Disclaimer: Not mine.

Phoenix stands

Chapter Five

By Felflowne aka Espion

'WHAT?'

'This symbol… It's on everything there…'

'What does it mean…?'

Malfoy looked around him fearfully.

'Are there normally this many squirrels?'

'No…' Harry trailed off because every squirrel he could se had stopped moving and had turned to face them.

'But…' he began, '… If they want to attack… why use squirrels?'

'They're cute… you said so yourself… and they're tame… the children will want to play with them…'

Harry felt fear clench his heart. And then an unearthly shriek rent the air.

**

'Ow! Get off!' The girl tried to pull the animal out of her hair.

'It's BITING me!' screamed another girl.

**

Harry used the Sonorus spell again.

'Everyone… kill the squirrels… they're from Dox… don't let them near you!'

Screams broke out. Every squirrel had suddenly melted into a black puddle. People all around watched in horror as the individual puddles began to run together, becoming a towering black shape.

'Good God!' cried Mrs Weasley, 'what IS that?'

'It's called the tracker,' said Malfoy, from behind her, 'because that's what it does.'

'How can we stop it?'

'We can't,' Elly said, running up, 'but they used a Shield Charm to control it back in Dox.'

Hermione ran forward and swished her wand. For an instant the creature became coated in ice, which shattered with its next movement. Hermione ran back.

'It was worth a try…' she mumbled, in the face of Ron's anger at putting herself in danger once again.

'The only way…' Malfoy said, ducking as a beam of light incinerated the tree behind him, '… is to split it up again…'

'Into squirrels?' Harry followed him as the group split.

'Whatever… it changes every time,' Malfoy said, ducking behind a rock.

'How do we do that?'

Malfoy growled.

'I don't know…'

**

'RON!' Hermione cried. A shaft of blue light had passed through him and now he was lying horribly still.

'Hermione! Get out of the way!' yelled Ginny, running, her hands over her head.

**

Harry shot a disabling charm at the creature, which had no effect at all, but instead of bouncing off, orbited the creature, whistling.

'That's good…' Malfoy said as the whistling increased in pitch, 'if only it was in its separate parts…'

'Oh no…' Harry ran out. Ron and Hermione were right in the creature's path.

'Harry… he won't move…' muttered Hermione.

Harry looked up. The tracker loomed over him.

'NO!' cried Neville, 'RUN, RUN!'

But Harry couldn't. He couldn't leave his friends. He whipped his wand forward, although he had absolutely no idea what to do-

'Alohamora!'

The spell hit the creature in the chest. It exploded into pieces. The charm that had been circling it spiralled inwards. The pieces, shaped oddly like pyramids, fell all around, frozen stiff by Harry's charm.

There was a ringing silence.

'Is it over?' said someone. Then a bang made everyone jump. Harry had exploded one of the pyramids.

'Yeah,' he said, 'c'mon, just get rid of them all.'

Soon, the air was full of bangs as each and every last piece of the tracker was sought out and destroyed.

**

'It's all right mate, I've got him,' Dean said to Harry, pulling Ron's arm over his shoulder. Ginny was trying to comfort Hermione, who was very, very pale.

'OK,' said Harry, and then a hand on his arm made him almost jump out of his skin. It was Elly.

'Harry,' she said urgently, 'please, help me!'

'What is it?' He asked, and she dragged him over to the rock behind which he and Malfoy had been sheltering a few minutes ago.

Except Malfoy was still there.

'I found him here!' Elly wailed. 'He must've done magic again! I can't move him!'

'It's OK,' Harry said numbly, kneeling down, 'go and find Mrs Weasley, she'll make you some coffee.'

'O-OK.' Elly clutched Tom's hand as they walked away.

'Hey,' said Harry quietly, 'can you hear me?'

Malfoy didn't move or speak.

'You must've shot the unlocking spell,' Harry muttered, even though Malfoy couldn't hear him.

'Did… it work?'

Harry looked down in surprise. Malfoy's eyes weren't open, but he'd just spoken.

'Yeah,' he said, smiling, 'it worked perfectly. C'mon.' He reached for the boy's arm.

'Don't… bother.' Malfoy said slowly.

'What? Why not?' Harry cried.

'I… just need… sleep…'

'Fine… where've you been sleeping?'

Malfoy didn't answer. His head lolled to one side. This time, he really was unconscious.

Although he didn't really know why, Harry touched his hand briefly before reaching for his wand.

'Ron isn't going to like this,' he muttered, then remembered that Ron was down. He frowned in worry.

**

Malfoy opened his eyes, and frowned immediately. This wasn't where he slept normally…

Then it came back to him. The tracker had come… They'd killed it. He'd used magic again. He should really stop doing that. The side effects were just too pathetic.

'Are you OK?' He turned his head. Harry was sat cross-legged on the floor, a book open in his lap.

'What day is it?' Malfoy asked vaguely.

'You've been out for just over 24 hours,' Harry said, getting up, 'how are you feeling?'

'Fine,' Malfoy said, and then, at the look of surprise on Harry's face, added, 'oh, no, actually I think I might die. I'm so badly hurt. God. No. The pain.'

He looked at Harry again, who was looking utterly confused. He smiled.

'It's a joke, Potter, you fool.'

Harry shook himself.

'Heh, yeah, that's good,' he said, 'who precisely were you mocking there?'

'Me, of course. In case you've forgotten, I was quite a hypochondriac.'

Harry laughed.

'So what happened, I don't remember,' Malfoy said, suddenly serious.

'Ron's down, he got hit but some blue stuff…'

'Freeze ray,' said Malfoy, 'he'll be all right.'

'Yeah, and your spell and mine managed to stop that thing. How did you think of 'Alohamora'?'

'I didn't.'

'What?' Harry was bewildered now. He moved so he could rest his head on his arms at the edge of his bed, which Malfoy was lying on.

'You want the truth? I wasn't thinking at all. It was just the first spell that came into my head. I panicked.'

'You panicked? Why?'

Malfoy didn't answer at once, but then said, 'because it was going to get you.'

'Yeah… you panicked over that?'

'Would you rather I hadn't?'

'No… No…' Harry thought a bit.

'You saved me,' he said quietly. Malfoy didn't say anything.

'And Ron and Hermione…'

'Was that who was on the ground?'

'Yeah… You didn't know?'

I could see someone, but I didn't know who it was.'

'Everyone'll be so grateful,' said Harry, smiling widely, but Malfoy interrupted again.

'Please, don't tell them. Tell them it was you.'

'What? No! I'm not taking credit for something you did!' He paused. Malfoy was looking at him pleadingly.

'Please?' he said earnestly. Harry looked away. His stomach suddenly felt like it was full of little birds.

'No,' he said firmly. 'I won't tell anyone, if you like, but I'm not telling them it was me. I think Elly already knows, anyway.'

'All right,' Malfoy said, 'fine.'

**

Harry walked out of his tent, meaning to go to Madam Pomfrey's tent to check on Ron, but his mind was wandering, and he found himself walking into the forest.

Just what was up with him at the moment? He wasn't acting normally. And it had all started when Malfoy had shown up. He was so different! It was almost unbelievable. His courage in saving Tom and Harry was astounding. And…

To his amazement, Harry felt his face growing hot. He'd panicked because the tracker was about to attack Harry. Just Harry. He hadn't known about Ron and Hermione, he hadn't recognised them. And then he'd shot a random spell, knowing that whatever happened, he probably be out cold for hours afterwards.

Because he didn't want the creature to get me.

Harry shook himself. This was ridiculous. He could NOT feel this way about Malfoy. Why? Because he was Malfoy. It just… No… It was…

And he's a BOY!

Oh yes, he hadn't thought of that at all. Damn.

Forcing his mind back under his control, he turned around and sought out Ron.