I'm really sorry I didn't get this up in a week like I said I would, but this battle scene just…wouldn't come out right. So I finally went forward and wrote the peaceful last chapter before coming back here and attempting to piece everything together. Oy vey.

I was surprised, however, that only one person got that I fit all four of the Hogwarts House Mascots were put into the one creature. No, it doesn't have a name. It's just a twisted creation of Voldemort's and my own design. I didn't even get the original idea. That was the Digimon Emperor's doing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. So sue me. No wait…don't.

Chapter 39: Under Siege

The dark night was just starting to fade to a light gray as the orange-red sun rose over the edge of the horizon. It must have been about four or five in the morning, but no one who was awake at this hour cared about sleep. Especially not the odd caravan following behind a huge behemoth that seamed to sewn together from several creatures whose only similarity was that they all appeared on one particular school crest.

The Digimon's glares and expressions were locked sternly on their target as they ran, flew, slid and drove over the rocky ground. The humans with them were equally focused, save the one who was only barely clinging to consciousness.

Kumamon launched the first attack. "Blizzard Blaster!" He shouted, firing snowball after snowball at the creature.

The monster roared when it was hit, turning around suddenly. It fired twin beams of golden light from its digging-claws, which Kumamon and MetalKabutarimon both just barely avoided. It left two deep craters in the ground.

"Man!" MetalKabutarimon exclaimed, increasing his speed. "This really bites!"

"If that thing gets to the school, we won't be able to stop it!" Zyphermon called, increasing her pace as well to get ahead of the behemoth. Kumamon did the same as they burst out from the trees, onto the green fields of the main grounds.

KendoGururumon and BurningGreymon both stopped, setting the humans down on the ground. "You guys gotta stay back." the fire-warrior growled. "This is gonna get rough."

KendoGururumon nodded slightly, but his blue eyes were on Kouichi as Harry and Ron helped him down from BurningGreymon's hold. He glanced seriously at the three British wizards. "…Take care of him."

Harry locked eyes with him a moment, then nodded. "Leave it to us."

The Warrior of Light growled softly in what Harry could only assume was thanks. Then he lowered his wheels and shot out from the trees, BurningGreymon right on his heels.

"Can they do this?" Hermione whispered softly, casting a small cooling charm on the transfer's fevered brow.

"Of course they can." Harry muttered, watching as the demon-creature attacked, this time with blue blazes fired off his raven-wings. "They have to."

A blaze of spell-light suddenly shot from the direction of the school, slamming into the side of the monstrous Digimon. Hermione snapped her head up with a slightly horrified gasp. "Oh god…It's the teachers!"

Harry's head snapped up as well. There were several tall, dark shapes running up from the castle, each bearing a wand and aimed for the fighting monsters above them. "They can't stand up to that thing!" Hermione exclaimed. "Those Digimon are immune to magic!"

Harry frowned, remembering the ape-like creature that had appeared in Hogsmeade. "She's right." he called to Ron, pulling Kouichi's arm over his shoulders. "Come on, we've gotta stop them!"

"Who? The Digimon?"

"The teachers!" Harry snapped, as the red head hurried over to help with the all-but-unconscious Japanese boy.

Hermione had already ran a short ways ahead, up the hill to the line of shadowed shapes, waving her arms wildly. "Professor McGonagall! Professor Dumbledore! Please, stop!"

One of the shapes…Professor McGonagall…jerked suddenly and spun to face the approaching girl. "Miss Granger!" She exclaimed shrilly. "What in the name of Merlin are you three doing out here?"

"It's a…long story…" Hermione said rather weakly.

"As always?" Dumbledore asked quietly, with a low undertone of knowing amusement.

"Unfortunately." Harry muttered, as he and Ron trudged up the hill with Kouichi in tow.

Professor McGonagall gasped again. "Kimura! What on earth…?"

Dumbledore raised a hand to cut her off, whipping out his wand, not to attack the monstrosity, but to wordlessly conjure up a stretcher to take the Japanese boy off Harry and Ron's hands. Kouichi was still just barely clinging to consciousness, looking up at the fuzzy white shape leaning over him. "Pro…fessor?"

"Don't you worry, boy." Dumbledore whispered softly, putting his wand gently next to the boy's temple. "You're back where you belong."

A small puff of smoky white air wafted out of the wand tip, over Kouichi's eyes. A moment later he was out cold, comfortably asleep to recover his energy.

"Now." Dumbledore said seriously, turning to Harry and the others as an explosion echoed dangerously close. "Those creatures are getting closer. It would be wise for us to retreat and regroup."

He waved his wand, moving the stretcher over to Professor Flitwick and Madam Pomfrey, both of whom were retreating back up towards the school building. Professor Sprout and Madam Hooch were 'covering' them, as well as the other teachers who were quickly retreating back to the safety of the castle walls as the Headmaster had ordered. Professors McGonagall and Snape, however, came right up to Dumbledore's side, staring at the odd group of creatures still fighting, their motions framed by the knarled trees of the Forbidden Forest behind them.

"What are they?" Snape hissed softly, his thin eyebrows knotting together in furious thought.

Dumbledore turned his blue eyes to Harry, kindly. The dark-haired boy shifted slightly, gazing towards the fray, his muscles tense and ready for action. "They're…they're called…Digi…"

"WATCH OUT!"

Heads snapped one by one as the creature reared back, screeching loudly in a voice that was neither bird nor truly animal like. Its blood red eyes turned suddenly to the humans moving up the hillside. With another unholy shriek it opened is mouth, gathering another blaze of crimson red fire.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, eyes widening.

"If it fires now, it'll hit the school!" Hermione shrieked.

Harry snatched out his wand, despite his mind's protests that it was useless. His emerald green eyes blazed fiercely in anger, racing through the spells even as the fireball was released…

"Potter, get down!"

Zyphermon suddenly swooped past, snatching up both him and Hermione in one fell swoop, as Kumamon, riding on a stream of ice, knocked Ron, Snape and McGonagall backwards rather unceremoniously. "Kumamon, Slide Evolution!" The white bear exclaimed, rolling up into the cocoon of blue data. "Korikakumon!"

The cocoon burst outward in a flare of sparks, as a huge, white, beast-like creature reared up where the bear had been, about two feet from Ron and the teachers. He uncurled just in time to block the fire-attack. There was a ring of scorched grass left just behind him, and his fur was a bit blackened. But other than that, everyone seamed okay.

"Woah…" Harry whispered, looking down at the huge white creature. "Is that… Tomoki?"

A low growl rumbled out of Korikakumon's throat, glancing back at Ron as Professor Snape hoisted him roughly up by one arm. "You okay, Weasley?"

Ron stuttered out an affirmative as Zyphermon landed, setting Hermione and Harry down on their feet. "Don't worry, Professors." She said softly, looking at Snape and at McGonagall. There was a strange kind of determination in her raptor-like blue eyes. "We won't let him get anywhere near the school!"

With one powerful flap of her great gray wings, she took to the sky, Korikakumon thudding after her with remarkable agility. Ice-laced axes and hurricane-strength winds joined fireballs, thunderbolts and beams of white-hot light, each striking the abomination in its turn, leaving nary a mark but slowly chipping away at it.

McGonagall stared after Zyphermon with a small spark of recognition. "Orimoto…"

Snap spun on his heels, his fierce glare now focused on Harry. "What are these creatures, Potter?" He snapped ferociously. "Speak!"

Harry hissed softly under his breath. Takuya and the others had trusted him, had trusted them. They'd all spoken so fondly of the Digital World and the Digimon, the place they called a second home. And now here they were, fighting with all the strength these Digimon had given them. How much could tell Snape, tell Dumbledore, and not betray that trust?

A lithe, gloved hand suddenly descended to pat his shoulder warmly. Harry looked up to find Dumbledore standing above him, his blue-eyed gaze locked on Snape. "This, Severus, is not the time." He whispered, soft yet still stern. "For now, we must focus on keeping the students inside the school until this danger has past."

His hand was suddenly gone as he gave orders to the teachers. Harry only vaguely heard his instructions, like mumbled words through the static of a radio. Keep the students confined to their dormitories and common rooms…Barricade all outside doors until further notice…

But Harry wasn't concentrating on that. His mind was whirling, watching the Digimon fight. The attacks seamed to connect, but…no, his sharp Seeker's eyes could see the truth. The monster Voldemort had created was dodging the attacks, its snakelike body moving deftly out of the way at the very last instant, firing attacks from its mouth, its fangs, its claws, its wings…For it to work, it had to hold still

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, and he found that he'd begun to move forward, his pace getting rapidly faster and faster until he was running into the heart of the battle. His wand was gripped tightly in his hand, and a familiar kind of fire rushed through his veins as he slid to a stop just under the creature's belly.

"Potter?" MetalKabutarimon exclaimed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" KendoGururumon snapped, but Harry didn't listen for a moment as he whipped his wand to aim at the creature's soft underbelly.

"Incarcerous!" He yelled, and sudden, thick ropes shot from his wand, wrapping around the creature's wide torso. He grabbed the end at the last minute, pulling with all his might, though the strength of the creature nearly threw him off his feet.

"What in all the hells?" BurningGreymon roared suddenly, eyes widening.

Harry planted his feet as best he could, being dragged forward. He felt himself being lifted off his feet, tossed into the air…

And suddenly caught by a pair of hands much larger than his own.

He opened his eyes, blinking to find himself being supported just barely off the ground by large blue-gloved hands. He looked up to find himself being gripped firmly around the waist by MetalKabutarimon.

The bug-type Digimon looked down, a cocky grin showing in his eyes. "I think you got something there, pal." He nodded simply, revving up the 'wheels' that he used to move. "But I think we need a little more pull. Wrap that thing around my arm."

It took a moment for Harry to realize what he meant, then he quickly wrapped the rope three times around the Digimon's arm, tying it tight. "Good. Get a couple more."

"Gotcha." Harry muttered, and aimed his wand again. "Incarcerous!"

Ropes shot out again. From behind them, two voices also called out at once. "Incarcerous!"

Harry spun around as two more ropes wrapped tight around the monster's body. Hermione and Ron raced forward, tossing their ropes to Harry and taking aim for two more. A dozen ropes tied and MetalKabutarimon's arm was filled up.

"All right, hang on." The beetle-type Digimon growled.

His wheels went almost instantly into reverse, revving a moment before shoot backwards. Harry's wind was knocked out of him from the force, and he had barely caught it again when the ropes jerked to a sudden stop.

"This is gonna get rough…" MetalKabutarimon growled low in his throat. The wheels began to smoke against the rocky ground.

The monster screamed loudly as its torso was pulled down within five feet of the ground. MetalKabutarimon's wheels screamed in protest, the smoke rising higher, thicker, faster. Harry was having a hard time seeing past the thick gray smog…

SNAP!

Oh no…

SNAP! SNAP!

Harry's eyes widened in horror as three ropes gave way almost simultaneously. The others were only now getting on their last legs, pulled thin and much too taunt to hold anything for long. MetalKabutarimon groaned, the pressure getting to be too much even for his tough body.

Then, quite suddenly, something else appeared. A net, drawn with ropes of bright red, suddenly flying over the creature's body. Harry, still holding desperately on to his place, spun around to find the enchanted net being conducted by Dumbledore as though leading a band. The net hovered above the creature a moment, then descended, wrapping itself around the creature. Its wings were pinned to its sides, as were its claw-like arms. With another swipe of the Headmaster's wand it fell as though weighted, letting out an unearthly shriek as it hit the ground.

"All right!" BurningGreymon roared loudly, beating his chest in an almost animalistic manner. He bared his claws and gnashed his teeth, a familiar fire in his eyes.

"We're gettin' him this time!" Korikakumon grunted, planting his feet and taking careful aim. "Avalanche Axes!"

Zyphermon's wings spread wide as she lifted up above them. "Hurricane Gale!"

"Lightening Blitz!" MetalKabutarimon's twin balls of lightening shot forth, almost completely forgetting about Harry as he clung for his life.

"Lupine Laser!" KendoGururumon growled, firing the bolts from strong wolf-jaws.

BurningGreymon growled softly, focusing his energy. He stomped small craters into the ground, spreading his arms and wings wide with a blast of fire. "Wildfire Tsunami!"

The attacks seamed to combine in mid-air, striking the monstrosity all at once. Harry was flung free, tumbling head-over-heels before landing hard. A huge cloud of smoke rose into the air, covering the world around and over them with white. A huge roar rang through the dim light of sunrise.

Harry coughed roughly, forcing air back into his lungs. He sat up, blinking around blurrily for their opponent, but his vision swam before him, and even if it wasn't, the air he breathed was so thick with dust and smoke that it was impossible to see more than vague shadows.

One of those shadows was moving towards him. Most were on the ground, pretty much unmoving, but there was one moving towards him. Harry blinked at it, wondering vaguely what it could be.

Takuya Kanbara came stumbling out of the fog, blinking at Harry as though confused. Then he smiled a wide, tired smile. "Guess we showed 'em, huh?"

With that, he fell over, and darkness claimed Harry's senses again.

TBC…