Disclaimer: I only own everything that resides in my room. Oh, and my own original stories. Everything else is someone else's.
Chapter 14
Rule No. 42: Never Take Anything Belonging to a Demon
Hermione groaned in her sleep and tried to roll over onto her side but something that bit fiercely into her right wrist prevented her from doing as such. Slowly, she opened her eyes and blinked several times at the room she was in. She was lying on a bed, her wrists chained to the headboard and her ankles shackled to the footboard. The clothes she'd been wearing earlier were still on her, thank Merlin, but she wasn't in Hogwarts anymore.
Glancing at the chains, she figured that wherever she was, she wasn't liked.
As she looked around the room to try and see anything that would identify where she was, the door opened and a house-elf clothed in a meager tea towel crept in carrying a tray. On it were a glass of water and a small plate with a hunk of bread lying on it.
"Hi," she said softly as the elf made its way over to her and sat the tray down on a small dresser.
"I is not to be talking to Miss," said the elf, his big green eyes full of fear. "Master said you is dangerous."
"I'm not," insisted Hermione. "Who is your Master?"
"Oh, Master would not want me to tell that. No, no, no. Dobby cannot tell Miss who Master is, even if Miss is pretty."
She sighed in defeat then said, "Thank you, Dobby."
Dobby smiled and bobbed, chirping, "I is welcome to serve, Miss. Would Miss like some water?"
"Yes, please."
The house-elf bobbed again then glanced at the glass, which floated up into the air and towards Hermione. She lifted her head as much as could and got four wondrous gulps of cool water (without spilling a drop, amazingly) before Dobby floated it away. He then lifted the bread and let it drift towards her, whereupon she took two bites from it then asked politely for more water. They continued in this matter until both water and bread were gone, which was when Dobby picked up his tray and bobbed a bow towards her.
"I would stay, Miss, but Master would be very angry with Dobby then. But Dobby will be back!"
Hermione smiled, touched by the little house-elf's manner.
"I look forward to it, Dobby," she said softly.
The green eyes glittered happily and Dobby bobbed again before skittering out the door. As it closed behind him, Hermione let her head fall back onto the plush pillows of the bed.
"Harry," she whispered, closing her eyes against tears of fear that swelled up from deep within her. "Where are you?"
- - -
Harry had flown like a madman for two and a half hours until he had finally landed somewhere near Preston in England. His clothes were drenched with moisture from the clouds and the wind-battered Nimbus was clenched tight in a white-knuckled fist.
Staggering through a small copse of trees, he emerged about five yards away from a small village. Blinking water out of his eyes, he stumbled towards the closest building, which he found to be a pub as he got close to it.
As he reached for the doorknob, exhaustion suddenly overtook him and he collapsed to his knees, knocking his forehead against the heavy oak door.
"…Mia…san," he whispered as he felt unconsciousness taking over his mind.
As his body collapsed backwards, the door of the pub opened and a shadow fell over his prone body. It knelt then and a girl of about eleven years became visible in the light falling from within the pub. She slowly reached out and poked Harry, jerking back after she did so.
"Meru!" shouted an older woman's voice from inside. "What was it?""
"It's a boy, Mamma!"
"Boy?"
Another shadow fell over Harry's body and the woman gasped.
"Hurry!" she hissed then. "Get him inside!"
"Mamma, what's wrong?"
"Just help me, girl. Go upstairs and pull back the sheets on my bed. And heat them up just a little."
"Yes, Mamma," said the girl, bobbing her head before dashing upstairs. As she rushed off, her mother knelt down by Harry and picked him up, slinging him over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. Then, with his long body dangling over her shoulder, she proceeded to carry him like he was a sack of flour up the stairs. Only with more grace.
- - -
Hermione was jolted out of a restless sleep she'd fallen into an hour before by a hand slapping the right side of her face. Crying out in pain, she tried to pull away from whoever had slapped her then winced as her shackles bit into her wrists.
"Wake up, Mudblood!" snapped a voice that might have been melodic if it hadn't been for the hate and rage latent within it.
Another slap came and she cried out again, instinctively trying to pull away from her tormenter. Rough hands grabbed her and the voice snarled, "Look at me, you little wench!"
Hermione slowly opened her eyes and found herself looking up at a face that was familiar but brought nothing but anger and fear.
It could only be Draco Malfoy's father that was towering above her with menace in his voice and madness in his eyes. The pain in her wrists and ankles reminded her that if he so took the idea of raping her into his head, there would be little she could do to stop him.
But it seemed he only wanted to taunt her with her predicament as he smirked down at her, madness swirling in his eyes.
"Now that's a good girl," he purred, stroking her face. She clenched her teeth at this and fought the urge to pull away from his touch.
Lucius smirked again and pulled away from her, walking slowly around the bed and eying her like she was a slab of meat hanging in a shop.
"Mmm, I can see why the brat likes you. If you weren't part of the plan, I'd keep you for myself."
"What plan?" asked Hermione softly. "What are you planning on doing?"
"Now, now, that's none of your business," said Lucius with a cold smile. "Just be a good girl and you won't get hurt during the time you're here. Which won't be long as my Master intends to send someone for you tomorrow."
"Your…Master?" whispered Hermione.
"Yes. My Lord Voldemort. I'm certain you know him."
"Oh God…Harry."
Lucius threw back his head and laughed madly like a hyena then looked at her with wild gray eyes.
"YES!" he cried loudly. He then leaned on the bed and stroked her face again as he said, "Your little lover boy, that brat that everyone thought was dead, is our real objective. You're just the bait. Such a smart, smart little girl."
"Leave him alone," she whispered before she could hold the words back. "Please…"
"I am afraid not, my little Mudblood," said Lucius as he pulled back. "What my Lord wants, my Lord gets. And he wants Harry Potter's head on a pike…or more preferably a plate, but I suppose a sword or some such will also do." He then smirked and added, "And you, girl, are the bait."
He laughed again as he left the room, banishing the lights as he did so, leaving Hermione alone and in the dark.
Tears began to burn her eyes as they flowed over her cheeks and she felt a dull ache forming in the pit of her stomach. Jerking at her shackles until her wrists bled in frustration, Hermione cried herself to sleep, hoping that Harry was not foolish enough to come after her on his own.
- - -
"MIA-SAAAAN!"
"Easy, child, easy!" said a woman's voice as her hands pushed Harry's unresponsive body back down onto the bed. "You're safe."
"I…" began Harry, trying to blink the light out of his eyes so he could see the woman speaking to him. He then gave up and shoved against her hands with weary strength, saying, "I have to go!"
The woman shoved him back down with a strength he could only akin to a creature with supernatural powers – as only a very strong human could overcome him even in a weakened state – and said, "No, you have to stay here and rest, son of Harper."
"What…how do you…? How do you know my father's name?"
He blinked again and saw a dim outline of the woman's face, catching a smile there.
"Because I can sense his strength in you, childling. Now sleep."
"But…I…Mia-san…she's…"
The woman placed a hand on his forehead, which burned at the touch, and whispered, "You can go nowhere in this state, my child. Now sleep a little while longer – for your sake and the girl's."
Harry struggled against the soothing voice, which flowed deep within him and cast everything into a dim fog. He fought against her power but he was too weak and succumbed, falling in a deep but restless slumber.
The woman pulled away from him and sat back in her chair again, her cool amber eyes focused on the teenager lying in front of her. Her mouth twitched in a smile and she shook her head.
"Harper, my old friend, so you found a woman to love at last and fathered a boy-child. It is a pity Douchi found you. I think you would have liked this boy." Her smile widened and she added softly, "Yes, I think you would."
"Mamma?"
The woman turned away from Harry's prone form to look over at the door.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Is he gonna be okay?"
"Of course, hunny. Now will you come watch him while I go fix him something to eat when he wakes up again?"
"Yes, Mamma," said the eleven-year-old, bobbing her head.
The woman smiled and rose from her chair, straightened her simple brown skirt as she did so. She then walked over to the girl and patted her on the head in passing, saying, "Thank you, sweetheart."
The child smiled then bounded across the room like a deer to land in the chair. She curled herself around a pillow the woman had been leaning against and fixed the unconscious Harry with wide gray eyes.
The woman smiled then pulled her long, furry tail over her shoulder like a cape and tucked her curtain of crimson hair behind pointed, elven ears before descending the stairs.
- - -
"He went alone?" asked Snape for the third time since he'd returned an hour before and heard the news of Hermione's kidnapping and Harry's flight.
"Yes, Severus, for the last time!" shouted McGonagall in ire. She paced in front of the chair he sat in near the fire in the teacher's lounge, her gray-streaked hair coming loose from its bun and pooling over her shoulder in wiry strands that echoed her mood. "That stupid, foolish boy!"
"And here I thought that was me."
"This is no time to be sarcastic!"
Snape pinned her in her pacing with his dark gaze and snapped, "And what would you have me do? Fly after him? He could be anywhere between here and Scotland by now! Nearly six hours gone and you wish to do something about it? A bit late, Minerva, a bit late indeed."
The Transfiguration professor bristled and made a move as though to strike him. Then the fire left her eyes and she sank bonelessly into the chair across from him, clasping her hands over her face.
"Forgive me, Severus," she muttered between them. "I'm just worried for him."
"As am I," said the younger man. He reached across the gap between them and patted her knee gingerly, saying, "But we must remember what he is."
McGonagall's hands dropped to clench in her lap and she stared at him in horror as she gasped, "He's still only a child, Severus!"
"And I was only a child when I joined the Dark Lord," said Snape seriously as he waved a hand, summoning a handkerchief from across the room and handing it to her. "Harry is a year older and many more years wiser than I was then. And he also has demon blood in his veins."
"You have vampire in yours, if you don't recall," shot McGonagall as she dabbed at her eyes. "And thank you."
He nodded in response then said, "I recall very well what blood runs in my veins, Minerva. And for Merlin's sake, Vlad was only a Halfling vampire, not the full one everyone made him out to be! If he had been a full one, he never would have been killed so easily." He then shook his head, saying, "But my bloodline is not the point here. It is Harry's."
"He's only a Halfling, Severus."
"And he has more power in the nail of his little finger than many wizards have in their entire bodies!"
"So does Voldemort!"
Snape snorted and said, "The Dark Lord stole half the power he has and he lost more when he attempted to kill Harry's double. And I don't doubt that that power swept its way down the link that had to be made between Harry and his double to keep the latter alive and into Harry himself after the double died."
"You can't be serious!"
A smirk crossed the younger wizard's face, as he said, "No, I'm not Sirius, Minerva."
McGonagall blinked then shook her head with a smile, saying, "Well, I'm glad one of us can joke right now."
"I love to surprise."
"I know." McGonagall's smile faded then and she softly said, "Seriously, Severus, do you think they will be alright? Both of them?"
Snape sobered as well as sighed, shaking his head.
"I'm no Seer, Minerva. But I can tell you, my gut tells me that Harry can bring Miss Granger – Hermione – back safe and sound. And you know how much I trust it."
"With your life," murmured the older witch.
"Too many times for me to remember." He then frowned and asked, "Do you want a hand back to your rooms?"
"No," said McGonagall sternly and with a mild glare. "I may be older than you, Severus Snape, but I'm not feeble."
Snape chuckled at that.
"Just being gentlemanly, Minerva. Is there anything I can do?"
She was silent for a moment then nodded, saying softly, "Stay here. Talk. If you leave, I'll drive myself mad worrying about the both of them."
"As will I, I don't doubt," said Snape, easing back down into the chair he'd half risen from. "I'll order us some tea and something to eat."
"I couldn't eat now if I tried."
"Then nibble," he said as he scribbled down an order on a sheet of paper and sent it to the kitchens. "We have a long wait ahead of us."
"I know. Oh Merlin, how I know…"
- - -
Harry blinked open eyelids that were heavy with sleep and stared for a moment at the young girl dozing lightly in the chair sitting beside the bed he was lying in. He then shifted and sat up, only to have a hand come gently down on his shoulder.
"Easy, childling," said the woman he found in his line of sight as he spun to face her. "You will wake my daughter."
The han-akurei blinked at the woman in confusion. It was obvious the girl was magical but this woman…this woman was a full-blooded demon. The pointed ears that her crimson hair was tucked behind, the glowing amber eyes, and the tail that was tucked about her for warmth might only have given away that she was demon blooded to any fool. But Harry was half demon and he could sense those of his kind.
This woman was an akurei, as his father had been.
"Who are you?" he asked softly. "And who is she?"
"She," replied the woman, "is Meru, my daughter in all ways but blood. I found her abandoned at the door of my pub one day and she has been mine ever since."
"And you?"
"Kailua. My name is Kailua Cloudfox."
Harry frowned then said, "You are a fox demon. A kitsune."
Kailua nodded, saying, "I am. And your name, boy-child?"
"Harry Potter."
"Harry Potter, the half-demon son of my old friend Harper," murmured the akurei. "How strangely the world turns."
"You knew him?" asked Harry. "You knew my father?"
Kailua smiled and said, "As a child, I thought myself in love with him. He was my friend from when I was small until my teenage years, which was when he returned home to Japan."
"When was this?"
"1976. In the summer. After that, I never heard from him again. The next time I even heard his name was when the news came that the hunter-demon, Douchi, had cornered Harper at long last and killed him."
Harry nodded, saying, "A month before I was born according to my foster mother." He then coughed and asked, "Could I have something to drink?"
"Of course," replied Kailua with a smile. "Would you like something to eat? I made you some soup earlier. It should still be warm."
Harry blinked in surprise at her thoughtfulness and nodded, saying, "Hai. Thank you, Kailua-san."
Kailua shrugged as she rose from her chair and said, "It's no trouble. I'm just happy that Harper found someone to love – even if he didn't get to keep her."
"Neither of us did," muttered Harry, ears drooping.
Kailua just smiled, saying, "I'll go get that soup now. If Meru wakes up and asks where I went, do tell her."
Harry nodded and watched her as she left before he scooted back so he could lean back against the headboard of the bed. He noticed then that he was shirtless and blushed pink when the girl in the chair began to stir.
She sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily, then turned and blinked at him. After a moment she seemed to register what she was seeing and curious gray eyes stared bravely into emerald.
"Hi," whispered the girl, her voice soft and sweet. Harry felt a twinge in his gut as it reminded him of Hermione.
"Konnichi-wa, Meru-sama," he said softly, ducking his head towards her. She giggled and bounced in her seat, eyes dancing.
"That means 'hello'!" she chirped. "Mamma told me so!"
Harry blinked then smiled. Apparently his father had taught the younger Kailua how to speak Japanese and she had begun to teach it to her 'daughter'. Speaking of Meru, those gray eyes looked oddly familiar… And that scent…
The han-akurei sniffed in the young girl's direction again and it came to him like an electric shock. This girl – Meru – was the younger sister of Draco Malfoy. And only a half sister since she did not have the same exact smell as the Malfoy Heir. Even the Weasley siblings had nearly the same smell, which told Harry that they were from the same parents. Anyone that didn't have near the same smell as their siblings either only shared one parent with them or was adopted.
He got over his shock after a moment and held out his hand towards her, saying, "My name is Harry."
Meru grinned brightly and tucked her smaller hand into his, which engulfed it.
"Hi, Harry," she murmured with a giggle.
"Ah, I see you two have met," said Kailua as she came back into the room carrying a tray with a glass of milk and a bowl of gently steaming soup. Harry's mouth began to water the moment the scent of the soup reached his nose, making him realize how hungry he was. It took a great deal of willpower for him not to snatch the tray from Kailua or grab the bowl of soup the second it was placed in front of him and swallow it all in one great gulp.
Despite him keeping himself from eating the soup like a pig, he had finished it off in nearly seven minutes and Kailua had sent Meru back downstairs to pour him another bowl. When the young girl came back up, she told the akurei that customers were beginning to come into the pub below.
"And Emily is not yet here," muttered Kailua as she handed the bowl to Harry, who immediately started in on it. "Meru, dear, you'll stay here and keep Harry company, won't you?"
"Yes, Mamma," replied Meru, bobbing her head.
"I don't mean to be any trouble," said Harry, taking a break in his eating.
Kailua smiled at him and laughed, saying, "Oh, you are no trouble at all, Harry. Though I hope you'll stay at least until it gets dark again before you leave."
Harry frowned at that then said, "But by then it could be too late. Mia-san could be…"
"Do not think about what 'could' be," said Kailua as she raised a hand to stop him. "Just think of what you must do. You must rescue this girl from whoever took her. That is all you need think of."
He nodded then as she turned to leave, said, "Meru's father is the one that took her."
The akurei stopped and turned to look at the han-akurei for a long moment. Then she forced a smile and said, "So…you figured it out."
Harry nodded.
"Her brother is in my House at Hogwarts. He's also the reason their father has Mia-san."
"I see," said Kailua as Meru darted her gray eyes between the two of them. The akurei looked at her 'daughter' for a long moment then said to Harry, "You must do what you must, Harry. Even if it means killing."
"I intend to," growled Harry, his demon half rising slightly.
"But remember," cautioned Kailua, "do not let it control you. Even we full demon's do not let the beast all of the demon blood carry inside take complete control. To do so is to give up what humanity we have. You are half human. Don't give that up to sate it's bloodlust."
Harry nodded slowly and she smiled at him then patted Meru on the head before leaving the room. The young girl then looked at him and asked, "I have a brother?"
"Yes," replied Harry, swirling the spoon around in his soup.
"And he took somebody?"
"Someone I…care…about. Deeply."
"Oh."
Meru curled her knees up to her chest and hugged them, her gray eyes just peeking over her knees. Harry looked at her then down at the bowl in his hands before tilting back his head and downing the rest of it straight from the bowl. Then, setting it aside, he turned towards the seemingly distraught young girl and said, "Come here, Meru-sama."
Gray eyes looked at him and studied his face for a moment before the girl uncurled herself and slid out of her chair. She clambered up into the bed and crawled over to him, curling up against his side with his arm around her shoulders.
"My brother's bad," she whispered, her voice low enough that a human wouldn't have been able to hear her. "My papa too."
"I know," whispered Harry, his heart aching for the girl. He had hurt growing up knowing that he would never meet his parents. This girl would have to live knowing that her family cared nothing for the lives of others. And apparently not even her since she had been abandoned on Kailua's doorstep.
"Will I be bad?" asked Meru, startling Harry.
He looked down at her and gently tilted her chin up so he could look into her gray eyes, where were building up tears.
"You can be whatever you want to be, Meru-sama. It is your choice and yours alone. Whatever path your family chose to take doesn't matter. You are your own person and it is your choice. Do you understand?"
The dark head pillowed against his chest again nodded and Harry closed his eyes as he felt her tears flow silently. He then turned his gaze towards the window and stared at the blue sky, wishing for sunset.
I am still coming, Mia-san, he thought as he began to gently rock the now sobbing Meru.
I am coming.
- - -
Hermione woke again to find Dobby leaning worriedly over her, a small lantern shaking in his hands. Just as she was about to speak, he shook his head, whispering loudly, "Do not speaks, Missus! Dobby is not supposed to be here. Master said so. But Dobby does not want Miss to suffer so he is here."
"Th-thank you, Dobby," whispered Hermione through a suddenly scratchy throat.
"Dobby is happy to serve," said the house-elf with a bob. He then summoned a glass of water from a tray and let her drink some. She tried not to swallow it quickly as her stomach was empty but the liquid soothed her aching throat so much and she couldn't help it.
The elf then gave her another piece of bread, much as he had before. Apparently it was all Lucius Malfoy allowed his 'guests' to be fed.
Just as she was finishing getting another drink from the glass, the door burst open and Dobby vanished with a loud crack. Lucius' face was purple with rage as he stormed over and slapped Hermione hard across the face.
"You worthless wench! How dare you turn my house-elves against me!"
"It's not my fault that you're a heartless bastard," snapped out Hermione before she could stop herself.
Another hard slap came and she felt blood spurt in her mouth. Experimentally she wiggled a few of her teeth then found one tooth to be loose. Cursing mentally, she wiggled it with her tongue and earned a nice shot of pain for her trouble.
Lucius then leaned forward and grabbed her by her hair, lifting her head up off the pillow as she gasped in pain. He then thrust his wand under her chin, forcing it up far enough that they were staring eye-to-eye.
"No Mudblood wench will speak to me like that. You'll learn your place, girl, after Potter is dealt with. That, I assure you of."
Fear and rage ripped through Hermione and – in a spurt of inspiration – she spat the blood continually pooling in her mouth in his face.
The blonde man slapped her twice more in rage then pulled back and pointed his wand at her even as he dug a handkerchief out to wipe off the blood.
"Crucio!"
Pain ripped through Hermione's body and it writhed in pain as she screamed until her throat was raw. Her shackles dug painfully into her wrists and ankles and drew blood as she writhed in the curse's grasp. If asked later to describe it, she would have replied that it must be what Hell would be like and she hoped Lucius Malfoy would rot there.
After what seemed an eternity of pain, Lucius ended the curse and walked over to the bed, jerking her head up again. A whimper was all Hermione could utter as he hissed, "That's only a sample of what I'll teach you after my Master is done with you, Mudblood."
He then hurled her back onto the bed and left, kicking a house-elf lingering near the door as he did so. Hermione lay there in blinding pain for a long time before she was finally able to think around it. When it finally subsided to a tolerable level, she turned her head as far as she could into the now bloodstained pillow and began to cry, choking out Harry's name between gasping sobs.
- - -
Nearly three hours after Harry left Kailua's pub, he landed on the outskirts of the Malfoy estate, Brickerwood. The akurei had kept her word and had allowed him to leave at sunset even though she thought he ought to stay a little while longer. She had provided him with warmer clothes – dark jeans and a thick, black wool sweater over a black t-shirt that had all apparently been left by customers at one time or another – and had given him a small pouch filled with hot biscuits as well as a flask of water. He had then set off again after hugging a sobbing Meru and promising her that he'd come back safe and sound.
Resting for a moment outside the estate, he finished off the last biscuit and slugged down the rest of the water. Then he tucked broom, pouch, and flask underneath a bush before straightening his cap and checking to make sure his wand was still in his arm sheath.
He then stepped up to the wards, which he could barely sense if he concentrated a little. Hoping McGonagall had been right, he took a step forward, body tensing for a jolt…that never came.
Harry grinned a little then before sobering again. He turned away from the wards and stared across the long expanse of forested grounds to where the towers of a small castle peeked above the trees.
A stick snapped from somewhere nearby and Harry was off like a rocket, dashing down the hill he'd been standing on and into the trees. Barely any sound came from his racing feet, despite the fact that he was wearing combat boots, and he couldn't hear anyone following him. But that didn't stop him from continuing his headlong run towards the Malfoy castle.
At his speed, he made it to the castle in less than five minutes. Dashing out of the tree, he dove across the grounds with a speed that would make him a mere blur to the human eye and leapt up fifteen feet to grapple a gargoyle leering out from the stone wall. He then clambered up onto it and looked around, trying to spot a window.
A dim shadow peeked out at him from a few feet up and over and he leapt for it, grasping the window ledge with just the tips of his fingers. He curled his fingers then and dug in fingernails that swiftly changed to claws and hauled himself up onto one elbow, body dangling down the castle wall.
Checking the window first to see if it was locked, he then tapped it near the lock with one knuckle, muttering under his breath in Japanese. The lock snapped open and he grinned before pulling one pane open and sliding inside.
Slipping out of his combat boots, he left them beneath the window he'd come in through (which had been in an expansive library). He then crept out into the hallway, slowly shifting himself to his demon form as he padded silently down the halls. His cap he tucked into the waist of his jeans after a few moments, leaving his ears free to listen without the heavy material in the way.
Sniffing, he caught a scent similar to Draco and Meru, which could only be Lucius Malfoy. Baring his fangs in a snarl, he moved away from that scent, trying to find Hermione's.
After nearly getting caught by a house-elf, he found her scent but was enraged to find it nearly smothered by the smell of blood. The demon half of him roared in anger and he dashed down the hallway, nose sniffing and claws wanting very much to rip apart whosoever had cause her to bleed.
Harry hurled himself into the room that was permeated with Hermione's scent and the smell of her blood only to come to a complete stop. There she was, lying not five feet from him, chained by her wrists and ankles to a bed that reeked of her blood. The sight enraged both his halves and he swore if he ran into Lucius Malfoy on his way out, he'd kill him since this was likely his work.
Rushing over to the bed, he reached out to touch her cheek only to have her jerk away from him with a cry. Angry again at Lucius, he whispered, "Mia-san…it's me."
Brown eyes opened and turned towards him, full of disbelief and fear.
"H-Harry?"
"Hai. I'm here to rescue you."
"No!" gasped Hermione. "You have to go! They have some plan!"
Harry frowned and growled, "I am not leaving without you. Now give me a moment and I'll go find something to break these chains."
He turned to leave only to have a large, heavy object come crashing down on his head. The floor came swooping up to catch him and he struggled to get up only to have the same object smash him down again.
He heard Hermione screaming his name and spun, slashing out with his claws at where his attacker seemed to be. The sharp weapons caught cloth and he attacked like a wild cat, striking fast and hard.
His attacker bellowed and brought their weapon crashing down on his head again. Dots exploded in front of his eyes as pain took up residence in his head and decided to redecorate with a chainsaw. He struggled to get up when he heard Hermione calling out his name again but his body wouldn't respond to what he was telling it.
Cursing his stupidity, Harry collapsed and lay on the floor in a beaten, unconscious heap even as Hermione continued to scream his name.
Author's NotesThe first two people that can correctly tell me where the reference's in this chapter come from will get to either create a character or give me a name that I will make into a character, which will be put into a future HP fanfic I write.
Hint: One reference is to a video game; the other is to a book.