Ron Weasley
Ron grabbed Hermione, pulling her behind a tree as a fusillade of killing curses shot towards them.
"Thanks," she said, breathlessly, her face pale.
"We're out in the open here—we need to get to the Shack," Ron said. "The Aurors will be here soon."
Hermione leant out and fired a stunner towards where the Death Eaters were and immediately ducked back to avoid the killing curse fired her way. "If we cast Fumos and stay low, I don't think they can get us," she whispered. "In there," she pointed at a low ditch partially filled with rain water.
"Urgh," Ron muttered. But there was no better option. "I hope those bloody Aurors hurry up," he growled.
"Fumos!" Hermione shouted. Immediately a cloud of thick, black smoke surrounded them, blocking them from view.
Ron leapt into the ditch, grimacing as the cold, clammy water enveloped his legs. He held out his hand to help Hermione in. "Maybe we can get in a position to ambush them?" he suggested, staying low as he led the way along the ditch towards the shack.
"No," Hermione hissed. "Leave them to the Aurors. We've done our part."
Ron considered arguing, but decided not to. "Keep alert," he whispered. "There might be more of them here."
From behind them came the sound of combat. The Aurors had arrived and engaged the two Death Eaters.
John Dawlish
John Dawlish was on alert. He and Gordon Butcher, a trainee Auror of 26, had been assigned as the alert team. Positioned at Hogsmeade station, they were to wait there until they saw sparks shoot up and then apparate to the position. He had faced a number of Death Eaters already during the war and was one of the most experienced Aurors. Tough and grim, he was ready for anything. Gordon Butcher was a muggle born who had been working for the Department of Magical Maintenance before applying for the Auror Initiative. Dawlish didn't like him much, he didn't think the lad had what it takes.
"Stay alert," he growled. "No slacking."
Gordon hadn't been slacking, but Dawlish often threw little comments and orders his way just to ensure that Gordon Butcher knew his place.
"Yes, sir," Gordon said, importantly, puffing his chest out.
His eyes narrowed and Dawlish, sensing trouble, spun around—sure enough, over the treetops came a jet of red sparks.
"That's the shack, isn't it?" Butcher asked.
"Apparate, now—to Apparation point Gamma," Dawlish said. Apparation points in each potential combat area had been assigned prior so that each Auror pair arrived together. Gamma was on the short path leading down the small hill from the Shrieking Shack to Hogsmeade. Though he would be giving up the high ground, it was imperative to stop any Death Eaters from entering the village proper.
Without waiting for Butcher to reply, Dawlish apparated. Fifty yards away, he could see green lights and the occasional red stunner firing threw the trees. It seems some of the prefects were engaging the Death Eaters.
"Spread out …' he trailed off. Butcher hadn't appeared.
"That … idiot!" Dawlish snarled. There was nothing else for it. He ran to cover, raised his wand and fired a killing curse towards the two Death Eaters.
Some of the Aurors still insisted on non-lethal force, but not John Dawlish. Lockhart had taken the kid gloves off and authorized the use of the killing curse, and Dawlish was going to take full advantage of that.
His spell missed, but the two Death Eaters turned their attention from the prefects to him—the main threat. He ducked down as a killing spell shot over his head and returned fire in kind. All the while, he was cursing Butcher. He didn't know if he had fled or just messed up his apparition, but either way, the youth had left Dawlish in the lurch. Luckily, he only had to hold out until the main quick-reaction force got here.
The Professors
Professor McGonagall acted immediately as soon as she heard the explosion and saw the shower of sparks. "The attack is on," she said to Tonks and Flitwick. "The priority is student safety."
Already, the prefects assigned to the main square—Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan were carrying out their duties in shepherding students towards the castle.
"We will oversee the retreat, Filius—assist the prefects in rounding up stragglers. Tonks and I will cover the retreat."
Flitwick hurried off towards the nearest shop—Schrivenshaft's to find any students inside. Tonks hurried to one side of the main road, her eyes alert. Minerva positioned herself on the other. They would wait until every student was accounted for. The Death Eaters would be left to the Aurors.
"Professor!" a voice cried. It came from the road leading towards the mountains—the road which had been assigned to Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy.
"What is it, Parkinson?" McGonagall asked, hurrying towards her.
Pansy was crying and her usually neat hair was a mess.
"Draco … he's … he's gone …" she gasped.
Minerva reacted immediately. "Tonks, cover the evacuation," she ordered. "Parkinson, take me to where you last saw him."
Pansy Parkinson
Pansy knew she shouldn't have left her position, but she couldn't help it. She didn't think Malfoy should be walking off alone, not when there was a chance of an attack, so she had followed. She was quite good at sneaking around and could be very stealthy. She could also tell when somebody was up to no good and Draco definitely was looking shifty.
She followed him for a mile up the road and waited as he approached a cave. She hadn't even known there was a cave here, and she made a mental note to explore it one day. It would be interesting.
Pansy let out a small gasp as a familiar figure stepped out of the cave. Lucius Malfoy—a Death Eater. She relaxed a little, feeling certain that Lucius wouldn't harm his son. But what could he what with Draco? Did he just want to see is son again? Pansy didn't think so. Something was going on here, she could sense it. But what?
For now, they were talking. Pansy watched intently. Then, there came an explosion from the direction of the village—an attack, it had to be. Pansy's eyes grew wide. She had her prefect duties, but she wasn't brave. She really didn't want to face any Death Eaters. She turned back to Draco but both he and Lucius were gone.
"Draco?" she shouted, stepping forward. Then, she realized how stupid that was. Lucius might not have been alone. She glanced around fearfully, half expecting to see masked Death Eaters approaching from every direction.
"Draco?" she whispered. There was no answer.
Had Lucius kidnapped him? But why?
Suddenly fearing that something very bad had happened to Draco, she turned and ran. She forgot all about the signals they had arranged—she just wanted to find somebody, anybody, who could help.
Lavender Brown
Lavender ran as fast as she could, ignoring the shouts from her friends. She was determined to find one of the Death Eaters and make them pay for what they had done to Neville. Up ahead, fifty or sixty yards away, she could see an Auror engaged in a fight with the Death Eaters. She recognized him from the Daily Prophet—it was John Dawlish. But where was his protégé? Had he been killed?
Lavender found she didn't care, she just wanted to find the Death Eaters. She ground to a halt, suddenly seeing movement in the trees. Two more Death Eaters, approaching Dawlish's position from behind.
They froze upon seeing her. Lavender didn't hesitate. "Crucio!" she yelled.
The spell hit one of the Death Eaters, knocking him to the floor.
"Miles!" one of them shouted.
The Death Eater Miles, who she now knew must be Miles Selwyn, didn't twitch or flail in pain the way she expected, but rather, immediately started getting to his feet. Her spell hadn't work.
"Crucio!" she shouted, but the second Death Eater, who she suspected must be Clayton Selwyn, blocked the spell and countered with his own.
Suddenly, Lavender knew pain. Her whole body felt like nails were being driven into every inch of it. She curled up as if that could block the pain and screamed.
Clayton Selwyn
Clayton felt nervous. He hadn't been granted the rank of Death Eater yet, but after being freed from Ministry captivity by the Dark Lord, he had pledged loyalty. All the prisoners had—they had little choice. He believed in the Dark Lord's goal, but he had never enjoyed violence. This was his first ever mission and he was nervous. He didn't want to die, and he didn't want to see his husband, Miles Selwyn die.
There orders were to approach the village and kill any muggleborns and cause as much trouble as they could. Clayton found it distasteful. He didn't want to kill kids, but he was scared to disobey. If he disobeyed, he knew the Dark Lord would kill him and kill Miles. He had no choice. He would make it quick.
"There!" Miles Selwyn whispered, pointing. "An Auror—Dawlish!"
Clayton felt relieved, killing an Auror would be easier than killing a kid.
"We approach quiet, ambush him from close range," Miles whispered, leading the way through the woods. Clayton followed, his heart pounding.
They both froze as, unexpectedly, a girl with long brown hair and a furious expression on her face burst out of the trees in front of them. Clayton had his hand raised, but he couldn't fire—not at a child.
The girl, however, didn't hesitate.
"Crucio!" she shouted.
"Miles!" Clayton yelled, fearing the worst. The curciatus curse hadn't worked. It merely knocked Miles to the ground, but still—she had tried to torture his husband.
"Crucio!" Clayton yelled, firing his own spell at the girl. He held it for a few seconds, seething with rage and then … stopped. She was just a child. He couldn't do this.
"Finish her," Miles said.
"I … I can't," said Clayton. He stared at the girl as she wheezed on the floor.
"I'll do it," Miles snarled, raising his arm.
"No!" Clayton grabbed Miles arm, stopping the curse.
"What are …" Miles began.
"She's … she's pureblood—I recognize her!" Clayton said, thinking fast.
"She's a traitor," Miles snarled.
"We have our orders—mudbloods only," Clayton insisted, hoping he could persuade Miles to spare the girl.
"Bloody hell," Miles sighed. "Stun her and let's get Dawlish, then."
"Lav!" another girl burst into view—clearly the girl's friend.
"Avada …" Miles Selwyn began.
"No!" Clayton pushed his husband. Despite the risk, he couldn't' stand by and see him murder an innocent child.
"He'll kill us both you fool!" Miles growled.
"They're purebloods!" Clayton argued.
He turned to the girl who seemed momentarily stunned at the scene.
"Stup …" the girl began. She didn't finish her curse.
Miles Selwyn was a formidable dueller. His stunner hit her before she could finish her spell and she slumped to the floor.
"We better kill Dawlish, or the Dark Lord is going to be furious …" Miles snarled, stunning the first girl who was still on the floor sobbing. "He hates mercy. Mercy is for the weak."
'It's … it's not mercy, they're purebloods. Our orders …" Clayton said. He hoped the Dark Lord would show leniency. The girls had attacked, but the Dark lord had been insistent that no pureblood be harmed. He didn't know if the girls were purebloods, but they didn't fit any of the muggleborns at the school who they knew about.
Graham Montague
Montague followed Finch-Fletchley, keeping to the shadows. He was walking with a girl called Susan Bones, who he knew was a pureblood. That made things tricky—they had orders to just harm the mudblood Still, once the assault began, he felt certain he could hit the mudblood Finch-Fletchley with a killing curse and get away without harming Bones. Though, Bones did come from a family of traitors, surely the Dark Lord wouldn't be too displeased if he wiped her out.
He smirked. Yes, kill one of the troublesome Bones family—they were traitors who had long being allies of Dumbledore the Muggle Lover. Lord Voldemort would award him, Montague decided. Like the Weasleys, the Bones family barely counted as pure bloods.
He kept his hand tight around his wand as he followed. The two were in a more desserted part of Hogsmeade, heading to a park that had a lot of privacy. Montague felt a surge of annoyance. The park was popular with couples and he had never been there. He felt a pang of jealously towards Finch-Fletchley. How did the mudblood manage to get a cute girlfriend whereas he, star of the Slytherin quidditch team, didn't? It wasn't fair. A pureblood shouldn't be seen dead with a mudblood.
There was a loud explosion. The attack had started. Montague, his eyes shining with excitement, stepped out of the shadows. He raised his wand, ready to cast the killing curse just as the couple turned around and then … he knew no more.
Cedric Diggory
Cedric followed Montague. He had never liked the big, bullying, Slytherin brute. He was definitely up to something, acting as suspicious as anyone Cedric had ever seen as he followed Justin Finch-Fletchley and Susan Bones. Cedric knew where they were going—a beautiful park with lots of benches and secluded bushes. A great place to take a girl. Cedric had been there plenty of times with his various girlfriends and had fond memories of the place.
Still, this was no time for a trip down memory lane, he had a job to do—keep an eye on Montague. There came a loud explosion,, it took all of Cedric's nerve not to turn around, but he kept his eyes fixed on Graham Montague.
Cedric felt glad that he had. The tall, former Slytherin stepped forward, his wand raised.
Cedric didn't give him the chance. "Stupefy!" His stunner struck Graham Montague in the back, knocking him to the ground.
"Ced!" Susan gasped, looking stunned. "What …" her eyes moved from Cedric to the unconscious form of Montague and then towards the explosion.
"Back to Hogwarts," Cedric said, briskly as he hurried over to restrain Montague. "There are prefects in the square. Go, now!"
With a last glance at Montague, Justin Finch-Fletchley took Susan's hand and led her back towards the center of the village.
Meanwhile, Cedric had to deal with Montague. He couldn't leave him here to be enervated by the next Death Eater to come along. For the first time, he understood Minister Lockhart's decision to introduce the kill order.
The Aurors had orders to transport all captives to the Ministry of Magic HQ, but that was a long process. He'd have to apparate there, get inside, hand over the prisoner … and all the while, there was a frenzied battle going on. The Aurors would need him.
He made a decision, he would hide Montague's unconscious nobody would find him. Waving his wand, he levitated Montague to the side. A pair of seventh years hurrying from the park stopped and stared.
"Keep going," he said. "Back to school. Now! I'll deal with him."
"Sure thing, Ced," one of them, who Cedric recognized as been a Ravenclaw said.
Cedric then levitated branches, leaves and bits of bush to cover Montagues body. He made a mental note to suggest establishing an in-field detention point in the future where they could apparate stunned Death Eaters and return immediately.
Montague successfully hidden, he squared his shoulders and hurried back to the village to lend a hand to Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Tonks
"Come on chaps, this way, back to school!" Tonks urged as she and Flitwick ferried the group of eight or so students towards the entrance to town. There didn't seem to be any stragglers, at least from what she could tell. She would lead this group to the two prefects stood at the entrance to the road to Hogwarts and then return for another sweep of the village, just in case there were more hiding. In front of her, she could see a few more students running towards the road towards school, including a few she recognized.
Suddenly, there came a loud roar. A red spell struck the side of the Three Broomsticks, setting it ablaze. Then, the two Flints—Penelope and Marcus—came into view, dueling ferociously with a pair of Death Eaters.
For a second, Tonks considered rushing forward to help. There were kids with her, some of whom had already broken ranks and were moving to safety in the shops.
"Stay together!" she shouted, in her most commanding voice and they obeyed, freezing in place. Some were crying, the others glancing around fearfully.
Tonks didn't want to lead them through town, not while a full scale duel was going on.
"The Hog's Head!" squeaked Flitwick, leading the way back the way they came, his wand raised.
The Hog's Head wasn't far away, it was a small, dingy, ramshackle pub with boarded up windows. Tonks vaguely remembered it from her time at Hogwarts. It had been owned by Aberforth Dumbledore and hadn't been used since.
"Inside!" ordered Flitwick, opening the door with a wave of his wand.
As the students hurried inside, Tonks glanced around. She saw two students she recognized hurrying along. "Justin, Susan! Here!" Tonks called.
They looked around and hurried over. "We're going back to school,' Justin began.
"Too dangerous," Tonks said, firmly. "We hold out here. Get inside. Stay down. Stay quiet. Filius and I will guard the entrance."
Once everyone was inside the abandoned pub, Filius charmed the door, sealing it against intruders. He waved his wand again. "Anti-intruder charm, stop them creeping up on us." He explained. He waved his wand again, and a shimmering dome of energy surrounded the building.
Tonks gaped at him, impressed with the magic.
'Should keep out minor hexes and jinxes—like that incendio," he said, nodding back towards the village where Tonks could see the Three Broomsticks burning.
"You take South, I'll take North," Tonks said and took up position on the road heading further into Hogsmeade.
"Right you are," said Flitwick, and he took up position overlooking the road which Tonks knew headed past a few houses and ended at a pretty park. She had been there a few times with various boys at school.
She crouched down, wand raised, ready to defend the Hog's Head and the students hiding inside.
Millicent Bulstrode
This was madness! Millie had just been on her way to get her robes fixed, there was a burn on the front of hers thanks to a mishap in potions, when the attack began. The explosion echoed through the village and then ... madness. Prefects running around barking orders. Teenagers running for any form of cover. Aurors darting to the scenes of battle. Millicent hadn't hung around, she had run towards the road back to Hogwarts. She didn't know where her friends were, and at this moment, she didn't care. Her thoughts were solely on getting out of here.
Ahead of her, those annoying Ravenclaw girls-Padma Patil's little gang has run into the road. Millicent had tripped and once she had gotten back to herself, Padma and her gang were gone.
"Back to the castle, pronto!" one of the prefects waiting at the entrance to the road ordered. Millicent rolled her eyes. What did he expect she was going to do, take a diversion into the woods? She fully intended to head to the castle where she would be safe. As she hurried up the path, from ahead of her she heard a scream.
"Shit ..." she half considered stopping and hiding, but something made her charge forward. She may be a bully, but she wasn't going to hide while a student was murdered. She turned around a corner and there she saw a horrifying sight-a man who looked more like a beast with long, scraggy grey hair and tight robes was tearing viciously at Padma Patil. She shuddered, he was tearing a chunk of flesh out of her cheek with his teeth.
"Stupefy!" she shouted, firing a hex at him. The spell hit the monstrous man, blasting him off his feet, but it didn't stun him. She had never been much good at curses-transfiguration was her top subject. The man leapt to his feet, growled like an animal and took off into the woods.
"What ... what was that?"
Millicent looked up at the voice. Sue Li and Mandy Brocklehurst were hurrying back down the road towards her.
"Dunno ... it attacked Padma, whatever it was"
Mandy paled upon seeing the torn, bloody girl at the floor. "Padma!"
Sue Li, however, looked furious. "I'll kill it!" she snarled and took off running after the beast.
'Sue!" Mandy looked terrified.
"Idiot!" Millicent growled. Let the beast go-surely making sure Padma was safe was the priority. She thought Ravenclaws were meant to be smart, but Sue Li, it seemed, had lost her head completely.
Mandy gaped, looking completely lost.
"Go after her!" Millicent ordered. "I'll look after Padma."
Mandy hesitated a moment and then took off, calling Sue's name.
Millicent bent down. She immediately regretted sending Mandy after Sue. She didn't know healing spells at all. She had just never got the hang of them. "For fuck sake," she said, glaring at Padma. Why was it left to her to clean up this mess?
"Episkey?" she lowered her wand to Padma's cheek, trying to remember what Tonks had taught them. Nothing happened. She swore again. That was when she heard footsteps approaching from behind.
Dudley
Dudley watched as Penelope and Marcus Flint dueled, neither, he saw, were aiming to kill, despite Lockhart's recent kill order. They were firing red stunners at their two attackers. They kept moving back, giving ground and covering each other while the Death Eaters came forward, firing a variety of hexes and spells at the Aurors. The Three Broomsticks was burning. Marcus Flint blocked another incendio spell and fired a stunner at his opponent which narrowly missed.
"Now!" Dudley shouted. He grabbed Luna's hand and ran forward, pulling her behind him. The road to Hogwarts was just ahead. He passed Katie Bell who was pressed against a tree, using it as cover.
"Come on!" he called.
Katie leapt to her feet and joined him as they dashed towards the road to Hogwarts. Dudley was half expecting to be attacked at any moment, but the Death Eaters, it seemed were all engaged. As they neared the start of the road, two prefects stepped out.
"How many more?" a male demanded, looking ashen faced.
"I dunno ... there were some behind us ... but ..." Dudley gestured back at the town. The fire was spreading, the shop next to the Three Broomsticks-a robe shop was ablaze now too. As he watched, he saw a group of students clambering out of the windows of the pub. He could see Dean Thomas, a head taller than the rest, directing students to cast aguamenti charms to put out the blaze.
"What are they doing? They should be evacuating not putting out fires," one of the prefects growled. "You two, go to the castle. Move!"
"Come on, Dud," Luna tugged on his hand.
Dudley considered going back to help Dean, but again, he remembered Luna-she was the priority. "Let's go," he said and took off up the road.
He hadn't gone far when he ground to a halt. A burly girl was kneeling on the path next to a body. He recognised the girl as Milicent Bulstrode-a Slytherin who was part of Malfoy's gang. He didn't like her very much. Hearing his footsteps, she looked around.
"It's you," she said, a trace of distaste showing on her wide face. "Don't just stand there-help me! She's injured," she said, gesturing at the girl lying on the floor. Dudley recognised it as Padma Patil.
Dean Thomas
Dean felt bored. Romilda Vane, although she was quite good looking, was loud, obnoxious and annoying. Dean had barely got a word in edgeways and just sat there, occasionally nodding and giving a one word response as Romilda droned on and on. She was talking about some wizarding boyband—Spellbound—who he had never heard of, and, if they were like any of the muggle boybands he knew, hoped he would never have to listen to.
At least the butterbeer was good, he thought as he took a deep sip. As Romilda droned on about the possibility of Frankie (who Dean guessed was a member of the band) dating a member of Molly Malone and The Unicorns (who he guessed were a female band), Dean glanced around the Three Broomsticks.
It was mainly full of students today. Fred and George were sitting with Lee Jordan. Crabbe and Goyle were sat in a corner, looking odd without Malfoy's presence. They were trading chocolate frog cards. Dean felt surprised, he had never thought of Crabbe and Goyle as having any hobbies before. There was also another group of Slytherins—Tracey Davies, Daphne Greengrass and Astoria Greengrass. He couldn't spot the two weird twins who hung around with them—the Carrows.
"Are you listening?" Romilda demanded.
"Of course," Dean said quickly. "You were saying Frankie is dating … Sophie?"
"That was five minutes ago!" Romilda snapped. "I was asking if you've ever been to a concert."
"Oh, sorry," said Dean. He wondered if he could change the subject. He had little interest in music.
Just then, there came an explosion from outside. All conversation halted and the students all glanced around at each other, some looking anxious, some looking confused. Tracey was the first to the window.
"I think Death Eaters are here!" she called.
Her words caused panic. A third-year Hufflepuff feinted. Fred and George leapt to their feet, wands raised. Daphne and Astoria rushed to the window, too. Crabbe and Goyle merely looked confused.
"Death Eaters?" Romilda went pale.
"Stay here!" Dean said and hurried to Tracey. He was about to ask where when Madame Rosmerta shouted.
"Get away from the windows!"
Such was her commanding voice that they all did as asked. The landlady of the Three Broomsticks waved her wand and immediately shutters snapped tight over the windows.
"I'm not sticking around here!" Crabbe announced, darting to the back door. Goyle followed close behind, as did a younger Slytherin boy who Dean didn't recognize.
"Come back you idiots!" Madame Rosmerta shouted, but they didn't listen.
"The rest of you, stay here!" she ordered. "Wait for the Aurors to come."
From outside came the sounds of battle.
"Why not let us fight?" Fred said, furiously.
"Because you'll get in the way," Rosmerta replied. "Let the Aurors do their job …" she trailed off and glanced around, seemingly unsure of what to do.
"Everyone should go to the back room," Dean said, standing up.
"yes … yes, good idea, come on everyone. To the back," Madame Rosmerta clapped her hands.
"But … some of us should stay here, guard the door," Dean said. "Whoever is good at dueling …"
"We are," said Fred and George together with Lee.
"I'm staying, too," Tracey said, determinedly.
"Ok, everyone else, go with Madame Rosmerta," he said.
Some, including Daphne and Astoria had already headed to the back room. The rest soon followed, leaving Dean, Fred, George, Lee and Tracey to guard the bar.
"You reckon we should go out?" asked Fred, sounding eager.
"Nah, let's stay put," said Dean. "We can't let Death Eaters inside."
There was a thud which made him jump. George had overturned a table.
"What are you doing? You scared the crap out of me!" Dean said, his heart pounding.
"We can use the tables for cover," said Fred.
Dean nodded. It was a good idea. Get behind cover, watch the door and hex anybody who entered.
From outside came the sound of combat—yells and spells firing everywhere.
They had barely gotten into their positions when Tracey wrinkled her nose. "I smell burning."
Dean sniffed. He could, too.
"Fire!" Fred shouted, pointing. Sure enough he could see flames.
"Aguamenti!" George was the first to react, casting the water charm on the flames.
"Lee, Fred—help him, we'll cover the door," Dean ordered.
"We need to get out!" Tracey said. The room was starting to fill with smoke.
"She's right," said Lee. "We're not gonna put this out."
The door opened and Madame Rosmerta emerged, looking sad and harassed. "get out," she said, "The roof's on fire."
"Reducto!" Fred's spell shattered the window. "Come on, everyone!" he was the first one out on the street, followed by George.
Madame Rosmerta went back the way she came to herd the rest of the students out the back.
"You first!" Dean said, gesturing at Tracey who followed Lee out. Dean clambered out next. He took a brief moment to look around. Fred and George had their wands raised, looking for trouble. Lee had fallen when clambering out and was healing his bruised knee with episkey. Tracey was sat on the floor looking shocked.
As for the main street, at the far end, he could see the flash of spells as somebody dueled out of sight. Along the road heading out of Hogsmeade, he could see one or two stragglers running towards them. Most of the students seemed to have barricaded themselves either inside the shops, fled into the woods or fled towards school. He could only make out a handful of students hiding here and there—one hiding under a cart full of quidditch robes, a girl crouching behind a barrel, the top of a Ravenclaw students hat peeking out from behind a wall.
"Let's put the fire out," Dean said. "Aguamenti!"
"Tracey—can you keep an eye out for Death Eaters. Fred, George, Lee—help me." He ordered.
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Kingsley had been expecting trouble. He had sent Cedric to follow Marcus Flint, then, a few minutes later, the village had erupted in chaos. He remained calm.
"Prefect—help with the evacuation," he ordered. He himself took out of his wand and ran to cover the tree line. Dawlish and Butcher were the on-site reaction force—they would apparate to where the red sparks came from and deal with any Death Eaters there. His job was to summon reinforcements, which he did now using his enchanted parchment. Next, he had to cover the treeline and guard the main street. Though he longed to go and support Dawlish and Butcher, he needed to stay here to command the reinforcements.
As he waited, he glanced around. Kingsley was a very intelligent wizard and was already assessing the situation so he could order the reinforcements once they arrived. It would be five minutes at least, but he knew they would get here. The main point of contact came from the direction of the Shrieking Shack—judging by the spells firing, a group of Death Eaters were engaged with prefects and likely Dawlish and Butcher, too. He would send a pair of reinforcements there.
Cedric Diggory had followed Graham Montague. Kingsley was confident in Cedric's abilities as an Auror, but he wasn't taking chances. He would direct a pair of Aurors in Cedric's direction.
At the other end of town, he could see the Flint's dueling with another pair of Death Eaters. That made three points of contact so far. He would also direct some Aurors to cover the road leading to Hogwarts. If students were the target, that would be a good ambush site.
Once more, he longed to join the battle, but he was the commander. He had to stay in position and direct his forces when they arrived. His Aurors were the best. They would do their jobs.
Marcus Flint
"There!" Marcus Flint pointed towards the red sparks near the Shrieking Shack.
"Wait!" Penelope shouted. "Below—heading towards the village, two Death Eaters!"
Sure enough, when Marcus followed where she was pointing, he could see two cloaked, masked figures making their way through the trees.
"Stay close!" Penelope yelled and dived towards them, firing stunners from her wand.
Whoever the Death Eaters were, they were good. They acted instantly, firing a bludgeoning hex which smashed Penelope's wand. She fell from ten feet in the air, hit the ground hard.
"Fumos!" Marcus cast the smoke spell to cover his Auntie's position and he landed next to her. "Injured?"
"Broken wrist," Penelope said.
That was an easy fix. "Brackium Emendo," Marcus said, casting the spell to fix the bones.
"Good work," Penelope said, approvingly. She flexed her fingers a couple of times, testing them.
"Back to it," she said.
Just as she spoke, a volley of curses hit around their position.
They dueled furiously—giving ground so the Death Eaters couldn't get close and using the trees for cover. Marcus was tempted to use Avada Kedavra—they were allowed now, after all. But he didn't think he would take a life, not even that of a Death Eater.
"Stupefy!" his stunner missed and he ducked down to avoid the killing curse aimed his way.
One of the Death Eaters' masks had fallen off—he recognized her face as being Alecto Carrow, which meant the other must be Amycus. They were tough. Auror intelligence put them as two of Lord Voldemort's top duelists.
Amycus fired an incendio spell which looped over their heads and smashed into the side of the Three Broomsticks, setting it on fire.
"We retreat across the street and into the woods," Penelope said. "Let them think they have the upperhand. There's a clearing 100 yards in the woods, that's where we hit them."
Marcus nodded, acknowledging the order. They fought together. One backed off while the other covered, retreating back across the street and into the woods once more. All the while, the Carrow Twins came steadily onwards.
Marcus wasn't worried. He knew the quick-response force would be here soon, though he did like the possibility of capturing one of the twins before they got here. He leant to the side and fired a stunner which was blocked by Alecto. She was a good duelist, he had to admit.
The Quidditch Robe Seller
The Quidditch robe seller had been keeping an eye on all the students who passed as he sold his old, second-hand robes. There wasn't much business, but he had managed to sell a set of classic 1986 Wimbourne Wasps robes to one student as well as last year's England National Quidditch Team robes.
He wasn't here to sell. He was here to kill. Kidnap a muggle, take some hair, add it to polyjuice potion and Antonin Dolohov had the perfect disguise to infiltrate Hogsmeade. He had stayed here, out in full view and the idiot Aurors didn't have a clue. Polyjuice potion was foolproof, only Goblin magic could expose it, and they were remaining neutral.
Dolohov had kept an eye on any who passed, looking for mudbloods. He had selected his target. He recognized him from briefings as being Colin Creevey—a Gryffindor mudblood. He would die today.
"Robes for sale! Quidditch robes!" Dolohov called to keep up appearances. "I have Cannons, Bats, Tornadoes, Wasps and more! National teams too—England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Bulgaria, Iceland! Get your robes!"
He followed Creevey out of the corner of his eye. The mudblood had entered a shop called Dervish and Banges along with a girl he didn't recognise.
Dolohov felt pleased. It wasn't the busiest of shops, which meant that there wouldn't be any collateral damage. But, of course, the mudblood could always leave again quickly. Dolohov didn't think so, though, most people went to Dervish and Banges to get items repaired, so they usually stayed for a while.
He hoped the other Death Eaters were in position. There was only 10 minutes until the time to strike. He suddenly jumped when an explosion echoed around the village. It came from Crabbe and Goyle's position. Those idiots—they must have gotten spotted. Dolohov knew it would be those two fools who messed things up.
There was nothing else for it, the Aurors would be here soon. He looked across at Shacklebolt and decided against tangling with him—he wasn't worth the risk. No, he would stick to the plan of killing a mudblood.
The crowds had started to panic—some students running into nearby shops for cover, others making a break towards Hogwarts. Dolohov played the part of a panicked resident. He abandoned his cart full of robes and darted towards Dervish and Banges as if he was terrified. Nobody stopped him. He pushed open the door and slammed it shut.
"What's happening out there?" Avocado Dervish, the elderly owner of the shop croaked.
Dolohov ignored him and instead looked at Creevey. The boy looked scared, but was trying to calm the girl. Dolohov didn't know if the girl was a pureblood or not, and he decided to take no chances. Voldemort had been clear, not to spill magical blood. Mudbloods or Aurors only.
"Girl, go to the back room," he said. "Me and the boy will cover the door."
"Go on, Demelza," said Colin. "You'll be alright."
Demelza … thought Dolohov. It didn't ring a bell, he would need her surname to make sure. Maybe she was a mudblood?
"You … what's your name?" Dolohov demanded.
"Colin Creevey," said Colin.
"Colin, cover the right window, I'll cover the left. Avocado, can you keep an eye on the girl … what's her name?" he looked at Colin.
"Demelza Robins," Colin said.
That settled it, pure blood, or at least half blood. Voldemort hadn't actually specified how to treat half bloods. They tended to be accepted somewhat by the Dark lord—on a lesser standing—so Dolohov felt they would be off limits too, for now.
Creevey would do … for now. Creevey's back was to him. Some may call this cowardly, but Creevey was a mudblood. He deserved a coward's death. He drew back his wand and slashed in midair, sending his signature spell—a purple flam—slamming into Creevey's back, killing him instantly.
Dumbledore
Dumbledore met Snape on the corridor.
"Albus … I heard no sign of an attack," Severus said.
"Come," Albus said, sprinting out of the castle. The apparition defences were needed to keep Death Eaters out, but they also stopped him from apparating. It was a long way from his office to the castle entrance, and he had to cross the grounds too. He was sprightly for his age, but it still took him and Severus 10 minutes to arrive.
Professor Sprout and Professor Sinistra were at the gates, helping students inside. Already a number of students had made their way back to the castle. Madame Pomfry was tending to them, but there didn't seem to be any injuries.
"Stay here," Albus said to Severus. "You can't be seen fighting Death Eaters. You'll stay here and tend to the wounded …"
'Yes, Albus," Severus said, nodding.
Albus prepared to apparate when a group of students ran up the road towards them.
"Professor!" one shouted, waving her arms.
Dumbledore hesitated. It was Luna Lovegood.
"Padma got attacked! Dudley and Millicent are bring her! Sue and Mandy have gone after the Death Eater,"
"They've gone chasing one? Where?" Dumbledore said, suddenly alert.
Then, Dudley and Millicent arrived. Together they were carrying a girl. Dumbledore felt his heart freeze. Surely she wasn't.
"Is she alive?" Dumbledore said, striding forward.
"Yes, but …" Luna trailed off.
Dumbledore stared at Padma and felt a surge of anger course through him. Her face had been torn to ribbons and … he grimaced … there were teeth marks on her cheeks. That had to be Fenrir Greyback—probably the most depraved of Voldemort's followers.
"Severus, take care of her wounds," Dumbledore ordered. "Millicent, come with me, show me where you last saw them, then return here."
"But … professor," Millicent began, looking worried.
Dumbledore didn't want Dudley to return into danger. He was a key target for the Death Eaters. Millicent, as a pureblood, wouldn't be.
"Don't worry, Millicent, you are with me," Dumbledore said walking forward at a brisk pace. He would have to leave the other Death Eaters to the Aurors. It was imperative he find Sue Li and Mandy Brocklehurst before they found Greyback.