Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter and everything recognisable belongs to J K Rowling.
Thanks to all for those wonderful reviews! Here's the next chappie! Enjoy!
Chapter Thirty
James stared hard at Sirius. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. Harry couldn't have killed Tonks.
"Sirius! What are you saying?" Lily cried out, her voice breaking.
"I couldn't stop him. He acted so fast! I couldn't do anything." Sirius seemed to be caught in a trance. He kept repeating those words to himself.
James and Lily looked up from Sirius' broken form when the shouts inside the room escalated. As the two parents watched in distress, their eldest son was dragged out by Moody and an Auror named Kennedy, a fair haired man with a scar running down the left side of his face. Harry was struggling against them, trying to get himself out of their iron grip.
Kennedy and Moody had Harry's arms pinned behind his back and were dragging the teen out quite harshly. The sight made James react instinctively. He pulled out his wand and aimed it at his fellow Aurors.
"Moody! Kennedy! Let Harry go!" he yelled.
Harry gave no sign of hearing his dad but the two Aurors looked up sharply at him.
"Potter, put down your wand!" Moody growled.
"No! Release my son!" James yelled.
The narrow corridor was filled with Professors and students. The whole of Hogwarts had turned up to witness the arrest of Harry Potter. Dumbledore appeared next to Moody. At once, James called out to him.
"Dumbledore! Tell them to let Harry go. There must be a mistake. Harry couldn't have hurt Tonks! There must be a mistake!"
Dumbledore didn't answer him. Instead he turned around so his back was to James. At first James thought he was going to walk away from him but then he saw the Headmaster lift his wand and point it at Remus' room. The Professors that were standing in the way moved to either side, clearing the way. James gasped and dropped his wand as he saw the sight before him. His wand fell to the ground with a clatter.
James couldn't believe his eyes. He was certain Sirius was wrong or mistaken. Tonks couldn't be dead, Harry couldn't have killed her, but as he stared at the body before him all his hopes died.
He saw the body of Tonks, lifeless and pale. Her eyes were closed but her mouth was still slightly open. Her body was lying sprawled on the ground. Remus' broken figure was sitting next to her. James backed away, not wanting to see the body of his friend. He was vaguely aware of Lily's shocked cry but didn't acknowledge it. Tonks was dead, and it was his son, Harry's fault. His hazel eyes met Harry's green ones and all James could see was hate and anger.
Moody and Kennedy pushed past the Professors and students and continued to drag Harry out into the main corridor.
"Moody! Moody, wait!" James cried as he ran towards him. "Moody, please!"
"Sorry, Potter but I have to take him in. He's under arrest for the murder of Auror Nymphadora Tonks." Moody didn't even look in James' direction and continued to walk down the corridor, pushing past the crowd. James ran next to him, to keep up.
"Wait! Let me talk to him. Just for a minute, he couldn't have down this!" James turned to Harry, desperation in his eyes. "Harry! Harry, tell them you didn't do this! You couldn't have done this!" James cried.
Harry turned to face his dad, a mad gleam in his eyes.
"I did kill her! She was a traitor! She was passing on information to the so called Dark Prince!" he yelled.
Gasps echoed around the hall. Everyone was watching the scene with wide eyes and horrified expressions.
"No, Harry! Tonks couldn't have been the traitor. She was one of us! She was with Remus! She wouldn't have sold you out. She couldn't have!" James tried to explain to him.
Harry's expression didn't change. He looked fiercely at James.
"She was the only one who knew about the sleeping spell other than you, mum, Sirius and Remus! Explain how that information leaked out? She's the only one I didn't trust. She was the traitor! You're all too blind to see it!" Harry spat, still fighting off the two Aurors.
James shook his head, he didn't believe for a minute, Tonks was guilty.
"Moody, Moody, please. Just let me talk to Harry in private. Just for a minute, please." He said desperately.
Moody shook his head, making his grisly hair fly about his scarred face.
"Sorry, Potter but he's too dangerous. I can't risk it."
"Moody, all I'm asking for is a minute!" James shouted. But Moody didn't relent. He pushed past him, dragging Harry with him.
James turned around to see Dumbledore standing at the back. He wanted to yell to Dumbledore, ask him to somehow intervene and save Harry, like he did last year. But Dumbledore couldn't do anything. Harry had admitted in front of the whole of Hogwarts that he had killed Tonks. No amount of manipulation would be able to save him now.
James' eyes fell on Remus standing behind Dumbledore and it felt like all the air had been suddenly knocked out of him. There were tears in Remus' eyes. He was completely broken. In all the years James knew Remus, he had never seen him cry. The sight made James' mouth dry up. He realised the awful position he was in. If he tried to save Harry he would lose Remus. If he sided with Remus he would lose Harry.
Moody and Kennedy were nearly at the door, struggling with Harry. James turned around to see them manhandle Harry. He didn't know what to do. He watched helplessly as his son was jostled towards the door while the whole of Hogwarts watched. He felt Lily grab onto his hand. That was when he noticed, amongst the crowd of students, stood Damien. The look of heartbreak on Damien's face was heart wrenching as he stared at Harry and the Aurors.
Suddenly Harry twisted an arm out of Kennedy's grasp and in a matter of seconds he was out of both Aurors' grip. He knocked Moody's wand from his hand in the process. He turned to aim the wand at the now defenceless Moody while Kennedy kept his wand trained on Harry. The only other two Aurors that had come for the Duelling club had their wands trained on Harry as well.
"Harry! No!" both James and Lily yelled.
Damien watched in horror as his brother was, once again, standing at wand point of Aurors.
"Potter, don't be stupid. Give me back my wand and come quietly." Moody tried reasoning.
All the students and Professors of Hogwarts watched the scene unfold before them with bated breath.
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Harry spat at Moody. "I haven't done anything wrong!"
"You killed Auror Tonks!" Kennedy snapped, his wand shaking slightly in his hand.
"I was only defending myself from a traitor!" Harry spat back at him.
"Harry! Tonks was not a traitor!" Sirius yelled madly, he had come to stand next to Dumbledore. His eyes were bloodshot but his expression was one of pure anger.
An emotion flickered over Harry's face before he hid it.
"If she wasn't the traitor then someone in Hogwarts is! I don't care how many I have to kill; I'm going to get the one helping the Dark Prince!" Harry yelled.
James felt his breath catch in his chest. Harry was obviously not thinking clear. He was talking nonsense. If only he could get to him.
"Harry…"
Harry took one look in James's direction and that was all it took for Kennedy to react.
He sent a stunning hex at Harry but Harry threw up his shield just in time. Moody lunged at Harry to grab him but he threw himself out of the way. The moment Harry's shield came down, Kennedy sent a cutting hex at him. He aimed it at Harry's hand, in an attempt to disarm him but at that very moment Harry had thrown himself out of the way of Moody's attack. Kennedy's cutting hex hit Harry in the side instead of his hand, a deep slash appeared just under his ribs. Harry stumbled backwards in pain.
James had his wand pointed at Kennedy and it was only Lily's intervention that stopped him from sending a string of curses his way. Harry looked up at Kennedy, a hand clutching his side, a look of almost madness in his eyes. It was in that moment that James figured out what Harry was going to do.
"Harry! No!" James yelled but Harry had already thrown down Moody's wand.
The wand fell on the ground before the Auror's feet but before he could pick it up or Kennedy could attack again, Harry was gone. He had dissapparated on the spot. The students and Professors gasped at the sight. No one could dissapparate whilst inside Hogwarts, everyone knew that.
James closed his eyes in defeat, not wanting to believe what Harry had done. He had just ruined whatever chance he might have had at survival.
Shocked cried echoed through the crowd at what they had seen. Damien turned and stumbled away from the crowd, his heart thumping heavily in his chest. Tears were burning his eyes and he struggled to stay on his feet as his legs were shaking. He couldn't believe what had just happened, Tonks was dead and it was Harry who had killed her! His worst nightmare had come true. Harry had left them, for good. He couldn't come back. The memories of last year came flooding back but Damien knew that this time Harry wouldn't be saved. Even Dumbledore wouldn't be able to save him now.
xxx
The moments after Harry left were pandemonium. Everyone was dealing with shock at the revelation that Harry could manipulate the powerful wards of Hogwarts. Moody and Kennedy were gaping at each other, not able to comprehend what had happened.
Damien stumbled a few steps, trying hard to breathe. He felt hands grab at him, he knew they belonged to Ginny and Hermione but he brushed them away. He couldn't breathe, he needed to get out, he needed to get out into the open. Hermione and Ginny grabbed at him again. They were saying something to him but Damien couldn't understand them. Damien felt like a huge weight had been placed on his chest. It was compressing his chest, squeezing the air out of him. He was having difficulty breathing.
Damien felt his knees give out under him and he collapsed onto the ground. It was only when Hermione had kneeled next to him and engulfed him in a fierce hug that he realised he was crying. That was the pressure building in his chest. He hugged Hermione tightly and buried his head into her shoulder and cried. Everything had fallen apart. Everything he had gone through since last year with Harry had been lost. Harry was gone and he could never come back. Not after what happened with Tonks.
Damien didn't care that most of the school was present, he cried clutching to Hermione. She was saying things like 'it'll all be alright' and 'calm down' but Damien couldn't calm down. He knew things would only get worse, with Harry running away like that. Nothing would be alright, never again.
Within a matter of minutes Dumbledore had ordered everyone to return to their dormitories and all the staff to meet in his office. He excused James and Lily. Damien was picked up from the ground by his dad. James wouldn't meet his son's eyes. He walked him to his quarter in silence, Lily walking alongside him.
Lily stayed with Damien while James went to find his two friends. Everything around him felt surreal. The atmosphere of Hogwarts was completely changed. Everyone was shook up by the events of today. He wished all this was a dream, a horrid nightmare that he would soon wake up from. But it wasn't a nightmare, everything that had happened in the last hour was real.
Tonks' body was taken away by Aurors. Within an hour of Harry's departure the place was crawling with Aurors. Even Fudge came down and wanted a private word with Dumbledore.
James found Remus and Sirius in the same room they had found Tonks' body. They sat in silence with Remus. The werewolf hadn't said a word to anyone and hadn't moved from the room ever since the Aurors took Tonks' body. James didn't know what to say so he sat in silence. Any words of comfort sounded empty and meaningless even in his head so he didn't bother saying them out loud.
Sirius couldn't take it any longer and whispered an 'I'm sorry!' and fled to the Room of Requirement. He locked himself in there, refusing to see anybody to talk to anyone. James understood what he must be going through. He had lost his cousin and his Godson. Sirius was feeling guilty. He was there when Harry killed Tonks. He could have done something to stop Harry, or so he thought. James didn't blame Sirius, and he was sure neither did Remus.
James wished he could say something to comfort his friend for his loss. The most natural thing for James to say to Remus was that he would find the person responsible for causing him pain and make them pay. But that was exactly what was wrong in this situation because the one responsible for all this was his own son.
What James still couldn't understand was why Harry had thought Tonks was the traitor? He knew Harry was fond of Tonks. He had seen the way Harry's eyes would light up and that genuine smile that crossed his face at the sight of the Tonks. What happened to make Harry think she was the enemy?
James couldn't deal with those questions just now. He felt like his head was about to burst with tension. He didn't want to think about how screwed up everything was right now. Harry was on the run, again and this time there wasn't anything Dumbledore or anyone else could do to save him. Both his best friends were broken, one by the death of his lover and the other by witnessing that death. His youngest son was devastated and would need all the support to get through this and his wife was probably not that far behind him. The question was; who was there to help James through all of this?
xxx
By that evening things got progressively worse. Remus was still in his room, refusing to come out and Sirius had yet to make an appearance out of the Room of Requirement. James wanted desperately to talk to Sirius. He wanted to find out exactly what had happened between Harry and Tonks before her death. James was still having difficulty believing Harry killed her. Harry was hot headed and known to act rash, yes but, to kill someone he liked only a day earlier? It didn't make any sense. But then why did Harry admit to killing her? And Sirius said it was Harry who killed her and the alarm went of because an Unforgivable had been cast, meaning the killing curse.
James tried to talk to Sirius but he asked to be left alone. He wouldn't even open the door. James left and headed up to meet with Dumbledore. He had been sent a message at dinner time requesting a word. James knew Dumbledore had bad news to tell him. His meeting with the Minister had just finished an hour ago.
He walked in to see Dumbledore standing next to the window, scanning the view. He turned to greet James, looking immensely tired.
"How are you, James?" he asked with concern.
"How do you imagine?" James answered glumly.
Dumbledore lowered his head and for an instant his face seemed to show his true age. He looked, weak and old. James berated himself. This wasn't Dumbledore's fault.
"I'm sorry, Dumbledore. It's just…I've not let myself think about it. I fear I won't be able to deal with it. I still don't believe Harry…" he faltered and had to take a deep breath to continue. "I'm still hoping this is just a nightmare that I'll wake up from soon." He finished.
"I understand, James. I really do." Dumbledore empathised.
"So, why did you want to see me?" James asked. He knew the Headmaster hadn't called him just to ask how he was doing.
Sure enough Dumbledore took a deep breath and gave James a look that made his hair stand on end. James could tell that the news was bad.
"Tonks, her body is missing."
"What!?" James exclaimed.
"I was informed shortly after Minister Fudge left. The Aurors don't know how it happened. They said it was literally as if it disappeared into thin air. There is a search in place for her." James cursed under his breath. How was this news going to affect Remus? He was already falling apart. Dumbledore continued with the other news he had. "The Minister's visit today had resulted in the demand that the school is closed early. We still have two weeks of term left but under the circumstances, he thinks it would be best to close early."
"He doesn't get to decide that!" James said angrily.
"I agree with Cornelius on this occasion."
James stared at Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore never agreed with the Minister over anything and that was usually a good thing.
"Dumbledore, you can't shut the school early. It will do nothing but cause panic and havoc. Don't you remember the effect that the school closing had last year?"
Dumbledore inclined his head but continued to look solemnly at James.
"I remember but I'm afraid I have no other choice. The fact that Harry can manipulate the wards of Hogwarts has caused panic. His threat of killing the person responsible for helping the Dark Prince has to be taken seriously. He can come back to Hogwarts at any moment and there's nothing anyone can do to stop him. The Minister is convinced that Harry is the Dark Prince and all this talk of a spy is nonsense. He's pinning all the crimes committed by the Dark Prince on Harry."
"That's bullshit! He can't do that! Everyone knows about the Sedare potion and what that Creevey boy was doing! And as for Harry coming back to Hogwarts to attack someone else, you can't believe that! Harry knows if he comes back he'll get caught. He won't risk it!" James cried at once.
"We don't know that for certain. I can't risk the safety of my students. Can you imagine if a student had been in the place of Tonks?"
James felt a shudder ran through him at the thought. Dumbledore was right. Hogwarts wasn't safe, not if Harry could apparate back at any point. He felt all his anger leave him and was left feeling drained and weak.
"What are your instructions?" James asked, miserable at the thought of Hogwarts closing again because of Harry.
"Wrap up your lessons and prepare to go home. I'll announce the decision at Breakfast tomorrow. Hogwarts Express is being arranged for the day after tomorrow. Hogwarts will close early and will not reopen until Harry is caught." Dumbledore answered.
It hit James like a physical blow. Tomorrow? That was their last day at Hogwarts. The day after they were leaving for Merlin knows how long. James didn't say anything but nodded his head with difficulty.
"Is that all?" he asked.
Dumbledore seemed grow more uneasy, making James dread whatever he was going to say next.
"The Minister told me the order he's given to his Aurors, regarding Harry. I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen to any reasoning." He looked at James with sorrow, making James' heart leap uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, James. His orders are 'kill on sight'. He's afraid of him and what he could do. He knows now that Harry's more powerful than Voldemort and that scares him more than anything."
James was hardly listening to him. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew this would happen. The moment he saw Harry disapparate from Hogwarts, he knew this would be his fate. What else could be expected of the Minister? He was known to act rash when afraid and he was already afraid of Harry without the knowledge of how powerful he actually was.
James walked to his room in a daze, his mind engulfed with fear and racing with thoughts of how he could save his son now?
xxx
Sirius sat in the Room of Requirement. He sat in complete silence, his body held tense, eyes clouded with worry. His hands were still shaking. He sat quietly, looking at the spot in front of him.
Suddenly, without any warning, a pop was heard and Harry appeared at the exact spot Sirius was staring at.
Harry swayed on his feet and took one step towards him before collapsing. Sirius had already reached him and caught the teen easily. He helped Harry to sit on the ground. Harry had his eyes closed and his teeth clenched to stop the cry of pain escaping him. His hand was pressed to his side where Kennedy's cutting hex had got him. Without saying a word to him, Sirius moved Harry's hand away before examining the wound. It was not that deep, that was the good news. It needed attending to though. Sirius looked into the face of his Godson.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah" Harry breathed, opening his eyes and meeting Sirius' worried gaze.
"I can't believe Kennedy got you." Sirius commented, examining the wound again.
Harry ignored him. He looked at the large clock hanging in the room.
"Tonks?" he asked.
"She should be coming any minute now." Sirius replied, still not looking up from Harry's injury. "She said she would disguise herself as a student and make her way up here."
Harry only nodded his head and leaned back to rest. It had worked. His plan had worked perfectly. Well, he could have done without Kennedy's cutting hex but all in all everything else went accordingly. He closed his eyes and tried not to let his mind wander to the heartbroken expressions his parents and Damien had worn the last time he saw them.
Sirius got up and walked to the small cabinet. He had already asked the room for medical supplies. He knew Harry was going to need them. He opened it to see all the medical supplies he needed. He gathered up the pain relief potion and the items needed to clean and dress Harry's wound and headed back towards him.
"This plan of yours better work, Harry." Sirius said anxiously as he sat down next to him.
"It will, trust me." Harry said, leaning back to rest his head against the wall.
Sirius nodded and started to clean and dress Harry's wound. He worked in silence, both too tired to make conversation.
"Your dad is really freaking out." Sirius said after he had finished. He handed Harry the vial of pain relief, which Harry gulped down instantly.
"I would guess as much." Harry answered.
"I know what you said but Harry, can't we tell James about the plan now? I mean everything is done, there's nothing he could do to stop you." Sirius asked.
Harry shook his head.
"No, Sirius. It's too risky. I told you someone in Hogwarts is with the so called Dark Prince. Whoever this person is will keep a close eye on mum, dad and Damien. It's important that they believe I'm guilty for murder and on the run. If they find out the truth then their reactions won't be genuine. If the Dark Prince's spy has any reason to doubt them or finds out what really happened with Tonks then my whole plan will fail." Harry explained.
"Are you certain this Dark Prince will definitely show up?" Sirius asked. He still wasn't convinced.
Harry looked at him with an odd expression.
"I've spent my whole life with Death Eaters. Trust me, he'll come. This is an opportunity too good to miss. He won't let my threat go to waste."
"When do you think he'll make an appearance?" Sirius asked. He didn't think he could lie to James and Remus for very long.
"Soon" Harry answered.
"How soon? Everyone is going to be leaving the day after tomorrow, if this doesn't work then…"
"I said, soon! This will work, trust me." Harry said again, this time with a little annoyance.
"Then until he shows up, I'm staying in here. I don't want to face anyone." Sirius said, leaning back to rest against the wall as well.
"May as well, me and Tonks are pretty much confined in here. What's the harm in you being here as well?" Harry said.
Sirius would have believed Harry was being genuine if he wasn't adept at picking up the subtle sarcasm in his voice.
"This wasn't my idea. You're the one to come up with this crazy plan." Sirius retorted.
"This 'crazy' plan is all we have and I told you two to disappear somewhere else! It would have been a lot better. You still have that choice. You and Tonks hide out at the Headquarters. It doesn't get used anyway." Harry suggested.
"It will after today." Sirius groused. "The Order will most likely be in the process of setting up a meeting to discuss how to catch you. I won't be surprised if I get summoned in the next hour."
"Just don't go." suggested Harry.
"I'll have to. Dumbledore won't take no for an answer." Sirius said with a groan. He quietened down for a few minutes and then added bitterly, "I hate this. I've never lied to James or Remus."
"You'll get over it!" Harry snapped at him, his patience was running thin. Sirius looked at him and felt a surge of guilt. Here he was complaining about lying to his best friends when Harry had to lie to his parents and brother.
"Sorry" he muttered quietly. Harry ignored him.
Harry surveyed the room and stared at the bare walls. He spoke after a few awkward minutes.
"You could have asked for a window at least." Harry said sulkily.
Sirius ignored him.
"Do you know the Minister has given a 'kill on sight' order regarding you?" Sirius asked. He knew this was going to happen. In fact it had been one of the things he had pointed out to discourage Harry from carrying out this plan.
Harry smiled and looked at Sirius.
"Didn't expect anything else from him." He answered. "Coward!" he added softly, thinking about the Minister.
They sat in silence again for a few minutes.
"Do you think Tonks will be able to pull of the disguise to come here?" Sirius asked, at this point he was just making conversation. It was unnerving to sit in silence.
"She pulled of playing dead. This should be a piece of cake." Harry answered tiredly.
Sirius had to agree with that. Tonks had really used everything she had into her performance. Being a Metamorphmagus it was simple for her to appear as if she were dead. Now masking your pulse so it couldn't be detected, that was difficult but somehow Tonks had done it.
"She is a good actress." Sirius said remembering how her skin had gone deathly pale and the way her lips were tinged with blue.
"Not a bad actor yourself." Harry said, looking intently at Sirius.
Instead of feeling good about the compliment, Sirius felt awfully guilty.
"James is going to kill us." he said quietly, picturing how his childhood friend was going to react when the truth was revealed.
"I know." Harry added with a whisper.
xxx
The following day found more chaos at Hogwarts. The news of Tonks' death had reached the media and the newspapers were filled with the outrage felt by the wizarding world. They all agreed that Hogwarts closing was a good idea. It sparked a lot more panic as the truth was revealed about Harry being able to break through powerful wards. Even Voldemort wasn't able to do that.
Majority of the people were glad that the Ministry had given a 'kill on sight' order. It was quoted as 'the best decision so far' regarding the Ministry. All were hungry for Harry's blood.
"Funny how they change opinion of Harry at the drop of a hat!" James seethed as he threw down the paper.
James scanned the Great Hall and saw that most students were hardly eating anything. Everyone was upset by the events of yesterday. Tonks had become quite popular when she came to teach the Duelling club. Her death and the fact that Hogwarts was once again closing had upset nearly everyone. James' eyes stopped at the empty seat which usually held Damien. His son was still curled up in his living quarter. He had spent the night with James and Lily. Damien was inconsolable. 'At least he's stopped crying' James thought to himself.
After breakfast, James headed towards his classroom to teach what would be the last lecture of Defence Against the Dark Arts. He felt the stab of irony as he entered the classroom. Him teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts when his own son was the one who used the Dark Arts. If ever the students he taught would ever use Defence, it would probably be against his son.
xxx
Ginny was sitting all alone on the roof of the Astronomy tower. It was evening and most of the students were busy packing all their belongings. They were leaving Hogwarts in the morning. Ginny was finding it hard to pack her things. She couldn't believe Hogwarts was closing again. Her thoughts raced back to when term started and the jokes Harry had made about not getting invited back to Hogwarts.
It seemed like that was years ago as opposed to months. Harry and her together, that would never happen again and it was perhaps that knowledge that made Ginny seek solitude. She had known that things between her and Harry were finished when he broke up with her but she had thought that she would at least get to see him around. She was hoping, as slight a chance as it may be, that Harry would forgive her one day and maybe they could together again.
A tear ran down her cheek at the thought of Tonks. She had been in her life for as long as she could remember. Being an Order member, she had been coming around to the Burrow since Ginny was a little girl. Losing her was like losing a family member. It hurt so much that it was Harry who was responsible for what happened to Tonks. There was no way she was the spy, working for the Dark Prince. Harry had killed her in mistake.
A sound behind her made Ginny snap out of her thoughts. She turned around to face the door, expecting to see either Ron or Hermione. It was more likely to be Hermione, coming to nag her about packing and why she was out here. They had been told not to leave their dormitories but Ginny couldn't stand the way everyone was talking about Harry so she had escaped out here.
It wasn't Hermione or Ron. Ginny squinted in the dark, trying to make out who was standing in the shadow of the door.
"Who is it?" Ginny asked.
She could see the silhouette of someone standing in the doorway but couldn't make out who it was. Ginny felt the air around her vanish as the figure stepped closer and the light washed over him. A man stepped into the light, dressed in black robes, his dark unruly locks falling around a face hidden behind a silver mask. It was the Dark Prince.
Ginny could hardly breathe. The sight completely took her breath away. Intense green eyes, so similar to Harry's, were locked on her and the hate in them was making Ginny's skin erupt in Goosebumps.
Ginny slowly got to her feet, her hand gripped tightly over her wand. One hundred and one thoughts were running in her mind. How did he get here? What was he going to do? How was she supposed to fight him? How could she call for help?
She kept her eyes fixed to the figure before her. She felt her heart summersault in her chest at how familiar he looked. He looked like Harry, the hair, the eyes, his height, body everything was just like Harry's. But he didn't feel like Harry. Ginny could tell just by looking into his eyes. Harry's had looked at her plenty of times with hate and anger but even then they were never this cold.
Before Ginny could take a step back the figure reacted. He sent a disarming spell at her. Ginny reacted on instinct. Her full body shield, that Harry had taught her, came up at once, covering her from head to foot in a purple coloured bubble. Ginny was more surprised than anything. This was the first time she had done magic on instinct. The disarming spell hit the wall of the bubble and dissolved.
Ginny looked up to see an odd emotion flicker in the Dark Prince's eyes. It was gone in a second and the rage in those emerald eyes seemed to intensify. He raced towards her and Ginny had to let down the shield otherwise she wouldn't be able to move. She stumbled back and aimed her wand at him, thinking of a spell to say, to make him back away.
Before she could utter a single word, her wand was snatched from her. Ginny gasped as the burn appeared on her hand. He had sent a non verbal spell at her that made her hand burn. She saw her wand zooming towards the masked figure. He grabbed it and before her eyes he snapped it in two halves.
Ginny gasped at the sight as if in pain. He had snapped her wand! She felt horribly helpless without her wand, almost as if her hand been chopped off. She couldn't do anything but leap out of the way as a jet of green light came at her. Her heart was pounding in her chest, perspiration clinging to her forehead. She was going to die at the hands of the Dark Prince. But she couldn't die. She was only sixteen! It wasn't her time to die yet.
Ginny fell to the ground painfully as she jumped out of the way of another curse. She knew there was no point in yelling for help. No one would hear her from the Astronomy tower. She focused on the masked man towering over her.
The Dark Prince was about to send another non verbal curse at her but Ginny reacted before the curse was finished. She threw up her foot, focusing as much strength as she could and kicked him in the leg. The sudden attack caught the masked man off guard and he stumbled to the ground. Ginny made a mad dash towards the door. If she could get out of the tower she would have a chance.
She was only a few steps away when she heard a voice utter a curse behind her. She fell to the ground, a cord wrapped around her ankle, tripping her to the ground and pulling her back towards the enraged man.
Ginny scrambled wildly, trying to grab a hold of something that would stop her from being dragged. She was crying out loudly at the pain in her ankle. She ended up at his feet. The masked man leaned down and grabbed her by the hair. Ginny cried out in pain and tried to free herself but she only ended up causing herself more pain. The man pulled her up to her shaky feet and yanked her face close to his, so close that Ginny could see his eyes clearly. They were not Harry's eyes. Ginny would recognise Harry's eyes anywhere.
He dragged her to the edge of the roof. Ginny suddenly realised what he was going to do and in panic started fighting for release. She kicked and punched him as hard as she could but he didn't loosen his hold.
"Why are you doing this?" Ginny cried in desperation, tears leaking out of her eyes at the pain.
The Dark Prince tightened his grip in her hair, making her gasp out in pain.
"Because it would destroy him!" he hissed at her.
Ginny never expected him to answer her. She was surprised with the answer. He obviously meant Harry. He thought her death would affect Harry. Ginny found the air around her crackle with magic. She couldn't look away from the hate filled eyes. Suddenly he let go of her hair and in a swift move, before Ginny could do more than blink, he had picked her up and thrown her over the edge of the roof.
Ginny couldn't even scream. She saw the ground rushing up to meet her and all she could think about was that she was the only one to have heard the Dark Prince's voice and she wouldn't get the chance to tell anyone. She had proof Harry wasn't the Dark Prince but no one would know.
She closed her eyes just before the ground met her. She expected it to hurt, she expected to die as soon as she hit the ground. So she was very surprised when it felt like she had merely drifted the last few seconds to the ground. She opened her eyes to find herself lying on the ground quite comfortably.
Her panicked mind didn't quite take in what had happened. She looked up at the tower from which she had fallen. She could barely make out the figure standing at the top, staring down at her. She looked around herself to figure out who had saved her. It was apparent that someone had cast a spell to slow down her fall so the impact wouldn't kill her.
Suddenly the entire grounds were flooded with lights. For a moment everything was washed in blinding white light. Ginny brought up a hand to shield her eyes. When the lights faded to a more bearable level she looked around her and was shocked to see the entire population of Hogwarts standing in the grounds. All the students, from first year to seventh year were piled outside on the grass. All the Professors, including Professor Dumbledore were standing at the forefront. Ginny saw Charlie rushing over to her, fear in his eyes. He reached her in a few strides and gathered her in his arms.
James was only a few feet away from her. He tore his eyes away from the trembling Ginny and looked up at the figure standing on top of the Astronomy tower. Everyone had their eyes fixed on the masked figure standing on the roof. The mysterious rays of light suddenly swirled around and fixed themselves on the Dark Prince, almost like spotlights. Although he was still quite a distance away, the spotlights made him more visible.
James could see him clearly and what he saw made his heart leap painfully. He looked just like Harry. His hair, his green eyes shinning through the mask, his height, body shape, everything looked painstakingly similar to Harry.
The Dark Prince looked stunned by the spotlights and the whole of Hogwarts population staring up at him. He was obviously caught off guard. As he retreated from the edge of the roof, a few people including Aurors Moody and Kennedy ran towards the tower, trying to get to him. James knew it was pointless to try and fire any curses at him. They were too far away. The only chance they had was to reach him before he got away.
Suddenly the bright lights that were fixed on the masked man zoomed forward and hovered over the roof, illuminating the whole rooftop of the Astronomy tower. The Dark Prince flinched as the lights brought everyone's attention to him and his every move was clearly visible. He pointed his wand towards the lights, trying to get rid of them. When that didn't work he glared down at the mass staring up at him. He reached into his robes and pulled out a small object. Before everyone he pointed his wand at the object and enlarged it. James saw a broomstick in his hand. He was going to fly away and escape from here. James surged towards the doors, Remus by his side, following Moody and Kennedy's lead to try and get to him but stopped short as shouts of surprise rang around him.
He turned around and the sight nearly stopped his heart. Standing in a cleared part of the grounds was Sirius, holding his wand tightly in his hand, pointed at the tower. But it was the person standing next to him that was causing the uproar. Pointing a wand at the tower as well, stood a purple haired Tonks, looking very much alive and well.
Confusion and a deep sense of relief swept over James as he saw the Auror standing next to Sirius. He felt Remus by his side stiffen as if he had been petrified. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Tonks. But Sirius and Tonks didn't look away from the tower. It became clear that the lights hovering over the Dark Prince were being controlled by Sirius and Tonks.
The Dark Prince had stopped in his action of mounting his broom as the excited and surprised shouts had distracted him. Everyone was staring at Sirius and Tonks, including the Dark Prince. Both Aurors stepped to either side, revealing a third person standing behind them.
All the surprised yells and shouts died and an eerie silence engulfed them. It seemed like someone had turned down the volume. Standing next to Sirius and Tonks, his emerald gaze fixed on the masked figure, was Harry.
James felt his hair stand on end at the sight. Not only because he saw his son again but because of the expression he was wearing. His eyes had already darkened a few shades and the look of anger on his face was deeply reminiscent of a certain red eyed wizard.
Everything seemed to speed up after that. At the sight of Harry, the Dark Prince mounted his broom and prepared to leave. It was only then that James noticed the broom Harry was holding in his hand. Harry let out a growl before taking off, running towards the tower before effortlessly mounting his broom. He was at the rooftop in a matter of seconds.
James and the rest of Hogwarts watched in numbed terror as Harry collided with the Dark Prince's broom making him crash onto the rooftop again. Harry jumped off his own broom and faced the masked man. For a moment neither moved. Both stood glaring at each other. Both were so similar. Now that Harry was standing next to him, it looked like the person behind the mask was his twin. Their height was identical as were their visible features.
To everyone's surprise the Dark Prince pocketed his wand and turned to face Harry, his body portraying his calmness. He beckoned to Harry, gesturing for him to make the first move. Harry was only too happy to take up on the offer.
Dumbledore was shouting out instructions to the adults present but no one was listening to him. They were too engrossed in the fight happening on the rooftop. Harry kicked the Dark Prince but he was ready for it. He blocked Harry before crashing into him. Harry was back up on his feet in a second and sent a powerful punch to the masked man's face. Harry made to grab the mask but the Dark Prince blocked him again. The Dark Prince seemed to know how to fight like a muggle but wasn't as accomplished as Harry. He was losing as Harry continued to land punch after punch.
James could almost taste Harry's rage. He was completely engrossed in breaking every bone he could. The Dark Prince stumbled back from Harry after catching a kick to the face. His mask almost slipped but was recovered instantly. Harry recognised the workings of the 'stay put' spell. It wouldn't let the mask come off unless the spell was lifted.
The Dark Prince was on the ground and just as Harry made to kick him, he pulled out his wand and sent a cutting hex at Harry. It caught him in the arm but Harry hardly noticed. He reached over and grabbed the Dark Prince, wrestling his wand away from him.
Just then James heard shouts and looked over to see Moody and Kennedy rushing towards him.
"What happened?" James asked, his voice sounding strained to his own ears.
"The top of the staircase is blocked. We can't get rid of it!" Moody yelled, frustrated. His magical eye swivelled around to see Harry. "I could see him fighting at the top. He's winning!" he added in his gruff voice.
James turned back to watch as Harry made to grab the mask again. He was trying to undo the spell wandlessly but couldn't manage as he was concentrating on fighting him at the same time.
Suddenly the Dark Prince threw Harry off long enough to 'Accio' his broom. He mounted it and took off, earning a gasp from the students watching. Harry was on his tail a moment later. He was speeding up, his hand outstretched almost as if he was trying to grasp the golden snitch in a game of Quidditch. What he was actually doing was trying to direct his spells to the flying Dark Prince.
A hissed curse and suddenly the tail of the Dark Prince's broom caught fire. Harry smirked as the Dark Prince unsteadily made his way towards one of the rooftops of the main towers. He fell on the roof and put out the fire. Harry landed on the roof as well and was already attacking him. The mass of students and Professors on the ground ran to continue watching the fight. Moody, Kennedy and a few others ran inside the castle to try and get to the rooftop of the main tower.
"He can't get past the wards. They won't let him fly past Hogsmeade." Dumbledore told James.
James looked away from the battle to tell Dumbledore something when he saw Damien and Lily standing next to Ron and Hermione, their eyes glued to Harry. He had thought Damien was still inside with Lily.
James heard Dumbledore shout instructions to the others to accompany him to Hogsmeade in case the Dark Prince got away from Harry. It didn't look like that was necessary, judging from the ferocious battle happening on the rooftop.
Harry tried again to cancel out the 'stay put' spell so he could reveal the identity of the mysterious Dark Prince. But his opponent was making it very difficult. Harry blocked a bone breaking curse and leapt out of the way of a Crucio.
Harry was back on his feet and lunged at the man managing to grab a hold of the masked figure. He threw him down to the ground and slammed the man's wand holding hand to the ground repeatedly until his grip loosened and he lost his wand. Harry cancelled out the 'stay put' spell in a matter of seconds, now that he got a clear shot of him. His eyes were locked with a pair of identical eyes and had just reached towards the mask, to rip it off when things went disastrously wrong.
A jet of green light came at Harry from nowhere and he only just managed to narrowly avoid it. Both Harry and the Dark Prince had rolled out of the way of a green light, unmistakeably the killing curse. Harry looked up and saw the source. Ministry Aurors had appeared and were firing the killing curse at him from the adjacent tower.
Judging from the shouts and cries from below, the Aurors must have entered Hogwarts without anyone noticing. They fired another three jets of 'Avada Kedavra' at Harry which narrowly missed hitting him. Harry dodged the curses, ducking and throwing himself out of the way. He caught a glimpse of the Dark Prince mounting his broom.
Harry tried to stop him from leaving but was forced to duck as another round of curses came belting towards him. He looked up to see the masked man had already mounted his broom and was already a good distance away.
Harry had just managed to find shelter behind a stone gargoyle and had reached towards his broom, intending to 'Accio' it and follow the masked man when a jet of red light hit his Nimbus, blowing the broom apart. Nothing was left of it. Harry was forced to leap out of the way again as the Aurors were firing with vigour and had blown apart his shelter. The only spell they were casting at him was the killing curse. If only Harry could get a chance in between dodging the spells, he would cast his own killing curse and get rid of the foolish Aurors.
Suddenly the door at the far end burst open and five men piled onto the roof, Moody and Kennedy among them. They stopped the Aurors from firing the killing curse by blocking Harry, waving their arms and shouting that Harry was innocent, he hadn't killed Tonks.
Harry didn't care, as soon as the stream of curses stopped he leapt from behind the Aurors and ran towards the edge of the roof. He searched the skies frantically but there was no sight of the flying figure. He had gone. After everything Harry had risked and done, the Dark Prince had escaped and Harry was no better at discovering his identity.
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Okay, another long chapter for all of you, since I got so many reviews for the last chappie. Please Review for another quick update!! LOL! Cheers!!