JK Rowling owns Harry Potter not me.
The long awaited chapter containing the battle and the end of the Gringotts scene. I will be changing the final battle around, just a note. Also I'm splitting the battle as well. I don't want to miss anything so after this chapter there will still be two to go. Sorry guys. Thankyou all for reading, enjoy the chapter and review-Lark
A roar reverberated throughout the cavern and Hermione instinctively grabbed Fleur's hand. The cavern opened up before them, the walls rough hewn, stalactites dripping from the ceiling like giant frozen raindrops. The source of the roar was what appeared to be an albino dragon, it's scales discoloured and it's claws bleached. "The poor thing," Hermione gasped when she saw the slash scars across its face.
"Teaching it to fear," Fleur murmured, pulling Hermione closer as Griphook stepped forward holding two bits of metal.
He clapped them together to create a harsh metallic clack that sent shivers of fear down the beats spine.
"Hot irons," Hermione shook her head, totally appalled.
"Just keep moving," Fleur suggested, pulling the young witch away from the dragon. Hermione allowed herself to be pulled across the cave and away from the sight of the poor dragon. "Head in the game, 'mione," Harry nodded and Hermione gave him a swift bob of the head in response. She gave Fleur's hand a final squeeze before releasing it. She squared her shoulders and lengthened her stride to catch up to Harry and Ron, she was a Gryffindor and she was damned well going to show it.
"Is that it?" Ron gaped, gazing up at the immense cast iron door before them.
"These are the oldest and largest vaults," Griphook sneered, "Mr. Potter, have him," He spat, indicating the enchanted goblin who was gazing dreamily at the ceiling, "Open the door."
"Oh, right," Harry nodded and sent him forward with a flick of his wand, like a marionette following the flick of a string. The goblin placed a hand against the rusted iron and a series of resonate booms echoed through the tunnel as the heavy door swung forward. "Holy shit," Harry puffed as the door revealed a vault-stacked floor to ceiling with treasures, antiques and gold. "How are we going to find it?" Hermione frowned as they hurried into the vault.
"We look, it'll be small, like a chalice, with two handles and the Hufflepuff symbol on the front, or it'd be like a diadem, silver with the Ravenclaw symbol," Harry explained.
"Scan the shelves," Hermione suggested, casting her eyes to the shelves that coated the walls like a second, scaled skin.
"There," Fleur indicated pointing up towards a shelf to the right, she took a step forward and recoiled with a shriek.
The goblet she had brushed against glowed red-hot and multiple copies sprung from it and scattered across the floor. "Geminio and Flagrante curses," Hermione hissed, "Don't touch anything or it will burn and multiply."
"Then how do we get to it?" Ron baulked.
"Accio Horcrux!" Harry called; the cup didn't stir from its shelf.
"The sword," Hermione suggested as Ron backed into a suit of armour and swore as it burned. Harry reached up with the sword, coming into contact with several items, sending them showering down on Hermione, Ron and Fleur who shrieked and backed away.
Hermione's foot brushed a trunk and she jumped as another duplicated against her leg. "'Ermione," Fleur called as more gold joined the goblets, trunk and armour clogging the floor. "I can't reach it," Harry gasped in the growing heat.
"Levicorpus," Hermione shouted and Harry was yanked up by his ankle. He smashed into another suit of armour and Hermione cried out in pain as a gauntlet hit her shoulder. "Got it," Harry called as he landed back on the gold causing it to multiply again. Hermione saw the cup go flying, still attached to the sword as Harry was hit with the burning metal. Hermione was buried up to her knees and the gold was still multiplying.
Griphook dived for the sword as Harry roared in anger. "Open the door," Ron shouted. "Bombarda!" Hermione shrieked, blasting open the heavy door.
"Griphook!" Harry snarled, catching the goblin's ankle. He slipped and the cup slipped off the end of the blade. Harry dove for it and though it burned hot and copies sprouted from it he held on and wrapped it in his jacket. "We need to get out," Fleur ordered, grabbing Hermione's arm and pulling her through the sea of gold. They staggered into the hallway and froze when they heard shouts traveling down the cavern. "They're here, thieves, thieves!" Griphook called as he ran down the corridor. "Treacherous bastards, goblins," Fleur hissed.
"Come on," Harry called, running after Griphook.
"What are we going to do?" Ron gasped. No one answered him.
They caught sight of the guards across the cave containing the dragon that was currently growling fiercely. "Follow me," Hermione ordered, not waiting for logic to stop her in her tracks. She approached the dragon from behind and used its spines to pull herself onto its back. The others barely hesitated to follow her onto the beast's spine, taking comfort in the fact that the dragon was preoccupied with the guards. "Do you know what you're doing?" Fleur murmured in her ear, sounding less than certain. "It's all I can think of," Hermione whispered back, whirling round and aiming her wand at the shackles. "Bombarda!"
The dragon seemed to sense it was free and reared up on its hind legs as Hermione rushed to grab onto its spines. "Help it get out," Harry called up to them and pointed his wand at the cavern roof. The dragon clawed its way up the tunnel as the gouged out the roof to let it pass. It surged upwards once it reached the mine cart track and crashed through the double doors into the gilt main hall of the bank. Its long claws screeched against polished marble as people screamed and threw themselves out of the way. The dragon smashed through the glass dome and stretched its wings.
"Can it fly, it's been underground so long," Ron called in panic.
"Let's hope," Hermione murmured so only Fleur heard her. The fears were ungrounded as the dragon launched itself into the sky. "When will it come down?" Fleur asked.
"When it gets hungry, thirsty or tired," Hermione reasoned.
"Let's hope it doesn't want to eat us," Harry shuddered.
The dragon flew on for hours and they were all shivering and stiff, Hermione wanted to shift her position but she was afraid she would fall. "Is it just me," Ron bellowed, or is the ground getting closer?" Hermione surveyed the land far below them and deduced that they were getting lower. Hills gained definition and trees separated themselves from the uniform green. They sunk lower over the hills and out over a lake. "Get ready to drop," Harry called.
"When?" Hermione shouted back.
"Now!"
Hermione slid off the side of the dragon and her heart stopped as she fell further then she had expected. She hit the water hard and it drove her breath out of her chest. She battled her way back to the surface and was relieved to see three heads bobbing in the water within meters of her. Through unspoken agreement they began to swim towards the nearest bank. Hermione climbed the bank and collapsed on the grass, to tired to even use a spell to dry her clothes. She was caught of guard when Fleur cast the spell for her.
"You will get sick," She smiled tenderly and placed a chaste kiss on Hermione's lips. Hermione pulled out a flash of pumpkin juice and some bread, which they all fell on like wolves. "What now?" Ron asked around a mouthful of bread.
"We have the cup, but no way of destroying it," Hermione scowled, "Harry!"
Harry was clutching his forehead, his eyes tight shut as he gasped for breath. "He knows, he knows we're hunting Horcruxes," He gasped.
"It was only a matter of time," Hermione sighed.
"I know where the last Horcrux is, it's the diadem, at Hogwarts," He hissed, still clutching his head. "Hogwarts," Hermione shuddered, it had turned from a place of refuge to a kind of hell where devils stalked the halls and equality was a dream.
"It will be ok, Cherie," Fleur murmured, pulling her close and rubbing her shoulder.
"We need to go, he's checking the others, he thinks Hogwarts is safest so he'll go there last," Harry explained.
"How are we going to get in, it's guarded tighter than Azkaban," Fleur shook her head. "I don't know, but we need to go now," Harry shrugged.
"All right," Hermione nodded, "Hogsmead." They joined hands and Hermione met Harry's gaze. He was as afraid as she was.
The second their feet touched the ground a screeching filled the air, like a cat being strung up by its whiskers. "Under the cloak," Harry ordered as he flung the material over them and they scurried down an alley. "Come out come out, Potter!" Voices jeered.
"He's probably under his wrapper, accio!"
"No," Hermione hissed and seized the cloak, it didn't make any more towards the spell anyway. "No under you wrapper then," They laughed.
"Set the dementors on 'em, he wants him alive, he doesn't need 'is soul," The man who sounded like the leader of a low rent bikey gang ordered. The voices faded but coldness began to settle over the alley. A dementor drifted down the alley, tattered cloak fluttering in the breeze and Hermione could no longer feel Fleur's warmth beside her.
Her feeling of panic only receded when Harry's patronus chased away the coldness; this was soon replaced with new panic. "There, I saw a stag!" A voice called. "Get in here, now," A gruff voice ordered and Hermione spotted the door that was open. They wasted no time and hoped for the best and they slipped through.
Hermione listened as the man told off the death eaters with some atrocious story about a cat and a goat patronus. It was a good thing most death eaters were as thick as posts. "What are you kids doing here?" The man demanded and Hermione realised that this was Aberforth, which meant they were in the Hogs Head. "We need to get into Hogwarts," Harry informed him.
"The hell you do, you need to get out of here, go into hiding," Aberforth shrugged.
"Your brother left us a job to do," Hermione argued.
"Did he? Nice job? Easy enough for three unqualified wizards to do with the aid of a French house wife?" He sneered. Hermione felt Fleur stiffen but she took her hand to make her calm down.
"Follow me, it's too open down here," He scowled and lead them up creaky stairs.
"So, Hogwarts," Harry prompted.
"You'll get yourself killed, we've lost, boy," Aberforth shook his head.
"You don't have to do anything, we just need to get in," Ron shrugged.
Aberforth remained silent, then heaved a great sigh, "Great lot of fools all of you," He walked up to a large painting of a girl, "You know what to do," He murmured. The girl disappeared and a heavy silence fell on the room. Hermione leant back into Fleur's arms, breathing in her scent and smiling at the memory of how she use to despise the idea of it on her. "I love you," She murmured and Fleur tightened her grip so much it almost hurt. "Don't say that," She growled, "Not like it's a good bye, not like you're on your death bed. We are going to get through this."
"Maybe, I still love you," Hermione sighed, resting her head at the crook of Fleur's throat. "And I you, more than you can imagine."
"She's coming back," Ron gaped, his eyes fixed on the painting. The girl was reappearing, but she seemed to have someone with her. They got closer and closer until the portrait swung away from the wall and out stepped Neville Longbottom. "What happened to you," Hermione gasped, his face was bloody and cuts ran up his arms. "Nothing, we knew you'd come," Neville beamed and embraced each of them except Fleur, who stayed firmly behind Hermione. "We need to go," Harry instructed and they climbed up into the passage, each offering Aberforth a word of thanks. He was wearing a stolid expression, which only darkened when Neville told him to expect more people. They scarpered down the tunnel before Aberforth had a chance to argue.
"So this is it, huh? The final battle," Neville grinned.
"We need to find something," Harry explained.
"But we're fighting right?" Neville persisted.
"He'll come, that much is certain," Hermione shuddered.
"We'll be ready," Neville nodded seriously.
"I don't think that's even physically possible," Hermione retorted weakly. Fleur tucked the younger witch under her arm. The end of the tunnel came into sight and Neville grinned. "Be ready," He warned as the door swung open.
Light blinded Hermione's eyes and it took a moment for her to notice that the room was full of people. "Hermione, Harry, Ron!" Their names were called from all over the room. Harry was instantly swept up in people and Hermione was bombarded with questions. She found it rather overwhelming, which Fleur seemed to sense because she took to glowering at anyone who approached. Hermione saw Harry vanish with Luna, presumably to the Ravenclaw tower. "What now?" Ron asked.
"We fight Ron, this is it," Hermione sighed, "Here we fight, to stand or fall."
"We need to destroy the Horcrux," Ron nodded, suddenly cool and serious.
"How?" Hermione bit her lip.
"The chamber of secrets," Ron snapped his fingers and grabbed her hand, intending to drag her through the crowd. Fleur hissed audibly and he quickly let go. "Ok, follow me," he held up his hands in surrender and wove through the crowd.
They broke into Filch's office and swiped brooms first before making the tense dash to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. They stood before the stained sink blankly as Hermione spun the broom nervously in her palms. "What now?" Fleur frowned.
"One second, how do you say it," Ron scowled, screwed up his face before making an odd hissing noise. Hermione restrained a yelp as the sinks began to move to reveal a tunnel. "Holy shit," She gasped, slipping back into muggle curses.
"Come on," Ron swallowed and mounted his broom before disappearing into the maw of the monster. Hermione shot Fleur a scared glance before following suit.
They followed the grim passages until they reached a grand hall, water lapping the sides of the walkway and snakes staring down at them from every angle. "Well Hogwarts is certainly unique," Fleur commented dryly as they landed beside the corpse of the Basilisk. It was little more than bones now but it still possessed an aura of pure darkness that leeched into the air around it and made Hermione cautious to approach, as if it would spring back to life. They were methodical, each tearing two teeth from the beast and stowing it on the person.
"I think you should do this one," Ron informed her gravely and Hermione nodded, grasping the fang nervously. "Just don't listen to it 'mione," Ron warned her, setting the cup on the ground. Hermione approached slowly, signalling for Fleur to stay back. As she approached two shadowed figures rose from the cup, like demons of dust and coal. She knew who they were instantly, Melody and Fleur.
"It's funny how she thinks you're hers," The shadow Melody laughed.
"Why would she think that? She's a mudblood," The shadow Fleur sneered, "Though she's entertaining, her heart on her sleeve."
"She's hardly worth enough to trouble ourselves over."
"A time filler really, a challenge, and only slight at that," The shadow Fleur taunted and Hermione squeezed her eyes shut. She stepped forward and crouched before the cup so the figures towered above her.
She grasped the cup as ghostly fingers wound in her hair, "That is where Mudbloods should be, at our feet, playthings," Fleur laughed.
"I am not a mudblood," Hermione snarled and stabbed the cup with a savage anger she didn't know she possessed. The figures vanished and the cup cracked clean in half. Arms wrapped around her shoulders and held her tightly, "You know that's not true, not even close," Fleur whispered and held her tighter.
"I know," Hermione murmured and held Fleur just as close. Their lips met with a kind of needy desperation suitable for lovers' last kiss, Hermione only hoped it wasn't. She could feel the desire and protectiveness Fleur had for her through the embrace and she knew that she would not be the first to break this embrace.
"Uh, I know that this is, important to you," Ron interrupted awkwardly, "But we need to get back up there."
"Of course," Hermione nodded, holding Fleur closer for one more moment before she broke away and picked up her broom. She didn't want to spend a second longer in this space if she could help it.
The scene waiting for them was shocking, students filled the halls and teachers and random adults were rushing about to perform tasks. "Where the hell have you been?" Harry demanded.
"Chamber of secrets," Hermione explained.
"We got rid of the cup, Hermione did it, we figured it was her turn, well, I figured," He smiled after seeing Fleur's glare. "So we're fighting?" Hermione asked, shooting a look at Lupin running down the corridor.
"Yes, I think I know where the Diadem is, the Room of Requirement," Harry puffed. "Then lets go, wait, we forgot something," Ron blinked.
"What?"
"The house elves, " Ron nodded seriously, "We need to get them out."
"Ron," Hermione smiled affectionately, "You two get the Diadem, we'll get the house elves."
"Don't you dare get hurt," Harry informed her gruffly.
"As if I would let that happen," Fleur chimed in at the same time as someone else. Hermione spun and saw Melody dancing through the crowd, her claret hair matching the colour of the blood that was sure to be spilled that night.
"Hey there Sugar, you miss me?"
Sorry about splitting the chapter guys, this is just, you know, kind of important. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review and wait for the next update-Lark
