Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -
Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.
There's plenty more...blah blah blah...forget it & let the story begin :).
Note: US English has been used here
HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS
Chapter 22 - Holiday Events (Part III)
Smoke was rising from every part of the Delacour Manor which seemed to have been devastated. As Harry looked around, he gulped in fear. A few feet from the Manor gate, Tonks and Remus were lying unconscious. "What the hell happened here?" Harry thought and moved forward, his wand clutched tightly and all his senses on high alert.
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"Albus...Alb..."
"What's the matter Minerva?" Dumbledore looked up in alarm as he saw the heckled state in which Minerva McGonagall had entered his office.
"Harry" came the short reply.
"What about Harry?" Dumbledore looked deep into the eyes of the Transfiguration teacher. "Please have a seat and...
"No...there is no time for that" McGonagall tried to emphasize the urgency of her point. "The Delacours have been attacked". Dumbledore didn't reply at the mention of this fact. Taking out some floo powder from his pocket, he contacted Arthur Weasley. After a brief conversation Dumbledore got up on his feet and led the way out of his office.
"We have an Order meeting in 2 minutes time" Dumbledore informed McGonagall who was struggling to keep up with him.
"You shouldn't have let him go there" McGonagall said.
"What could I have done to stop him Minerva?" Dumbledore led the way towards the perimeter of the anti-apparation wards. "I just couldn't force him to stay here"
"But you had everything setup so that he could be safe here" McGonagall protested.
"And don't you think he would have tried to force his way out if I had stopped him?" Dumbledore replied. "You know that it is he who is protecting us and not the other way around"
"But your months of work..."
"That's immaterial" Dumbledore replied curtly. "The important thing is whether Harry is happy the way he is. Keeping him here against his wishes is like putting him under house arrest"
"Castle arrest" McGonagall corrected Dumbledore. Even though the situation was a grave one, a slight flicker of smile passed through Dumbledore's face.
"Is Harry safe?" Dumbledore asked even though all his senses were telling him that it was an illogical question. Just because he didn't say anything about Harry didn't mean that he was unaware of Harry's capabilities.
"We only know that a person with a Firebolt is safe". McGonagall replied as they reached the area where the anti-apparation wards ended. The next moment, both of them were walking towards the Order's headquarters. "That person can be none other than Harry". McGonagall continued the conversation as if nothing had happened.
"I see" Dumbledore replied. "When did the attack take place?"
"A couple of hours ago" McGonagall informed Dumbledore.
"What about the other's?" Dumbledore asked. "The Delacours, Re..."
"No news" McGonagall shuddered as she replied. She did not even dare to think of a situation where somebody may have got hurt or even...
Soon, the inner circle of the Order was in a huddle and was discussing their next step. Everyone knew that they just couldn't apparate in France without the Ministry's permission. Only Dumbledore could go there without anyone questioning his authority and international rules allowed him to take along another person of his choice as an aide.
"I think I should leave immediately" Dumbledore said and stood up.
"But who are you taking with you?" Arthur asked.
"Oh...I almost forgot" Dumbledore replied calmly. "Minerva, you stay here and manage everything. Severus, please come with me"
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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?". The voice of Molly Weasley seemed to shake every brick of The Burrow.
"Molly..." Arthur Weasley went over to his wife and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "...Dumbledore is already there. We don't have to worry about..."
"DON'T HAVE TO WORRY?" Mrs. Weasley looked at her husband in astonishment. "We don't have to worry about what Arthur? We don't have to worry about Harry getting hurt? We don't have to worry about him mixing with those two people?"
"Don't bring Remus and Tonks into this" Arthur Weasley cautioned his wife.
"We don't have to worry about him running away?" Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to have heard anything. "We don't have to worry that he shows up in Azkaban? We don't have to worry that he might have...that today...that..." Mrs. Weasley broke down at this point. She couldn't carry on much longer like this. It had been ages since Harry had spoken to her. She was not angry with him though. Teenager's rebelled but that didn't mean that their mother's would care less about them. Today, when he was in trouble, she couldn't even help him...couldn't be at his side to hold him...to take away all the trouble he was facing.
"Nothing has happened to Harry" Mr. Weasley whispered as he helped his wife sit down on the nearest chair. "He is fine"
"You are lying to me" Mrs. Weasley said with a sniff. "You always lie to me about Harry"
"No honey, I would never do such a thing, would I?" Mrs. Weasley's coolness was the quality which Harry appreciated the most. "I might delay telling the truth but whenever Harry is concerned, I always tell it to you promptly"
"He is ok, isn't he? Oh Arthur, what would I do if..." Mrs. Weasley's eyes became misty again as her thoughts wandered. Her stare turned towards the floor as tears started to flow again.
"Molly...look at me". Mr. Weasley slowly lifted his wife's face so that both of them were eye to eye. "Trust me...he is ok". Mr. Weasley said soothingly. "You have my word for it. Do you trust me now?". Mrs. Weasley said nothing but nodded her head in a childlike fashion. She knew Arthur would never lie to her.
"Now, can I have some dinner?" Mr. Weasley asked pleasantly. As Mrs. Weasley headed towards the kitchen, Mr. Weasley had just one thought on his mind "I hope you are alright Harry"
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An hour earlier...
Harry's climbed upwards in his Firebolt as he surveyed the Delacour Manor. It seemed like a tornado had hit the whole Manor and the surrounding area. The lawn had disappeared and was now part of a huge crater. One of the towers at the back had already crumbled down while the second back tower seemed to be on heavy fire. Even though Harry's instincts told him to rush towards the house and check it for survivors, his mind told him otherwise. He couldn't afford the risk of going straight into a trap without checking the surrounding's first. As he glided over the whole area, he could not see a single soul moving. Even though all muggle objects seemed to be intact, all magical objects seemed to have been gravely affected.
After Harry was sure that no one was lurking around, he landed next to the unconscious bodies of his family. Both Tonks and Remus seemed hurt but it did not seem too bad. Harry quickly muttered some healing spells and seemed happy when they had their desired effect.
"Enervate" Harry said, pointing his wand at Remus. Much to his surprise, Remus didn't even stir. Harry repeated the spell again but nothing happened. Eyebrows knit in worry, Harry tried to enervate Tonks. The same spell was repeated by him and he got the same result. Harry looked puzzled as his gaze shifted from Tonks to Remus...from Remus to Tonks. Harry then tried some of the advanced spells he had learnt and was surprised to find that even they couldn't bring back Tonks or Remus to consciousness. The more Harry tried, the more worried he became. Whatever it was, only a very strong spell could have knocked them out in such a manner. And that strong spell would logically be the one which had caused the devastation of the manor.
Finally Harry decided that now was not a good time to keep on experimenting since he had to find the Delacours and Dobby as well. Harry leviated the bodies of Tonks and Remus and guided them inside the manor gates. Depositing the bodies in a dark corner inside the manor walls, Harry proceeded towards the main door.
The main door...well...nothing was left of the area which once held the front door. It looked as if a boulder had hit the front portion and had blown a gigantic hole into it. As Harry entered the manor building, he found feathers littered everywhere along with piles of rubble. Initially confused, he soon understood who the real owners of the feathers were. His heart beat increased as he frantically scrutinized the living room and the dining room. Despite the winter cold, Harry was perspiring heavily now as he saw the state of things in the manor. The living room sofa had been blown to smithereens while the dining room was in disarray. As Harry entered the dining room, clearing a lot of rubble to make a tiny path for himself, he heard a sound coming from somewhere. Looking around, he found nothing. As he listened even more intently, he concluded the sound was coming from above. It seemed like someone was weeping.
"FLEUR...MR. DELACOUR..." Harry shouted at the top of his lungs. Getting no reply, Harry ran at top speed towards the staircase only to curse his luck. Only the bottom two steps of the staircase were still present. Harry looked frantically around to find a way to climb up. After a few moments of thinking, he slapped himself on his forehead.
"How did I forget that I could apparate?". With this thought in his mind, Harry apparated outside the room where he had left the Delacour family. Now that he was there, he could hear the sound of weeping clearly. Harry took a step forward and turned the knob of the door but didn't open it. He was afraid...afraid of what he might find inside. He didn't want to go in and see someone hurt. He didn't want another casualty of the war. He felt as if a part of him was dying in him and knew something terrible had happened. He let go of the knob and backed away. His heart seemed to be thumping in his chest and his whole body seemed to be shaking in fear. No...he couldn't do it.
But how could he avoid the truth? How could he avoid what might have happened here? Everyone here was a part of his life. He just couldn't let them wander alone in the darkness when he was supposed to be the light bearer of the wizarding world. People trusted him and he just couldn't betray their trust. Closing his eyes, he took a couple of deep breaths. When he opened his eyes again, there was a steely resolve to it. He had to look at what had happened and he had to feel the pain of the others. Someday he would free himself from this pain but today was not the day. With his jaws set in firmly, Harry opened the door of the room.
"Fleur... Mr..." Harry's voice got stuck as he looked around the room. Harry couldn't let go of the door; rather he wouldn't let go of the door as it was his only support. The sight in front of him was one of unimaginable horror. He had never imagined that he would have to see such a day.
"NO!" A shout came from Harry as he rushed forward. Amongst the rubble, feathers and the blood, lay a heavily injured figure.
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"What do you mean by that?" a stunned Hermione echoed Mrs. Weasley's words as her world seemed to have been turned upside down. She had been slightly upset that Ron had unlocked her room's door and woken her up. But on hearing what Ron had to say, she knew that she would have done the same thing had she been in Ron's shoes.
"I don't know" Ron threw up his hands in the air. "I had just gone downstairs to grab some food when I heard mom yelling. I then sneaked around and heard about it"
"You mean..." Hermione breathing was getting faster by the moment. "You mean...ahhh...you mean...". Hermione just kept repeating the same words over and over again as the true meaning of Ron's words finally sunk in.
"Yes Hermione, I mean exactly what you understood" Ron said as he slumped in a chair nearby.
"But...he couldn't...he wouldn't..." Hermione still had a puzzled look on her face. One part of her knew that Ron was telling the truth while the other part refused to believe that something like this could happen. How could Dumbledore leave Harry unprotected? How could Tonks and Remus fail to see and prevent something like this from happening?
"He wouldn't what? It has already happened" Ron said sulkily.
"This can't be happening" Hermione said and covered her face with her hands. "I am having a nightmare...This is a nightmare"
"It is not" Ron said sarcastically. He also wanted to believe that the whole thing was a nightmare. He had even pinched himself when he had heard his parents talk. Alas, this was a nightmare from which there was no awakening.
"We have got to do something" Hermione jumped out of bed with such fervor that Ron was startled. "We have to assemble the D.A. We have to..."
"You know where Fleur lives?" Ron had regained his sulkymood. "If not, then please sit down. No one is going anywhere"
"Ron!" Hermione looked sternly at her boyfriend. "How can you say something like that? Harry was your best friend"
"Is" Ron corrected Hermione. Even though Harry didn't interact too much with him nowadays, he still felt that Harry was just as close to his heart as a few months ago. Harry could never be anything else other than his best friend.
"Sorry" Hermione replied, knowing fully well that she had touched a sensitive topic. "But we need to do something"
"Yes" Ron replied. "We sit here and wait for furthur news"
"Are you mad?" Hermione almost yelled. Hoping against hope that Mrs. Weasley had not heard her, she said through gritted teeth "How the hell can we sit here calmly? We have to assemble the D.A. now"
Ron gave a shrug of his shoulders and said "I didn't say we should wait calmly. You can chew your nails, destroy objects...do anything you like. But the fact is that we have to wait". Even as Hermione opened her mouth to protest, Ron continued "You want to assemble the D.A? Fine...do so. What happens after that?"
Hermione looked angrily at Ron. "At least, the D.A. would be ready for something" she argued.
"Hermione..." Ron said with a sigh. "This is not Hogwarts or Hogsmeade. We are talking about countries here. Oh c'mon...how come I am saying these things! You are the one who keeps thinking logically all the time"
"Logic my foot" Hermione scowled. "Why the hell did he have to go there? Must be the veela charm. I bet Fleur..."
"It doesn't work on him" Ron cut short Hermione's babble. He knew how much she cared about Harry and he couldn't blame her for coming up with all sorts of conspiracy theories. After all, how could one explain the fact that death eaters knew Harry's exact location?
"Maybe it does now" Hermione continued from where Ron had interrupted. "Fleur is now an adult and her veela power must have grown. She..."
"Are you jealous?" Ron looked keenly at Hermione.
"Of what?" Hermione asked indignantly, her angry face turning slightly red.
"Of Fleur. Of the fact that Harry interacts with her more than he does with us" Ron's eyes never left Hermione's face for a moment.
"I am not jealous" Hermione replied hastily. "I am angry. Angry because he is in a country where we can't even help him. Angry because he...he..."
"Cool down Hermione" Ron said a bit awkwardly. "I am also angry at Harry but that doesn't mean I should start blaming Fleur for the whole mishap. No one even knows whether they are alive or not"
"WHAT!" Hermione's eye's went wide in fear. All this while she had just been thinking about Harry and it never crossed her mind as to what might have happened to the others. What if someone had been injured? What if someone had died?
"Ron" Hermione's sounded very scared. "Could someone have been hurt...you know...hurt gravely..."
"Killed?" Ron helped out his girlfriend who seemed too afraid to even think of such a scenario. Hermione just gave a slight nod of her head. In reply, Ron just gave a shrug.
"What?" Hermione asked nervously. "Say something".
"Say what?" Ron's mood seemed to be worsening. "Damn Harry...he got everyone into trouble"
"Hey...don't you start blaming him" an angry Hermione shook her index finger at Ron. "It's not his fault"
"Of course it is" Ron said through gritted teeth. "Why did he leave Hogwarts? Why did he..."
"Will you stop blaming him?" Hermione felt her anger rising. Both of them were also trying their best not to scream at each other in the middle of the night. "It was that veela's fault"
"Oh yeah?" Ron asked mockingly. "The veela invited him but it was he who accepted the invitation"
"So what?" This was turning into a full fledged argument. "That doesn't mean it was his fault"
"It was his fault and don't you dare deny it" Ron was now leaning towards Hermione and his voice was like steel. "If he had been cautious..."
"Harry is always cautious" Hermione punched her pillow in anger.
"On the contrary, I think he takes a lot of risks" Ron retorted.
"He is always cautious about others, you dumb-head" Hermione snapped. "But you seem to be too thick headed to understand it"
"Hello! Who is in France with a house destroyed by god-knows-how many death eaters?" Ron snapped back.
"Can you two calm down?". Hermione and Ron looked around to see Ginny standing in the doorway. In the middle of their argument, they had failed to even hear the unlocking of the door. "Another minute like this and mom would be standing here instead of me" Ginny added.
"Sorry" Hermione said meekly. She knew that emotions were running high on both sides and someone had to maintain a cool mind.
"Me too" Ron apologized quickly too. After all, there was no use arguing over whose fault it was and how it could have been prevented. Rather, they had to be on their toes now and wait for any news they could get about Harry. Cool heads were needed for this.
"What are you doing up so late?" Hermione asked as Ginny slid in and closed the door behind her.
"I had got up to drink some water when I heard you two having a mid-night conversation" Ginny replied. "Ron, what are you doing in Hermione's room? You know mom would have a fit if she found you here in the dead of the night"
"To hell with mom" Ron scowled. Realizing what he had said, he quickly apologized for his selection of words.
"We were discussing about Harry" Hermione said. With that, she explained to Ginny what Ron had overheard. Even a year ago, this extra explanation would not have been needed since Ginny and Hermione used to share the same room. But with Percy no longer around, Ginny no longer had to share her room. Percy's room had been turned into a guest room and Hermione had readily agreed to stay in it during the holidays.
After hearing what Hermione had said, Ginny just kept staring at her. She opened her mouth twice but couldn't say any words. Ron refused to meet anyone's eyes, least of all Ginny's. Even though Ginny seemed to be over Harry, she still had a soft corner for him. Even as Ron's chin dropped to touch his chest, Ginny started to shake her head.
"It's a joke, right?" Finally some words ensued from Ginny. Ron gave a particularly long sigh while Hermione said nothing. Getting no reply from either of the people present in the room, Ginny fell silent. She remembered all the times when Harry had helped them out and, when it should have been their turn, they were nowhere near him. How could someone do so much for the others and not get anything in return? Who knows what happened to the Delacours and Tonks and Remus?
"Why?" Hermione looked up after a long minute. Ron, who knew something was wrong with the voice, looked at her to see moist eyes brimming with tears.
"Why Harry?" Hermione asked again, he voice quavering with emotions. "Ron...why does he have to face all this?". Tears started to trickle down her face. "We live so happily...no one is after us and he..." Hermione choked at this point. "Only if we could share his troubles...why...why?"
Hermione kept on crying but Ron made no move to calm her down. How could he when his own feelings were just like Hermione's. Closing his eyes and leaning back, Ron said "Maybe that is the burden the name Harry Potter carries"
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"There were so many death eaters Harry" Mrs. Delacour sobbed as she recounted what had happened there. "Oh Harry...where were you?". Mrs. Delacour seemed to be breaking down mentally as she thought of what had happened. The fight that night had left her scarred, both physically and mentally.
"But how did this happen?" Harry asked in a rigid voice as he kept looking at the figure in front of him. Mrs. Delacour sobbed even more at this question but Harry didn't bother to soothe her. Nor did he leave her to her pains and grief. He had to know what had happened here. Wiping her tears, Mrs. Delacour continued from where she had left off.
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"So this elf here knows some magic" one of the death eaters said. "Interesting! Anyway, let me just finish him off so we can find the others". With that, the wizard lifted his wand and said "Avada K…". Before the wizard could finish the spell, a fireball hit him. The wizard was thrown off his feet and he crashed into the wall behind him. As he slumped to the ground, the remaining death eaters trained their eyes on the newcomers - one wizard and two veela's who had turned into birds.
"You want to get us, don't you? Then come on" Mrs. Delacour said in a hissing voice as she turned her head to look into the eyes of one of the death eaters. The next moment, all hell had broken loose in the Delacour Manor.
Mr. Delacour took cover behind a cupboard and started shooting off spells at the death eaters. Fleur and Mrs. Delacour didn't take cover initially. They started shooting off fireballs in the direction of the death eaters.
"Take cover Fleur" Mrs. Delacour shouted as she threw a fireball which stopped a spell from hitting Fleur.
"I can't" Fleur replied and moved away to the right towards the place where Dobby was.
Mr. Delacour didn't worry too much for his wife knowing her capabilities fully well. In his hay days, Mr. Delacour had been quite a good dueler but some recent developments had hampered his ability for quick movements. He saw that they were outnumbered six to four but still had a good chance since his wife could easily taken on two death eaters herself. He knew that these people here were ruthless and would stop at nothing. Hence, if they had to finish this on their own terms, then it had to be real quick.
Mr. Delacour shot off a spell at a death eater but saw the spell get reflected by a shield. He saw a spell being shot towards him but ducked just in time before sending a spell at the other death eater. He had to take out at least one of the death eaters first.
Mrs. Delacour was not having as much problem as her husband. Her fireballs were enough for the spells being cast at here. But her main worry was Fleur who still wasn't able to control her veela emotions fully. This could sometimes lead to unfortunate accidents. Even as she kept worrying about Fleur, she saw two spells headed her way. Conjuring two fireballs in her two hands, she sent them sailing towards the spells. The spells and fireballs crashed into each other and an ear splitting sound was heard. Before the death eaters had time to recover, Mrs. Delacour sent two more fireballs towards them. It was only the high level of agility shown by the two death eaters which saved them from getting roasted.
"Running now?" Mrs. Delacour mocked.
"From a bird?" one other death eater asked mockingly. "Never". With that, he raised his wand and a orange light sped towards Mrs. Delacour. Mrs. Delacour gave a shriek of anger and threw a massive fireball towards the speeding light ray. Knowing what would happen next, Mrs. Delacour started conjuring up small fireballs, which took considerably less time, and started to throw them towards the spot she anticipated the death eater would be. The massive fireball and the spell collided in the middle of the room and each blasted the other apart. Even as the smoke was clearing, the death eater noticed a large number of smaller fireballs headed his way. He quickly apparated away as the fireballs crashed into the wall behind him and several holes were created in the wall.
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Fleur was having problems of her own. Though her mother was fighting three death eaters on her own, she knew that her mother couldn't hold on for too long. Also, her father was holding his own against a skilled death eater. That left two death eaters facing her and Dobby. Even though this seemed a much more balanced battle, it seemed Dobby was more intent on saving the others from harm. More than once he had created shields in front of Mrs. Delacour to stop her from getting hurt without caring for his own security.
"YOU ALL IS GOING BACK" Dobby shouted to the Delacours for what seemed like the millionth time. Fleur couldn't help but appreciate the courage of the elf. As Dobby finished his sentence, Fleur saw that a spell was on it's way towards Dobby. She quickly sent a Fireball to destroy the spell mid-way and only hoped that her aim was perfect. She still hadn't mastered the art of throwing fireballs but tonight she knew she had to do it. She almost jumped with joy when the fireball hit the spell and stopped it. Fleur was so consumed in her joy for a moment that she forgot that the death eater dueling her had sent a spell towards her. Only a last second intervention from Dobby saved her from the spell.
"Thanks Dobby" Fleur said as she saw the spell dissipate millimeters before hitting her.
"You is going back" Dobby hissed in a way which was very unlike him. Fleur didn't pay attention to Dobby's words and continued to fight. Dobby, in the meanwhile, gave a snap of his fingers and his opponent went crashing into the wall behind him. Fleur, knowing that her aim was not too good, started to conjure up small fireballs and threw them at blinding speeds at her opponent. The death eater initially tried to apparate out of the way of one of the fireballs but got hit by another one on his shoulder.
"Nasty veela" the death eater said through gritted teeth as he put up a shield which could stop the small fireballs. Looking around, he saw Mrs. Delacour fighting tooth and nail with three death eaters. He knew he had to do something to stop them. Their instructions had been to bring back Fleur and her sister back with them so there was no need for keeping the others alive. The death eater sent a painful curse at Fleur who blocked it with ease. But the split second lost in blocking it was too much time for the death eater to act. Aiming at Mrs. Delacour, he said "Avada Kedavra"
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Mrs. Delacour was fighting like a cornered tigress trying to protect her children and family. Even though she was facing three death eaters on her own, they didn't bother her too much. After all, she wasn't the best veela dueler of her generation for nothing.
The three death eaters were casting their spells almost simultaneously but somehow their spells were getting blocked by the fireballs. Even as this infuriated them to great extent, they knew that they had been misinformed about the capabilities of those present in this manor. One of the death eaters sent the cruciatus towards Mrs. Delacour but it was stopped by a fireball. Mrs. Delacour knew that she had to come up with something fast to stop everyone from cursing her simultaneously. It was then that she went into rapid fire mode.
Small fireballs seemed to be forming in her hands which were working in frenzy. The death eaters were not even able to see her hand movements which cast the fireballs at them. But they knew that they were in trouble. All of a sudden, it seemed like they were facing a machine gun spitting fire at them. Fireballs came thick and fast at them. Even though they were not too big, getting hit by these fireballs meant extensive pain for at least a couple of days even with magical healing spells. Another dark spell sped towards its target but Mrs. Delacour side stepped it with the agility she had always been famous for. Even as she had moved out of the way of the spell, she kept throwing fireballs rapidly at the three death eaters facing her. One of them got hit by one of the fireballs and staggered back slightly.
The injured death eater had had enough. He had come to the conclusion that they couldn't touch this lady from the front and hence, he apparated to a spot behind Mrs. Delacour. But the lady was alert as ever. She turned around instantly and positioned herself in a manner such that two death eaters were on her right side and the injured one was on the left side. Even as she glanced around, one of the two death eaters apparated to a place which was in front of her. Mrs. Delacour cast a glance at the scenario around her. Two death eaters were on either side of her while the third was in front of her.
"This should be enough to let me know if I am still as good as I used to be" Mrs. Delacour thought as she got ready for the fight at hand.
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Dobby's opponent was proving to be a tough nut to crack. Even after hitting the wall behind him on the full, he had managed to get back on his feet. If Dobby had wanted, he could have used the time to attack the death eater again but the problem was that he didn't want to hurt any person. He just couldn't bear the thought that he might have seriously injured a person when he/she was in an unfavorable situation. He knew he had to protect the Delacours and he would do that. But as long as he had a chance to somehow end this fight without anyone's death, he would go for that option.
"Dobby is not wanting any killing" Dobby told the death eater as he staggered up. "You is going away". From under the hood of the death eater, Dobby saw a pair of fanatical eyes looking at him mockingly. For a second, he pitied the wizards for not understanding the true power of elf magic. With a sigh, Dobby resigned himself to fate. Maybe he would have to hurt someone fatally tonight.
"Elf...say your last prayers" the death eater aimed at Dobby and sent the cruciatus on its way. Dobby was far too fast from him and popped right next to the death eater. Even as a shiver of fear ran through his body at being so close to a death eater, Dobby gave another snap of his fingers and the wizard was blasted off his feet. Just as the wizard was about to hit the roof, Dobby gave another snap and the wizard came rushing towards the floor. For a second their eyes met and Dobby saw the real person behind the mask. Just as the death eater was about to crash into the floor, Dobby stopped him in mid air and gave another snap of his fingers. The death eater, under the effect of the elf's latest spell, slumped to the ground in an unconscious state. As Dobby stared at the unconscious body of the death eater, he heard the two words he feared most...that of the killing curse.
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Mrs. Delacour was oblivious of the fight going on between Fleur, Dobby and their opponents. She knew that as long as Dobby was around Fleur, he would keep her out of harm's way. But right now she had to face three tough opponents.
In a blur, Mrs. Delacour had her two hands facing the two death eaters on either side of her. Each of the death eaters had an evil grin on their faces but it faded when they saw their target grinning at them. Mrs. Delacour knew that she could take two of them easily. It was only the guy in front of her who would cause the main problem. She had to remain prepared for anything.
"Afraid of us dear?" one of the death eaters asked. "If you co-operate with us then no one needs to get hurt". The other death eaters had their wands pointed at Mrs. Delacour.
"Are you afraid of me?" Mrs. Delacour asked with a sinister smile on her face. "See, my hands are empty". With that, she turned her palms towards the death eaters on either side of her. The death eaters looked slightly apprehensive as she turned her palms to face them but were relieved to see no fireballs coming towards them.
"Damn it!" The death eater in the front shouted angrily. "She has you two targeted now". The other two death eaters took a moment to understand what their partner had meant. Giving a grunt, one of the death eaters started to mutter a spell but stopped mid-way. He had to get out of the way of a huge fireball coming his way.
Mrs. Delacour had thought that it was best if she took the reins of this fight in her own hands, literally. Keeping her palms pointed towards their targets, she started conjuring up fireballs. She didn't move her hands to propel the fireball towards its target; rather, as soon as a fireball was conjured, it seemed to get attracted towards its target on its own. This was very ancient veela magic which required mental propagation force rather than a physical one. Even as the death eaters on either side of her stepped aside to evade the first wave of attack, Mrs. Delacour adjusted her aim too. A series of whooshes filled the air as the fireballs kept coming out of her hands.
The death eater at the front knew that he had a clear target ahead of him. Aiming at Mrs. Delacour, he cast a dark spell. Mrs. Delacour was very nimble on her feet and evaded the spell easily. Even as she side stepped the spell, a battery of spells started to approach her from either side. Even though keeping her arms extended parallel to the ground was tough for longer periods of time, Mrs. Delacour knew she had to hold on. She moved backwards and many spells passed in front of her and crashed into the walls on either side.
Knowing that she would be in grave trouble if this went on for a long time, Mrs. Delacour started moving her hands in front of her. As she did it, huge fireballs reflecting her temper were shot forward. The death eaters had no option but to put up shields in front of them. Mrs. Delacour knew she had to continue this for a few more seconds before the shields cracked under the magical force of a veela's fireball. She kept moving her hands in front of her and again towards her side as huge fireballs either hit the shields or hit the furniture and other artifacts of the living room. As she kept on her onslaught, she heard a spell being muttered from somewhere behind her. Maybe she had heard it wrong but she prayed to god that no one would come in the line of that spell. Little did she know that the killing curse was headed towards her way.
&&
Dobby saw a jet of green light making its way towards Mrs. Delacour. Fleur seemed to be standing in a stunned state with a fireball in each hand, unable to do anything while Mr. Delacour looked equally shocked. Mrs. Delacour didn't even seem aware of the situation at hand and it took Dobby a split second to come to the conclusion that only he could do something. Wizard spells were fast but elf magic was faster. Dobby knew he didn't have the time to even snap his fingers. Well, he would have to cast a spell the old fashioned way - mentally. In another millionth of a second, Dobby cast the only elf-spell which came to his mind and saw its effect. Just as the green light seemed to have reached its target, Mrs. Delacour was pushed out of the way by an invisible force. The spell crashed into the woodwork near the place where Mr. Delacour was and caused splinters to go off in every direction. Even as everyone there got hit by the splinters, Dobby turned towards the death eater who had cast the spell.
"Dobby is not liking the spell". There was something about the tone of the voice which seemed to make the death eater nervous. Even as Mrs. Delacour, who had been thrown off balance by Dobby's magic, got hit by a painful curse, Dobby gave a powerful snap of his fingers. The death eater who had cast the killing curse was thrown back with such a mighty force that everyone could hear the crushing of some of the bones in his body. But, just as the body collapsed to the ground in a heap, a whole lot of death eater's apparated right in the middle of the room, surrounding the Delacours and Dobby.
"Bad Dobby is getting Harry Potter's friends in trouble" Dobby thought as he looked at the twenty odd figures encircling them.
&&
Mr. Delacour had apparated next to his wife just like Fleur. Each had their backs to the other as they tried to cover as many death eaters as possible. The scene seemed hopeless but they wouldn't give up without a fight.
"What now?" Mrs. Delacour whispered to her husband who didn't reply. Instead, it was a death eater who spoke up.
"Do you wish to live or die?"
"Hmmm..." Mr. Delacour pretended to look thoughtful. "Live I guess"
"If you surrender now, our lord may show some mercy" the death eater said, ignoring the taunt in Mr. Delacour's voice.
"What if we don't surrender?" Mrs. Delacour's outstretched hands were covering as many death eaters as possible. She knew that she might have just one shot and she was ready to inflict the maximum damage with it.
"Then you will suffer the same fate as Potter" another death eater replied as if that was the easiest question to answer.
"You couldn't even touch Harry, could you?" Fleur asked scathingly. At this moment, another death eater walked in through the main door, or whatever was left of it.
"SILENCE" the man shouted. "There will be no negotiations here. If you are not willing to surrender, then all of you will perish...now"
"We will never surrender" Mrs. Delacour said in a unyielding voice and mentally prepared herself for what was to come. Fleur also had her arms outstretched like her mother. Mr. Delacour had two wands in his two hands, one of them coming from the death eater he had defeated. They had their backs to one another and were completely covering a 360 degree area but the number of opponents was far too great. With baited breath, they waited for the moment which was going to come.
&&
Dobby was watching the proceedings nervously. No one had given him particular importance and had kept their focus on the Delacours. As he saw the Delacours rejecting the option of surrendering, he knew that they didn't stand a chance. At most they could take out three death eaters each but that was not enough. No one stood a chance against so many opponents...at least, no one apart from a tiny elf whose extent of magical prowess was known to very few learned people.
Dobby knew he had to time his attack to a last-second precision if he was to surprise the death eaters. He knew he could hold on only for some precious seconds using his magic and he had to make best use of them. As he tensely watched the scenario, he noticed that the death eater, who had entered last, was moving backwards ever so slightly. Obviously, this guy would give the signal for the attack but he considered himself too highly to even cast a spell at half-breeds like veela's. Dobby knew that watching the other death eaters wouldn't help and he concentrated on their leader, or at least that's what it seemed to him.
Even as he kept watching the death eater backing away, Dobby kept reciting some ancient elvish spells mentally. Slowly but surely, Dobby felt himself getting both mentally and physically ready for the spell he was planning to perform. But before he could finish the spell, which was necessary to cast it at full strength, he saw the main death eater give a slight nod. A chill ran down his spine as he knew that the moment had come.
Mrs. Delacour, who had been facing the death eater, seemed to have noticed it too. Giving out a fierce battle shriek, she launched fireballs in all directions even before any death eater had a chance to cast a spell. Fleur and Mr. Delacour tried to follow suit but they knew they were too late. Even then they didn't give up. In the face of 15 - 20 spells racing towards them, Fleur and Mr. Delacour cast as many fireballs and spells as they could. They could only watch in horror as almost all dark spells, apart from the killing curse, came nearer and nearer.
"NO" came a shout from a small elf as he cast a spell which was not up to it's full strength yet.
&&&&
Mrs. Delacour could not speak for the next few moments. Too much had happened in the past few hours and she was an emotional wreck now. Even as she kept sobbing uncontrollably, a cold voice asked "And then?"
Harry's voice held no emotion. There was not even a trace of sadness in his eyes. Maybe the feeling had not sunk in yet...maybe he still did not believe that all this had happened. No one knew what he was feeling...no one other than Dobby.
Dobby always knew what 'Harry Potter is wanting'. He had felt a strange bond grow between them from the time they had set their eyes upon each other. This mutual understanding had grown considerably in the past year up to the level that Dobby could almost face-read Harry's feelings. Right now, Dobby could feel the immense sadness which Harry was feeling. He wanted to take it all away. Fate did not have a right to play with a person's life even before he had been born. This was just not fair...not for Harry or anybody else for that matter. A single tear ran down the cheek of the elf as he tried to fathom the depths of Harry's sadness and pain.
"What happened next?" asked the emotionless voice again.
"Only I saw it clearly" Harry heard a quavering voice speak. Looking around, he saw an injured Fleur looking at him uncertainly.
"I want to hear it..." Harry said as his soulless eyes bore a hole in Fleur's mind. "...All of it"
&&&&
Fleur did not know what had happened but she had heard a shout. Rather, it was more like a shriek in which the person seemed to have put his every ounce of strength. It was then that she noticed it - a huge white glow speeding towards herself faster that the other spells. From the looks of it, the white glow was traveling much faster than the other spells. Even as the spell reached her, she instinctively closed her eyes knowing that it was going to be the last thing she would feel. She could not have been more mistaken.
As soon as the glow of light hit them, all the Delacours felt a warm feeling filling their bodies. The white light seemed to have formed a spherical shield around them. Even as they looked around, they saw that the spells of the death eaters and their own spell and fireballs had all become stuck in mid-air, just on the boundary of the spherical shield. Every spell of the death eater seemed to be stuck about 2 feet from their bodies. Looking around in wonder, they saw a tiny thread of light stretching back to the origin - Dobby.
"LET GO ELF" the leader of the death eaters said though his voice wasn't as commanding as it had seemed a few minutes ago. The rest of the death eaters seemed puzzled to say the least. All their spells had stopped in mid air and it had caused their wands to be linked with the unknown sphere.
"DOBBY!" Fleur shrieked. "What are you doing?". Dobby seemed to be having considerable problem in keeping up the shield. The shield seemed to be decreasing in size as the death eaters concentrated harder to force their spells through. What was even more astounding was the fact that even the cruciatus had been stopped.
"LET GO ELF" the death eater shouted again. Fleur wondered for a moment as to why he just didn't curse Dobby? It really seemed to be the easiest thing to do than just asking him to "let go".
"Dobby is not...letting go" Dobby said through gritted teeth as he concentrated harder to counter the death eaters spells. The thread of light emitting from his joined hands seemed to have received a jolt as a pulse of light sped towards the sphere. No sooner had it reached its target that the death eater's spells were pushed backwards ever so slightly.
"Let - go - elf" the death eater said for what seemed to be his last warning. Dobby did not heed to the words and kept muttering under his breath. If he wanted to have any chance to win this fight then he had to finish the spell as soon as possible.
The Delacours didn't interfere with what was happening. Mrs. Delacour had tried to throw a fireball but it had just got stuck to the inside of the wall of light. One thing which everyone understood was that this wall of light was the divider between life and death for the Delacours. The more the death eaters tried to break it, the more resistance they met from Dobby. The Delacours were astounded to see such a powerful piece of magic coming from an elf. But then again, they didn't know too much about elf magic. Who knew what other tricks an elf had up his (or her) sleeves?
Dobby was perspiring heavily now. He had spread his feet to get a better grip. It seemed like he had taken on the whole burden of the world on his shoulders for a few seconds. The white glow coming out of his hands seemed to be growing with each passing second. A spherical ball of white light seemed to be forming in his hand and, from time to time, Dobby would use a part of this force to strengthen the shield. Even as Dobby was nearing the end of his spell, he that the main death eater was raising his wand. From the looks of it, the death eater seemed quite confident of breaking the barrier without caring for the consequences. That could mean only one thing - the killing curse was coming.
Dobby recited the last few verses of the spell rapidly. He didn't bother strengthening the shield anymore and watched it collapse bit by bit on it's occupants. He just had to finish his spell.
"It's over elf" the death eater sneered at Dobby. "Ava...". Before he could finish the spell, he felt a huge surge of power in the room and his concentration broke. Looking around, he saw a happily smiling Dobby looking at him.
"Dobby is winning" Dobby said with a toothy grin. The man lowered his wand and backed away. In the meantime, a couple of death eaters had managed to break off their spells and were looking in astonishment at the huge spherical ball of white light in Dobby's hands. A tiny thread of light connected the sphere in Dobby's hands to the shield around the Delacours. One of the death eaters decided that enough was enough. Getting defeated by an elf was the worst thing which could happen to a wizard or witch. For all he knew, the sphere, or for that matter any other thing, couldn't stop the killing curse. Without stopping to wonder as to why his leader had not cast the killing curse himself, he raised his wand and aimed directly at Fleur. Without wasting any more time, he started to mutter the spell for the killing curse.
"NO" a shout came from Dobby. "DOBBY IS NOT LETTING YOU WIN. DOBBY IS KEEPING HIS PROMISE TO HARRY POTTER". There was a maniacal look in Dobby's eyes as he knew what was going to come. The ball of light seemed to shimmer brightly as Dobby got excited. Within a millionth of a second, Dobby's excitement was gone as he felt a strange calmness within him. With a final look at the Delacours, he separated his hands.
&&
Fleur saw the whole scene in a kind of slow motion. She saw the leader disapparate from the manor as soon as he saw one of the death eaters raising his wand. She heard Dobby giving a scream though she couldn't decipher all the words he said. She saw the death eater mutter "Avada Kedav..." but he wasn't able to finish the spell because of what Dobby did.
Fleur had seen Dobby separate his hands. As the hands got separated, the spherical ball of light in his hands seemed to glow even brightly and was suspended in mid air. Just when it seemed like the light would blind everyone in the room, she saw Dobby give a magical push to the sphere. What had happened next was something extraordinary, yet terrible.
A huge surge of magical energy filled up the manor as the spherical ball seemed to explode into infinite strands of light. Anything and everything that came into its path was wrecked apart. The chairs and couches were shredded to tiny pieces along with every other piece of furniture. As the strands of light hit the floor, it seemed to rip it apart. Cracks were created throughout the length and breadth of the whole floor. The aura of these strands kept on growing as they neared the death eaters. The first few death eaters were decimated to tiny pieces as the light hit them. No one could have thought that such devastation could be done by an elf but it was happening right in front of them. Pools of blood started to form as the death eaters were torn apart literally. A few death eaters had managed to portkey away but the remaining could only stare at the imminent doom headed their way.
The light didn't show any signs of dieing out. Instead, it spread throughout the entire manor. Each and every wall it hit was affected. Cracks seemed to appear in the walls of the manor which seemed incapable of handling such a huge magical force. A couple of death eaters, who had apparated on the third floor of the manor, died as soon as a strand of light passed straight through their bodies. Not only the building, but the lawn outside it was also devastated. It seemed that the light rays were trying to search out each and every corner of the manor area in search of death eaters. The trees in the garden got uprooted and the grass got burned to ashes. The devastation caused was unimaginable.
Finally, as the spell seemed to die out, Fleur noticed that they were untouched by all that had happened there. As she looked around, she saw the white spherical shield still protecting them. Slowly but surely it seemed to fizz out. Instinctively, Fleur looked at the spot where Dobby had been. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the limp body of the elf lying on the floor, fingers wiggling from time to time.
&&&&
"And then we brought him here" Fleur ended her narration of that evening's happenings at the Delacour Manor. "When we came here, we saw that Gabrielle and Zesauas were unhurt but unconscious. I think Dobby setup some kind of a shield for them too but it was not that powerful" Fleur added and broke down sobbing.
"Dobby" Harry whispered as he lightly grabbed the right hand of his friend. "I will just cast some healing spells and..."
"No healing...urg...spells work on Dobby" Dobby said with great difficulty. He had not been able to move an inch where he had been laid down. Any kind of movement caused immense pain. Talking was also a problem.
There was something in Dobby's voice which convinced Harry that Dobby was saying the truth. His whole body was filled with cuts in every direction possible and blood was oozing out of them. It looked like someone had whip lashed Dobby infinite times.
"Fleur..." Harry said in the same emotionless voice. "...Tonks and Remus are lying in the corner of the garden in an unconscious state". With that, he told Fleur the exact spot where his friends were and asked her to bring them here. Within a minute, Fleur was back with them to find Harry talking intently to Dobby.
"Why Dobby?" Harry asked in a sad voice.
"Harry Potter is giving Dobby very important job" Dobby replied in spite of the pain. "Dobby is doing the work because he had no work for a long time". At this moment, a series of whooshing noises could be heard from down below.
"Don't worry, I think the aurors have arrived" Harry said to the Delacours who were looking very frightened. They wondered as to how Harry could have known that the arrivals were not death eaters but they didn't ask anything. Just like Harry had said, it was indeed the French aurors who had arrived.
"Couldn't this have been done differently?" Harry was now gently rubbing the hands of the elf. He didn't care about the door being opened and the arrival of the new people on the scene. Neither was he interested in what anyone, other than Dobby, was saying to him right now.
"No" Dobby replied. "Dobby is doing the correct thing". Harry and Dobby kept looking at each other for a long time. Harry noticed that Dobby's breathing was getting faster and faster as more time went by. The weather outside reflected how Harry felt. It had turned dark and was raining very hard.
"Can I question that person over there? Who is he and what is he doing here?" Harry heard one of the aurors asking the Delacours.
"That person over there has a name" Fleur replied vehemently. "He is my friend and his name is Harry Potter"
"Harry Potter!" the auror seemed thunderstruck. "The Harry Potter?". On seeing Fleur nod, the auror bent slightly to have a better look at Harry.
"Leave him alone" Mr. Delacour said in a stubborn voice. "His friend is dying"
"Friend? I see only an elf" the auror looked uncertain.
"You have any problems with my friend being an elf, auror?" Harry had turned around to face the auror in question. Everyone in the room had stopped moving when they heard Harry Potter speaking and were intently looking at him. As they kept gazing, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and lit up part of Harry's face giving him a very eerie look.
"N...No, Mr. Potter" the auror stuttered slightly.
"Good" Harry replied. "Please leave me alone". Everyone nodded and started to leave the room. None of the aurors had the courage to even say 'no' to a living legend. "By the way..." Harry's words stopped everyone in their tracks. "...can someone enervate these two people?" Harry pointed towards Tonks and Remus.
"We'll try" Mrs. Delacour said and stepped forward.
Harry didn't reply and turned back to Dobby. Dobby's situation seemed to be detoriating every second.
"Dobby is wanting to see...to see...Harry Potter's werewolf and Tonkie" Dobby's voice could be barely heard. Harry gave a nod and said "They are unconscious. Mrs. Delacour is trying to revive them"
"Did Dobby...hurt them?" Dobby's eyes were wide in fear.
"No Dobby" Harry said in a soothing voice. "You can never harm anyone". Dobby smiled weakly at this and it pained Harry to an inexpressible extent. The Dobby in front of him was struggling to keep his eyes open. Even his smile had lost its charm. Blood kept oozing out of his body and, no matter how many spells Harry tried, they just refused to stop. After each failed attempt, Dobby would just give a weak smile at Harry.
"Even the great Harry Potter can't heal Dobby this time" Dobby said finally. Harry gave up his attempts to heal Dobby and just held his Dobby's hands.
"Don't leave me Dobby" Harry's voice choked as he said this.
"Dobby is finishing his job" Dobby replied.
"Dobby...please..." Harry's soulless eyes finally had some moistness in them. "...don't..."
"Dobby is...is...never leaving..." Dobby's voice quavered uncontrollably as he said this.
"Dobby!" Harry heard two shocked voices from behind him. At last, Tonks and Remus had woken up.
"Tonkie...werewolf..." Dobby's words started to come in small gasps. "Dobby...is...saying...goodbye"
"Goodbye?" Tonks exclaimed. "OH MY GOD" Tonks said as her eyes scanned Dobby's body. "Oh...my..." Tonks staggered slightly and grabbed Remus for support. "Remus...look..."
"Dobby..." Remus said in a sad voice. "You performed the Charm of Life?". Dobby gave a slight nod even as his body gave an involuntary shudder. Remus looked as if he was on the verge of tears. Only one spell could cause such devastation to a person's (or elf's) body and the end result was always fatal. Tonks, who also knew about the spell, started to cry uncontrollably.
"He's lying Remus...he's..." Tonks sniffed as she tried to control herself. "He's trying to...fool me. He always makes a fool of me". Remus gave Tonks a tight squeeze. He was willing to believe Tonks that this was one big joke but he knew that it wasn't the case. This was life during a war.
"Dobby...huh...going..."
"Don't leave me Dobby" Harry pleaded with Dobby. In spite of the tremendous pain he was in, Dobby gave Harry's hands a tight squeeze. Harry felt a sharp pain on his left hand but it was nothing compared to what he was really feeling.
"Harry Potter...Dobby...always...friends" Dobby's hands went limp as he said this. Dobby was no more.
&&&&
Sitting in the common room of the Gryffindor tower, Harry kept gazing at the fire which was blazing away. Tonks, Remus and Fleur were sitting on either side of him in complete silence. This had been the way they had spent time for the past two days.
The two occupants of the Gryffindor tower had been moved to the Ravenclaw tower on the night of Christmas. Dumbledore and Snape had escorted back the Delacours and had temporarily arranged for them to stay in the Gryffindor tower. Alternative arrangements were being made for them before the holidays ended and soon they would be moving out. Living at Hogwarts was an altogether different experience for them but it was nothing compared to the way Harry had reacted to Dobby's death.
Remus had a harrowing time coming to grips with the reality of Dobby's death. Tonks had fared worse. It was the circumstances of his death, along with all the events of December 25'th, that made the day one of the worst in their lives. They now knew that their every move was watched. Even if it wasn't being watched, still they had a sense of paranoia about it. Everywhere they went, they had a feeling that someone was watching them. The concurrent attacks on the day of Christmas had left them scarred to say the least.
But it was Harry's reaction to Dobby's death which was the main concern for both Tonks and Remus now. Ever since the burial of Dobby, Harry had gone into a shell. In the past 36 hours, he had not slept for a single minute and had neither food nor drink. All he did was sit in the common room and stare at the fire. No one had been able to communicate with him. His eyes looked dreamy, as if he was wondering about something. He would walk through the corridors of Hogwarts without speaking to anyone present. Dumbledore had told everyone present to leave Harry alone without giving any exact reason. This had further fuelled rumors of Harry having fought You-Know-Who in France. Harry couldn't care less.
Today also, Harry had taken up his usual seat (for the past 36 hours) by the fire and was staring intently into it. Tonks had tried to get him to eat but he hadn't event looked at her. Remus had failed too. Without seeing any other way, they had asked Mrs. Delacour to use her veela charm to get Harry out of the mindset he was in. She had failed too. As they sat around the fire, Tonks glanced at Remus ever so slightly. Remus's eyes met her's and he gave an audible sigh. He was helpless.
"Why couldn't you portkey away?"
Tonks and Remus stood up in a flash as they heard the first words come out from Harry's mouth after Dobby's death. Fleur, who was sitting nearby, looked relieved too.
"Harry..." Tonks said. "You need to eat something"
"Yes Harry, please have a meal" Remus concurred with Tonks.
"Why couldn't you portkey away?" Harry asked again showing no signs that he had heard either Tonks or Remus.
"Portkey?" Tonks asked. "We didn't have a chance"
"I think he is asking me" Fleur said. Tonks nodded in understanding.
Fleur then went on to explain as to why they had been unable to portkey away from the manor. Much to the surprise and alarm of Tonks and Remus, Fleur informed them that Zesauas had worked for death eaters when he was a reckless teenager. When he had proved himself sufficiently, he was asked to join the ranks of the death eaters. But he had seen the wrong in his ways by then. He had caused too much suffering and pain and, in that process, he had suffered a lot mentally. When one of the death eaters had come to escort him for the recruitment, he had refused to accompany him.
This was not something that the death eaters were used to. Refusal to join their ranks meant termination. A group of death eaters had been assigned the duty to kill him but their leader had changed his decision at the last moment. With permission from Voldemort himself, he had decided that they would make an example of Zesauas. One evening, five death eaters had cornered him and tortured him for so long that he had become crippled for life.
The French ministry had not taken too well to all the developments related to Zesauas. In fact, they still believed that this crippled man was in league with the death eaters. Since they had no evidence for his conviction and also because of the prestige which the Delacour name carried in France, they had been unable to prosecute him. Instead they had placed him under a magical house arrest. Zesauas couldn't leave the house without the permission of the French government. Since they couldn't leave behind Zesauas, hence the Delacours couldn't portkey away. This time around, after the attack, Dumbledore had managed to convince the French government to let him come to England. No one had dared to question Dumbledore.
&&&&
December 28'th and 29'th passed by in the same gloom which had cast it's shadow on the current occupants of the Gryffindor tower. Tonks had tried a few times to get Harry to eat but had failed miserably. She also knew that Harry needed time but she couldn't bear the way Harry was treating himself. Harry had not even slept since Christmas. It was almost as if he was a zombie.
Tonks knew that Harry had somehow buried all the pain in his heart and it was eating him slowly. He had not shed a single tear even when Dobby was dying. Had he cried even once during or after Dobby's death, he would be back to normal or as close to normal as one can be after someone close had passed away. Even Dumbledore was starting to panic on seeing Harry's new demeanor. There were dark circles around his eyes and he seemed to have lost some weight too. Yet, he was always on alert. More than once, Remus had avoided getting hit by a painful curse when he had entered the common room without making a sound. Maybe Harry was being too paranoid about people entering soundlessly...maybe he thought that death eaters could be just about everywhere...maybe this...maybe that. All these guesses were just...guesses. No one knew what was going on in his mind.
"What has happened to him?" Tonks asked to Remus in a helpless tone. Fleur was seated in a nearby chair. "I mean...just look at him"
"I know" Remus sighed. "We have to make him do something. If he keeps brooding like this forever, then it could have grave consequences"
"Can't Madam Pomfrey do something?" Fleur asked.
"The human mind is a very complex thing" Remus explained. "Even if Dumbledore tries to do anything now, the outcome could be disastrous". Tonks's head dropped at this. "Also, Harry has to fight this himself. We can't fight a war with his mind"
"Remus..." Tonks was about to protest when Remus raised his hand to stop her.
"If you want to take a chance with Harry's mind, then I say you go to Dumbledore and talk to him. I am going to do nothing about this" Remus stated. "I don't want to be held responsible for making Harry insane"
"So we do nothing, right?" Fleur asked vehemently.
"I didn't say that" Remus replied. "We have to get Harry to interact with us and we have to try until he does so"
"He will interact with us..." Fleur said in understanding. "...I will do everything in my power to do so". A red-haired metamorphmagus raised an eyebrow at the tone with which this statement was made.
&&&&
Mr. and Mrs. Delacour went out to see a prospective house on December 30'th along with Gabrielle. The trauma of the Christmas events was finally wearing out though it had left behind many scars, literally. Remus had also left on a quick Order mission which had to be completed before the New Year. Added to the fact that it was full moon on January 2'nd, Remus wanted to finish all the work at hand as soon as possible.
"Found him?" Tonks asked Fleur as she entered the Gryffindor common room.
"Yeah" Fluer replied. "He is still in a deserted classroom on the second floor. I talked to him for over an hour but I don't know if he heard me or not"
"I am just not sure as to where this is leading" Tonks replied in a downtrodden voice as Fleur sat down opposite to her.
"I just hope that one of us could get through to him" Fleur replied. "I mean...he hasn't slept for five days now. He has not eaten anything. How can someone survive like this? Only if one of us could get him out of this depressed state of mind..."
"Maybe you would like that one to be you" Tonks said disdainfully without even looking at Fleur. Fleur, on the other hand, looked curiously at Tonks.
"What was that supposed to mean?"
"I mean...here is this veela helping out the Boy-Who-Lived" Tonks voice was very sarcastic to say the least. "She has pity on him after hearing everything that he has gone through..."
"ENOUGH!" Fleur had shot up from her seat. "I DO NOT PITY HARRY. HE IS HARRY AND NOT THE BOY-WHO-LIVED". Somehow, Fleur couldn't believe what she was hearing. All these statements had come so suddenly from Tonks that her head was almost spinning. What had she done to make Tonks angry?
"Oh c'mon" Tonks threw up her hands in the air. "I have watched you for far too long now. You are always there for Harry even when he doesn't need you. Ever since you cast that charm on him..."
"Look lady" Fleur was speaking in a hissing voice and feathers had started to sprout on her body. "I have never cast any charm on Harry. And hello...Harry isn't affected by the veela charm, remember? If you say one more thing about me..."
"And the way Harry is always drooling over you...ha!" Tonks looked disdainfully at Fleur. "He looks almost as if he wanted to devour..."
"SHUT UP!" Fleur was almost fully transformed now but Tonks seemed unfazed. Sitting a few feet away from an angry veela required a lot of mental strength. "Harry never drools on me" Fleur turned her bird head to look directly into Tonks's eyes. The blue eyes were now blazing in anger. "And never ever insult Harry like that. If you do..." Fleur didn't finish the sentence but let her action do the talking. She had conjured up a fireball in her hand and seemed poised to throw it at Tonks.
Tonks, on the other hand, burst out laughing. "Sorry...I am sorry" she put up her hands in surrender. "Please sit down"
Slowly turning back to the beautiful and elegant girl that she was, Fleur sat down again with a surprised look on her face. She had no idea about what Tonks was up to. Finally, Tonks, back to her normal self, began speaking again.
"You like him, don't you?" Tonks asked her bluntly. Looking at the shocked expression on Fleur's face, Tonks continued "You keep searching for him...keep on talking with him till late in the night...you keep following him so that he doesn't get into trouble...you feel safe with him and want to keep him safe. You do like him, don't you?"
Fleur looked uncertainly at Tonks for a moment. The confident veela expression which was always on her face had vanished by now and she looked just like any other teenaged witch.
"Isn't it easy to like him?" Fleur asked after a while.
"I guess so" Tonks replied in a strange sort of voice.
"Do you like...I mean...you know..." Fleur stuttered slightly and lowered her gaze. She seemed very different from what Tonks had heard about veela's. The only argument which came to Tonks's mind was that Fleur was a quarter veela after all.
"Do I like Harry?" Tonks helped out the girl in front of her. "Yeah...I do". Fleur's head snapped up at this. "You know, we have been living together for quite a while now..." Fleur's eye's slightly widened at this as Tonks continued merrily with a wink "...in separate rooms". Fleur relaxed slightly at this. "So...yeah...I do like him"
"I see" Fleur looked slightly stunned by this new revelation. "Like a woman likes a man?".
Fleur's eyes were fixed on her hands otherwise she would have seen a struggle of emotions crossing the face of Tonks. Tonks eyes lost their usual glint as she lowered her own gaze.
"No" replied Tonks. She gulped hard and blinked back the moistness which was building up in her eyes before saying "Like one friend likes another one"
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Ron was on his way down when he thought he had heard something. Hearing something in The Burrow was not abnormal as someone or the other always kept making sounds or kept arguing; but hearing a sound as if someone was weeping, that too on New Year's Eve, was very unusual. As Ron tried to trace the source, his senses directed him upstairs towards his parent's room.
"It can't be true Arthur" Ron heard his mother's croaked voice. "You must be mistaken"
"No dear" Arthur Weasley's voice seemed very grave. "I am afraid it is true. We have checked it ourselves"
"No Arthur…it can't be true" Mrs. Weasley was in tears now. "Please don't say these kinds of things today. Please don't say anything like that ever"
"Molly…get a hold on yourself" Mr. Weasley told his wife. "I can't help it. It's true"
"No Arthur, it can't be…true. I am his mother…and…and I can feel it. He can't…" Mrs. Weasley was having difficulties in completing her sentences. "He won't…he would never…"
"Molly…"
"No…I don't believe you" Mrs. Weasley's voice sounded very unlike her own. "This must be some kind of joke you have come up with. Maybe Fred and George are part of it too. Let me just call them"
"Molly…Molly…" Ron heard sounds which seemed to indicate that his father had grabbed his mother and was somehow trying to break her trance. "Molly…" Mr. Weasley said after a long pause. His voice seemed tired - tired of all the things which were happening around him.
"Molly…we have a family to run. We can't…" Ron heard his father's voice trail off.
"Arthur…" Mrs. Weasley was wailing as if someone had died. "Arthur…I had carried him in my womb for 9 months…I have breast-fed him…I know him…" Mrs. Weasley seemed to be breaking down more and more as she continued. "I know him better than any of you"
All this didn't make much sense to Ron…not until he heard the remainder of the conversation.
"No Arthur…Percy cannot be a death eater". Molly Weasley had started weeping again as Ron staggered back to his room. This had to be some bad dream.
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"C'mon Harry" Tonks tugged at Harry's sleeves as Remus, Fleur and her family looked on. "We have a feast tonight"
Harry just looked at Tonks for a second before going back to his favorite hobby for the past few days - gazing at the fireplace.
"Mr. and Mrs. Delacour, please come with me" Remus said as he got up from his seat. "We have to get you to the great hall in 2 minutes time"
"Yes mom" Fleur agreed. "You people should join the headmaster on time. Gabrielle and Zesauas, you two go with mom and dad. I will join you in a few minutes"
"Will Harry come?" Gabrielle asked in a tentative voice. She had seen the change which had taken place in Harry ever since the death of Dobby and she could understand his feelings. In the few hours she had spent with Dobby, she had developed a fondness for the little elf.
"Yes dear" Mrs. Delacour said reassuringly. Even though Gabrielle didn't believe her, she followed her parents and brother to the great hall for the New Year's feast.
"What should we do now?" Fleur asked Tonks.
"I don't know" Tonks gave a shrug of her shoulders before renewing her efforts to convince Harry to come with them. After 5 minutes or so, Harry seemed to have had enough and proceeded towards his dormitory room.
"Now what?" Fleur seemed even more upset. "Has he already gone to bed?"
"Damn it" Tonks stomped her foot. "Why does he have to do this to us? We are all mourning Dobby but...just..." she seemed to be lost for words as she started pacing around trying to think about a strategy. With the passing of every minute, Tonks grew more and more impatient. Finally, her patience seemed to have run out.
"HARRY POTTER" Tonks shouted at the top of her lungs. Fleur, not used to Tonks's temperamental ways, seemed to be taken aback at this. "GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW". Just as she finished her statement, she got the shock of her life as she saw that Harry had indeed appeared at the top of the stairs.
"There you are..." Tonks continued. "...finally having the sense to listen...hey!". Tonks couldn't finish her statement as Harry ran past her in full speed. Even as Harry passed her, she heard Harry say something which sent a chill through her blood.
"Don't worry Ginny, I will save you"
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A/N:
Here's the 22nd chapter. The third consecutive cliffhanger ending. Man...do you people love me or what? ;)
WronskiFeint – I use spell names because I try to give a blow by blow account. Using spell names helps me (at least, that's what I think). But I will try to implement your suggestion.
To all those people who have reviewed - Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.
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