Quoth the Raven
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Reviews are welcomed, flames aren't. Again special thanks to Phil who is our Brit-speaker and who especially helped us in this chapter.
Chapter 39: By Horror Haunted
The street was filled with chaos. Screaming children and adults punctuated the once calm day.
In the Three Broomsticks, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black lunged from their chairs at the first sounds of spell-fire, drawing their wands as they leapt for the door and the fighting beyond it. Hermione Granger was already herding children into the pub, almost blocking the two men's way.
Training from his days as an Auror kicked in as Sirius shouted to those in the room, "Everyone get into the back!" He shoved one student out of the doorway as he dove through."Remus, we have to get the students inside. Come on!"
Remus stood by the entrance and cast a messenger Patronus towards the school. Rosmerta and several of the other patrons moved to help guide the panicked children to the relative safety of the back room.
It had been a long time since Sirius had stood against Death Eaters, but old training kicked in as he and Remus bracketed the door, back to back, crouched, ready to provide cover for the incoming children. Hermione was joined in her endeavour by several seventh-years, mostly Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs.
"Bloody hell! There's about a dozen down my end of the alley!" Lupin snarled as he pushed a panicked villager through the door of the pub.
"Same at my end... and too damn many kids between us to target them easily."
As he shouted to Remus, Sirius looked up, a movement catching his eye in an alley across from the Three Broomsticks.
"What?!" he sputtered, catching the slight movement of a camouflaged figure in an alley across from them. It was pointing something at the Death Eater. Suddenly there was a flash and the Death Eater fell, his head disappearing in a burst of blood, brains and shards of bone. The body dropped, twitching briefly before it stilled. When Sirius looked back to the shadowed alley, there was no sign of further movement in it.
"Damn, that's effective!" Sirius snorted.
"Looks like we have help?" Remus called over his shoulder.
"Yeah. Be careful, Remy. I'm going to go down this way; you take the other end. Get as many as you can undercover, or down, to open up targets. And don't block the alleys; whatever they're using is deadly!"
Sirius darted forward, wand at the ready as he grabbed another student with his left hand. "Get down, now!" he shouted, pushing the boy to the ground as he worked his way forward through the chaotic milling of terrified students and villagers.
0o0o0o0
The three Death Eaters hadn't put up much of a fight. One had fallen to Harry's wand, the two others to bullets from Wolf's team. Harry shook his head mentally. Old Voldie's Death Eaters wouldn't know what hit them.
"Bird One, get the hell out of the way!" The sharp command from the small black device in his ear startled Harry into action as he spun looking for cover.
A soft sob broke into his thoughts as he turned in a crouch to find a Hufflepuff student clutching a blood-stained right arm. Harry sighed as, for a split-second, he hesitated. What to do? A grey-mottled figure stepped out of the shadows. "Go! Get him under cover!"
Harry gave a quick nod as he grabbed the boy and headed through the alley to the back door of a nearby shop.
0o0o0o0
The few Order members present began to panic as Death Eaters started their reign of terror. They were boxed in, with Death Eaters entering from both ends of the village!
Those Order members with more combat experience quickly recovered and started firing back. However, they were true Dumbledore sycophants as they followed his mandate of stunners and non-lethal spells. Never mind that they were the ones at risk of being killed, and putting the students at more risk because of it.
Arthur Weasley was frustrated. He was facing the same Death Eater for the second time in less than five minutes. He'd put him down the first time, only to have one of his fellows revive him. Suddenly, the ghastly white mask of the Death Eater he was fighting shattered, and Arthur found himself covered with what was left of his opponent's head immediately after something had whipped almost silently down past his ear. He froze, shaken by the sudden turn of events.
A wooden box came out of nowhere, sailing in front of him as a green spell hurtled his way. When it exploded it snapped the red-head out of his shock. Suddenly, a grey-mottled figure charged from an alley, tackling him, knocking both into the shadows across the street.
"Get down and stay down, you fool!" hissed the grey figure. "Stay the bloody hell out of the way and let the pros take care of it!"
Before Arthur could think of a reply, the figure rolled to his feet and melted back into the shadows of the alley. Arthur Weasley decided to take the advice he was given and remained prone. It was safe down here from the incoming spells. His stunned mind replayed what he'd just experienced. He stared at the bloody bits clinging to him. 'Molly will have a fit at the state of my robes!' was his only coherent thought.
0o0o0o0
The Weasley twins charged out of Zonko's at the first sounds of battle, wands drawn, arms full of Filibuster Fireworks and prank items.
A camouflaged figure detached itself briefly from the shadows and called out to them. "Oi! You two, get down! This isn't a school prank!"
"Wh- Who?" One of the twins pointed his wand.
"Get. Under. Cover. Now!" The shadow stepped forward, taking aim with a strange-looking weapon at a Death Eater behind them, shouldering the pair away.
Suddenly, jokes and pranks didn't seem all that important to them any more as the figure took out the Death Eater silently, but very effectively.
0o0o0o0
Aberforth Dumbledore herded the last of the students and villagers who had taken cover in his section of Hogsmeade into his establishment. Where in Merlin's bloody blue balls are the aurors? Several of Albus' 'turkey club' were duelling out in the street - and losing.
That is, until the masked Death Eaters suddenly found themselves losing various parts of their anatomy in very violent and bloody ways. In Aberforth's mind, the world would be a better place without them.
A green spell exploded nearby, forcing Aberforth to duck back inside his pub. 'Well, Albus, old boy, you are on your own. How are you going to deal with this little dust-up?' If he knew his brother well enough, the old fool would blame everyone but himself for this carnage, as always.
0o0o0o0
Filius Flitwick herded the last of his charges into the nearby Scrivenshaft's. He had been picking up an order when the Death Eaters attacked. Spell-fire sailed over his head as he turned to face two of the black-robed terrorists.
Being a master duellist, the Charms Master sized up both his opponents in the blink of a eye. Even though they were masked, he recognised both of them. It grieved him to face off against former students like this.
"Mr Flint and Mr Damon, do you really think you can best me?"
Both Death Eaters hesitated, well aware of Professor Flitwick's reputation. Before the first volley of spells could be uttered, Filius noted two bright spots of red on the chests of both of his former students. An instant later, both Death Easters were on the ground, both bleeding from mortal wounds to their chests. He watched them briefly as their eyes dimmed in death.
0o0o0o
Harry left the injured 'Puff with a very sympathetic shopkeeper, ducking away before those in the shop could stop him. Moments later, he appeared on the roof, listening to the chatter on the comm as he surveyed the fighting below. He wanted to get more involved in this engagement, but had been ordered to stand down. His part was done for now, but that didn't make seeing what was unfolding beneath him any easier to watch.
It was complete chaos. From his vantage point, it looked like Wolf's team was winning as their targets dropped like flies. Several student and adult bodies lay in the street; they had been mowed down in the first volley of spells. The frustrated teen clenched his fists in anger as Wolf's commanding voice spoke softly his ear, directing his squad.
"Bird One, what's your position?"
Harry reported his position and was told to stay put. Hermione's voice came on to report that she was under cover at the Three Broomsticks,and she was also told to stay put.
He felt a sigh of relief that she was safe. He had tried not to worry about her. She, like him, had been trained in combat readiness alongside him, only this time, this was the real deal.
From his vantage point above the action, he watched as the last standing Death Eater, who was trying to set fire to Honeydukes, wasgunned down. He had to wonder just who was leading the Death-munchers, and if they were still alive.
0o0o0o0
Rudolphus LeStrange hid near the Shrieking Shack clutching a badly bleeding shoulder. How he'd managed to crawl away, escaping alive to the dilapidated old house, he wasn't quite sure. All he knew was he was bleeding out and he couldn't stop it. With the anti-Portkey and anti-Apparation wards, he knew he was screwed. As the last of his strength waned, he looked over at the castle in the distance until the final blackness closed in.
0o0o0o0
The whole attack was over in less than fifteen minutes from the death of the first student to the death of the last Death Eater. Rabastan Lestrange was found dead with half his chest gone, still clutching his broken wand, near where Arthur Weasley had taken cover. His brother Rodolphus was found dead near the Shrieking Shack.
Order members milled around the streets, checking the bodies of the fallen. None of the victims bore the signs of destruction that the fallen Death Eaters did.
The body count was high. All twenty Death Eaters had been killed. Only three Hogwarts students (one third-year Slytherin, one seventh-year Ravenclaw and one fourth-year Gryffindor) had also been killed along with two Order Members and three villagers.
The wounded were still being counted as they had been taken to safety in various shops and homes. As soon as they were stabilised, they would be moved to either Hogwarts or St Mungo's.
Overhead, hundreds of ravens circled the town adding their cacophony. Many of the old-timers living in the village started to cast signs of protection while they hid from the bloody chaos around them. The Morrigan had surely watched over this battle through the eyes of Her ravens.
0o0o0o0
A/N: Sorry for the cliffie last chapter. It was always intended for the last chapter to be a set-up chapter and the real action in this one.
We hope this chapter makes up for it. As for those that were upset with the third-year being the first causality, if what we read and know to be true (at least here in the States), before lethal force in a civilian engagement can be used, the enemy has to make the first move (Equal, but not greater, force). Sorry for upsetting a lot of people, but deal with it.
NaNoWr is coming up. GF is hoping to finish writing Quoth during it. Thanks for being patient.
Until next time. – GF and The Frau
