CHAPTER 18: ASSAULT ON OTTERY ST. CATCHPOLE
O'Bannon barreled down the stairs, almost overtaking Lupin. He'd just gotten past the first floor when he heard Mr. Weasley's voice.
"We're getting reports of attacks in Dorset, Carmarthen, Lindsey and Anglesey. It's just as we feared. The Chupacabra are going after wizarding homes in the more rural areas of the country."
"And I think we can safely say Ottery St. Catchpole is a more rural area of the country." That came from Tonks.
O'Bannon tore into the living room right behind Lupin. All the other occupants of the Burrow had gathered in a knot around Mr. Weasley; Bill, Tonks, Mrs. Weasley, Jared, Artimus, Harry, Ron and Ginny. No Fleur, though. He remembered she was working late at Gringotts.
"Then we'd best be ready for them if they do come here," Lupin stated. "Bill, you take -"
A white flash lit up the living room. Everyone whirled toward it, pulling out their wands.
A jaguar patronus crouched beside one of the worn, overstuffed chairs. Its mouth opened. Out came Rosa's voice.
"There's a Chupacabra attacking a home just outside Weymouth. Me and the twins are on it."
The patronus faded into nothingness.
O'Bannon felt his neck muscles tighten. His insides shuddered with worry.
Please be careful. If anything happened to Rosa before he could apologize to her . . .
He closed his eyes. Why did I have to act like such an asshole?
"All right." Lupin turned back to the others. "We'll have to trust Rosa, Fred and George can take care of that Chupacabra. Meantime, Bill, you take Artimus and keep watch on the Fawcetts' home. Jimmy, you and Jared do the same with the Lovegoods."
He turned to Jared. They stared in silence for a couple seconds before O'Bannon nodded. Jared nodded back.
"Tonks and I will stay here with Arthur and Molly to protect the Burrow. If any Chupacabra do show up, we'll contact you by patronus to get back here. Remember, our main priority is to protect Harry."
"Look," Harry scanned the group, "I can take care of myself. There are a lot more people out there who need your help more than me."
"Harry," Lupin turned to him. "You-Know-Who has his sights set on you. For all we know, he may have altered these Chupacabra specifically to go after you, especially since they do seem capable of getting past security wards without immediately setting them off."
"Then if Voldemort has created these things to get me, let me do something to help."
"Absolutely not." Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "Our job is to keep you safe, not let you fight monsters."
"So what are we supposed to do?" Ron's face tightened in frustration. "Hide in our bedrooms?"
"That's exactly what you're going to do." Mrs. Weasley leaned in toward Ron, Harry and Ginny. "The three of you are going to lock yourselves in a bedroom and stay there until this thing is over."
"And are we supposed to stay there even if these Chupacabra get into the house?" Anger lines etched in Ginny's face.
"Especially if they get into the house. None of you are of age, and I'll not have any of you do any fighting while we're around."
Ron glowered at his mother, as did Ginny. Harry just scowled at the floor. None of them, however, said a word.
"Come on, then." Bill waved his arm. "Let's get a move on."
O'Bannon, Jared and Artimus followed him to the front door.
"Be careful," Mrs. Weasley called after them.
"We will, Mum," Bill responded.
The four hurried outside and mounted their brooms. O'Bannon kicked off and shot into the air, Jared next to him. He peered over his shoulder and saw Bill and Artimus fly off in the opposite direction. He clenched his teeth and said a short prayer for them.
The wind whipped past him as he leaned forward and increased his speed. He then looked to his right.
"Jared!"
"Yeah?"
O'Bannon bit his lip before continuing. "Look, man. I'm sorry about the way I acted to you and Rosa. I guess it wasn't an easy decision for you two to make about that Pest Elimination Potion, and . . . well, I'm sorry, man."
Jared gave him a half-grin. "Don't worry about it. Apology accepted. Now let's go make sure Luna and her dad are okay."
O'Bannon smiled and faced forward. It wasn't long before he spotted the large rook-like structure that was the Lovegood residence. He and Jared circled around it once. A few windows were lit up. Everything looked fine. No wards had gone off. His muscles tensed as dread spread through him. He thought back to the Diggorys. Even when their wards had gone off, it had been too late to save them. His eyes fell to his waist, and the wand beneath his coat. He prayed no images of the Burrow or Luna's home spewed from it.
"Maybe we should go down and make sure they're all right," Jared suggested. "I mean, after what happened with the Diggorys . . ."
"You don't have to tell me twice. C'mon."
The two finished their circle around the Lovegood home and started their descent.
The front door flew open. O'Bannon's eyes widened when he saw Luna nearly stumble outside. Her father emerged a split second later, pushing her forward.
"Run, Luna! Run!"
A dark form appeared behind Xenophilius Lovegood. Tall. Inhuman. Reptilian.
Oh my God.
The Chupacabra roared and swiped at Mr. Lovegood. The man flailed and fell to the ground.
"Daddy!" A piercing scream burst from Luna's mouth.
The creature roared and stalked toward her, arm raised.
O'Bannon held his breath. No time to go for his wand. He only had one option.
He leaned all the way forward, his chin nearly touching the top of his broom. Wind screamed in his ears as he rocketed toward the ground.
"HEY, UGLY!"
The Chupacabra looked up.
O'Bannon barreled into the creature. The impact ripped through his body. He soared off the broom, flipping end over end. The breath exploded from his lungs when he slammed into the ground. He rolled across the hard, frozen dirt and struck the base of the house. Pain hammered him head to toe. He grimaced, trying to force himself to rise.
The Chupacabra was already on its feet, its red, evil eyes locked on him.
O'Bannon reached for his wand, pain slowing his movements.
The creature roared and loped toward him.
A Stunning Spell struck its back. Then another. It stopped, but didn't go down.
"C'mon, you son-of-a-bitch!" Jared stood at the edge of the dirt path, sneering, wand aimed at the Chupacabra. "Come get some!"
The creature growled and started after Jared.
He whipped his wand across his body. Tennis ball-sized objects with steel spikes burst from his wand and flew toward the Chupacabra. O'Bannon remembered the Shooting Spike Spell. Tonks had taught it to them their last time in England.
O'Bannon heard three deep thuds as the balls struck the Chupacabra. It threw its head back and howled in agony.
But it still didn't go down.
"Yeah, I got more where that came from." Jared launched more spike-laden balls from his wand.
The Chupacabra rippled and vanished. The balls soared off into the night.
"Da'hell?" O'Bannon finally got to his feet.
"You okay, Jimmy?" Jared called out.
"Yeah, I'm good." He searched for the Chupacabra. "Where the hell did it go?"
"I don't know, man." Jared twisted in all directions, wand extended. "It didn't look like it Apparated."
O'Bannon pulled out his wand and scanned the area. Luna knelt by her father, who was moving – Thank God – albeit rather listlessly. His compassionate side wanted him to rush over and help Xenophilius Lovegood. But he needed to be on guard in case the Chupacabra was still around, wanting to finish what it started.
"Lumos!" The tip of O'Bannon's wand lit up. Jared did the same a second later. They cast their lights all over the Lovegood property.
Something skittered at the edge of O'Bannon's light. He swung his arm to the right. The light washed over a garden gnome.
He scowled at the little creature and continued scanning the area.
"Get outta here!" Jared blurted.
"What is it?" O'Bannon whirled around to his friend.
"Friggin' garden gnome. I thought the little bastard was gonna crawl right up my pant le-"
The air shimmered two feet behind Jared. O'Bannon gasped as the Chupacabra towered over his friend.
"Jared! Behind you!"
Jared turned just as the Chupacabra roared and raised its arm.
O'Bannon aimed his wand, but Jared was right in his line of fire.
No, dammit! He sprinted to his left for a better shot.
The monster's arm came down.
Jared brought up both arms and blocked the blow. He grunted and crumpled to his knees.
Now O'Bannon had a clear shot. He cast three rapid fire Battering Spells. Each one struck the Chupacabra in the chest. It stumbled back, barely keeping its balance.
Screw this. "Constrictus!"
The beast leaped to its left just as the snapping tendrils burst from the ground. It dove face first into the ground. Fountains of dirt shot up around it. An instant later, it vanished.
"Dammit!" He hurried over to Jared, his eyes on the freshly formed hole in the earth. That's when he remembered. Chupacabra were burrowing creatures.
"You okay?"
Jared groaned as he picked himself up. "Merlin, my arm!" He spoke through clenched teeth. "I think it's broke. Jeez, it's like getting hit with a Beater's club."
He took a couple of deep breaths, his face scrunched in pain. His gaze settled on the hole. "Aw great. It's gone underground."
The two looked around in all directions. O'Bannon's heart hammered in his chest. Where the hell was it? Would it pop out right in front of him? Would he be able to get a spell off in time?
His eyes locked on Luna, who pressed her sweater against her father's back, probably to stop any bleeding.
Hinkey hairs went up on the back of his neck.
He aimed his wand at the Lovegoods and cast a Levitation Spell. Luna jerked in surprise as she and her father rose off the ground. Four feet . . . six feet . . . ten feet.
The Chupacabra burst through the ground close to where the Lovegoods had been. It looked up at the rising father and daughter and roared in anger. The beast whipped around and stared at him and Jared. It roared again and dove back into the ground.
"I think we better get airborne, man," Jared suggested.
O'Bannon nodded. He ran in the direction he'd set down his broom, keeping his Levitation Spell trained on Luna and her father. His eyes flickered between the Lovegoods and the ground, searching for his broom and any sign of the Chupacabra.
Jared took to the air. O'Bannon spotted his broom a couple feet away. He picked it up with one hand, mounted it and kicked off.
The ground behind him exploded. His broom stopped, pitching him forward. He glanced over his shoulder.
The Chupacabra gripped the rear of his broom.
O'Bannon tried to increase his speed. He pulled forward a little. The monster maintained its iron grip and started pulling him back.
That's when he realized he broke the Levitation Spell. Panic surged through him. He looked back to the dirt pathway, fearing he'd see the Lovegoods sprawled on the ground and hurt. My God, would a fall like that kill Mr. Lovegood in his current condition?
Another Levitation Spell held the Lovegoods, this one cast by Jared.
He turned back to the Chupacabra. The creature swiped at him, nicking the back of his coat. He aimed his wand over his shoulder. A Battering Spell sizzled an inch over the Chupacabra's head. The beast gave another tug on the broom. Mere inches separated them.
O'Bannon twisted around and leveled his wand. He cast another Battering Spell. This one struck the Chupacabra's left eye. It howled in agony and released the broom. O'Bannon nearly fell off as he suddenly shot into the air.
Holding its left eye, the Chupacabra sank back into the earth.
O'Bannon circled around the hole, face tightening. What the hell would it take to finish off this thing? It showed a high degree of resistance to many of the defensive spells him and Jared knew. It avoided the Constrictus Curse, which he used to kill the first Chupacabra.
His eyes flickered around the holes in the earth. He pictured the Chupacabra under the ground, tunneling through it like a fish swimming through water. How could he . . .
His eyes widened. Tunnel .. .water. All that digging must've created a little tunnel system. Maybe we can flood it.
No. I got a better idea.
He flew toward the last hole made by the Chupacabra and hovered above it. He pointed his wand straight down.
"Freezium!"
A chalky white light flowed from his wand. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the Freezing Spell, picturing it winding its way through the tunnels. His arm started to tremble as the spell's power increased.
C'mon. C'mon.
Ice poured out of the holes like white lava. Within seconds it hardened.
He cut off the spell and released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He gazed at the solid sheet of ice filling the holes, then looked over at Jared.
"You think that got 'im?"
"God, I hope so." O'Bannon switched his gaze to the levitating Lovegoods.
Luna's head whipped from her father to him. "Jimmy, please help. Daddy's hurt bad."
A chill rippled across his shoulders. Luna's voice contained something he'd never heard from the girl.
Panic.
"Jared. Bring 'em inside." He nodded to the house behind him.
Jared got them halfway to the front door when a voice called from above. "Oi! You lot all right?"
O'Bannon looked up. Bill and Artimus flew toward them.
"We picked up the wards from the Lovegoods' home going off," Bill said. "Figured we'd come over and lend a hand. Anyone hurt?"
"Yeah," O'Bannon replied. "Mr. Lovegood got slashed by a Chupacabra. Looks like Jared broke his arm, too."
"Oh, screw it," Jared groaned. "I'll be fine. Mr. Lovegood's worse off than me."
They got Luna and her father inside and set them on a fluffy, purple, butterfly-shaped rug in front of an arched fireplace.
"He's bleeding badly." Luna stared at them, worry blazing in her eyes. "I can't stop it."
O'Bannon glimpsed tears rolling down her cheeks. He then took hold of Luna's sweater and gently moved it back. Blood had completely soaked through it. Three deep gashes ran across Mr. Lovegood's back. Soft moans came from his mouth. He checked the man's face. His skin had turned ghostly pale. His eyes closed halfway. It appeared he was slipping into unconsciousness, or worse.
Bill waved his wand over Mr. Lovegood and uttered a few incantations.
"That should slow the bleeding a little," he explained. "But I'm afraid that's the best I can do as far as healing spells. We need to get him to St. Mungo's."
"He's going to be all right, isn't he?" Luna spoke quicker than normal, her usual dreamy voice falling by the wayside.
"Bill's gonna get him to the hospital," O'Bannon reassured her. "Don't worry. The healers will fix him up."
"What if they can't? What if he dies? I've already lost my mother. I don't have anyone else." More tears flowed down Luna's cheeks. Her voice trembled. "What will I do if he dies?"
"Luna!" O'Bannon grasped her shoulders and looked her directly in her large, silvery eyes. "He is going to be fine. You have to believe that. Okay?"
She tightened her lips and nodded. Behind her, green flames spat from the fireplace. Bill levitated Mr. Lovegood off the floor.
"Go with Bill. Be with your father."
Luna looked over her shoulder, then back to him. "What about all of you? What if another one of these beasts comes here? Will you be all right?"
O'Bannon blinked in surprise. He couldn't believe it. Luna's father could be dying and she was worried about him and his friends?
"We'll be fine. Now go."
She nodded and stood, following Bill and the levitating form of her father into the green flames. Seconds later all three vanished. The flames dissipated as they completed their Floo journey to St. Mungo's.
O'Bannon let out a breath and sat on the rug, staring at now dark mouth of the fireplace. He closed his eyes and sent his thoughts and prayers to Luna and Mr. Lovegood. Worry slithered inside him. What if Mr. Lovegood died? Other than Harry and Ginny, he knew of no one else Luna was particularly close with.
He pressed his fists against his forehead. The just-completed battle ran through his mind. What could he have done differently? How could he have stopped the Chupacabra from slashing Mr. Lovegood?
"Accio Towel!"
He looked over to Artimus, who pointed his wand toward the kitchen. A yellow towel decorated with strange-looking horned creatures flew through the air and into Art's hand. He wrapped the towel around Jared's broken arm and uttered another incantation. The towel hardened into a yellow cast.
"That should help until we can get you to a healer."
"Thanks, buddy," Jared nodded to Artimus. He then turned to O'Bannon. "You think Mr. Lovegood's gonna be okay? Those wounds looked really bad."
"He'll be fine," he snapped. An instant later he closed his eyes. "Sorry, man. It's just I don't think Luna has any other family except for her dad."
"Yeah, I understand." He let out a sigh. "Say, is it me or did that Chupacabra seem a lot harder to kill than the one at the Diggorys' house?"
Artimus furrowed his brow. "I wouldn't say killing that first one was easy."
"No, but think about it. It looked like it took longer for the wards to go off here than at the Diggorys'. Then when you tried to use the Constrictus Curse again," he stared at O'Bannon, "that thing jumped out of the way, like, a second before you finished the incantation. And that appearing and disappearing act it did. The Chupacabra at the Diggorys' house didn't do that."
"What are you getting at?" O'Bannon asked.
"It just seemed like this thing was better prepared for a fight than the one at the Diggorys'."
O'Bannon blinked and stared at the rug under him, thinking. "You think You-Know-Who may have modified the other Chupacabra more? Made them learn from the mistakes the one we fought made?"
"But how would You-Know-Who know everything that happened at the Diggorys'?" Artimus asked.
"The Order told the Aurors Office about the attack. They left our names out of it, but the Ministry of Magic knows the details of how the Chupacabra killed the Diggorys, and how it was killed. And you better believe You-Know-Who's got a bunch of spies inside the Ministry."
"And if the Ministry knows about it, then so does You-Know-Who." Jared scowled.
"Unfortunately."
"It makes me wonder . . ." Artimus said.
"Wonder what?" asked O'Bannon.
Artimus tightened his lips and stared at the floor.
"Well c'mon, buddy," Jared encouraged him. "Share with the rest of the class."
Artimus took a deep breath. "Well, I was, um, just wondering. What if the attack on the Diggorys was some sort of test?"
"What do you mean?" Jared canted his head.
"What do wizards and witches do when they come up with a new spell or potion or magical product? They test it out. See what works and what doesn't work before they reveal it to the genera public. Maybe that's what You-Know-Who was doing with the Chupacabra. Let one of them attack a home to see what went right and what went wrong. And if anything went wrong, he could get the other Chupacabra and fix them."
O'Bannon's head bobbed from side-to-side. "Makes sense. You-Know-Who may be evil, but that doesn't make him stupid. I'm sure he'd want to make sure those modified Chupacabra worked as advertised before letting them loose."
Jared snorted. "Well considering these things are running amuck up and down Britain, I'd say the evil s.o.b's worked out all the kinks in his little pets. Crap, the aurors probably have their hands full with this. Same with the Order of the Phoenix."
O'Bannon's eyes widened. He shot to his feet, staring at the fireplace, but not really seeing it. Fear and worry gripped his mind.
"Jimmy?" Artimus said. "Are you okay?"
He turned to him, then glanced at Jared. "Remember what Mr. Lupin said before we left? About how protecting Harry was our number one priority. About how You-Know-Who may have altered these Chupacabra specifically to go after him?"
"Well, yeah." Jared nodded. "But the Burrow probably has more security wards around it than any other home in Britain . . . then again, look how long it took for those wards to go off here and at the Diggorys'."
"And if the Chupacabra do go after Harry, and with all the attacks around the country the aurors have to deal with . . ." O'Bannon's voice trailed off. He noticed realization flare in the eyes of Jared and Artimus.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Jared.
O'Bannon held his breath before speaking. "I'm thinking we better get back to the Burrow, pronto."
TO BE CONTINUED