Hey everyone! So, here is chapter 3! Thanks for those of you who are continuing to review, and are giving me some really encouraging feedback, I really appreciate it! (: Unfortunately due to my busy schedule at the moment, I haven't had much time to write (let alone think) about chapter four yet, so it might not be up for a little while. I'm so sorry, but I really want to spend a good amount of time on chapter 4 because that when I need to get my facts straight and really start getting the adventure going! Sorry if this chapter isn't written as great as I would have hoped it could be, I felt like I kind of messed up on a few parts…=S Anyway, happy reading! I hope you enjoy it! And as always, if you can, review and let me know how it's going (:
Chapter 3
Hogwarts Express in Distress
Harry's scar began to violently throb as he doubled over in pain on the compartment floor. Curling up into a ball, he felt the vibrations from Ginny, Hermione, and Ron's feet as they rushed toward him.
The pain became too overwhelming as he became lost in a mind that was not his own. Images flashed through his mind like flashes of lightning; images of Cedric Diggory lying dead at his feet, Voldemort flying through the moonlit sky, flashes of green accompanied by numerous screams, and Dumbledore's lifeless body blankly staring at the night sky.
"Harry!" Hermione yelled over the screams of numerous first year students. Ron had supported him halfway onto the seat, as Ginny and Hermione each crouched around him, shaking him violently and yelling things at him that he just couldn't seem to hear.
"You're a fool, Harry Potter! And you will lose!" Voldemort's voice distantly called, ringing throughout Harry's ears.
Harry fought to regain control of his mind and his body. He found his way back to reality, closing his mind to Voldemort, and opened his eyes just in time to see the entire room tumble sideways.
Harry was thrown onto the train's window located across the hall; Ginny landing right on top of him, while Ron and Hermione landed on either side of them.
"Was goin on?" Ron yelled over the chaos of the panicked students all along the hallway windows.
"Death Eaters!" A blond-haired boy screamed, as a jet of fire blasted apart the end of The Hogwarts Express.
A gaping hole was left in its place, smoke completely fogging up the atmosphere. Ash and soot covered the screaming students at the end of the train, who had been blasted everywhere.
The foursome climbed onto the windows steadily, trying to regain their balance on the slippery surface of the windows by using the walls for extra support.
"We've got to go help! Come on!" Ginny yelled, briskly jogging toward a student who was holding his bloody side at the end of the hall, the trio close behind.
Another explosion rocketed the train and shook it like an earthquake, causing both Harry and Ron to lose their balance, leaving a large gap between Ginny and Hermione. A deafening explosion erupted all around them, as the foursome was thrown airborne once again.
Ginny and Hermione were both thrown forwards toward the back of the train; Ginny crashing into Luna Lovegood and Hermione crashed painfully into a compartment wall. Ron and Harry were both blasted backwards; Ron smashed through a compartment door window, sending shards of glass flying everywhere, and Harry crashed into several trunks; all of which landed on top of him.
Ron struggled to stand, his feet slipping on stray pieces of glass. His face had numerous bleeding cuts, while small shards of glass had impaled themselves into his body on both sides. Ginny and Luna helped each other to a standing position, while Hermione slowly got to her knees, rubbing her head fiercely.
Harry struggled to get up due to a heavy trunk that had landed on his chest, but with the help of Ron, they're combined strength made it possible to thrust it off. Harry got up and slowly jogged towards the girls to regroup.
He felt strong hands grasp his shirt, as he began to fall forward. There, in the middle of the five friends, stood a gaping hole, which separated the two groups.
Realizing that the only thing to do was split up, Harry motioned toward the end of the train, "Go! We'll catch up with you! Go help the kids!" Harry yelled over the uproar.
"Hermione, can you dissapparate and get help?" Harry asked, knowing that she was probably the only one who could locate help and come back fast enough. She nodded instantaneously, and was gone in a flash.
"Be careful!" Harry added, looking directly at Ginny, and side-glancing at Luna as Ron nodded behind him in agreement.
"C'mon, let's go!" Harry said, turning towards the full-out battle that had begun outside the train, Ron at his heels.
They sprinted up to the front of the train, stopping at the entrance to gaze out at the full out Wizard/Witch vs. Death Eater brawl.
It was like a light show; Harry and Ron gazed out into the torrential downpour, mystified by the blinding flashes on red, blue, orange, purple and green.
Before their minds could register movement, Neville ran up to them, covered in dirt, sweat, and blood. He was sporting a large cut on his chest, the blood from it already turning his white shirt red.
"Harry! Ron! Come quick! We need help on the other side of those hills, we're getting beaten down!" He mumbled quickly, sprinting off into the dark just as fast as he had come.
"C'mon!" Ron said, sprinting after Neville. Harry trailed behind them, redirecting his eyes to his surroundings to truly see the damage that the Death Eaters had done.
The setting was not in the least bit pretty. The Hogwarts Express lay nearly demolished on its side with huge chunks of it missing. The hills that surrounded it were sprawled in lifeless and moaning bodies, too injured to fight. Capable students were dueling to keep the Death Eaters at bay, praying for some sort of aide to help them in their struggle.
Harry rushed over to help numerous second years fight off a small and plump looking Death Eater that was giving them a hard time. With his help, the Death Eater retreated in a puff of black smoke.
Having lost sight of Neville and Ron, Harry decided to go help more distraught students. He darted in front of a brunette girl to block a fiery blue curse aimed straight at her. The curse rebounded off of his wand like a basketball to a backboard, and flew back at the Death Eater who sent the curse. Harry recognized the Death Eater as Thicknesse, one of the Death Eaters that had been there when Dumbledore was murdered by Snape. Through the little slits in Thicknesses' mask Harry noticed a sudden change of composure as he came to a realization. Thicknesse put his wand to his throat and began to utter three words, "I found Po-" but was cut off as the brunette girl yelled "Silencio!"
The last word of his sentence was cut abruptly short as his voice went mute. Harry stood still, slightly bewildered at what was going on.
Thicknesse looked menacingly at the little girl and mutely sent a jet of green straight at her heart.
"Protego!" Harry cried, sending an invisible force field between the girl and certain death. Thicknesse aimed his wand at Harry angrily.
"Stupefy!" The girl yelled, as Thicknesse was caught off guard and crumpled onto the ground in a heap.
"Thank you." The girl said smiling up at him gratefully. Her partially frizzy hair had reminded Harry of Hermione when he had met her his very first year of Hogwarts.
"No problem, and thank you too." Harry replied, smiling at the thought.
"Don't let them get you, you're our only last hope against….Him. You can beat him, and we won't stop fighting until you defeat him. Don't give up, we believe in you. I believe in you." The girl said encouragingly. The girl gave him one last smile, turned, and ran off too join her fighting comrades. Harry stood rooted to the spot, slightly dumbstruck by the girl's encouraging speech.
A flash of blazing red hair swept across his vision as his eyes began to focus in on a very familiar face. Ron's. He turned to look at Ron, who was panting heavily; his hair was plastered to his face due to the downpour of rain, his lip was bleeding heavily, and he still had pieces of glass embedded in his back.
"Ron! What happened?" Harry said bewildered.
"Harry! Thank God you're okay! I knew they wouldn't be able to get you!" Ron said, doubling over, and still breathing heavily.
"What? What are you talking about?" Harry asked.
"I thought I'd never find you! The Death Eaters, they're trying to get to you through all of us! They figure if they get someone close to you that you'll give yourself up! They nearly got Seamus and Dean! Neville and I got outnumbered loads of times, I can't believe we made it out!" Ron explained quickly.
"How would they have known who I-" Harry said, stopping mid-sentence.
"Malfoy!" Harry and Ron both concluded simultaneously.
Ron and Harry immediately turned toward a gut-wrenching sound could be heard clearly above all of the chaos. A shrill scream had caught their attention. A girl's scream. Ginny's.
It took a second for the scream to register in both Harry and Ron's minds before they took off, wordlessly, toward the direction that it had come.
They caught up with Neville, who was helping Luna off of the ground. Luna had a large cut running the length of her jawbone, and looked completely disoriented. Harry and Ron rushed to help Neville with Luna, who was having trouble standing straight.
"Luna? Are you alright? Where's Ginny?" Harry asked.
"Mal….foy." Luna stuttered motioning towards a giant hole that led back into the train.
"Neville, are you going to be alright with Luna?" Ron asked concerned, but he had a certain fire in his eye as he took his eyes off of Luna and looked towards where she had indicated.
Slightly scared, Neville nodded and said "Yeah Ron, I got her."
"Good, can you get her someplace safe?" Harry asked Neville, seriously concerned for Luna and Neville's well-being at this point.
"Sure! No problem!" Neville replied disappearing on the spot.
"Good, cause I'm gonna kill Malfoy." Ron said walking angrily towards the train, Harry jogging to catch up behind him.
"He's dead." Harry spat as he and Ron entered the train once again.
They were greeted by a group of Death Eaters; a blonde, a short and plump one, and a tall brunette. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.
"C'mon Malfoy, you got the date wrong for Halloween again?" Ron growled, not an etch of humor in his tone.
"Well boys, looks like Weasel-bee does have some brain cells in that enormously thick head of it." Malfoy sneered, and with a wave of his wand his mask vanished. Crabbe and Goyle also took their masks off, following Malfoy like lost puppies.
"Nothing ever gets past you two, does it?" Crabbe joked sarcastically, as Goyle laughed.
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw a heap of red hair laying near the side of the wall of the hallway, in-between him and Malfoy.
"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, as both he and Ron took a step toward her motionless body.
"Ah, ah, aaaah," Malfoy jeered, raising his wand at Harry, Crabbe and Goyle mimicking him.
"I'll kill you Malfoy!" Ron growled, raising his own wand at Malfoy.
"Your sister should start paying more attention to her surroundings; it was too easy to get her from behind." Malfoy said, grinning evilly.
"I'll kill you Malfoy!" Harry bellowed angrily at Malfoy.
"Aw has Potter got himself a girlfriend? Well, lost one actually…you're time is coming too Potter, don't worry," Malfoy sneered, "Scared Potter?"
"You wish." Harry replied angrily, raising his wand. Harry's blood began to boil, and by the looks of it, so was Ron's.
The next few moments started to blur together, as both parties continued to hole they're wand at each other. Just as both Malfoy and Harry were about to set loose their wands, a figure materialized between the two of them.
"Hermione?" Ron and Harry said together in bewilderment, as Hermione turned towards the sound of their voice in confusion.
"Harry? Ron? What's going-" Hermione said utterly confused.
Malfoy snorted, "I was hoping I'd be the one to kill you off granger, you filthy little Mud-blood." He finished. Harry's heart raced, he was too far away from Hermione to help her.
Completely shocked to hear his voice, Hermione spun on the spot just in time to see a green streak emanate from Malfoy's wand, straight at her.
Ron was off his feet in a split second, diving into Hermione, death missing them by millimeters. Harry sent several jinxes at a confused Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, all of which who avoided them.
Ron and Hermione tumbled onto the floor, coming to a stop due a collision into a wall. Ron landed protectively on top of Hermione, shielding her from any other harm. Hermione opened her eyes and gazed up at Ron, who stared back at her. Embarrassed, she let go of Ron's muscular bicep, her cheeks as scarlet as the Hogwarts Express.
"Are you alright?" Ron stuttered, his ears turning scarlet as she nodded.
"Any day would be great you two!" Harry yelled, avoiding a full body bind jinx by inches, interrupting their moment.
"Right, uh, sorry!" Ron said, helping Hermione up, as she sent a flash of red toward Malfoy.
"Aw look at the two love birds!" Malfoy jeered, sending a blaze of orange at the two. Ron pushed Hermione out of the way, attempting to block the curse with his wand. The curse hit his wand, and then exploded in a fiery supernova in front of his face, singeing his hair, and nearly incinerating his eyebrows. Ron responded with a curse of his own; a blue flame erupted from his wand, entangling Malfoy in a fiery rope.
Hermione noticed Ginny on the floor and ran over to her, examining her carefully, Hermione's eyes widened in horror. Ron and Harry continued to hold off Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, as Hermione yelled "She needs to be taken to a hospital. Now."
"Get out of here! Go, we'll be fine!" Harry yelled, as Hermione looked at Ron and Harry disapprovingly.
"I'll come right back, The Order is on their way!" She yelled, and then for the second time that day, dissapparated into thin air.
Suddenly, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle all laid their wands down at their side, and began laughing sinisterly.
Harry and Ron both stopped battling, and looked at each other, completely confused.
"Ahhh Potter, how nice it is to see you again." An all-too familiar voice said from behind them.
So let me know what you think(: Lol, oh and being the nerd that I am, I couldn't resist adding a few movie/book quotes into this one.