Chapter 4: Conflict and Confrontation
A/N: It's weird to re-write what JKR has already written but I'm going to stick with this. Thanks to everyone for reviewing chapter three even in the wake of something as huge as the sixth book. It was such a great feeling. Plus, (INSERT GIANT SPOILER WARNING HERE!) Ginny and Harry, Ron and Hermione, and Tonks and Lupin are together. I think I speak for all pumpkin pie haters when I say it's about time. Sorry to any H/Hr shippers out there who are mourning the loss of their hopes and dreams. Here is chapter four.
Harry's heart skipped a beat. It was so bad that they needed backup. He needed to get to Knockturn Alley, and fast. He didn't hesitate before he flung out his right hand, his wand hand. Harry jumped backwards as the Knight Bus roared up.
"Hey, you're-" Harry cut Stan, the conductor, off.
"Like last time I was on this thing, you say my name and I will curse you into oblivion." Harry informed the man. Stan Shunpike swallowed and asked quickly,
"Where to?"
"I need to get to The Leaky Cauldron. I need to get there fast. It's an emergency. I'll pay extra, just get me there soon." Harry insisted, pulling his money bag out of the pocket he had thrown it in upon leaving the house.
"Take it all. Get me there, now!" He thrust the entire contents of the bag into Stan's outstretched hands.
"You 'eard the man, Ern. To The Leaky Cauldron and make it snappy."
Within three minutes, Harry was pushing his way through the busy pub, head down. He was trying not to be noticed. To his immense relief, nobody acknowledged his presence. He entered Diagon Alley at a run. Harry turned into Knockturn Alley and immediately saw where Mrs. Weasley was being kept. She was unconscious, attached to a wall at the end of the alleyway. Harry felt a sudden wave of nausea wash over him. This was entirely his fault.
Unexpectedly, a voice he had hoped never to hear again came from behind him. Harry spun around looking straight into the face of Bellatrix Lestrange. A hatred so deep, so powerful, that it consumed his body, arose within him. She laughed a high, indifferent laugh. Her disgusting sing-song voice bounced off of the stone walls around him, creating an echo.
"Nice to see you again Harry." Nice to see you again Harry. Nice to see you again Harry. Nice to see …
Lestrange shot a jet of red sparks at him, which he dodged.
"STUPEFY!" He yelled. Harry had missed her, missed his chance. Bellatrix hit him with the Cruciatus Curse. An agony so horrifyingly familiar coursed through Harry's body. He was under the curse for a long time, longer than he had ever been. The pain was excruciating. All Harry could think of, besides the hurt, was how he deserved it. He deserved every bit of the torture. Harry could not understand the feeling, the melancholy reaction to pure anguish. It nearly drove him mad, yet somehow he managed to keep all of his precious sanity. After what seemed like days, the curse lifted.
"Durus!" Bellatrix yelled, aiming a curse at Harry. She missed his torso, but hit his arm. The pain of the Cruciatus Curse had returned, but only in his arm. Temporarily blinded by the intensity of the spell, Harry decided that he had come too far to let this stop him. He pushed towards Mrs. Weasley, throwing stunning spells at every stranger he saw. Harry saw Remus dueling with Lucious Malfoy, when out of the blue he felt something very heavy land on his back.
Peter Pettigrew had thrown himself out of a shop, landing upon Harry. He heard a loud crack as his head collided with stone. Harry didn't feel anything. Every cell capable of recognizing pain was too preoccupied to notice any more.
Shaking Wormtail of, Harry reached Molly Weasley and attempted to untie the knots in the ropes binding her to the wall. The ropes, Harry learned the hard way, were magical. His hands developed welts where the ropes had touched them Harry stopped trying to dodge curses and turned his attention to Mrs. Weasley. Angrily, he pointed his wand at the ropes and screamed the first thing that came to his frenzied mind.
"ALOHAMORA!" The ropes unwound and Mrs. Weasley dropped to the floor. He picked her up and started to make his way back down the alley. He was surprised that the unlocking spell had worked. His surprise was quickly turned to pain as a spell hit his forehead, leaving a wide gash next to his scar.
Harry was holding Molly Weasley in his left arm, his right too injured to bear any weight. It was shaking and pain was surging through every inch of the limb. He was completely unprotected, with no arm to hold, or aim, a wand.
As soon as the thought of being defenseless crossed Harry's mind, a kind of force field formed around him. He saw Tonks aiming her wand at him.
"Get to the Knight Bus. Go to headquarters. Stay there!" Harry sprinted to the end of Knockturn Alley, protected by the shield. He ran out of Diagon Alley, past Tom, the bartender at the Leaky Cauldron, and on to the Muggle street.
For the second time that night, he hailed the Knight Bus, resting Molly Weasley against his body as he assisted his wounded arm in moving. Harry could hear a symphony of screams coming from his brain. Once the bus pulled up, Harry whispered instructions into Stan's ear.
"Take her to number eleven Grimmauld Place in London. Honk your horn until someone, not a muggle, gets her. Use the money I gave you earlier. I will give you more if you don't tell anyone I was here. Don't tell anybody about her either. This never happened. Hurry up!" Stan Shunpike only nodded his eye wide in terror.
"Are-" he began
"GO!" Harry urged, racing back to Knockturn Alley. He had no intentions of going back with her, no matter what Tonks said. He knew he was being dumb, but he had to make this right. After all, it was his fault.
As Harry entered the passage for the second time, adrenaline surged through his entire body. He felt no more pain. He was numb. He had only one thought in his head.
Get everyone out safely; nobody dies.
Harry saw Tonks fall to the ground, stunned. He rushed to where she had stood, muttering "Ennervate" under his breath as he passed her. As she began to stir, Harry took her place on a duel with Goyle, the father of Draco Malfoy's crony. He avoided a disarming spell, as he fired the Impedimenta Charm. It hit Goyle and he became immobile. Harry fired a stunning spell at the figure frozen in the action of casting a hex.
Harry spun around as Avery hit him, head on, with the Imperious Curse. Harry's mind went completely and blissfully blank. No pain, no worries, just vast nothingness.
Tell me where Dumbledore's headquarters are. Tell me.
I don't think I will thank you.
Tell me!
No!
Fine then, put your hands on your head, put your wand down, and don't move.
I said no.
Do it now you filthy little…thing. NOW!
NO!
Harry broke the enchantment. He wheeled around again, pointing his wand at Avery.
"STUPEFY!" He screamed. Harry didn't bother to watch and see if his spell hit Avery. He took the opportunity to look at the witches and wizards dueling around him. He saw Lupin, Tonks, Dung, Kinsley, Mr. Weasley, Bill, Hestia Jones, and many other faces that he was familiar with, but could not put to names. Dumbledore was there also. Harry saw lots and lots of revoltingly recognizable faces of Death Eaters. Most of them were wearing masks, but they were all identifiable.
Dumbledore quickly turned from his battle with Nott to look at Harry. He gracefully dodged a curse and, within second, Nott was unconscious on the ground. Harry was forced to stop watching Dumbledore as he was hit by a hex from Crabbe. Harry almost laughed as he realized it was only a jelly-legs hex. He knew the counter-hex by heart. Almost instantly, Harry had regained control of his legs. He fired spells at Crabbe, but he missed. He was exhausted and he couldn't aim well with his left hand.
Harry could tell that the Order was winning. Voldemort was not there at all, and Dumbledore was doing a good job of finishing off a lot of Death Eaters off. Though there were many pops and more Death Eaters arriving, there were far more of them lying on the ground than standing up.
Out of nowhere a deafening boom shook the earth beneath Harry's feet. Voldemort was standing before him. Harry fired a disarming spell, but it was no use. He could barely hear himself say "Expelliarmus!" over the commotion of the scene. Dumbledore appeared by his side, attempting to attract Voldemort's attention away from Harry. It was hopeless. Voldemort turned his hand away from Harry for only a second.
"Avada Kedavra!" He uttered
"NO!" Harry cried, pointing his wand at Dumbledore. "Accio!" he screamed, summoning the great wizard to his side. It had been a spur of the moment decision. Harry was glad the simple spell had worked.
Voldemort didn't say anything, but he shot a spell straight at Harry's chest. The last thing Harry saw before slipping into a vast abyss of black was Voldemort's hand reaching out to touch his scar.
A/N: Hee heee heeeeeeeeee! Clifffffyyyyyy! (And not the last) Hope you liked it. Thanks again to Kaity445 and Miss Racliffe! They make my world!