Four hours later, a frantic Harry and a frozen Hermione landed in front of a tiny cabin in the middle of a dense forest. Though it was past three in the morning, the whole clearing was ablaze with light. Harry stormed into the house.
"Romilly! Romy, baby, are you in here?"
"Harry?" A tiny voice reached Harry's ears. Suddenly, the floorboards lifted and Romilly's face appeared. "Harry, you made it! Oh my God...Harry, you're – look out!" Before she could finish a sentence, a beam of green light passed through Harry's midsection.
Romy let the floorboards drop and Hermione flopped to the ground. Harry turned and saw Lucius Malfoy strutting out of the trees.
"I knew you'd come, Potter. I couldn't find your little bitch, but I knew you'd do the work for me." Harry just glared.
"That's a very pretty girl you've got in there, Potter. I wouldn't mind getting another look at her."
"You lecherous old rat! You stay away from her!"
"What if I don't? You can't hurt me, boy. You're nothing but a shadow, a whisp of smoke. What do you think you're going to do?"
"Expelliarmus!"
Malfoy's wand flew from his hand and landed on the roof. Hermione stepped out from behind Harry and aimed a Stunner at Malfoy. He ducked and avoided it, but was hit when Romy sent another red jet at him. He collapsed to the ground and remained motionless. Harry ran to Romy's side.
"Romilly...are you alright?"
"Fine, perfectly fine. None of them laid a curse on me. You weren't so lucky, I see." She heaved a heavy sigh and lifted herself out of the floor.
"None of them? How many were there?" Harry glanced nervously around the small room as if he expected Death Eaters to pop out of the walls.
"Six or seven, I don't know. They're in the full body bind 'round the back."
"You fought off six Death Eaters by yourself? Go Romy!" Hermione squeezed the other woman's hand and winked.
"Not entirely by myself. Do you think Albus would leave me with no protection?"
"Where is he, anyway? I thought we agreed that he was going to stay here until I arrived." Harry glowered at the thought of Dumbledore leaving Romy alone.
"Calm down, honey. He went to secure the school. They've set up a kind of camp for the survivors." She led them into the cramped kitchen and sat Hermione down at the table.
"Did he get any reports of who...you know...before he left?" Harry hovered behind his chair as Romy bustled around the kitchen, putting water on for tea and bringing out first aid supplies for Hermione.
"Last count was nineteen dead in the Order. Of course, I think that was counting 'Mione, so eighteen then."
"Who?" Harry asked bleakly.
"Well, Ron, Neville, and Arthur you know about, I assume." Harry nodded. Romy ticked the names off on her fingers. "You, Kingsley, and Padma. Molly, Ernie, Mundungus, and Dedalus were all at Grimmauld when it was attacked. Severus is badly wounded and probably won't make it. No word from Tonks or Moody yet. Minerva, poor old dear, didn't make it either." She sighed again and sat down.
This is the reality of war, Harry though through a haze of pain. So many lost...and to what end? Silvery tears slid down his cheeks as he counted the people he'd never see again. Molly and Arthur, the closest things to parents that he'd ever known. Ron, Neville, his brothers in the truest sense of the word. He lifted his head.
"What about Remus? Hagrid? Ginny?"
"Full moon tonight. Remus is out in the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid and Ginny came through alright, though I heard that brother of Hagrid's is dead."
"Grawp? You'd think Avada Kedavra wouldn't even dent his hide." Harry smiled as fond memories of the unruly giant filled his thoughts.
"He died protecting his brother, the big sweetheart. Now Hermione, let's finish our tea and get some clean clothes for you. Then we'll all get up to Hogwarts for the meeting in the morning." She pushed Hermione out the door and up the stairs. The two of them could be heard shuffling around and opening drawers.
Harry paced around the table quietly and let the glaring truth of his failure set in. It all could've been over tonight, had I not been such a fool. Now I just need to keep my brilliant ideas to myself and maybe I won't be responsible for any more deaths. He paced until Hermione and Romy came back down the stairs and signalled for him to head outside. He drifted morosely through the wall and saw Romilly mounting the Firebolt.
"Er...I don't think you ought to be on that...in your condition..."
"Oh, condition nothing. Don't start that already. I'm not even three months along and there's no other way. We can't Apparate into Hogsmeade. God only knows what sort of trouble went on there tonight and we can't Apparate onto the grounds. Besides, can ghosts Apparate?"
"I hadn't thought," Harry replied. It struck him how well his fiancee was taking his death. She'll probably have quite an episode later, when it all sinks in. Then again, my Romy has never been one to buckle under pressure.
She kicked off from the ground with Hermione clinging to her and Harry flying close behind.
"Romilly! Romy, baby, are you in here?"
"Harry?" A tiny voice reached Harry's ears. Suddenly, the floorboards lifted and Romilly's face appeared. "Harry, you made it! Oh my God...Harry, you're – look out!" Before she could finish a sentence, a beam of green light passed through Harry's midsection.
Romy let the floorboards drop and Hermione flopped to the ground. Harry turned and saw Lucius Malfoy strutting out of the trees.
"I knew you'd come, Potter. I couldn't find your little bitch, but I knew you'd do the work for me." Harry just glared.
"That's a very pretty girl you've got in there, Potter. I wouldn't mind getting another look at her."
"You lecherous old rat! You stay away from her!"
"What if I don't? You can't hurt me, boy. You're nothing but a shadow, a whisp of smoke. What do you think you're going to do?"
"Expelliarmus!"
Malfoy's wand flew from his hand and landed on the roof. Hermione stepped out from behind Harry and aimed a Stunner at Malfoy. He ducked and avoided it, but was hit when Romy sent another red jet at him. He collapsed to the ground and remained motionless. Harry ran to Romy's side.
"Romilly...are you alright?"
"Fine, perfectly fine. None of them laid a curse on me. You weren't so lucky, I see." She heaved a heavy sigh and lifted herself out of the floor.
"None of them? How many were there?" Harry glanced nervously around the small room as if he expected Death Eaters to pop out of the walls.
"Six or seven, I don't know. They're in the full body bind 'round the back."
"You fought off six Death Eaters by yourself? Go Romy!" Hermione squeezed the other woman's hand and winked.
"Not entirely by myself. Do you think Albus would leave me with no protection?"
"Where is he, anyway? I thought we agreed that he was going to stay here until I arrived." Harry glowered at the thought of Dumbledore leaving Romy alone.
"Calm down, honey. He went to secure the school. They've set up a kind of camp for the survivors." She led them into the cramped kitchen and sat Hermione down at the table.
"Did he get any reports of who...you know...before he left?" Harry hovered behind his chair as Romy bustled around the kitchen, putting water on for tea and bringing out first aid supplies for Hermione.
"Last count was nineteen dead in the Order. Of course, I think that was counting 'Mione, so eighteen then."
"Who?" Harry asked bleakly.
"Well, Ron, Neville, and Arthur you know about, I assume." Harry nodded. Romy ticked the names off on her fingers. "You, Kingsley, and Padma. Molly, Ernie, Mundungus, and Dedalus were all at Grimmauld when it was attacked. Severus is badly wounded and probably won't make it. No word from Tonks or Moody yet. Minerva, poor old dear, didn't make it either." She sighed again and sat down.
This is the reality of war, Harry though through a haze of pain. So many lost...and to what end? Silvery tears slid down his cheeks as he counted the people he'd never see again. Molly and Arthur, the closest things to parents that he'd ever known. Ron, Neville, his brothers in the truest sense of the word. He lifted his head.
"What about Remus? Hagrid? Ginny?"
"Full moon tonight. Remus is out in the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid and Ginny came through alright, though I heard that brother of Hagrid's is dead."
"Grawp? You'd think Avada Kedavra wouldn't even dent his hide." Harry smiled as fond memories of the unruly giant filled his thoughts.
"He died protecting his brother, the big sweetheart. Now Hermione, let's finish our tea and get some clean clothes for you. Then we'll all get up to Hogwarts for the meeting in the morning." She pushed Hermione out the door and up the stairs. The two of them could be heard shuffling around and opening drawers.
Harry paced around the table quietly and let the glaring truth of his failure set in. It all could've been over tonight, had I not been such a fool. Now I just need to keep my brilliant ideas to myself and maybe I won't be responsible for any more deaths. He paced until Hermione and Romy came back down the stairs and signalled for him to head outside. He drifted morosely through the wall and saw Romilly mounting the Firebolt.
"Er...I don't think you ought to be on that...in your condition..."
"Oh, condition nothing. Don't start that already. I'm not even three months along and there's no other way. We can't Apparate into Hogsmeade. God only knows what sort of trouble went on there tonight and we can't Apparate onto the grounds. Besides, can ghosts Apparate?"
"I hadn't thought," Harry replied. It struck him how well his fiancee was taking his death. She'll probably have quite an episode later, when it all sinks in. Then again, my Romy has never been one to buckle under pressure.
She kicked off from the ground with Hermione clinging to her and Harry flying close behind.