Chapter 62 : It begins . . .
Albus and Severus were standing in the Clock Tower courtyard, watching the Weasley twins and Seamus double check the bridge and outlying fireworks.
"Headmaster?!"
"Yes?" both Wizards said, as they turned to see Hermione approaching, who smiled and shook her head.
"Headmaster Dumbledore . . . Ron has come up with a brilliant idea . . . do you know when your brother is coming through to the castle?"
"Aberforth isn't coming until he makes sure there were no stragglers needing to use the . . . "
Suddenly, Dumbledore was hit on his right forearm with a 'Stinging Hex', which caused him to jerk his arm, his wand flying away from him. Before either he or Severus could react they heard, " 'Accio wand'!"
Twirling around, they saw Harry catch Dumbledore's wand with his left hand, even as he lowered his own wand. He then walked toward them.
"Potter! Have you gone insane . . ." Snape growled at him, starting to lift his own wand to point it at Harry, but Albus put his hand on Severus' arm, stopping him.
"No, we've just been thinking . . . " Harry started.
"We?" Severus asked.
"Ron, Draco and I, sir," Harry informed him. "And we decided the duel was a waste of time and effort."
"Why would that be, exactly, Harry," inquired Albus.
"You wouldn't be giving me the wand, but in your mind, you'd know you were going to have to be beaten, so that might not be sufficient to transfer the ownership, as it was to be the inevitable outcome . . . same as handing it to me, really, and that's not what we need, so . . . "
"Element of surprise, I had it 'forcibly' taken from me, you are now the master of the Elder wand, and that," Dumbledore pointed to his wand in Harry's hand. "Will be useless to Voldemort . . . excellent thinking, Harry."
"Draco and Ron, actually . . . between the chess player and the Slytherin, they came up with the flaws in our plan . . . plus saved us the exertion of a duel," added Harry.
"Well, in that case, I suggest you make a quick trip down to the Chamber of Secrets and leave that wand for Tom to find," Albus instructed.
"Right . . . Ron & Draco are going with me, to get another fang from the Basilisk, just in case, and to take a look at the place," Harry explained, as he started back into the building. "We won't be long!"
Dumbledore waved him off, while Severus frowned.
Turning to Hermione, Albus continued their interrupted conversation. "Now, about Aberforth, Hermione?"
"Polyjuice Potion; you get to be your brother's doppelganger and none of the invaders will suspect a thing!" Hermione stood there grinning, watching the expressions flashing across both of the Headmasters' faces.
"Oh, that is so wicked . . . but as Ron would say 'Bloody Brilliant!' " laughed Albus. "Have you run this past my brother?"
"Yes, and he said as long as there wasn't two of YOU running amok, he'd be fine with seeing himself, here and there, AND it wasn't permanent!" Hermione answered.
"Fine. Severus, do you have any Polyjuice Potion handy?" Dumbledore said, with that twinkle in his eye.
"Yes, Merlin help us! I'll go fetch it! Sufficient for the night, I imagine?"
"I should rather have too much than too little," nodded Albus
"Right . . .I'll bring it up, straightaway. And I need to ask Draco to fetch something for me, too, so I'd better hurry," Severus said, as he turned and proceeded inside.
X XX
"Does everyone understand their assignment?" Voldemort questioned his group leaders.
"Yes, Master," replied Rudolphus. "The Snatchers have left to make their way along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the Giants are with McNair near Hogsmeade, and the assembled Death Eaters await your word to proceed to the gates of Hogwarts."
"Splendid." Voldemort stood up and came around what used to be Lucius' desk. "Let us depart, then . . . to reclaim our school for Pureblood Witches and Wizards . . . and kill off those traitors who try and stand in our way . . . oh, and I'll kill Harry Potter tonight, as my final deed for the day. Tomorrow the Wizarding World will begin a new era, free of Mudbloods and traitors."
"A glorious day, indeed, Master," Bella gushed, bowing out of the way as Voldemort headed for the door.
X X X
"Albus!"
Dumbledore turned to see his brother heading toward him.
"Everyone accounted for and through the tunnel?"
"They are and them giants are in the valley on the other side of the village. Won't be long now." Aberforth grunted.
"He'll wait until sunset; it'll look more intimidating when they come over the ridge with the sun at their backs, showing their numbers. Tom always had a flare for the dramatic," Albus added.
"Miss Granger talk to you?"
"Yes, yes she did," laughed Dumbledore.
"Better you than me, I hear that potion is vile!" muttered the Hogs Head owner.
"It is indeed! But I'll wash it down with something to cover the taste . . . now . . . "
Albus reached out and plucked a couple of hairs from his brother's beard.
"HEY!" Aberforth roared. "Easy on the beard, there, Albus!"
"Had to have them, Abe, you know that . . . better to do it quickly, in any case."
"Better for who?!" muttered Aberforth, as he walked away, rubbing his chin.
X X X
"Hehsa Hasee Eth," Harry hissed.
The round, snake covered entrance to the Chamber of Secrets seemed to come alive as a metallic serpent slithered around the edge and one by one the snakes in the center pulled back, unlocking the door. With a tug, it swung open, revealing the secret lair of Salazar Slytherin.
Harry, Ron and Draco climbed down the metal ladder and started the walk toward the giant head, carved out of rock, that filled their line of sight at the other end of the Chamber.
"Ginny tried to describe this, Harry, but we thought she was exaggerating a bit," Ron gasped. "Even seeing how this looked in the movie doesn't do it justice."
"But it was pretty close, the way the Muggles built the movie set, don't you think?" Draco asked, spinning around, trying to notice everything. Then he saw it. "Harry! is that . . .?"
"Yeah, that's the 'bloody big snake' that was wandering through the pipes and walls," nodded Harry as they reached the edge of the pool where the mummified carcass of the Basilisk lay. "See . . . the one fang is broken off; I used the tip to stab Tom's diary. First Horcrux to bite the dust, if you'll pardon the pun."
"Whoa. this looks real," said Ron, as he walked over to stand by the makeshift bier on which lay 'Albus Dumbledore'. The wax figure was positioned with its hands crossed on its stomach, eyes now closed. "Spooky even."
"If you don't look too close it's really hard to tell it's not him, especially in this light. And I think old Tom will just stay long enough to snatch the wand and then get back to the 'party', " Harry said, as he placed the Elder Wand under the hands of the wax figure, secure, but not so tight as it would be hard to remove.
"Right, that's done, now let's get the other fang and get out of here . . . this place gives me the creeps!" Ron exclaimed.
"I'll second that!" Draco said, pulling out his wand and a couple of silvery bags. "Severus asked me to try and get the poison glands, too, after you break off the fang. Could be invaluable in making an anti-venom."
"Okay, let's do this and get going . . . it's a bit of a hike back and we don't have too much time until it all starts.
Nodding grimly, they began their work.
X X X
"Hello Harry," Myrtle simpered, floating above the sinks as the trio emerged from the tunnels below.
"Hey, Myrtle!" Harry smiled up at the ghost, as Ron and Draco waved and beat a retreat out of the girl's bathroom.
"I've been watching all that's been going on around the castle, you know, Harry." Myrtle bobbed up and down. "Peeves says he's going to help those Weasley boys . . . Why can't I help, Harry?"
"I, ah, well . . . wait a minute . . ." Harry got an evil gleam in his eye. "Actually, you CAN help, Myrtle and you're the only one who could pull this off. . . and you'll be playing a grand joke on the boy who was responsible for you dying!"
"Really?" Myrtle stopped floating and settled down on the edge of one of the sinks to listen to Harry. "What do you want me to do?"
X X X
"There it is," muttered the Snatcher leading the way through the Forbidden Forest.
Scabior looked ahead through the trees and saw the stone circle next to the end of the wooden bridge, leading to the base of the Clock Tower.
"Alright you lot, spread out a bit and we'll wait for the signal," the Chief Snatcher said, as he settled himself on a nearby tree stump.
"Why don't we just sneak in now? There's nobody watching that rickety old thing," asked a tall, thin Snatcher, as he jerked his thumb at the bridge.
"It's gotta be a surprise, you idiot! We get spotted and them inside sounds an alarm! Do you wanna be the bloke as tells his Lordship what went wrong? Eh?"
"Guess not," was the grumbled reply.
"Just shut your cake hole and try not to think too much," Scabior shook his head. "Idiots, I'm leading idiots!"
X X X
"The Snatchers is at the edge of the woods, Mister Harry, sir," a House Elf reported to the young Wizard bent over a map of the grounds.
"Thanks, Denny!"
"Denny will keep watching, sir."
'Pop'
"Well, that's the first group." Ron put a wooden block marked 'Snatchers' on the map.
"Voldemort should be here any minute," Draco added, looking out the window. "And it's almost sundown, I'd better get upstairs." Draco stuck out his hand. "Good luck, Potter."
Harry looked down at Draco's offered hand and batting it to the side, stepped forward and threw his arms around the startled Slytherin.
"Thanks, Draco. Keep a sharp eye on things, won't you?"
"You bet," replied Draco, as he returned Harry's hug, then stepped back, turned and started off down the hallway. "Later, Ron!"
"See 'ya at breakfast!" yelled Ron!
"Yeah, be sure a leave a bit for the rest of us, eh, Weasel?" came the shouted reply, as Draco started the climb to his 'sniper's nest' on the tower overlooking the ravine. He had originally thought to use the cupola over the archway, as it had a great view down the approach bridge but it proved too cramped a space when Narcissa was with him . So, now he was positioned higher, with a wider view, better protection and could switch positions with little or no trouble.
X X X
Just as the sun started to drop behind the distant mountain, Voldemort led his followers to the gates of Hogwarts. Blasting the metal scrollwork portals open, they streamed down the approach road, topping the hill overlooking Hogwarts, just as the sunset glowed golden behind them.
"You were right, Albus," Severus shook his head.
"What's that marvelous Muggle saying . . .ah, yes. . . 'It's Showtime!', " The Headmaster laughed. "Let's see how our wards hold."
"This should prove interesting," Sirius grunted, coming up beside them, looking out of the window. "Wonder which lucky Death Eater gets to go first?"
"Why, Peter, of course," replied Albus.
"WHAT?!" both Severus and Sirius exclaimed.
"I decided Peter needed a second chance, so I left his cage on the road, with a note, so let's see what happens, shall we?" answered Dumbledore, as he turned back to the window.
"Oh dear, oh dear, he is in trouble, now," muttered Sirius, which elicited a snort from Severus as they joined Albus to view the outcome of this reunion.
X X X
"Master?" Bella said softly.
"Yes, Bella? What is it?" Voldemort turned from his contemplation of the castle, to look at the Witch standing by his side.
"There's something on the road," she replied, pointing.
There was, indeed, a small, rectangular object not far ahead of them.
"Bring it here, Bella," ordered Voldemort.
"Yes, Master," Bella gasped, even as she walked cautiously down the road, peering ahead to see what was sitting there. Suddenly she stopped, then rushed forward and snatched the cage up off the road and peered inside. Throwing her head back she shrieked with laughter, turned and skipped back to the Dark Lord, cackling merrily. "Someone has left you a present, Master. One of your faithful followers, who has been missing, has been returned to you!" She held up the cage at eye level. "Hello Wormtail! "
Voldemort held out his hands, so Bella gave the cage to him and then did a little jig in contemplation of what was going to happen next.
The Dark Lord looked through the wire and saw Wormtail cowering in the corner. Then he noticed the tag, turned it over, scanned it, then smirking, read it aloud for the crowd to hear.
Tom,
We're a bit busy at the moment, so, seeing as how Wormtail is your pet rat, I thought he should be returned to you for safe keeping.
He's been a very good little rat, although he did try to scamper out of here earlier today, but was cornered and given a stern talking to!
Harry
Bella snorted and cackled again, even as the Death Eaters who had gathered around snickered nervously. Placing the cage on the ground, Voldemort took out his wand and blasted the wire and wood to pieces. The grey rat rolled over and then got to its feet shaking off the debris. Suddenly, Wormtail felt himself being lifted into the air, grasped in Voldemort's boney hand.
"Hello Wormtail . . . you've been sorely missed by all of us . . . I thought you might have betrayed me . . . that is, until Albus paraded you before those fools in the Ministry . . . then you disappeared . . .what were we to think, eh?"
The rat had stopped struggling but was still trembling as Voldemort bent over and set him on the ground, touching him with his wand to transfigure him back to his human form. As soon as he was back to normal, Peter threw himself at his Master's feet.
"Master! Master! I knew you would come! I knew if I waited patiently, you would free me! I have never betrayed you, Master! I have always stayed faithful, Master! . . . and now . . . . " Pettigrew groveled, the words tumbling out of his mouth
"And now, here you are, which in itself proves your words to be true," added the Dark Lord, even as Bella hissed her displeasure at Wormtail's display. "If you had not been faithful, my servant, you would be dead . . . not by my hand, but by your own." Voldemort almost laughed at the astonishment on Bella's face and the look of terror on Peter's.
"Then it's true, Master?" he whispered.
"Is what true?"
"Dumbledore told me that if I betrayed you, this hand you gave me, when I helped you return, would strangle me and nothing could be done to stop it," Peter's voice was trembling, as he held out his silver hand.
"Dumbledore said that? How did he know your hand was cursed?" Voldemort hissed.
Peter shrugged, shrinking down to put his face to the ground, expecting the worst, but the Dark Lord only raised his red eyes to gaze at the castle, where lights were becoming visible in the windows as dusk settled over the valley.
"Very well, Wormtail," Voldemort said finally. "Get up, dust yourself off and prepare to serve me once again."
"Yes, Master," Peter replied, as he scrambled up and stood, waiting his instructions.
Bella was pacing around in a tight circle at the side of the road, but she stopped to hear what came next.
"I want you to lead the first charge on the castle, Wormtail. I want you to lead your fellow Death Eaters across that bridge and start this battle! It will be your honor to return to my service as the head of my followers," Voldemort instructed him. "Here, you may use this," added the Dark Lord, as he held out a wand, which Peter took, bowing again and muttering his thanks.
Bella ran forward to protest, but a wave of Voldemort's hand stopped her in her tracks, hands flying to her throat, gasping.
Voldemort turned to her and hissed. "You will stand by my side, Bella, and watch how well my faithful servant does as a leader . . . and you will be silent!" he added, pointing to a spot next to him, where Bella staggered, nodding her understanding. Turning back to Wormtail, he continued. "Take this group," the Dark Lord waved his hand to indicate about ten Death Eaters standing on the other side of the road, "They have already been personally selected, by me, for the first assault and you will lead them through to the entrance courtyard, to stand guard as we follow."
"Yes, Master! Thank you Master! I won't fail you, Master!" Peter stood and then bowing again to the Dark Lord, motioned for the other Death Eaters to follow him.
Bella fidgeted, but the Dark Lord took hold of her arm. "Patience, Bella, patience." The rest of the Death Eaters moved forward to watch the first group's advance.
Peter stopped a few feet from the start of the down slope of the path to the stone bridge.
"It's best that we move quickly, but silently, and make our way across that bridge before we're spotted. With the brightness of the sunset behind us, we'll not be easily seen, so let's move before we lose that advantage," Peter instructed. Most of these Death Eaters he didn't know, but he reasoned the Dark Lord had been busy recruiting and so, standing tall, assuming the leadership role he knew he deserved, he nodded his head and as one, they started running down the road toward the bridge.
Voldemort watched with amusement as Wormtail and his group surged down the slope. Suddenly, they hit the invisible barrier of magical wards that was surrounding Hogwarts and they all disintegrated into sparkling gold dust particles. Bella squeaked, and the other Death Eaters gasped and started mumbling and backing away.
"I thought as much," muttered Voldemort. "Ah, Wormtail, you served me well, even in death." Turning, his gaze stopped the others from muttering. "We will now proceed to break down that barrier, so that we may advance," he instructed. Turning to Bella, who was gazing, wide-eyed at the spot where Wormtail had vanished, he hissed. "I held you back from leading the first charge to spare you, Bella. I wasn't about to waste you on magical wards, but that group were expendable, as their loyalties had been wavering and it amused me to offer Peter his final chance to prove his faithfulness and leadership potential."
"Thank you, Master . . . I should never have doubted. Forgive me, Master," she whispered, as she turned to him and bowed her head.
"I don't doubt your loyalty, Bella, but you must learn that my reasoning is always impeccable . . . I knew those wards would be in place. A pathetic, last ditch attempt at thwarting our attack . . . no matter. Now, I want you to oversee the tearing apart of those wards . . . proceed."
"Yes, Master," she said, even as she turned, strode to front of the crowd of Death Eaters and pointed her wand skyward. "Bombarda!" The spell shot out of her wand and arced upward and then down to hit the dome of magic, sparking and spreading, although not breaching it. The other Death Eaters joined in, as dozens of spells started raining down on the castle's wards, but they continued to hold. Voldemort retreated to sit on a low wall, watching his followers do their work. He could see, off to the right, that the Snatchers were firing off spells to bring down the wards, also.
"This shouldn't take long, and then . . . Hogwarts and the Elder Wand are mine!"
X X X
"Peter's dead," Sirius reported, as he lowered his Omnioculars, handing them to Remus, who hit the rerun button and sighed as he watched the demise of his former classmate.
"Well, he was loyal and misguided to the end," Remus remarked, passing the glasses to Albus.
"Ah, Peter, at least he died leading instead of following," Dumbledore remarked, handing the Omnioculars to Severus.
"Plus a bunch that Voldemort must have deemed expendable," Severus noted, putting the glasses down on the table. "Madam Pince will be displeased at losing her bookbinder," he added, with a smirk. "Ah well, these things happen."
Sirius clamped his hand over his mouth to keep from bursting out laughing as Remus snorted and turned his head to hide the grin on his face. Albus shook his head, but his eyes were sparkling.
X X X
" 'Piertotum Locomotor' " called Minerva, as she stood in the front hallway. The statues started forming ranks and marching out the door under her instruction. As they made their way onto the stone bridge to await the invasion, she smiled. "I've always wanted to do that spell!"
X X X
Everyone in the castle was at their post, waiting for the magic wards to finally fail and the invasion to begin. They would take their dose of 'Felix Felicis' when that happened and then get to work repelling the Death Eaters.
Draco and Narcissa were watching when Wormtail and his bunch died, but didn't lose any time mourning him or the others. They were too busy keeping an eye out for the giants, Draco having switched to the night vision scope. Narcissa scanned the sky for any sign of the Dementors.
The battlements were lined with students and teachers, each ready with their weapons and their House Elves standing by to help reload, get more ammo or run messages.
Lucius was standing in the door at the bottom of the tower that housed the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor dorms. He could see all of the side lawn, sloping down to the lake. His backpack was full of fuel, Duffy was ready with refills when needed and the net had been raised into position as soon as the sun set, standing as a barrier to the Inferi.
Seamus was literally jumping up and down in anticipation of the wooden bridge's demolition. Neville was by his side, knowing it would be beyond foolish to attempt to outrun the explosion this time, as Seamus had doubled the amount of detonation devices. . . better safe than sorry!
Albus had mixed a dozen doses of Polyjuice potion and had them in little bottles, securely stashed in pockets on the inside of his jacket. Wearing some of his oldest clothes he was planning to turn into 'Aberforth' when the invasion started, plus take his dose of 'Felix'.
Harry, Ron and Hermione had decided to join the group of defenders who would be dueling with any of the Death Eaters who made it into the school and because of the strategically placed swamps, would all end up in one or another of the school courtyards . They were also watching the Marauders Map, making sure everyone was in place and ready.
XXX
After an hour of bombardment, the dome of protective spells started to come apart. There were a few spells sent skyward, in order to make it look like an attempt was being made to re-enforce the wards, but the Death Eaters were relentless.
Voldemort stood and walked forward. Pointing his wand, he shot a vivid green spell streaking toward and hitting the crumbling wards, exploding and dissolving them completely. The Death Eaters cheered.
Voldemort then whirled his wand and muttering another spell, which shot forth and arched over the castle to hit the surface of the lake, causing the surface to boil and foam.
Lucius watched the black water and within moments, saw the white shapes of the Inferi started to climb out from the depths. Duffy squeaked in fear, but Lucius patted him on the shoulder.
"We'll be fine, Duffy. They're focused on getting up the hill. We'll wait until they're trapped and then we'll take care of them, don't you worry."
"Yes, Master Malfoy. Duffy is just not liking them," replied the House Elf, trying to sound brave.
"I don't fancy them much, myself, Duffy!" laughed the former Death Eater.
X X X
The Death Eaters standing with Voldemort realized what was coming up behind them even before the giants came into view, as the vibrations of their footfalls could be felt. Parting, they let the monstrously tall humanoids pass, then fell in behind them.
X X X
"Alright, boys, let's have some fun!" shouted Scabior, as he led the Snatchers out of the woods and onto the wooden bridge. Running three and four abreast, they surged down the length of the old structure. Scabior looked up and saw Neville, Seamus, Dean and Lee standing there in the courtyard, wands out, waiting for them. He laughed and shouted to his companions. "Look! We have us a welcoming committee!"
Dean raised his hand in greeting, as Seamus waited until just the right moment and then shot off a spell, hitting the first of the explosive charges hidden under the bridge. Neville and Lee waved bye-bye!
Scabior realized, too late, what was about to happen as the BOOMS started to shake the boards under his feet. Shouting a futile warning, he and the Snatchers in the lead doubled their speed to try and make it off the bridge before it collapsed.
They failed.
As did the ones behind them when the wood supports burst apart. Creaking and groaning, the structure fell into the ravine below, carrying them all to their deaths. The Snatchers who hadn't made it onto the bridge skidded to a halt, aghast at the devastation before them and amazed at their good fortune.
"Now what do we do?" one asked.
"Well, we could go around that way and get in one of the cellar doors," replied another, pointing to the lawn on the right.
"Or we could go that way,' said another, pointing to the left. "It's closer to where we were told to go."
"Well we better . . . " a third Snatcher started to say, when the whole slope to their right erupted in fireworks and smoke. "Okay, we go that way," he finished, pointing to the left. "Let's get outta here before we get hit by one of those things," he added, ducking to avoid a rocket that shot over their heads.
"Yeah, we'll go through the gate by the library!" replied the first Snatcher. "Let's go."
Turning, they started off down the slope toward the distant gate, even as Seamus, Dean, Neville and Lee used their House Elves to 'jump' to their posts for the next part of their defense plan.
X X X
"They're huge!" exclaimed Narcissa, as she looked off into the distance at the advancing giants. "Which one are you going to shoot first, dear?"
"The last one in line," replied Draco, as he watched their advance. "Should cause a bit of confusion and piss off Voldemort at the same time; two for the price of one. Then the first one on the bridge, to block their way. After that . . . another one at the back, I think. By then they might be panicking and trample some Death Eaters for us."
"Oh, that would be lovely; maybe one will sit on Bella and squish her flat!" Cissa giggled.
Draco lifted his head away from the night-vision scope and gazed at his mother, grinning.
"That was cold, Mother, hopeful, but cold!"
Turning back to his rifle, he concentrated on the giant at the back of the group. The pops and bangs of the fireworks by the stone circle would cover the crack of his rifle, so Draco settled his eye to the scope and aimed.
Just as the last giant started the down slope to the stone bridge, Draco held his breath and squeezed the trigger. A split second later, the giant jerked upward, a small round circle appearing on his forehead, even as the back of his skull exploded, raining blood and grey brain matter down on the Death Eaters walking behind him.
Not realizing what was hitting them, they looked up to see the giant collapsing. With screams and shouts, the Death Eaters tried to scramble out of the way, the ones with sense 'Apparating' to safety. Most, however, didn't think quickly enough and were smashed to the ground under the body of the giant.
The other giants turned to see what all the shouting was about to find one of their own lying there, arms and legs of Death Eaters sticking out from under his body. With a roar, the leader of the giants came back to check on his fallen comrade. Seeing the blood coming from his head he bend over and poked him, then stood up and roared, turning he looked at Voldemort, who pointed to the castle. The giant nodded and turning, started striding down the hill, calling for the others to follow him.
X X X
"Mister Malfoy certainly is a crack shot!" exclaimed Sybil Trelawney. "That giant dropped like a sack of stones!" Turning to the students standing next to her, she grinned and waved her slingshot. "I'm taking that as a challenge; we'll just have to drop ten Death Eaters for every giant Draco takes out! Are you up for it, girls?"
"You bet," grinned Cho, as Padma and Parvati nodded, smiles on their faces.
X X X
Draco tried to match the giant's swaying gait as it approached the beginning of the stone bridge, the red dot of the laser sight bouncing up and down over the giant's face . Suddenly, the giant stopped and swatted around his head and Draco realized the red dot was occasionally hitting the giant in the eye and irritating him. He held the sight slightly over on the giants head, waiting for him to step onto the bridge.
The other giants were stopped, too, talking to their leader, obviously asking what was wrong. Waving away their questions, the leader continued toward the castle, starting across the bridge, using his club to knock the stone statues lining the length of the bridge out of his way. After taking two swipes with his club he stopped, looked up and roared.
Draco took his shot, cutting the roar off with a grunt, as the leader pitched forward blocking the way.
X X X
"What's happening, Master?" Bella asked, as the second giant toppled onto the bridge. "I don't understand, what could bring down a giant?"
Voldemort was gazing at the giant in the growing darkness, trying to understand what had brought him down, when he heard a strange noise coming from the castle. It didn't sound like the pop and bangs of the distant fireworks he had noticed earlier. It was a crack.
Another giant toppled to the ground, the remaining two turning around, looking in vain for the assailant. The Death Eaters were hesitating.
" 'Apparate' into the school. The battle starts NOW!" he shouted.
Before any of the Death Eaters or Bella could react Voldemort, himself, 'Disapparated' and headed toward the school, zooming through the archway next to the Staircase Tower then swooping up to land on the Astronomy Tower. He raced down the stairs into the school, heading for the girl's bathroom on the third floor and then to the Chamber of Secrets.
X X X
"He's heading for Moaning Myrtle's bathroom." Ron pointed at the Marauder's Map.
"Okay, let's concentrate on the Death Eaters. Myrtle will come and tell us when he emerges," replied Harry.