Chapter 100 – Hostilities Commence
Neville visited the greenhouses right after breakfast on Sunday, tending to his special plants and checking provisions for the coming week. He had quite a list going for all manner of supplies; the squibs were not very careful with their tools, or maybe just not quick enough to get away from some of the more aggressive plants. Either way, it was a challenge to keep pruners, hand trowels and gloves in stock. Also, for some reason, there was a sudden drop in the supply of dragon dung pellets. Neville had asked Professor Sprout to order a good quantity just two weeks ago, that should have lasted for at least several months, so this was troubling. He checked the bin where the pellets were stored. It was closed, as it should be, sitting beneath a window that allowed some ventilation between the storage room and the greenhouse it served. As Neville turned to leave, movement caught his eye, and he had his answer to the mystery of the missing dragon dung pellets. A small branch from a doxiebickle tree growing just outside the window was easing in through the window heading toward the bin. Who in their right mind would put a doxiebickle tree so close to a fertilizer bin? They were notorious for getting into any kind of garden food – stealing it from around other plants, emptying containers left too close to them. Actually, they were totally indiscriminate about the kind of food they would grab – Neville was pretty certain one had nicked a scone with clotted cream he'd left on the bench one day, for Merlin's sake! Sure enough, this particular doxiebickle tree was significantly bigger than the others, so it had been gorging on the expensive dragon dung pellets for a while now.
With a sigh, Neville realized that someone had moved this particular plant to a spot that got a bit more afternoon sun, probably not aware of its feeding habits. He levitated the plant, pot and all, an appropriate distance from the window and then he went in search of Professor Sprout to report the situation and discuss the supplies they needed.
The little witch looked up from a pile of essays that she was grading in her office near the Hufflepuff Common Room as he arrived. "Sorry to disturb you, Professor, but we have a bit of a problem in the greenhouses. We are nearly out of hand trowels, down to the last three pruners, and someone moved one of the doxiebickle trees too close to the fertilizer bin, so we're nearly out of dragon dung pellets."
The professor shook her head as she read over Neville's list. "Some of the squibs just aren't getting the hang of backing off as soon as a plant gets upset with you – I'm not surprised. It's too bad about the dragon dung, although I think we can find the funds in the budget to replenish the bin. I'll send an owl to Smithfields in Hogsmeade for what we need."
"We also should get some of the plants we intend to grow on the castle grounds this summer; we need to start planting in the next week, I think. You remember what Smithfield did with our order last year. I'd like to go there myself today, and select what they are to send us."
Professor Sprout looked at Neville with the growing respect that she was feeling for her favorite student. He knew his plants, for sure, but was showing so much more responsibility and maturity lately!
"Right you are, my boy. Sent us the weakest plants I've seen in years, last season. I guess they can't make a mistake when all they need to do is select a trowel or pruner, and they only carry one brand of dragon dung pellet, but trusting those people to choose plants that will actually grow, let alone thrive, is a mistake I won't make twice. Now, I don't want you heading over there on your own. Wait until after lunch, and I'll speak to the Headmaster to make the arrangements."
Albus, who recalled clearly his own disappointment with last summer's turnip harvest, was surprised but quite delighted with Pomona's suggestion that they avert that unpleasant outcome by allowing Neville to handle the Smithfields purchases for the school. He also agreed with his Herbology professor that they had to ask someone to accompany the young man into town. "I would imagine that one of the Winter Lands warriors would be very happy to go with Neville."
Sprout agreed, and added "I saw Charlie Weasley here yesterday; I wonder if he would be willing to go along with Neville, as well."
It turned out that several Winter Lands warriors were quite pleased to accompany their favorite Hogwarts student into town – Neville's success at getting their Winter Lands farms back into production so quickly assured him of the respect and friendship of the warriors. Charlie was also quite willing to take the trip into town. Draco, being a Malfoy, was a bit unsure about a visit to Smithfields for gardening supplies – the Malfoys had staff to attend to things like that, after all. However, he, like most of the students at Hogwarts, was fascinated by the warriors, and there was the added aspect of spending the time with Charlie, so he announced that he was going.
The group that proceeded along the road to Hogsmeade was surprisingly convivial. Charlie could get along with pretty much anyone, and enjoyed the stories told by the warriors about their lives in the Winter Lands. The stories of lives lived so close to the land were appalling to Draco, but he was totally fascinated in general by the massive, rough-looking men who, to Draco's amazement, clearly thought the world of Neville. As usual, Neville was happiest if the conversation was carried by someone else, so Charlie's persistent questions and comments enabled him to enjoy the stories without having to carry his end of a conversation.
"Hello, John," Neville greeted the Smithfields proprietor. "We need a few things in the greenhouses this week, and Professor Sprout agreed it was time to select the plants we'll be planting at the castle." John was quite familiar with Neville as a regular customer, and he had gotten an owl just moments before from Professor Sprout advising that the young man was authorized to select supplies and plants for the school. John also realized that when he was dealing with Neville, he'd better present only top-quality plants, because the boy had an uncanny ability to spot any sign of stress or weakness in even the smallest seedling. John was also a bit wary of his companions on this trip – he'd heard about the massive warriors, but they seldom came into town, and even though John was a solid six feet, he felt seriously dwarfed by the foot-taller Vikings. Even Charlie Weasley was imposing, because the physical effort in dragon taming had given him a physique like that of the warriors, even if he was half a foot shorter. John had seen pictures of the Malfoys in the Daily Prophet and recognized the slender blond immediately; he was wary of that one, but for different reasons.
The list of tools needed was presented, and with a wave of his wand, John had a bin filled with the required items. Arrangements were made for the quantity of dragon dung pellets to be delivered, as John and one of his assistants tittered with sympathy in response to the story of the doxiebickle tree plundering the bin. Finally, the group followed the man into the field behind the store to select the plants that the Hogwarts staff would be planting soon for the coming season.
Neville conducted an impromptu tutorial for his warrior-farmer friends, explaining why he chose one variety or plant over another, what suggested that one plant would thrive where another might struggle, and so on. Draco was bored and wandered off to look at some of the ornamentals, more familiar to him than barleys, cucumbers and strawberry plants.
Charlie already knew a great deal about gardens himself, as the Burrow had an enormous vegetable garden that provided a significant amount of food for the family. Every Weasley child spent time planting, weeding and de-gnoming the garden, either as one of their regular chores or in punishment for some mischief. Some of the plants Neville was looking for would be for potions ingredients, but produce from quite a few of the ones Neville was choosing would eventually find their way into the kitchens at the castle. He joined Draco to admire some magnificent hydrangeas and witch hazels.
A loud rumbling noise brought all conversation to a halt, as everyone turned to look for the source. A scream came from the street on the other side of the store, drawing all attention. John and his assistant started back toward the store, followed by Neville, and then immediately by the warriors and Charlie, just in case there was a problem.
There was a problem, all right. As the small group, now moving at a trot, entered the back of the store, they could see the running and scurrying of the people in town on the street in front through the glass window. People were in full panic, running every which way, adults screaming and children crying in fear. Neville went up to the window to see what was causing the commotion, and his eyes were immediately drawn to a shadowy creature about ten feet tall, with a large gaping mouth with huge teeth. Where one might have expected to see eyes, there was just a glowing redness. Everything was indistinct and blurry, suggesting less a corporeal being than a purely magical one. A demon.
Even the group in the store began to back away, to avoid the creature that was slowly moving down the street, smashing windows, snarling and trying to grab anyone within its reach. The only one who stood calmly was Neville. This was what his Gram had been talking about, teaching him and others how to defeat. He realized with a start that he alone of those with whom he was standing had been taught the spells and magic to banish one of these things. With no further delay, he grabbed his wand from its holster and stepped into the street. He was followed by the warriors, utterly fearless but also utterly defenseless against a creature such as this. Finally, Charlie followed, and deliberately ignoring Charlie's pantomimed instructions that he stay put, Draco joined him.
Neville aimed his wand at the approaching creature and carefully intoned a spell and traced a complicated figure in the air with his wand. A bright light shot from his wand at the demon, and as Neville stood with his face a mask of concentration, the light began to fill the shadows of the demon.
Charlie and Draco instinctively cast a shielding spell to protect Neville and enable him to hold the banishing spell for the time it took to fill the demon with light and banish it from the world. Their magics joined and a very solid shield formed in front of the group. Strain became apparent on Neville's face, as he put every ounce of his magic into the light that was slowly but steadily filling the flailing and screaming demon.
When the light filled the demon completely, it simply disappeared. Its roars gone, the screams and cries of Hogsmeade citizens filled the air. The warriors who had taken up positions to guard Neville, Charlie and Draco, were a bit shocked with the suddenness with which the danger simply disappeared, but they were reluctant to drop their guard in the din that remained after the demon was gone. It took several minutes for people to realize that the demon itself was gone, and only then did some of the noise abate.
John and his staff inched their way out of their storefront. They had witnessed Neville's calm action, and were shocked and relieved when the demon disappeared. Neville himself sagged a bit as he dropped his arm, and Charlie gathered the boy into his arms to be sure he remained upright and safe. John caught Charlie's eye. "Bring the lad back in here, now. Needs a rest, I'm sure. I'll send an owl to the castle right away." Gesturing to one of the assistants just appearing from beneath the counter, John added "Get the lad a cuppa, or maybe a firewhiskey – I'm sure he needs something after that!"
Neville was surprised how tired he felt, and was grateful for the help of Charlie and one of the warriors in getting back into the store, and settled onto an overturned crate. With a mute shake of his head, he declined the offer of a firewhiskey, but nodded with thanks at the offer of a cup of tea, as he got his breath back.
X X X X X X X X X X
Harry had lingered at the table in the Great Hall with the other Gryffindors after lunch.
"I think we should all get ahead on our studies for next week, since we'll be busy in the evenings with Mrs. Longbottom's class and won't have the time to do homework," Hermione proposed. To no one's surprise except her own, she had no takers.
"It's a beautiful day, Hermione. We won't have time this coming week to enjoy the fresh air. Let's go outside – maybe get some flying in, you could bring a book and sit under a tree outside, at least," Ron countered. A consensus grew quickly around that suggestion.
Hermione was tempted to join the group but decided to go off by herself to the library; the quiet would be wonderful and she was sure she'd be able to complete most of the work she'd missed the week before, as well as get a good start on the work that would be covered in the coming week. "Mione, at least be sure to come and join us for lunch later. Don't spend all day locked away in the library," Harry called as she headed off.
The group followed her moments later, but where Hermione had headed up the stairs towards the library, they went out the door of the castle and made their way generally in the direction of the broom storage shed, where school brooms were collected so those interested could join others already in the air over the lawn, as the quidditch pitch was still off-limits. Harry decided against flying. He did not want to go anywhere near the pitch, and the storage shed was right next to it. On a whim, he chose instead to walk along the path down to Hagrid's hut, as he saw a thin plume of smoke curling up from the chimney.
Harry's knock on the front door of the hut went unanswered, so he wandered behind the hut to the garden, where Hagrid managed to grow an assortment of vegetables as bizarre as the animals he tended. Sure enough, the half-giant was kneeling in the dirt as he was planting seeds that were at least as large as Harry's forearm. "Hey, Hagrid, what have you got there? Those are enormous seeds!"
"G'Afternoon, Harry! These are the pumpkins I grow every year. Ya can't expect to get pumpkins the size I do from little bitty seeds, now, do ya? I save these from the biggest pumpkin every year. "
Harry had crouched down beside Hagrid to admire the large seeds. Now that Hagrid said they were pumpkin seeds, Harry did see the resemblance, but he'd certainly never seen any this big before. Hagrid deposited the final few seeds he fished out of a pocket in his coat into a deep hole, and stood as he wiped his muddy hands on his coat. Harry noticed that the coat itself seemed to absorb the mud. "Come on inside. I'm ready for a cup of tea."
Hagrid sat with his huge mug of tea while Harry accepted a glass of water.
"Thanks for taking care of that magical forsythia for Severus, Hagrid. It really upset him that he'd almost created such a problem by bringing that to the school."
"Twas nothin'. I put it far out in the moors, doubt anyone will ever even notice the dead spot out there. What brings you by this beautiful day?"
"Just getting some fresh air, while there's time. Neville went into town this afternoon, and the others were going to go flying out on the lawn. I didn't want to go to Hogsmeade, and didn't feel like heading over to the broom shed, so I thought I'd pay a visit. I haven't seen you for a while."
Hagrid beamed with pleasure that Harry thought to stop by his hut. Harry smiled back. Hagrid was another of the wonderful constants in his life, now that he thought on it. There was something simple, but very wise and powerful about the man. Harry almost did not realize it, but with a start, he noticed that his inner dialog was being shared with the two ravens. He hadn't seen them in a while now, but suddenly, they were sitting with him and to his amusement, they agreed with his observation about Hagrid. As Harry carried on a conversation with the Hogwart's groundskeeper, the ravens listened attentively for a few minutes, but then they began interrupting. They wanted his attention, and had something urgent to share.
Harry's eyes were still focused on Hagrid, but he was actually seeing visions of small demons – at least five of them, all apparently in different places around the globe. They were much, much smaller than the behemoth Elder Demon he'd encountered on the quidditch pitch, but still large and menacing. Harry's breath began to catch, as he tried to process this information and understand what it meant, and more importantly, what he could do about it.
It took a few minutes, but Hagrid eventually realized that Harry was focused elsewhere, and seemed upset with whatever was going on. He did not know what to do. He could handle any creature with confidence and ease, and that included most students at Hogwarts, but the look in Harry's eyes was something he'd never seen and it scared him.
"Harry? Harry? Can you hear me? What's wrong?"
When he got no answer, he grabbed some floo powder from the bowl over the mantle and firecalled the Headmaster's office. "Professor Dumbledore, sir, sorry to intrude, but Harry's down for a visit, and suddenly he's got a very upset look on his face and he's not really part of our conversation any more. I can't seem to get his attention, either, to find out what's bothering him."
The old wizard was immediately concerned. "Bring him to my office, if you will, Hagrid. I'll open the floo for you. Come through right away."
Hagrid gently helped Harry to stand and within seconds, his floo was activated and he pushed Harry through and joined him in the Headmaster's office.
Albus immediately took Harry by the shoulders and bent to look directly into his eyes, a look of worry, but not panic, on his face. "Harry, what's wrong? What are you seeing?" Harry had a positively haunted look on his face, and his normally pale skin was ashen as Albus and Hagrid together guided him to one of the chairs beside the hearth.
Finally Harry responded. "The ravens, sir. They wanted me to see demons, I think I counted five different ones. Much smaller than the Elder Demon, but still big enough to be doing damage, all over the world."
Albus took a deep breath. It appeared that it was beginning. "I see. Do you recognize any of the places where you see these demons?"
Harry closed his eyes to focus, and think. He discovered that he could not call up the visions he'd had at will, and the ravens themselves had gone quiet, although they were still with him. He drew upon his memory, and scoured his recollections of the visions to see if he could respond to the Headmaster's question.
"I'm sorry, sir. I can't make out specifics. One was in what looked like snow, another standing in sand, the others seemed to be in towns or cities."
Albus weighed this information. It would not have been that difficult for Voldemort to have linked up his followers for some basic communications, to coordinate something like this, and it was not too shocking that his followers continued to include witches and wizards with the individual power to summon demons. He was headed toward the floo to contact the Ministry of Magic when the floo flared to life and a face appeared in the green flames. To Albus' great surprise, it was his brother, Alberforth.
"Albus, we've a problem in Hogsmeade. A demon just appeared on High Street, just up from the Hog's Head. I was never much use at demon banishing, but I'm going to head up there to see what I can do now. Maybe there is someone in the castle who is better at this, who could come out here to help."
Typically, Alberforth just ended the floo call by closing the connection. Albus had gotten used to his younger brother's blunt ways years ago, and realized, given the magnitude of what he'd just called to report, this was not the time for social niceties, anyway.
"Hagrid, I'm going to Hogsmeade right now – I am going to open the floo from here to the Hog's Head, and I want you to close it as soon as I've gone through. Then take Harry down to the dungeons, and let Severus know what's happened. He and Harry can speak to Kingsley and get word to the Ministry through him."
As Hagrid nodded his understanding of the Headmaster's orders, Albus was already setting the connection to his floo that would enable him to step right through to Hogsmeade, and stepping into the green flames. Hagrid bustled about, helping Harry up and gently but firmly pulling him along to the moving stairs.
"Now, you heard what the Headmaster said. He can handle what's in Hogsmeade, there's no need for you to do that. We'll find Professor Snape, and he'll help you get word to the Ministry. Come along now."
Severus was in his lab, and his pleasure at seeing Harry back so early was immediately dampened by seeing Hagrid with him, and it was shattered entirely with the explanation of Harry's visions and then Alberforth's message from Hogsmeade.
"Thank you, Hagrid. Harry, are you up to speaking with Shacklebolt right now? We need to get this information to the Ministry immediately, and he'll be able to get this to the right people there fastest."
Harry was calming down a bit, especially now that he had Severus with him, and he nodded. "I'll be alright. Thanks, Hagrid, for helping me."
Hagrid patted Harry on the back in silence, and nodded to Severus, who put a firm and protective arm around Harry's shoulders. Severus took a quick moment to look Harry over, to assure himself that the young man was, indeed, well, before allowing them to walk quickly to Kingsley's office. They were fortunate to find the man there, working his way through the reams of paperwork that had apparently accumulated while he was attending Mrs. Longbottom's class last week. One look at Severus' face told Kingsley that there was a problem.
"It's begun. Harry had a vision moments ago, of demons appearing in various places around the world. Hagrid brought him to Professor Dumbledore's office, and while they were there, a call came in from Hogsmeade that one of the demons was in the town. The Headmaster has gone into Hogsmeade himself to be sure that all is well there, and wishes to be sure that we get word to the Ministry that there appear to be other attacks underway at this time."
Kingsley's face reflected his shock. He was tempted to offer a comment about citizens stepping in to do work better handled by Aurors trained in such matters, his usual retort when told of something like this, but held himself in check. Albus Dumbledore was definitely better able to handle this than any current member of the Auror corps.
"I can't tell you the places where I saw demons from the visions. I think I counted five different demons, in different places – one seemed to be standing in snow, another in sand, and three were in towns or cities. It seems that Hogsmeade must be one of those." Harry offered.
Severus added "We did give the Ministry a list of all who attended Mrs. Longbottom's class these last weeks, so they know who has been trained already to banish demons. If there is a need for someone to assist, anyone who was at the program should be able to step in."
Kingsley went immediately to the floo and placed a firecall to his contact in the Minister's office.
X X X X X X X X X X
Kingsley's contact at the Ministry got his first call about a demon appearing, in London, just minutes before Kingsley's firecall.
A demon had materialized in the heart of Diagon Alley, near Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and began wreaking havoc in the street. While the damage to property was extensive, the people in the area had immediately escaped down the numerous passages and streets that ran across Diagon Alley, or into stores, most of which had back entrances from streets behind Diagon Alley, so the demon had not actually killed anyone.
Because it was a Sunday, the Ministry contact was able to contact Minister Bones directly to report this news. This enabled her to act immediately, rather than wait while the information was processed through the web of clerks, assistants and aides who would clog the flow of information during the regular work week. She knew that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin had attended the program at Hogwarts, and placed a firecall of her own to the house at Grimmauld Place for their help. Not five minutes after the initial report came into the Ministry, Sirius and Remus were at Diagon Alley.
Kingsley's call alerted them to the fact that there were other incidents. Presumably, the demon in Hogsmeade would be dispatched by someone from Hogwarts, and they were already dealing with the London appearance, but if Harry Potter's interpretation of his vision was correct, at least three other locations were confronted with the same problem, and they might need help. Minister Bones was duly informed of this, as well.
X X X X X X X X X X
Remus had just started his lunch when his afternon was interrupted by a firecall from Amelia Bones.
"Ah, Remus, so glad to find you at home. A problem has come up and I believe I need your help, yours and Sirius', if he's available. We've just gotten a report of a demon appearing in Diagon Alley, right near Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. The Aurors are heading over there, but it's a demon. It's possible that one or two of them read about demon banishing at some point in their training, but it's all theory to them. You two were at Hogwarts for Augusta's program, and I assume you've learned much more about anyone in the Auror corps about this."
Remus did not wait for her to ask for his help. "Sirius is upstairs. I'll get him and we'll be right there. This is exactly the kind of thing that Mrs. Longbottom taught us to handle. I'll keep you informed."
As he ended the conversation with the Minister, Remus was already half out of the kitchen, and he found Sirius in the sitting room.
"Quick, Sirius. I just got a firecall from Amelia Bones – there's a demon in Diagon Alley, near Fortescue's. We're the ones closest to there, who've been trained to banish them. Hurry, we need to get there."
For once, Sirius did not have a clever reply. He got into his jacket and trotted along after Remus down to the floo in the kitchen, and they quickly flooed into the Leaky Cauldron, the public floo closest to Diagon Alley.
Tom the barman was still busy with his midday trade, directing waiters with pots of tea and plates of food off to the travelers and regulars who stopped in for a meal. He barely noticed the two wizards who ran from the floo out the back of the shop, to get through the archway and into the Alley beyond. For their part, it was a relief to realize that news of the peril of the demon in the Alley had not gotten here yet. Everyone was calm as they enjoyed thier food.
The street onto which the archway from the Leaky Cauldron opened was now deserted, so it was actually quite easy to locate the demon from its roars. Sirius and Remus split up, each walking stealthily along opposite sides of the street, in the direction of the noise. There was a bend in the street, and as they made the turn, the demon came into view. It was heading away from them, a massive darkness with many tentacles that were flailing about, shattering windows, sending bricks flying, knocking over lampposts. Remus and Sirius stepped into the middle of the street, for the clearest shot, and with a nod to each other as they stood shoulder to shoulder, they cast their banishing spells in unison, which quickly joined into one spell.
The light from their wands hit the demon right in the middle of its back, and seemed to cause it to stagger. The blast of light definitely caught its attention; the creature seemed to pivot in place and was suddenly facing them.
Sirius later remarked that the only real difference between the front of the demon and its back was a huge, gaping mouth, with sharp, pointy teeth. This demon had not caught anyone yet in Diagon Alley, but it was still apparently filled with screaming souls. Remus and Sirius held their wands firmly in the face of the demon that was now advancing toward them. The light slowly filled in the darkness; nothing either could do would make that happen faster, but Mrs. Longbottom had prepared them for that, so neither panicked. They held the spell even as the creature advanced close enough for them to hear individual screams of the souls inside the demon, and to smell its foul breath, but the light continued to fill the demon. Just when they were tempted to believe that they had waited too long and were about to be consumed by the demon themselves, the light from their spells completely filled the demon. It did not belong in this world, and was now banished, in one blindingly bright flash. The roar and noise also disappeared. The only evidence that a demon had ever been there was the path of destruction that let up to the point where Sirius and Remus now stood.
They dropped their wand hands in unison, and stood on slightly wobbly legs as they got their breath back.
Three Aurors appeared from one of the alleyways, wands drawn, suddenly pointed at Sirius and Remus. "What's going on here?" the senior of the three demanded.
Remus stepped in front of Sirius, fearing that his bondmate's temper would react to the implied accusation and not wanting to have to deal with the aftermath of such a display. "I am Remus Lupin and this is Sirius Black. We are members of the Wizengamot. We got a call from Minister Bones a few minutes ago, advising that a demon had appeared in Diagon Alley. We've been trained to banish demons, so she asked us to assist here."
Slowly, the citizens of Diagon Alley were poking their heads out of windows and around door frames, and a low murmur began to sound. "It's gone! It was right there – I saw it! It was horrible!"
Remus continued to address the Aurors, who still had their wands pointed at him and Sirius.
"We just banished a demon that was summoned here to wreak havoc. You can verify that she asked us to assist with Minister Bones. We would appreciate it if you would lower your wands." Remus delivered that softly, but with all the authority he could muster. The Aurors were still reluctant to do that, lest they appear to be ineffective, but as more and more residents appeared on the street and approached the two possible suspects with awe and expressions of relief and gratitude, they concluded that they had to accept the story as true.
They had just lowered their wands as Remus requested when the Minister for Magic herself arrived. She looked inordinately relieved to see them standing, unharmed, amid the destruction all around. With the briefest of nods to the senior Auror, she said "Remus, Sirius! It's banished? Thank you!" She reached out her hands to shake theirs, joined now by even more residents, thanking them, patting their backs. The Minister tasked her security detail to work with the Aurors to secure the area and arrange for repairs to the damaged buildings and lampposts, while she accompanied Remus and Sirius back to the Ministry.
X X X X X X X X X X
A demon appeared right in the middle of the courtyard that served as a public area of the Egyptian palace at Thebes, scattering dignitaries as well as the common wizarding populace as it roared and thrashed around the courtyard. It was a rather enclosed space, which kept the majority of those in the courtyard in easy reach of the marauding creature while also making it difficult for them to escape. The screams and wails were horrific as the demon found ample opportunity to stuff its gaping maw with unlucky victims. Witches and wizards did their utmost to evade the demon, but the milling crowd in the small space made those efforts less than effective.
The Palace Guard were dispatched immediately, but none of them really understood the nature of the creature they were to oppose, and their traditional defensive measures were no match at all for it. They not only failed to stop the demon, several of them became its victims.
It was clear that the Egyptian wizards and witches were hoping that one among them knew what to do, and would be able to save them. The royal family was in residence in the palace, having assembled to welcome Pharaoh Nitrocris back from her visit to England, and it became clear that they, or those who guarded them, were expected to find a way to deal with this.
Prince Aktenat drew his oldest son, Ramessis, aside for a word. "My son, you are one of the most powerful wizards of your generation, as I am in my generation. It would strengthen your suit to persuade Nitrocris to marry you, and cement your status as a favorite of the people, if you were to be the one to destroy this demon. I will go with you, and we can do this side by side, but I will be sure to give the credit to you."
"Father, that creature is very big. It's already killed members of the Palace Guard. How do you think we can defeat it?"
"We can defeat it because we are the strongest wizards in Egypt. Have no fear, this will be our defining moment!"
The young man followed his father, his look of fear being edged out by his father's exhortations of courage and assurances that they would be fine. With much show, the two took positions at a reasonable distance from the creature, that created the impression of making a brave challenge to the demon while still maintaining some distance. Ramessis followed his father's lead, and the two cast a standard banishing spell.
Nitrocris had been among the women pushed back into the walled area of the palace where she would be safer. She heard what was going on, however, and overheard her aunts discussing the brave stand that Aktenat and Ramessis were taking, to defend the kingdom.
"They don't know what they are up against! They will be killed by the demon!" she cried, as she stood to go herself to the courtyard. She was very confident that the things she'd learned in England would save her people now. Guards stood in her way, to block her, but she would have none of it. "I am the rightful Pharaoh of Egypt – how do you dare to stand in my way like this?" Her imperious bearing and utter determination eventually persuaded the guards to stand aside.
Nitrocris arrived in the courtyard just in time to see her uncle and cousin be devoured by the demon, having stood their ground foolishly after underestimating the speed with which the demon could turn and come after them. All eyes went to her as she entered. Many expected the young woman to collapse in grief, as they had been told for years that she was madly in love with young Ramessis and hoped to marry him soon, and that Aktenat was her very favorite uncle. They were surprised then, when the Pharaoh calmly stood her ground, drew her wand, and cast a very complicated spell. A strong, bright light shot from her wand and began to fill in the shadows that made up the body of the demon. Eyebrows went up when it became clear that this was the first action taken since the demon arrived that actually seemed to have any impact on it. All held their breath as the demon turned toward Nitrocris and prepared to attack her, even as she stood bravely and directed a spell at it that was clearly destroying it.
The light continued to fill the demon, and finally, as all of its shadows were filled with light, it simply winked out of existence, banished from this world. Many let out the breath they did not even know they had been holding, and then, with relief and excitement over the power they had just witnessed, the witches and wizards in the palace began cheering.
True to her word and as expected of the one who wore the crown of Egypt, their Pharaoh had saved them.
X X X X X X X X X X
Back in London, the Daily Prophet was having an absolute field day.
It had a photographer out in Diagon Alley who had captured some terrifying photographs of the demon making its destructive way along that well-travelled road, as well as some very flattering photos of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black casting a joint spell to banish it. While the pictures would likely cause a generation of witches and wizards to have nightmares, they were going to sell newspapers.
There was also a freelance photographer with enough presence of mind to grab his camera in Hogsmeade that day, and enough interest in a career in photography to sell them to the Prophet for a tidy sum. The proximity to Hogwarts had the editor hoping against hope that the "young student from Hogwarts" who banished that demon would be none other than Harry Potter. He was disappointed to learn that the student in question was Neville Longbottom. However, the Research Department found some excellent old articles about Augusta Longbottom, his grandmother, and her exploits in the war against Gellert Grindlewald, and someone with a very good memory recalled a small item from the Ministry about a program the old woman was presenting at Hogwarts. That was expanded into quite an article, to accompany other nightmare-inducing photo of a demon being banished.
The Ministry had gotten word from a number of places around the world reporting attacks by demons, all of which were eventually banished. The mid-level Ministry worker who was always willing to sell some news to the Prophet leaked that information. A demon had terrorized the magical community in an unplottable section of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, India, as well as the magical population of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan in Canada, and the royal palace at Thebes in Egypt. There was perhaps a bit more interest in that last among those at Hogwarts, but all in all, the witches and wizards who had studied at Hogwarts under Mrs. Longbottom acquitted themselves very well that Sunday.
X X X X X X X X X X
In Riddle Manor, Voldemort had been in an exuberant mood all day. He'd finally been able to reach out to enough of his former Death Eaters who remained loyal to him and dedicated to his vision to organize an effective attack. They had met and discussed what they would do, and then each carried a spelled butterbeer cap that would vibrate when Voldemort determined that it was time for them to summon their demons.
Voldemort recalled fondly his conversation with Harry Potter at the Calling, and he meant, most sincerely, his comments to Harry about the world always killing its kings. He knew now that Harry could banish a demon; the boy demonstrated that well enough with the massive Elder Demon he'd sent to the quidditch pitch at Hogwarts. The King's Banishment would take care of pretty much anything that was not really part of this world, even a millennia-old Elder Demon. However, only Harry could use that spell. Even your run-of-the-mill demons, the kind one of his allies would be able to summon on his or her own, would not be impacted by a regular banishing spell, and there were extremely few wizards who ever mastered and were strong enough to deliver the other kinds of spells that could banish a demon.
Voldemort smiled as he imagined the kind of day Harry must have had. First, he had to attend to matters in Hogsmeade, and then there was a crisis in London, and then in far-away Agra, and in Thebes and in Moose Jaw. Even the Boy Who Lived could not keep up with that sort of massive drain on his powers, both from the travel necessary to reach those far-flung places, and then the power needed to cast the King's Banishment. If the boy survived today, being called to defend everyone in the wizarding world, he would not survive too many more of them, and Voldemort could have another complement of demons summoned in a couple of days.
His one regret, as he savored the reports that demons had been summoned among the magical populaces in five far-flung communities, was that he did not have the people by his side who always understood the magnitude of his achievements, whose praise was based on their own superior understanding and recognition of his brilliant strategies and plans. The loss of Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy from among his comrades galled the most. They were nearly his equals in terms of their ability to see the big picture. He really missed their comments and insights, not that he'd ever let anyone know. Bellatrix Lestrange was another he missed. She had no particular understanding of anything, but she was as strong as any wizard and her devotion was utterly total, and Voldemort did enjoy her unconditional admiration. Unfortunately, he'd thought it would be pleasant to have her by his side as he cast his sleeping spell, and she was among those who did not survive the experience.
He pushed those maudlin thoughts aside – he'd accomplished much today, coordinating a series of global attacks, and giving Potter a chance to see just how needy and dependent most witches and wizards were. His sense of obligation and duty would do him in.
Fortunately for all who were in Riddle Manor that afternoon, Voldemort was too busy savoring his perceived victory to read the afternoon edition of the Daily Prophet, which noted that all the demons had been banished, by witches and wizards other than Harry Potter.
X X X X X X X X X X
Back at Hogwarts, that evening, Severus held Harry tight as they lay in bed. Harry had been beside himself after sharing news of his vision with Albus, and learning of the attack in Hogsmeade, and that was just the first of it.
Albus returned to the castle with Neville, Charlie and Draco, to the great relief of all and the total amazement of many that it was Neville who saved the day. The Gryffindors were even more excited, obnoxiously excited as Severus observed, about Neville than they usually got over Harry. Harry smiled to himself at the thought that probably no one but Hermione had detected his efforts to keep the focus on the usually-shy man, who was really blossoming now.
He was not really surprised that Minister Bones had reached out for help in London from Sirius and Remus, and he was certainly confident of their ability to hold their own, even against a demon, but it was still upsetting and nerve-wracking to learn that to people so close to him had gone into such a dangerous situation. He'd only met the foreign wizards at the program, but of course had spent more time with Nitrocris, another witch called upon to save the day.
Severus had clearly been concerned about telling him all that was going on, and he'd even winced when Harry demanded that he be told of any fatalities, of which there were actually surprisingly few. Harry was initially very concerned about what had gone on in Egypt, although from what Hermione had told him, it was entirely likely that Nitrocris was prevented from defending her people for part of the while that the demon was loose. Hermione was particularly quick to point out that Nitrocris had shared many stories during her two weeks at Hogwarts about her uncles and their efforts to usurp her powers. Harry had been horrified to learn that the uncle he'd met at Hogwarts when she arrived was among the dead, but Hermione reminded him that the uncle was perhaps the most vocal of Nitrocris' enemies in Egypt.
It had seemed that the day would never end, and when at last Albus had shared the news from the Ministry that all appeared to be well, Harry felt as if he'd been wrung out.
Harry did not object at all when Severus suggested that they ask the house elves to bring them plates for dinner in their rooms, and he felt nothing but appreciation for Severus' suggestion that they enjoy a nice soak in the tub before bedtime. He nearly melted into the bed when Severus ended the bath with a massage as they floated in the tub, which he finished as he dried Harry off as they prepared for bed.
As Severus climbed into bed beside an almost-asleep Harry, he was surprised that Harry had enough energy left to slide over and put his head on Severus' chest, murmuring that the sound of Severus' heartbeat was the most calming thing in the world to him.