Chapter 30

Harry perched lightly on the school issue broom, subconsciously noting and categorizing all the differences it had from his precious firebolt (which he would much rather be riding under the circumstances). It stopped sluggishly and tended to pull to the left when he loosened his grip at high speeds, but Harry was a natural when it came to broom flight and he didn't have to exert energy thinking about adjusting his normal style to suite the new tool. He was hovering silently over Hagrid's hut, his sharp seeker eyes watching the dark distance carefully for any form of movement. His muscles, strong from long hours of quidditch and Auror training, were tense and he felt a headache forming at the base of his skull, which he ignored.

He had taken off with the two visiting ministers, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, to provide the first defence against the creatures, but it had been difficult to leave the schools roof, as it meant he would be further away from his best mate. Harry hadn't been able to help flinching in reaction to Ron's clumsy landing as the heavy coated red head had slid to a rough stop on Hogwarts wet roof and then jumped up as though nothing had happened, heading directly for Dumbledore. Harry was well aware of Ron's many moments of brilliant grace and agility, but it was also interspersed regularly with a clumsiness that was innately Ron, and that clumsiness tended to become exaggerated the more exhausted his friend would get. Despite the fact that he knew Ron was a chaneller and could simply absorb extra energy from his surroundings, he was also aware that there was a point where even that energy could no longer sustain him as he needed. While Snape had been frowning unimpressed at the lumbering appearance, the action had spoken to Harry of his friend's fatigue.

The potions master in question was currently off with Professor McGonagall, waiting near the edge of the lake while the two ministers had paired off and were spread on Harry's right. Harry, being the best flyer and strongest wizard of the group (despite the doubtful and concerned glances the ministers sent his way) was set to fight alone at the start of this battle, which suited him just fine. Alone he would be able to take off and help anyone without needing to worry about watching a specific person's back.

Over the last two years it had been discovered that he worked better alone then with a partner, despite all the other trainee aurors that the ministry had tried to match him with. The only person that he felt comfortable working with (even though he fully trusted the abilities of his colleagues) was Hermione; seeing as she was currently training in both the Mysteries Research department and for the Magical Investigations and Inquiry department she had no time to even contemplate work as an auror.

Despite being uncomfortable with continuously working with a partner Harry was able to work with others on short term bases. It was this reason, and the simple fact that he was Harry Potter (which many people continued to remind him of as they stared openly, asked for autographs, and talked loudly about how wonderful he was to try and get his attention) that he was allotted the special capacity to train as a lone auror. The fact that he had so vigorously thrown himself into training the first summer after Ron had left had also impressed his seniors, so they didn't complain too much about his insistence of not being partnered off. Of course, the reason Harry had almost run himself ragged training to become the best auror he could be, was so that he could be released into the field and search for Ron in an official capacity that much sooner.

It hadn't worked out that way though, as the ministry (who was blessedly unaware of Ron's power) had different ideas for Harry's assignments and he had been placed on many investigations that involved rounding up the last of the Death Eaters and investigating minor robberies around London's wizard residences. Harry had then used his time off to join Ron's family in their search, until they could no longer put their full effort into it as life had to go on. In two weeks time the twins had been planning on closing their shop (which was doing very well for such a young business) for five days to launch a search in Spain, as Hermione had let slip that a large number of hunters, hikers, and tourists had mentioned feeling sudden bouts of weakness in a forest near Seville. It looked like they could cancel the trip, now all Harry had to do was ensure that Ron and everyone else survived this battle.

He shuddered slightly in the cold air, his dress robes not meant to be outside for long bouts of time, but he had long ago grown accustomed to discomfort and was able to ignore the chill.

He started as the broom began to vibrate slightly under his palms for a moment before becoming still again, and he shifted the wand in his hand to a firmer grip. The dragons were coming. Harry felt anger swell in his chest as he gazed piercingly into the distance, trying to see their attackers. To think that someone would attack a school out of vengeance and that they would somehow take over dragons to do the despicable deed allowed his rage to boil within. He had only ever felt this aware for battle once before, and that had been the day Voldemort had died. He would not allow these creatures to harm his friends!

Gripping his broom he saw the first shadow approaching at a fair distance over the forest, and then several more appeared along with it. He waited, trying to calm his haggard, angry breathing. He couldn't just fly out there and attack. Dumbledore said that normal stun spells had almost no effect on these beasts. Harry had to wait, straining muscles that wanted to just fly out and begin the fight, so that they could spring a surprise defence. It was a mere thirty seconds before he could hear the heavy beating of the massive leathery wings propelling the giant bodies through the air, and only thirty more seconds before they were within attacking range. Silently Harry moved forward (knowing the others would be doing so as well) and threw a strong jellyleg hex at the nearest creature, satisfied as it screamed in sudden confusion and fell floundering into the forest as it wings stopped obeying its command. The creatures were much easier to define now as his eyes had adapted to the darkness and they were so close.

He couldn't tell how many there were, but it seemed like an awful lot as he swerved violently down and to the left to avoid being thrashed by a thick tail with a large bony knob at the end of it. He saw streaks of magical light flying through the air to his left as he pulled around and headed back into pounding confusion of wings, claws, tails, sudden bursts of fire and angered cries from the animals. He narrowly avoided missing a collision with an animal, throwing up shielding spells to protect himself and hurling hexes, trying to see which one would work effectively. They didn't seem to have much effect on the beasts, though the animals had momentarily stopped their advance and were whipping around trying to spot their swift attackers. The night began to light up in flashes as magical light and hot fire illuminated the sky.

Harry, breathing heavily, rolled to his left and pulled up directly in the sights of a large red and brown animal. It hissed in fury and heaved after him, forcing another dragon in its path to scramble out of the way and then turn to follow. Harry looked behind him and swore, wondering exactly what the hell he was planning on accomplishing with this action. They were fast, and he wasn't sure his broom could keep him ahead much longer. Then he saw the Dutch minister (at least he thought it was the Dutch minister, but at this speed and in this light it was hard to tell) trying to out fly a dark blue dragon with four wings and no tail. Harry whistled loudly through his teeth to get the man's attention, but in all the noise and rushing wind the sound was lost. The other wizard took off high into the sky, his tail following.

Harry turned and headed in his direction, feeling the heat at his feet as the dragon attempted to cook him. Fortunately they were flying at too fast a speed for the flames to reach their full distance; otherwise Harry would have become a kebob. He saw the Dutch man halt his rise and suddenly begin dropping towards the ground like a stone, hoping to confuse the four-winged creature, but it simply ceased its assent and dropped right behind him. Harry headed right at them, an idea forming in his head. He hoped the dragons chasing him would be too centered on their target to be fully aware of their surroundings. The minister threw Harry a fearful and startled glance as he went flying by and Harry flew straight overtop of him, narrowly missing him. A moment later he hard a sickening smack as the two racing dragons collided violently in mid air and dropped to the ground in a flurry of stunned and injured limbs. The second dragon that had been following the first barely avoided the crash and twisted forcefully around to watch the fall with interest, losing sight of his prey. Harry had never felt more like the snitch he chased in quidditch then he did at that moment. No wonder the thing tried so hard to get away from them.

The minister, pulling out of his drop nodded briskly to Harry as he went back over to help his partner, and Harry flew off towards another group of beasts that were darting about in furious agitation, searching for the cause of their distress. He barely missed colliding with a flying dragon that was the size of a large dog as it burst up out of nowhere, screeching in defiance. It hurtled itself at him and he whipped his wand around in haste.

"Buffursuro" he yelled, watching in satisfaction as the burgundy stream of light slammed into the startled creature and surrounded it, locking it in a suspended bubble shield only slightly larger then the dragon itself. Immediately he continued to head towards the cluster of beasts and watched in shock as a black and silver one threw its head back in mid flight and screeched horribly, the sound carrying over the entire din of battle, as it began to shrink right before his eyes. In seconds it was the same size as the other tiny dragon, baring its razor sharp teeth and dodging towards what Harry suddenly realized in panic was McGonagall. He needn't have worried though, as she calmly pointed her wand and transformed the creature into a flying baby rabbit. It flew off in haste only to suddenly be swallowed by another four winged dragon (at least he hoped it was another, because if they could recuperate that fast, they were in even more trouble).

Snape rose up on his broom beside her and shouted something that Harry couldn't hear, gesturing towards the school. His greasy hair, all windswept, was sticking out in odd chunks and his entire demeanour seemed to be thriving on the battle. Harry had never seen the potions master in a true fight before, and he was glad for it. Clutched in his pale hand Harry could see what looked like two potion vials, which Harry immediately realized must have been a shrinking potion. Then suddenly the two professors, unaware of his approach, whirled around and began heading towards the school. Harry looked over and saw flashes of light and fire in the distance. The dragons had apparently figured out the diversion tactic and had moved on to their target. He looked around him quickly to note that there were hardly any creatures left in the vicinity, with the exception of two who were trying to break the bubble shield Harry had cast only moments before.

He twisted and began heading back to the school when the dragon that had been chasing him earlier (not the one that had fallen in the crippling collision) saw him and set off in chase. He dove towards the trees, well aware that he couldn't fly into them at this speed but hoping that they would obscure his form. He was granted no such luck as the creature stuck right behind and spit a ball of fire in his direction. It brushed past his feet and disappeared from sight and Harry jerked to his left and then back to his right in a zigzag pattern that would hopefully throw the beast off. It was only a moment before he began to notice a warmth emanating from around his ankles and he risked a glance behind to see that his robes, despite their dampness from being outside, had caught fire. He let loose a string of profanity that would have made Sirius grin in amusement and he switched his direction towards the lake, thinking that if the creature didn't catch him at least he could fall into the water and quench the flames that were becoming more and more noticeable as the seconds passed. In moments he began to feel the fire burn the skin on his legs.

He swooped desperately down to a mere half meter above the lakes surface, trying to ignore the pain in his legs, as he wondered how he could splash the water on his self without slowing him down to be killed by the animal still tailing him. Deciding to do anything to stop the fire he rolled so his back was to the lakes surface, gripped his broom with his hands as hard as he could, and dropped his legs from their perch so they grazed the waters surface, causing the water to spray up around him as his heals pulled across the top. From that position he was allotted a very good view of the dragon as it was almost on top of him and pulled with all his strength to bring his legs back up and roll the broom to its right position. He felt a muscle in his abdomen tear from the strain and he grunted in pain, he looked behind to see the dragon about to close it's powerfully snapping (not to mention extremely large) jaws around his legs when a sudden burst of water exploded from beneath the two of them.

Harry was sent shooting off wildly to the left as he tried to avoid the new attack but he turned and looked over his shoulder just in time to see the roaring beast captured by large, strong tentacles. They wrapped around the thick body as if it were a mere toy and dragged it crashing and writhing desperately under the surface. With a loud gurgle and slurp the dragon disappeared from sight, leaving a sudden deafening silence and several depleting ripples on the waters surface. Harry stared stupidly at the spot a moment, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath and regain his suddenly precarious balance. Then, without a look back, he pulled his lagging broom up and headed for the castle as fast as it could carry him. The pain in his legs burned terribly, the pulled muscle in his stomach was easier to ignore, but both seemed to be mere scratches as his furiously pumping adrenalin helped make the pain a distant torment.

Approaching the castle he easily heard the loud cries of the dragons (there must have been at least fifteen there!) interspersed with muddled yells from the witches and wizards below. Harry shuddered as he approached the group, feeling a shiver of darkness encompass his being as he approached. He hadn't felt it so much earlier, being too focused on springing the trap at the right moment, but it was impossible to ignore now. He forced himself to pay no heed to the oppressing feeling, wondering for a moment why it felt so terribly familiar, and instead tried to stretch out with the weak sixth sense Ron had given him. His brow furrowed as he realized that he couldn't sense where any of the dragons were, even when concentrating on them directly. He could, however, sense the general presence of his fellows as they fought tooth and nail for their lives and the lives of the students buried deep within the school walls.

Knowing his broom was on its last legs, the tail too damaged by the fire to be of much more use, he cast a quick disillusion charm on his self to mask his presence. He flew past two dragons that were holding back, watching the attack with what he suddenly realized were dead and lifeless eyes. He shuddered as he turned his gaze from the soulless orbs, absolutely hating the familiar tingle of fear they sent through his entire body. Why were they so familiar! Just as he approached the roof of the castle, seeing several large beasts spitting fire in various directions over its surface, his broom gave out. With a stomach lurching jolt he thoughtlessly threw himself the few remaining feet to the bricks and just managed to wrap his fingers over the side.

His wand slipped from his grasp and fell to the roof's surface, out of sight and reach, and he hung suspended from his arms in sudden stillness. He saw the form of a person pass near by at a run and yelled out, only to have his words bleed together in an odd garble. He swore and it came out as a squeak as he realized that the disillusionment charm he'd cast on himself also hid him from his comrades. The pads of his fingers gripped desperately as the relatively smooth surface of the top of the wall began to slide beneath them. He tried to dig his floundering feet into a crack or brick line in the wall, but found nothing to help give him an extra boost. His knees smashed into it, the material of his pant legs catching slightly on the porous surface. After everything he'd been through he was going to die because he couldn't jump, this was bloody unfair. Just as his fingers slipped the final inch and he was suspended in mid air for that fraction of a second before falling, two hands flung themselves over the edge and grasped his wrists painfully; nails digging harshly into his flesh as they tightened like iron around him, halting his fall.

Harry remembered how to breathe a moment later and suddenly two more hands reached out to join the others wrapped around his arm, and then two faces appeared over the edge, grinning despite the graveness of the situation around them.

"Well what do we have here?" exclaimed a breathy voice.

"I'd call 'im a clinger." Another voice, equally haggard, answered.

"When are you going to learn Harry-"

"that stairs are a tried, tested and guaranteed method of assent?" Harry couldn't quite think of anything to say as the twins, holding an arm each, hoisted him up and over the edge of the wall as though he were a light weight, where they all collapsed in a pile on the ground. Fred (or was it George?) was instantly on his knees and looking around on the ground a moment before picking up and pressing Harry's wand back into his hand. He grinned, his face stressed and his hair was matted to his forehead with sweat. His twin looked the same, only he had a trickle of blood emanating from a cut above his eyebrow. Both of their eyes lacked their usual mirth despite the carefree words they had spoken only seconds before. There was no one else in their immediate vicinity, and judging by their heavy breaths Harry determined that they must have sprinted with all their worth to get to him in time.

"Thanks." He muttered, pulling himself to his feet. He turned from them and glanced around them to gauge the situation. He wondered briefly how they had come to be here, now, during this battle when they should have been at their flat in London or visiting the Burrow. The answer, however, was unimportant as he saw Snape fly by like a bat and, using his wand, flung his last vile of shrinking potion at a large dragon that had landed on the roof and was stalking towards a dishevelled and very focused Hermione. He quickly assessed that some dragons were clustered in groups while others spread out on their own and searched out their prey. There was steam rising from several patches on the roof, now snowless, and there were several large portions of brick lying about from crumbled chimneys or broken sections of the wall. He breathed out a sigh of relief as the dragon attacking Hermione shrank and she shot it with a perfectly aimed petrificus totalus. The third time she hit the little creature it finally froze and fell heavily to the roof, skidding to only a foot away from her. He watched as she turned and ran off to help two red heads that looked like Percy and Bill, but he wasn't sure from this distance.

"Harry! Have you seen Ron?" One of them asked, still breathing hard and still gripping his wrist as the other looked around for danger. Harry coughed and looked around. He could feel him, he could feel Ron's presence somewhere off to the other side of the roof top, but he couldn't pin point it.

"I don't know where he is exactly, but he's not far." Both twins were now scanning the roof and then they swore in unison as they spotted their brothers being cornered by a yellow-brown dragon with an incredibly long body and only two front arms.

"Can't leave them alone fer a bloody second!" And they were racing across the roof towards their siblings at a speed Harry had never before seen them travel at. He jerked in their direction to help but he felt a sudden irresistible pull to head in the opposite direction. He didn't question this urge, he just followed it, running across the large expanse, forcing himself to keep running as he leapt over the still form of a wizard (he couldn't see who) and continued in a straight line to his target. He froze as a medium sized dragon suddenly crashed in front of him, its eyes staring blankly even as it took a menacing step forward and raised its tail to lash at him. He pointed his wand and was about to hex it when, out of nowhere, four stone gargoyles burst forth, running on all fours, and threw themselves silently at the creature. It reared back and took flight to the air as they attacked, one of them clamping its massive stone jaw around the creature's ankle and was dragged away as it fled to the sky screeching. The gargoyles didn't spare a glance at him as they twisted and ran off in another direction, intent on finding someone else to protect.

He started forward again, urgently, feeling the presence of his friends grow stronger and stronger, as well as that of a few others though he couldn't decipher who, until he rounded a tall wall jutting up from the center of the roof and skidded to a halt. The overwhelming feeling of oppression hit him as though he had run into the wall instead of around it. He looked up and saw Ron, crouched with one knee to the ground and glaring up fiercely at a wizard dressed in brown robes and pointing a wand at him, its tip glowing a shifting shade of green and yellow.

McGonagall and Dumbledore were standing slightly to the side, both their wands pulled but lowered limply by their sides. They were watching the proceedings with a detached air and Harry realized with horror that they weren't under their own control. From the side profile Ron looked absolutely furious, his glare was icy enough to kill the flame of every dragon around them, and his hair looked as though it was glowing. It was then that Harry was able to tear his focus away from his enraged best friend who was held at wand point on his knees, and look around them. They were completely surrounded by dragons, and these dragons looked on the verge of disobeying their Lord's commands and tearing into Ron.

TBC

Sorry, but I am not going to be able to write a lot of response to your fabulous reviews this time around. I'll do better next time, I promise!

Harry Lvr, Harry couldn't find Ron with their link because while he feels bereft without it being complete, he has to be within a certain distance from Ron to sense his presence. Wicked review! What a lot of fun reading!

Scribhneoir, you win for being the fastest reviewer alive. I think you finished chapter 27 literally five minutes after I posted it. That in itself is extremely flattering.

Everybody, thank you for the encouraging, constructive and enthusiastic reviews! You're all wonderful!

Next Update: September 21, 2005

(this means the last chapter will be posted on the twenty-third, because you deserve to get to the bottom of this story as fast as possible :)