Chapter Three - Enter, Stranger, But Take Heed
The roar of the flames, the moans of the fallen and the screams of the terrified residents fleeing for their lives seemed unending to Harry's ears. They drilled into his mind, an unceasing cacophony of sound that had neither beginning nor end, so jumbled together that he could scarcely distinguish one from the next. Such sounds, coupled with flickering orange tongues reaching for the sky, deep red rivers of blood barely visible in the tinted light and the corpses, strewn about like abandoned mannequins, made up the environment in which Harry found himself.
All around him, his Father's Death Eaters wreaked havoc wherever and whenever they could, crumbling buildings, starting fires, cutting down any who dared oppose them. The best of his Father's men could not be matched by these untrained fools, and Harry watched with an impassive eye as a woman still dressed in her nightgown was disarmed by Rabastan Lestrange. She was given no opportunity to recover, and the next Killing Curse flung her lifeless corpse down the street to land beside that of her husband. Bellatrix, the one responsible for killing the man, laughed into the night as she surveyed the hole she had blown through his chest.
He turned his attention further down the street, to a batch of fierce duels that appeared to have no victor. Severus Snape gave his wand a complicated twirl and his opponent, an ebony haired Asian girl who looked as though she was barely of age, shrieked as her wand fell from her nerveless fingertips. Harry raised his eyebrows, a cold expression settling on his face as he saw Snape turn away rather than finish her off, but unfortunately, he couldn't exactly catch the man's attention without shouting his name, which for anonymity's sake wasn't the best idea.
Instead, he pointed his wand for the second time that night and the sickly green of jet of the Killing Curse erupted from his wand. Before it could hit, however, a light haired man jerked her out of the way, leaving the spell to dig a hole in the cobblestone where the girl had been only seconds before. Just before the twosome disappeared into the chaos, her eyes found her assailant and widened in fear. Harry's lip curled beneath his mask. He could go find her and finish the job, but he really couldn't be bothered. With a flick, he snapped the girl's fallen wand where it lay, and turned his attention elsewhere.
It wasn't exactly correct to state that the Death Eaters were winning the fight, for the residents of Diagon Alley weren't putting up much of one to begin with. He checked the time on the gold plated pocket watch his Father had gifted him. It had been barely fifteen minutes since the mission had begun, and already, much of the famous Wizarding Shopping Street had become nothing more than smouldering piles of rubble. The few stores that were still standing due to the rudimentary protective wards and enchantments erected thanks to the foresight of their owners would soon follow in the way of their neighbours.
That, Harry thought, a sneer crossing his face at the very thought, would teach the Minister and all the other buffoons to belittle us as a small problem...
Unfortunately, he never had the opportunity to raise these last buildings to the ground. After fifteen minutes without any significant opposition against the Death Eaters rampaging through Diagon Alley, it seemed the time that Harry had bought with the timing of his attack was finally up. The Ministry of Magic, or rather, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had finally gotten their act together, and with a volley of loud cracks, scores of Witches and Wizards in crimson robes Apparated into hell.
Harry never hesitated, and following his example, neither did most of the Death Eaters. Before many of the new arrivals had any time to take in their surroundings and overcome the horror they felt at the wanton destruction they saw, they found themselves at the receiving end of some of the darkest curses known to mankind. Flashes of green, red and orange flew through the air, some claiming more than victim, and erasing almost a third of the Aurors. The rest managed to react in time and protected themselves with anything they could manage, from spell shields to pieces of rubble.
Even with the success of the first attack, however, the Death Eaters were still greatly outnumbered, perhaps even two to one. Harry raised his wand, the order for an unrestrained attack on the tip of his tongue, when the inexplicable occurred, seeming comopletely out of place in the middle of a battlefield still littered with the broken bodies of the dead and dying, fires throwing their crackling light into the night sky.
Silence fell.
Or at least, as much silence as could be gained at the present moment. No one, not a single Death Eater nor a single Auror, spoke, and even the groans of the fallen seemed to fade away, drowned out by the roar of the flames that covered Diagon Alley in their flickering orange glow. The two sides were at an impasse, both wary of the other, and unwilling to make the first move. Without making a sound, the Death Eaters, who had been spread out all over the street and had made a rough circle around the Aurors, drifted back to form a phalanx in front of Harry, their wands at the ready to hold their opponents at bay.
Harry felt a stab of annoyance. Not following up on the initial attack had left the Death Eaters at a significant numerical disadvantage without the element of barely restrained chaos to back them up. With more Auror reinforcements surely on their way, the battle had quickly become unwinnable. Nonetheless, he wordlessly made his way to the front, the men parting before him like water at a wave of his left hand, before closing up ranks once he'd passed.
He swept his gaze over the Aurors, knowing that his black mask gave nothing away, not even the movements of his eyes. He could see the tension that lined their faces, and he heard the murmur that passed through them when he had made himself visible. The strange calm that had entered the battlefield had given them an opportunity to observe him and realise that he was different to the Death Eaters that stood at his back.
Good, Harry thought, his entire body coiled and ready to act at a moments' notice. Uncertainty would only hinder their actions. Before he could speak, however, the voice of one of the Aurors ran out instead.
"We are Aurors of the Ministry of Magic of Great Britain! All of you are under arrest and are to drop your wands immediately!" the man hollered, stepping forwards as though expecting to accept a surrender.
Harry could tell from the man's expression that despite his actions, the man knew very well that a surrender was not going to be forthcoming. Behind him, the Witches and Wizards prepared themselves; behind him, Harry heard the Death Eaters doing the same. The two sides were like drawn bows, only waiting for the release of the arrow. He decided to provide that release.
"Death Eaters, prepare to retreat." Though he had not shouted, his words ran loud and clear in the air, the enchantments on his mask once again making them deeper than they actually were. "Our Lord's mission here is done."
Perhaps it was because she hadn't entered the Floo Network in upright position, or maybe it was because the Network wasn't made to handle more than person at the same time from the same gate. Either way, this was the bumpiest Floo ride Ginny had ever experienced. There seemed to be more ash than usual, so much so that she could see nothing but blackness. Her body was shaken to and fro like a ragdoll, sending her elbows and knees knocking painfully into hard brick more times than she could count. It was naturally a much tighter fit than usual, because Fred was right there next to her, but Ginny was glad that he was, because Ginny had no idea where she was or when she should get ready to step out.
Suddenly, she felt Fred move, as though he was reaching out. There was a jolt far more painful than any of the bruises she had sustained so far from the trip, and she blasted out of the fireplace. Unable to control their momentum, she and Fred shot along floor of the dingy pub, hitting what seemed like every single chair and table in the room. Finally, lying amongst a heap of wood that had once been furniture, she came to a stop, her brother not far from her.
Woozily, she regained her feet. Beside her, Fred pushed himself upright using a stool leg like a walking stick. He turned to her, an annoyed expression on his face, but before he could utter a single syllable, a yell of pain from outside caught their attention with its familiarity.
"Oh no, that's-" Fred said, his face whitening. Ginny didn't wait for him to finish his sentence. Her wand in her hand, she leapt over a collapsed table and raced towards the portal to Diagon Alley. "Come on!" she cried as she flew through the door, hearing Fred's heavier footsteps right behind her.
The wall normally covering the entrance was gone, blasted away, judging by the blacked bricks around it. Bricks, both shattered and intact, littered the floor of the 'backyard' of the pub, evidence that the force had come from the other side, not that it was needed. Two Death Eaters stood over a prone body with bright orange hair, their cackling audible even over the din, taking turns at shooting minor curses at their victim. Both looked up as Ginny appeared and without thinking shot of a spell from her wand.
One of the Death Eaters twirled his own wand in a complex pattern with lighting speed, blocking the incoming curse with a transparent shield that let out a deep, reverberating gong. His partner followed up with a flick, causing Ginny to cry out as she was suddenly pelted with rubble. Cowering and unable to retaliate without being hit in the face, she was forced to retreat, but had moved only a few steps when Fred ran out in front of her and cried "EXPULSO!"
The spell shoved the bricks away violently, sending them soaring back towards the Death Eaters, who barely managed to get out of the way in time, moving in opposite directions. Ginny didn't waste any of her respite, turning and shooting curse after curse at the Death Eater on the left, while hearing Fred do the same on the right.
At first, the duel seemed to be even, but it quickly became apparent that the Death Eaters were only toying with them. Fred was flung to the floor with a grunt first. His opponent, however, made no move to capitalise on the victory and finish him off, choosing instead to turn to Ginny. She saw him out of the corner of her eye, but couldn't do anything in time as she was too busy blocking the spells of her own opponent. The next moment, she found herself thrown into the air, landing awkwardly on her side with an involuntary yelp.
Her wand had fallen out of her grasp with her landing, and she watched helplessly as one of the Death Eaters ambled leisurely towards her, head cocked to one side as though he was observing a particularly interesting animal or insect.
"Well, well," he said, amusement evident in his tone, "what do we have here? You're out late, aren't you, sweetheart?"
Ginny tried to get to her feet, but the Death Eater pointed his wand at her. "I think you should stay down there, my dear. Crucio!"
She felt her blood boiling. Liquid flames surged through her veins, igniting every single nerve she had until she felt as though she was made up of nothing but pain. A scream built up in her throat, but she clamped her lips shut determinedly even as she twitched – no way was she gong to a Death Eater the pleasure of hearing her scream. Despite her best efforts, however, she couldn't hold it back. She needed a release. Her body needed a release. Her ears picked up on an a terrible screeching, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she realised that it was coming from her, that she was the one making such an inhuman sound.
Then it stopped. Ginny lay there, her throat burning and her muscles still twitching, gasping for breath. Her torturer was still in front of her, but the man had turned his attention elsewhere.
"Oi!" he was shouting his companion, "We need to go! Everyone's gathering at the bank!"
The man's partner sounded his agreement, and together, the two pointed their wands, not at their fallen victims, but at the put itself. Ginny couldn't hear what incantations they used, but blue flames shot out of their wands, latching hungrily onto the sides of the Leaky Cauldron and flying eagerly through its doorway. The two didn't even stop to admire their handiwork before they departed at a jog down the street. The second man did turn, briefly, however, to warn them "Don't get yourselves mixed up in our affairs again! Next time you won't be so lucky!"
Gingerly, Ginny stood up and hobbled over to George. She couldn't help but gasp when she saw him properly. His face was covered in blood, and his nose was apparently broken, but the worst part, which nearly made her gag, was his wrist, which was facing entirely the wrong direction. His legs, both of them, were twisted and broken, the bones of his right shin literally sticking out of his trousers. Thankfully, despite his ordeal, he appeared to be merely unconscious.
Fred wasn't much better off, but at least he was awake. His left arm was flopped to the ground, and blood was seeping through his shirt from the gash across his chest. "It's n...not...deep," he murmured, when he caught sight of her face. "I'm...fine."
"Like hell you are!" Ginny retorted, rolling her eyes, "Can you Apparate? And can you take George as well? You both need to get to St. Mungos right now!"
It seemed Fred didn't want to spare the energy to talk, but he nodded, to Ginny's relief. Had he shaken his head instead, she would have had no idea how she would've gotten the two of them to safety.
"Alright, wait here," she told Fred, moving back to Geroge. Carefully, trying to jar his mangled as little as possible, she managed to half carry, half drag him over to his twin. She was thankful that he was unconscious, because her actions would have caused him considerable pain. No more than he's felt already, she thought, feeling her throat begin to close up. No tears. Not until this is over.
With that declaration held firmly in her mind, she managed to lay George next to Fred so that Fred could hold onto him, and stepped back.
"Come...with?" Fred asked breathlessly, but Ginny shook her head.
"It's already a risk for you to Apparate by yourself, not to mention take George as well!" She told him, swallowing heavily, "We don't have a choice thought, at least not for the two of you...I've got to find Dad."
Fred's eyes bored into her, as though trying to tell her to change his mind, but both of them knew that wasn't going to happen. Fred sighed and nodded almost imperceptibly. "Good luck."
With a crack, the twins disappeared. Ginny turned towards the direction of Gringotts. She might need to check every...body, and she didn't have time to waste staring at the place where her two brothers once were.
Harry had meant for he and his men to Apparate away. However, before he had finished his sentence, several things happened almost simultaneously, throwing the world around him into chaos once more.
Bellatrix flung a dark purple curse at the man who had spoken for the Aurors. Her wand work was so fast that it took everyone, even Harry, by surprise, flinging the man's body high into the air to land amongst his comrades. The Aurors roared with outrage and began flinging curses back.
Another series of pops ran out, and even more Aurors appeared along the street, their wands at the ready. They didn't hesitate to jump into the fray, and the Death Eaters, as good as they happened to be, began to fall under the overwhelming onslaught.
Even further back, more people Apparated in. Most of these were not wearing the crimson read robes typical of a Ministry Auror, and did not have the physique of one. Nonetheless, they, too, leapt fearlessly into the conflict as the Death Eaters were forced up the steps of Gringott's Bank. Amongst this particular groups of new arrivals was a tall, ancient looking Wizard with a waist length beard and half-moon spectacles, over which his blue eyes were observing the scene with icy anger. Dumbledore.
The most powerful Wizard in the world raised his wand and cried out something unintelligible in the confusion. Harry didn't need to hear him to know what it was however, because soon, lines of blood red streamed his wand and formed a dome that stretched over the entire street. Wards, and, as Harry attempted to Apparate, he realised they were for the disabling of further Apparition.
Had Harry had the time to swear, he would have done so, quite proficiently with many synonyms. He was, however, quite preoccupied with killing as many people as he could. Spells from his wand always struck fast and true, felling opponents left and right. Though his Death Eaters were steadily retreating towards the closed doors of the bank, Harry refused to move, and covered their retreat, knowing that he was probably the only person who could.
His duelling skill was infallible, and though at one point he counted at least ten Aurors all aiming at him, he simply held up the strongest shield he could and waited for an opportunity. Such an opportunity came when Rabastan noticed the plight of his leader and sent a blasting curse in to help. Due to the sheer number of people, bad planning on the Ministry's part, the curse hit many more than just ten people, allowing Harry to easily use to drop seven opponents in quick succession.
Harry was never able to count the exact number as he never had a long enough chance to, but he guessed he had at least twelve men standing. At least four of his original twenty had managed to disappear before the Anti-apparition wards had been dropped, and the other four had fallen. Despite this, had Dumbledore not arrived, victory might have been distinctly possible, even outnumbered as they were. Harry was by no means arrogant, thanks to the constant losses he had faced duelling against his Father, but then again, his Father was an extraordinary Wizard and, against these ordinary ones, he was sure he could pick up the slack.
However, Dumbledore was here. Even on his best days, Harry couldn't be sure he could defeat the man, as old and foolish as he was. Unfortunately, he didn't have a choice about duelling him, if he wanted any of his men to get out of the Mission without being captured and so, hesitating only slightly he strode forwards to meet him. Some of the Aurors tried to curse him as he made his way forwards, and Harry dealt with them appropriately, one of his blasting curses blowing a man's head off. Even at such a distance, he could see Dumbledore wince, and felt another sneer uncontrollably sliding onto his face. The strongest general the light side had to offer apparently did not have the stomach for war.
Very soon, everyone, both the Death Eaters as well as the Aurors and Dumbledore's people, seemed to realise where the man in the black mask was heading and even moved out of the way for him. No one dared engage him, as he had yet to sustain a single scratch, and if Dumbledore couldn't defeat him, then really, there was no hope after all. Up on the steps, where the most heated duels were taking place while those behind them struggled to find a clear shot, both Death Eaters and their opponents faltered in their actions, their attention drawn to the impending clash.
Dumbledore's expression was grave as moved to face Harry. His face had taken on an ashen colour as he observed the bloody corpses around him.
"Who are you?" He inquired quietly, his electric blue eyes fixed unwaveringly on the empty black holes in Harry's mask.
Harry opened his mouth, but wasn't quite sure how to respond. He'd never had to introduce himself before, to anyone. To give himself time to think, he decided to answer with a question of his own.
"Why would you care? I am your opponent tonight, Dumbledore. That, is all."
Dumbledore didn't speak, but Harry felt a wave of magical energy pulse through the air. It was strong, the strongest he had ever felt, and the Wizard seemed to pulse with crackling energy.
"I have only seen a few people capable of the violence you have wrought here today, and of those, only one, Tom Riddle, remains free to cause it...and you are not him. Tell me, do you feel no remorse for the pain and suffering that is your doing?"
"What an idiotic notion," Harry snorted derisively, shaking his head. "This is war, even if the pathetic Ministry refuses to acknowledge it as such! And in war, innocent people get hurt, unarmed people die. Do you know how many people the American's killed when the firebombed Japan in World War Two? How many more when their two atomic bombs detonated?"
Dumbledore's eyebrows rose fractionally, but then his expression changed, looking even more drawn and sadder than it had before.
"Then you leave me no choice." He stated with finality, raising his wand. Harry followed suit, apprehension filling his mind. Ruthlessly, he shoved it aside. Now was not the time, he told himself.
If there was supposed to be a signal to mark the beginning of the duel, then Harry surely missed it, for all he knew was that one moment, all present was silent, and the next, Dumbledore had opened fire.
"Incarcerous!" Long, thick ropes flew through the air, looking remarkably like snakes as they twisted towards their target.
"Abscissia!" The single spell Harry cast sliced easily through every single rope, causing them to flop uselessly to the ground, and continued on its way. It would have cut Dumbledore in half, but the man twirled smoothly out of the way as though he was dancing to a music that only he could hear.
Everyone knew how powerful Dumbledore was as Wizard, which was why Harry was surprised the man would vocalise his incantations. He must be trying to test me, Harry realised, and indeed, this seemed to be the case, for Dumbledore's attacks steadily grew in strength. At first, Harry could counter them with little effort and send something back in return, but soon, he had no choice but to cast shield after shield, throwing himself out of the way of curses that he didn't recognise, some silent now, or ones that he failed to block.
"Obligandi Ultima!"
"Penscartem!" It was one of the most powerful shields he knew, but it could not hold up to the pure power behind Dumbledore's attacks, hurling Harry backwards to land at the feet of his men. Though he was largely unhurt, and the binding spell had failed to take hold, it wasn't a good image to have, and he growled in frustration.
"Totanimatem!" The spell wouldn't be very effective against any Wizard worth his salt, but it would buy him some time to get to his feet, and that was all Harry needed. There was no beam of light from his wand, for this was not a combat spell, but rather a feat of transfiguration. Dumbledore began shooting spell after spell at Harry, who was still on the ground. He had to roll out of one, two, then three spells before he properly regained his feet. Dumbledore tried to attack again, his expression determined, but he never got the chance, for a massive fist, made out of the destroyed bricks and stones, slammed itself into his hastily erected shield, sending him flying. Harry, who probably couldn't have blocked another attack anyway, breathed a sigh of relief as, in front of him, the four massive golems roared as one.
Ginny Weasley moved down the street as quickly as her injuries would allow, feeling her stomach churning as she inspected any bodies she could find. Some of them were so grotesquely damaged that they were nearly unrecognisable. So far, she hadn't found a single survivor, but fortunately, she hadn't found her father either. She clutched her wand in a death grip, her fingers clasped so tight that she was almost scared she would snap the thin stick, all too well aware the unremarkable stick of wood could be her only protection from death at any moment.
Since the incident outside the Leaky, however, she hadn't had to use it yet, for there was not a single living soul in sight.
Thankfully, since it was basically in the middle of the night, she hadn't seen any children amongst the fallen, but she suspected sadly that it was only a matter of time, for, surely, at least one of the residents of Diagon Alley had children of their own...
And then, she saw the gathering. It had been previously hidden from her view thanks to the slight curve of the street, but suddenly, she found herself caught amongst a massive crowd of crimson robes.
They surged forwards as one like some sort of massive man powered machine, and everywhere around her, wands rose into the air. The attack was anything but organised, and a wide variety of curses were cast, lighting the air green, blue, white orange. Some of the spells erupted with a bang, others were silent, some Aurors, for Aurors they must be, voiced their incantations out loud and others without a sound, creating a world of organised chaos in which Ginny was caught. Though she couldn't see who the Aurors were attacking, there was only one likely possibility, really...
Despite her best efforts, Ginny found herself being pushed to the front of the group. She fought back, shoving anyone in front of her out of the way as she tried to break out of the torrent of bodies, but no one was paying attention to anyone else in the massive brawl, and she was carried forwards, bouncing off chests, elbows, knees, sometimes nearly falling, but before she ever could, she'd be pushed upright again as the Aurors moved forwards again.
It was a stampeded, one that seemed be off and on with no warning, making Ginny feel as though she would never be free of its grip. Naturally, as soon as she had such a thought, a wave of silence seemed to fall over the gathering, a pulse of soundlessness that seemed to spread from the front, where the fighting was heaviest, all the way to the back, so that even those who weren't quite sure what was happening paused in their struggles to try and observe what they could. A tension slipped into the air unnoticed, causing the atmosphere to almost hum with energy, the anticipation and nervousness almost tangible.
Ginny, too, was caught up in it. At the very time when it would have been easiest to slip through the motionless Aurors and make her way out of the throng to wait for the situation to calm, she stopped trying to get away. In the sudden lull in noise, she heard a familiar voice ask quietly, "Who are you?"
Professor Dumbledore! Ginny thought, a thrill of fear passing through her body. There was only one person she could think of that Dumbledore would duel one on one, while everyone watched, if any sane Witch or Wizard could even call him a person at all. She couldn't see what was going on, as she was still some ways from the front, and could only pick up bits and pieces of whatever conversation was taking place. Nevertheless, the start of the duel was unmistakable, easily intelligible even over the roar of the flames.
"Incarcerous!"
"Abscissia!"
Despite the fight going on, no one else moved a muscle. The Aurors, and some who were not in crimson robes, had their wands out and ready, yet no body made a move to attack. From the lack of other voices, Ginny assumed that the Death Eaters were holding back as well, for what reason she could not fathom, and yet, she couldn't bring herself to twitch anymore than her neighbours.
Again and again, explosions, ringing and sharp bangs blew into the night sky, and still Ginny stood almost at attention, her body ready to move and yet her mind unable to do so. The waves of magical energy, she realised, were what held the crowd in place – though they could, physically, move, they could never bring themselves to.
She could never pinpoint how long the duel was, in hindsight. Apparently, it had lasted almost ten minutes. All she did know was that, at some point in its duration, spells from Voldemort became rarer and rarer as the Dark Wizard seemed to begin to focus primarily on defence, leaving Dumbledore to send curse after curse at his opponent. Surely, Ginny wondered, that meant the battle is nearly over? Dumbledore was winning!"
That thought flew from her head quickly at the sound of a terrific crash and, from what she could see, Dumbledore was sent flying backwards. She was so surprised that the venerable headmaster had been knocked off his feet that she was completely unprepared for what happened next.
She couldn't tell who made the first sound, but a deafening roar rose up amongst the Aurors when they saw the man who they considered their leader fell. Like rolling thunder, they stormed forwards, bringing Ginny Weasley with them.
Harry knew already that the Golems were only going to buy him a few seconds, a minute at most. However, they lasted even less time than he had expected because the crowd of Aurors and vigilantes, who had until then been nothing but spectators, suddenly surged forwards, their battle cries shaking the air itself. It was difficult to tell who destroyed his creations, but only one of them managed to swing a fist, dealing what looked like a killing blow to four men at the same time, before they were blown apart so completely that no trace of them remained.
Golems, however, were stupid, thoughtless creations. Trying to take on the son of the Dark Lord, however, was another matter entirely.
Ignoring his pain, Harry dove into the midst of his opponents, all of whom hesitated at this unusual move. Had they thought about it, they would have realised it made perfect sense, for now many of them didn't dare cast any spells lest they hit their own. They didn't have a chance to think, however, because most of them suddenly found themselves quite preoccupied with fending off deadly attacks, on the ground severely injured or, even worse, dead, their lifeless corpses never knowing how they had met their end.
Harry never wasted time watching his spells hit their targets. He was on autopilot, his wand a blur, shooting spell after spell into the small defensive circle that had formed around him. Just as before, he knew that even this new tactic couldn't last forever. Though they didn't attack, such indecision wouldn't last long once their casualties mounted, especially once Dumbledore got to his feet again.
He turned, ripping a man's arm off with a flick of his wand and killing another with the Killing Curse as he ducked away from five other attacks at the same time and then he saw it. The building of white marble to which he'd had his back to the whole time, the steps of which eight of his Father's best were still gathered, shooting deadly spells into clusters of Aurors and sending them diving apart, dead or dying.
Gringotts. The most secure building in all of the Wizarding World, except perhaps Hogwarts. Protected by Goblin Magic. Impenetrable.
Suddenly, he knew what he had to do. The doors were open, but the Death Eaters could, if they needed to, only get as far as the foyer, because the rest of the bank was in lock down. The foyer was all they needed, for the time being, however. They needed a respite.
Knowing he didn't have much time, if any left, Harry made a split second decision. Steadily, he began retreating backwards, still killing opponents as he want, mentally preparing himself for the curse he needed to cast. Before he could cast it, however, he caught a flash of vibrant red and turned his head, momentarily distracted.
A young, red-headed girl had somehow found herself caught up in the chaos, her small body unable to break through the wall of Aurors that were, inadvertently, pressing her forwards towards the Death Eaters. She looked light, so much so that Harry had no doubt he'd be able to carry her if he wanted to one handed, and that, he reasons, was perfect for this situation.
With ease, he blasted the ten or so Wizards to his left out of the way, sending them flying over the heads of their comrades, who retaliated with all manner of spells, some even borderline dark. Lacking the power of Dumbledore, however, they did nothing but get absorbed into his shield, which hummed with the captured energy. In two graceful, half leaping steps, he was beside the girl, who had her wand raised but seemed unable to get a single spell of. Her eyes were wide with fright and fixed on his face. Close up, Harry realised she couldn't be that much younger than him, perhaps a year at most.
With no time to examine her further, he reached out with one hand, easily catching her around the middle, turning her around and pulling her flush against him. As he hoped and expected, his opponents faltered, their expression startled. It was clear that, due to the ruthlessness and abandon with which their opponent had fought, a hostage situation had never even been considered. They were unsure how to react, probably since most of them hadn't even realised there had been a young girl amongst them in the first place.
The Aurors might have faltered, but Harry certainly didn't. The girl in his arms struggled, but he managed to ignore her struggles and kicks long enough to do what he had to.
"IGNIFENDA!" He roared, his wand held aloft over the girls shoulder. It shuddered violently, almost as though it was about to explode before, without warning, fire began to pour out of the tip like smoke, or perhaps more accurately, like water. He aimed it at the general direction of the Aurors, who were forced to duck for cover, their shields not lasting more than ten seconds in the face of such powerful heat.
Some weren't so lucky, their blackened corpses lost in the fiery tongues that reached hungrily for more victims. Fiendfyre was difficult to control at the calmest of times, and Harry made no attempt to do so now. He heard screaming, and realised it was the girl, but he took no notice of her as he hauled her unwilling form up the steps.
"INTO THE BANK! GO!" The Death Eaters, what remained of them, needed no further prompting. Wordlessly, they leapt backwards into the foyer even as Harry flew through in their midst. The Fiendfyre that he had not tried to control looked as though it had been halted – Dumbledore no doubt – and now reached backwards, realising there were more victims to be found there.
Harry threw the girl he was still carrying way from him and channelled magic through both his left hand as well as his wand. It was difficult to overcome Goblin magic, but he wasn't truly breaking enchantments, just influencing them, and after a moment, his efforts began to pay off. Slowly, and then faster, the grand doors of Gringotts rumbled as they began to swung closed.
As thought the Fiendfyre could sense that its prey was getting away, it jumped towards the room, taking the form of a dragon. For a moment, Harry thought he was going to be too late, and the snout of the dragon managed to reach beyond the doorway.
Then the doors slammed shut. The boom echoed throughout the room as silence, absolute silence for the first time that night, fell upon the room. The fiery snout, cut off from the rest of the dragon, seemed to twist in mid air, before smoking away.
Harry let himself breathe out a long sigh, feeling the aches and pains he had gained for the first time. His immaculate robes had been singed by spellfire but, fortunately there didn't seem to be any physical damage to his person.
And, for the moment, anyway, Gringotts was under Death Eater control.
A/N: HOLY...IT IS DONE! This is my longest chapter...ever! 6.2k words wow, I can't believe it myself. When I started this chapter, I planned for Harry to meet Ginny, and take her into Gringotts, at the end of only 4k words lol, so this is one and a half times as long, but I really couldn't make it any shorter, not that I want to. In fact I think the Ginny parts should be longer so that it's more realistic, but then again, that's just me I guess...
Two things to clear up before I start the next chapter -
Thing One: Harry is, most definitely, unquestionably, evil in this story, so far. Not the mislead young boy evil, but the takes pleasure in pain, want to kill people, looks down on weak opponents evil. Having been raised by Voldemort himself, I find it difficult to imagine that someone can be still good on the inside...
Thing Two: Why did Ginny, Fred and George go to Diagon Alley only to be defeated so easily? Well these are Voldemort's best men, not the run of the mill Death Eaters. They didn't know that, so they went anyway, but they didn't stand a chance, because they don't have Harry to teach them to duel!
Crazy With A Book: Welcome to the story! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much, I love writing this :D In my opinion it's going better than my other story, but I'll finish both of course. Hope you stick with this one to the end!
Until the next chapter,
PowerOfOne