CHAPTER 131: Iron

Even as the Dark Lord was still questioning his servant, the great hall of Hogwarts was filled with fire and an army. Quick as a flash Lord Voldermort leaped to his feet and silently cast shields around himself. The single death eater he was questioning did the same.

The Dark Lord's position was hopeless. It was just he and Bellatrix Black and one single death eater in the great hall, and he could not apparate away, and turning his back to bolt for the door was certain death. But he was not given to surrender. "Jellyfy. Avada Kedavra." he began.

Bellatrix spoke. "Silly Dollies. Avada Kedavra. Another one down. Avada Kedavra."

Alastor Moody leaped out of the way. A killing curse struck Theodore Nott. Another struck Hermoine Granger. But the soldiers fired rocket launchers at Lord Voldermort and Bellatrix Black. A red hexagon appeared to rise up from the floor and ate up the rockets that were aimed true. Voldermort was still the master, and had again cast a spell that could withstand an army. But two of the rockets went high. Blasts reflect off the Hogwarts walls. Bellatrix Black's body was broken while still standing. Voldermort's shield was only partially covering him. Then in wrath Alastor Moody unleashed his own killing curse while Minerva McGonagall managed a breaking drill hex. Voldermort stepped clear of the killing curse and sent his own back. Unfortunately for him, he had stepped right into Minerva's breaking drill hex. Quick as a flash he cast another shield, and just in time for the soldiers saw opportunity and fired upon him.

Then Harry Potter ordered "Grenades!" and cast "Lagann!" "Stuporfy!" even as Alastor Moody was silently casting Saggita Magica. Again the red hexagon swallowed up the spells, but the grenades all came clattering around Voldermort. With a gesture the stones of Hogwarts rose up to defend him. Poor move for Alastor Moody cast the killing curse again and there was nowhere to go and down he went.

The single death eater had ran when the battle started, and there was no time to worry about it while Voldermort was still kicking. Harry Potter said afterwords "Let him go. He will bring word that Lord Voldermort has fallen to the others and they will scatter. Professor McGonagall, if you would be so kind, search the body of Tom Riddle and take up the red crystal you will find there. Now if you will all excuse me. I have something I must do alone." And he picked up Hermoine's body.

Michael Evans-Verres was a quick thinker. "Son, I saw how you were last time when Hermoine died. I fear to leave you alone."

"You need to take the soldiers back now. There's no way you would know this, but she cannot die. I am sorry, but I am not at liberty to disclose what I must do next. In less than an hour you will have answers." And bent with Hermoine's weight on his shoulder he walked out one of the doors and down the hallway.

Michael Evans-Verres got up to follow, but his own phoenix screamed at him. So that, quite simply, was that.

The directions left to Harry to resurrect Hermoine were true and no mistake. A living body was required, but it was not harmed by the process, so there was no reason he could not simply use his own. It would be jarring for Hermoine but he could not spare the risk of telling any others what he knew. So it was in less than an hour's time he and Hermoine walked back to the great hall. The soldiers were all gone now, but his father and Minerva McGonagall were waiting for him. Alastor Moody and Emmiline Vance were discussing plans for moving all the extra people out of Azkaban.

"Son, what is this?"

"Hermoine lives. The secret is hers to keep or tell and not mine."

Minerva McGonagall's face turned an unearthly color when she realized.

Minerva McGonagall had left for her office, having not yet any idea what she would do when she got there. It didn't take very long for her to realize Hermoine was following here, but even as she turned Hermoine spoke first.

"Professor, I need someone to talk to, and Professor Flitwick just won't do."

Her tone was soft. "It's been a long day child, but what is it?"

"I am shaken. I have just now learned that Harry will go to any length to protect me, though I doubt that it is as he thinks on that day when he challenged the Wizengamot that nobody else would do what was necessary."

"You have your whole life before you. I would not worry too much about what one boy thinks of you at this age, even one as brash as this."

"But moving on to other matters, you have been wise so far to not speak of what you have, but the mask has been torn for those who have sense, by which I mean Mad-Eye Moody. If I did not know you were a most unlikely murderess, I would be reporting you to the aurors right now. Let us take it from on your person and put it at the bottom of your chest for the moment and worry about a more suitable place soon."

Then Professor McGonagall seemed to look far off and spoke more thoughtfully. "The chains of prophecy are broken. It was not Harry who defeated the Dark Lord but Mad-Eye Moody, and where is the power he knows not? I would think it were the muggle science, but it just isn't. The Death Eaters stayed away from muggle stuff, but I have it on good authority" that would be Harry Potter "that he knew of it. It can't be this crystal either, for the Dark Lord obviously knew it."

Hermoine replied "that crystal is the Stone of Permanency. It kinda seems to break the rules, but we've been breaking them for a week already. Come to think of it, where did the idea of transfiguring metal into oil come from? I can only think of one person, but you can't have gotten it from him!"

"His father. What a wizard he would have made if I didn't have to remove him from transfiguration first. The muggles grow stronger, while we grow weaker. Still, it may be for the best. I shant want to think if what would happen if a mind like his were in the body of the next Dark Wizard."

Hermoine said, "I wouldn't worry too much about that. A few muggle-borns a year and sooner or later one would come over with enough knowledge that we might have had another chance; I almost was myself you see, it just depended on whether or not I read the right books in time or not. If somehow someone managed to come in later, or perchance maintained connections with her parents long enough and went to muggle college after Hogwarts, a different thing might be."

"Excuse me, the wards have gone off again. Some muggles have crossed the outer perimeter and the normal deterrence is not functioning for some reason."

It was, of course, the MI6 team homing inerrantly on Hogwarts castle by GPS. The wards that would cause them to want to turn left or right just weren't strong enough to overcome the direct order and the GPS readout. The wards hiding the fact there was anything here besides a wasteland were working just fine until they walked into the first tree, at which point the power of their belief became strong enough to permit them to see their immediate surroundings. On reflection, of course it had to be like this, otherwise it wouldn't be safe for parents of muggleborns to walk around in Hogwarts (which happened on rare occasions).

Minerva approached them under cover of dissoultion. This took considerable as they were at the far end of the forbidden forest after all, and since to the wards she was but deputy headmistress, she couldn't apparate there. The typical way of running off a muggle who stumbled on Hogwarts was a false memory charm and a Confoundous, but that obviously wasn't a good idea today because one of them was plainly talking to somebody in a mirror.

So she went about two dozen steps at a right angle and softly cast Quietus, hoping they wouldn't hear it, then the patronous charm and sent it to Michael with "Some more of your friends are here and you need to send them home; about two and a quarter miles east-northeast of the hall." It wouldn't take him long to get there and take care of the situation, which was probably for the best. She really didn't want to know how he'd handle it.