Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling
Chapter 21: HBP 4: the Fate of Karkaroff
(Young Luna's thoughts)
Old Luna's thoughts
Selena, Luna's mom's thoughts
The sword's thoughts
Parseltongue
"Avada Kedavra!" shouted Igor Karkaroff as he popped up and cast a death curse out the window of the shack. He ducked back down as the Death Eaters returned the volley. His situation was desperate. After a year of being on the run, the Death Eaters had cornered him in this shack. He knew that he was going to die here today. But he was determined to take a few Death Eaters with him.
"We need to get him out of there so we can properly kill him," said Delores Umbridge. In Azkaban, her fellow prisoners had converted her to the Death Eater cause. Indeed, it was she who persuaded the Dementors to release them before they abandoned their posts. "Let's send the Dementors in after him."
When he saw the Dementors coming for him, Karkaroff kept firing death curses, to no avail. By the time he thought to cast the Patronus Charm, they had already sucked too much happiness out of him for him to concentrate on a happy thought. Over and over, he yelled "Expecto Patronum!" but failed to produce anything more than a vague mist. They glided through the door for him, restrained him in a grip like ice cold iron, then one of them brought its' hood near his face to administer the kiss.
Suddenly a bat flew through the window that appeared to me made of solidified light. It hovered between Karkaroff's face and the Dementor and forced it back. Then, a menagerie of other Patroni entered the shack and chased the Dementors out.
When Karkaroff had recovered himself, he looked out the window to see the Patroni chase off the Dementors. On a hill to the left, stood a group of six figures. The Death Eaters were firing curse after curse at them. But they were consistently blocked by various shielding charms. A witch who was wielding a short sword that seemed to be able to absorb the Unforgivables blocked even Death Curses. Each time a curse would hit it, it would glow incandescently.
"Delibro!" shouted one of his rescuers as a Death Eater began to scream. Over and over, he cast this curse until all of the Death Eaters were screaming in agony!
When the screams died down, the group came down off the hill and casually walked towards the shack. Karkaroff resigned himself to being captured by the Aurors. But as they came closer, he realized that he recognized one of them.
"You're not an Auror!" exclaimed Karkaroff. "You're Harry Potter!"
"Come with me if you want to live," said Harry as he offered his hand.
When Karkaroff took the offered hand, Harry activated the portkey and they vanished.
Scene Break
They appeared in a room elaborately decorated in gold and black.
"Vere are ve?" asked Karkaroff.
"Hufflepuff manor. You should be safe here," said Harry. "No outsider has been here except my wife and I since the 14th century."
"Vhat is it you are going to do vith me?" asked Karkaroff.
"The grounds are inhabited by a community of Mennonite witches and wizards," said Harry. "I thought you might like to help them work the land while you recover from your ordeal."
"So I am to be enslaved?" asked Karkaroff.
"Not at all," said Harry. "You are free to leave at any time. I just thought that you might find caring for the gardens more relaxing than fleeing the Death Eaters. It's just for the summer, until we can figure out something else for you to do."
"I vill stay," said Karkaroff.
Scene Break
After Harry disappeared with Karkaroff, Luna gathered the rest of the Squad together and prepared to use her Gryffindor Ring as a port key to get them back to Gryffindor Castle. They were about to join hands when a voice called out:
"Crucio!"
Luna crumpled to the ground screaming as the last remaining Death Eater, Umbridge shot her in the back with a Cruciatus curse.
Stan stepped in the way and took the curse for her. He was able to stay on his feet and he growled out a Reductor curse that missed wildly.
"Delibro!" shouted Amanda as she retaliated against Umbridge. Instantly, her skin started peeling off. After that, she collapsed as her muscles peeled away like an onion. This made her internal organs plop out on the floor. They then peeled away. Next, her bones disintegrated. By now, all that was left was a brain and nervous system. The nerves started peeling away, starting at the periphery and working their way inwards until all that was left was a brain. The layers of the brain peeled away from outside in. The last part of the brain to go was the pain center. In total, this process took thirty seconds to complete. Umbridge screamed for as long as she still had the requisite organs to do so.
By now, Luna had recovered enough to call forth her sword, but it was too late.
"Th-thanks Amanda," said Luna. "Guess we'll be going now."
After making sure that all of the Death Eaters were really dead, they returned to Gryffindor Castle.
Scene Break
One morning Harry opened the Daily Prophet and read:
Fudge Sacked!
After a disastrous week, Cornelius Fudge has been removed as Minister of Magic. His successor will be Amelia Bones the former Head of Magical Law Enforcement. It is hoped that she will be more effective against he-who-must-not-be-named than Fudge has been.
Scene Break
Dear Harry,
I think your suggestion that I hire Igor Karkaroff to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts next term is a good one. If you can keep him alive until school starts, he should be safe enough at Hogwarts.
Also, I would like your assistance in persuading a former professor to come out of retirement to teach potions. I will meet you at the Leaky Cauldron at eight o'clock in the evening, next Thursday if you are willing.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore