Chapter Fifteen

All Hell Breaks Loose

The chill in the air was nothing that the everyday Muggle would believe to be anything but the early Autumn weather falling into place. A wizard however, would know the chill to be a signature of a Dementor.

'Be on your guard,' Tonks told them, as they strolled onto the street, 'we aren't alone here.'

The three of them nodded.

'Alright then,' Tonks said cheerfully taking on her role of Mother hen, 'now don't be rude to our customers!'

She openly handed them all some leaflets bearing the logo of, Jehovah's Witness! The faith to believe in!

'What the bloody hell does this mean?' Ron asked reading the leaflet.

Tonks shrugged slightly, 'Merlin knows, I found them in some market place just lying there, so I took them all.'

Harry snorted slightly at the innocence in Tonks's voice.

'Anyway all we do is post them into the slots in people's doors.'

'Letterboxes,' Angelina said, scarily sounding like Hermione.

'Yeah, those things. So, Ginny you are with Harry and Hermione with Ron; I shall be flying solo.'

'Riding,' Angelina said absently.

'What?' Tonks asked.

'The phrase is 'riding solo,' in the Muggle world.'

Tonks through her a withering look.

'I just thought you should know,' she said slightly defensively, 'you do want a perfect cover right,'

Tonks let that pass.

'Come on guys, lets get going,' Harry said grabbing some leaflets off Tonks and starting off down the Muggle Street, after a couple of seconds he realised Luna wasn't following him. 'Ginny, coming?'

'Yes Harry,' she replied a little dreamily, tearing her eyes from a Muggle mailman shooing a dog. When they were out of earshot from the others Harry bent down to whisper in her ear.

'You need to pay more attention Luna, and try being more Ginny-like.'

'Harry,' she distantly said, looking over his right shoulder.

'Luna, I'm being serious, nobody can known that you're you and not Ginny.'

'Does that man have a wand? Or is it just a stick?' she nodded behind him.

Harry stilled and looked down at her.

'What's he doing Luna?' he muttered, pretending to look through the leaflets in his hands.

'Well, he's talking to some other men right now, and pointing to different places on the street. That big tree. That dog. That silly lady with the purple dress on.' She reported, 'I think that they are planning something. Oh dear.'

'What is it?' Harry demanded.

'He just pointed at us.'

Luna lifted Ginny's brown eyes to look into his.

'Is it time to get out our wands Harry?'

'I think it is Luna,' Harry said grimly, 'slowly.'

She nodded, suddenly the usual distant look to her eyes was gone and a fierce look had replaced it.

'Are we going to fight?'

'Most likely, stick close to me.' Harry ordered.

'Gladly,' she replied, 'he's walking towards us Harry; and he definitely has a wand.'

'What about the others? Are there men near the other things the first man pointed out?' he asked quickly.

'Yes, I think they are going to attack at the same time.'

'Alright, the moment he raises he wand I want you to-'

'HARRY!' she screamed raising her wand.

Acting on instinct he whirled around, pushing Luna to the floor in the process and putting up a shield charm with his left hand. As Luna had predicted, all the Death Eaters had attacked as one. The tree had blown up with its debris imbedding into the skins of many of the Muggles that now lay moaning on the pavement, the dog beside the mailman had been transfigured into a large wolf and was now in the process of tearing out the screaming mailman's innards; the lady in purple was gone, as was the Death Eater that had been after her. The Death Eaters not given a specific assignment had simply taken to butchering and torturing all the Muggles that came into their path.

'CRUCI-' began the Death Eater before Harry. With a negligent flip of his hand the Death Eater was silenced and then blown apart by the Bludgeoning Hex he cast from his wand a second later.

'C'mon,' he shouted over the battle down to a slightly stunned Luna. Shaking herself she rose and ran into the battle with him at her side.

The first three Death Eaters that attacked him were simple underlings with hardly enough skill to be classed as wizards; the fourth however that stepped in front of him was more of a challenge.

'Incarcourous!' his faceless enemy screamed, 'Aqua Eructo!'

He dodged the flying ropes and banished the blast of water narrowly before reciprocating with his own wordless hexes and spells. Whilst dodging a jet of fatal fire projecting from the wizards wand he tripped over the body of a fallen Muggle and fell to the floor dropping his wand. His enemy laughed in triumph at the site of Harry Potter without a wand and cast a nameless spell with a purple sheen to it that looked familiar.

'Dolohov,' Harry snarled, as he banished the near fatal spell from striking him in the face. Dolohov's smirk disappeared as Harry successfully banished his spell wordlessly.

'How is it possible?' Dolohov gasped as Harry rose to his feet, summoning his wand in the process.

'You would be surprised what is possible and what isn't Dolohov, I do know it's impossible for a man to stand without his ankles however.' Harry stated coldly, with a wave of his wand, Dolohov's ankles broke into tiny pieces and his scream as he fell to his knees was almost music to Harry's ears. 'Nor can he kneel without his kneecaps,' the second scream was slightly sickening and not being able to stand much more Harry quickly bound him with ropes and left him on the pavement moaning with spittle flying from his mouth.

The battle was almost over. He could faintly see Ron and Angelina at the far end of the street battling four Death Eaters at once and Tonks holding her own against the wolf-dog and another Death Eater. Deciding to go and help her he began running towards her, keeping his eyes wary for Death Eaters creeping out from behind cars and hedges. A scream from behind him made his heels dig into the wet pavement and already dreading what he would find he turned towards the sound.

A Death Eater stood at the bottom of a house with his wand pointing upward towards the roof bearing a gleeful smile. Even as he ran towards the poor family subjected to the Imperious Curse he saw the second child of the family walk off the roof and plummet to the ground with a dreamy smile on her face, before her neck snapped. Outrage filled him as the screams of the mother attacked his ears and the laughter of the Death Eater made his blood boil.

'DIFFINDO!' yelled a voice from behind him, on instinct he ducked as the spell hurtled past his head and struck the Death Eater across the stomach. Blood and entrails poured from the Death Eater as he doubled over and his face became deadly white. Yet he still had time to raise his wand and send a deadly slicing curse in Harry's direction before his face plunged into the dirt which became his pillow for his eternal rest.

Turning to see who had managed to save the sobbing Muggle parents on the roof behind him he found Luna with her hands clasped above her stomach swaying slightly.

'Luna, what's?' he began.

Suddenly she reeled back and fell to the floor, blood seeping from the wound in her chest. With a cry of anguish he ran to her and dropped like a stone beside her head. Taking in her wound he knew there was no chance to save her, the curse had struck too deep and she was already choking on her own blood. He cradled her head on his lap and watched as the life began to be choked out of one of his best friends.

'I am so sorry Luna,' he said thickly. He brushed some hair off her face and looked into her terrified eyes, 'I can't, there's nothing I can do.'

Understanding sparked in her eyes, and then a terrible sadness. She reached up shakily and caressed his face with a blood soaked hand, a small smile tipped up the corners of her mouth; and then her eyes went dark and the hand on his face slipped off and dropped to floor. He watched in a daze as the red hair became golden and blew softly in the breeze and the eyes became a dull blue, no longer sparked with interest about the world's hidden gems and fairytales and never would again. This is what made him collapse over her sobbing and berating himself for leaving her for a moment after promising not to.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up with tear streaked eyes into Ron's shocked filled face.

'What happened?' he demanded.

'I left her,' he whispered, 'I left her and she died. It's my fault.'

Ron crouched down next to him and looked at Luna's still form.

'It isn't your fault mate. You can't protect everyone.' Ron said firmly.

Harry just shook his head at him and returned his gaze to Luna.

'We have to go Harry. Now, can't you hear the Muggle sirens?'

He could, they were far away still.

'We can take her with us. C'mon, give me your hand.' Ron urged him.

Woodenly, he removed one of his hands from under Luna's head and clutched Ron's hand tightly in his. A moment later he felt the horrible feeling of being pulled through a tight tube and not being able to breathe before appearing at the Burrow and hearing the screams of several members of the Order as they all rushed towards the horror he held in his arms and hastened it into the kitchen to be laid on the long wooden table. Harry blindly followed with Ron, still with one hand on his shoulder, guiding him.

'What did you do?' shrieked Tonks stepping before them, 'why is Luna laying dead on that table? Why was she with us?'

Harry just stared at her blankly, not registering what she had even said.

'Well?' she demanded with tears coursing down her cheeks.

'She's dead.' He said dully.

'I know she's fucking dead! I want to know why?' she shouted.

Ron stepped in front of Harry and steered Tonks away from him.

'Harry needs some time Tonks; he feels responsible for Luna's death and doesn't need you yelling at him.' He said firmly.

'I wasn't yelling-'

'You were,' he interrupted, 'Luna was there because Hermione and Ginny are upstairs and we were unable to take them today because of a reason that the Order cannot know about. Angelina and Luna took Polyjuice to replace them.'

'What is wrong with you?' she whispered.

'We did what we thought best,' Ron replied clinically.

'Not that. Why aren't you a wreck like the rest of us? Luna's dead.' Tonks said bluntly.

Ron didn't reply, he merely left her standing at the doorway staring after him. As he walked past the kitchen door he glimpsed Luna's body on the table with her blood soaking into the wood and the Order sat around her body. Suddenly it hit him and he collapsed against the wall. Luna was dead. Sinking down to the floor he felt the tears flow down his face as he realised that another piece of light and happiness had just been ripped from the world in another act of cruel violence.

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