CHAPTER 17: CAUGHT IN THE TIDE
O'Bannon tackled Rosa. They both fell to the floor as the club slammed down scant feet from them. An ear-shattering crash split the air. Tremors raced through the entire corridor. O'Bannon gritted his teeth, fearing his entire body would shake apart. He looked up, still clinging to Rosa.
The troll glared down at them, teeth bared. It raised its club again. He and Rosa scooted away on their backsides.
Red stunner bolts struck the troll in its lumpy head. Its partner grunted and plodded over, only to get two stunners in the face. It roared and slapped a huge palm over its right eye.
O'Bannon helped Rosa to her feet. They hurried over to the others, who cast one Stunning Spell after another. Unlike humans, the trolls didn't go down. They just fixed their big angry eyes on O'Bannon and his friends.
"I told you waving those shoes around wouldn't work!" Hermione shouted at Rosa.
"Well it's always worked before."
"Didn't you hear what I said? Security trolls are trained not to be fooled by simple tricks like that."
"You know, now's not the time for an 'I told you so' argument!" O'Bannon snapped.
"Look out!" Harry warned.
O'Bannon whipped his head around. The lead troll raised its club and brought it down.
Everyone dove out of the way. The impact rocked the floor. O'Bannon rolled onto his back. The sneering trolls looked around, as if trying to figure out who to smash with their clubs.
"I bloody hate trolls!" Ron hollered.
The lead troll turned toward Ron. He looked up with wide eyes, the color draining from his face.
O'Bannon's chest clenched. His mind raced to think of any spell that could take down a troll.
The troll raised its club. Harry, Hermione and Jared bombarded it with Stunning Spells. The troll ignored them. Its eyes locked on a terrified Ron Weasley.
That's when O'Bannon looked past the troll to the large tapestry on the wall. Two witches hid behind a gnarled tree, both quaking.
That'll work . . . I hope. He raised his wand. "Occido!"
The tapestry fell away from the wall. The witches on it screamed as it covered the troll. It grunted in surprise, dropping its club. The creature swung its massive body to and fro. The second troll stared at its companion, unsure what to make of the scene.
The covered troll bellowed and flailed its arms. The tapestry began to slip from its bulbous frame.
O'Bannon swallowed. It wouldn't be long before the troll was free of the tapestry.
His eyes flickered between the trolls. Another idea formed. He wanted to discard it. Stupid didn't properly cover what he had in mind. There had to be a better way.
The troll pulled the tapestry halfway up its back.
O'Bannon had no time for a better idea.
"Rosa! Levitate me to head level with that troll."
"What?" Her eyes bulged. "Are you crazy?"
"Just do it!"
Rosa continued to stare at him without blinking.
"Now! Trust me!"
Hesitantly, she brought up her wand. "Wingardium Leviosa!"
O'Bannon tensed as he flew off the floor. His heart pounded furiously as he reached head level with the troll, still thrashing about, trying to get the tapestry off. It wouldn't be long before it succeeded.
I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm doing this.
He rotated his body in mid-air and faced the other troll, who continued to stare dumbfounded at its distressed companion.
"Hey! Crap-for-brains!" O'Bannon spread out his arms. "Over here!"
"Jimmy!" Harry shouted. "What are you doing?"
He ignored him. "C'mon, you walking pile of toe-jam! Take your best shot!"
The troll grunted and canted its head.
For piss sake, how stupid is this thing? He fired a stunner bolt, nailing the troll in its nose. It jerked and roared.
"C'mon, you ugly son-of-a-bitch! One free shot! Take it!"
The troll sneered. It reared back its club and howled in rage.
"ROSA! NOW!"
The troll swung its club.
O'Bannon hurtled to the floor. His body tightened in anticipation of a hard landing. A sickening thud of wood and flesh sounded above him.
"Madidus Aeris!" Hermione hollered.
The air around O'Bannon thickened. His momentum stopped. He felt himself lying on an invisible cushion of air. Above him, the troll completed its swing. Its tapestry-covered companion stumbled to the side. Rosa scurried away before it slammed into the wall. The troll slid to the floor and lay unmoving, the tapestry wrapped around it.
The remaining troll gawked at its unconscious companion. O'Bannon rolled out of the soft air onto the floor and hurried away.
"Jimmy! C'mon!" Artimus beckoned him forward, Jared by his side.
O'Bannon pumped his legs. The troll roared. He looked over his shoulder and saw the creature start after him.
He'd just raced past Artimus and Jared when both his friends shouted, "Freezium!"
White bolts shot from their wands. A sheet of ice coated the floor around the troll. Its feet slipped out from under it. With a mighty bellow the troll fell on its back, the club slipping from its hand. It growled and rocked back and forth, trying to get up.
"I've got this." Ron stepped forward, wand raised. "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The club lifted off the floor and hovered over the troll. With a flick of the wand, Ron sent it crashing down on the troll's head. The creature spasmed, then lay still.
"Well, that certainly brings back memories, doesn't it, Hermione?" Ron turned to the bushy-haired girl.
"Yes." She frowned. "Not very pleasant ones, mind you."
Ron furrowed his brow. "Hey, if it wasn't for that troll we never would have become friends."
Rosa looked to Ron and Hermione, then to O'Bannon. "Oh, I gotta hear that story."
"Maybe later." Harry headed for Umbridge's office. "Right now we have to contact the Order."
O'Bannon followed him, pausing when he came to Artimus, Jared and Ron.
"Thanks, guys. Nice work."
"Um, yeah sure." Ron appeared surprised by the compliment. "No problem."
"Give some extra thanks to Art here." Jared draped an arm around Artimus' shoulder. "He's the one who thought of using a Freezing Spell to take down that troll."
"Good thinking, man."
"Thanks!" Artimus beamed, looking ready to explode with joy. "I just, you know, I thought that we had to get it off its feet, and turning the floor to ice seemed the best thing to do."
"Well, it worked."
Artimus' smile threatened to consume his face.
"Jimmy!" Harry called out from the door to Umbridge's office.
"Comin'." He gave Artimus a thumbs up before jogging over to Harry. The two gazed at the door.
"I assume it's locked," O'Bannon stated.
"That's not a problem." Harry reached under his robes and pulled out a knife.
"What are you gonna do? Stab the door to death?" O'Bannon cracked a half-smile.
"It's a gift from my godfather. This knife can open any door."
Harry inserted the blade into the keyhole and jiggled it. The door creaked open.
"Dude, your godfather rules." O'Bannon slapped Harry on the back.
They entered the office. O'Bannon took three steps inside before he stopped, mouth agape. He slowly rotated his head, taking in the décor. It looked nothing like an office belonging to a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Mister Tellmark back at Salem had photos from his days in the U.S. Auror's Bureau, tapestries of werewolves, vampires, Death Eaters and the notorious American dark wizard Hister, and glass cages containing snakes, scorpions and tarantulas.
But this . . . good God, he'd never seen so much pink in his life. Lacy cloths and doilies covered every shelf, window sill and piece of furniture. Ornamental plates hung from the wall, each one with a moving Technicolor kitten wearing a bow.
"Man, how can anyone spend more than three minutes in this place without puking?"
"It takes a lot of effort," Harry answered. "Trust me on that."
They made their way over to the fireplace. Harry took a pinch of Floo powder from a small box on the mantle and flicked it into the crackling fire. Green flames surged from the mouth of the fireplace.
"Twelve Grimmauld Place!" Harry said loudly and distinctly.
O'Bannon and Harry got on their knees and stuck their faces into the green flames. The world spun for several seconds. O'Bannon held his breath, waiting for the usual dizziness to stop. He stared out at a long wooden table in some kitchen. Footsteps echoed from the nearby hallway. Moments later a man with long unkempt dark hair appeared. He halted and gazed in their direction.
"Harry!" A smile creased his lips. "This is a pleasant surprise. Who's your friend?"
"Sirius, this is Jimmy O'Bannon. He's a friend from the States."
"Jimmy O'Bannon?" Sirius' eyes widened. He strode over to the fireplace and knelt in front of them.
"Hey." O'Bannon nodded to him. So this is Harry's godfather. When he'd agreed to help his British friends in the fight against Lord Voldemort, he'd been filled in on the real history regarding Sirius Black. Man, did he get a raw deal. Framed for betraying Harry's parents and murdering a bunch of Muggles. Stuck in Azkaban for twelve years. Still being hunted by the Ministry of Magic.
"Merlin's beard," Sirius continued. "Do you know you're probably the second most wanted man in Wizarding Britain? Me being the first, of course."
"Um, yeah, I kinda got that idea from all the aurors camped out at Hogwarts."
"Speaking of which, have you heard from Tonks? Moody told us she went up there when the Ministry learned you were in this country illegally."
"Tonks is fine," Harry said. "She and Jimmy and his friends have been trapped inside Hogwarts for the past couple days. Sirius, listen. Jimmy has some important information for the Order."
"What is it?"
Harry nodded to O'Bannon. He ran down everything about the Longathian Tunnel, the American Death Eaters and the dark creatures they wanted to bring to Britain to bolster Voldemort's forces, the Guild of the Light's efforts to find the tunnel and his mission to alert the Order of the Phoenix in case their counterparts in the States failed.
"Blimey," Sirius said breathlessly. "You-Know-Who could move against the Ministry faster than expected if he got those reinforcements. Any idea when they'll be here?"
"Maybe a few hours."
"A few hours!" Sirius blurted. "That doesn't give us a lot of time."
"I know. I'm sorry. We tried I don't know how many times to contact you guys. Every plan we had went tits up until we finally managed to break into Umbridge's office."
Sirius worked his jaw back and forth. "All right. If we're lucky, your Guild of the Light may have already stopped those reinforcements. If not . . . we should be able to get a message to Dumbledore. They're still keeping him at the Ministry for this bogus evaluation meeting. Kingsley Shacklebolt or Arthur Weasley should be able to contact him. Meantime, I'll have Lupin contact Moody. He can start gathering our forces to look for the Longathian Tunnel on our end. Don't worry, boys. We'll sort this out." He paused, his eyebrows scrunching together. "By the way. How did you get into Umbridge's office?"
O'Bannon recounted the pandemonium created by the Weasley twins and Lee and their battle with the security trolls.
"Hah! Smashing!" Sirius threw his head back in laughter. "James would have been proud of both of you."
A smile grew across Harry's face at the mention of his father.
Sirius looked to O'Bannon. "I wish we knew a Yank exchange student like you when we were at Hogwarts. The one we had was this arsehole from Virginia. Stuck up git, he was. Strutted around like he was the second coming of Merlin. James liked to heat up the wanker's underwear until he was running around screaming like a girl." He laughed and shook his head. "Ah, those were fun times."
"Sirius." Harry's expression stiffened.
"What? Oh yes. Time to save the Wizarding World. I'm on it, boys. You be careful. And Jimmy, thanks for the warning."
"You're welcome. Just wish I could have gotten it to you sooner."
"Don't worry. Those reinforcements from America won't set a foot on British soil if we have anything to say about it. Take care, both of you."
Sirius pulled his head back. He and the kitchen vanished, replaced by a swirl of green flames. Within moments they too disappeared. A wave of dizziness swept over O'Bannon. He closed his eyes and rubbed his head. When he opened his eyes, the nauseating pink furnishings of Umbridge's office returned around him.
I did it. He dropped back on his rear, shoulders sagging. He let out a sigh, staring at the fireplace. After all the failed attempts, the feelings of hopelessness, of inadequacy, he . . . they had really done it. They had alerted the Order of the Phoenix. A sting of panic pierced his chest. He prayed his warning didn't come too late.
No. If they can tell Dumbledore about it, he'll take care of it. I mean, he's . . . well, he's Dumbledore.
Or maybe the Guild of the Light had already taken care of You-Know-Who's reinforcements.
Either way, he'd done his job.
He turned to Harry, a grin spreading across his face. "We did it, man. We did it!"
O'Bannon slapped his hand against Harry and squeezed it tight, shaking it back and forth.
"Yes we did. Now, what say we get you and your friends out of here?"
"Boy, you really know how to make a buddy feel wanted. 'Thanks for your help, now get the hell outta here.'"
Harry chuckled as they both got to their feet. They strode to the door, O'Bannon finally able to ignore the pink doilies and the kitten plates on the wall. He flung open the door and stepped into the hallway, wearing the widest smile possible. He gazed at his friends standing in the corridor among the unconscious auror and trolls.
"Well, gang. Mission accomplished. Good job."
"Yeah!" Jared high-fived Ron. Rosa wrapped her arms around Artimus' shoulders.
"I'm glad to hear it," Hermione said. "But we'd better get moving."
O'Bannon's brow furrowed. What the hell was her problem?
That's when he heard dozens of screams and pounding feet coming from around the corner, getting closer by the second.
"Once again, Hermione's right. Let's go."
O'Bannon led them away from the screams. He looked over his shoulder to make sure everyone was behind him.
A mass of black-robed boys and girls pounded around the corner, their screams echoing off the walls. Three small blue forms with wasp-like wings and pointed faces buzzed over them. Cornish pixies.
"C'mon!" O'Bannon shouted. He ran faster, checking behind him to make sure everyone kept up. They did. He looked forward as they approached another intersection. The screams became deafening. So long as they stayed ahead of this tide of humanity . . .
O'Bannon glanced behind him again.
A Cornish Pixie grabbed Rosa by the hair. She yelped and spun around, arms flailing.
"Rosa!" He yelled as the others darted past him into the middle of the intersection, stopping at the sound of his voice. Everyone spun around to see Rosa swatting at the pixie, sparks shooting out the end of her wand.
The horde of panicked students rushed closer to her.
"Rosa!" Jared started toward her. So did the others. The screaming overwhelmed O'Bannon's hearing. It sounded like it came from every direction.
He glimpsed movement out the corner of his eye. He turned and froze.
Another mass of frightened students charged at them from the corridor to his right.
Jared and the others turned a second later and spotted the second wave, also being set upon by Cornish Pixies. Bodies swarmed around them, running and pushing. O'Bannon kept his legs moving. If he stopped, he'd be knocked down and trampled. He tried to force his way through the wailing boys and girls. But the surging wall of flesh pushed him back. He craned his neck, looking back to the intersection. The first wave of panicked students had now merged with the second.
"Rosa!" He barely heard himself over the cacophony of shrieks. He desperately scanned for any sign of Rosa in the sea of humanity.
He couldn't find her.
"ROSA!"
TO BE CONTINUED
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a little factoid on the name I chose for the American dark wizard. Hister actually comes from one of Nostradamus' prophecies. His believers point to it as the prophecy that tells of the rise of Hitler, their logic being how close the names "Hister" and "Hitler" are, along with certain geographical locations mentioned in the quatrain.