Thanks to buttamellow from WizardTales (dot) net, TheGreyLady from perfectimagination(dot)co(dot)uk for the beta of this chapter.
CHAPTER THREE
When the conversation around the table started to die out, Hermione finally took notice of something wrong. "Where is Harry?"
Ron put down his fork after finishing his third piece of apple pie and looked around the room. "I didn't see him coming to dinner. But he was really tired. He probably went to bed."
Hermione nodded but couldn't shake a bad feeling. During the last year's Horcrux hurt, Hermione had learnt to trust her instincts, sometimes over even her famous analytical mind.
"I think it would be better if we check," Hermione said standing up, ready to leave the table.
"Nobody could enter Hogwarts without an alarm sounding, Hermione," Kingsley Shacklebolt said. "Even if Harry decided to wander around the castle, there's no problem."
"Well, I wouldn't worry if Harry was in the castle…" the girl answered. "The problem would be if he decided to leave it."
"Leave?!" Ron stood up in a fluid motion, an amazing feat considering how tall he was. "Why would he leave? We finally can rest a bit in a really safe place. And I told him that I've already started planning for the final attack against Moldy."
Ron had really tried, but he couldn't bring himself to say Voldemort's name out loud. So he and Harry had compromised: if Ron used something stupid and mortifying and never resorted to using the hyphenated epithets, Harry wouldn't bother his mate about the issue anymore.
In the end, the entire situation became an ongoing joke. Hermione even started to compile the names Ron invented and used, and the Twins put some of them in their jokes.
Hermione turned to her boyfriend. "Exactly, Ron. How many times has Harry told us he thought he should face Voldemort alone?"
"Oh…" The red-hair boy seemed lost in thought. "As many as you told him that we would never let him go by himself. And not as many as the times I told him I would bash his head in if he ran away from us."
"Yes, and since when does Harry Potter listen to reason, advice, or threats?" Hermione raised an eyebrow meaningfully. "That boy is known for his stubbornness."
"You don't think the prat just took off alone to find Snake-Face, do you?" Ron asked worried now, while he started to walk toward the doors of the Great Hall.
"That's exactly what I think," Hermione answered while jogging to keep up with the long strides of her tall boyfriend.
The rest of the table had held their silence during the couple's debate, but now restlessness and worry were grasping their minds.
Kingsley jumped off the chair and ran after the young couple, a sign that provoked everyone else into action. Soon a virtual crowd was advancing toward Gryffindor Tower, all of them praying that the young man in question was blissfully unaware of the commotion, sleeping in his bed.
Halfway to Gryffindor Tower, Headmistress McGonagall decided to check her office. She knew that Harry Potter always stopped by to talk with Dumbledore's painting whenever he was at Hogwarts.
McGonagall climbed the rotating staircase as quickly as she could and opened the door, a bit out of breath.
"Minerva!"
"Albus! Have you seen Mr. Potter?"
"I tried to warn you, but nobody listened to the portraits in the corridors."
"We just left the Great Hall. Practically all of the Order has gone to Gryffindor Tower to check on Mr. Potter."
"He isn't there. He came to talk to me before dinner time. Minerva…" Albus's portrait seemed really tired and in despair. "He went after Voldemort."
McGonagall felt her breath catch -- partly because of the news itself, and also from hearing the Dark Lord's name.
"When? How?" She couldn't decide what she really needed, or wanted, to know.
Before Dumbledore's portrait could answer, the office was invaded by the members of the Order.
"Harry went after Voldemort." Dumbledore's portrait informed the crowd before anyone could ask, completely ignoring the winces as he uttered the Dark Lord's name. "He said it was his destiny; that nobody else needed to be there at the end." The portrait sighed sadly. "Harry was always alone when he faced Tom. I might have been able to help at the end, to wrap things up, but the main fighting was always done by Harry alone." The figure sat in the plush chaise that everyone recognized as Dumbledore's trade mark.
Chaos seemed to erupt in the crowded room with everybody shouting at the same time, making it impossible to understand what was being said.
"But how would Harry know where to go to find You-Know-Who?" Kingsley's voice sounded above the cacophony and made the others pause.
"He didn't have another vision, did he?" Lupin asked worried. "He didn't say anything about it. I thought that his Occlumency was working."
"No, no visions, I'm sure of it," Ron replied. "When they come, Harry has terrible nightmares. It's been some time since he has had any."
Again the voices raised around the room, with everybody giving their two pence about where Harry might have gone.
In the middle of the chaos Hermione's mind was working in overdrive. The young woman closed her eyes, remembering the last day's conversations and any hint Harry might have let slip. Suddenly her eyes opened wide.
"Malfoy Manor!"
Hermione's shout silenced the room and everybody turned to look at the brightest witch of her age, trying to understand her reasoning.
"What?!" Ron asked, echoing the question in everybody's mind. "What does the ferret family's house have to do with it?"
"Harry went to Malfoy Manor! He must believe that its where Voldemort is!"
A general wince followed the statement.
"And how did you reach that conclusion, Miss Granger?" Headmistress McGonagall inquired.
"During lunch, when Kingsley talked about checking the hidden room at Malfoy Manor, Harry was quite interested. He didn't talk much after that bit of information."
"But I said that there wasn't anything else there."
"And I asked about hidden caves. Maybe you didn't find it but that doesn't mean that it isn't there."
"And why wouldn't we be able to find it?" Shacklebolt asked a little upset that his professionalism was in question.
"If it has some kind of protection that you can't easily identify…"
"And what could that be? I wasn't there but I know that Aurors have a basic training in wards. They might not be able to put them down but they can recognize them and call a curse-breaker," Bill Weasley commented.
"And if the wards were put up through Parseltongue spells?" Hermione's question made a lot of people shudder uncomfortably with the idea.
"I've never encountered Parseltongue wards," Bill answered.
"Exactly! Aurors might not recognize it! Harry would!"
"The prat went without us!" Ron shouted, accepting Hermione's reasoning, his face getting redder by the second. "I'll kill him! I warned him!"
"Well, we will have to find out if he is really there and then find a way to get inside," McGonagall offered.
"Can we raid Malfoy Manor again?" Tonks asked.
"Scrimegour is still pissed off about the escape from Azkaban. Considering that Malfoy Sr. is one of the escapees and is still missing, if we have a lead about his whereabouts, we could do almost anything," Kingsley answered with a smirk.
"So let's get organized, people!" Hermione said, going to pick up some parchment and a quill from the Headmistress's desk.
Ron groaned but let his girlfriend take charge of the situation. But before someone else could offer an objection or even leave the room, Hermione let out a surprised shout. Again, everybody turned in her direction but only the ones in front of the Headmistress's desk understood.
"Harry left us a message!"
She opened the paper and read it aloud.
Hi gang!
I believe everybody will be hearing this. Probably Hermione noticed that I wasn't around for some time and made everybody run around to try and find me.
"This boy knows you pretty well," Tonks smirked.
Hermione shot an annoyed look at the Metamorphmagus and went back to reading the letter.
I know you all thought of being around for 'the last great battle', but I never believed it would be one. It's not Voldemort's way of doing things. And stop wincing at his name! How can you fight him if you can't even HEAR his name, not to mention speak it?
It was Hermione's time to smirk at the crowd in front of her.
"He really knows us all."
But back on track. The point is, the Dark Muncher doesn't go for crowds -- too much risk of someone getting his tricks. He likes small gatherings and to be in control. So I thought that I could break this habit of his.
This time I'll be the one in control. I'll choose the place and the time. And I choose now in his nice hideout.
I know that Kingsley and the Aurors didn't find anything in Malfoy Manor, but I believe that Voldemort used Parseltongue to protect the place. But I bet that Hermione already thought of it. After all, I was training to use Parseltongue spells almost all last year.
I'm sorry, Ron. I know you have been planning a big battle and a nice checkmate, but you will have to keep these plans for your chess games.
So I'll make your lives easier. I believe the entrance for the Voldemort's hidden place is somewhere behind Malfoy Manor, where there is a small wood. Probably a set of caves or something they dig in. No Fidelius, because it would be too much trouble with a lot of Death Eater traffic but Parseltongue wards. I'll dismantle everything I can and prepare some traps for the DEs. I don't want anyone crashing the party I planned for old Snake-Face.
I ask that you guys check out the house and the surrounding area with care. I don't want anyone hurt, or worse, because you think there isn't any danger. There might be some traps and I won't be looking for anything like this.
My plan is quite simple. Get in, isolate the room Voldemort is in, and strike. The less people with him, the easier for me. Then I'll take out Nagini, the last Horcrux, and the Dark Idiot himself. The end.
Hey, thanks to Gred and Forge, because I'll be using a lot of their stuff to get through this. So watch out for these too.
I won't leave any kind of heartfelt goodbye here. I'm counting on you guys to take me out of there after I finish my job. Anyway… if something happens and I don't come back… Well, Gringotts has everything needed to sort this out.
Wish me luck.
Harry
P.S. Ron, if I survive Voldemort, you have my wholehearted permission to bash my head in for running away from you guys.
Mrs. Weasley's sobs were the first to be heard after Hermione finished reading the letter.
Almost everyone had tears in theirs eyes or some difficulty in swallowing. Even with the emotionally charged situation, the Weasley twins couldn't let the opportunity pass them by.
"So, for now on, our products will have the stamp: 'Used and Approved by Harry Potter'…"
"…'during the extermination of the Dark Idiot.'" Fred completed his brother's phrase.
"Harry hates this kind of publicity…" Ron let escape, not really sure what to do now.
"Focus, people!" Moody yelled. "We need to organize a party to go after Potter and a way to check the place and apprehend the Death Eaters there!"
"How could he just go by himself?" Mrs. Weasley wailed.
"Not now, Molly!" Arthur cut her off. Mrs. Weasley sobered immediately. The group turned to Arthur; nobody had ever heard him talk like that to his wife.
"We are all worried, but we need to go after him. He may be fighting You-Know-Who this exact instant!" the red-haired man said.
"Arthur is right. We will have time for emotional displays afterwards," Lupin completed.
"I'll check with Poppy and prepare the hospital wing," Minerva said and exited the office.
"Well, let's organize the groups. Everybody, go to your rooms and grab whatever you think you will need. We'll meet in the Great Hall in five minutes!" Moody screeched and left the room.
The rest of the crowd dispersed soon after, each one running in a different direction to comply with Moody's directives.
Hermione locked her wet eyes with her boyfriend's.
"He really left without us, Ron. I didn't believe he could do it." She fought to control her tears.
"Deep down, I knew he would never let us go with him. He hated how much danger we were in during the Horcrux hunt."
"And if something happens to him? If he's deadly hurt? And if V… Vold… You-Know-Who kills him?" The young woman was hiccupping in her boyfriend's arms now.
Ron knew that Hermione was beyond worried when she couldn't say Voldemort's name.
"Harry will win, Hermione. That's what he trained for. That's everything he could think of these last months. He will win. He HAS to win!" Ron embraced Hermione and put all his faith in his words. He needed it to be true. He didn't know what he would do if it wasn't.
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Fifteen minutes later the assigned groups left the Great Hall.
Poppy Pomfrey, Minerva McGonagall, Molly Weasley, and Ginny Weasley – to her utmost disgust – went to the hospital wing to prepare the place for possible injures after the fight.
Professor Sprout would take care of the security around the castle, checking with the few other teachers around during the summer holiday and coordinating with Hagrid so no one and nothing could surprise them at Hogwarts.
And finally, the rest of the Order of the Phoenix were divided into two groups: one to find the hidden passage to the caves below the house and another to storm Malfoy Manor itself.
Arthur Weasley went to the Ministry to talk with Minister Scrimegour and ask for some Auror backup. Nobody was really counting on it, but it was best to be as honest as possible with the politician. They didn't need a new enemy if Harry was able to destroy Voldemort.
The Weasley brothers were with the group that would search for the caves. Bill was prepared to tackle any kind of ward or booby-trap in the way. Charlie was a powerful wizard, used to tense situations. The twins would know what to do if they encountered any of their inventions. And Ron wouldn't listen about not going the same way Harry did.
The same was valid for Hermione. She simply had to go the same way as her friend, and she would never let her boyfriend out of her sight in a dangerous situation.
Mad-Eye Moody and Remus Lupin completed the group.
The Aurors and the older members of the Order would assault the house. Kingsley Shacklebolt assumed the leadership of this group, which had Tonks and Kenneth Towler, a recent graduate from the Auror Academy, as the official representatives for the raid. From the Order of Phoenix they had Elphias Doge, Sturgis Podmore - healthy again after his stay at Azkaban - Hestia Jones, the recently inducted Amos Diggory, and Professor Flitwick, who was, after all, a champion duellist.
They knew that it wasn't much, but this was all they could count on on such short notice. They all could only pray that Arthur's mission was successful, and the Minister would send reinforcements.
But now wasn't the time to dwell about the situation. This was a moment for action.
Kingsley prepared two Portkeys and offered them to both groups.
"We will arrive outside the wards. Ron checked and found out that Harry took his Firebolt with him. So I would say it's safe to assume he flew inside the wards. Let's try that too. Whoever doesn't have their own broom can take one from the school."
Hermione groaned at that. She knew how to fly, as she knew the theory of almost everything, but she didn't like it.
"Don't worry, Hermione. You can fly with me. The Nimbus 2001 that Bill and Charlie gave me last Christmas will take us both without problem." Ron hugged his girlfriend encouragingly.
"So, wands at the ready! CONSTANT VIGILANCE! And let's end this now!" Moody shouted to the group and started to hobble out of the Great Hall and Hogwarts, so they could clear out of the anti-Portkey wards.
The rest of the attack force followed the seasoned Auror with less alacrity but no less determination.
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The group led by Kingsley jumped on their brooms as soon as they landed after the Portkey travel. They flew low, trying to not attract too much attention from anyone that might be looking from one of the house's windows.
But all the caution went literally flying to the wind when they arrived at the big door of Malfoy Manor. They could hear shouts and spells being thrown inside.
Kingsley approached the entrance carefully and was able to see that at least five Death Eaters were attacking a concealed door at the floor, in front of the massive staircases that lead to the rest of the mansion.
"I think we found the first trap Harry left." Kingsley reported to his group. "Looks like he locked the entrance to the hidden room we checked in the last raid. He must be right. There should have been a passageway between that hidden room and wherever You-Know-Who and his minions meet."
"Okay," said Kenneth Towler, the youngest Auror. "What do we do now? Just barge in?"
"We could start with a big explosion and then pick through the pieces afterwards," Tonks suggested.
"I'm all for that plan," Elphias Doge provided.
"So, together, we use Reducto. When we get in, bind anyone you find. We'll sort it out after we have cleaned the place," Kingsley said, already positioning himself in front of the big door.
The rest of the group arranged themselves by both sides of Shacklebolt, wands at ready.
"One… Two… THREE!" Kingsley counted, and eight voices shouted together.
"REDUCTO!"
The wooden door exploded inward and after the dust and debris settled, the Light warriors could see five people in black robes and white masks spread around the floor.
The group ran inside and conjured ropes to bind the Death Eaters. Tonks, Kinglsey and Towler advanced to the other rooms on the first floor, looking for more enemies.
Hestia Jones and Amos Diggory piled up the captured Death Eaters so Diggory could make a Portkey and send them to Hogwarts' hospital wing.
Elphias Doge and Sturgis Podmore climbed the stairs carefully to check the second floor.
Professor Flitwick stopped by the trap door of the hidden room to try and remove whatever trap Harry had left there.
The Aurors came back to the entrance hall with two new prisoners that were quickly dispatched to Hogwarts. They started to climb the stairs to meet the Order members when a commotion started on the second floor.
While a full blow battle seemed to explode on the second floor of the house, a series of pops were heard outside the house and Flitwick, Jones, and Diggory turned to the destroyed door, positioned to ward off any new attack.
But it was a group of at least 30 Aurors that came running inside. There weren't any uniforms for them, but most of the group wore blue robes, and all of them had their wands up front and at the ready.
"Where is Shacklebolt?" asked the man up front who seemed to be in charge of the group.
"He just ran upstairs. It seems that they encountered some resistance there," Diggory answered.
"Okay, Binnings and Caldwell, sweep this floor and guard any entrances." He pointed out toward a young woman and an older man. Both just nodded to acknowledge the order and then ran out of the hall.
"Crisswell, you stay here and help with whatever they were doing." Another young woman nodded and approached Professor Flitwick.
"You're Diggory, right?" The man in charge asked.
"That's me."
"Come with the rest of us. I don't want Shacklebolt getting nervous if he doesn't recognize or doesn't trust us."
Diggory patted Hestia Jones' back and went upstairs with the rest of the Aurors.
Professor Flitwick, Jones, and Crisswell turned back to the trap door and started to work again to remove whatever was there that wouldn't permit their entrance.
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The group led by Moody and an overflow of Weasleys landed seconds after the Aurors and the Order members.
They saw the other group jump on their brooms and fly low towards Malfoy Mansion.
Moody signed to the group to approach and started giving orders in a low voice. "The entrance should be in the back and hidden, so we should expect traps from Death Eaters and maybe even Potter. Let's fly low and carefully around the house but closer to the woods."
"Harry should at least have a couple of portable swaps and a new invention we call Enemy Embrace," Fred stated.
"That should explode in strong silk ropes upon contact," George completed.
"So pay attention to suspicious small yellow spiders," Fred offered.
"Spiders?!" Ron shouted.
"Silence!" Moody slapped Ron's head. "What else might we encounter?"
"Well, purple balls are explosive," George said.
"We have a really comprehensive line of battlefield products that we gave Harry to experiment with," Fred answered with pride.
"We did take some of it during our quest for the Horcruxes," Hermione said.
"But there weren't any spiders!" Ron said, trying to contain a scream.
"Well, knowing the twins…" Charlie started.
"And Harry," Bill completed.
"It would be better if we pay attention to anything that shouldn't be in an open space near some woods," Lupin offered his two pence to the discussion.
Moody sighed and shook his head. "Sometimes I don't know if we should be more afraid of these three or the Death Eaters…"
"Oy! Of course you should fear us more!" Fred stated.
"We are your friends!" George said.
"We can attack without rising any suspicious!" the Weasley twins completed together with laughter in their voices.
"Enough!" Hermione said, trying to establish some order.
They mounted their brooms, and when they started flying towards the back of the house they heard the explosion from the front door.
"I would say that Kingsley wasn't in the mood to wait for some house-elf to open the door," Charlie joked.
"Let's hope they didn't wake the dead with that explosion," Moody growled.
A few sounds of agreement could be heard among the group while they kept flying low and carefully.
The back of the house appeared quickly and at some distance a group of trees was illuminated by the lights of spells.
Moody gestured for them to spread out and advance in a semi-circular formation so they could surround the Death Eaters in the ground.
When the Order's warriors approached the place where they thought they would encounter a full fledged battle going on, it took a lot of self control – that not everyone had – to not fall off of the their brooms laughing.
They could see an entrance of a cave or maybe a tunnel by the side of the house. In front of it, forming a V were two Weasley's Portable Swamps and at least twenty Death Eaters fighting to get out of it. Some were too caught up in the mud and could barely move. Others had one arm out of the trap and were shouting spells without aiming, and nobody could think of a purpose for that.
A few of Voldemort's minions passed unharmed through this trap but were caught in something else inside the tunnel. The Order's group could hear the screams and the bawling from inside.
The smart ones probably just fled when they saw their companions disappear in the middle of this madness.
Moody, Lupin, Bill, and Charlie draw their wands and Stupefied all the Death Eaters inside the swamps.
Fred and George spread out a thin net around the entrance, creating protection for them to work.
"We thought that this would be really good for little children, so the parents could place them somewhere and not worry if they would run away," Fred informed while working.
"The Filch Magical Safety Net is its name," George completed, helping his brother.
"I liked the idea," Hermione said, after landing with Ron and started taking the pre-made Portkeys from a backpack. "But I don't think you should, or even could, use Filch's name on it."
"Yeah," Ron contributed for the discussion while helping Hermione. "It will scare the kids to death. And the parents probably don't have good memories of him either."
"Less talk, more work!" Came the shout from Moody, startling the four young people.
"We're going in the tunnel," Bill informed his brothers. "And we will look for Harry."
"Pick up these guys, tie them right, and send them to Hogwarts," Remus instructed.
"And pay attention if somebody else appears around here." Charlie contributed.
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" It was the last warning from Moody before the four adults shrunk their brooms and started to walk towards the tunnel's entrance.
"Oy!" Fred complained. "They'll find Harry and see some action…"
"…while we stay here and take care of the garbage!" George finished.
"Let's do this quickly…" Ron started.
"And right!" Hermione demanded.
"Yeah. Quickly and right, then we can go after them."
"To work, then!" Fred and George shouted together.
While the younger ones took care of the mess outside, the other four Order members ventured inside the tunnel, keeping close to the walls.
Bill sent some kind of spell into the tunnel and gestured for the others to wait.
"This is a handy spell that I picked up in Egypt. Works a bit like a Muggle radar. It will send flash of red if there are traps ahead."
When a flash of green lights popped ahead of them, Lupin questioned.
"And what green means?"
Bill smirked.
"That all the traps were activated. Whatever was here, the Death Eaters sprung them and were caught."
"I didn't know about this," Moody groaned, a bit upset to be overshadow by the younger man. "And what's a Muggle radar?"
"I'll show you later, Alastor," Lupin offered.
"And I can teach this one so it can be included in the Auror Academy," Bill offered.
"Hmph. Lumos!" was the answer from Moody.
Harry must have used some explosive purple balls and some rope spiders at the beginning of the tunnel. The four of them found eight Death Eaters unconscious and with a variety of wounds. Lupin and Charlie were quick to bind and put them together, using just two Portkeys to take them out of there.
After that the tunnel opened up in a big room with marks indicating Apparition and Porkeys arrivals. Because of some objects in the floor, they knew they should expect Death Eaters ahead.
The four men walked carefully ahead after casting spells on their feet for silence. They reached the end of another tunnel and could hear some shouts and some spells being thrown.
Lupin picked up a small stone and transfigured it in a mirror. Then he levitated it toward the noise.
The Order members could see five Death Eaters battling against a double wooden door.
"Dolohov and Parkinson," whispered Moody, immediately recognizing two of them.
"Bulstrode and…Marcus Flint?" Lupin said, surprised.
"Well, it doesn't matter the names, just that we have to take them out," Charlie offered.
"No, no," Moody corrected the younger man. "You must know your enemies. Dolohov is a vicious bastard. He likes painful and slow-to-kill curses."
"I saw Mr. Flint in his final year at Hogwarts." Lupin informed. "Underhanded and treacherous."
"Well, by the size of him, I would say that it's better to keep your distance of Bulstrode," Bill smirked. "I haven't eaten enough meat today. Maybe I could have a taste of him."
Lupin shook his head from the playfulness that Bill used toward the werewolf tendencies he'd had since the wounds he suffered on the attack on Hogwarts last year.
"You better not," Lupin said. "Can you imagine a guy this size with werewolf strength?"
"Okay. I stand corrected."
"Let's stop this tea time chat and do something!" Moody whispered, annoyed.
Before any of them could respond, a loud explosion was heard from the other side of the cave. The Death Eaters moved away from the door and turned towards the sound.
The twins, Ron, and Hermione arrived, running, and slammed against the cave's walls, breathing hard.
"What was that?!"
"I think our people opened the entrance through the house."
"Let's go and surround the bad guys!"
The eight of them ran ahead, wands at the ready, shields raised and full of determination.
From the other side, they saw the diminutive Professor Flitwick launching a barrage of spells and two women behind him doing a very good job of shielding.
Moody, Bill, Charlie and the twins attacked from their side while Lupin, Ron and Hermione worked to keep shields and deflect any spells that might be thrown their way.
It didn't take much time for the Death Eaters to understand that they were surrounded and outnumbered, and they tried to Apparate away. But since there was a woman with Hestia and Flitwick that the others didn't recognize, it could only be assumed that the Aurors had come to help. And that meant Anti-Apparition wards.
When the five Death Eaters couldn't Apparate away, they turned against the three on the stairs towards the house that they believed to be weaker. But Flitwick wasn't a Duelling Master for nothing, and some of the spells he was shouting were borderline dark but quite effective.
Hestia Jones started to bleed after a spell from Dolohov hit her wand arm. Moody didn't miss the opportunity and used a powerful cutting hex at the man's back. Dolohov fell on the floor and was immediately trampled by Bulstrode, who was occupied trying to take Bill out of the fight.
Marcus Flint was quick and brutal and caught Charlie with a breaking bone hex, just to be felled by a shower of pebbles that Hermione produced after a well placed Reductor Curse on the cave's ceiling.
Parkinson and the unnamed Death Eater were much more interested in surviving without dangerous wounds and were quick to throw out their wands, screaming "Surrender!"
Mad-Eye wasn't a man to take risks, so he Stupefied both men and bound them carefully.
Lupin and Flitwick took care of the two felled enemies and turned in time to see Bulstrode scream like a girl when the twins threw four yellow spiders over him. In less than a minute the big man was tied like a sausage in powerful yellow silky ropes.
"See, Ron, you're not the only one…" Fred said between laughs.
"...Afraid of spiders," George completed, also laughing hard.
"This will be a success!" The twins shouted together.
"Just keep those things away from me," answered the younger Weasley.
The Auror Crisswell was taking care of Hestia Jones's wound while Lupin and Moody finished the Death Eater package to send to Hogwarts.
Hermione was kneeled by Charlie's side, putting to use all her Healing knowledge.
Hestia used a Portkey for Hogwarts' hospital wing, and Flitwick went back to the house with Crisswell to check on the Aurors and the rest of the Order.
Charlie absolutely refused to be evacuated before they found Harry, so the group went back to the wooden door. There they could hear voices and spells being thrown around.
"If five of them couldn't open this door, what we'll do?" Ron asked tired.
"Brother of little faith," Bill joked. "I'm a curse-breaker for Gringotts, am I not?" And the oldest Weasley son started to work on the door.
"Little bugger!" Bill whispered just seconds after starting to check the spells on the door.
"What?" The Twins asked together.
"Harry mixed together some Egyptian's spells I taught him and created a very interesting locking charm."
"Harry created a new spell?" Hermione asked, torn between being proud and jealous.
"Nice job, Potter!" Moody whispered.
"Ah, a true Marauder at heart," Lupin smiled.
"Well, can we leave the praise for AFTER this battle?" Ron asked a little miffed.
"Okay, let me try this." Bill stepped back and used some complex wand movements and whispered something that wasn't English.
The screams from inside the room rattled the group and Bill tried to work faster.
When there was silence on the other side of the door the group grew even more worried.
Hermione latched to Ron's hand, squeezing it to the point that the young man couldn't quite feel it anymore.
The twins were holding Charlie, standing up and getting really nervous, shifting their feet.
Lupin started to growl without noticing and Moody gripped his wand tighter.
Finally Bill finished and the double door opened inward with a bang.
"HARRY!" Ron and Hermione screamed at the same time and ran into the room, not paying attention to anything else.
TBC…
