Disclaimer: If your recognize it from any of the books, it belongs to JKR and her publishers, not me.
Authors Note: This chapter is dedicated to FairyQilan for reviewing the chapter five. I would also like to thank Curse of Immortality for adding this story to their C2 Story Favs; mufty, Tessa Kitsune, and Wildebeast for adding this story to their favorites list; and Argentum, Drakkensul, FaryQilan, and Kinvor for adding this story to their alert list. Thank you all. Anything you do that shows me that you are interested in my story encourages me.
Chapter 6: Flashes of Gold
It was evening. The sun was just setting in the magnificent rolling hills that Dumbledore's house over looked. It was a beautiful sight to behold, and one young man was too busy to watch it. His mind was somewhere else, his thoughts were too many. At the moment, he was alone but that was about to change. The door to the backyard opened and snapped the young man from his thoughts.
An older man walked out to join him, his hair was silver with a few brown streaks in between, his face was tired as if he had been awake for a week, but his eyes seemed to hold some happiness in them.
"Hello Harry," Remus Lupin said to the dark haired youth.
Harry stood up quickly from where he had sat. "Remus?" He asked his old professor, "What are you doing here?"
"Nice you see you too, Harry," Remus replied, offering his hand to the boy. Harry shook the older mans hand but still seemed shocked.
"Sorry," Harry apologized, letting go of Remus' hand, "It's just been a while."
"Yes, it has been." Remus agreed, taking a seat.
"So," Harry began, also taking a seat, "What are you doing here?"
Remus chuckled, "Molly and Arthur invited me over for dinner."
"Ah, I see," Harry said, a brief silence, then, "What have you been up to?" In truth, Harry already knew that Remus was doing Order business, but he wasn't exactly sure what. Hermione had guessed that he was trying to convince the werewolves not to join Voldemort like Hagrid had done with the giants, but he still wasn't sure.
"Order business," Remus said with a smirk, "Of course, that's none of your business."
"Of course," Harry agreed with a small smile.
A beat of silence.
"Dumbledore told me what you tried to do." Remus said casually.
"Did he now?" Harry asked just as casually.
"Yep," Remus nodded, "said he was very disappointed in you and the others."
"Mmmm," Harry hummed.
"You know," Remus continued, "I'm sure your father would have been disappointed in you too." Harry looked towards the older man with a questioning look. Remus leaned close to Harry and whispered with a grin, "Because you got caught."
Harry grinned wide, "Yeah, I guess I didn't do too well, did I?" He said, even though he knew that he had actually succeeded in his 'mission' the other night.
The two once again shared a friendly silence for a few moments. Then Remus spoke again, "Your birthday is coming up, isn't it?"
Harry nodded, "Yeah."
"Well, what are you planning on doing," Remus asked.
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Usually I don't do anything for my birthday."
"Usually you have to spend you birthday with those horrible relatives or yours," Remus pointed out, the look on his face showed exactly what he thought of Harry's relatives, "Now that you're with friends you should have a real party."
"A party?" Harry questioned, "Sure, It doesn't really-"
"Nonsense," Remus said, waving off Harry's comment, "A party is just the thing you need. I'll talk about it with Molly."
"Whatever," Harry shrugged.
Another lapse of silence.
"Oh right," Remus said, suddenly as if just remembering something. "How's your training been going?"
"It's been tough," Harry said truthfully, "But it's been helpful too. Today was easier that others because Hermione has to get used to Kingsley and Mad-Eye's regiment. Apparently she had it easy with Tonks."
Suddenly, Remus was smirking. "Speaking of Tonks," He said offhandedly, "I heard the two of you had quite a moment this morning."
Harry's face was flushed red in an instant, "Aww, who told you about that?" He groaned, hiding his face in his hands.
"Who didn't tell me about that?" Remus laughed, "It was practically the first thing I heard when I walked in the house."
"Ugh," Harry groaned again, "It was a total accident."
"That's not what I heard," Remus said teasingly.
"And what exactly did you hear?" Harry asked lifting his red face out of his hands.
"Tell me your side of the story first," Remus said.
"Do I have to?" Harry groaned.
"If you want the jokes to spot."
"What jokes?" Harry asked in confusion.
"Just tell the story!" Remus ordered.
"All right," Harry said before beginning, "There I was, practice dueling with Tonks…"
---HPatBoH---
Harry rolled right to dodge the stunner Tonks had reflected at him. He stood back up quickly and faced her with wand held out. They stood with only about five feet between the tips of their wands; very close quarters for a wizards duel. It had been quite a duel so far. Despite her clumsiness in everyday activities Tonks could duel quite well, although she had mainly resorted to defending against Harry and not attacking him.
Tonks stared at him with her purple eyes glinting in excitement; her violently red hair blew slightly in the wind. Harry's grip on his wand tightened and as quick as he could he fired two spells.
"Stupefy!" "Expelliarmus!"
Even at such close quarters Tonks was able to cast a Repelling Charm and reflect both back at Harry. He cursed under his breath and-thinking quickly- tossed himself forward into a roll. Both spell zoomed over his back and barley missed him. He hit the ground and rolled forward, an excellent dodge. Unfortunately, he didn't calculate the fact that he and Tonks were so close together, and as a result when he sprung up form his roll, he and Tonks were practically nose-to-nose.
Surprised by their proximity, Harry stumbled forward and-with a bit of momentum left from his roll- collapsed into Tonks, sending both of them to the ground knocking heads along the way. The next thing Harry knew he was on the ground and Tonks was underneath him.
This was embarrassing enough, but it was going to get worse.
Harry was a bit dazed from his bump to the head and he had lost both his glasses and his wand. He slowly pushed himself up; his left hand was on the hard ground, but his right hand landed on something softer and rounder, but still firm.
"My, My, Harry," Tonks spoke from underneath him. "You're being quite bold."
There was snickering in the background.
Harry looked at Tonks with a questioning look. He had to squint to see her clearly. She had a wide, toothy smile on her face and her eyes sparkled in amusement. And if he wasn't mistaken, there was a very faint blush on her cheeks. Suddenly, her eyes darted downward. Harry followed her line of sight and say that she was looking at Harry's hand, his hand that was covering her breast.
Harry suddenly threw himself off of her and immediately began stumbling through an apology with a mad blush.
Then the laughing started. Everyone laughed at him, even Kingsley and Moody. And Harry's blush deepened.
"What's the matter, Harry?" Tonks asked around a mouthful of laughter, "Never dueled with a woman before?"
And the laughing continued.
---HPatBoH---
"… And that's what happened." Harry finished.
Remus seemed to be trying very hard to contain his laughter. His face was red with the effort.
"Well," He managed to say, "That's a much different version than I heard."
"And what is it that you heard?" Harry asked.
Remus looked to be in thought, "I can't remember exactly, but there was something about lustful gazes and I believe Tonks used the word 'glomp'."
"UGGGHH," Harry groaned.
Remus slapped a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry. I'm sure everyone will have forgotten in a few days."
"I hope so," He muttered. He looked up when the door opened and was met with the sight of Tonk's heart shaped face.
"Dinner time, loverboy," she cooed, causing Harry to blush and Remus to laugh. She then walked back into the house. Harry stood up and was about to follow her but stopped when he saw Remus wasn't coming.
"You coming?" Harry asked him.
"Yeah, Give me a minute." Harry shrugged and left without asking questions.
Remus watched the young boy leave and couldn't help but smile. He had been worried about talking to Harry, worried that it would be awkward or overly emotional. He knew Harry had some issues to talk out and as his parent's oldest friend Remus knew it was his job to help Harry through his problems.
But, Remus had never made a good father figure.
He had planned on talking to Harry about Sirius after breaking the ice with some normal conversation, but Harry was happy at the moment and he didn't need to talk about Sirius. Sure, it would have to happen eventually, that was a given. And, Remus was planning to be there when Harry wanted to open up about Sirius. But, for now it would be best to let Harry solve his emotional problems the way he wanted, alone.
With a small smile the old werewolf got up and entered the house. On his way to the dining room he could hear Tonks telling everyone her own version of the story that Harry had told earlier. She seemed to be telling it very loudly.
---HPatBoH---
The days went on and the weeks passed and the young heroes continued their training. Their bodies were being changed and their skills were improving. But still, the weeks passed with out great excitement. OWL results came in and everyone was mostly satisfied with their results.
Harry received an A in Astronomy, an E in Care of Magical Creatures, an O in Charms, an O in Defense Against the Dark Arts, a P in Divination, an E in Herbology, a D in History of Magic, an A in Potions, and an E in Transfiguration.
Ron got an A in Astronomy, an A in Care of Magical Creatures, an E in Charms, an O in Defense Against the Dark Arts, a D in Divination, an A in Herbology, a T in History of Magic, an P in Potions, and an A in Transfiguration.
Hermione, not surprisingly, got an O in Ancient Runes, an O in Arithmancy, an E in Astronomy, an O in Care of Magical Creatures, an O in Charms, an O in Defense Against the Dark Arts, an O in Herbology, an O in History of Magic, an O in Potions, and an O in Transfiguration.
Harry was mostly happy with his scores, although he was disappointed that he didn't make an O in potions since that meant he wouldn't be able to take NEWT level, which was required to become an Auror. Ron was very happy with his scores and couldn't believe he actually go an O in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hermione somehow managed to be upset that she had gotten 'only' an E in Astronomy. Harry and Ron tried to tell her it was because she was distracted by seeing her head of house attacked, but she wouldn't listen to reason. The two boys figured she would have been disappointed with all O's anyways.
But, the night we return to our heroes has nothing to do with OWL results. This night was a special occasion; this night was Harry Potter's birthday.
Everyone was in the dining room. Harry sat at the end of the table surrounded by friends, acquaintances, and random Order members who had just wanted to celebrate the Boy-Who-Lived's birthdays. The table was loaded down with delicious food that had been cooked by Mrs. Weasley with a helping-although unwanted-hand from Tonks.
At the moment, it was time for Harry to open his presents and he was having a hard time deciding which one to open first. Eventually his first choice became obvious as two certain redheads, who had been let into the house for a special occasion, shoved a badly wrapped package into his hands.
With an easy smile, Harry tore through the wrapping paper to reveal a leather jacket similar to the ones the twins were wearing.
"Um…wow," Was all Harry could say. In all truthfulness, wasn't that bad. It was a dark green color; just a few shades darker than his eyes. The material was smooth and wasn't heavy. It was definitely better looking than the vibrant, multi-colored ones the twins wore.
"Whoa," Ron exclaimed, snatching the jacket from Harry's hands, "How come you two never get me anything this nice for my birthday?" He asked his two older brothers.
Fred blew him off with a wave of his hand, "Ron when do we ever buy you anything for your birthday?" Ron didn't answer, he just grumbled and passed the jacket over to Ginny who had been requesting to look at it.
George slung his arm around Harry's shoulder. "You like your present, right?"
"Definitely," Harry answered truthfully, "It's really cool and…well, not what I would expect from you two."
"Oh don't worry," Fred joined the conversation. He leaned in close to Harry and whispered, "We managed to sneak a special present into your trunk." he gave Harry a mischievous grin.
"Special?" Harry asked suspiciously, "How special? Because if it explodes my trunk…"
"Harry!" George said in shock, "We would never do that…"
Harry gave him a skeptical look.
"To you." Fred added, "We would never do that to you."
Harry smiled a little.
"Wow George," Hermione spoke aloud from her place at the table, "This looks like authentic dragon hide. It must've been expensive."
George shrugged as if it didn't matter, "It was a little expensive but we didn't mind since it was for our little Harry."
Harry once again turned towards the twins. "Expensive?" He asked in a whisper, "You guys didn't spend too much, did you?"
"Don't worry about it Harry," Fred whispered in answer, "It wasn't even half of what you gave us."
Harry tried to speak again, but someone spoke over him.
"Fred?" Remus began as he, too, examined the jacket, "Is this spell repellant?"
Fred shrugged, "It is made from dragon hide, so it should be."
"Hey," Shouted a purple haired Tonks, "Get on with the present opening."
"Oh," Harry said. He glanced at all the presents and tried once again to decide which one to pick. There was a collective groan from the people surrounding Harry.
"Here," Kingsley said, tossing a small something into Harry's lap. It was a small piece of leatherwork. It had a place into which you could slide a thin, cylindrical object. There were many types of straps connected to it. "A wand holster," Kingsley explained, he looked at the rest of his students, "I got one for all four of you, but decided to give Harry his tonight."
"Neat," Harry said as he examined the holster. He took his wand out of his belt loop and put it inside the holster. After that he stared at it, not sure what to do.
"Here, I'll show you," Kingsley said as he took the holster from Harry's hand and expertly fastened it around his left forearm. It was smooth and unobtrusive to his skin.
"Thanks," Harry said, admiring it. Kingsley just nodded.
"Here, lad," Moody said, tossing him a silver object, "Might as well take my present too."
Harry looked at the object, surprised. He hadn't expected to get anything from Moody. In fact, he hadn't even noticed the old auror was there. Harry examined the present. It was a silver flask with his name engraved on it.
"Uh, Thanks Mad-Eye," Harry said uneasily.
"No problem, kid," He grunted in response, "I see the way you kids are always drinkin' who knows what, not even thinking of checking it for poison. Like I always say: CON-"
"OK Moody," Tonks cut him off with a roll of her eyes, "We all know what you say."
"Then how come none of you kids listen to a thing I say?" He asked harshly.
Tonks smirked, "Because we don't think the grass is going to kill us."
Moody glared at her and went back to his business of muttering under his breath about assassins hidden among the leaves.
"Here, Harry Dear," Mrs. Weasley said kindly as she handed him a present, "This is from all of us. Bill, Charlie and Arthur wanted to be here, but they are busy with work."
"I understand," Harry said with a nod. He took the beautifully wrapped present and opened it. Many few objects were inside. First of all a box filled with various types of chocolates. Second, there was a necklace that had a dragon fang attached to it that Harry logically assumed was from Charlie. Mrs. Weasley gave that present a look. A book on ancient magical Egypt, most likely from Bill. And finally, a Weasley Jumper with an 'H' on it.
"I noticed you were out growing you old one," Mrs. Weasley explained when he examined the jumper in his hands.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley." Harry said.
"You are very welcome," She replied warmly, giving Harry a motherly hug. Harry put that gift aside and almost immediately had someone throw another one at him.
"I'll save you the trouble of trying to chose another one." Ron said with a grin. Harry also grinned and ripped through the badly done wrapping paper. His present was reveled to be a pair of Quidditch gloves.
"Thanks mate," Harry said, "My old ones were getting a bit small."
"Yeah, I figured so," Ron replied, "Those are some top of the line Quidditch gloves. Catching the snitch is going to be easier than ever with those on."
Harry let out a low whistle, "Wicked," He said. Ron gave him a strange look that nobody noticed. Harry set his gloves aside and had another present pushed toward him, this time from Remus.
"Here you go," the old werewolf said, "It might be a bit strange, but I hope you like it." Harry took the box and opened it. He was surprised by what he found. Inside was a very beautiful dagger. All together it had to measure around a foot in length, the blade itself made up about eight inches. The blade was a standard double-edged affair, but the hilt was what made it beautiful. It was masterfully engrave with four images. At the top was the image of a wolf, which was facing toward the base of the blade and barring its teeth. The next image was a dog that starred forward with a serene look on its face. The third image was of a full-bodied stag that wrapped all the way around the hilt. The fourth and final image was of a simple lily flower.
"Wow…" Was all Harry could say. The room had gone quiet. Mrs. Weasley was giving the dagger a disapproving look, but neither Harry nor Remus cared.
"I had it hand crafted," Remus explained, "Well, it was actually supposed to be a gift from both Sirius and Me, but…you know…"
Harry just nodded.
"You like it, right?" Remus asked hesitantly.
Harry nodded, "It's amazing. These engravings…"
"Yeah, I figured you'd like that." Remus reached into the box of the dagger and pulled out a few things. "It's got two sheaths," he began explaining, showing both items to Harry. "One to can strap to you arm or leg and another you can put on you belt. There's also this-" He gave Harry a piece of parchment, "it explains all the enchantments and things the dagger has on it."
Harry took the list and looked over it. It had spell to prevent rest and smudging and it also had a spell that guaranteed sharpness for at least fifty years. Also, just like the knife Sirius had once given him, the dagger could be used to get through many locks. There were also many other things on the list, basic things that guaranteed the condition of the dagger.
"Wow," Was all Harry could say once again.
Remus chuckled and gave Harry a one armed hug. "You're welcome Harry."
Harry passed the dagger to his friends who wanted to take a closer look at it. He opened his present from Hermione, which was a book on Apparition. He also opened his present form Ginny, which was a book on seeker techniques.
"Not that you need them, of course." Ginny said in a slightly bashful tone.
Finally, there was only on gif left, and it was from Tonks. "Here, Loverboy," She said, using the nickname that had developed over the weeks. She tossed him a small box. Harry went to catch it but he missed and if fell on the floor on account of Tonks' bad throw. He got on all fours and began looking for the box. Tonks walked over to him.
"Found it?" She asked.
Harry had found it, although he didn't recognize it for what it was. He got up on one knee and held the box in his had. Tonks smirked at him and the people around snickered. He looked at the smirking metamorphmagus with a perplexed look.
"You just can't get over me, can you, Loverboy?" She asked with a pointed look at the box in his hand.
The ring box.
Harry quickly put it together and realized why people were laughing. He shot up off the floor and tried to pretend nothing happened, but there was still laughter around the room and he went red.
As the laughter died down, Tonks told Harry to open the box. He did and inside he found a simple silver ring with a paw print on engraved on it.
"Saw it in Diagon Alley and thought you might like it." The purple haired auror explained.
"It's great Tonks. Thanks." Harry said.
"No problem, kid." She smiled and walked off towards her seat at the table and Harry also sat back down.
He was still blushing.
"Well," Mrs. Weasley announced to the room, "That's all for tonight. Thank you all for coming." People got up and cleared out of the room, some of them whishing Harry a happy birthday on the way out. Soon the room was cleared of everyone except Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. "All right kids. It's time for bed, we have to get up early to go to Diagon Alley."
"Early?" Ron groaned, "Why early?"
"Because all four of you need new robes," Mrs. Weasley explained as she ushered the teenagers out the door and towards their rooms. "And that will take a couple of hours."
Ron groaned again but didn't say anything. When they reached the bedrooms they all told each other good night and they each headed into their respective rooms. When Harry got to his trunk to pull out his pajamas there was a brightly wrapped package on top of all of his stuff.
"Of right," Harry spoke to himself, "The present from Fred and George." He unwrapped the present to find what look like a pair of orange omnioculars. Attached to them was a note.
New from the brilliant minds of Fred and George Weasley, the Spy-O-Noculars. These babies can do everything. X-Ray Vision? Check. Night vision? Check. Heat Vision? Check. Meat vision? Not yet, but we're working on it. So enjoy, partner, you're the first and only person to have these. They aren't even for sale in our store (due to problems with the law and other such nonsense)!
Sincerely,
Gred and Forge
PS: These DO NOT EXPLODE! … Or at least they shouldn't.
Harry examined the Spy-O-Noculars. The design was very similar to the Omnioculars, but there were a few special colored dials and buttons for the special modifications Fred and George had made. There was a small manual that came with the Spy-O-Noculars. As the original not had said, they had X-Ray vision, Night Vision and Heat Vision. There was also a lip-reading button and button that made them look like a normal pair of Omnioculars.
"Wow!" Harry muttered to himself. He went to his window and looked outside. All he could see was darkness. He put the Spy-O-Noculars up to his eyes and adjusted the night vision dial and could see as clear as day. "…Wow!"
Deciding that he would play with them some more later, Harry put the Spy-O-Noculars back in his trunk and put on his pajamas. He then put out the lamp and fell asleep with a happy smile.
---HPatBoH---
Just as promised, Harry was woken up in the early morning by Mrs. Weasley. Harry slowly pried himself out of his bed and got up. He picked Danny off the floor and woke him up too, for no other reason except for making the snake suffer the early morning along with him. He groggily made his way to the door, stumbling twice as Danny protested all the way to the kitchen.
"Master Harry," he hissed/whined, "Why did you wake me? I was sleeping."
"I know," Harry answered the snake. As always, he couldn't tell if he had spoken Parselmouth or English, but he didn't care.
"Then why did you wake me? Surely you can do whatever it is you need to do without me?" The snake said.
"I figured you shouldn't be the only one allowed to sleep in. Plus, you're always bugging me with questions about Humans, now I'm going to take you to a place with loads of humans."
Harry walked into the kitchen and didn't hear the snake's response. It wasn't loud in the kitchen, Harry just stopped paying attention. The kitchen was actually the opposite of loud. The only noise that could be heard was the clinking of fork against plates. Harry made his way to a seat next to Ron and was given a plate of bacon and eggs by Mrs. Weasley.
"Morning Ron," Harry greeted Ron. The red head didn't respond. In face, he seemed to be snoring. Harry glanced around the table and saw that no one seemed to be interested in talking. Ginny, just like her brother, seemed to be sleeping and Hermione looked like she was barley awake enough to lift her fork up to her mouth. So, Harry lethargically ate his breakfast and then made his way back upstairs. Once back in his room, he changed into some plain clothes and a black robe-which was getting too small for him as Mrs. Weasley had said.
As he was closing his trunk, he noticed his birthday presents. He eyed them all and thought for a moment. With a grin, he pulled off his robe and replaced it with the Dark green, dragon hide jacked Fred and George had given him. He got out the ring Tonks had given him and the Necklace from Charlie and put both of those on also. The last thing he put on was his blade; he lifted his pant leg and used the sheath to strap it there. His wand was already sheathed on his left forearm and he let Danny curl around his right one.
He felt kind of weird wearing so much new clothes, but he liked it. He walked out his door and was meet by Ron, who gave him a critical look.
Harry grinned, "Figured I'd try out a few of my new gifts." He explained.
"Obviously," Ron said with his own grin, "But mum is going to go crazy when she see you in that jacked and with that necklace on."
"At least I haven't been growing my hair out." Harry mused.
Ron laughed as they made their way down stairs. "Yeah, She would faint at the sight of you with long hair." The two friends continued to laugh as the made their way downstairs. They arrived downstairs and met Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Hermione. Hermione complimented Harry on his apparel, Mrs. Weasley gave him a look, and Ginny developed a slight blush that went unnoticed by all.
"Here," Mrs. Weasley said, holding out an ordinary look stick, "We've managed to get a Portkey arranged for 8:45. We barely have a few minutes left."
The four teens gripped the stick and waited for a few silent moments. Then, they all felt the familiar tug behind their navel and were gone in a spiraling whirl of Portkey travel.
---HPatBoH---
As the world stopped spinning, Harry found himself in a windowless room with blank, white walls. In each corner of the room was a fierce look wizard with a wand pointed towards the center of the room, towards Harry and the others. Harry immediately made to put his hand on his wand, but Ron stayed his hand.
"Easy, mate." Ron muttered out the corner of his mouth, "Everything is fine." Harry looked forward and saw that there was a table with a bored looking wizards sitting at it.
The wizard yawned, "Name?" He asked monotonously.
"Weasley, party of five." Mrs. Weasley answered him.
"Portkey information?"
"Portkey number 5955, registered by Arthur Weasley for 8:45."
"Your business?"
"Purchasing school supplies."
The wizard nodded and checked off a few things on a piece of parchment. He reached under his desk and pulled out five tickets, he stamped each of them and gave them to Mrs. Weasley.
"Please enjoy your stay in Diagon Alley, you may continue." He said, entirely without enthusiasm. Mrs. Weasley turned and walked through the door, the teens followed. Before exiting the room, Harry took one last look at the guards, they hadn't moved once since he had been in there.
Outside the room, Harry noticed that his surrounding were familiar, he was now in a hallway in the Leaky Cauldron.
"What was that about?" Harry asked.
"Increased security," Ron began to explain as the small group began to traverse through the surprisingly empty hallway," The ministry is getting really tight with travel. You used to be able to get a special permit to make a portkey whenever you need them, but now they've made it were you can only get portkey by going through the Ministry and then there are a lot of questions and forms. And as you saw back there they have men at each portkey station and they make sure you use an authorized portkey. Those four blokes with the wands surprised me though, didn't think it was that serious."
Harry chuckled half-heartedly, "Yeah, they surprised me a little as well."
"A little?" Ron laughed," You were about to start throwing curses."
"Didn't you read about the new security in The Prophet, Harry?" Hermione asked as they approached the door to the entrance of Diagon Alley.
"No," Harry answered, "I stopped my subscription." They finally reached the door outside and passed a grizzly old man who seemed to be sleeping. Mrs. Weasley opened the door and they walked out into an unexpected scene. Instead of the usual brick wall with trashcan and other assorted garbage, there was a security gate with a few tough looking wizards in official robes.
"Tickets?" One of them immediately demanded. Mrs. Weasley gave him the tickets without delay. The wizard checked each of the tickets then stamped them and gave them back. "Wands?" he asked, this time a bit less forcefully. Each one of them gave up their wands to be checked over by a strange golden rod. Once their wands were returned to them without a word, one of the official-looking wizards walked up to the gate and inserted his wand into a keyhole, of sorts. The gate clicked and the small entourage was allowed entrance into the alley.
"Whoa," Harry began, "This is…"
"Different," Hermione finished for him. Harry could only nod in agreement
The alley was bare, practically empty. From the entrance, Harry could count maybe thirty or so people, which was nothing compared to the usual bustling crowds that kept the alley jam-packed. Instead of walking and talking freely like they once had, the few shoppers in the alley only spoke to the others in their group and scurried along quickly from store to store, as if afraid that there was something in the alley that would get them if they didn't hurry.
Mrs. Weasley began walking down the alley, "No one wants to leave their houses anymore. They're afraid of being attacked."
Harry nodded in understanding as he followed the matriarch of the Weasley family. He hadn't been reading The Prophet, but various Order members who made stops at HQ were always talking about the various attacks that had be made by Voldemorts forces. They talked about how scared everyone was. But, Harry wasn't scared, if anything, the news of the attacks made him more brave. It made him want to train harder. It made him want to walk down this alley alone, displaying no fear whatsoever, as a message to Lord Voldemort and his supporters.
As the group traversed the alley, Harry stood up his straightest and walked with as much confidence as he could muster. He chatted loudly with his friends and laughed a lot, trying his hardest to make it look like a normal trip to the alley, despite the looks from all the other shoppers he was getting. He wanted to show them how not scared he was, and hopefully, they would follow his lead.
The group continued to walk the alley, making their way towards Madame Malkins Robe Shop. On the way there though, the youngest of the group were distracted by a certain bright orange store. All four of the teens stopped to stare at the store. Three of them in particular had looks of wanting on their face, while the fourth was just looking mildly interested. Mrs. Weasley continued walking down the alley, unaware that the rest of her party had stopped. It only took the seasoned mother a few seconds to realize that all the teens weren't with her.
She turned and rolled her eyes when she was the reason the teens had stopped. "Keep up children," She called to them, "We can visit them later." The four teens reluctantly pulled themselves away from the eccentric storefront of Weasley Wizard Wheezes and continued following the older woman.
They mad it to Gringotts with no other incidents or distractions. They went through the usual transactions and made the trip to their respective vault, surprisingly there were no other heightened security measures at the bank. As usual, Harry grabbed a handful of coins and dumped them in his bag without worrying about it. Hermione exchanged some muggle money for galleons and they left Gringotts.
Once back in the alley, they first went to Madame Malkins and got measure up for some robes. Madame Malkins told them that it wouldn't take as long as Mrs. Weasley had predicted for the robes to be made since there wasn't much business in the alley. After that, they progressed their way through the alley, making stops in the shops they need to. They brought their books and potions supplies and anything else for life at Hogwarts. They also made a stop in the Magical Menagerie. Ron and Harry bought some Owl Treats, and Harry also bought a cage for Danny to sleep in. The snake was so ecstatic that Harry decided to let the Snake stay in his new cage for the rest of the trip.
As they finished their mundane shopping, they arrived at the bright orange and neon green store from before. All four teens, even Hermione, walked into the store with grins.
Walking into Weasley Wizard Wheezes was like walking into an explosion of bright light, funny sounds, and crude drawings of certain snake-faced dark lords. The store was the most packed of all the ones Harry had seen all day. People freely laughed and talked and randomly turned into birds. All without any sigh of the fear that they showed in the street.
"Well, if it isn't our favorite people in the whole world." George called from the front counter, where he had just finished ringing up a sale.
"And Ron! You're here too!" Fred added as he stepped out from a room in the back and wiped a mysterious substance from his hands.
"Hardy har har," Ron laughed sarcastically as the group walked up to the counter.
"So, what brings you here?" Fred asked.
"We're purchasing school supplies of course." Mrs. Weasley answered. She paused as a firecracker went off randomly. "We still have sometime until the robes are ready."
"Oh, well feel free to look around," George said, he leaned in with a conspiratorial wink and continued with a whisper. "We may even give you a family discount."
With a possibility of a discount, Ron dashed off and began examining the shelves excitedly. Hermione and Ginny followed him, albeit at a much less excited pace. Mrs. Weasley also went, muttering something under her breath that Harry didn't catch. He made to follow his friends, but was pulled back by Fred (or George).
"So, what's it like to see the fruits of your labor?" Fred asked.
Harry raised an eyebrow, "The fruits of my labor? I didn't do any of this."
"Yeah," George nodded, "but none of this would be here without you."
"Which is why we've decided you can have whatever you want for free!"
Harry gaped at the two grinning twins, "For free? No way. You guys gave me this cool jacket, you made me partner, and you gave me those Spy-O-Noculars. Don't you think you've repaid me enough?"
Fred sighed, "My, he is a stubborn one, isn't he brother?"
George nodded, looking playfully serious, "Yes he is." George agreed with a nod, "Perhaps I should explain it to him? You see, Harry, it's always been our dream to open a joke shop ever since we were old enough to detach a toilet seat."
"Which was a very young age."
"Opening a joke shop wasn't just something we wanted to do, it was the only thing we wanted to do in our lives. No other job would be good enough to satisfy us."
"Except for maybe being a sex slave to the Holyhead Harpies."
George nodded, "Yes, but once the Harpies kept sending back all those letters we sent them, we knew that a joke shop was our only option. And even that goal was out of reach, due to our lack of money. But, then you came along with you sack of a thousand galleons and just thrust them at us like it had the plague."
"And once extensive testing showed that the money did not have the plague or any other curse on it, we realized that Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived, had given us enough money to live out our dream."
"I don't know if you've ever had a dream come true Harry, but it's one of the best things ever. There's no way to repay you for that."
"And, as sappy as that might sound, it's the truth. And, even though there is no way to repay you, we are sure as hell going to try."
Harry couldn't help but be surprised by the two serious people in front of him.
"Well then," Fred began with an easy smile, "How about a tour?" Harry nodded and was instantly drug by the twins. They pointed out all the objects in the store and explained how they worked. When they noticed that Harry wasn't going to be taking any items, they began forcing items into his pockets. Harry didn't complain. The twins also showed Harry their flat above the shop. It had a living area and bedrooms and bathrooms. All the essential things for two bachelors.
Eventually, it came time for them to leave. They all exited the store and walked out into the alley. It seemed to be even emptier than before.
"Mum, it's not time to get the robes, yet," Ron said to his mother.
"I know," She said simply in response. Ron made a noise of frustration.
"Didn't you get anything?" Harry asked.
"No." Ron answered indignantly.
"Don't worry," Harry said with a smirk, "I've got plenty." He patted his pockets, which were overflowing with various prank objects.
Ron gave Harry a shocked look, "They gave you all of those? I'm their feckin' brother and they didn't give me anything."
"Calm down," Harry told his friend, "It's a uh… special circumstance. I'll explain it you later." Harry hadn't told his friends that he had funded the twins, but he would have to tell Ron before he really thought Fred and George liked Harry better than him.
"Special circumstance?" Ron questioned. Harry didn't answer him.
"Here kids," Mrs. Weasley said, "We can get ourselves an ice cream at Flourean Fortescures." Ron forgot all about his question to Harry at the idea of ice cream. Mrs. Weasley bought everyone ice cream and they all sat around and chatted. The ice cream parlor was empty except for a few people at another table. It was an odd party of people. In one seat sat a young woman. Harry couldn't see her face, but she had a slightly tan complexion and wavy black hair. She seemed slightly familiar but Harry couldn't remember who she was. Across from her was a well-dressed wizard with slicked back hair and a thin mustache. Standing around the table were four men dressed in black cloaks with their hoods up. Each man stood at alert, as if expecting an attack of some sort.
Harry watched the other table thoughtfully eating his ice cream. He continued to try and place the girl, but he came up with nothing. It wasn't just the girl that was on Harry's mind, something was distracting him. There was something that was bothering him. He was also starting to fell a bit cool, probably from the ice cream.
"Harry dear, are you alright?" Mrs. Weasley asked him. Harry shook out of his daze.
"Huh? Oh… Yeah, I'm fine," Harry answered numbly. He took another bite of his ice cream and shook with an involuntary shiver, "This ice cream is really cold."
Ginny giggled cutely, "Well, it is ice cream." she said.
Harry grinned, "Yeah, I guess so." Suddenly something hit Harry hard in his midsection. Harry immediately stood up from his table.
"I've got to go," He announced to everyone.
"Go where?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking shocked.
"To the bathroom!" Harry answered quickly. He took off without waiting for his reaction. Harry ran off towards the closest bathroom he knew, Fred and Georges. He threw open the door to their shop and was slightly surprised to see it empty.
"Harry!" George called, "What are you doing back here?"
"You've got a bathroom upstairs, right?"
"Yeah, we-" Harry didn't wait for George to finish. He bolted straight for the stairs and nearly ran over Fred.
"You all right Harry?" Fred shouted after him as he ran up the stairs.
Harry didn't answer, but right as he reached the door to the Twins flat, he called something over his shoulder without thinking, "Why is it so cold in here?"
Not really caring for a response, Harry threw himself into the moderately sized flat and went straight for the open bathroom door. Once he made it in there, he quickly undid his pants and let loose. He stood there for a minute straight, at least. Once he was finished, he zipped his pants back up and washed his hands.
Usually, after relieving themselves as Harry had just done, they would feel better, but Harry was felling worse. There was something at the border of his mind, something that was trying to get in but couldn't. Like an annoying salesman who kept knocking on the door despite the fact that he know he isn't wanted. It was a tiny, almost inaudible buss behind his ear. Plus, the temperature seemed to be decreasing even though it was a mid-summer day.
Harry walked out the bathroom and made his way back to the stairs. That's when it really hit him the scream entered his mind and echoed off his skull. He dropped to his knees as the chill in the air intensified. A look of horror formed on his face, as he knew what was coming.
"Please! Not Harry!"
"D-De-Dementors," Harry stuttered to himself. He struggled to stand back up, but the wailing voice in his head forced him back to his knees. The screams were horrible. The voice of his mother pleading for his life and Voldemort not showing any remorse. Then the curse would be shouted and his mothers crying would end.
Then it started all over again.
Harry focused all of his power on ignoring his mother's long dead cries and stood up again. His name continued to be called, but this time it was outside of his head.
"Harry!" Fred shouted as he thundered up the stairs. "Harry! We've got to get out of here!" Fred threw himself through the door to his flat and saw Harry standing on wobbly legs. Fred was paler that usual and his eye were wide and fearful, but Harry looked just as bad. Without asking or explaining anything, Fred grabbed Harry and took him back down the stairs quickly. Fred had to practically drag Harry down the stairs and as they reached the center of the shop, Harry tripped.
He was getting weaker as he got closer to the Dementors outside. The screams were everywhere and Harry could no longer tell what was in his mind and what wasn't.
Fred pulled Harry back up and popped a piece of chocolate in his mouth without saying anything. After chewing a swallowing the chocolate, Harry felt better; at least well enough to walk on his own, but before he and Fred left the shop, Harry had another strange sensation. He immediately recognized it for what it was, but it came to fast for him to do anything about it.
There was a crash as two identical brown spells broke through the storefront window and slammed into Harry and Fred, sending them crashing into the back counter.
Harry was dazed as he lied in the floor surrounded by fallen pranks. As he shook the cobwebs out of his head, he heard two pairs of footsteps of crunching on the broken glass. He looked towards Fred, who lied on the ground moaning in pain. Harry had recognized the spell and it affects as the Bludgeoning Jinx. As far as Harry could tell, his Dragon hid jacket had taken the brunt of the spells. Unfortunately, Fred wasn't wearing his jacket and seemed to be suffering from broken bones.
The footsteps got closer.
Harry slowly reached for his wand as scrumptiously as possible. His hand made contact with the handle of his wand and he waited as the footsteps got closer. The footsteps were barely a few feet away and Harry got ready to attack. He was still sore from being hit by the spell, and the dementors-which were apparently outside-were still affecting him, but the adrenaline pumping through his veins gave him and extra edge.
The footsteps stopped right in front of him.
Harry threw himself up into a kneeling position and unsheathed his wand in a startling display of speed. It was wasted, however, because as soon as he had leveled the wand at his first attacker, the second attacker have him a painful kick to the hand that sent his wand flying across the shop. The first attacker then followed up with a kick to his chest that pinned him up against the counter behind him. The foot remained in place and held him still; both attackers had their wands aimed at him.
"Uh, uh, uh, Little Harry," A sickeningly familiar voice mocked him from behind the Death Eater mask, "You wouldn't want to put an eye out, would you?"
The voice filled Harry with rage. He knew it well. It was in his nightmares. It belonged to the one who had killed his godfather.
"Bellatrix!" Harry hissed in anger. Rage pumped through his veins and the crying pleas of his mother were drowned out by the urge to destroy the person in from of him.
"You speak my name with such malice," Bellatrix spoke, still keeping Harry pinned to the counter with surprising strength, "What could I have done to warrant that?"
Harry growled.
"He has a surprising amount of fight in him." The silky voice of Lucius Malfoy drawled from behind the other mask, "I'm surprised he hasn't fainted yet."
Harry snapped his gaze around to the man and noticed for the first time that bother attackers had glowing silver necklaces around their necks.
"Out of prison already, eh Malfoy?" Harry practically snarled at the evil aristocrat, "I'm surprised you lasted this long, a delicate man like your self."
Harry couldn't see the Lucius' face, but he knew that if he could it would be ugly. Without any warning, Lucius cried out "Crucio!" The curse hit Harry quickly and he was instantly hit with the sensation of having every one of his nerves being set on fire. The agony seemed to last for an eternity. Eventually, Harry was slumped on the ground and the curse had been ended. Whatever wall he had had against the effect of the Dementor was destroyed and his mothers last moment was replayed in his mind.
He glanced up at his attackers. Bellatrix had taken her hold off and her mask was now on the floor. The look on her face was a look of excitement comparable to a child on Christmas morning.
"That ought to teach you to hold your tongue," Lucius Malfoy spoke," I hare say you've been hanging around those slobs the Weasleys for too long." He cast a disgusted glare towards the now silent and still Fred.
"D-Don't talk to them l-like that," Harry grounded out, holding himself up on his hands and knees.
Lucius chuckled silkily," What? These filth?" He asked, kicked a displaced prank device at Fred's still body. "They're nothing but trash. You should've stayed away from them when you had the chance. Now look where you are, you're trash just like them."
Harry glared at the blonde man. Lucius just smirked smugly. Harry slowly, achingly began to stand up. He faltered once, but still stood up straight and look Lucius in the eyes. His knees wobbled with the effort it took to stand and he knew it would be easier to just lay down and succumb to the pain and torment of the Dementors, but he still stood staring Lucius down with a burning fire in his green eyes.
Harry took one step forward; it was easier than he thought it would be. Bellatrix brought out her wand and leveled it at Harry with an almost lustful look.
"There's no need, Bella." Lucius said, staying the craze witches wand, "What is the weak, unarmed boy going to do to me? Lucius lowered his wand to prove his point. Bellatrix reluctantly lowered her wand. She looked disappointed at not being able to curse Harry.
Harry slowly covered the distance between him and Lucius and practically stood nose-to-nose with him.
"What is it Potter?" Lucius asked with an arrogant smirk. "What is it you're going to do? Defend the rat pack? Going to call me dirty names? What is it?"
Harry's glare intensified, "Don't ever." Harry hissed, "Ever talk that way about my family." Lucius didn't have time to be surprised as-with a speed that surprised both of them-Harry raised his fist and slammed it into his face, sending him flying down to the floor.
Bellatrix drew her wand to cures Harry, but just as the incantation left her lips Harry threw himself to the ground and rolled to the side in an impressive dodge. Coming out of his role, Harry scooped up his wand off the floor and brought it up to Bellatrix, who now had her wand trained on him.
They both locked eyes. Harry's burning with a green fire and Bellatrix's crazy and wild. They stared each other down, Harry kneeling with a set expression of anger and Bellatrix standing with an insane smile on her face. Everything was still, the…
A twitch of movement.
"Everbero!"
"Exuste!
Both duelers launched their spells at the same time. The spells are through the air quickly and collided at the mid-point between the two duelers.
BANG!
The spells ricocheted off each other, one went flying into the ceiling and the other went into the floor. Both impacted areas exploded in a cloud of dust and debris that settled in between Harry and Bellatrix.
Unnoticed by the two duelers, Lucius Malfoy slowly sat up holding a hand to his bleeding and bruised face. As he began to lift himself off the floor, a piece of wood from the ceiling hit him in the head and knocked him out.
Meanwhile, on a spur of the moment plan of action, Harry traded his wand into his left hand and reached down and grabbed his dagger by its hilt. He unsheathed the weapon with a quick -CHIIING- and, without a thought for consequences, jumped through the cloud of dust with his dagger raised over his head and his mouth opened in a primal war cry.
Bellatrix stood surprised as Harry emerged through the dust and debris. She tried to get off a spell, but Harry was upon her before the first syllable of the incantation. Harry brought his dagger down and planted it firmly Bellatrix's shoulder blade and clavicle bone.
The female Death Eater had a look of surprise on her face as her crimson life leaked from the wound and onto her black robes. But then, her smile slowly reformed. Harry felt a pinpoint pressure in his abdomen. He looked down and saw Bellatrixs wand.
"What now?" She asked in a sadistic, breathy voice. She didn't seem to fell any pain.
Harry ground his teeth and locked his eyes with the women again. Bellatrix smirked and pressed her harder into Harry's abdomen. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped.
"I can't die here." Harry whispered in a dangerous tone, "If I die here, my friends die here. And I can not let that happen!" His eyes flashed with a strange flash of gold.
And then, Harry did something that else that shocked the Death Eater, he hissed at her something that even he didn't recognize. "Ssssnnnnk Bytzzz!" The dagger embedded into Bellatrixs shoulder glowed with a sick brown aura. The brown aura seeped down into Bellatrixs wound and the witch's eyes widened and her pupils dilated. Her skin instantly began to pale and her grip on her wand loosened, causing the held object to fall to the ground.
"W-Wh-What is th-this?" She asked weakly, "P-P-P-Poi-?"
"This," Harry interrupted her with a voice full of power and hate, "This is my righteous anger."
Bellatrix gasped weakly as Harry's eyes flashed gold again. Then, with a shuddering sigh, the woman collapsed and Harry puller has dagger from her shoulder. He looked down at the woman with his bloody dagger in one hand and his wand in the other. He checked around the store and saw that Fred and Lucius were still out. Harry looked to the door what led to the alley. Screams could be heard.
He knew what he had to do. Right now, Fred was relatively safe. Harry knew he had to go and make sure that the others were all right, and if anyone had hurt them he would take care of them just as he had taken care of the other tow. Right now, Harry had pure power pumping through his veins. He felt unstoppable and he knew use this new power-whatever it was-to save his friends.
Harry took one step toward the door and stopped.
Something was wrong.
Harry listened intently for any sound, but he couldn't hear anything save for his heart beat. In fact, his hear was beating very loudly and fast. Suddenly his heart stopped beating. His eyes widened and a pain worse that the Cruciatus racked his entire body. He collapsed instantly, his mouth opened for a scream but none came out. There was screaming, though. The force of the dementors hit Harry full force in his sudden weakness and his mother was once again in his mind.
Harry's world was nothing but pain, both physical and mental. He didn't know how long it lasted, but just when thought it wouldn't end, it began to slowly dissipate.
Once the pain had fully left his body, Harry still found himself on the floor wondering what the hell had just happened to him. The Dementor effects still assaulted his mind, but it had lessened some.
Against every will of his body, Harry pushed himself off the floor. It truth, he would have liked to lay down and die, but with his friends still out in the alley he knew that wasn't possible. So, on two shaking legs he walked to the door and nearly collapsed against it. With only a second to ready him, Harry pushed through the door and stumbled out into the alley, only to be knocked into by running person. Both Harry and the running person stumbled to the ground.
"Well, well, look what we have here. Harry Bloody Potter." An unknown voice spoke. Harry looked up to see three death eaters followed by a pack of dementors. The death eaters had their mask on and those strange glowing necklaces. They also didn't seem to be affected by the dementors. Harry was starting to suspect what those necklaces were for.
"And look," Another death eater said, "He's run into our little friend. Can you say two birds with one stone, mates?" All three Death Eaters laughed. Harry looked behind him and saw that the person who ran into him was the girl form before at the ice cream parlor. Her hazel eyes regarded the death eater with absolute fear.
"Hmmm, I wonder where Bella and Lucius are?" One of the death eaters asked out loud. He walked over to the broken store widow and peered in. He drew back in shock. "They've been taken out!"
"What?" The other two exclaimed. They both rushed over and also looked into the store via the broken window.
Damn! I can't let them revive Lucius and Bellatrix. I'm in enough trouble right now. Harry thought to himself.
He eyed the glowing necklaces of the three men. If they did what Harry thought, then Harry might need them more than the death eaters.
"Accio Necklaces!"
The three death eaters were stopped as their necklaces were violently yanked off their necks by Harry's spell. Each of the men fell to their knees almost instantly. One gripped his head and kept muttering while another actually began sobbing.
Harry glanced away from them and looked at the broken necklaces in his lap. They were of no use to him now.
"Oh no!" The girl from behind him spoke.
Harry looked up and saw that the group of Dementors was moving towards them now. It seemed that now that their handlers were incapacitated they could do whatever they wanted.
Harry tried to stand up, but his muscles didn't want to hold his weight. He struggled to get up once again, but it seemed more unsuccessful than before. Then he heard a scream, a scream that came from outside his own head. He recognized that scream, as he had unfortunately heard it many times. It was Hermione.
"My friends!" Harry exclaimed.
"Your friends?" The girl behind him asked, "I think the death eaters left them to some more dementors."
"No," Harry gasped. He agonizingly pushed himself off the ground and leveled his wand at the incoming hoard of dementors. Then he fell again, but this time he was caught.
"You know the Patronus Charm." It wasn't a question. "Then use it. Save me, us, your friends." Harry looked back at the girl who he still couldn't recognize. She continued to hold him up in her arms as he once again pointed his wands at the incoming dementors. He closed eyes and tried to think of a happy memory.
None came.
"Hurry!" The girl urged him.
The smiling face of his friends flashed in his mind.
There, Harry thought.
He focused on his friends. Their smiling faces and joyful laughs, but it wasn't enough.
"Hurry!" The girl urged him again.
Harry didn't dare open his eyes because he feared seeing how close the dementors were. He tried focusing on his friends again, but now it was harder. Suddenly, an image of Ron being given the kiss flashed in his mind.
No, no, NO! Harry thought, Anything but that!
"Hurry!" She whispered in his ear, her voice becoming desperate.
George was kissed.
No!
Ginny was kissed.
No!
The Girl was kissed.
No!
Hermione was kissed
NO!
"Hurry! Hurry, Hurry, Hurry…." It was a constant chant in his ear.
Mrs. Weasley was kissed.
NOOOOO! I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN! I WILL PROTECT THEM!
Harry's eyes snapped open with a flash of gold, they were fierce and determined. He saw that the dementors were nearly right in front of him.
"HURRY!" She shrieked in his ear.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry bellowed.
BANG
There was a bright flash of gold that covered everything. It blinded Harry, but he had never felt better. It made him warm and safe protected him. His mother's scream was gone.
As quick as it had come, the gold light dissipated, but there was a literal whirlwind of gold between Harry and the girl and the horde of Dementors. The golden whirlwind swirled and swirled but made no wind. Then, it began to condense and slowly take a form. When it was done it was what Harry had expected. It was the form of a man kneeling down, a slightly familiar man.
The golden patronus man stood up slowly to his height of at least eight feet. He was wearing full battle armor and had a sword sheathed to his back. The large golden patronus man turned and looked at Harry. Harry was shocked by what he saw. The patronus looked like him.
"Holy shit!" The girl, who still supported Harry, said.
Harry couldn't agree more.
The patronus gave the two young people a wink, the faced the dementors again.
Before, the dementors had been staying away from the golden storm, but now that the patronus was fully formed and staring at them, they ran.
The patronus put on a golden-faced grin as it unsheathed the sword from its back, then is a golden streak he charged at the nearest dementor and chopped in in half. Then, it went for the next and chopped it head off. It continued on this way, taking on dementor after dementor with no challenge.
It's not just driving them away, it's destroying them. Harry thought.
It was true. Each dementor fell down and burned up in black smoke. Suddenly, there was a strange screaming as a mass of bright white objects flew out of the dementors and into the sky. Harry could only watch in awe.
Once the section of the alley that Harry was in was cleared of dementors, the patronus moved onto the other areas of the alley. Hopefully to save his friends.
As the last of the dementors burned out and the final with objects screamed their way to the sky. Harry felt content. He had done it. He had driven off the dementors and his friends were hopefully okay. All he had to do was go check on them.
He took one step and instantly fell forward.
The pain hit him twice as bad as last time. His muscles were on fire and blood leaked out of his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. He once again couldn't summon the power to scream. Luckily thought, he didn't have to endure the pain long, as he passed out.
The girl got on her knees to check on him, but he was out cold. She stared around at the ashes that used to be dementors and the damage to Diagon Alley.
"HOLY SHIT!"