere they are, Prince John, soon to be King of all England, Lord Guy Gisbourne, Regent of No'ingham, and 'is bride to be, Lady Marion Fitzwal'er."
Harry looked up onto the Balcony. From his low spot on the ground he could just barely make out Prince John's and Sir Guy's heads, and the top of Hermione's hair. They were all waving, Hermione's looked the least enthusiastic. The announcers voice broke over the crowd again.
"An' 'ere are the scurvy evil-doers who are to be executed!" Harry's attention shot toward the sound of the loudest jeers. Guards were emerging from a small doorway near the Keep behind them walked the prisoners, the first two were Merry Men, though not so Merry now. They looked like they'd been beaten and their hands were bound behind their backs.
Ginny was next. The stiff white cloth hood that had been pulled so tightly around her face was gone. Her wild red hair shone even more brightly among the drab colors of the castle courtyard. Her hands were bound behind her back as well and her clothes were dirty and soiled but other than a little dirt on her face, she looked in good health. As she was walked out into the courtyard a shriek echoed from high above. ("NO!") Harry looked up above to see Hermione standing at the edge of the balcony pointing down at the prisoners and shouting angrily at Sir Guy. She obviously didn't know Ginny was going to be executed. Harry looked back down to Ginny. She'd stopped and looked up at Hermione, too.
As her eyes shifted back toward the ground, she met Harry's from between the two guards. He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, but before she could react, she was shoved forward so roughly that she fell forward and tumbled painfully to the ground, landing face first in the mud. Harry's gut reaction was to run forward and help Ginny, and then to turn and beat the guard senseless. But the two guards in front of him made him think twice about going to her. As Ginny was pulled roughly back to her feet by the offending guard, she shot Harry a weak and muddy smile before continuing on to the gallows.
Harry looked over the next two Merry Men, expecting to see Dumbledore, but after the Merry Men came only guards. His mind raced with horrible thoughts. They didn't already kill Dumbledore did they? Harry morbidly wondered how that would sound on the back of a Famous Witch or Wizard card. ("Albus Dumbledore, widely considered one of the most powerful Wizard of his time. He met his demise inside an enchanted book at the hands of fictitious Muggles because Harry Potter and his friends stupidly got sucked into the book.")
The men and Ginny were being led one by one up the stairs and onto the platform. The announcer bellowed out into the crowd as though he were reading the rules for a Quidditch match. "Once the wedding vows are exchanged and the "I do's" said, the execution will take place." Each of the prisoners was led to a stool and ordered to stand on it; Ginny was in the middle.
It suddenly occurred to Harry how very small Ginny looked up there. She was only fourteen, and Sir Guy had ordered her execution. The executioner pulled a black sack over her head. She was barely tall enough to get her head through the noose. Harry felt his stomach contract as this happened. If she slipped, or if the executioner got impatient, she could die before he could get to her. Her dirty white robes looked stark white in comparison to the dull grays and browns all around her.
The ball was now in Ron's court. Everything was set, all he had to do was make the first move. The wedding had apparently started, and though the crowd was quiet, no one could hear what was going on up above on the balcony. Suddenly, A noise erupted from near the base of the Keep. Ron had made his move. The time was now.
As Harry steeled himself to make a break for the gallows, he heard a shout from above that froze his blood.
"Do it NOW!" Prince John shouted. Harry barely heard Hermione shout in protest as he fixed his eyes on the executioner, now kicking the stool out from under the first Merry Man. The man dropped and immediately started kicking, groping with his feet for something to stand on. Harry bolted forward but was snagged on both sides as the two guards in front of him grabbed his arms. He wrestled to get free, watching the executioner head toward the next man. Harry felt one of the guards beside him move away, a second later he heard blades clanging together. The sound seemed so far off as he watched the executioner kick out another stool.
Ginny was next. Harry wrenched himself free of the last guard and broke into a flat out run toward the stairs at the side of the gallows. The executioner was approaching Ginny's stool. Harry felt a tug on his cloak, but he didn't stop to see what it was. He let it rip as he drove himself forward. He felt his cloak come away from his left side so he turned himself so his right arm would slip right out of the sleeve. The executioner was drawing back his foot. Harry felt like his legs were made of lead. Another guard stepped in Harry's way a few feet ahead. Harry knew he wouldn't be able to get past.
"Get the bloody hell out of the way!" he roared, raising his dagger over his head. The guard didn't budge, but instead leveled his sword. Everything seemed to freeze in the next moment. Harry heard with perfect clarity, through all the sword clanging, and confused shouts of the crowd, the lone sound of a stool toppling off the platform of the gallows. Harry looked up to the gallows and to his horror, and saw a small figure in white robes dangling on a thick rope, twitching and kicking vainly. He roared as he lunged forward and slashed with his dagger at the side of the guard's head. Slow on the uptake, the guard wasn't prepared, and he stumbled sideways under the force of Harry's blow.
With little thought, Harry slammed into the guard, but he didn't wait to see if he'd knocked him over. He didn't even slow up; tearing across the muddy courtyard to the stairs, rounding the rail (and getting splinters in his hand as he did) and charging up the stairs three at a time. The executioner had kicked the stool out from under the second to last man when Harry topped the steps. Upon seeing Harry, the executioner went for his axe, but Harry was already half way across the gallows. He shoved the executioner, who was already off balance from trying to pick up a huge axe, and sent him reeling off the platform. Without hesitation, he reached high and sawed the rope above Ginny's head until it snapped, sending her tumbling to the platform. He had a split second to wonder if he was too late. Then she coughed and gasped for breath.
It was like someone had spun the speed control knob on a pair of Omnioculars back to normal. He could suddenly hear everything once again, too. He had time enough to think he should cut Ginny's bindings and get that awful black sack off her head just before the sound of approaching guards caught his ears. He looked up to see a dozen guards headed toward the gallows. He needed help, he needed the men who were still hanging. He quickly cut the men down, cutting the last one's bindings and handing the dagger to him.
"Here," said Harry. "Cut the men loose. Here's an extra sword," he said, handing one of the extra swords to the man. Harry turned quickly back to Ginny. Before he'd gotten to her, he heard a loud snapping sound. He looked around to see where it had come from. The faded red awning hanging over the gallows was slowly drifting downward; the Merry Man he'd given his dagger to had cut one of the supporting lines that held it up. Harry turned his attention back to Ginny, kneeling down and pulling the black sack off her head. Tousled flame-red hair fell around her pink face. She looked up at him, her eyes looking much deeper than they usually looked. For a moment they just stared at each other as the red awning floated down around them. The sounds around them seemed strangely muffled from under the red cloth. In the din, Harry thought if he were the hero of the story, and Ginny were the Heroine, they would kiss here. His stomach gave a strange flop at this thought.
"Er, Harry," Ginny said in a raspy voice. "My hands," she finished, turning slightly to show that her hands were still bound behind her back.
"Oh, right," Harry said sheepishly, remembering he was supposed to cut her free. He pulled out one of the spare swords and clumsily cut the ropes binding her hands. "You're all right, aren't you? I mean, they didn't hurt you?" he asked as he helped her up.
"Only a little, just some slaps and pushing around," Ginny said dismissively. "We've got to help Hermione," she added. A sudden burst of loud metal clanging came from the stairway leading off the platform.
"Ron's taking care of that," Harry immediately answered, taking Ginny's hand. "Where's Dumbledore?" he asked as he searched for the edge of the platform.
"I don't know, he was arrested with me, I thought he was to be executed, too," Ginny answered, catching on to what Harry must be doing. "Over here?" she said, pointing to the visible edge of the platform.
"Yeah, thanks," Harry answered. He dropped down off the edge then helped Ginny down. Now all they needed to do was make it to the exit.
Everything was set and It was up to Ron to make the first move. He had found the perfect spot to mount an offensive from. Someone had parked a wagon of hay right beside the main gate into the Keep. When the time was right he could burst out from behind it, run half way into the gate and make a decent distraction. He had two dozen Merry Men here and there throughout the crowd. They could help keep the guards busy while Ron and a handful of men broke into the Keep.
"Once the wedding vows are exchanged and the "I do's" said, the execution will take place." said the announcer. It was now or never.
"Harry'll save her," he repeated to himself. He then nodded to one of the men he could see, who in turn, nodded to another. After taking a deep breath, Ron stepped out from behind the wagon and casually made his way through the gate. Four other men followed, all walking as if they were walking across a street. They were in. If the portcullis was lowered now, Ron would still be inside the Keep. Now all he had to do was provide a distraction.
"Oi!" he shouted to the small mass of guards they'd slipped by. "Some guards you are, get your heads out of your arses!" he shouted. Just as they turned to charge, six more Merry Men poured out from behind the wagon. The guards hesitated and then charged forward. Ron had time to see a few more Merry Men emerge from the crowd behind the guards before Will urged him to turn and head into the Keep.
The first few minutes were quiet. Ron, Will and the Merry Men went up two floors into the Keep before they met any resistance. But this resistance was light, pathetically light. More pathetically light guards came as they ascended into the Keep. Will had counted the number of windows going up the Keep, and determined that the balcony must be on the sixth floor. They only had two more to go, but Ron wondered what was to stop Sir Guy from taking Hermione off the sixth floor and dragging her all the way to the top of the Keep.
By the time they had reached the sixth floor, Ron and Will had left the rest of the Merry Men behind on previous floors to fight the guards. They burst out onto the balcony to find it deserted.
"C'mon, Robin," said Will, tugging Ron's sleeve. But Ron had to see. He could probably see the gallows from up here. He ran out across the wide balcony to the edge and looked down. The gallows were now covered by a huge faded red cloth that had once been suspended overhead. "C'mon!" Will said again. Ron started to turn but someone slipping out from under the red cloth at the front of the gallows caught his eye. It was Harry. A moment later, Ginny dropped down out from under the cloth. They took off across the courtyard toward the far exit. Ron would've loved to have stayed and made sure Harry and Ginny made it out of the castle all right, but he needed to move on. His mind a little more at ease, he headed back toward Will, who was waiting in the doorway.
Ginny ran as fast as she could to keep up with Harry. Her chest still burned from nearly being strangled, and it hurt her throat to run so fast. But she wasn't going to tell him to slow down. Not when her mind was racing at full speed with Harry's hand clasped firmly onto hers. Even though she knew this was necessary, it didn't mean Harry liked her. But still, it felt so good to have her hand wrapped in his.
She was almost breathless as he pulled her away from the fight, away from danger. She didn't have the air to protest, to say she had to help her brother. Even if she did have the air, she wasn't sure she would say it. The way Harry had said "Ron's taking care of that," sounded so confident. Like Harry knew Ron could do it. So she followed Harry.
Part way across the courtyard, Harry looked back over his shoulder at her. "Not going too fast, am I?" he huffed. Ginny's head shook no involuntarily. The truth was, he was going too fast for her. She was just barely keeping herself from falling forward. His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer. Maybe that was why he didn't see the guard step out from behind one of the huts. She tired to warn him but the only thing that came out was a faint yelp amid gasps for breath. Fortunately, it was enough; Harry looked back to his front in time to see the guard. He stopped, catching Ginny and the two of them tumbled forward, Ginny landing on top of Harry.
He groaned and opened his eyes; a little at first then he flung them open and shoved her hard off of him, smashing one of his hands painfully into her breast. She rolled away and held herself tightly in a vain attempt to ease the pain. She looked where Harry had been, only to find that he too had rolled away, in the other direction. The guard had swung his mace down right on the spot where they both had just been lying. Harry scrambled to his feet and pulled out his sword, which looked almost as big as he was.
The guard smirked and lunged forward, swinging his mace toward Harry's head. Harry blocked with his sword, but the force of the blow knocked it out of his hands. Before he could pick it up, the guard slammed his foot down on it and swung again toward Harry, who was forced to hop back out of the way. He hopped back a little too far and toppled over a low fence into a pig sty. The guard jumped over the fence and landed on top of Harry, trying to push his mace against Harry's throat and choke him.
Harry landed hard on his back. He looked up to see the guard he'd been fighting leap over the low fence and land on all fours on top of him. He's trying to strangle me, thought Harry as the guard pushed the shaft of his mace downward. Harry tried in vain to hold it off, but the guard was much bigger than he was, and much stronger. After a few seconds resistance, Harry felt the shaft of the mace pressing down on his throat harder and harder. He found that he couldn't breathe, and gagged trying to push the mace away with all his might. But it wouldn't budge. Harry was starting to feel dizzy as he looked up at the guard. He gagged loudly and pushed against the mace again. He had to get out of this, he had to save Ginny.
Harry could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness when suddenly the pressure was eased, and Harry found that he could push the mace away. He looked up and saw that the guard was bleeding out of his mouth; it looked like he'd bitten his tongue. He slumped over to Harry's left and Harry, half dizzy sat part way up. Ginny was standing over him, a great pork shoulder dangling from her hands. She'd knocked the guard cold. She dropped it at her feet and put out her hand to help him up.
"Thanks," he choked out. She smiled at him as he massaged his throat. Now I know what Ginny must've gone through, he thought.
"Are you all right?" she asked. But Harry wasn't looking at her anymore. He was looking over her shoulder at the mass of guards that had spread out behind them. They were surrounded.
To be concluded…