Chapter 5

At quarter to 9 Mad-Eye, Kingsley, Tonks, Bill, Charlie, Fred and George apparated to a secluded area in the woods, not far from the house where the Horcrux was kept. Hermione and Ron had prevailed and were going to meet them with Harry and as many other DA members they could find at short notice.

"I'm still not happy with a bunch of kids participating in this battle," Moody whispered grumpily.

"We saw these kids fighting at the ministry last year, Alastor. They can stand their ground. And if Severus is right about the number of Death Eaters in there, we will need more than seven fighters, "Kingsley stated.

As if they had heard the Auror, Harry, Ron and Hermione apparated next to them, accompanied by Ginny, Luna and Neville.

"You guys have a good timing," Tonks greeted, "Kingsley just stated that we are a few fighters short."

"We brought everybody of the DA who was still at school. Everybody else left immediately after Dumbledore's funeral," Hermione explained.

"Where's the rest of the order?" Harry asked, looking at the small group in front of him.

"Most are on missions. Arthur is at the headquarters. Don't know where Molly and Fleur are, they probably weren't at home and the information about the meeting didn't reach them in time. Remus couldn't come of course," Tonks said with a worried glance at the rising full-moon.

"Remus is fine, Tonks. He's safe, safer than any of us," Moody tried to comfort her.

Tonks gave him a weak smile for an answer. She couldn't explain it, but she felt an irrational worry for Remus.

"We're complete than," Mad-Eye interrupted her musings. "Everybody ready?"

The group nodded in unison.

"Let's go than," Moody ordered. "Tonks, Kingsley, Bill, Harry, Ron and Hermione attack from the backside. The rest is with me, we take the front door."

The subgroups had just formed and were on their way to the different entrances when they heard a rustling sound behind them. Everybody turned around, ready to attack.

Two figures in dark cloaks had appeared where the group had stood before.

"It's us, Molly and Fleur," said Mrs. Weasley and made a few steps forward. "We found the message about the order meeting when we came home from wedding dress shopping. I contacted Arthur at the headquarters and he told us where to find you," Molly explained.

"Good to have you with us," Moody answered. "Fleur, you're attacking from the backside with Bill and the others, Molly, you're with us," he said and set off.

Tonks grinned. "Typical Mad-Eye. He has never been a friend of long conversation, always straight to the facts."

"Remember, we'll blow the doors simultaneously at 9 sharp," Moody reminded.

Kingsley nodded. He had compared his watch with Moody's when they had discussed their plan earlier to make sure it showed exactly the same time.

At 9 pm Moody and Kingsley pointed their wands to the doors and called: "Confringo!"causing the front and the back door to burst simultaneously.

They allowed themselves only a second to assess the situation to not lose the benefit of surprise. The time sufficed to realize that Snape hadn't exaggerated when he said there would be at least a dozen Death Eaters. Tonks was pretty sure there were even more than 12 of them.

Fortunately, the factor of surprise advantaged the considerable small group of order and DA fighters. They managed to stun 3 or 4 of them before their enemies had time to reach for their wands. But then their luck turned.

It didn't take the remaining Death Eaters long to get over the initial surprise and fight the invaders back with all their force.

Kingsley evaded a killing curse of Bellatrix narrowly.

Charlie was nearly hit by a curse that stroke a cupboard instead and caused it to burst. Huge splitters flew all around the room and hurt several people. A short glance in his direction showed Tonks that Charlie's face was covered in blood, but she didn't have time to estimate how severe his injuries were, because a Death Eater she recognized as Selwyn shot a curse at her. She jumped to the side and yelled: "Stupefy!" but Selwyn managed to avoid her curse.

"You betrayed us!" He accused Snape, who had just entered the room through a side door, together with another man Tonks didn't recognize.

"He's right, you're the one who told them about this place! I've always known that you are a bloody traitor!" The man next to Snape pointed his wand at him and yelled a curse, but Snape was prepared and reacted with a shield charm.

"Too bad that nobody believed you the one time you were right, Yaxley."

Tonks managed to knock Selwyn out with a stunning curse and looked quickly around to see which of her friends needed her help most at the moment.

She heard Ginny scream in agony and saw her lying on the floor, Lucius Malfoy standing above her, torturing her with Cruciatus curses. Tonks was about to come to her help when she saw that Harry had gotten rid of his duel partner, too and was already attacking Malfoy.

She scanned the room again: Moody was in a hard fight with Antonin Dolohov. Both were bearing the bloody traces of their fight and it was already obvious that Moody would have several new scars at the end of this day, but he seemed to be in control of the situation for now.

Molly was doing a surprisingly good job at avoiding Rodolphus Lestranges attacks by firing stunning and shielding curses at him.

Luna surprised her even more. The usually dreamy and unearthly girl had just thrown Augustus Rookwood against a wall using a Reductor curse.

Fred and George were fighting side by side with Mcnair and Mulciber, shielding each other when the other one was in trouble.

Bill was fighting with Thorfinn Rowle, sending some curses Tonks hadn't even heard of at him. She made a mental note to ask him what exactly a curse-breaker does, in case they both survived this fight.

She spotted Fleur fighting with Avery and felt her stomach clench with worry, because she had seen him fighting with Charlie when she had last checked. A quick scan of the room showed that Charlie was nowhere in sight.

Before she had time to find out about Charlie's whereabouts she heard Harry and Ron - who was firing stunning spells at Crabbe Sr. - yell out Hermione's name simultaneously. Tonks turned around and saw the girl's lifeless form lying on the ground. In all this chaos no one had seen if she had been hit by Nott's killing curse or by a misled stunning spell. Tonks ran towards her, desperately hoping that Hermione was alive.

Before she had reached her she was distracted by a scream of pain. She turned around and saw Snape lying on the ground with blood pouring out of numerous gashes.

"It's time you swallow a bit of your own medicine!" Yaxley stated contently, addressing the helpless Snape.

That was enough to make Tonks realize which curse the Death Eater had used. She had heard about Sectumsempra during her Auror education. With a heavy heart Tonks turned away from Hermione. If she was just stunned she could wait for help a little longer. If she wasn't, there was nothing Tonks could do for her anymore, but Snape would bleed to death if she didn't stop the bleeding now.

Fortunately, Yaxley with still basking in his triumph, so she could get rid of him with a stunning spell he didn't even see coming. Tonks hurried of to perform the counter spell on her former teacher. She managed to stop the bleeding, but she couldn't do anything to give him back all the blood he had already lost. Snape was left lying in a puddle of his own blood, barely conscious. He needed a healer as soon as possible.

Tonks looked up at Harry who was now kneeling besides Hermione. Ginny had taken over Malfoy again and Harry had hurried to check on Hermione.

He had just reached out to check her vitals, when suddenly two people apparated in the middle of the room.

The first one was Fenrir Greyback, the cruel werewolf who had bitten and cursed Remus. The moon hadn't risen yet, so he was still in his human form.

The other man was Voldemort himself.

Harry rose to his feed and pointed his wand at Voldemort. He didn't react like the teenage boy who wondered if the girl he loved was still alive, but like the warrior who did what he had to do if he wanted to survive.

Tonks stood up as well and met Greyback, ready to fight him.

"I heard you like werewolves. Too bad that your one will have to visit your grave if he wants to see you again," he told her with a wolfish grin.

"If one of us will die tonight, it's you, Greyback!" She hissed and shot a stunning spell at him, which he managed to avoid.

"You want to play a little longer? Why not? Let's play a few more minutes, then I'll get the special pleasure to kill you in my wolves form. Poor Remus. There won't be much left of you for him to burry when I'm done with you."

Tonks sent several more curses at Greyback, but he managed to shield or avoid each one. He wasn't just strong, but quick, too. Tonks could see from the corner of her eye that the moon had nearly risen and she started to feel her fear rise as well. Greyback was an equal opened as a wizard, but she knew she didn't have a chance to beat him on her own after he had transformed.

Greyback shot a killing curse at her and Tonks had to throw herself on the floor to avoid that one. When she fell, her wand fell to the ground as well and Tonks was sure she would be dead before she was able to grab it again.

But instead of another "Arvada Kadavra" she heard an animalistic growl and when she looked up she saw a huge wolf hovering above her.

Tonks reached for her wand and tried another stunning curse in a last desperate attempt to fight. The wolf ducked and the curse missed him. The scaring animal closed the gap between them; he was nearly near enough to bite her. Just then Tonks heard another wolf's growl, but it didn't come from Greyback. Both Tonks and Greyback turned towards the door, where another wolf stood, fletching his teeth.

Before Tonks had realized what was happening, Greyback was by the door, attacking the other werewolf.

Greyback hit him several times with his paws, trying to get a hold of his opponent's neck for the death bite. But the other werewolf, of whom Tonks knew exactly who it was although she had never seen him in his wolf's form, was determined. He scratched and bit Greyback, fighting for his life.

The animals' fight relocated itself from the burst doorframe of the crowded room to the open space outside. Tonks followed Remus and Greyback out of the house, desperate to save Remus.

But when she had paced the large room and stepped outside, the wolves where far enough away that she could only make out a bundle of fur and the sound of angry growls.

Tonks had raised her wand, but didn't dare to use it, afraid she would hit the wrong wolf. There was nothing left for her to do than stand there and watch the two wolves fight in the distance. She had never felt more helpless.

After what seemed like an eternity the sounds stopped. She could make out both animals lying on the ground. Stepping closer, she saw that one of them was lying there completely lifeless, probably dead. The other one had raised his head and apparently tried to get to his feet, whining in pain.