Chapter 14:

Attempted Assault

"Slowly Wormtail, slowly!" said a deep, angry voice of a man.

"Sorry, but I've been rowing for hours, do you know what it's like?" replied Wormtail.

"Oh stop complaining you stupid rat, your services to the Dark Lord have been pathetic, that's what you should be complaining about!" said another harsh voice, this one more feminine.

"Yeah Bellatrix, you've done so much by sitting in Azkaban, claiming yourself loyal to the Dark Lord, I wish I had thought of that!" retorted Wormtail furiously. Although it was dark, Wormtail could distinctly see her flush. "Furthermore, I was the one who brought back the Dark Lord, one of the greatest achievements by any of his Death Eaters, and one that far outstrips your…" Wormtail took a drawling moment to carefully choose his words, "Sit out."

Bellatrix made to stand up, but was held down by the man.

"Let go of me Sturgis, I want to throttle the little idiot, the disgusting vermin who crawls the halls of the Dark Lord, seeking only to leave and save his own skin!" bellowed Bellatrix furiously. Sturgis had now drawn his wand.

"Bellatrix, you have already managed to screw up one mission, from what I have heard, and if you yell any louder, you'll do it again!" whispered Sturgis sharply. "So for your and my sake, shut up and help Wormtail rowing! Were almost their anyway. Potter's going to have a little surprise tonight! You know my service to the Dark Lord has been limited, I too failed my first mission, being caught trying to get into the Hall of Prophecy's by the Ministry. Yet I feel compelled to show the Dark Lord that failure in his service is unacceptable, and so should you!"

After about another half an hour of rowing, a large mast came into sight, with the golden words splashed across its side: S.S. HOGWARTS. Without a sound, Wormtail and Bellatrix set their small raft next to the ship, and slowly began to climb up the side of it. Bellatrix was perplexed; she expected more security on the sip do to recent attack on Hogwarts students. Yet the entire deck seemed to be deserted, and by doing a Revealment Charm, she concluded that there was nobody in invisibility cloaks, or camouflaged with a Disillusionment Charm.

"All clear," she whispered down to Sturgis Podmore and Wormtail, who proceeded to clamber up the remaining part of the wall. Bellatrix, taking unnatural care in squeezing Wormtail's hand as hard as she could, pulled him up onto the S.S. Hogwarts. "We've made it…now we just have to find where Potter is hiding…according to the Dark Lord, he is two flights down…and three rooms on the right…okay, good, let's go."

"Lumos!" said Sturgis, flick his wand and having it glow the brilliant color of green to light the deck.

While doing so, Bellatrix proceeded onwards with Wormtail bringing up the rear. Down two flights and over three rooms on the right, they came to a large door, marked clearly in large lack letters, HARRY POTTER.

"This is it, we should probably-"started Wormtail, but Bellatrix had already rushed in.

There, sitting in a large, red cushioned chair was unmistakably Harry Potter, sleeping. Sturgis and Wormtail ran in as well, wands at the ready. As they did so, the door shut quickly behind them. Sturgis tried to open it with an Alohomora spell, but it remained firmly locked.

1Bellatrix began to make moments towards Harry with her wand, but the second she did, it sizzled and exploded. Awestruck, she turned to Sturgis and Wormtail, both of whom had also lost their wands to this sizzling sound.

"Anti-Magic charm on the room; always seems to get the Death Eaters," said a voice. Bellatrix looked around frantically, fists raised ready to take an offensive strike. "Don't you Death Eaters talk to each other, really, cooperation is one of the greatest means of success, wouldn't you agree? Oh, but I know you wouldn't Bella, you've always been one to work by yourself, never heeding others advice, and now it seems to me as if it has led you in a very sticky situation indeed."

Wormtail, now cowering with what seemed to be a mix of petrification out of fear and vein throbbing fury, fell to the floor, apparently out cold. Strugis kicked him harshly in the shoulders, and he woke up instantly, holding his shoulder and giving Sturgis a dirty look.

"Dumbledore!" spat Bellatrix harshly, brandishing what now seemed to be a knife from the inside of her right sleeve.

"Come now Bella, you've attempted to kill me so many times now, and may I add, unsuccessfully, I think it is time we should be on first name terms," said the voice of Dumbledore, as he appeared right where Harry had been before disappearing and being replaced by the appearance of the Headmaster.

Bellatrix wasted no time for words and charged at Dumbledore, the moonlight outside shining in from the windows to the left. But something happened that even Dumbledore didn't expect as she attempted to strike at him with her knife.

In mid action, as if paused on a replay screen, she stopped almost comically. Then, with a quick swerve, she became as rigid as if she had just been petrified, and fell to the floor apparently dead. But even more curious than this, if possible, was that the same fate occurred to the remaining two Death Eaters in seconds after Bellatrix.

But instead of giving out a enormous shock of surprise, he studied the bodies for a moment, and then gave a great sigh of comprehension.

"You may come out now Harry," said Dumbledore to a cabinet near the window on the left. As he said this, a 16 year old boy, with what seemed to be great difficulty, clambered out of a robes cabinet, his jet black hair poking out first.

"Professor?" he asked tentatively, as he saw Dumbledore's gaze leave him, and stare out the window.

"The bodies will be sent to the Ministry of Magic for identity confirmation," said Dumbledore, without looking at Harry. "I would just like you to know Harry, that I would never have let you stay in this room will this happened if there was enough time to get you out after you had shown me the letter." Harry nodded.

"Professor," started Harry. "Why did Bellatrix Lestrange just...die when she came at you?"

"Curious as I immediately was after it happened to not only her, but Wormtail and Sturgis, whom, I thought to work for the Order, I seem to have figured it out," said Dumbledore.

"What is it, why did it happen?"

"I will explain everything in my office Harry, but I think Lord Voldemort posses the Ink of Nalbun!" said Dumbledore, as he exited Harry's room and went through the door.

-K, probably everyone's wondering about one detail that wasn't explained in this chappy. Dumbledore seemed to imply that the letter from Voldy warned them of the attack from Bellatrix Wormtail and Sturgis. Well Dumbeldore's implications are usually right. R& R PLZE!