Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers and its various publishers own Harry Potter. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: This is alternate universe now. Although this story was written before the HBP, I wanted to finish posting it.

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Chapter 35
Myrddin's Torch

The sound of the dragons was louder in the infirmary, or maybe it just seemed more intense because of the smell of smoke and the brush of wings and claws near the glass. Ron turned away from the window and watched as Hermione helped Madam Pomfrey settle the still unconscious Rhys into a bed. Malfoy's curse had cut deep and the wound was still seeping blood.

He looked over to the farthest corner of the infirmary, where Snape kept a vigil over Malfoy's body. After they'd managed to revive him, Professor Snape had waved off everyone's help. Snape tried without success to remove the illusion that had made Malfoy look like Harry. He remained by Malfoy's side, refusing to let Madam Pomfrey look over his own condition until everything that could be done for the younger man had been done.

Malfoy couldn't be far enough away for Ron. He'd beenall forObliviating Malfoy and sending him to St. Mungo's, or just finding a way to put him outside the gates with the dragons and the trolls.

Hermione, of course, had silenced Ron's suggestions and insisted that he help Professor Snape.

Other than Rhys and Draco, there were four other patients in the infirmary. Blaise Zabini had briefly stuck his head out from behind a partition when they'd first arrived, giving Ron the idea that Sophie Moon was probably there. Two first years who Ron reckoned might be Hufflepuffs were tucked into beds near Madam Pomfrey's office. They were currently sporting some sort of orange burn paste, having been rescued by Hagrid from one of the Greenhouse fires. And, of course, Neville Longbottom.

As if oblivious to the menace outside, Neville greeted Ron pleasantly, wearing the standard issue infirmary pajamas, and playing with his covers.

At first glance, Neville seemed to have acquired a large bruise, but on closer inspection, it looked more like someone had dumped a glass of dark purple grape juice over his head, then coated him with something shiny. They'd been through this before.

Hermione came up quietly and slipped her hand into Ron's.

"That's not tangleberry juice on your face, is it, Neville?" Hermione asked, squinting at him.

Nodding, Neville explained. "I was going to show Harry my new discovery. It's a potion that'll unstick anything. I tested it with the tangleberry concentrate. But when I woke him up he grabbed the ball of juice out of my hand, and then he tried to take away my wand. We wrestled with it a bit...that's the last thing I remember."

He pushed at the skin on his face delicately. "I think he may have smashed me over the head with the juice ball in the scuffle…er…but not before I got in a few good pokes myself."

He punched the air as if demonstrating.

"Uh…didn't Harry seem a bit different to you?" Ron asked, his eyes wandering around the infirmary, looking anywhere but at Neville's gooey face.

Sticking his fingers into the jar on his bedside table and pulling out a big gob of a clear gelatinous mixture, Neville muttered under his breath, "Yeah, he seemed different. He's never fought with me before…"

Neville spread the goo on his forehead, looking visibly relieved. "What exactly is wrong with him?" he asked, waving in the general direction of the Malfoy and Snape.

Something inside Ron broke. Speaking with a little too much heat, he said, "That's Malfoy…trying to trick us because the real Harry's gone…and now Ginny -- "

He didn't want to finish that sentence, voicing his fears about what may have happened to his sister. He looked over at Rhys, wishing he was in good enough shape for them to question, but the Welshman was deathly pale and Madam Pomfrey had forbidden any of them to go near him.

"We don't know that for sure, Ron. And Harry could be – " Hermione called over to him.

Raising his hand palm up, Ron said, "I know…I just…" His mouth settled into grim lines.

Hermione said, "No sense borrowing trouble. We have enough as it is."

"So that's Malfoy!" Neville said in a shocked voice. "I should have hexed him into tomorrow. I only held back because I thought it was Harry."

Neither Ron nor Hermione answered, preoccupied as they were with deciding what to do. They weren't any closer to finding out what happened to Ginny, or to the real Harry.

"Rhys won't wake up for hours…days maybe. We should find Dumbledore," Hermione said, speaking quietly and giving Snape a surreptitious glance. "He's the only one who can help us now. Besides…someone should tell him what's happened."

"Hang on…won't the Headmaster be a bit busy?" Neville sputtered. "Pomfrey's probably already contacted him…I wager he has his hands full right about now."

"He must be in the astronomy tower. That's where he sent Moody earlier," Ron said, motioning toward the door with a quick nod. "C'mon…we'd best slip out while Snape's busy with Malfoy."

Professor Snape had his back to them. He hadn't once even turned around. And Madam Pomfrey had disappeared for the moment behind Sophie Moon's partition. It seemed the time was right so Ron and Hermione headed toward the exit, still totally ignoring Neville and speaking as if no one else were in the room.

"The staircases might be blocked? I read once…" Hermione had the grace to blush slightly as she was obviously about to quote once again from Hogwarts a History.

Ron slipped his hand into hers to reassure her.

"Anyway Professor Dumbledore mentioned it earlier. The founders created a ward to still the staircases in midair…to prevent anyone from reaching the upper towers in case of an attack on the castle."

"Don't worry about that…you're not the only one that knows a few shortcuts." Ron spoke with confidence. "Harry and I've studied that map often enough."

Hermione raised an eyebrow as if she was about to disapprove.

Opening the door for her, Ron said quickly, "Wouldn't want to be late to class."

Giving him a small smile, Hermione walked through the door. Ron began to follow, but stopped short, stilling to listen to a strange sound. Loud enough to be heard over the constant drumming of the dragons, it nonetheless sounded far off. It seemed like the cry of a crowd, like someone had just caught the snitch, coming from somewhere outside the castle. It was followed shortly by a loud "Oomph!" and a cry of pain from Neville.

Hermione's head whipped around at Neville's cry. Ron followed her gaze to find a heap of dirty torn clothes and a tangle of long red hair splayed on top of Neville Longbottom.

Racing back, Ron couldn't help but grin widely at the sight. He recognized that hair.

"Ginny!" Hermione called as she ran toward her friend. "It's such a relief to find you…we…er…"

She stopped as she neared the bed and received a death glare from Ginny. Ignoring Neville's whining, Ginny clambered off of him and smoothed her dirty, torn shirt.

Ron beat Hermione across the room, but he hesitated as he took in Ginny's appearance. She looked angry, livid in fact. Her clothes were disheveled and her hair was in a wild tangle with stray bits of white flowers and grass in it. And her eyes were flashing dangerously. Something or someone had seriously pissed her off.

"What…how?" Ron asked, then he just grabbed her up in his big arms. "Who cares…I was so worried. Don't disappear like that again…we hadn't the slightest idea where to start looking."

She wriggled out of his arms. "Let me go…"

Ron knew he must have looked hurt because her expression softened as she straightened her clothes again and looked up at him.

"I…I'm glad to see you, but I need to find Harry." Sparing a glance at the other patients, she said, "Malfoy's still out, yeah?"

A sympathetic silence followed as Ron and Hermione exchanged uncomfortable looks. Neither wanted to be the one to tell Ginny that Aurora had disappeared from Dumbledore's office, or Rhys' mysterious comment about knowing where the body's buried.

Ginny broke the silence, holding out the bent butterbeer cap for them to see. "Harry gave me a Portkey. He wanted me to be safe."

She said this rolling her eyes as though it were the most ridiculous idea Harry had ever had.

"I'd say his Portkey Charm needs a bit of work," said Neville quietly as Ginny hurried toward the door.

Everyone ignored his comment and followed Ginny.

"Harry was only trying to do the right thing by giving you a Portkey…at least it paid off. You're here, and you're safe," Ron said, looking confused.

Ginny pulled the door open. With her wild appearance and her rant about finding Harry, Ron didn't think she was in any kind of shape to go anywhere. At least until someone like Madam Pomfrey had a chance to look her over.

"Where've you been exactly?" Ron asked, his long strides finally overtaking her.

He slipped in front her, blocking her exit and waiting expectantly for an answer.

"You don't understand…there's no time," Ginny cried as she tried to step around her brother and reach the door.

"Of course," Hermione said, joining in Ron's effort to stop Ginny from leaving. "We can't understand until you explain. We're ready to listen." Pulling out her wand, Ginny said, "Step away from the door…both of you. Keep your hands where I can see them."

Shocked, they both did what she asked. As she passed Ron, he thought he heard her mutter under her breath, something like, "I'm gonna make sure he's safe…then I'm gonna kill him."

Hermione and Ron chased after Ginny. She was moving fast, grumbling under her breath, but Ron again caught him up to her side as she rounded the corner.

"Nearly break my neck getting him out of that cave, and what does he do? Leaves me, that's what. Of all the…"

She trailed off, saving her breath for the long hike down the hall.

"What cave? Kill who?" Ron asked, trying to keep up with her.

"Harry," Ginny said shortly, barely glancing his way.

"What about Harry?" Hermione gasped. She'd put on an extra burst of speed and now kept pace on Ginny's other side.

"Harry," Ginny said. "Was trapped in that cave – Myrddin's Den – or whatever it was called."

"That's where you've been?" Ron asked, scowling at her.

"Yes! But when I told him about that weird alarm going off, he started talking about that tanglewood tree again and making the torch, and then! He left me there -- as if I was going to stand for that!"

She snorted.

"So Harry's here?" Hermione asked, sounding unsure.

"Of course he's here…I think."

Ginny tried to race ahead, but Ron grabbed her elbow, and hauled her back to his side, as he and Hermione stopped in there tracks.

"What?" she snapped.

Ron's mouth opened and shut. He took a deep breath.

"We have to tell Dumbledore!" Hermione cut in.

Ron grimaced and pointed at Hermione. "What she said."

"We can tell him later, we have to find --"

"Ginny! Do you honestly think you're the only person who's been worried about Harry?" Ron asked.

Ginny looked away, and then back at him. "No, of course not, but --"

She clenched her jaw and began her race down the corridor as if she was finished trying to explain. Ron and Hermione followed.

"Sounds like Harry had to go by himself. If he planned to set up the torch," Hermione said, breathlessly as they raced up to the Astronomy Tower. "From what I read, it takes a lot of concentration and power to construct the torch spell. It has to be done alone – "

"Someone has to watch his back!" Ginny shouted, halting on her way down the last corridor.

Ron and Hermione caught up to her again. The stress of the day was showing. Ginny looked worn out and upset. Hermione tried to reassure her by patting her shoulder, but Ginny pushed her hand away.

"Ginny…he'd be worried about you – er, us – the whole time." Hermione put her hand on Ginny's shoulder and this time the younger girl didn't pull away. "There've always been times when Harry had to face things alone. He's a great wizard. He'll be all right."

Ginny didn't answer. She knew Hermione had a point, but it didn't make it any easier.

"At least let's go tell Dumbledore Harry's all right. He deserves to know," Ron said. "And after that we can go find Harry together."

She wavered, and Ron tightened his grip on her elbow. Finally, she nodded.

"All right," she said. "Let's go."

"More running," Hermione grumbled.

They raced down to the end of the hallway, and turned right towards the staircases that led to the top of the Astronomy tower. Outside, the roar of beasts came through the thick stone walls. Ron shivered, but increased his speed.

Climbing the last few steps to the top of the Astronomy Tower, she stopped short. Ron and Hermione stepped around her to take a look for themselves.

On thetallest parapet, the Headmaster stood with his arms outstretched, caught in a golden web, as if he'd woven himself into the fabric of the wards. Gossamer tendrils spread all around him, and he seemed to be in some sort of trance, communing with air around him.

Professor Moody, standing at the edge of the gleaming web, turned and nodded to them. "Don't know what brings you here," he said, gruffly, "but as you can see, we're busy. You'd best get back inside."

"But we need to speak with Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said, with a skeptical glance toward the Headmaster.

"He's busy. You can't talk to him now." Moody turned away from them and moved over to the Headmaster's side.

"Sorry to disturb…" Ron said, backing away and pulling on Hermione's hand.

She resisted, seeming mesmerized by the sight of the attack beneath the tower. Moving as close as she could to the edge, she took in the sight. Ron and Ginny joined her.

"Whoa…they can't be held back forever…can they?" Ron asked.

"Hogwarts has never fallen…not even during the Goblin Rebellion of 1529 when the Wizarding Lord Protector and all of his men had retreated here from London," Moody grumbled. "But watching all of this…"

Touching his wand to the web in front of him, Moody began to incant something under his breath.

The dragons had increased tenfold, filling the sky with their smoky swarms. The grounds around the castle smoldered with the remains of small outbuildings and trees, the acrid scent permeating the air. But they were no longer the only beasts threatening the castle. From here, other creatures could be seen lining the gates and hovering near the forest. They strained against some invisible line as if waiting for a signal. As the Headmaster had predicted, trolls and giants swelled the ranks, beating the ground with clubs and growling angrily.

"But Professor Moody…" Hermione said, determined to tell someone. "Ginny has news about Harry."

Moody glanced over his shoulder with his wild eye spinning to a stop on Ginny. "You're sure this time? It could be another illusion."

"He had his phoenix with him," Ginny said.

Before anyone could respond to what she'd said, all conversation ceased as a loud outcry came from the gates of Hogwarts. The soundwasn't human, but it was accompanied by a very human shout of celebration. Ron and Hermione leaned over the stone wall, Ginny elbowing her way between them for a better look. A few more minutes of clamors and cheers came from the crowd near the gate followed.

From out of the gloom a bright bird, the size of a large swan, appeared. Slipping effortlessly through the golden web of wards, Aurora landed lightly on Ginny's shoulder. She trilled a quick greeting before turning her attention to what was happening at the gate.

"Harry's here," Ron said, stating the obvious.

No one answered as their attention was focused trying to see what they could down by the gates.

The sky had turned a fiery red as the sunlight slanted across the grounds. Ron couldn't see through the gathering twilight and the smoke risingfrom thegrounds. Death Eaters, trolls, creatures that flew and others that crawled, they were all cavorting in terrible glee at whatever was happening at the gate. Ron glanced at Hermione, who was biting her lip and glaring fiercely at the scene.

Without warning, a bright light pierced the gloom, banishing the twilight and showing the angry red clouds to be plain grey. Night turned to day as the brightness spread. It seemed to reach every corner of the castle before moving on to the Forbidden Forest and the lake. A whoosh and a pulsating wave of energy surged with it, filling them all with a sense of peace. Then as swiftly as it had come, the light went out, followed by complete and utter silence.

The gates of Hogwarts had sealed themselves shut the moment the alarm had first sounded. For the better part of the afternoon, the creatures at the gate – even the Death Eaters who'd finally arrived in the late afternoon -- had tried everything to breech the wards. As their attack intensified, the statues of the winged boars had sprung to life and defeated every attempt to enter the grounds.

Their struggle had worn on for hours. Now they grew cold as the sun prepared to set, angry red streaking the sky interspersed with billowing clouds of smoldering ash.

A shadow fell over the throng. A huge winged shape passed closely over their heads, cutting off the bright orange of the setting sun. The trolls stared dumbly, but the wizards present dropped to the ground, covering their heads with their arms to protect themselves. Those who dared to look up, saw something unlike anything they'd ever seen. Through the cloud of soot and smoke, a dragon arrived. It was shiny like an Opaleye, but as red as fresh blood. And on its back rode a figure they both feared and admired. The dragon flew unnaturally low to the ground.

Without any warning, the beast reared back his long, beautiful neck and let out a roar. Sooty flames shot into the air over their heads, showering them with hot ash. Wizards and beasts alike clamored to get out of the way, clearing a space for the creature to land. Voldemort laughed at their discomfort and raised a bony fist high in the air as his mount touched the ground.

The crowd gave a celebratory cheer at what seemed to be a crowning achievement for their master. None of them had ever seen anyone riding a dragon before. With his astounding power, they would soon overrun the castle. The flying boars were no match for him. Neither was Dumbledore. Hogwarts would certainly be a prize.

Harry kept the tanglewood branch under his cloak as Aurora dropped him directly outside Hogwarts' front door. She settled on his shoulder with a flutter of wings. He'd arrived just in time to hear a loud cry down by the gates. Hogwarts appeared to be holding strong against the onslaught. While the grounds smoldered from the attack, the castle itself appeared to be standing firm.

"Go back to Ginny, Aurora…she needs you," Harry said, but the phoenix remained on his shoulder, unmoved by his words. He wondered briefly if he should go back for her himself, but without Aurora's help, he'd have no way to get her inside the relative safety of the castle.

No way could he bring Ginny onto the grounds with dangerous creatures flying overhead and more of them beating at the gate. Speaking of which, he'd have to get down to the gate to construct the torch. That would be the best place.

From here he could see a creature hovering over the crowd at the gate. A stream of fire poured from the wide mouth of the beast, indiscriminately spraying the crowd gathered there as it swept its neck back and forth.

Smoke and the gathering dark made it hard to see the reaction, but Harry could hear screams mixed with cheers. Panic mounted as he felt his scar burn. There was no question about it – Voldemort was down there with them.

He waited until a low flying cloud of angry dragons had swung toward the lake. Taking a deep breath, he flung himself forward, jumping through the smoke and beginning to run toward the main gates where a massive crowd of black robed figures had gathered. As if they were on one of their morning runs around the lake, Aurora took flight and circled overhead.

Lungs burning, Harry continued to run. He couldn't imagine what would make Voldemort think that it would be easier to enter the school through the main gates.

As Harry drew near enough to see the crowd, clamoring and cheering, he decided there was no turning back. He had to try – even if this spell failed. Voldemort, at least, must be sure that his plan would succeed, otherwise, he wouldn't put on such an elaborate show. But whatever the plan was, they hadn't reckoned on Harry showing up. That might be enough to tip the scales against the Death Eaters.

If Ginny was right, Voldemort would be expecting Malfoy, disguised as Harry to open the castle gates and defect. That might give him just enough time to construct the torch spell before Voldemort figured out that he wasn't Malfoy and tried to kill him.

He only hoped that Malfoy hadn't already succeeded in reaching the gates, but either way, he had to try to put up the torch.

Straining to see what was happening at the gate through the smoky grounds, Harry didn't see the rogue dragon streaking toward him until it was too late to react. A glimpse of green scales crossed his face as the beast lashed out at Harry, knocking him to the ground with his spiked tail. Gasping at the flash of pain coursing through his shoulder, Harry still managed to roll with the blow. He came out of the roll into a crouch just as the dragon turned toward him and opened his jaws.

As Harry shot a Confundus Charm at the creature, Aurora grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him wide. He landed on his feet, counting himself lucky that she hadn't whisked him back to the clearing with Ginny.

The blast of flame from the animal burnt the ground near Harry, but did him no harm. And his Confundus Charm had apparently found its mark, causing the dragon to fly away disoriented. Harry wondered briefly why the dragon wasn't affected by his torque, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.

Soothing as it was to feel Aurora's soft feathers against his cheek, he tried again to convince the phoenix to go back to Ginny. "I have to do this alone. They won't be fooled into thinking I'm Malfoy if you're riding on my shoulder. Besides, I promised Ginny that you'd stay with her. Keep her safe…don't leave her until I come find you."

This time, Aurora left him, but instead of Disapparating, she flew toward the Astonomy Tower.

Shaking his head at the capricious phoenix, Harry continued on his path. Ignoring the blood streaming from his shoulder and the shakiness of his legs, Harry hurtled across the scorched earth toward the crowd at the gates.

When he had drawn within thirty feet, he could distinguish Voldemort, sitting astride a large red beast. Black against the fiery sunset, he lorded over the crowd. The beast he was on appeared to be some kind of dragon, one who was curiously willing to be ridden. Voldemort's voice rang out over the crowd, welcoming Harry as if he'd been expecting him.

Assuming this show for Voldemort's followers had been part of Draco's plan, Harry resolved to make it work in his favor -- for as long as he could. He covered the remaining ground to the gate as quickly as he could.

Standing tall in his stirrups so all of his forces could see him, Voldemort shouted imperiously, "See how he runs to join my service. Harry Potter…the great hope of the wizarding world. Come and bow down, Potter."

Voldemort smiled and pointed his long, bony finger at Harry, putting him on display for his followers.

Slipping out easily enough, Harry gathered his courage as he heard the wards clamp the gates shut tight behind him. He glanced uneasily around at the crowd who were mostly wearing masks. Slightly breathless from running, Harry didn't quite take in all of Voldemort's speech.

"Open the gates for us, Potter…to prove where your loyalties lie. Once Hogwarts is ours, all wizards everywhere will realize how futile resistance is."

Ignoring the fear growing within him, Harry drew close enough to see the gleam in the wizard's red eyes. Harry concentrated hard to keep his mental shields in place so he wouldn't give away his true identity. He had a feeling he'd be getting a very different reception if Voldemort hadn't expected Draco Malfoy to come out of the castle and open the gates, pretending to be Harry.

"What have you brought me?" Voldemort asked, his voice sounding imperious and commanding.

Pulling the tanglewood from underneath his cloak, Harry ignored Voldemort and set about constructing the torch. It would take time to repeat the spell. Preparing the wood as he'd seen in his vision, he reached up and let the two winged boar statues touch the wood. They immediately flew to their former positions as twin stone guardians of the gates. His voice rough from all the smoke, Harry cleared his throat impatiently and began to recite the incantation, concentrating on not making any mistakes. He wouldn't get a second chance if the spell didn't work.

Voldemort's flat nose stretched as his lips spread into a wide smile. As if he was being magnanimous, he said, "He's come to show us how to break down the wards."

Intent on finishing the lengthy charm, Harry didn't answer. Focusing on the wood, he could feel the energy building within it. The fist-sized crystal from Myrddin's cave began to hum as he closed his fingers around it in his pocket. The sudden surge of power knocked Harry to his knees.

Voldemort relaxed his posture and his lips split his face in an evil smile. The crowd surged forward with another cry of triumph. Surveying the reaction among his ranks, he gave a shout and asked, "Shall I be merciful and let him join…or shall I kill him now for all his past offences?"

Before the crowd could answer, a black robed figure broke through the mob.

Through the white fog in his mind, Harry watched it all happen. He heard the crowd shouting for his death, but he couldn't stop the incantation now, he had to let it build up inside him. He couldn't become distracted. He could feel it growing and expanding.

Running toward Harry, Bellatrix pulled off her mask and shouted, "What is this trickery!"

Her long black hair swung around her face as she reached Harry before anyone could stop her. "This wasn't part of the plan. He's up to something -- stop him!" she shouted.

Taking the crystal from his pocket, Harry placed the stone in the claw like prongs on the end of the tanglewood branch.

At the same moment, Bellatrix aimed her wand at Harry and yelled, "Relashio!"

Most of her curse was absorbed in the light from his torque, but it went unnoticed. As Harry placed the crystal, a blinding pulse of white light shot from within the stone. It launched back through the gates toward the castle, highlighting every stone of the building before illuminating the grounds and the lake. As the light turned the gathering twilight into day, it also expelled the besieging creatures.

Harry could feel the spell searching the castle and grounds. The crystal spun in the end of the wood, weaving its ancient magic around the castle and grounds.

It happened too fast to take it all in. The swarms that had been threatening the castle all afternoon, were repelled, their cries heard fading into the distant hills. The trolls in the forest and the giants by the gate, were hurled back into the throng of attackers.

Spitting vile threats, Voldemort tried to lash out at Harry, but he struggled to control the beast he was riding. The dragon recoiled from the spell, rearing back and clawing the air blindly, thrashing its long neck in a wild spiral.

Before anyone could recover from the blinding light of the spell, Harry finished the incantation. The final word of the spell hung heavy in the air, deep and ringing, and then both Harry and Hogwarts vanished. The torch, the gates, the winged boars and the castle with its massive towers and vast stoneworks, all disappeared into thin air, leaving Voldemort and his followers alone on a windswept Scottish hillside.

No longer able to hear the shouts and clamoring of the crowd, or the vitriol from Voldemort, Harry saw a darkness looming overhead, then the first signs of stars in a clear night sky. Closing his eyes, the last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness was the stars beginning to spin.

TBC…

A/N: Almost finished. Your comments are welcome.