CHAPTER 7: A GREAT NEED
O'Bannon's eyes bore in on Umbridge. He barely registered the obese witch's wand pointing at him. The fear he should have felt at being caught and likely carted off to Azkaban could not be found anywhere within him. He only felt one emotion.
Anger. Anger bordering on rage. Every damn time he thought they were in the clear, these Ministry jagoffs popped up, always one step ahead of him. His surprise at Umbridge and the aurors waiting for them outside Dumbledore's office came and went. Tonks had told him when the Ministry realized O'Bannon returned to England, they figured he'd make straight for Hogwarts. Once inside, the aurors wouldn't need a Hermione Granger-like brain to guess where he'd go. Either to Gryffindor Tower to contact Fred and George, or to Dumbledore's office.
"Drop your wands. All of you." Umbridge smirked, a look of triumph radiating from her toad-like face.
Anger lines creased O'Bannon's face. The grip on his wand tightened. He was sick of this. Sick of aurors showing up, threatening him and his friends, bombarding them with spells and hexes. Sick of being this close to completing his mission and having one obstacle after another thrown in front of him.
Umbridge stepped closer, shaking her wand at him. "I said, drop . . . your . . . wa-"
"Protego!"
A shield burst from O'Bannon's wand. It slammed into Umbridge. She yelped and tumbled backwards. Her wand flew from her chubby hand as she slammed onto the floor.
"Stupefy!" Tonks aimed her wand at the female auror. The woman dropped to her knees as the Stunning Spell sizzled over her head.
The male auror turned to Artimus, who cast a Fire Rash Jinx. The auror easily blocked it.
O'Bannon's eyes darted back and forth, trying to decide whom he should cover with his shield, Tonks or Artimus.
Tonks is the most experienced, she should . . .
"Stupefy!" both Tonks and the female auror shouted at roughly the same time.
Tonks' spell clipped the auror's robes.
The auror's stunner nailed Tonks in the side.
"Tonks!" O'Bannon's chest seized as he watched her spin around and collapse.
He lowered his shield and turned to the female auror.
Rosa and Jared beat him to it. Rosa cast a Body-Bind Curse, while her cousin shot off an Impediment Jinx. Both bolts struck the auror. She spun in mid-air and rolled against the wall. The left side of her body was paralyzed, while her right arm and leg spasmed uncontrollably.
The remaining auror cast a Stunning Spell. Artimus ducked under it and hollered, "Expelliarmus!"
The auror blocked the charm.
O'Bannon cast a Shield Spell between Artimus and the auror. The shield only got to half its normal size when the auror fired another Stunning Spell. It clipped the edge of the shield, bounced off the floor and nailed Artimus in the ankle. He yelped and fell forward. O'Bannon cringed when his friend's right knee cracked against the stone floor. Artimus howled, rolled on his side and grabbed his knee.
"Artimus!" Rosa cried out.
"Son of a . . ." Jared's face reddened with anger. He poked his wand around O'Bannon's shield and cast a Battering Spell. The auror blocked it and the next one Jared cast.
Rosa jumped around her cousin and thrust her wand forward.
"Rubbero arm!"
The auror's right arm deflated and hung limply at his side. His wand clattered to the floor. The auror stared in shock at his rubbery arm.
Rosa rushed over to him. With a very unfeminine grunt, she drove her foot into the auror's face. He fell to his side, moaning and clutching his face.
O'Bannon disengaged his shield and gazed around the corridor. His heart hammered in his chest.
"Tonks!" He dropped to her side. Her head lolled back and forth, eyes half-closed.
"Art!" Jared blurted as he and Rosa knelt beside him. "You okay?"
"My knee!" Artimus wailed, both hands covering his right knee. "Oh Merlin, my knee!"
"Jimmy." Rosa turned to him, a worried look on her face. "I think he's hurt bad."
O'Bannon bit his lip. His stomach clenched as he saw the agony etched in Artimus' face. He then glanced back at Tonks, who was completely out of it. Any other time, he'd take them straight to Madam Pomfrey. But if they went there, they might as well hand themselves over to the Ministry of Magic.
"Help! Help!"
All eyes turned to Dolores Umbridge, who started to sit up. "I've been attacked! Help!"
O'Bannon clenched his teeth. There had to be more aurors inside Hogwarts.
"C'mon!" He grabbed Tonks and threw her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Rosa helped Artimus to his feet. He leaned on her as they followed O'Bannon. Jared covered their rear as they fled down the corridor.
"Help!" Umbridge screamed. "Help! They're getting away!"
"Shut up!" Jared zapped her with a Stunning Spell.
O'Bannon plodded down the corridor and spotted a nearby staircase. Already his shoulder ached. Invisible lead weights piled up in his back and down his legs. Tonks might be slender, but she was still probably 120 pounds of dead weight. His breaths became deeper and quicker as he took the stairs. Sweat drenched his forehead. He groaned with each painful step.
Keep going. Keep going!
Halfway up the stairs, he glanced behind him. Rosa and Artimus had just started up the staircase. Art moaned non-stop, pain flaring across his face.
"Which way did they go?" A distant male voice echoed through the corridors.
It had to be an auror.
O'Bannon struggled to reach the top. His body screamed as pain tore apart his muscles. He couldn't carry Tonks much longer.
He took another look behind him. Rosa and Artimus progressed slowly up the stairs.
Footfalls reverberated through the corridors. The aurors would be on them soon.
Should he just leave Tonks and Artimus? The mission had to take precedence. He sure as hell couldn't complete it in Azkaban.
O'Bannon cursed himself for thinking that. Teammates don't abandon one another. If they got out of this, they'd get out together.
He made it over the last step and managed to walk a few steps into the sixth floor corridor before dropping to his knees. He gently lowered Tonks to the floor and sat beside her, breathing heavily and trying to will away the pain that clawed at every inch of his body.
Rosa and Artimus eventually reached the top, Jared right behind them, watching the stairs for any signs of aurors.
"You okay?" Rosa's voice sounded strained.
"Yeah," O'Bannon said breathlessly. He glanced at Tonks' listless form. "I think . . . she needs to . . . lay off the Pumpkin Pasties."
Rosa lowered Artimus against the wall opposite O'Bannon and Tonks. Jared continued to guard the staircase.
"So what now?" Jared never took his eyes off the stairs. "No way can we outrun these aurors with Artimus hurt and Tonks out of it."
O'Bannon stared at the stone floor, still sucking down deep breaths. He closed his eyes. Think of a plan.
Nothing came to him.
Running footfalls and an occasional shout filtered up from the floor below.
Not much time. Think of something!
He checked down the corridor. A plan formed. Not one that would get them out of this situation, but it might buy them a little time. Time they could use to come up with a real plan.
"Jared. Take Tonks. All of you go down the corridor and keep going. I got an idea to hold 'em off."
"We're not going to leave you, Jimmy." Rosa sounded adamant.
"I'll be fine. I'll be right behind you. Now go."
Reluctantly, Rosa helped Artimus to his feet.
Jared stared at O'Bannon, his face tightened in a mask of seriousness.
"You be careful, man." Jared slapped him on the shoulder.
O'Bannon nodded. He caught a worried look from Rosa before she turned away and helped Artimus down the corridor. Jared hefted Tonks over his shoulder and followed them. O'Bannon brought up the rear. His stomach clenched when he heard footsteps hurrying up the stairs.
They reached the intersection as two shadows bobbed along the stone walls of the stairwell. O'Bannon charged around the corridor and skidded to a halt.
"Keep going!" He shouted to the others.
Rosa practically dragged Artimus down the corridor. Jared trailed by a few steps, Tonks dangling from his shoulder.
O'Bannon backed up until he was ten feet from the intersection. He leveled his wand.
"Freezium!"
He waved his wand back and forth. Within seconds a thick bar of ice hung at chest level from one wall to the other. He then dropped to one knee, wand raised, and waited.
The footsteps grew louder, louder . . .
"Dixon! Wait!"
A young auror rushed around the corner . . . and smashed right into the ice bar. He flew off his feet and thudded on the floor, gasping for breath.
"Dammit, Dixon!" Another auror appeared, a tall older man with curled gray-black hair. He knelt around the corner, exposing less than a quarter of his body.
O'Bannon fired off two Stunning Spells. Both clipped the wall, showering the older auror with brick and mortar. He reached around the corner and cast a Body-Bind Curse. O'Bannon erected a shield just in time.
"Reducto!"
The ice bar exploded. O'Bannon saw the auror flinch and vanish behind the corner. That was exactly what he wanted. A little distraction so he could launch his coup de gras.
A white glowing ball shot from O'Bannon's wand. He waited a couple seconds, then turned away.
A muffled thump filled the air. A brilliant white light blazed in the corridor. He heard the older auror yelp. O'Bannon hoped the guy got a good look at the Flare Charm. If so, his vision would be clogged with multi-colored spots for several minutes.
O'Bannon got to his feet and sprinted down the corridor. He slowed as he neared the next intersection and twisted around. The younger auror, Dixon, started to sit up. He saw no sign of the older auror.
O'Bannon rounded the corner. He should be able to catch up to . . .
A dark form suddenly materialized in front of him. He grunted as he ran into it. O'Bannon stumbled back a couple steps and blinked. His mouth hung open when he saw the figure standing before him.
"Jimmy O'Bannon?"
His lungs refused to work as he gaped at Professor Severus Snape.
"What are you doing here?" The Potions professor and Head of Slytherin House fixed him with a malevolent gaze.
O'Bannon continued to stare at him in shocked silence. Of all the people at Hogwarts he never wanted to see again, Snape was near the top of the list. And here he stood, appearing at the worst possible time.
"Trespassing in Hogwarts," Snape hissed. "Do you know how much trouble you are in?"
O'Bannon's mind worked furiously to come up with a lie. But he doubted the jagoff would believe anything he had to say.
Get it together, man. The mission!
"I have to see Headmaster Dumbledore. Take me to Dumbledore."
Snape's nostrils flared. "You are in no position to issue demands. Now come with me."
Snape reached out and grabbed O'Bannon's shoulder.
"Leggo!" O'Bannon jerked away, his wand slipping from his hand.
Fury blazed in Snape's beady eyes. "I said, you are coming with me!"
The Potions professor sank his pale fingers into O'Bannon's shoulder. With his other hand he reached into his robes for his wand.
A lifetime of conditioning to never act violently toward a teacher evaporated. All O'Bannon could think of was being stunned by Snape, captured by aurors, failing his mission . . . and England overrun by dark creatures.
Snape's wand came into view.
O'Bannon grabbed the professor's right arm with both hands.
"You dare!" Snape growled.
O'Bannon grunted and pulled Snape's wand arm. The professor stumbled as O'Bannon spun him around. Snape's right foot came off the ground. He fought to keep his balance.
Something crackled. A red halo flashed around Snape's head. He fell, taking O'Bannon with him.
"Dammit!" someone shouted as O'Bannon crashed against the floor. The air shot out of his lungs. He heard a dull thud next to him, the sound of flesh and bone striking stone. He glimpsed Snape's head bounce up and down.
O'Bannon wheezed, trying to replenish his lungs. After the second breath, someone appeared over him.
"You think you're so clever, huh?"
It was auror named Dixon.
"Let me run into a chunk of ice, throw a professor in front of my Stunning Spell. Think you'll make me look like the biggest fool in the Auror's Office." Dixon leaned over, smirking, wand pointed at O'Bannon. "Well who's got the last laugh now, Yank?"
O'Bannon clenched his teeth. He glanced down. His legs had become tangled with Snape's. Plus he'd lost his wand.
He scowled at Dixon. What else could he do now? He prayed Rosa, Tonks, Jared and Artimus could evade the other aurors long enough to find Dumbledore or McGonagall.
"Stand up." Dixon gestured with his wand. "Hands where I can see them."
Sighing, O'Bannon slid his legs out from under Snape's. He scanned the unconscious professor. A trickle of blood leaked from Snape's head onto the floor.
O'Bannon looked at Dixon. The guy was probably about two feet away. Could he try to jump him when he got to his feet? Would he have a chance? The auror's eyes, and wand, were firmly fixed on . . .
A red bolt shot over O'Bannon and struck Dixon. The auror convulsed and fell to the floor.
O'Bannon whipped his head to the right.
Jared jogged toward him, wand still aimed at Dixon.
"Jared, what the hell?" O'Bannon pushed himself to his feet. "I told you guys to get out of here."
"Hey, someone had to check on you in case your ass needed saving . . . which it did." Jared nodded to the unconscious Dixon.
"What about Tonks?" O'Bannon straightened out his sweatshirt.
"She's starting to come around. Everyone's up on the next floor. C'mon."
O'Bannon retrieved his wand and hurried after Jared. They took the stairs two or three at a time and wound up on the seventh floor. He saw Artimus propped up against the wall under a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching ballet to trolls. The right leg of his pants had been ripped up to the knee, which Rosa was examining. Tonks sat a couple feet away from them, massaging her side.
"How are you guys doing?"
Rosa turned to him. "Tonks'll be fine. But Artimus' knee looks pretty bad. I put an Anti-Swelling charm on it, but that's the best I can do. He's gonna need a healer to get this fixed."
O'Bannon gritted his teeth as he stared at Artimus, who sat against the wall, grimacing. O'Bannon thumped a fist against his side in frustration. Madam Pomfrey was just a couple floors below them, and they couldn't go to her. He hated watching one of his best friends suffer and not being able to do a thing about it.
O'Bannon looked back at the stairwell. How much longer before the aurors searched this floor? How much longer could they keep evading them with Artimus injured and Tonks not one hundred percent?
Man, we need a place to hide until they're gone.
A groaning sound came from the wall opposite the tapestry. O'Bannon and Jared whirled around.
"What the hell?" Rosa gazed wide-eyed as a highly polished door with brass handles appeared out of nowhere.
O'Bannon gawked at it, blinking a couple times. Even after seven years in the magical world, some things still left him in awe. Like a door suddenly materializing in a regular stone wall.
He looked over at his friends. Jared, Rosa and Artimus were equally stunned by the door's appearance.
Squaring his shoulders, O'Bannon walked over to it. He grabbed one of the brass handles and pulled it open just a little. He'd better peek inside and check . . .
Urgent shouting erupted from the floor below.
O'Bannon clenched his teeth. How many aurors did they bring here?
Abandoning caution, he yanked the door open.
"Everyone inside! Now!"
Jared helped Tonks to her feet and hurriedly pulled her through the opening. Rosa helped Artimus to his feet and half-walked, half-dragged him toward the door.
"Wait!" Art blurted. "We don't even know what's inside."
The shouting from below grew louder.
"Art, right now any port in a storm. Move!" He waved them forward.
Artimus swallowed nervously as Rosa helped him inside.
Footsteps pounded up the stairs.
O'Bannon dashed inside and slammed the door shut. He checked the handles. Was there a lock somewhere? Would it stop the aurors from getting in?
"Um, Jimmy?" Jared stammered.
"What?" He continued to scan the door.
"I think we got a problem."
O'Bannon groaned and rolled his eyes. "What the hell now?"
He spun around. The breath caught in his throat.
Nearly thirty boys and girls stood in front of them, all with wands at the ready.
TO BE CONTINUED