The End
Chapter 29: Attack on Hogsmeade
Ava waited nervously outside the Fat Lady's portrait. She shuffled her feet, looking down at the moving staircases. Suddenly, she felt the air being displaced as the portrait swung to the side. She turned her head and saw Ginny peep her head out. Ava immediately stepped in front of her. Ginny nearly fell back from the shock. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were behind her.
"What the hell is your problem?" Ginny asked, straightening up. They all wore their training attire and all of them except Ron looked very tired. Ava ignored Ginny and looked at Harry.
"Did Neve ever come back?" she asked. Harry looked confused for a moment. He was just now noticing that Neve was not with them. Normally, she was the first one up and ready for training. Hermione, Ginny, and Ron looked back and forth between the two.
"No. I didn't hear her come back and we slept in the common room," Harry said. Ava sighed and crossed her arms.
"Draco didn't return either," Ava whispered.
"Whoa! What's going on?" Ron asked.
"Last night, Neve asked for my map. Apparently, she wanted to sneak out. I told Ava to send Draco to watch over her. Neither returned last night," Harry said. Hermione's mouth dropped open.
"You willingly gave her your map? Harry, this is definitely not the time for one of us to go sneaking off alone in the middle of the night. Who knows where Neve and Draco could be!" Hermione sounded very livid with Harry.
"Calm down, Mione. Harry, where do you think she went?" Ron asked.
"Probably to Hogsmeade. She most likely wanted to dodge the Magi patrolling the halls with the secret passages. I don't know why she would go to Hogsmeade in the middle of the night, though," Harry said.
"Can you really think of no reason?" Ginny asked. Everyone became really silent for a moment. The stillness was broken by the sound of the portrait swinging open again. Neville, Lina, and Rina exited.
"What's the hold up? Shouldn't you guys be going?" Lina said, yawning. The group got moving in silence. On the pitch, Aiko and Ferris waited. Aiko sighed when she noticed that two people were missing.
"Where's Draco and Neve?" she asked. Ron stretched his arms out in the air.
"You know, we're curious about that our damn selves," he said. Aiko gave him a look, then turned her grave stare to Ava.
"Find out where they are, Ava," she said. Ava nodded and closed her eyes. After about a minute, she opened her eyes.
"Draco is unconscious somewhere. I couldn't tell where exactly because his eyes were not open. It is close by, though. Neve is also unconscious, but her mind signature was harder to trace. She's farther away than Draco," Ava said. Ferris and Aiko exchanged glances.
"Listen, what happened last night?" Ferris asked.
"Neve snuck out and I sent Draco to follow her to make sure she didn't get into trouble. We think she went to Hogsmeade," Harry said meekly.
"Let me guess, Potter. You gave her your stupid map, didn't you?" Ferris asked snidely. Harry nodded. Aiko crossed her arms.
"Great! Just what we fucking need. Two of our best Magi, missing. You all do remember that you have a job to do today, right?" Aiko said. They all nodded. They were supposed to patrol the train station as the rest of the students left for summer holidays and as important Aurors and Magi arrived to protect Hogwarts.
"First things first. We need to find them. Potter, Weasley, come with me," Ferris said. Harry and Ron nodded, following after him. Aiko looked at the rest of them.
"I guess I'll start assigning posts." She took out a map of Hogsmeade and the train station.
Ferris, Ron, and Harry arrived in Hogsmeade. The town was just starting to come to life. Ron looked over and saw Madam Rosmerta behind the Three Broomsticks. She was looking confused. Ron started to walk over to her.
"Madam Rosmerta?" he asked. She looked at him and jumped slightly.
"Oh! You scared me. What are you doing down here so early? The train doesn't come for another four hours," she said. Ron shook his head as Ferris and Harry walked up behind him.
"What's the matter? You looked worried," Ron said. Madam Rosmerta looked back down at the ground. A trapdoor was open, leading to a dark and damp staircase.
"I didn't even know this was right here. I've never seen it in my life. I came out this morning and this is what I see," she said, pointing to the trapdoor. They looked down into it.
"It looks like a secret passageway." Ferris looked up and saw Hogwarts in the distance. "And it looks like it leads to the school if it keeps straight," he said. Madam Rosmerta nodded.
"Did you see anything out of the ordinary last night, Madam Rosmerta?" Harry asked. She looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Well, I got a customer that I don't normally see. He kept his hood up and only drank butterbeer. He also seemed a little depressed. He left here around eleven. I don't know where he went. Maybe you should try the inn," she said, pulling the trapdoor shut. Harry nodded.
"Good day, Madam Rosmerta," Ron said. Madam Rosmerta smiled as they walked off.
At the inn, they walked in. The innkeeper was just coming down the stairs. He smiled as he saw them. He noticed Ferris' attire.
"The Magi are here already? I thought you all were staying up at the school," the man said. Ferris shook his head and walked up to the desk. He looked at the wall of keys. Only three keys were missing: room 5, room 7, and room 10.
"Who rented those rooms?" he asked. The man looked at the wall of keys.
"Well, room five went to this nice young couple that was visiting Madam Rosmerta. A cousin, I think. Room seven went to a young lady with beautiful red hair. The bloke who took room ten wore a dark red robe. He had blue eyes and he looked pretty depressed..." The three were off before the innkeeper finished. "Wait! He might not be up yet!" he yelled to no avail.
Upstairs, Ferris saw that the door to room ten was already open. He stepped inside first, pulling his wand slowly. The sunlight poured through the curtains. The room was completely empty. Not a soul was in sight. Ferris lowered his wand and beckoned for Ron and Harry to enter.
"There's no one here," Ron said. Harry turned around and saw another door connecting to the next room. Right by the door lay a small and well-manicured hand. Harry walked briskly across the room. "Harry, what's wrong?" Ron asked, following his friend. Harry stepped in the room and turned to see Aurora laying there, fast asleep. Ferris and Ron followed in after him. Harry kneeled down and checked Aurora's pulse.
"She's alive," he whispered. Ron looked around the room and saw another body across from Aurora's. He walked over to it and saw the platinum blonde hair of Draco Malfoy. He too was unconscious.
"Well, I we've found Malfoy. Where's Neve?" Ron asked. Ferris looked around the room. There was another body on the floor. This time, it was a grown man. He walked over to it and rolled the body over with his foot. Harry and Ron looked over at him.
"Who's that?" Ron asked, making a face. The man's face showed that he obviously had died suddenly and without warning. A small, red burn mark was on the front of his chest.
"Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix Lestrange's husband," Ferris said. Harry smirked uncharacteristically. When it came to the Lestranges, he would be better off seeing them both dead.
"It looks like he died by the Avada Kedavra curse. This mark is red, though. I thought the curse was green," Ron said, examining the burn mark closer. Ferris looked confused.
"So did I. Apparently, this person found a way to personalize it," he said. Harry looked around the room and found a familiar looking wand. He walked over to it and picked it up.
"Well, I found Neve's wand. At least we know she was here," Harry said. Ferris nodded. He took the wand from Harry.
" Priori Incantatem," he whispered. A red jet of light shot from the wand, hitting the ceiling and leaving a red burn mark. "I think it is safe to say that Neve used the Avada Kedavra curse last night. I'm not surprised."
"I am. I didn't know she had it in her to do that curse," Ron said, scratching his head. He looked back over at the other two sleeping bodies. "Well, I suppose we should wake them up," he said, walking over to Draco. Harry went over to Aurora.
"Sveglisi," they said together. Both of them sat up quickly, nearly knocking both Ron and Harry back. Aurora blinked twice, trying to take in her surroundings. She looked up and saw Harry smiling down at her. She looked across the room and saw Draco rubbing his head. He looked up and their eyes met. All at once, the previous night's events flooded back into her mind. All she could remember was the horrible secret that both Neve and Draco had kept from her and Tommy.
"Voi bastardo (You bastard)!" Aurora launched herself at Draco with amazing speed. He was completely taken off guard as her tiny fingers wrapped around his neck. Harry, Ferris, and Ron just stood there as Aurora proceeded to choke Draco. They were in awe of her. No one had ever seen Aurora be so violent.
Draco, on the other hand, was trying to figure out what to do with his hands. He did not want to hit Aurora. He looked over to his left and saw his wand. Aurora seemed pretty fixed on what she was doing to notice that Draco now had his wand.
"Rictusempra," Draco said in a strangled voice. The spell was relatively weak, but it did the job of knocking Aurora's back from him. Draco sat up, coughing violently. Aurora was breathing hard. She tried to after her again, but this time Ferris grabbed her. She struggled.
"Lascilo andare! Lascilo andare (Let me go! Let me go)!" she yelled. Ferris had no idea what she was saying. Aurora screamed loudly and Ferris was thrown backwards off of her. Aurora looked behind her. Seemingly satisfied, she glared at Draco.
"Legatura estremo!" Harry yelled, holding out his hand. The bands of light emerged and wrapped around Aurora. Aurora hit the ground with a dull thud. Ferris walked back over to her. He kneeled down to her level.
"What was that about?" he asked. Aurora did not take her eyes off of Draco.
"Quel bastardo malvagità ha avuto sesso con la mia propria sorella (That evil bastard had sex with my own sister)!" Aurora yelled. Ferris rolled his eyes and stood up straight. He looked down at Draco.
"Why the hell didn't you all try to help me?" Draco asked. Ron shrugged.
"Well, I don't know about them, but I figured you had to have done something extremely bad to have Aurora, of all people, try to commit murder. So, I assumed that you had it coming. Do you mind telling us what she just said? I'm curious," Ron said. Draco mentally murdered Ron and stood up.
"As a matter of fact, yes I do mind, Weasley," Draco said. Ron just smirked. He would find out sooner or later. Harry looked over at Aurora.
"Are you going to calm down now?" he asked. Aurora tore her eyes away from Draco and looked at Harry. She nodded. Being her opposite, Harry knew she was telling the truth. He waved his hand and the ropes disappeared. Aurora stood up.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"In Hogsmeade. You don't remember how you got here?" Ferris asked. Aurora shook her head.
"The last thing I remember was this Jada lady putting a spell on me. After that, I remember Bellatrix Lestrange putting the Cruciatus Curse on me. Neve, Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy, and Tommy were in here with Draco and me. I remember hearing something rather disturbing, too," Aurora said, glaring back at Draco. Draco looked away from her.
"Listen, we'll discuss this later. We have somewhere to be." Ferris left the room. The other four followed him out.
Back at Hogwarts, Hermione saw the group coming towards her. She smiled and ran over to them. She slowed down when she saw the looks on their faces. She saw a girl that was obviously not Neve. Hermione stared a little harder and realized it was Aurora.
"Aurora! You're back!" Hermione hugged her. Aurora smiled weakly. "Where's Neve?" she asked, looking at Ferris. Ferris shrugged.
"No sign of her except for her wand. Come on. You all should get ready. The students will be on going down to the train any minute now," Ferris said. They all nodded and followed him inside the castle.
Neve opened her eyes. The room she was in was dark. She was laying on a rather soft bed. Her hair was sprawled out across her bed. She wondered idly what color it was now. Neve smirked to herself. She immediately stopped chuckling to herself when she felt another presence in the room with her. She sighed, knowing who it was without even looking.
"How long have I been asleep?" she asked quietly.
"About twelve hours. Malfoy's father hit you over the head."
"Did you sleep?"
"No."
"You've been sitting there all night?"
"Yes."
"What color is my hair right now?"
"It'sblack or brown. I can't tell." Neve waited about a minute before asking another question.
"Are you mad at me?" she whispered almost inaudibly. She heard a long, deep sigh.
"On some level, yes I am. I am probably not as livid with you as I should be. I am curious as to how and why it happened, though."
"I don't really wan..."
"Just tell me and get it over with, Neve," Tommy said harshly.
"Well, it started with me being mad at Draco for intimidating you..."
"Draco Malfoy does NOT intimidate me in anyway."
"Just let me finish. Anyway, I confronted him about it and things just sort of fell into place after that..."
Neve stared at Draco. He had stopped in mid-sentence and had yet to continue. He started walking towards her apprehensively. Neve watched him, unsure of what he was doing. She knew she should turn away from his advances, but her body was not responding to those requests. Instead, she fought back the only was she knew how: with her fists. She began hitting him repeatedly in the chest. Eventually, Draco grabbed both of her arms and pinned her to the wall. He stared down into her eyes.
Before either knew what was happening, they were kissing ravenously and eagerly against the wall. Draco's body pressed up against her's and she welcomed it. Every coherent thought in their minds was clouded over by thoughts of lust. Neve broke the kiss and Draco attacked her neck, working the buttons on her shirt. Once it was open, he ran his hands over her toned abdomen and arms.
"Draco..." She whispered, closing her eyes to the pleasure he was giving her. Where was all of this lust coming from?
"Hmmm..." Draco murmured into her chest. Neve tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled him back up to her.
"...don't start anything you can't finish..." Neve whispered hotly. Draco captured her lips again and then hoisted her up. Neve instinctively wrapped her legs around him, squeezing him tighter. He carried her over to a desk and sat her on it.
Everything was becoming hazier and hazier as their primal instincts took over. Clothes came off quickly and roughly, a few buttons flying here and there. Neve pulled him by the hair into a kiss. She reversed their positions and climbed on top of him. She looked down into his blue eyes, her eyes matching his color.
"What do you want me to do, Draco?" Neve into his ear. Draco shuddered.
"Fuck me..." He whispered. Neve smirked and positioned herself over him and sat down hard and rough. Draco's sharp intake of breath made her smirk. It was clear who was in control of this.
"It happened a long time ago, Tommy," Neve said.
"The point is that it still happened, Neve."
"I'm sorry. It will never happen again because Draco is madly in love with Aurora, even if he doesn't really show it that often. I'm madly in love wi..." Neve stopped talking as she heard shuffling. Tommy walked around the bed and kneeled in front of her face.
"I know," he said and kissed her. When he broke the kiss, Neve noticed a sudden glow of gold in his eyes. It disappeared quickly. "You don't have to apologize anymore. You're coming with me today."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm supposed to lead an ambush on the train station in Hogsmeade so that no one can come or leave, including students. We're supposed to go in five minutes. The train leaves at one," Tommy said.
"I don't have a wand," Neve said. Tommy shook his head.
"You aren't coming with me to fight." Tommy stood up abruptly. Neve looked confused.
"Then what..."
"Just get dressed." Tommy left the room in a hurry. Neve watched him go, wondering why she was going if she was not going to fight. She looked to her right and saw a red outfit. She sighed and put it on.
Harry and Ginny walked up and down the train platform. Some students were talking excitedly while others were looking quite miserable about leaving for home. Some seventh-year girls were hugging and crying. Harry blinked when he saw this. Ginny noticed how he had stiffened beside her.
"Is something wrong, Harry?" she asked.
"Not really. I'm just realizing now that this is my last year at Hogwarts. It never really occurred to me that this is it. I'm done in school," Harry said. Ginny laughed.
"You act like it's the end of the world, Harry. Besides, it's not like you aren't ever going to see any of us again. With all of us having the same job when we get out of here, we'll never be too far apart," Ginny said happily. Harry looked down at her radiant smile.
Across the platform, Ron made a disgusted face. Hermione looked at him.
"Why do you have that ugly look on your face, Ron?" she asked. Ron nodded towards Harry and Ginny.
"I'll never get used to my sister being all giddy with some other bloke," he said. Hermione sighed and shook her head.
"Ron, in case you haven't noticed, your sister and Harry have been together for two years, almost three. Plus, Harry is your best mate, not 'some other bloke,' as you so eloquently put it," Hermione said, sticking her nose up in the air. Ron sighed.
"Yeah, whatever you say, Mione. Where is the bloody train? I'm hungry as a hippogriff," Ron said, rubbing his stomach. Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"Same old Ron," she mumbled. Ron smirked.
"You wouldn't have me any other way," he said, kissing her on the cheek.
"Whatver you say, Ronald."
Draco sat on the roof with Aurora. Although she protested gallantly, Aiko still put her with Draco as a partner. She had not said one word to him since they had departed from the school. Draco played with his bow idly. Aurora just stared out at the sky, not even acknowledging Draco's presence. Finally, Draco broke the uncomfortable silence.
"Aurora, just talk to me," Draco said. Aurora seemed not to hear him. " Aurora?"
"I do not see what we have to 'talk' about, Draco. In fact, I do not really want to even think about it. You screwed my own sister. Then, you kept it from me for six months. What else is there to talk about? I am interested in knowing myself," Aurora said.
"Just listen to me for a..." Draco was cut off by the sound of the train approaching. Aurora and Draco turned to look down at the platform. Students were gathering their things and starting to move to edge. Aurora and Draco scanned the platform for anything remotely suspicious. Draco saw it instantly.
"Potter!" Draco yelled. Harry looked up at Draco. Draco was pointing to a group of Slytherins. They had pulled out their wands and were grabbing students.
"What the hell are they doing?" Ginny asked. Harry did not have time to answer her. He pushed her down to the ground a jet of green light whizzed between them. Immediate chaos ensued. Ginny stood up quickly, pulling her wand out. She looked to her left and realized that Harry was gone. She turned just in time to miss another jet of light. She turned and saw the source: Pansy Parkinson. Ginny faced her completely.
"Hello, Ginny," Pansy said. Ginny frowned at the bigger girl. Her name definitely did not go with her body.
"Pansy," Ginny said. Pansy nodded. In a flash, she pointed her and a mumbled a curse. Ginny sent her own curse while ducking to the left. Pansy was hit and flew back into some other students.
Draco and Aurora watched the scene below them. What seemed like the entire Slytherin House was attacking the other students furiously. Ron and Hermione had managed to stun a couple of them. Harry was also stunning Slytherins as her ran down the platform. The train was getting closer and closer.
Ava, Lina, Rina, and Neville turned towards the train station. They had been sent to watch the town. They heard all the bloodcurdling screams and looked at each other.
"Do you think we should go help them?" Lina asked. Neville and Ava did not even answer her. They immediately dropped their robes and pulled their wands. When they reached the platform, they stopped and stared at the mayhem. Various students lay on the ground, either stunned or seriously hurt.
"These are students attacking students," Rina said.
"Correction, Lina. These are SLYTHERINS attacking students," Neville said. They jumped at the sound of the train getting closer.
Ron, rather than using magic, was content on just knocking the Slytherins out with his fists. He was faster than they expected him to be. Hermione, on the other hand, was doing Soliopathy and using her wand at the same time.
Aurora watched the train approach. She squinted when she saw something fly towards the back of the train. Her eyes widened.
"Ciò non può accadere (This cannot be happening)," she whispered. Draco looked at her. Simultaneously, about five explosions were heard. Everyone down on the platform was knocked to their feet. Draco and Aurora had to jump off the roof in order to avoid falling through.
Harry stood up almost as soon as he fell. He heard something that sounded like metal scratching up against metal. The high-pitched noise was coming from the train as it tried to stop. Harry realized what was going to happen.
"MOVE IT! THE TRAIN IS GOING TO JUMP TRACK! MOVE IT, ALL OF YOU!" Harry yelled at the top of his lungs. The students looked at him with questionable looks at first, then saw the train swerving. They immediately began to move. The others were guiding their classmates away from danger as fast as they could. Harry sighed as everyone seemed to be out of the way. He looked across the platform and saw Ginny and Pansy. They were both moving a little slow. "GINNY, MOVE!" Harry yelled.
Ron and the others turned and saw Ginny and Pansy. They saw the train's engine coming straight for them. Ginny pulled Pansy and crawled to the far stone wall as the train continued to slide towards them. Both girls squeezed their eyes shut as the train slowed to mere feet from them. When they opened their eyes, they both let out long, deep breaths. Ginny winced in pain.
Harry struggled to see through dust.
"Ginny?" Harry yelled. Ginny coughed up blood violently.
"Harry! I'm over here!" she yelled. Harry ran to the sound of her voice. He looked in the corner and saw Ginny and Pansy. Both were bleeding and breathing incredibly hard.
"Are you okay?" he asked, looking at Ginny's mouth.
"I'll live. I think I have an internal injury, though," Ginny said, her breathing irregular. Pansy looked no better than her. Pansy had a large piece of glass lodged in her shoulder and another in her right leg. She looked over at Ginny.
"Thanks," Pansy mumbled. Ginny tried to laugh, but found out that it was entirely too hard and painful at the moment. Pansy stepped past Harry, limping. Harry watched her go, then looked down at Ginny. He stepped around the train and saw why Ginny was breathing so erratically. Ginny had a large shard of glass stuck in her side. Another was lodged in her arm. Ginny stood up, her arm hanging. Harry grabbed onto her. She looked down at her side.
"This is going to hurt like hell," she mumbled jokingly. She took hold of the shard and pulled it out slowly. She squeezed her eyes shut and looked away as she did it. Harry made a face watching her accomplish this feat. Once the shard was out, Ginny examined her arm. She let go of Harry and pulled slowly. This shard was much smaller, but it was also lodged in deeper. Once it was out, Ginny started tearing her robes. Harry wrapped her up.
"There. That ought to keep it from getting infected. Let's find the others," Harry said. It was then that Harry noticed the deafening silence around him. The dust was clearing even more. He could see no one except the others. All of the students were gone, including Pansy.
"Where is everyone?" Ginny asked as she walked up to them. Hermione and Aurora were nursing the wounds of the others. None of them had noticed that the rest of the students were missing.
"I...don't know," Ron said, looking around.
"Hermione, go and get help. Let's go look for the others," Harry said.
Suddenly, Ava felt two mind signatures that really should not be anywhere near them. She turned around. Harry and Draco noticed her.
"What's wrong, Ava?" Draco asked.
"Tommy and Neve are close by," she whispered. She ran off. Draco, Harry, and Ron followed her.
Ava slid to a stop when she saw the army of Slytherins. In the center of them was Tommy. He was staring directly at his sister. Harry, Draco, and Ron came to a stop behind her, holding their wands. Tommy's eyes rested on Draco. For the second time in two days, Draco saw Tommy's eyes flash another color.
"Hello, Avarielle," Tommy said.
"Tomás." Ava inclined her head slightly. "Where's Neve? I know she's here."
"Yes, she is here," another voice said. Draco instantly recognized it as his mother's voice. Sure enough, Narcissa Malfoy stepped through the crowd of students, holding Neve by the arm. " She is going to me made an example of." Narcissa said. She pulled Neve around so that she was facing Tommy. She pulled out her wand. "Cadere," she said. Neve was instantly sucked to the ground. She looked up at Tommy.
"What is he going to do?" Ron whispered as Tommy pointed his wand at Neve. She stared at him with large eyes.
"Is he really going to kill her?" Harry whispered, uncertain of what he should do. He heard feet running up behind him.
Aurora slid to a stop as she saw Tommy pointing his wand at Neve. It took only a few seconds for her to analyze the situation. Aurora ran in front of Harry and held out her hand, feeling the coldness behind her eyes.
"RICTUSEMPRA!" she yelled. Tommy looked up at the fast-approaching blast. He closed his eyes, almost welcoming the attack. The next moment went by very slowly. Most of the attack bounced off of what seemed to be a barrier, but some also got into it.
Tommy opened his eyes, realizing that he was still standing and seeming unscathed. He noticed the shadow over him and looked up. All he saw was silvery hair. Neve had taken the blast for him. Aurora looked devastated. She had just nearly killed her own sister. Neve dropped to the ground, unconscious.
Ava looked up at the rest of Aurora's powerful blast. The blast hit a barrier high above the sky. Everyone watched in awe for a moment. Suddenly, a wave of air practically knocked everyone off of their feet.
"The barrier around the school," Draco whispered.
"Oops..." Aurora said.
"Time to go. I'll be seeing you," Tommy said. He turned and started to walk away. In a bright flash of light and another explosion, they were all gone.
Aurora recovered first. She ran up to her sister, falling to her knees. Neve was still breathing, thankfully, but she was badly hurt. Ron stepped around Aurora, picking Neve up.
"Let's head back and deliver the joyous news, shall we?" Harry said sarcastically.