Chapter 4
Harry Potter gripped the handle of his Firebolt and rocketed through the stormy afternoon sky. Below him, Muggles went about their lives, unaware of the wizard flying a few hundred feet above him. He dove on the outskirts of London, dropping low enough to read the street signs, trusting the disillusionment charm to keep him concealed from prying eyes. Regaining his bearings, Harry sped through London, quickly reaching the visitors entrance for the Ministry of Magic. A quick scan revealed Ron upon the roof of the building across the street from the entrance. Harry joined him silently.
"See anything?" Harry asked.
"No, it's quiet," Ron, replied.
"What about the old lady?" Harry said, pointing to a shabbily dress woman pushing a shopping cart slowly down the sidewalk.
Ron laughed, "That's Tonks."
"What?"
"Yeah, She stepped out of the Building about fifteen minutes after I got here, and instantly spotted me."
"You that bad at hiding?"
"She denies it, but I think she was tipped off, she's been walking the street for the last four hours, in one form or another. I told her the score, and she sent a few messages inside, and went on guard duty. Hermione was here, she just ran off to diagon alley, said she needed something," Ron glanced at his watch, "She'll be there by now."
"Okay, Ginny spoke to me an hour ago, she was just leaving Luna's, so she'll be here any minute the way she flies."
"When do you think they'll attack?"
"Don't know, but it'll start soon, the Minister is about to leave, and most everyone else will be off work in an hour."
"Which means, the ministry will be unguarded."
"There's Gin," Harry pointed to the sleek broom circling apparently on its own in the clearing evening sky. Harry waved, and Ginny quickly dropped to join them.
"Where's Hermione?" the girl asked.
"Errand," Harry said, "and Tonks is down on the street.
Ginny looked over the edge, "The Goth chick with the tattoos?"
Harry and Ron glanced over as well, "Yeah," Ron said, "She's used that one before, about three hours ago."
Just then, Hermione landed next to them with a soft thud.
"How'd your part go," Harry asked her.
"Fine, McGonagall recognized me of course, and the students were rather shocked to see an eagle swoop into the great hall with all the owls."
"You sure she recognized you?" Ginny asked.
"She had the Marauders Map, open and sitting in front of her, I think she might have noticed our intrusions the past couple of days," Hermione stated simply.
"Damn," Harry said, "Oh well, can't change it now." He was silenced by commotion on the streets below. Rushing to the edge, Harry saw Tonks, back in her true form, taking cover in a doorway, as two death eaters shot spells towards her position.
"It's time," he said, "Brute, get down there and help Tonks, Talon, we need air support, and eye's in the skies." The pair was already in action, Ron, had jumped from the roof, magically slowing his fall and firing stunning spells at the death eaters. Hermione also leapt from the roof, casting a few disarming spells, before transforming to scan the area for more opponents. Harry and Ginny, ran to the other side of the roof, experience letting them move as one, they dropped safely to the streets, and transformed, sprinting around the corner to catch a group of death eaters rushing to join the battle. The pair of predators slammed into the backs of the unsuspecting group, biting, clawing, and killing. Once the group was down, they quickly, and casually went from body to body, ripping throats from necks. They changed back to human, and ran to the corner, glancing around to learn the locations of the combatants before joining the fray. The original two death eaters lay dead in the street, but three more were ducked behind a stoop, just in front of them. Harry quickly disarmed the three death eaters and stepped out to covering them with his wand.
"Hold it there," He said, "Surrender, and I'll let the Aurors have you, otherwise you're mine."
Two death eaters, raised their hands, but the third shoved his hand into his robes. Ginny appeared that instant, leaping around the bend to slam her stiffened fingers into the death eater's throat. The man dropped like a bag of sand, and Ginny calmly reached into his robes and removed a second wand. She grabbed the death eater by his robe fronts, and pulled him close.
"Feel that?" she spoke softly, "the pain in your throat, the inability to draw breath. Know what it is? Your windpipe has been crushed, that means no air can get through to your lungs. A pity really, a simple healing spell could repair the damage and save your life, but with out your wand you can't cast the spell to save yourself." She pulled him closer, ignoring his feeble attempts to push her away, and continued, "I hear it's extremely painful to die like that, that your lungs, and muscles are in agony as the oxygen is deprived, but like I said it's a pity. None of the dozens of death eaters I've killed like this have been able to tell me what it's really like." Ginny sat there, staring into the death eater's eyes as he convulsed a few times and gave a horrid rasping sound before dying. She stood, smiling at the two remaining death eaters.
"We surrender," the death eaters said, and Harry quickly immobilized them with a full body bind. He turned back to the street where Ron, Hermione, and Tonks were running to them.
"They pulled back," Hermione said as the groups met.
"They weren't expecting resistance on the streets," Harry replied, "they were coming in small groups to avoid detection when they enter the ministry. They'll reorganize a short distance from here, and attack in force.
"What about those two?" Tonks asked.
"They're all yours," Harry told her, "You have a place you can hold them until this is over?"
"Sure, down in the basement, we have lots of holding cells," Tonks said, "There are five other Aurors here, Proudfoot and Savage have them stationed in the entrance in case the death eaters apparate or use flu powder to get in. I'll take these guys down to him now." She left the group, levitating the immobile death eaters into the phone booth and a few seconds later, sank from sight.
"What now Padfoot?" Ron asked.
"We stay here, it'll be night soon, that's when the worst of it will occur." He glanced at his watch, "Any second now."
"What?" asked Hermione.
"Reinforcements," said Harry pointing to the skies. About a dozen brooms streaked through the sky as the surviving members of what was once called Dumbledore's Army heeded the call to battle. Leading the pack were Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom. Harry glanced over the rest of the group, Dean, Seamus, the Creevey brothers, Parvati and Padma Patil, Hannah Abbott, Ernie Macmillan, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and Angelina Johnson.
"Remember, they can't know we're Animagi," Harry said.
The Marauders watched as the DA came in for landing, Neville, never the most agile person, stumbled as he touched down, but Luna deftly grabbed his hand and steadied him. Harry noticed the pair didn't release hands as they turned to face Harry, but quickly shoved the thought aside and moved on to business.
"Alright, I assume you know what's going on," Harry told them, "but just in case I'll sum it up. The Ministry is practically unguarded at the moment; the remaining forces of Voldemort's army are mounting an attack. They hope to take control of the ministry. Right now they have fallen back to regroup. We are all that stands between the Dark Lord's Army and the Ministry, and they will attack in force tonight."
Luna spoke up from her spot beside Neville, "What do you need done Harry?"
"That's simple," Harry, stated, "we have to hold them off. Divide into pairs, work together and watch each other's backs. You've all done this before, so get ready. McGonagall and the Order have been warned as well, along with various other allies, so help is coming, we just need to hold out until it arrives."
It didn't take long, about the time the sun sank behind the buildings, the first wave attacked. Harry watched from behind the short wall the DA had conjured for cover, as a few dozen death eaters charged. He waited, letting the enemy close in, while they launched spells from a distance, giving Harry, and his friends time to duck. He launched his spell at a range of eight meters, and the rest of the group followed. A wave of spells burst from the wall, slamming into the death eaters, and knocking most to the ground. A few managed to retreat to safety, but the rest lay disabled on the street.
After that first failed charge, the Death Eaters changed tactics; they used the inferi to make to main assault, while the Death Eaters launched spells at the defenders from a distance. Harry and his companions used fire to keep the inferi back, and used any spells they could think of to try and disable the creatures.
They fought off three more waves in the next hour, but each attack caused damage. Colin Creevey had been hit with a curse during the second attack; his brother Dennis had taken out the attacker, and dragged Colin to the visitor's entrance, when he too was hit. Dean had been injured in the third attack, and Neville had been the victim of a spell that removed the bones from his left arm. Stubbornly Neville had refused to leave the fight, conjuring a sling to hold his bad arm in place, he'd continued launching spells at the death eaters.
"You call this a defendable position Harry?" a familiar voice brought him back to the present, and Harry turned to greet Fred and George, as the stepped from the visitor's entrance and joined him at the wall.
"Sorry it took so long mate," Fred said.
"We used the Flu network to get over here," George stated.
"We had to grab a few things from the shop," Fred said.
"Now," George smiled, "let us show you what real fortifications look like." The twins pulled a few small boxes. As the next attack started, they threw one in the inferi's path. The pavement turned to waist deep mud under the attackers' feet, allowing Harry, and the others to easily drive them back.
"There," said Fred, "let's see these bastards get through that."
Hermione came running up to them suddenly. "Harry," she said, "I just thought of something, tonight is a full moon!" Right on cue, several howls filled the night.
"Well damn," Fred and George said together, "Werewolves."
"Get everyone inside now," Harry told the twins, "Hermione, you too. Ron, Gin, and I'll take on the werewolves."
The werewolves charged, eight of them moving fast through the night, teeth barred, ready to rip into flesh. Harry stood on the wall, flanked by Ron and Ginny; He held his wand out and created the fire barrier once more, preventing the werewolves from reaching them. Behind him, he could hear his other friends rushing to enter the Ministry as fast as they could. At their front, inches from the flames Harry could see the now familiar form of Fenrir Greyback.
"Brute, Shadow," Harry said softly, "this won't be easy, if you get hurt, get inside, don't try to be heroes." The effort of keeping the barrier up was beginning to show. Harry glanced back seeing the last of the DA step into the phone booth.
"Harry!" he turned at the yell and saw a familiar figure standing in the shadows behind him. "Just hold the barrier for a few seconds," Lupin said, as he stepped into the moonlight. His frail looking body instantly began to change, replaced with that of a werewolf. Harry dropped the barrier, and transformed himself. Finally free to continue, eight death eater werewolves ran across a magical swamp to meet bear, wolf, panther, and werewolf in battle.