You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.
Jeannette Rankin
Chapter 16: And so it began…
For Harry, the first moments of the battle were little more than a blur. He had followed nothing but his instincts as he clutched Ginny's waist and threw the two of them to the floor, protecting her from the blast with his body.
Opening his eyes a fraction as he felt the worst of the explosion blow over, he was immensely relieved to see the slight rustling of reality as invisibility cloaks were removed and all kinds of concealing spells cancelled. This was good. Dumbledore still trusted him enough that a warning such as the one he had given didn't go unheeded.
Picking himself up from the floor as he realized they were much too exposed, he helped Ginny to her feet, noticing in the process that her hands were steady, but ice cold. Hastily, he steered them towards the relative safety the bulk of the train provided.
Neville and Ron were frantically trying to get the doors to open, so that they could get inside with the other students, but to no avail. When Harry saw this, he couldn't help a flow of expletives from leaving his mouth. "Of all the abysmally stupid things to do! Why, oh why, seal the students inside?"
"Or, more to the point," muttered Ginny, with only the barest trace of sarcasm in her voice, "outside?"
"I suppose this is Dumbledore's idea of a security measure," grumbled Harry under his breath. Whipping out his wand, he begun bombarding the door with every unlocking spell and charm that he had ever heard of. It never even budged.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry saw two cloaked figures surreptitiously trying to approach the train. Turning suddenly, he observed as they started systematically placing small transparent crystals at regular intervals along the rails.
"Bloody hell, this can't be good. Hermione, are those Faust's crystals?" he asked, keeping his eyes locked on the two wizards.
"I-I don't know Harry. Possibly. I have no idea, I only saw them in pictures." Her voice had a slight edge to it, as if she was in the border of panic.
"They want to blow up the train. This is bad, people are locked inside!" Harry's eyes were cold and slightly narrowed in thought. Turning back to the door, he moved on to more destructive spells, reasoning that if he blew it to pieces, people would be able to get away. But even those did little more then dent the iron. Dumbledore's spell work was much too strong.
Things didn't look good - he was just glad that the Order was keeping the Death Eaters busy, and that those particular gentlemen hadn't realized that he was outside and exposed. Motioning towards a large pillar, Harry directed his friends to hide behind it. He needed a moment to think.
Near the gate, chaos reigned. Terrified families tried to go through the passage in order to Apparate to safety, following that most basic of human impulses: the need to survive. Aurors had formed a barrier surrounding the fleeing mass, and did their best to keep the Death Eaters too preoccupied to have time to turn their wands against the mob.
Peering from behind the pillar, Harry realized for the first time how completely unprepared for any kind of confrontation wizards were. The fear of Death Eaters was so deeply ingrained in people's minds that no one seemed to have realized that they had the option of turning around and fighting back.
Order members, still holding the element of surprise, even if desperately outnumbered, were trying to incapacitate as many of their opponents as possible before the tides turned and they were forced to defend themselves.
Harry knew that the moment they created another explosion, everything would change. However what worried him the most at the moment was the fact that everyone was too engrossed by the battle to notice the two lone Death Eaters near the train. If he was correct, they were the biggest treat of all, and so long, they had been doing their work completely unchallenged.
Turning towards the people behind him, he took a deep breath, and said the first thing that crossed his brain. "We have a problem."
Ginny smiled mirthlessly. "Really? I hadn't noticed."
Shooting her a quelling glance, he fought back his own smile. Harry glanced one last time at the battle, and begun talking. "If I'm right, and those are Faust's crystals, then we have a very big problem. They stacked the train with enough of them to blow up half the station. It will be a massacre. And from what I can see, no one has noticed anything yet.
"I know very little about those things, other than the fact that the magical energy contained inside, when released, will destroy just about anything that it crosses. I also know that they're attuned to their creator, so I'm not sure we can just destroy them, even if we knew how. Any ideas?" he asked, glancing at their worried faces.
His question was greeted with silence. Frowning, Harry closed his eyes, and willed his brain to find him something, anything, that might solve his problem. He couldn't call out for help; any distraction in the middle of a duel could be the death of someone and it might bring unwanted attention to their corner of the station. He had to solve this one by himself.
Sometimes he wished some problems would just disappear, even if he knew it was just wishful thinking. But as soon as this thought crossed his mind, his eyes widened slightly in surprise and then narrowed once more in thought. Turning towards Hermione, the only person who seemed to know what he was talking about, he asked, "Do you think Vanishing them will work? Or are they immune to such simple spells? If we could get them to go somewhere remote, where there's no risk to anyone…"
Hermione was looking at him with glazed eyes. It was obvious that she was in no condition to have an academic discussion on a subject she by no means mastered. "I-I Harry, I don't know anything about those crystals! I-I…" She shook her head, as if to reinforce her desire not to give an opinion.
"You know more than any of us, probably," Harry said gently, taking her hand and looking her in the eyes. "Try to remember, Mione, this is important. Did you read anywhere that Faust crystals are immune to outside influence?"
"I-I don't remember, Harry! I don't remember!" she cried. Harry saw that there was a slight shine of tears in her eyes.
"She answered you already, leave her alone!" growled Ron suddenly, speaking for the first time since they had found themselves in the middle of a war zone.
"Shut it, Ron, this is serious." Harry saw the flash of anger in his eyes, but was too preoccupied to be bothered.
"I think it might work, Harry. I don't know. It all depends on the timing, really… The person who created them can activate at any moment, it's a simple spell that can be done anywhere, really." Hermione made a valiant effort to keep her voice steady, but spells were flying much too close to their hiding place for her liking, and she was having a hard time controlling her panic.
Ginny, who was keeping an eye on the battle as they talked, suddenly said, "We need to move. The Death Eaters are gaining ground. They'll be here in a minute and we'll be exposed as well as trapped outside."
Cursing once more under his breath, Harry glanced at the only escape route: the next pillar. He clutched his hands, controlling his magic that seemed to want nothing more than to turn around and face the storm. "Okay, here's what we'll do," he said, turning to the four teens behind him, "I'll disillusion myself and try to vanish those things before they hurt anyone. I want you all to hide behind that," he pointed to a deserted area in the further corner of the station, "and warn me if anyone approaches. A pity our trunks are inside the train, I could have used my cloak."
Hermione nodded immediately followed closely behind by Neville, even if the boy did seem to have a slightly rebellious expression in his eyes and was clutching his wand tightly, as if he wanted nothing more than to make himself useful. Ron frowned, but didn't seem inclined to argue. Ginny, however, was already disillusioning herself. "You'll need someone to cover your back, you idiot, so don't even think about dismissing me."
He opened his mouth, couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't make the situation worse, and heard the approaching explosions. They needed to move. As much as he wanted to enter the battle, loose himself in the duels as he knew he could, he needed to protect the people around him first. And Ginny was right; he needed someone to stand guard while he worked on the crystals.
"You're doing nothing of the kind, Ginny," snapped Ron to the place where he could see the faint outline of his sister, "It's too dangerous. You'll be caught in the explosion!"
"It's not up for discussion. Especially when the concern comes from you." Taking Harry's now disillusioned arm, she crawled towards the train, her wand firmly in hand, and every sense on high alert.
Tonks could see without being told that they were in very deep trouble. The Aurors were down to half a dozen, and most of them were being slowly shepherded towards a corner. She didn't know how smart this technique was - after all, a cornered enemy is the worst there is - but the result was that they were cut out from help, and left to deal with the dark mass alone.
The Order was straining to protect the last escaping parents - the few who had stayed back out of concern for the children, and the even fewer who had wanted to help. It was useless, really; the Death Eaters were too well trained to be bothered by a handful of inexperienced wizards who didn't know what they were doing.
She saw the last person leave out of the corner of her eyes, and felt a wave of relief so intense it left her shaking. There would be no civilian casualties today. This was much more than she could have asked for. Turning back towards the man in front of her, she let impulse kick in.
Stunner, duck, forward roll, come out with a cutting hex on her lips, raising a shield to block the nasty orange curse sailing her way. Her moves had the silken perfection of a dance routine, practiced until they involved only muscle memory and the certainty of instinct. Her last hex, a neatly placed stunner, was too good to miss.
Remus, seeing no way to dodge the hex sailing his way, let himself fall to the floor and watched it sail above his head. Forcing his recalcitrant body to move, he was up again in a minute, attacking with a vengeance. There was nothing here of the quiet professor, the reserved man with the shy smile. With a last diffindo that sent his opponent crashing into a wall, he ended the match. As he lowered his hand, a small twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth that for a moment transformed his stoic face.
Glancing around at the battlefield he searched for the person that seemed to be in the most need of assistance. Mad-Eye - in true form - was holding his own against two masked opponents. Tonks, at the other side of the station sent him a quick grin as she finished off some poor fellow unfortunate enough to cross her path.
What happened next was only a sequence of feelings and sensations. Tonks' eyes widening in terror, her silent scream that would never reach him in time. Then the glowing light surrounding his body, the sharp pain in his lower back. His last thought before he fell was a sharp reprimand at his own inattention; but then, only a Death Eater would attack from behind.
Looking back, Harry saw Neville grab a handful of Ron's robes and drag him to the next pillar, keeping an alert eye on the battle ragging. Good, thought Harry, at least someone here has got his priorities straight. Returning his full attention to the task at hand, he focused on the glimmer of the first crystal. He was struck by how perfectly innocent it looked. No larger than a snitch, completely transparent and glowing with a soft light, it certainly didn't own to all the horrific tales attributed to the small stone.
Feeling Ginny beside him, keeping guard while totally blending in with her surroundings, Harry squatted beside the rails, trying to feel the magic that surrounded the small crystal. He knew that if his plan didn't work, he'd have to enter the battle long enough to call for help and that, once that happened, he might not be able to escape again. The thought made him shudder and work harder.
Blocking the outside world from his conscious mind, forcing every shouted spell, every flash of light to disappear from his perceptions, he started with a minor spell to dispel any barriers that might surround the stone. After a soft shimmer, it returned to normal. Still feeling there was something not right with the stone, Harry did the strongest cancelling charm he knew, a variation from Finite that he had found during his research that summer.
There was a sudden bright light that threw Harry a few feet and, unfortunately, brought unwanted attention to their part of the station. Keeping as still as a tomb, so that the disillusion spell had the best chances of working, Harry prayed for the Death Eaters to be too busy to come and investigate what was happening. He silently hopped that Ginny wouldn't draw any attention to herself.
"What the bloody hell was that, Harry?" growled Ginny after some time had passed and no one came any closer.
"Some type of protection, Ginny. I'll need to do the spell every time for this to work. Think they'll leave us alone?"
"Not bloody likely, Harry. This whole thing was only going to work if you were discreet. I assure you, that light was not discreet." Harry could almost see the frown on her face as she spoke.
"Well, do you have an alternative? I'm not particularly fond of the idea of going into that mess to ask for help!" Harry snapped, pointing an invisible hand towards the mass of wizards, surrounded by flying spells, cries of fear and surprise.
"Neither am I. We'll do as many as we can, and then run for it, I suppose. Teach me that charm, it's better if we work together. We'll get more done."
Harry did, and was amazed to see that Ginny managed the complex charm with surprising ease. On her third try, less than five minutes after he had started explaining, her spell-work was impeccable.
Smiling impishly, even if Harry couldn't see it, she said, "Charms was always my best subject, Harry. No need to be so surprised. Where were you thinking of sending the stones?"
"Uh, somewhere empty… The middle of the ocean, maybe?"
"I pity the fish, but okay, the ocean it is." And she strolled purposefully towards the next crystal.
They worked in silence for a moment, both struggling with the protection charms cloaking the stones until suddenly, Harry felt everything give way. He'd cleared the way. Vanishing the still glowing crystal, Harry thought bitterly, one down a dozen to go.
Tonks felt as if her world had suddenly narrowed down to one single objective: make her way across the battlefield and reach Remus who lay unusually still on the ground.
She plunged, feeling a hex sail inches above her head. She was getting careless in her despair; her left arm was already throbbing from some sort of burning hex that she hadn't bothered to block.
What she was doing went against every last fibre of the Auror in her. During her two years of training she'd had the notion that casualties were a fact of battle, that the best way to help a fallen comrade was to keep fighting, ingrained in her mind and in her reflexes a thousand different ways.
Today, she couldn't respond as she had been thought. Today, as she saw the man she secretly loved fall, she dashed through the concrete floor, dodging hexes as best she could, until she could be beside him.
She came to a stop next to him, and pressed two fingers to his neck to check for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Closing her eyes for a moment, gathering her wits, she stood up, prepared to keep him safe until more help arrived.
Harry was so completely focused on his task that it took his mind a minute to register the pain-filled cries that suddenly filled the air, and another to recognise the voice.
His heart clenching, he jumped up, and started running towards the place the cries were coming from, Ginny hot on his heals. With growing dread he realized that the sound was coming from the place where his friends were hiding. Someone had spotted them.
The scene that met his eyes was akin to his worst nightmares. Hermione, curled on the floor, still moaning as the aftermaths of the curse flowed her body. Neville sprawled on the ground, unnaturally still. And lastly Ron, being restrained by two masked men, a murderous rage burning in his eyes.
He came to a skidding halt before the three men. And growled, even as he removed the masking charm, "You can stop, I'm here." He opened his arms, pointing his wand away from the Death Eaters, trying to look as little threatening as possible. They wouldn't get him without a fight, but first he needed to get his friends to safety.
"Decided to join us, have you, Potter?" The man gave a raucous laugh that grated on Harry's nerves. He remembered this man…
"Are you going to cooperate this time?" the man asked, his smile barely visible under the mask. "Or do you need to hear her scream once more?"
Harry's eyes narrowed, he was filled to the brink with repressed anger, remembering all the dreary hours he had spent at the hands this scum. He had told himself countless times in the last few weeks that the best way to deal with everything was to move on, accept and forget. But know, watching the barely hidden mirth in the face of his assailant, he felt a nearly overwhelming desire to thrown himself at him, and release all the pent up anger and desire for revenge that had been eating him inside.
"Let them go, Rookwood, your business is with me," Harry snarled between his teeth.
"Oh, but you were so very fast in gracing us with your presence once you heard the mudblood screaming! I think your friends will stay a while longer, Harry." His tone was careless, joyful, and it sent a shiver of rage curling down Harry's spine.
"You really don't want to do this, Augustus. I'm not lying in a cell today. I have a wand, and I have several very good reasons not to show any mercy. You should remember that, before doing anything foolish." Harry grinned as the smile disappeared from the older man's face. "You must have heard what I can do without a wand… Do you really want a taste of me with one?"
Harry was trying to gain time. He was perfectly aware that he could not duel three Death Eaters unassisted and still protect his friends. He was happy to see that Augustus at least was buying his cocky act, and was hesitating. It was good to have him unsettled.
He felt Ginny's presence behind him, and was glad that she hadn't been foolish enough to make herself known. She was partly hidden behind a wall, and quite invisible with the disillusionment charm still working. Maybe, if she could stun one of them out of the blue… But she was too far away, it would never hit the mark.
Willing his brain to think, to come up with a solution, he kept his gaze locked on the man in front of him. Hermione was still on the ground, even if she now seemed to be trying to pick herself up. It hurt Harry to see the lost look in her eyes, he had wished none of his friends ever had to feel the pain he was put through. They were all better off not knowing the extent of human cruelty, in the end.
"So, what will it be, Augustus? I promise to be gentler if you let them go... It is me your master wants. I'm the only one who knows the end of the prophecy. It is useless to involve innocent people in this, Rookwood." Harry's eyes were mere slits, but he tried to maintain his voice even. It was better not to show emotion. Fear and anger would only add to their already considerable advantage.
Smirking, Rookwood asked, "Do I feel a bit of desperation there, Potter? I have all your friends at wand point here. I don't think you're in any place to be bargaining."
"And what will you do, then? Kill them all? That won't give you any information, I can guarantee you."
"How about we test that theory, Harry?" he asked, a vicious glow in his eyes that made Harry cringe. As if in slow motion, Harry saw the Death Eater lower his wand once more towards Hermione, her eyes widening in horror. "Cru-"
His body moved as if of his own accord, he suddenly burst into action, and threw himself against the man, his shoulder making painful contact with the other man's ribs. He rolled to a stop, his wand in hand, and cried to Hermione: "Move! Get out of here!"
This was the moment he had been wishing for; he had been only waiting for a good enough excuse to enter a duel. Keeping a close eye on the two robed figures still holding Ron back, Harry watched as Rookwood picked himself up from the ground.
The Death Eater slowly took off his mask, face contorted in a manic grin, and said in a low growl: "Don't interfere. He's mine. Today I bring the Dark Lord his worst enemy."
Harry was slowly circling the Death Eater, every sense tingling, waiting for the attack that would undoubtedly come. The fight transformed him. Ginny, from her privileged spot, saw a fierce light enter his eyes, the quiet intensity hidden in each movement. He seemed eager to be lost in the battle, to find himself once again face to face with his enemy; the sudden shifts of emotion; the strategies and errors and spontaneity.
He had erected his strongest shield the moment the older man had moved his lips. He saw the course bounce of, in the direction of the major battle, but didn't stop to see what it hit. He uttered a hex in response, and started moving.
Ginny smiled as she saw Harry using the tactic they had practised during the summer. He seemed to be continually moving, dodging, rolling. Augustus curses all straying far from his intended target, as he was continually forced to block the spells flying at him.
By what alchemy, Ginny wondered, had Harry made himself this good? Stunners, cutting hexes, disarming charms, spells she had never heard or seen before were streaming from his wand. He spared himself the hassle of continually blocking his opponent's attacks by moving and dodging and had found a sort of perfect measure between the two that had Rookwood seriously worried.
But suddenly, the Death Eater anticipated where the boy would move next and Harry stepped into a curse, feeling it grazing his leg, burning the fabric of his trouser, hitting skin. The sharp pain was like a cold shower. He was suddenly aware once more of his surroundings, saw Hermione's frightened face, Ron's eyes that held a mixture of concern and respect. He realized the situation was getting out of hand.
Ginny frowned when she saw the ugly gash that had now appeared on Harry's leg. The burn had slowed him down, and he was now being forced to back down more and more, erecting shields instead of attacking. She needed to do something.
Hoping that the duel would keep the other two Death Eaters occupied, she slowly crept to the other side of their enemies. She was now hidden behind a low wall, and before her, barely two feet away, were the two men holding her brother captive. In one of their pockets she could see her friends wands. She needed to incapacitate both of them fast, before either could raise the alarm.
Deciding that the best way to do that would be with two stunners cast close together, she raised her wand, and muttered the spells. The first hit his target, and the man fell without a sound. The other only had time enough to cry out, before he too felt darkness encompass him.
As soon as Ron was released he dashed towards Hermione, crushing her to him as if she'd disappear the moment he let go. She was still trembling, sobbing against him, and Ron was suddenly immensely grateful that she'd been spared a second round of Cruciatus.
Glancing at Harry, he saw that Rookwood had been distracted enough by his companion's cry that he'd forgotten to block a full body bind and now lay on the floor, petrified. Harry had been lucky this time.
Harry was panting, his forehead glistening with sweat. It was obviously the duel had taken a lot out of him, but he had miraculously come out on top. Ginny knelt by the two fallen wizards and searched for Ron and Hermione's wands and handed them back to their owners, before running towards Harry and putting a comforting hand on his back.
"Harry? How are you? He got you on the leg… will you be alright?" she asked quietly.
"Just give me a moment Gin." He smiled at her, but his voice sounded weary, drained of feeling. "I'm just out of breath. How's Neville?"
"Just stunned, I think. He was still breathing." They walked towards where the other boy still lay on the ground. Ginny quietly murmured "Enervate" and was glad to see his eyelids flutter and open.
"Hi there, mate. I'm glad you're okay," Harry said quietly, while helping the other boy get to his feet. "Come, we need to find somewhere safe, Hermione is in no shape to deal with more Death Eaters."
He glanced around and was relieved to see no more masked figures in the proximity. The Order and the Aurors were keeping most Death Eaters busy near the gate, and even the two who had been depositing crystals seemed to have joined the main battle.
Harry whisked the four of them to the most deserted end of the platform, and once he felt sure enough that he'd hear anyone approaching he let himself fall against a wall, and closed his eyes. Just for a second, he told himself.
"Harry, we need to finish with the crystals!" Ginny's soft voice was like a slap on the face. They were still far from safe.
He opened his eyes blearily. He was still reeling from the adrenalin rush, but his brain felt fuzzy. "How many were left, Gin? I don't want those things to blow up in out faces." Was the first answer that crossed his mind.
"There are still five of them I think, and they won't blow them up with the Death Eaters still here, Harry. We need to hurry, come! Neville will cover us, this way we can both vanish them." She turned to Ron, and said, in a harsh voice, "You take care of Hermione, and if anything happens you'll have me to deal with afterwards!"
Harry thought this was a bit of a redundant order, considering that Hermione seemed to be so completely locked onto Ron as to make him wonder if she would ever let go. But he didn't argue, and let Ginny lead him back to the nightmarish world surrounding the train. The three of them had disguised themselves once more and were blending in with the station, but Harry had a bad feeling things wouldn't end up well today.
Harry felt a surge of hope as he finally Vanished one more crystal. He could see the last two… both beside the engine at the very beginning of the train. His good spirits didn't last however as the moment he got up to walk to the next stone, he heard Neville's scared whisper: "Harry! Harry, I think they saw us! There are four of them moving our way! No one's even trying to stop them!"
Harry turned around and saw that, indeed, Neville was right. Calculating the distance they were, and the speed they were walking he decided that if he hurried he could vanish one more. He'd have to deal with the other later.
"Try to delay them, Neville! I can do one more!" He was already running as he finished speaking. "Ginny, be careful! Go hide!"
His heart was beating a hasty tempo in his chest, and the feeling at the pit of his stomach reminded him that he could still be afraid. His hand was trembling and he had to repeat the incantation twice before he was able to disable the protections around the stone. As soon as the flash of light died off, he saw the first hex hurtling his way.
He had to dive almost under the train to escape the red flash, and still felt the displacement of air as it sailed past him. Lying down, he pointed his wand once more at the stone, knowing that he had only one incantation left before this one two was dispatched to the depths of the ocean.
A bright blue curse hit the ground not a feet from him, and he had to once more stop to protect himself from the suddenly flying rocks and dirt. Groaning at the sudden attack, he erected a shield that blocked attacks for a small moment - but it was enough for him to finish his job. He got up and slipped away, unnoticed amidst the sudden bombardment of the place with spells and hexes.
Harry bumped into her as he retreated. Ginny gave a small cry, and grabbed his arm, saying quietly: "I'm here, Harry. I managed to finish before they came. Now there's just the one left… How much damage do you think it can do? It's just one crystal…"
"I don't know, Gin… I've heard some pretty awful things about them. But where's Neville?" She could hear the worry in his voice, and it warmed her to know he still cared enough to ask after his friends. He was still Harry, after all.
"He tried to delay them for a moment and then said he was going to meet Ron and Hermione. I think he was hit with something, but he said he was okay." Her voice sounded strained to her own ears, and she wondered what they were going to do. In her eyes their situation was quite helpless.
They were standing in the middle of a station, both under their strongest disillusionment charm, with a time-bomb waiting only for a command to explode not five feet away. Oh, and they were more or less surrounded by battling Death Eaters and Order members, so the chances that they might be hit by a stray hex were quite high as well. She felt a wave of fear hit her for the first time that day.
"What will we do, Harry?" she asked quietly, reaching out to touch him, and taking hold of his arm.
"I have no idea, Gin. They have blocked our way to the train, and if the Order can't control them… well, I don't see that much we can do except wait and try to stay a step ahead of everything." He covered her hand with his and tried to draw what little comfort he could from the warmth of her skin.
They were surrounded, he knew. He could hear spells being shouted all around him. It was really only a matter of time until someone noticed their presence. His magic was itching for a fight, his hands tingling with the effort of controlling his power. But he couldn't risk leaving Ginny alone, and he knew that the moment they noticed he was there, he would be toast. Every conscious Death Eater would turn their wands on him, and he couldn't fight a whole army by himself. No, for the moment it was best to stay hidden.
Tonks saw Kingsley rush past her, wand in hand, in hot pursuit of one of their opponents. She cried to his retreating back: "We need back up, Kingsley! They're gaining too much ground! We need to send word!"
"Already have, Tonks, Dumbledore's coming! Hang on for a few more minutes!" was his reply, shouted over his shoulder as he ran. Tonks smiled, delighted. This was the first batch of good news she received that day and it helped release the knot of worry in her belly.
For some reason, she saw, the Death Eaters seemed to be conglomerating near the front of the train. For the moment the fight was evenly matched, but she knew things were hanging on a tightrope, and that everything could tumble down any moment. Dumbledore had better hurry or there would be nothing left to salvage when he arrived. Even his protective wards could be broken with enough will, and the train wouldn't stay sealed for long if the Death Eaters decided to open it.
She debated for a moment whether she should join the fray, but eventually decided not to. Her arm was stinging horribly and the burn seemed to be expanding instead of decreasing making her slightly worried. Most of all, however, she was reluctant to leave Remus unattended. The werewolf was breathing raggedly and his pulse was weakening with each passing moment. The very little medical training she had received in Auror School hadn't helped her so far to discover what was wrong with him.
She settled down next to him, prepared to wait. And was a few moments later rewarded with several pops of displaced air.
"Harry, I think we need to get out of here," whispered Ginny, huddled next to him and tracking the movements of the battle around her with care.
"And go where?" was his only answer to the perfunctory remark. They were trapped, and she knew it. The battle was going on all around them and they had so far managed to keep themselves safe only by an intelligent use of shield charms and last minute ducking.
She gave a quiet sigh, thanking the heavens for the existence of invisibility spells and replied: "There must be some kind of help on the way. There's no way the ministry won't send more Aurors. And Professor Dumbledore would never abandon the Order. We just have to hang on a bit longer."
"Let's hope so, Gin," was his laconic answer. He was trying to keep track of the people he knew in the fray. So far he had seen Kingsley leave, in pursuit of some obviously squeamish Death Eater who had decided to flee and not fight, Mad Eye dispatching with surprising ease opponent after opponent, never stopping to take a breather.
Bill and Charlie were fighting back to back, and so far no one had managed to get past their joined front. He saw flashes of the twins who would suddenly pop up out of nowhere to the rescue of those who seemed in trouble, disappearing once more a moment later. He'd have to ask them how they managed to do that later. He was worried at not seeing Remus' face anywhere. He knew his old professor had been at the station, and in the very thick of the mêlée only moments ago.
Suddenly one of the Death Eaters turned his back to him, and Harry couldn't resist quietly stunning him, saving a young and terrified looking Auror from one more duel. The young man seemed at a loss to explain why his soon to be opponent had suddenly lost consciousness, but was obviously too relieved to ask questions. Harry grinned and heard Ginny's soft chuckle beside him, before they were both forced to throw themselves at the ground, escaping from a reductor curse that slammed into the wall above their heads.
"Think we could help some more, Gin? There are so many curses flying about, a few more wouldn't be noticed." Harry didn't wait for her answer, before quietly dispatching another Death Eater. He felt stupid for not thinking about this before.
This way the two teens were able to help overcome their enemies, never staying too long in one place, stunning or binding only those that seemed too distracted to raise an alarm. Slowly the number of dark robed figures still standing started to diminish, and Harry couldn't help but be happy, couldn't help but triumph.
"Harry, they're leaving!" Ginny's voice was tainted with wonder. It was true. Something was driving the Death Eaters away, and they were suddenly disaparating en masse from the station, even if only moments earlier they might still have had a slight chance of turning the battle once more in their favour.
He turned to see what everyone was looking at and saw his Headmaster had just apparated into the station with a dozen fresh Aurors.
"Yep. I think we won, Gin." He sounded strange, as if he was suddenly overwhelmed. Ginny felt compelled to take his hand.
"I hope the others managed to stay hidden as well," she said quietly as two last pops were heard, and peace seemed to return to the station.
It was a strange silence that took hold of them all, as if as they left, the Death Eaters had drained the place of all life. As the victors stood, gazing at the remains of the once beautifully kept station no one found the words.
But Harry wasn't rejoicing. He was staring as if transfixed at the spot where lay the last Faust Crystal. The only one they hadn't managed to vanish. The small stone was pulsating with sudden life and all Harry could do before pandemonium broke out was shout out at the top of his voice: "RUN! RAISE SHIELDS!"