Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, so I do not own Harry Potter and company
and am making no money off of this. You recognize it, it's not mine.
Anything weird and unusual belongs to my twisted mind, and cannot be used
without my permission. Find your own ideas.
A/N: Okay, despite many wishes and attempts to the contrary, I am alive. Sorry this chapter took so long, but it is longer than my norm. I kind of wrote myself into a corner, then succumbed to a serious case of writer's block. And in case that wasn't bad enough, my profs decided that maybe I didn't have enough to do and saddled me with a whole bunch of homework and projects. It's amazing what can happen when you are up for 48 hours on 3 hours of sleep. After I post this, I'll have to go finish my philosophy essay. Oh well, enough crap from me. Enjoy the chapter and review! I thrive off reviews!
I'm closing in on the end right now, and I promise I will finish this story before June 21st, because then I will read Order of the Phoenix and ignore this insane plot bunny forever.
Some chapter notes: I believe Hermione lied about her boggart in third year. I mean, even while the most studious of bookworms would have a great fear than failing, she's made of stronger stuff than that. She's not that neurotic. So I put in my idea of what she really saw then. I bet most of you are thinking the same thing, but feel free to disagree with me. Remember that on Harry's situation map, blue are for Aurors and so forth while red are Death Eaters and gray is demons.
Chapter 21
Voldemort stalked slowly down through the ranks of waiting demons, the creature surprisingly quiet in the presence of their master as he surveyed them. The continuing infusion of power that his Lord and Master fed him with through the talisman allowed Voldemort to create these ones, a new breed, stronger and faster than the earlier ones. With that insufferable Wraith able to combat every other weapon he threw at him, the Dark Lord was now branching out in search of new ones.
Now the demons' skin as well as their claws were poisoned, and they carried a greater array of weapons. Much as he loathed to admit it, the Dark Lord was forced to acknowledge that Muggles were actually quite innovative in inventing new ways to kill each other. Flamethrowers were rather fun, as well as grenades. He knew better than to allow his troops to have guns though; they didn't have enough control. The creatures' enthusiasm for havoc and destruction in battle combined with bullets would result in too many casualties on his side. Pity.
Several of his Death Eaters stood off to the side, still very apprehensive in the presence of the demons. Of course, that could have just been the smell. Regardless, they dared not approach and were visibly relieved when Voldemort finally led them out to another chamber away from the ranks. "My army is ready to carry the fear of my reign far and wide," the Dark Lord spoke quietly but confidently as they walked. "Yet we still have a few nuisances to take care of. Lucius, how goes your preparations?"
One masked Death Eater bowed. "My Lord, your servants await your command. The latest information shows that we should have little trouble getting in. The demons' distraction should be flawless. The target post is lightly manned at present, believing themselves to be out of harm's way. Your agents in the ministry have managed to reroute most Auror patrols toward Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade."
A twisted expression that could pass for a smile graced Voldemort's face. "Very good. We will go tonight. Be ready to depart in an hour. Now go." The Death Eaters all bowed then Apparated away to attend various duties. The Dark Lord passed his gaze over the doorway through which more demons were visible, arming themselves. His troops, fiercely loyal and hideously strong. Greater and more powerful than ever before. Like him. He raised his eyes toward the ceiling, seeing something other than the cold stone.
"Now, Arthur Weasley, you shall die."
**************************************************
Tori Black yawned, exceedingly bored yet not allowed to leave quite yet. Why did she have to take the replacement shift when Lampret called in sick? Watchdog duty at the Minister's residence was sometimes considered punishment detail, and she couldn't recall having pissed off her superiors recently. Maybe they thought she needed downtime after working with the infamous Weasley twins. She snorted at that thought. After that thrice- weekly ordeal, her idea of relaxing was heading to the gym to beat the crap out of the combat dummies with martial arts.
Sure, the twins were eager to learn and easy to train, but the near constant pattern of jokes and pranks was making it very hard for her to concentrate on the task at hand. They claimed it was all for their job, creating and testing new products that could be turned to weapons for the Order. Yeah right. Curse Capsules are one thing, but others . . . Like when Tori found the modified spiders in her underwear drawer, of which the contents had all been dyed a lurid pink with added frills. She couldn't even tell how they managed to get into her room. Great skills, but still . . .
It was fine when it was just George, but Spike had been reassigned and Tori got Fred too. They conspired together, which was excellent when practicing combat and modifying new weapons, but detrimental to her sanity at times. Still, at least they were both cute and talented. She sipped at a mug of tea while contemplating how she could get revenge during their next training session. Her partner Lulich was monitoring the screens representing the wards around the Minister's house, and the other two Auror on duty were out on patrol. Once they got back the night shift would arrive, and Tori could go back to her flat for a bath and some sleep.
A sudden chime made her jump, splashing a little tea over her fingers. "What is it?" Tori asked Lulich, who was now leaning close to the screens, trying to discern what had set off the wards. He shook his head. "Can't tell. Norris, Bacon, can you see anything moving out there?" he spoke into his Communication amulet. A crackle, then, "Norris here. Nothing. It's quiet as a tomb over here." "Bacon here. Just a second, I'm checking . . . there's some anomalies out here, unable to tell what they are. They're moving fast though. Wait . . . oh shit! Backup, need back -- . . ." The transmission from the Auror ended with a scream and a thud. Tori was instantly on alert, scanning the monitors then activating her Communication charm to DMLE headquarters.
"Black to base. The Minister's residence is under attack. Looks like demons. One Auror down already. Emergency backup needed, urgent. Repeat, the Minister is under attack." A familiar voice answered immediately. "Received. Two companies en route now, red alert going out. Hold on until they get there." Tori smiled at the sound of Spike's voice, but simply answered, "Copy that." She turned to Lulich, a rookie barely a month out of training who was watching her with wide eyes, and asked, "Are you armed?"
He silently produced a wand, but she shook her head. "Next to useless here. I mean real weapons. Knives, that kind." His gaze told her everything, and with a sigh she flung open a nearby cabinet to reveal a weapons locker with various Muggle and magical devices. Tossing him a pair of short swords, she instructed calmly as she strapped on her own and a few knives as well as Curse Capsules. "Magic doesn't affect them, so use these if one gets too close. Be careful that you don't cut off your own hands. We have to protect the Minister. Reinforcements are coming. Let's go." He swallowed and nodded, so Tori led the way out of the guard station towards the house, intent on her job. Before they reached the door, the first demon found them.
********************************************
Lucius Malfoy loved being sneaky, especially when he could then hide behind the power, money and prestige allowed to his name. He was no stranger to getting his hands dirty, when his white gloves could hide them from the world. After his capture and stint in Azkaban though, he could no longer pull rank over everyone as he once so enjoyed. It was only under Voldemort that he could again take pleasure in his position above others.
Still, that long-ingrained habit of playing his real cards close to his chest paid off on stealth missions like this, reflected as he led the Death Eaters into the Wizarding Library of London, one of the best and most comprehensive in the world. It had taken them nearly half an hour to discreetly crack through the wards, then Stun the on-duty librarian before she could act. They'd Obliviate her on the way out.
Lucius observed the vast catalogue of texts, refusing to let impatience creep into him. This would probably take a fair amount of time, but with their entry unnoticed and the distraction now being launched, they had it. The three other Death Eaters stared around, marveling inwardly at the information contained within these walls. Lucius glanced over at the only female Death Eater and gestured with annoyance for her to begin. A former Ravenclaw whose desire to learn everything, even those forbidden powers Voldemort offered, had far outstripped her logical reasoning or morals, she had worked at the Library often enough to conduct a search for the texts they searched for now.
She waved her wand and muttered something, and a quill suddenly came to life on a desk nearby, poised to write on a parchment. She gave the keywords and search parameters, and the parchment glowed for a minute before fluttering off in the labyrinth of the shelves. Repeating the process with different keywords to five other parchments, she waved them off in search of her requested texts, then settled in an armchair to wait for them to return, eyes flicking over the books.
She looked like a kid in Honeydukes with 50 Galleons of pocket money to spend, and could barely restrain herself from dashing to the nearest aisle and grabbing as many books as she could. The restrictions on the library prevented her from indulging every reading choice she wanted, particularly the Dark Arts section. Approval to read those texts could only come from a handful of academics, world-class all of them but hopelessly narrow-minded on the subject of Dark Arts. So what if that section carried the writings of masters such as Morgan le Fey, Grindlewald and Baron von Draykman? Her master had promised to her all the knowledge she craved, which is why she served him faithfully.
The parchments did not return for nearly an hour, and then with a woefully short list. Correlating the separate keyword searches against the parchment she held, none of them matched. She sighed, then sent out another search for all untranslatable texts with and without images of Dark symbols. These came back faster, for the section was small with few completely unknown texts, but without titles for obvious reasons. Encouraged, she ordered the texts to be brought to her, which was done in a matter of a minute. Her part of the mission finished for the moment, she settled in at the desk with a scroll on the ancient Egyptian rune magic in their hieroglyphics.
The other two wizards with Malfoy were the linguist experts. One a Slytherin whose ambitions were only matched by a mind sharper than diamond edge, and the other a Mid-Eastern scholar renowned for translating undecipherable and ancient languages, they were here to begin the real work. Pulling out parchment copies of a strange tongue, they flipped carefully through the available tomes and parchment scrolls, comparing the spidery characters with the written ones before them. Lucius sat, utterly bored as he watched them, yet too lazy to find a book that would interest him. He casually checked the heirloom pocket watch he carried, then snapped it shut. They had time, for the Ministry no doubt was in chaos at the moment and not overly concerned with its information repository.
*********************************************
Chaos (n): confused unorganized state, inherent unpredictability, complete disorder
There was no doubt in Harry's mind as to what reigned in the Great Hall at the moment. His phoenix talons managed to find a purchase, so he regained his balance and perched up in the arches of the enchanted ceiling, trying to make sense of the mess in front of him, which he (or rather, his clone) was in the thick of.
*****
A series of unfortunate events:
Slytherins are know to be cunning, sly, ambitious, and possessing of a certain disregard for rules. Unfortunately, not all of them possess brains, or subtlety. That was why a few of them chose the middle of the Dueling Club to follow their Master's orders, or at least part of them. Two seventh years had sidled up behind Harry (the clone) and began with the standard taunts, no doubt coached by Malfoy.
"Well Potter, you've managed to displease the Dark Lord. You know, he'll go after your friends first. Starting with that mutt of a godfather; maybe he'll make a rug out of him. Then those Weasels you slum with. Hey, maybe our Lord will let us play with the Mudblood before we kill her too."
Harry had refused to respond beyond an icy glare at both of them. They continued after a pause, trying to provoke a reaction out of him with increasingly vicious and obscene threats. Harry sighed and tuned them out; they had no more brains that the average English soccer hooligan, although they were slightly more interesting than the lecture on Binding spells Professor Figg was currently giving. But while he wasn't listening, Ron was, and after a particularly nasty comment regarding Hermione and his sister, his temper flared and he turned to them, drawing his wand.
One Slytherin had seen him and drew his own wand, attracting Harry's notice so that he spun around to disarm him. Hermione had also been listening in, and while she had her wand out, her other hand was on her boyfriend's shoulder to restrain him. Ginny had been standing nearby, and was now next to them with her wand trained on the two older Slytherins unflinchingly.
Apparently they had backup watching them, and seeing the two faced with four wands in the hands of four angry Gryffindors, the other Slytherins took out their wands to even up the score. Ginny spotted them out of the corner of her eye and turned a bit to face them, and a twitchy fifth year fired a curse at her. Thanks to nerves it missed her, but hit Ron instead, and he gasped in sharp pain but seemed otherwise unaffected.
He began to face his attacker, but Hermione beat him to it, hitting the Slytherin dead-on with a Binding spell. He was soon wrapped neck to knees in unbreakable cords, and off-balanced he fell to the floor, his wand skittering away. The two seventh year Slytherins retaliated, sending hexes at the Gryffindors, who dodged. One hit another Slytherin, who dropped twitching, and the other hit Seamus in the back.
The Irish Gryffindor's yell of surprise drew the attention of the rest of the Hall first to him, then to the pitched fight/duel going on between four Gryffindors and ten Slytherins. Fiercely loyal to their House and especially in a rumble against Slytherins, the Gryffindors all happily jumped into the fray, shooting spells at anyone wearing green. Luckily it wasn't Saint Patrick's Day.
This pulled the reminder of the Slytherins in until it became a full out battle. Seamus jumped the seventh year who cursed him, and Dean was right beside him as they wrestled around, wands forgotten. Lavender and Parvati were seen in a catfight with Pansy Parkinson, next to Neville who was alternately cursing and punching Crabbe. Goyle was busy trying to pick both Colin and Denis off him, but couldn't move fast enough.
At first the other Houses found this extremely amusing but tried to stay out of it, but that sentiment quickly switched when a wild curse hit a Hufflepuff sixth year, quickly followed by a Hurling hex on a Ravenclaw third year who hadn't managed to get her shield up fast enough. She hit the opposite wall with a dull thud, and that sound galvanized the Ravenclaws to follow the loyal and protective Hufflepuffs into the fray. A riot is an ugly thing, but it was about time they had one. It would have resembled a war, except in war there are clearly defined enemies. This was chaos, pure and simple.
Harry found himself in the thick of it, ducking and repelling spells from all sides. Professor Figg tried to stop them, but a Muting spell sealed her mouth shut. He turned to help her, but instead found himself face-to-face with Draco Malfoy, a nasty smirk on his pale face. "C'mon Potter. Let's finish this."
He brought up his wand and fired a pain curse that was just on this side of legality, which Harry easily dodged. He yelled "Expelliamus!" but Malfoy blocked it with a sneer, then retaliated, "Varisortiaum!" An ugly black light shot out of his wand, and Harry, unsure of what the strange curse could do, deflected it towards the ceiling. It impacted the enchanted skyview, which shimmered for a moment and sent down a lot of dust and a few rock chips. Nasty powerful little bugger.
The clone scowled, then sensed the original returning. He glanced up even though he knew he could not see the invisible phoenix. The Aurors on duty chose this moment to charge in, no doubt drawn by the familiar sounds of battle. Dumbledore followed on their heels with several members of the Order; Harry grimaced briefly at the thought of interrupting their meeting.
This gave Malfoy an opening, but one that he had planned on. As Malfoy shouted another incantation, Harry gathered up his energy in a could around him, early palpable in power, which absorbed the curse harmlessly and channeled the energy back into him. Refocusing it, he whipped his wand around to trace a circle above his head and brought it down with a whiplike crack.
Instantly all the Slytherins took to the air, away from their duels. Malfoy would make a wonderful Muggle airplane; he flew beautifully, more so than on his broom, Harry decided with a certainly vindictive pleasure. As a whole the students slammed into the walls none too gently and stuck there like fly paper, some in very comical positions. The two idiot Slytherins ended up stuck towards the bottom, one spread eagle like a frozen jumping jack, and the other twisted around with his left side to the wall, arm outstretched while the right wrapped around his body and stuck to his ribs.
Their presence as wall decoration stunned the other students, but not nearly as much as Harry abruptly bellowing "FREEZE!" All movement in the Hall stilled, and they stared at the furious teen in the center of the mess. At this point, the real Harry decided that maybe he should rejoin the clone before things progressed any further. He flew to the clone, carefully avoiding the students that could get caught in the backdraft, and quickly merged the two forms, assimilating memories as the phoenix form disappeared. Integrated again, he unsealed Professor Figg's mouth, briefly caught Dumbledore's eye, and strolled over to the seventh year Slytherins who had started it all.
Glaring furiously at both of them, he spoke quietly yet his words rang through the silence. "Do you remember what the headmaster said only a day ago? In dark times we must stick together; harassment and threats against another student will be punished severely." Their arms caught his eye, and he continued, "But that is nothing compared to the fate waiting for convicted Death Eaters." Ignoring the gasps around the hall and the horrified looks on the two faces, he caught the ripped sleeve of one and finished the tear, revealing the vivid Dark Mark branded there. A quick shove of another sleeve showed the other's matching tattoo.
The students still standing began shouting in confusion and horror. Death Eaters here? But this was Hogwarts! The Aurors put on their business faces and quickly closed on the two Slytherins as Harry released them from the wall. One Auror contacted DMLE headquarters that they were bringing in a couple of Death Eaters as his companions arrested them, and Dumbledore added quietly to them that they were both summarily expelled.
After they were led away, Professor Figg clapped her hands to silence the murmurs. "Club is dismissed for the rest of the night. Fifty points will be taken from all Houses for fighting, and another hundred from Slytherin for initiating the brawl. Now back to your dormitories immediately before I take off more."
Grudgingly they did so, many scowling at the Slytherins before heading off to their respective Common Rooms. Soon only the professors, Order members, and the four Gryffindors were left in the Great Hall. Dumbledore sighed wearily and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Harry, could you please tell me what happened?" Harry shrugged and commented dryly, "Apparently they don't understand the concept of 'Don't Get Caught.'" Ron spoke up and gave a concise account of how the fight escalated, not mincing his part in it, with a couple of contributions from Hermione and Ginny.
When he was finished, the headmaster appeared pensive. "This is not good. It increases House rivalry as well as personal grudges." He turned to the Heads of Houses. "Do what damage control you see fit, and try and defuse tensions. Severus, be careful. Most of your House considers you a traitor after all. Be back here in half an hour or so; we do still need to test these three tonight." The headmaster then turned to Arabella Figg with a slight grin on his face, hidden by his long beard. "I believe you have first dibs on the tests."
She nodded and smirked a bit as she faced Ginny, Hermione and Ron. "Very well. Welcome to the first stage of evaluations. You will all duel with me individually to begin with. Standard rules, everything except extra weapons and illegal curses allowed. First to disarm their opponent wins. I'll be watching for style, strengths, creativity, and variety. Do your best. So, who's first?"
*****
Ron took a deep breath to try and steady his nerves, fingering his wand. He caught Hermione's eye and she winked at him, eliciting a slight smile. Okay, he could do this. He faced Arabella and at her signal bowed, then snapped into his dueling stance, slightly crouched and right side forward, giving him a smaller profile and easier movement, weight balanced. Flitwick, once a dueling champion and now observer, counted down and yelled, "Go!"
Immediately Arabella sent a Disarming spell his way; he dodged to the side and shot back with a Stunner. As they fought, Ron recalled Harry's and Eva's lessons. Keep moving; a mobile target is harder to hit. Diversify curses; never stick to a predictable pattern. Strategize; look for weaknesses and exploit them. Stay cool and focused, ignore all taunts and attempts to rattle you. Get physical, most wizards can't split their attention to face a two level battle. Distract your opponent as much as possible. Don't overextend; cockiness gets you killed.
The duel continued. Arabella leapt away from his spell, circling closer as she used a fireball for a diversionary tactic. Ron doused the flame and followed through with the Binding spell she had taught earlier, but then whispered another curse right on its tail that she wouldn't be able to dodge. Sure enough, the Dueling professor easily avoided the first even as she began her spell, but cut off in mid-incantation as his second impacted her stomach and threw her backwards about ten feet. Her old Auror instincts kept her wits together, and even as she landed painfully and turned it into a roll to her feet, Ron stumbled under her hasty spell and nearly dropped his wand.
Arabella recovered a second faster than the teen and fired three curses in rapid succession as she closed in. Ron barely dodged the first, snapped up a shield in time to deflect two and three, then dove and rolled away from her attack. A punch is just as good as a Disarming spell, and Arabella packed a wicked roundhouse. Ron snapped off a kick to her kneecap, which impacted with enough force to lock it but not break it, and she winced in pain. He used that instant of distraction to dive at her, sending her to the floor with the strength of his tackle. He reached up and snatched her wand from her grip. His weight pinned her legs down as both wands pointed at her face, and he flashed a grin. "Yield?"
The professor tried to scowl, but approval twinkled in her eyes. "Yield." He helped her to her feet and gave back the wand, which she pocketed while beginning her evaluation. "Very good Ron. You seem to have a talent with this, especially the physical part." He grinned. "Having five older brothers helps." "You have to work on ignoring the effects of curses, at least to the point where you instincts can still override. Other than that, all you need is experience to refine and polish your style, plus improve your instincts and reaction times. Good job." She shook his hand and turned to Ginny, who had been watching intently from the side. "I believe you're next."
*****
Harry watched Ron's duel as Sirius spoke quietly with Remus and Dumbledore, noting with pride how well his friend was doing. While his forte may have been chess and strategy, Ron still made a formidable dueling partner and opponent. He liked to utilize his experience as Fred and George's younger brother by employing some of their favorite trap curses to distract opponents. Harry chuckled when Arabella's hair suddenly sprouted carrots and disrupted her spell, recalling when he pulled that on Eva. Ron had come away from that with a very uncomfortable Atomic Wedgie curse that lasted until dinner, but his voice squeaked for an hour after that.
As Ginny prepared for her duel, Sirius clapped Harry on the shoulder and brought him into the conversation. "Is your motorcycle here?" Harry had to shake his head regretfully. "No, she's at my house. There was no place safe here to store her. Imagine if some first years found her, or worse Slytherins." Both Harry and Sirius shuddered at the thought. "Well, Dumbledore wants us to check out a small Muggle town where a wizard family is currently hiding. So we want to blend in as much as possible to avoid detection and drawing attention to them." Harry nodded. "Why are they hiding?"
Sirius sighed. "Their daughter is possibly one of the last true Seers in the world, so they've been teaching her at home. Too many people around, especially wizards, interfere with her Sight. We don't want to bring her to Hogwarts unless it's absolutely necessary, but they're at risk. So we have to check out the town inconspicuously, set up an emergency Portkey as well as some undetectable wards." Harry absorbed it all silently, then simply asked, "When do we leave?"
Sirius glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded. "I was figuring we could fetch your bike tonight, fly in under cover of darkness and reconnoiter the town, set the wards and Portkey in the morning, and be back here before lunch. The problem is you missing classes might be suspicious." Harry rolled his eyes. "Sirius, did you forget about my clone? I never missed a single class last year. It won't be a problem."
His godfather blinked a bit in consternation. "Oh yeah." Remus chuckled a bit. "Your memory's going in your old age Padfoot." "Shut it Moony. At least I still have all my hair in its original color." Remus ran a hand through his graying hair, "That's because it feeds off your brain. With nothing left, it'll go soon too." The two Marauders glared at each other briefly before twin grins of amusement completely ruined the effect.
Harry and Dumbledore exchanged smirks at this, then the headmaster cleared his throat and remarked, "It's getting late. You had better be on your way if you are going to fly there tonight. Good luck, and I expect you both to report back tomorrow. Now I must see to my challenge for your friends." He winked, shook hands with Harry and Sirius, then walked off. Remus put a hand on the teen's shoulder. "By the way, convey to Eva my sincerest thanks for her gift." Harry looked confused for a moment, then smiled with understanding. "So it did work?"
The lycanthrope nodded as a bright grin spread across his face. "Unbelievably well. It takes away the pain of the transformation, and keeps my mind even more human than the Wolfsbane." He sighed. "It's more like being an Animagus one night a month, and a lot more bearable. I won't be missing classes this year recovering." Harry matched his grin and hugged the man tightly, knowing how much a relief from a curse this was for him. "I'll tell her. Maybe you can make it available to more werewolves." "That would be perfect." Sirius cleared his throat, and they broke the embrace.
"But later. Now we have to leave," the Animagus looked at his watch. Harry nodded. "Let me fetch a few things and leave the clone behind. I'll meet you outside the main entrance in ten minutes." He threw a glance towards Ginny's duel, then the other tasks that the professors were setting up, mentally wished them all luck, and ran for the stairs.
*****
Hermione eyed the door apprehensively, clenching her wand as she tried to prepare herself for the unknown. Last time she had been through this door, a three headed dog stood guard over a trapdoor. Remus stood by and watched her with a slight smile. Of course he would smile; he wasn't doing this, he just put it together with a couple of the other professors. Holding her head high, she walked up to the door and pulled at the handle. Locked. She muttered "Alohomora," but it stubbornly refused to open. She tried another spell with no success, then thinking back to her summer research, cast a tricky charm that would reveal what spell was keeping the door locked.
A shimmering tangle of knots appeared, meshing the hinges into the wall and making it impossible to open physically. It wasn't locked, it was jammed. Hermione nodded to herself, noting the ingenuity even as she worked at undoing the spell knots. Finally she stepped back and gave the wood a solid kick, breaking the last vestiges and swinging it open. With a side glance at Remus' amused grin, she walked in warily but confidently.
*****
Ginny ducked around a corner as the Death Eaters ran past, looking for her. She breathed out a silent sigh of relief. Even though she knew they weren't real Death Eaters - probably illusions or transfigured animated objects - they were realistic enough to rattle her a bit. And they packed a nice punch, she reflected ruefully as she rubbed her shoulder which still tingled where a curse had hit her. Her shield had been a bit slow and failed to stop that one. Her object in this task was to find an object in the center of this maze, then make it back out undetected.
So far she had had to break through a couple of wards to enter (she mentally thanked Bill for teaching her the basics of curse-breaking last summer), avoid two groups of Death Eaters, and slog her way through a swamp, leaving no trace while ignoring a hinkypuck. No doubt the professors had fun putting this together, and she marveled at their combined skills even as she did her best to defeat it.
Hearing nothing around her for the moment, Ginny peeked out and scanned the immediate area, the crept quietly but quickly along the path, orienting herself to the center. Her mind flashed back to the Third Task, watching the champions in the maze from the stands, until Harry and Cedric disappeared. She shook the thought from her head; it would only distract her at the moment. Stay focused.
Unwilling to use magic in case someone was actively searching for her, Ginny kept all her senses alert, hone from years of sneaking around her brothers and parents. The twins rarely pranked her, because Ron gave better reactions and Ginny always retaliated when they weren't looking. She could fade into the background easily, and was always the least suspected. It hadn't served her so well during her first year though.
The stench caught her attention first and instinctively she went for the shadows at the base of the hedges, getting out of the way and hiding as the first scout demon loped down the path, followed by five more. She caught her breath and shrank back a bit more, recalling what Professor Lupin had lectured them on that day. Coolly running through possibilities and escape routes, she kept stock still, barely even breathing as they approached her hiding place cautiously, searching. In less than a minute they'd find her.
Ginny spotted a gap in the hedges three feet from her. It looked big enough for her to squeeze through, but it might as well have been a mile away. If she moved they would see her, and she would be dead. She needed a distraction, but what? Any spell would emit light and draw them right to her. She shifted a bit, and froze as she felt a package in her pocket. She recalled that she had a bag of Zonko's tricks from earlier in the day, and she rummaged through her robes to find it, withdrawing a Filibuster Firework. With a quick prod of her wand, it started sputtering, and she chucked it as hard as she could.
The distraction worked beautifully, as the firework exploded above the demons' heads and slightly behind their path. All six creatures spun at the noise, and sparks fell on one demon, which was soon smoldering with little licks of flame playing over its skin. While they snarled and searched in the other direction, Ginny dove through the hedge, wiggling a bit as her robes caught on the branches. She emerged on the other side free and clear, if a little scratched. Making sure she was alone again, she set off again towards her goal.
*****
Ron emerged from the maze, sweaty and tired from that last fight. Man, they were really testing his abilities on this one. Just get from one side to the other, no problem. That is until he had run into Death Eaters, demon patrols, boggarts, a nest of spiders, rampaging hippogriffs, and a couple of curses and hexes just to round things out. But he was out now, and he smiled a bit to himself even as he kept one hand pressed to his bleeding shoulder. One of the hippogriff's claws had slashed him before he Stunned it.
Dumbledore was sitting at a table nearby and gestured him over to the free seat, which he sank gratefully into. "Well done Mr. Weasley. You came through that spectacularly. I especially enjoyed your . . . unique way of defeating the boggart." Ron shrugged, winced at the incautious movement, and said, "Thank you sir. Where are Hermione and Ginny?" The headmaster gestured to the door that the teen had just exited. "In the maze. All of you had a different path and objective, but essentially the same obstacles."
Ron's mouth dropped open, and he jumped to his feet, shoulder injury forgotten. "What? In there? With the demons and boggarts and Death Eaters . . . ." His protests were cut off by an upraised hand and a frown. "Yes Ron, with all that. Understand that both Ms. Granger and Ms. Weasley are very capable witches in their own right and can take care of themselves. You have known them for years and trained with them this summer, so you of all people are aware of their strengths."
Ron sat back down, his ears red and muttered, "Yes sir, I'm sorry." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Don't be. That protective streak can be counted as one of your strengths, as long as it is tempered at times." With a wave, a chessboard appeared on the table between them. "Now we much focus on your other strengths. I seem to recall a particularly well-played game back in your first year, and I would like to see how much our skill has improved since then." Dumbledore nudged a pawn forward and gestured Madame Pomfrey over. "She will bandage you up as we play. Your move."
******
Hermione kept an eye on the sphinx as she stepped past him, even though she had solved his riddle. It had been a puzzling challenge, but she thrived on just that sort and had worked it out with relish. She continued along the path nursing a bruise from a Hurling Hex that had thrown her 20 feet into the hedge. It seemed unusually quiet, and so she kept her wand at the ready. She turned the corner and froze in her tracks.
On the path ahead of her lay a familiar figure, face down, bright red hair contrasting sharply with the black of his robes puddled around his body. "Ron!" she yelled and ran for him, dropping to her knees and rolling him over carefully. What was he doing in the maze? There was a horrible sense of déjà vu about this scene, but she ignored it in her worry for her boyfriend. She cradled his head in her lap and gasped.
Ron's blue eyes stared vacantly up at her, and her horrified gaze took in the blood spattering his face in horrible imitation of his freckles, oozing from a gaping wound in his chest. Blood spilled over her hands, hot and sticky, and the sharp metallic tang stun her nose.
"In stab wounds, it is usually not the wound itself that is fatal. In the chest area, for example, blood fills up the pericardium and pleural cavities, leaving the heart and lungs no room to expand. The lungs collapse in on themselves while the heart stops beating, and the victim slowly suffocates on his own blood."
For once Hermione cursed her steel trap mind as a passage from a forensic textbook floated into memory. Hot tears spilled down her face and she was vaguely aware that she was begging, pleading with him to live, to not leave her here. He couldn't leave her, not like this, not now. He was her best friend and her love. The déjà vu was growing stronger. This was too surreal, creepily familiar.
Abruptly her mind made the connection. Third year. Defense Against the Dark Arts final. The boggart in the trunk. She had lied about what she had really seen. But this one was slightly different. In third year she had seen both Ron and Harry. Dead like this. She had run out screaming, and had never been so glad to see the two of them in her life.
With that fact established, she tried to control herself. Ron was not here, he was somewhere safe, alive. She drew a ragged breath, trying to think of a way to defeat this. Boggarts are destroyed by laughter. There was no way to make this funny. It was too real. But something didn't have to be funny to be laughed at . . .
Suddenly Ron opened his eyes and said, "Never knew Fred and George could make fake wounds so realistic. They'll make a killing with these in their joke shop." Hermione stared down at him for a moment, then a bubble of hysterical relieved laughter burst from her, and she slapped him. "Ron! How could you?!" she yelled, then pointed her wand and shouted, "Riddikulus!"
With a crack Ron was gone, as was the blood on her hands. She breathed a deep sigh of relief, wiped her eyes and stood up, then started for the exit of the maze again. She promised herself that when she got out of here she would have to give Ron a huge kiss to let him know just how much he meant to her.
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Harry and Sirius Apparated to his isolated house in the highlands, and Sirius again admired the expansiveness and furnishing of it. "I still can't believe that this is all yours." Harry smirked. "Sometimes neither can I. It's a bit different from a cupboard under the stairs." His godfather snorted. "Just a bit." The teen led the way into the house as he spoke. "The new Detection parchments for the Order should be done by now. Feel free to grab a snack." Sirius chuckled as he made a beeline for the kitchen. "How did you know I was starving?"
"You're just like Ron - always ready to eat," Harry called back with a grin as he unsealed the War Room. A quick glance at the screens showed nothing immediately important, so he stepped over to the table where the new parchments lay. A couple of quick incantations proved them to be in excellent working order, showing the same information currently flashing up on the wall. Smiling with satisfaction, he shuffled them into a stack and began rolling them up to put in his pack.
Just then a chime rang out, corresponding to a sudden sting in his left arm. Letting the parchment unfurl in his hands, he stared down at them for a second, then up at the main screen. "Sirius! Get in here!" he yelled as he continued scanning the screens, mentally tallying up what he was seeing. Sirius came running in with a sandwich in his hand. "What is it?" "Demon attack. Too many to count, it's not picking up individual signals. No Death Eaters." "Location?" Harry gestured at the screen, and Sirius read the flashing information and paled a bit. "Oh shit."
Harry nodded and grimaced as a blue dot faded out, overrun by a gray swarm. It was quickly followed by another. "The Aurors don't stand a chance. Let's go!" They ran out of the house, leaving behind a half-eaten sandwich and scattered parchments. The screen flashed again as another blue dot disappeared, leaving two blue dots, labeled Arthur and Molly Weasley, in a house surrounded by a legion of gray.
A/N: Okay, despite many wishes and attempts to the contrary, I am alive. Sorry this chapter took so long, but it is longer than my norm. I kind of wrote myself into a corner, then succumbed to a serious case of writer's block. And in case that wasn't bad enough, my profs decided that maybe I didn't have enough to do and saddled me with a whole bunch of homework and projects. It's amazing what can happen when you are up for 48 hours on 3 hours of sleep. After I post this, I'll have to go finish my philosophy essay. Oh well, enough crap from me. Enjoy the chapter and review! I thrive off reviews!
I'm closing in on the end right now, and I promise I will finish this story before June 21st, because then I will read Order of the Phoenix and ignore this insane plot bunny forever.
Some chapter notes: I believe Hermione lied about her boggart in third year. I mean, even while the most studious of bookworms would have a great fear than failing, she's made of stronger stuff than that. She's not that neurotic. So I put in my idea of what she really saw then. I bet most of you are thinking the same thing, but feel free to disagree with me. Remember that on Harry's situation map, blue are for Aurors and so forth while red are Death Eaters and gray is demons.
Chapter 21
Voldemort stalked slowly down through the ranks of waiting demons, the creature surprisingly quiet in the presence of their master as he surveyed them. The continuing infusion of power that his Lord and Master fed him with through the talisman allowed Voldemort to create these ones, a new breed, stronger and faster than the earlier ones. With that insufferable Wraith able to combat every other weapon he threw at him, the Dark Lord was now branching out in search of new ones.
Now the demons' skin as well as their claws were poisoned, and they carried a greater array of weapons. Much as he loathed to admit it, the Dark Lord was forced to acknowledge that Muggles were actually quite innovative in inventing new ways to kill each other. Flamethrowers were rather fun, as well as grenades. He knew better than to allow his troops to have guns though; they didn't have enough control. The creatures' enthusiasm for havoc and destruction in battle combined with bullets would result in too many casualties on his side. Pity.
Several of his Death Eaters stood off to the side, still very apprehensive in the presence of the demons. Of course, that could have just been the smell. Regardless, they dared not approach and were visibly relieved when Voldemort finally led them out to another chamber away from the ranks. "My army is ready to carry the fear of my reign far and wide," the Dark Lord spoke quietly but confidently as they walked. "Yet we still have a few nuisances to take care of. Lucius, how goes your preparations?"
One masked Death Eater bowed. "My Lord, your servants await your command. The latest information shows that we should have little trouble getting in. The demons' distraction should be flawless. The target post is lightly manned at present, believing themselves to be out of harm's way. Your agents in the ministry have managed to reroute most Auror patrols toward Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade."
A twisted expression that could pass for a smile graced Voldemort's face. "Very good. We will go tonight. Be ready to depart in an hour. Now go." The Death Eaters all bowed then Apparated away to attend various duties. The Dark Lord passed his gaze over the doorway through which more demons were visible, arming themselves. His troops, fiercely loyal and hideously strong. Greater and more powerful than ever before. Like him. He raised his eyes toward the ceiling, seeing something other than the cold stone.
"Now, Arthur Weasley, you shall die."
**************************************************
Tori Black yawned, exceedingly bored yet not allowed to leave quite yet. Why did she have to take the replacement shift when Lampret called in sick? Watchdog duty at the Minister's residence was sometimes considered punishment detail, and she couldn't recall having pissed off her superiors recently. Maybe they thought she needed downtime after working with the infamous Weasley twins. She snorted at that thought. After that thrice- weekly ordeal, her idea of relaxing was heading to the gym to beat the crap out of the combat dummies with martial arts.
Sure, the twins were eager to learn and easy to train, but the near constant pattern of jokes and pranks was making it very hard for her to concentrate on the task at hand. They claimed it was all for their job, creating and testing new products that could be turned to weapons for the Order. Yeah right. Curse Capsules are one thing, but others . . . Like when Tori found the modified spiders in her underwear drawer, of which the contents had all been dyed a lurid pink with added frills. She couldn't even tell how they managed to get into her room. Great skills, but still . . .
It was fine when it was just George, but Spike had been reassigned and Tori got Fred too. They conspired together, which was excellent when practicing combat and modifying new weapons, but detrimental to her sanity at times. Still, at least they were both cute and talented. She sipped at a mug of tea while contemplating how she could get revenge during their next training session. Her partner Lulich was monitoring the screens representing the wards around the Minister's house, and the other two Auror on duty were out on patrol. Once they got back the night shift would arrive, and Tori could go back to her flat for a bath and some sleep.
A sudden chime made her jump, splashing a little tea over her fingers. "What is it?" Tori asked Lulich, who was now leaning close to the screens, trying to discern what had set off the wards. He shook his head. "Can't tell. Norris, Bacon, can you see anything moving out there?" he spoke into his Communication amulet. A crackle, then, "Norris here. Nothing. It's quiet as a tomb over here." "Bacon here. Just a second, I'm checking . . . there's some anomalies out here, unable to tell what they are. They're moving fast though. Wait . . . oh shit! Backup, need back -- . . ." The transmission from the Auror ended with a scream and a thud. Tori was instantly on alert, scanning the monitors then activating her Communication charm to DMLE headquarters.
"Black to base. The Minister's residence is under attack. Looks like demons. One Auror down already. Emergency backup needed, urgent. Repeat, the Minister is under attack." A familiar voice answered immediately. "Received. Two companies en route now, red alert going out. Hold on until they get there." Tori smiled at the sound of Spike's voice, but simply answered, "Copy that." She turned to Lulich, a rookie barely a month out of training who was watching her with wide eyes, and asked, "Are you armed?"
He silently produced a wand, but she shook her head. "Next to useless here. I mean real weapons. Knives, that kind." His gaze told her everything, and with a sigh she flung open a nearby cabinet to reveal a weapons locker with various Muggle and magical devices. Tossing him a pair of short swords, she instructed calmly as she strapped on her own and a few knives as well as Curse Capsules. "Magic doesn't affect them, so use these if one gets too close. Be careful that you don't cut off your own hands. We have to protect the Minister. Reinforcements are coming. Let's go." He swallowed and nodded, so Tori led the way out of the guard station towards the house, intent on her job. Before they reached the door, the first demon found them.
********************************************
Lucius Malfoy loved being sneaky, especially when he could then hide behind the power, money and prestige allowed to his name. He was no stranger to getting his hands dirty, when his white gloves could hide them from the world. After his capture and stint in Azkaban though, he could no longer pull rank over everyone as he once so enjoyed. It was only under Voldemort that he could again take pleasure in his position above others.
Still, that long-ingrained habit of playing his real cards close to his chest paid off on stealth missions like this, reflected as he led the Death Eaters into the Wizarding Library of London, one of the best and most comprehensive in the world. It had taken them nearly half an hour to discreetly crack through the wards, then Stun the on-duty librarian before she could act. They'd Obliviate her on the way out.
Lucius observed the vast catalogue of texts, refusing to let impatience creep into him. This would probably take a fair amount of time, but with their entry unnoticed and the distraction now being launched, they had it. The three other Death Eaters stared around, marveling inwardly at the information contained within these walls. Lucius glanced over at the only female Death Eater and gestured with annoyance for her to begin. A former Ravenclaw whose desire to learn everything, even those forbidden powers Voldemort offered, had far outstripped her logical reasoning or morals, she had worked at the Library often enough to conduct a search for the texts they searched for now.
She waved her wand and muttered something, and a quill suddenly came to life on a desk nearby, poised to write on a parchment. She gave the keywords and search parameters, and the parchment glowed for a minute before fluttering off in the labyrinth of the shelves. Repeating the process with different keywords to five other parchments, she waved them off in search of her requested texts, then settled in an armchair to wait for them to return, eyes flicking over the books.
She looked like a kid in Honeydukes with 50 Galleons of pocket money to spend, and could barely restrain herself from dashing to the nearest aisle and grabbing as many books as she could. The restrictions on the library prevented her from indulging every reading choice she wanted, particularly the Dark Arts section. Approval to read those texts could only come from a handful of academics, world-class all of them but hopelessly narrow-minded on the subject of Dark Arts. So what if that section carried the writings of masters such as Morgan le Fey, Grindlewald and Baron von Draykman? Her master had promised to her all the knowledge she craved, which is why she served him faithfully.
The parchments did not return for nearly an hour, and then with a woefully short list. Correlating the separate keyword searches against the parchment she held, none of them matched. She sighed, then sent out another search for all untranslatable texts with and without images of Dark symbols. These came back faster, for the section was small with few completely unknown texts, but without titles for obvious reasons. Encouraged, she ordered the texts to be brought to her, which was done in a matter of a minute. Her part of the mission finished for the moment, she settled in at the desk with a scroll on the ancient Egyptian rune magic in their hieroglyphics.
The other two wizards with Malfoy were the linguist experts. One a Slytherin whose ambitions were only matched by a mind sharper than diamond edge, and the other a Mid-Eastern scholar renowned for translating undecipherable and ancient languages, they were here to begin the real work. Pulling out parchment copies of a strange tongue, they flipped carefully through the available tomes and parchment scrolls, comparing the spidery characters with the written ones before them. Lucius sat, utterly bored as he watched them, yet too lazy to find a book that would interest him. He casually checked the heirloom pocket watch he carried, then snapped it shut. They had time, for the Ministry no doubt was in chaos at the moment and not overly concerned with its information repository.
*********************************************
Chaos (n): confused unorganized state, inherent unpredictability, complete disorder
There was no doubt in Harry's mind as to what reigned in the Great Hall at the moment. His phoenix talons managed to find a purchase, so he regained his balance and perched up in the arches of the enchanted ceiling, trying to make sense of the mess in front of him, which he (or rather, his clone) was in the thick of.
*****
A series of unfortunate events:
Slytherins are know to be cunning, sly, ambitious, and possessing of a certain disregard for rules. Unfortunately, not all of them possess brains, or subtlety. That was why a few of them chose the middle of the Dueling Club to follow their Master's orders, or at least part of them. Two seventh years had sidled up behind Harry (the clone) and began with the standard taunts, no doubt coached by Malfoy.
"Well Potter, you've managed to displease the Dark Lord. You know, he'll go after your friends first. Starting with that mutt of a godfather; maybe he'll make a rug out of him. Then those Weasels you slum with. Hey, maybe our Lord will let us play with the Mudblood before we kill her too."
Harry had refused to respond beyond an icy glare at both of them. They continued after a pause, trying to provoke a reaction out of him with increasingly vicious and obscene threats. Harry sighed and tuned them out; they had no more brains that the average English soccer hooligan, although they were slightly more interesting than the lecture on Binding spells Professor Figg was currently giving. But while he wasn't listening, Ron was, and after a particularly nasty comment regarding Hermione and his sister, his temper flared and he turned to them, drawing his wand.
One Slytherin had seen him and drew his own wand, attracting Harry's notice so that he spun around to disarm him. Hermione had also been listening in, and while she had her wand out, her other hand was on her boyfriend's shoulder to restrain him. Ginny had been standing nearby, and was now next to them with her wand trained on the two older Slytherins unflinchingly.
Apparently they had backup watching them, and seeing the two faced with four wands in the hands of four angry Gryffindors, the other Slytherins took out their wands to even up the score. Ginny spotted them out of the corner of her eye and turned a bit to face them, and a twitchy fifth year fired a curse at her. Thanks to nerves it missed her, but hit Ron instead, and he gasped in sharp pain but seemed otherwise unaffected.
He began to face his attacker, but Hermione beat him to it, hitting the Slytherin dead-on with a Binding spell. He was soon wrapped neck to knees in unbreakable cords, and off-balanced he fell to the floor, his wand skittering away. The two seventh year Slytherins retaliated, sending hexes at the Gryffindors, who dodged. One hit another Slytherin, who dropped twitching, and the other hit Seamus in the back.
The Irish Gryffindor's yell of surprise drew the attention of the rest of the Hall first to him, then to the pitched fight/duel going on between four Gryffindors and ten Slytherins. Fiercely loyal to their House and especially in a rumble against Slytherins, the Gryffindors all happily jumped into the fray, shooting spells at anyone wearing green. Luckily it wasn't Saint Patrick's Day.
This pulled the reminder of the Slytherins in until it became a full out battle. Seamus jumped the seventh year who cursed him, and Dean was right beside him as they wrestled around, wands forgotten. Lavender and Parvati were seen in a catfight with Pansy Parkinson, next to Neville who was alternately cursing and punching Crabbe. Goyle was busy trying to pick both Colin and Denis off him, but couldn't move fast enough.
At first the other Houses found this extremely amusing but tried to stay out of it, but that sentiment quickly switched when a wild curse hit a Hufflepuff sixth year, quickly followed by a Hurling hex on a Ravenclaw third year who hadn't managed to get her shield up fast enough. She hit the opposite wall with a dull thud, and that sound galvanized the Ravenclaws to follow the loyal and protective Hufflepuffs into the fray. A riot is an ugly thing, but it was about time they had one. It would have resembled a war, except in war there are clearly defined enemies. This was chaos, pure and simple.
Harry found himself in the thick of it, ducking and repelling spells from all sides. Professor Figg tried to stop them, but a Muting spell sealed her mouth shut. He turned to help her, but instead found himself face-to-face with Draco Malfoy, a nasty smirk on his pale face. "C'mon Potter. Let's finish this."
He brought up his wand and fired a pain curse that was just on this side of legality, which Harry easily dodged. He yelled "Expelliamus!" but Malfoy blocked it with a sneer, then retaliated, "Varisortiaum!" An ugly black light shot out of his wand, and Harry, unsure of what the strange curse could do, deflected it towards the ceiling. It impacted the enchanted skyview, which shimmered for a moment and sent down a lot of dust and a few rock chips. Nasty powerful little bugger.
The clone scowled, then sensed the original returning. He glanced up even though he knew he could not see the invisible phoenix. The Aurors on duty chose this moment to charge in, no doubt drawn by the familiar sounds of battle. Dumbledore followed on their heels with several members of the Order; Harry grimaced briefly at the thought of interrupting their meeting.
This gave Malfoy an opening, but one that he had planned on. As Malfoy shouted another incantation, Harry gathered up his energy in a could around him, early palpable in power, which absorbed the curse harmlessly and channeled the energy back into him. Refocusing it, he whipped his wand around to trace a circle above his head and brought it down with a whiplike crack.
Instantly all the Slytherins took to the air, away from their duels. Malfoy would make a wonderful Muggle airplane; he flew beautifully, more so than on his broom, Harry decided with a certainly vindictive pleasure. As a whole the students slammed into the walls none too gently and stuck there like fly paper, some in very comical positions. The two idiot Slytherins ended up stuck towards the bottom, one spread eagle like a frozen jumping jack, and the other twisted around with his left side to the wall, arm outstretched while the right wrapped around his body and stuck to his ribs.
Their presence as wall decoration stunned the other students, but not nearly as much as Harry abruptly bellowing "FREEZE!" All movement in the Hall stilled, and they stared at the furious teen in the center of the mess. At this point, the real Harry decided that maybe he should rejoin the clone before things progressed any further. He flew to the clone, carefully avoiding the students that could get caught in the backdraft, and quickly merged the two forms, assimilating memories as the phoenix form disappeared. Integrated again, he unsealed Professor Figg's mouth, briefly caught Dumbledore's eye, and strolled over to the seventh year Slytherins who had started it all.
Glaring furiously at both of them, he spoke quietly yet his words rang through the silence. "Do you remember what the headmaster said only a day ago? In dark times we must stick together; harassment and threats against another student will be punished severely." Their arms caught his eye, and he continued, "But that is nothing compared to the fate waiting for convicted Death Eaters." Ignoring the gasps around the hall and the horrified looks on the two faces, he caught the ripped sleeve of one and finished the tear, revealing the vivid Dark Mark branded there. A quick shove of another sleeve showed the other's matching tattoo.
The students still standing began shouting in confusion and horror. Death Eaters here? But this was Hogwarts! The Aurors put on their business faces and quickly closed on the two Slytherins as Harry released them from the wall. One Auror contacted DMLE headquarters that they were bringing in a couple of Death Eaters as his companions arrested them, and Dumbledore added quietly to them that they were both summarily expelled.
After they were led away, Professor Figg clapped her hands to silence the murmurs. "Club is dismissed for the rest of the night. Fifty points will be taken from all Houses for fighting, and another hundred from Slytherin for initiating the brawl. Now back to your dormitories immediately before I take off more."
Grudgingly they did so, many scowling at the Slytherins before heading off to their respective Common Rooms. Soon only the professors, Order members, and the four Gryffindors were left in the Great Hall. Dumbledore sighed wearily and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Harry, could you please tell me what happened?" Harry shrugged and commented dryly, "Apparently they don't understand the concept of 'Don't Get Caught.'" Ron spoke up and gave a concise account of how the fight escalated, not mincing his part in it, with a couple of contributions from Hermione and Ginny.
When he was finished, the headmaster appeared pensive. "This is not good. It increases House rivalry as well as personal grudges." He turned to the Heads of Houses. "Do what damage control you see fit, and try and defuse tensions. Severus, be careful. Most of your House considers you a traitor after all. Be back here in half an hour or so; we do still need to test these three tonight." The headmaster then turned to Arabella Figg with a slight grin on his face, hidden by his long beard. "I believe you have first dibs on the tests."
She nodded and smirked a bit as she faced Ginny, Hermione and Ron. "Very well. Welcome to the first stage of evaluations. You will all duel with me individually to begin with. Standard rules, everything except extra weapons and illegal curses allowed. First to disarm their opponent wins. I'll be watching for style, strengths, creativity, and variety. Do your best. So, who's first?"
*****
Ron took a deep breath to try and steady his nerves, fingering his wand. He caught Hermione's eye and she winked at him, eliciting a slight smile. Okay, he could do this. He faced Arabella and at her signal bowed, then snapped into his dueling stance, slightly crouched and right side forward, giving him a smaller profile and easier movement, weight balanced. Flitwick, once a dueling champion and now observer, counted down and yelled, "Go!"
Immediately Arabella sent a Disarming spell his way; he dodged to the side and shot back with a Stunner. As they fought, Ron recalled Harry's and Eva's lessons. Keep moving; a mobile target is harder to hit. Diversify curses; never stick to a predictable pattern. Strategize; look for weaknesses and exploit them. Stay cool and focused, ignore all taunts and attempts to rattle you. Get physical, most wizards can't split their attention to face a two level battle. Distract your opponent as much as possible. Don't overextend; cockiness gets you killed.
The duel continued. Arabella leapt away from his spell, circling closer as she used a fireball for a diversionary tactic. Ron doused the flame and followed through with the Binding spell she had taught earlier, but then whispered another curse right on its tail that she wouldn't be able to dodge. Sure enough, the Dueling professor easily avoided the first even as she began her spell, but cut off in mid-incantation as his second impacted her stomach and threw her backwards about ten feet. Her old Auror instincts kept her wits together, and even as she landed painfully and turned it into a roll to her feet, Ron stumbled under her hasty spell and nearly dropped his wand.
Arabella recovered a second faster than the teen and fired three curses in rapid succession as she closed in. Ron barely dodged the first, snapped up a shield in time to deflect two and three, then dove and rolled away from her attack. A punch is just as good as a Disarming spell, and Arabella packed a wicked roundhouse. Ron snapped off a kick to her kneecap, which impacted with enough force to lock it but not break it, and she winced in pain. He used that instant of distraction to dive at her, sending her to the floor with the strength of his tackle. He reached up and snatched her wand from her grip. His weight pinned her legs down as both wands pointed at her face, and he flashed a grin. "Yield?"
The professor tried to scowl, but approval twinkled in her eyes. "Yield." He helped her to her feet and gave back the wand, which she pocketed while beginning her evaluation. "Very good Ron. You seem to have a talent with this, especially the physical part." He grinned. "Having five older brothers helps." "You have to work on ignoring the effects of curses, at least to the point where you instincts can still override. Other than that, all you need is experience to refine and polish your style, plus improve your instincts and reaction times. Good job." She shook his hand and turned to Ginny, who had been watching intently from the side. "I believe you're next."
*****
Harry watched Ron's duel as Sirius spoke quietly with Remus and Dumbledore, noting with pride how well his friend was doing. While his forte may have been chess and strategy, Ron still made a formidable dueling partner and opponent. He liked to utilize his experience as Fred and George's younger brother by employing some of their favorite trap curses to distract opponents. Harry chuckled when Arabella's hair suddenly sprouted carrots and disrupted her spell, recalling when he pulled that on Eva. Ron had come away from that with a very uncomfortable Atomic Wedgie curse that lasted until dinner, but his voice squeaked for an hour after that.
As Ginny prepared for her duel, Sirius clapped Harry on the shoulder and brought him into the conversation. "Is your motorcycle here?" Harry had to shake his head regretfully. "No, she's at my house. There was no place safe here to store her. Imagine if some first years found her, or worse Slytherins." Both Harry and Sirius shuddered at the thought. "Well, Dumbledore wants us to check out a small Muggle town where a wizard family is currently hiding. So we want to blend in as much as possible to avoid detection and drawing attention to them." Harry nodded. "Why are they hiding?"
Sirius sighed. "Their daughter is possibly one of the last true Seers in the world, so they've been teaching her at home. Too many people around, especially wizards, interfere with her Sight. We don't want to bring her to Hogwarts unless it's absolutely necessary, but they're at risk. So we have to check out the town inconspicuously, set up an emergency Portkey as well as some undetectable wards." Harry absorbed it all silently, then simply asked, "When do we leave?"
Sirius glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded. "I was figuring we could fetch your bike tonight, fly in under cover of darkness and reconnoiter the town, set the wards and Portkey in the morning, and be back here before lunch. The problem is you missing classes might be suspicious." Harry rolled his eyes. "Sirius, did you forget about my clone? I never missed a single class last year. It won't be a problem."
His godfather blinked a bit in consternation. "Oh yeah." Remus chuckled a bit. "Your memory's going in your old age Padfoot." "Shut it Moony. At least I still have all my hair in its original color." Remus ran a hand through his graying hair, "That's because it feeds off your brain. With nothing left, it'll go soon too." The two Marauders glared at each other briefly before twin grins of amusement completely ruined the effect.
Harry and Dumbledore exchanged smirks at this, then the headmaster cleared his throat and remarked, "It's getting late. You had better be on your way if you are going to fly there tonight. Good luck, and I expect you both to report back tomorrow. Now I must see to my challenge for your friends." He winked, shook hands with Harry and Sirius, then walked off. Remus put a hand on the teen's shoulder. "By the way, convey to Eva my sincerest thanks for her gift." Harry looked confused for a moment, then smiled with understanding. "So it did work?"
The lycanthrope nodded as a bright grin spread across his face. "Unbelievably well. It takes away the pain of the transformation, and keeps my mind even more human than the Wolfsbane." He sighed. "It's more like being an Animagus one night a month, and a lot more bearable. I won't be missing classes this year recovering." Harry matched his grin and hugged the man tightly, knowing how much a relief from a curse this was for him. "I'll tell her. Maybe you can make it available to more werewolves." "That would be perfect." Sirius cleared his throat, and they broke the embrace.
"But later. Now we have to leave," the Animagus looked at his watch. Harry nodded. "Let me fetch a few things and leave the clone behind. I'll meet you outside the main entrance in ten minutes." He threw a glance towards Ginny's duel, then the other tasks that the professors were setting up, mentally wished them all luck, and ran for the stairs.
*****
Hermione eyed the door apprehensively, clenching her wand as she tried to prepare herself for the unknown. Last time she had been through this door, a three headed dog stood guard over a trapdoor. Remus stood by and watched her with a slight smile. Of course he would smile; he wasn't doing this, he just put it together with a couple of the other professors. Holding her head high, she walked up to the door and pulled at the handle. Locked. She muttered "Alohomora," but it stubbornly refused to open. She tried another spell with no success, then thinking back to her summer research, cast a tricky charm that would reveal what spell was keeping the door locked.
A shimmering tangle of knots appeared, meshing the hinges into the wall and making it impossible to open physically. It wasn't locked, it was jammed. Hermione nodded to herself, noting the ingenuity even as she worked at undoing the spell knots. Finally she stepped back and gave the wood a solid kick, breaking the last vestiges and swinging it open. With a side glance at Remus' amused grin, she walked in warily but confidently.
*****
Ginny ducked around a corner as the Death Eaters ran past, looking for her. She breathed out a silent sigh of relief. Even though she knew they weren't real Death Eaters - probably illusions or transfigured animated objects - they were realistic enough to rattle her a bit. And they packed a nice punch, she reflected ruefully as she rubbed her shoulder which still tingled where a curse had hit her. Her shield had been a bit slow and failed to stop that one. Her object in this task was to find an object in the center of this maze, then make it back out undetected.
So far she had had to break through a couple of wards to enter (she mentally thanked Bill for teaching her the basics of curse-breaking last summer), avoid two groups of Death Eaters, and slog her way through a swamp, leaving no trace while ignoring a hinkypuck. No doubt the professors had fun putting this together, and she marveled at their combined skills even as she did her best to defeat it.
Hearing nothing around her for the moment, Ginny peeked out and scanned the immediate area, the crept quietly but quickly along the path, orienting herself to the center. Her mind flashed back to the Third Task, watching the champions in the maze from the stands, until Harry and Cedric disappeared. She shook the thought from her head; it would only distract her at the moment. Stay focused.
Unwilling to use magic in case someone was actively searching for her, Ginny kept all her senses alert, hone from years of sneaking around her brothers and parents. The twins rarely pranked her, because Ron gave better reactions and Ginny always retaliated when they weren't looking. She could fade into the background easily, and was always the least suspected. It hadn't served her so well during her first year though.
The stench caught her attention first and instinctively she went for the shadows at the base of the hedges, getting out of the way and hiding as the first scout demon loped down the path, followed by five more. She caught her breath and shrank back a bit more, recalling what Professor Lupin had lectured them on that day. Coolly running through possibilities and escape routes, she kept stock still, barely even breathing as they approached her hiding place cautiously, searching. In less than a minute they'd find her.
Ginny spotted a gap in the hedges three feet from her. It looked big enough for her to squeeze through, but it might as well have been a mile away. If she moved they would see her, and she would be dead. She needed a distraction, but what? Any spell would emit light and draw them right to her. She shifted a bit, and froze as she felt a package in her pocket. She recalled that she had a bag of Zonko's tricks from earlier in the day, and she rummaged through her robes to find it, withdrawing a Filibuster Firework. With a quick prod of her wand, it started sputtering, and she chucked it as hard as she could.
The distraction worked beautifully, as the firework exploded above the demons' heads and slightly behind their path. All six creatures spun at the noise, and sparks fell on one demon, which was soon smoldering with little licks of flame playing over its skin. While they snarled and searched in the other direction, Ginny dove through the hedge, wiggling a bit as her robes caught on the branches. She emerged on the other side free and clear, if a little scratched. Making sure she was alone again, she set off again towards her goal.
*****
Ron emerged from the maze, sweaty and tired from that last fight. Man, they were really testing his abilities on this one. Just get from one side to the other, no problem. That is until he had run into Death Eaters, demon patrols, boggarts, a nest of spiders, rampaging hippogriffs, and a couple of curses and hexes just to round things out. But he was out now, and he smiled a bit to himself even as he kept one hand pressed to his bleeding shoulder. One of the hippogriff's claws had slashed him before he Stunned it.
Dumbledore was sitting at a table nearby and gestured him over to the free seat, which he sank gratefully into. "Well done Mr. Weasley. You came through that spectacularly. I especially enjoyed your . . . unique way of defeating the boggart." Ron shrugged, winced at the incautious movement, and said, "Thank you sir. Where are Hermione and Ginny?" The headmaster gestured to the door that the teen had just exited. "In the maze. All of you had a different path and objective, but essentially the same obstacles."
Ron's mouth dropped open, and he jumped to his feet, shoulder injury forgotten. "What? In there? With the demons and boggarts and Death Eaters . . . ." His protests were cut off by an upraised hand and a frown. "Yes Ron, with all that. Understand that both Ms. Granger and Ms. Weasley are very capable witches in their own right and can take care of themselves. You have known them for years and trained with them this summer, so you of all people are aware of their strengths."
Ron sat back down, his ears red and muttered, "Yes sir, I'm sorry." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Don't be. That protective streak can be counted as one of your strengths, as long as it is tempered at times." With a wave, a chessboard appeared on the table between them. "Now we much focus on your other strengths. I seem to recall a particularly well-played game back in your first year, and I would like to see how much our skill has improved since then." Dumbledore nudged a pawn forward and gestured Madame Pomfrey over. "She will bandage you up as we play. Your move."
******
Hermione kept an eye on the sphinx as she stepped past him, even though she had solved his riddle. It had been a puzzling challenge, but she thrived on just that sort and had worked it out with relish. She continued along the path nursing a bruise from a Hurling Hex that had thrown her 20 feet into the hedge. It seemed unusually quiet, and so she kept her wand at the ready. She turned the corner and froze in her tracks.
On the path ahead of her lay a familiar figure, face down, bright red hair contrasting sharply with the black of his robes puddled around his body. "Ron!" she yelled and ran for him, dropping to her knees and rolling him over carefully. What was he doing in the maze? There was a horrible sense of déjà vu about this scene, but she ignored it in her worry for her boyfriend. She cradled his head in her lap and gasped.
Ron's blue eyes stared vacantly up at her, and her horrified gaze took in the blood spattering his face in horrible imitation of his freckles, oozing from a gaping wound in his chest. Blood spilled over her hands, hot and sticky, and the sharp metallic tang stun her nose.
"In stab wounds, it is usually not the wound itself that is fatal. In the chest area, for example, blood fills up the pericardium and pleural cavities, leaving the heart and lungs no room to expand. The lungs collapse in on themselves while the heart stops beating, and the victim slowly suffocates on his own blood."
For once Hermione cursed her steel trap mind as a passage from a forensic textbook floated into memory. Hot tears spilled down her face and she was vaguely aware that she was begging, pleading with him to live, to not leave her here. He couldn't leave her, not like this, not now. He was her best friend and her love. The déjà vu was growing stronger. This was too surreal, creepily familiar.
Abruptly her mind made the connection. Third year. Defense Against the Dark Arts final. The boggart in the trunk. She had lied about what she had really seen. But this one was slightly different. In third year she had seen both Ron and Harry. Dead like this. She had run out screaming, and had never been so glad to see the two of them in her life.
With that fact established, she tried to control herself. Ron was not here, he was somewhere safe, alive. She drew a ragged breath, trying to think of a way to defeat this. Boggarts are destroyed by laughter. There was no way to make this funny. It was too real. But something didn't have to be funny to be laughed at . . .
Suddenly Ron opened his eyes and said, "Never knew Fred and George could make fake wounds so realistic. They'll make a killing with these in their joke shop." Hermione stared down at him for a moment, then a bubble of hysterical relieved laughter burst from her, and she slapped him. "Ron! How could you?!" she yelled, then pointed her wand and shouted, "Riddikulus!"
With a crack Ron was gone, as was the blood on her hands. She breathed a deep sigh of relief, wiped her eyes and stood up, then started for the exit of the maze again. She promised herself that when she got out of here she would have to give Ron a huge kiss to let him know just how much he meant to her.
********************************************
Harry and Sirius Apparated to his isolated house in the highlands, and Sirius again admired the expansiveness and furnishing of it. "I still can't believe that this is all yours." Harry smirked. "Sometimes neither can I. It's a bit different from a cupboard under the stairs." His godfather snorted. "Just a bit." The teen led the way into the house as he spoke. "The new Detection parchments for the Order should be done by now. Feel free to grab a snack." Sirius chuckled as he made a beeline for the kitchen. "How did you know I was starving?"
"You're just like Ron - always ready to eat," Harry called back with a grin as he unsealed the War Room. A quick glance at the screens showed nothing immediately important, so he stepped over to the table where the new parchments lay. A couple of quick incantations proved them to be in excellent working order, showing the same information currently flashing up on the wall. Smiling with satisfaction, he shuffled them into a stack and began rolling them up to put in his pack.
Just then a chime rang out, corresponding to a sudden sting in his left arm. Letting the parchment unfurl in his hands, he stared down at them for a second, then up at the main screen. "Sirius! Get in here!" he yelled as he continued scanning the screens, mentally tallying up what he was seeing. Sirius came running in with a sandwich in his hand. "What is it?" "Demon attack. Too many to count, it's not picking up individual signals. No Death Eaters." "Location?" Harry gestured at the screen, and Sirius read the flashing information and paled a bit. "Oh shit."
Harry nodded and grimaced as a blue dot faded out, overrun by a gray swarm. It was quickly followed by another. "The Aurors don't stand a chance. Let's go!" They ran out of the house, leaving behind a half-eaten sandwich and scattered parchments. The screen flashed again as another blue dot disappeared, leaving two blue dots, labeled Arthur and Molly Weasley, in a house surrounded by a legion of gray.