Chapter 55 Reaping the Whirlwind

Harry was keeping very busy with evacuations when he got a call on his mirror from Remus.

"Harry, can you be spared for a while over there?"

"If I'm needed that badly, Remus. I've mostly been removing prisoners, not too many injuries so far. How's it going over there?"

"Bad, Harry. The plan was for each squadron to attack a giant at a time in formation so that firepower could be sufficiently concentrated to knock them out. Then the acromantulas could kill the downed giants safely. That was hard enough but workable when we thought they would be fairly spread out. We knew it wouldn't be easy because the trees are all at least twice as tall as the giants, so we had to keep formation while weaving in and out of the branches. But they've been in close formation, hacking a path through the forest. It's very hard to concentrate spells all on the same giant when they are so close to each other, so we've only knocked out a few. We also have taken some casualties. We've been able to use the dragons to harass the giants with fire from behind without setting the woods on fire, and Maxime and Grawp have hindered their path, but they just keep coming."

"That's not like giants to fight so closely and in coordination."

"That's what we thought so we made some close passes to look in their eyes – they're under the Imperius Curse to make them cooperate this way."

"That means there's an enemy sorcerer somewhere near enough to control them."

"Yeah, and we looked. He's not in among them and we would have seen someone on a broom. At the rate they're going they'll break through the edge of the forest in no more than an hour. Harry, if they break through to the heath, they'll be able to attack the castle or circle behind Ernie's forces and pin them down."

"I have an idea," said Harry. "Pick me up. I'm right beneath you."

Sure enough, Harry apparated directly underneath Remus's broom. Remus set down and picked him up to show him the situation. They flew high over the forest. This would have been foolish over the other battle front, but height was an ally against the giants, who could not cast spells but only throw things. Harry was able to see what fast progress the giants had made. They also saw the progress of the Acromantulas behind the giants and could see they could not arrive in time to stop the giants before they made it to open terrain.

"Set me down in that glade, Remus, then tell Ron to get all of the squadrons and dragons out of here for fifteen minutes. They can evacuate the wounded on their way back to the castle, but they have to hurry. It's not going to be flying weather for awhile."

Once Harry was down, Remus set off to signal Ron. Harry pulled both of his wands and thrusting them in the air, began making large circles with them in opposite directions. He thrashed the air in ever more violent strokes, sending up two enormous black thunderheads, spinning in contrary directions. Then Harry himself began twirling round and round, continuing to whip the twin storms up larger and larger, and spinning and entwining around each other. The thunderheads began to rotate around each other, drawing closer and closer.

Soon after he had begun his full-body twirling, Harry noticed Remus returning. "I told everyone to clear out!" Harry shouted over the howling winds which had begun.

"We're too close to the giants! There has to be a wizard out here! I've got to watch your back!" yelled Remus against the storms.

"This is not delicate magic here, Remus, I can't watch out for you," shouted Harry.

"Don't! I know the risks. Keep going no matter what – you have to stop the giants' progress. I'll scout around."

Remus darted in and out of the branches surrounding the glade where Harry was working. The winds were getting fiercer and fiercer and soon Remus realized that Harry was creating a massive tornado. The winds were making it hard to steer the broom and he frequently bumped into branches and tree trunks. As he passed through one set of branches fairly high up, he felt something catch on his robes. At first all he thought was that he had snagged on something. He thought "So what, my robes have been in tatters before," but suddenly he felt his broom get much heavier and harder to handle. Just as suddenly he felt an arm reach around his waist and an icy cold hand clasping his throat.

"My master thought this silver hand would prove useful against you, werewolf!" shouted Peter Pettigrew in Remus's ear. "Go into the clearing!"

Remus entered the glade, still flying, and Harry faltered in his storm-making until Remus waved him on.

"Potter, he's so noble – he wants you to finish your magic. Do you want to watch another of your father's friends die as you stand by uselessly?"

Again Harry faltered and the storms began to lighten, though still fierce. Remus waved him on, but Peter clamped tighter onto Remus's neck. Remus was beginning to lose consciousness, when suddenly they heard a tremendous scream from above. In a blaze of white feathers and metal, all the more pronounced with the bright sunlight illumination and the backdrop of violent black stormclouds, Hedwig was diving upon Peter from his right, the side his magic hand was on. He released his grip around Remus's waist with the other hand and tried to reach around to ward off the enraged owl, but was unable to get it up in time.

Hedwig plunged her metal talons into Peter's eye sockets, blinding him and then began raking his face. He knocked her away and grabbed hold of Remus again. Harry renewed the vigor with which he conjured the storm. Hedwig soared and stooped in attack once more, again attacking toward the magical hand. Hearing the owl's screams as it dove, Peter released his grip on Remus's throat and tried to thrash out at Hedwig. She grabbed the silver hand in her titanium talon. She crushed the silver hand and wrenched it off of Pettigrew's arm, throwing him from the broom.

Pettigrew was in a panic after all this, which accounts for his next action. In all circumstances previously, his reaction to every situation requiring a fast surreptitious escape was to transform into a rat and skedaddle. Finding himself blinded, bleeding profusely from where his metal hand had been torn off and falling from some sixty feet up, he did just that. If he had thought things through, he would not have, for he did so in the presence of an extremely agile and vengeful magical owl. Hedwig wheeled around one more time and caught Wormtail the rat in the air in her natural talon, piercing him through the chest. Then she headed off toward the owlery tower, her prizes of war grasped proudly in her talons.

Remus was still gasping for breath as he set his broom down hard near Harry's feet and rolled to the edge of the glade to recover. Harry continued the twirling dance with ever-greater energy and soon what was perhaps the greatest tornado ever seen by humans in Scotland was touching down, following right up the path already cut by the giants, scattering them every which way and breaking any remaining effect of the Imperius Curse. Perhaps a hundred were killed or disabled immediately by crashing into trees and hillsides, and just as the tornado began to lift and dissipate, the broom squadrons returned to attack the now separated giants one at a time. As Ron's squadron passed over the glade, he exchanged thumbs-ups with Harry.

Harry ran over to Remus and helped him to sit up. They could still see Hedwig making celebratory circles around the owlery.

"As rotten as he turned out, I cannot but remember sadly what good friends we were so long ago, Harry."

"I'm sure, Remus. I'm sorry."

"Don't be – it had to happen," said Remus with a sigh. "That's some bird you've got there, Harry."

"Hagrid knows how to pick the best," said Harry, marveling. "She deserved that one, you know."

"How so?"

"I saw it in his mind just before she ripped his eyes – he was used as the bait to lure her when her leg was torn off. He recognized her in attack as she dove."

"Well, I guess there's only one thing I can say about that then."

"Yeah, Remus?"

Remus shouted, "BON APPETIT, HEDWIG!"

They laughed together.

"What'll you take for her?" asked Remus, grinning.

"What – you want to buy her from me?" said Harry bemusedly, "What do you think she's worth?"

"Aw, Harry," said Remus with a smile, "You know I don't have that kind of money."

"Gringotts doesn't have that kind of money. I'll share her with you, but I'd never sell her. But if I don't make it through all this, she's yours."

"Harry, don't talk like that!" scolded Remus sharply, which caused him to cough and choke.

"Enough chatter," said Harry, grabbing Remus's broom in one hand and his wrist with the other. "It's time to get you up to Madam Pomfrey."

And with a crack, they disapparated, leaving the giants who were still standing to the squadrons and those disabled to the acromantulas.