Chapter XXVII - Another One Bites the Dust

"Malfoy," Harry said, clutching his wand to his side as he held tight to the eagle in his hand. The doorway was crowded by none other than Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle. Behind them stood a couple more faithful Death Eaters; their faces may have been covered, but Harry recognized the two bulks next to Malfoy and knew exactly who they were even if he didn't recognize anyone else.

"Saint Potter, I've been waiting a long time to see you again." Malfoy said as he glared at the three of them.

"Working for Voldemort now, Malfoy? And I actually thought that you had more self-respect than you're father. But I guess that you're just as much of a coward as he is, since you managed to get sucked into working for him." Harry replied.

Malfoy's grip tightened on his wand. "Don't you talk about my father, Potter! You don't know anything about me!"

Harry smirked, knowing that it would irritate him. One thing about Draco Malfoy was that he was pretty predictable. "Really? I think I know a lot more than you think. I was on the roof that night when you tried to kill Dumbledore. I was invisible, and Dumbledore froze me so that I wouldn't jinx you. He was a trusting soul after all. Stupid of him really, considering even with the threat on your parents' lives, you still turned to the wrong side."

"Shut up!" Malfoy yelled. "Get that eagle from them, and whatever you do, don't break it. The Dark Lord wants it back at all costs."

Death Eaters began to file into the room and surround the three of them. Harry held tight to the eagle as he engaged a nearby Death Eater in a duel. He was more confident this time. The last time that he had duelled he had been angry and scared but this time he was prepared. He blocked spell after spell and finally stunned the one in front of him. One Death Eater was sneaking up behind him; using his training from Kingsley and Joe, he slammed his elbow into the guy's stomach and punched him in the head, the guy fell, hitting his head on the floor and was knocked unconscious. He managed to get a quick look at Ron and Hermione who were both holding their own well in the battle. He sent another spell at a Death Eater and pulled out the mirror.

"Ginny," he said. "At the Gaunt House, attacked by Death Eaters. Send help immediately." He shoved the mirror back into his pocket and punched the man who was coming towards him before he finally found himself face to face with Malfoy.

They began to duel. Harry felt a strong anger towards him and he felt tempted to use the Sectumsempra spell again, but he remembered what it had done. When he found his mouth bleeding he realized that it was time to fight dirty because obviously Malfoy had been learning some dark magic himself. Before he could retaliate he was hit with the Cruciatus Curse and he screamed as he hit the ground, somehow managing to keep a hold on the eagle. He kicked Malfoy's feet from below him and stunned him, tying him up. Then he turned to the others around him. There were at least ten Death Eaters on the ground either stunned or unconscious, but more and more kept piling in.

Harry knew that if they didn't get help soon, they were done for. He watched Ron dive out of the way of a curse before he stunned the man who sent it and he grinned in relief as members of the Order began to appear around them. He turned to duel with Crabbe who was stupid with spells and Harry knocked him out within seconds. He ended up next to Lupin in a duel with one of the Death Eaters as he stunned him, both Death Eaters that the two of them had been fighting fell down and Lupin turned to Harry.

"Harry, get Ron and Hermione and head back to the castle. We can take care of it from here. You need to get that eagle to safety. Go now." Lupin replied as he began to fight with someone else.

Harry nodded, he was going to argue but he knew that Lupin was right. He fought his way over to Ron and Hermione and told them to go. Within seconds, the three of them were standing outside the gates to Hogwarts. They hurried inside, Harry clutching the eagle to him as they hurried up to McGonagall's office.

McGonagall jumped up from her desk when they came inside. Ginny was sitting across from her and stood up as well as they came in; her face pale with worry. "Potter, what happened? You were attacked?"

Harry nodded. "We got it. They appeared just as we came up. Gin, fast work with the help, I don't know how much longer we could have held out." When she nodded at him, he grinned. "The horcrux was in a secret passage way." He began to explain about how they had found it; how Harry had spoke in Parseltongue to open the passage and how Hermione had come to the conclusion about Voldemort using the four elements.

Dumbledore nodded. "Good work, Miss Granger; Voldemort did indeed use the four elements as his obstacles. How did you escape from the passage?"

Harry quickly explained how the weather had changed with the flood and the wind and how they had managed to get out. "I had just sealed the passage way when Malfoy appeared saying that it had been easy because Voldemort hadn't finished booby trapping the place. He said that Voldemort hadn't expected for people to go looking for his treasures."

"Harry," Dumbledore said quietly. "Voldemort must know that you're collecting his horcruxes. Why else would he send his men to get it?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, sir. Malfoy seemed to think it was a treasure of some sort, so Voldemort obviously didn't tell them how important it was."

Dumbledore nodded. "Well, he wouldn't, would he? He wouldn't trust any of his Death Eaters with something as important as this. You said Malfoy?"

Harry nodded. "Yes sir, Draco Malfoy, as well as Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle. They had a bunch of Death Eaters behind them, but I don't know who they were."

"Theodore Nott." Ron said from behind him. "I stunned him and his mask came off. Also Macnair, the executioner for Buckbeak."

Dumbledore nodded. "At least we know where our missing students have gone to. Those five never came back to Hogwarts this year."

"Pansy Parkinson." Hermione replied. "But that's all I've got."

Harry nodded as he held the eagle tightly in his hand. He looked over at Ginny who was staring at him with mixture of worry, praise, concern, and fear in her eyes. He looked down at the eagle and he felt that flow of power like he had felt in the cup. That pulse beating against his skin and he knew that it was definitely a horcrux.

"I can feel the power."

Dumbledore nodded. "Remember what you did last time, Harry, do it again. Concentrate your energy and destroy that piece."

Harry merely nodded as he concentrated his power, feeling the pulse in the eagle statue. He held tightly to it as it began to float into the air, levitating it upwards. He heard Ron's gasp of surprise, but he ignored it as he used his hand to stroke the energy into one place before he threw it at the eagle, willing for it to destroy the soul and just like last time an eerie greenish smoke appeared before them and Harry willed for it to self-destruct, which it did sparking into a million pieces. He let the energy settle before he brought his hands down. Ron was staring at him in shock, but he ignored him.

"It's gone."

Dumbledore smiled at him. "Yes, Harry, it's gone. Good work."

Just then a bunch of Order members came bursting into the office. Lupin and Tonks were at the front followed by Kingsley, Moody, Mundungus, Hagrid, Hestia Jones, Emmeline Vance, Arthur Weasley, Charlie Weasley, and some people that Harry didn't recognize.

"Good, you three managed to get back safely." Lupin said as he took a seat in the chair.

"What happened, Remus?" McGonagall asked.

"Not much. There was a group of Death Eaters fighting Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They were holding their own pretty well and when we arrived we managed to round up the ones that were double attacking them. Once these three disappeared, they only hung around for a couple of minutes. Molly Weasley was punched by Vincent Crabbe; Bill is just putting some ice on her face. When we left she was fuming on about disrespectful children. Other than that, no one was hurt, though Macnair's dead." Lupin explained. "Hagrid and I both hit him with too very powerful stunning spells; I guess it was too much for the old guy. We didn't manage to capture any of them though, they all escaped. They started Disapparating almost seconds after these three left."

Dumbledore nodded. "Good, I'm glad no one was hurt."

Ron spoke up suddenly. "Sir, since Hermione, Harry and I have now been fighting for a while, and we're all seventeen … do we get to join the Order?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, we'd like to be a part of it."

Dumbledore smiled. "You are all of age now. I don't see a problem with it. Remus, Arthur, what do you think?"

Mr. Weasley sighed. "Molly's not going to like it; it'll leave only Ginny and Percy not in the Order, but you are of age now, so if you want to join, Ron, you can."

Ron nodded. "I do. Thanks Dad."

Lupin shrugged. "Harry's more than capable of being in the Order, as are Ron and Hermione. I don't see a problem with it."

"Excellent." Dumbledore replied, slapping his hands together. "Minerva, give them the contract."

McGonagall nodded and she waved her wand as a magical contract appeared in thin air. "This is the list of the members of the Order of the Phoenix. Once you sign it, please remember that it is a binding magical contract and that you are involved in it until the Order either splits up or until you're death. You are also swearing to keep this private and quiet and to not tell anyone about it, or where the headquarters is located, of course since none of you are the secret keeper that won't be a problem anyway. Do you swear to follow the above rules?"

"I swear." They replied together.

McGonagall nodded and then turned to Ginny. "And you, Miss Weasley, do you swear as well?"

"Me?" Ginny asked in surprise. "You're going to let me join the Order, even though I'm not seventeen until August?"

Mr. Weasley nodded. "Yes Ginny, you've been an extremely big help to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I don't care what your mother says. If you want to join you have my permission. Percy is the only one of our family who won't be in the Order, I'd feel better if you were fighting in the safety of the Order rather than just on your own."

Ginny grinned. "Thank you." She rushed over to hug her father and to kiss him softly on the cheek before she turned back to Professor McGonagall. "I swear."

McGonagall smiled and pulled out a quill. "Please sign you're name at the bottom of the page along with today's date. Mr. Potter, would you like to do the honours?"

Harry nodded. He took the quill from McGonagall and signed his name, followed by Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

Once it was done, McGonagall vanished the contract and smiled at them. "Well, after some more excellent work from you four, I am very pleased to give you more house points. Since you also fought with Death Eaters tonight I award sixty points to the three of you and forty to Miss Weasley." McGonagall replied. "Now go up to bed, you must be exhausted, and you do have classes in the morning."

They all nodded and said goodnight to everyone in the room before they left. Harry took Ginny's hand in his as they walked back to the common room. He had destroyed another horcrux. That left only the missing locket. He smiled at the thought; he was getting closer to that wonderful life that he wanted with Ginny.

"What are you smiling at, Harry?"

He grinned and leaned down to kiss her softly. "I was just thinking about our life together after all of this is over. With another horcrux gone, there's only the missing locket, Nagini, and Voldemort himself."

Ginny nodded. "It's true. I can't wait to marry you."

Harry smiled and kissed her softly. "I can't wait to marry you." He seemed lost in thought for a moment before he spoke. "Do you like Potter Manor enough to live there?"

Ginny laughed. "Harry! I would live anywhere in the world, as long as I was with you. I don't care where we live."

"Okay, well that's our new home then. When we get married … of course we'll have to go visit all of these other homes that I own."

Ginny laughed and slid her arms around him to hug him. "Whatever you want. I love you."

Harry leaned down to capture her mouth with his. "I love you too."

They kissed softly, lips sliding over lips in soft caresses.

"Get a bloody room!" Ron demanded as he pushed them through the portrait hole.

Harry turned to grin at him. "I wish we could." Then he pulled Ginny down onto the couch in the empty room. "Want to sleep down here with me tonight? I just want to hold you."

Ginny nodded, "I'd love too, but you have to go change first. You're filthy."

Harry looked down at his very wet and dirty clothes. "Yeah, I guess I will. Meet me down here in a bit."

Ginny smiled. "Of course."

Within twenty minutes, both of them had showered and changed into pyjamas. Ginny snuggled close to him as he wrapped them in the blanket, his arms wrapped around her.

"I love you."

Ginny grinned, resting her head on his chest as she yawned. "I love you too."