SATURDAY 3RD OCTOBER - THE THREE BROOMSTICKS - 3:24PM
In the confines of the Three Broomsticks Inn, Hermione, Ginny, Daphne, Luna, Tracey, Pansy, Sue, and Hannah gathered around a worn wooden table. A flash blinded Sue, causing her to splutter out her butterbeer.
Hannah asked uncomfortably, casting a wary glance at the persistent photographer who snapped another picture.
"Unfortunatly ever since Harry saved the wizarding world, me, Luna and Ginny haven't known peace," replied Hermione, tiredly.
"It's been worse for me since Harry and I broke up," Ginny complained. "Even Colin has been really invasive with his questions!"
"Probably because his crush is finally single," muttered Daphne under her breath.
"Me and Daphne have dealt with this since we were born," sighed Pansy.
Tracey shrugged, "I've only had to deal with this recently because the media is now fixated on headlines about 'Gryffindor and Slytherin house unity,' or they're eagerly searching for a chance to catch us singing."
She waved at Madam Roserta, gesturing towards the phtoographer. Madam Roserta came and chased him away.
"Don't bother my customers, you dunderhead!"
"I've never had to deal with anything like that!" Sue said bewildered.
"It's a whole new world, Sue," Luna chimed in dreamily. "Being associated with the Chosen One comes with its own set of peculiarities."
"Tell me about it," Ginny muttered, rolling her eyes.
As the photographer finally retreated, defeated by Madam Rosmerta's scolding, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Thanks, Madam Rosmerta," Tracey called out, and the innkeeper gave them a knowing nod before returning to her duties.
"Where are the boys?" asked Daphne, "Usully they're following us around,"
"I sent them to get me some sweets from Honeydukes" Pansy answered. "but Merlin knows they're outside that awful store,"
Patrons in the inn began to turn to the windows, curiosity and concern etched on their faces.
"They always end up at the sports store, don't they?" Hermione noted.
Shouts began to ring out outside.
"What's going on?" Luna asked, alarmed. Hermione saw Bellatrix matterliaze and head for the window.
Hermione's instincts kicked in, and she rose from her seat, her eyes narrowing as she peered through the window. The sight that met her gaze sent a chill down her spine – Death Eater had launched an attack on Hogsmeade.
"We've got trouble," she announced tersely, her hand instinctively moving to her wand.
Ginny and the others joined her at the window, their expressions shifting from curiosity to grim determination.
"Death Eaters," Daphne muttered, her grip tightening on her wand.
SATURDAY 3RD OCTOBER - SPINTWITCHES SPORTING NEEDS - AT THE SAME TIME
The boys stood inside Spintwitches Sporting Needs, surrounded by shelves filled with broomsticks, Quidditch equipment, and magical sports gear. The vibrant atmosphere buzzed with excitement and the scent of new equipment.
"Look at that broomstick," whistled Blaise, his eyes fixed on a sleek Thunderbolt VI displayed prominently on the shelf.
"The Thunderbolt VI," breathed out Dean, awe in his voice.
"I still can't believe Hermione's got one!" Harry exclaimed, his gaze wandering over the high-quality broomsticks.
"And I can't believe my mother gave it to her," grumbled Draco, his tone a mix of frustration and envy.
Seamus laughed and slapped Malfoy's shoulder, "Chin up, Malfoy! Just buy one now!"
Draco clenched his teeth, "I can't do that."
Theo and Blaise exchanged confused glances.
"What do you mean, Draco?" asked Theo, curiosity etched on his face.
"Has the Malfoy fortune finally gone down the drain?" gasped Blaise, feigning shock. Draco whacked him round the head.
"Of course not. My mother has taken it upon herself to... limit what I can take out."
Theo and Blaise gasped. Draco dramatically turned around, gesturing to the shelves filled with broomsticks.
"It's true! She told me it's to teach me humility. This isn't humility; it's humiliating!"
"That could be a bar!" Dean muttered to Harry, and the group shared a chuckle amidst the magical sports equipment.
Draco's eyes fell on a display of Quidditch gloves.
"Maybe I'll get these as a consolation prize," Draco remarked, picking up a pair and examining the craftsmanship.
Harry chuckled, "There's the spirit, Malfoy."
They made their way to the counter to pay, momentarily distracting them from the outside world.
As the shop bell chimed once more, signaling their exit, the atmosphere shifted from the excitement of Spintwitches Sporting Needs to the growing tension outside.
Shouts and commotion filled the air as the friends stepped out onto the streets of Hogsmeade. The village had transformed into a scene of chaos, and the distant sounds of spells being cast echoed through the air.
"Nice of you guys to join us," Tracey hissed as she kicked a death eater away.
"Stupify!" Harry yelled, casting a spell at a Death Eater emerging behind her. Seamus, Dean, and Blaise took stock of the situation, their expressions turning serious. Wands at the ready, they joined the fray alongside the girls, either holding their ground or assisting injured students.
"What the hell is going on?" Draco spotted Pansy aiding a student.
"I don't know, but—"
"Go and hunt them
And find them
And kill them
Good fortune, Death Eater Hunters!" Students across Hogsmeade, horrified, found themselves involuntarily singing as the cursed music took hold.
"Now?! Seriously," Theo yelled as he disarmed a death eater.
"Go and hunt her
And find her
And kill her
Kill the Death Eaters!" the crowd infected with the singing curse, began to sing agasint their will as they tried to escape.
"My spell it's working!" laughed a death eater maniacally.
"Macnair!" growled the students, causing him to cease his laughter. A fellow death eater cuffed him round the head.
"THIS?! This is the curse you were talking about?"
"Father?!" Theo shouted out, angrily.
"Wickedness must be punished
Evil effectively eliminated
Wickedness must be punished
Kill the Death Eaters!"
Theo's father, Cyrus Nott stood straight "Theo Nott, You disappoint me, you-
Theo unleashed a powerful hex that sent his father and Macnair flying backwards.
"Fuck you, you bastard," he grumbled.
"And this is more than just a service to you lot
I have a personal score to settle with my fath-
With The Death Eaters!" Theo roared out to the crowd.
"Is that part of the song or is that him?" Dean asked he shot a spell .
"Definietly both," Blaise answered as he expertly deflected a curse.
"It's due to them I'm all alone
Their predjuice made this occur
So for once, I'm glad I'm heartless
I'll be heartless killing them!"
"This is getting really personal," Sue said to a student she was helping.
"And the Dragon also has a grievance to repay
If his father had let him fight his own battles
When he was young
He wouldn't have the dark mark, today!"
Thanks for that, Draco thought. He had yet to see his father.
"Harry" panted Hermione as she ran over, "You have to help me and Daphne,"
"What's wrong?"
"Ginny! Her eyes! They've gone blue, she just setting fires,"
"What! Setting fires to what?"
"Everything!" With that, she ran back the way she came with Draco and Harry following. Theo, Tracey, Blaise, Seamus, Sue and Dean stayed back to fight agans't the death eaters and help the students.
Draco, Harry, and Hermione rushed through the smoke-filled streets, following the trail of destruction left by Ginny and Death Eaters. Buildings were ablaze, and students desperately tried to evade the flames.
"Wickedness must be punished
Brave Death Eater Hunters, I would join you if I could
Because Wickedness must be punished
Punished
Punished
For good!"
"Merlin's Pants" gasped out Draco as he witnessed the damage Ginny had caused.
Ginny stood in the center of the chaos, her eyes glazed over with an unnatural blue hue. Flames flickered at her fingertips. The destruction followed her every step, leaving a trail of charred remnants in its wake.
Harry, his heart pounding, tried to break through the singing curse. "Ginny! Snap out of it!"
Ginny turned towards them, her blue eyes devoid of recognition.
"We have to stupify her," Draco muttered to the other two.
"You don't think I've tried that," Hermione hissed back, her eyes welling up from the smoke.
"All three of us stupifying her should be able to stop her,"
"What if we hurt her too badly?" Harry worried.
"Potter, she is setting fire to a village. We need to stop her now and pray to Hecate that she hasn't killed anyone because if she has, not even Dumbledore will save her from Azkaban," Draco yelled. Harry stared at him for a minute, then nodded.
"Fine. On three!"
The trio took a deep breath, aligning their wands toward Ginny, ready to cast the Stunning Spell simultaneously.
"One... Two... Three!" they shouted in unison.
"Stupefy!" The red jets of light shot from their wands, converging on Ginny. She collapsed to the ground, the blue glow fading from her eyes. The flames at her fingertips extinguished as she lay motionless.
Draco ran over to her, scooping her up in his arms.
"We need to—Protego!"
Harry interrupted himself as he shielded against a Death Eater. They had started approaching since the danger Ginny posed was done.
A dark figure emerged from the shadows – Rodolphus Lestrange. His eyes fixed on Hermione, a malevolent grin spreading across his face.
Bellatrix materialized next to Hermione.
"Rodolphus!"
"Hermione Granger, it's time to finish what my wife started," Rodolphus sneered, raising his wand and shooting the infamous Cruciatus curse at her.
Hermione had just shot a spell at another Death Eater, turning too late.
"Hermione!" Draco and Harry shouted.
For a moment, it seemed like the dark magic would find its mark. But just as the curse was about to hit Hermione, a sudden surge of magical energy emanated from her, causing the spell to rebound. Rodolphus staggered backward, his own curse turning against him. He dropped to the floor.
Harry ran over and grabbed Hermione. He started running to Draco and Ginny.
"Hermione, are you okay"
"I-I don't know- Bellatrix, she-"
"Hermione, Bellatrix is dead!"
No she's not, Hermione thought panic enfulging her, I'm her horocrux and I've kept it from everyone.
"We need to get out of here!" Draco yelled as the death eaters started to corner them. Just when it seemed like the Death Eaters might gain the upper hand, the night sky above Hogsmeade was suddenly illuminated by a burst of silver and gold sparks. A booming voice echoed through the chaos.
"Enough!"
The trio, along with the remaining Death Eaters, turned to see Professor Dumbledore apprate, his presence commanding immediate attention.
"Albus Dumbledore," one of the Death Eaters hissed, a flicker of fear crossing his masked face.
Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes surveyed the scene, and with a simple wave of his hand, the Death Eaters were momentarily frozen in place. The legendary wizard then proceeded to duel with the Death Eaters simultaneously, his movements a mesmerizing dance of wandwork.
"Expelliarmus!" he bellowed, disarming the first Death Eater with a swift, precise motion.
"Protego!" Dumbledore cast a shield charm just in time to deflect a barrage of curses from the second Death Eater.
Meanwhile, the trio, still unable to apparate due to their lack of a license, watched in awe and frustration.
"Of course, we can't Apparate when we actually need to," Harry grumbled, exchanging exasperated glances with Hermione and Draco.
"It's like they designed the wizarding exams to be inconvenient," Hermione added with a sigh.
Draco, holding Ginny close, muttered, "Can we focus on the fact that Dumbledore is single-handedly taking on Death Eaters ?"
Their attention returned to the epic duel unfolding before them. The Death Eaters had began disapprating, Rodolphus Lestrange included.
Dumbledore, with a final flourish of his wand, disarmed the remaining Death Eaters, leaving them defeated on the ground.
"He is such a bad ass," Harry exclaimed.
"What a show off," droned Draco at the same time.
"Don't act like you weren't impressed Draco!"
Professor Dumbledore turned his attention to the three.
"Professor Dumbledore," Harry began, his voice a mixture of awe and gratitude, "you saved us."
The elderly wizard inclined his head, his eyes twinkling behind half-moon glasses. "It is my duty to protect the students of Hogwarts, especially in times of peril,"
Draco looked at the burning builds and shouts of chaos behind Dumbledore.
"I'd take greater comfort in that if it wasn't for the fact your backdrop looked like someone dropped a magical bomb on Hogmeade," he dryly stated.
Songs used:
March of the Witch Hunters- Wicked