"So we're supposed to wait here with our broomsticks?" said George angrily. "While you have all the fun?"
"We're on a secret mission, George. What would happen if we bring all of you?" Hermione reminded him of the plan.
"And if it works, the others won't even have to move from here — just be on standby," said Ron importantly. "Just count on us."
They huddled together in the dingy garden in front of Malfoy Manor. George, Angelina, Katie Bell, Dean Thomas and other members of the old Gryffindor Quidditch team who were skilled at flying broomsticks, or Neville and Luna, Ernie MacMillan and others who had brought thestrals to ride, stared nervously at Harry, Ron and Hermione. The thestrals the Scamanders had borrowed from Hogwarts were gentle in human hands, but they scratched the ground nervously from time to time, as if they were unhappy to be so far south.
"I'll be damned relieved to have my trusty little bro on this," George said sarcastically, then gestured toward Malfoy, who was standing alone by the fountain. "And him too. How did he end up going with the three of you?"
"Malfoy has a role to play," said Harry simply. "We don't take him because we like him, you must understand that."
"Only if you say so, Harry," George said, his face relaxing a little.
"I still don't understand why you can't Disapparate to get out of there," said Neville worriedly, looking slightly frightened at the the snorting thestral next to him.
"I told you, Neville," Hermione sighed heavily. "If we're caught and being pursued, Eisenbein will place an Anti-Disapparition Jinx around the area. The same thing happened the other day when Teddy was injured."
"And in that case, the backup team will fly in to rescue you, right?" said Dean Thomas.
"Exactly," said Harry. "But the best thing would be for us to sneak out on our own without you having to come out."
"I'll use this fake Galleon to contact you, as usual." Hermione said, pulling out her own enchanted gold coin and waving it around. " When things go wrong, come to the village of Mould-on-the-Wold. . . . It's not too far from here, so it shouldn't take long if you're flying."
Harry looked back one last time at his friends who stayed behind for their emergency rescue. Their faces, laughing and chattering with excitement at the adventure ahead, reminded him of the eager new Aurors who had embarked on their first mission before tragically dying in the bowels of Gringotts Bank. Making a solemn vow not to call for reinforcements unless absolutely necessary, Harry and his two friends hurried toward the fountain. He was almost there when he felt a vibration in his pocket, pulled out his phone and saw that it was Faraday calling.
"Harry, are you ready to go?"
"Yes, Faraday," Harry said into the phone. "You told me to open up this thing called Google Maps for the Apparition, didn't you?"
"You remember well. Use Street View to get a landscape image of the address I sent you and Apparate to there. Then good luck, Harry."
Once the call had ended, Harry did as Faraday had instructed, tapping the map-like app on the screen to open it, then zooming in on a spot in the Mould-on-the-Wold neighborhood with two fingers. A few more taps activated the Street View feature, and the screen showed him a vivid image of a street and shops as if he were standing there.
"Wow, this is amazing," Hermione marveled, and Malfoy raised his eyebrows slightly, looking impressed by the Muggle technology even though he didn't show it openly. These days even Harry found his smartphone more reliable than his useless wand.
"Now, look at this place. We're going to Apparate here," said Harry.
Soon the four of them had their eyes focused on the small screen. The light from his smartphone bathed their faces in white and blue as the slowly setting sun was obscured by clouds and their surroundings darkened. There was no sound except for the gurgling of the nearby fountain. Ron, who had always found Disapparition difficult, was so focused that his face turned almost as red as his hair, and Malfoy's gray eyes remained frozen. Harry felt Hermione gently grab his other wrist, the one that didn't hold his phone. She was going to Disapparate him with it without Malfoy seeing.
"One, two, three."
Harry finished the count, and the four of them spun on the spot at the same time.
The darkness that lurked in the woods outside the garden expanded its territory and in an instant everything around them was pitch black, as if time had accelerated and night was coming sooner. Hermione tightened her grip on Harry's wrist, his hand tingling from the lack of blood flow. Harry's breath caught in his throat and his bones throbbed as an invisible black liquid surrounded him, squeezing him from all sides. . . . The next moment, the pressure from all sides was gone and Harry sucked in a lungful of cool air. Opening his teary eyes, he saw the desolate view of the empty street where they stood. Just as Faraday had said, the small town looked like it had fallen into decline long ago, and the streets were empty of passersby and cars. Harry pulled out his phone, scanned the map, and gestured to his companions.
"This way," said Harry.
"Eisenbein's supposed to be here at eight, right?" Ron said, glancing at his watch. "That's over an hour away."
"Don't you dare slack off," said Hermione sternly. "This may be our only chance, and our friends could get hurt if we fail."
Harry led the way, alternating between studying the surrounding streets and the map in his hand, while Ron, Hermione and Malfoy followed behind, checking for any signs of pursuit.
"Watch the sky especially," said Harry. "There might be drones."
"I'm checking, but I don't see one yet," said Hermione. "It's so dark here, it'll be hard for them to see us anyway."
Harry suddenly remembered that this dying village was the hometown of Dumbledore and his family, and he looked more closely at the deserted houses and closed shops around them. But being the birthplace of such a powerful wizard as Albus Dumbledore, it seemed like any other Muggle town, and there was nothing mystical about it.
Following the arrows on the map, they turned off the main street into a narrower one and then into an even narrower alley. Eventually they passed a small café with a closed sign and arrived at the vacant lot in question, which had no streetlights, but fortunately the bright full moon in the clear night sky made it easy to see their surroundings. Turning, Harry saw that the CCTV that had been their eyes a few days ago was still attached to a wall of the café, flashing a small red light.
"We've got about half an hour," Ron said as he looked at his watch.
"Okay, let's get to work then," said Hermione, rolling up her sleeves. They approached an old tree that stood alone in the corner of the clearing. "Stand here with your back to the tree, Malfoy." Malfoy went to the spot she indicated and stood with a blank face; he didn't look too thrilled to be doing what Hermione, who had never gotten along with him, told him to do, but he didn't say so out loud. "Now, stretch your arms out in front of you. Stay close to the overhanging branch over here."
Hermione continued to move Malfoy's body and arms until she was satisfied. After a few moments, Malfoy's expression noticeably stiffened.
"He's such a weakling," Ron whispered to Harry. "He bragged he could do it himself, but he's already tired?"
When Malfoy was finally in the right position, Hermione took out her wand and began to cast various spells. Malfoy's entire body turned a dark gray-brown color, similar to the bark of the tree standing directly behind him, and his skin became as tough and hard as old elephant skin.
"I hope this is permanent," Ron whispered, and Harry covered his mouth to keep from laughing. When Malfoy's disguise was finally finished, his original form was indistinguishable, only the dead wood he was standing against seemed thicker than it had been at first. Harry looked at the branches where Malfoy had extended his arm and realized that one of the smaller branches, which had split into several forks, was Malfoy's wand.
"Now if we can just get some leaves to stick to it, it'll be perfect. . . " Hermione said, aiming her wand again for the finishing touch. This time Ron joined in and soon some green leaves were attached to the gnarled branch, giving it a fuller look. Malfoy's wand also had a few leaves attached to it, and if they had not known better, it would have been hard to imagine that a person's arm was attached to the branch.
"Hey, Malfoy, can you hear me?" Ron called loudly as he approached the tree. "Or do you want me to give you a good kick right here?"
"I respectfully decline, Weasley," Malfoy said. His gruff voice was muffled, as if blocked by a solid wall.
"Malfoy, can you see well enough? Are you sure you can drain Eisenbein's memories as planned?" said Hermione, admiring her excellent work. Instead of answering, Malfoy flicked his wand up and down with some leaves attached to it, so naturally that if you didn't look closely, you'd think the branches were just swaying in the wind.
"Well, now we should hide too," said Hermione.
The three of them headed toward the abandoned ballroom on the other side, where they could keep an eye on the clearing, leaving Malfloy behind, who had become part of the tree. The state of the ballroom was more dismal than it had appeared on the blurry CCTV footage they had seen before. Not a single pane of glass was intact, and the marble walls were scrawled with graffiti of every color, showing no sign of the elegance they must have had when first built.
"Come this way."
Harry walked over to the window, now completely shattered, and brushed off the dust and shards of glass with the hem of his cloak. Ron and Hermione followed him into the ballroom. Harry illuminated the interior with the light from his phone and looked around. It wasn't very large, given the limitations of a small town, but it must have been quite impressive in its prime. Two massive chandeliers hung precariously from the ceiling on rusty chains, and decorative drapes the color of dried blood hung along the walls.
"Something's strange," said Harry quietly, imagining the young men and women who must have danced here a century ago. "If Eisenbein wanted to waltz, why would he do it out there and not in here?"
"Well, maybe he was too embarrassed to do it properly," said Hermione, sounding uneasy.
"Think back to the Yule Ball in our fourth year, we didn't really enjoy the waltz that much either," Ron said, adding in a very low voice, casting a reproachful look at Hermione, "Of course, someone partnered with Quidditch superstar Viktor Krum would have other ideas. . . "
"I hear you, Ron. And get over here," Hermione said, calling them back to the window with a wave of her hand. "It's eight o'clock in ten minutes, and Eisenbein could be here at any time. . . ."
They crouched on the dusty wooden floor and poked their heads out of the window. There was no movement in the small clearing, except for the occasional breeze that stirred the tiny branches and leaves that clung to the old tree where Malfoy was hiding. The more Harry thought about it, the more reckless their plan seemed. Was it really possible to sneak memories out of someone's head without being detected? Since the subject was a disembodied ghost-like man, there was room for him to be less sensitive than the average person, but they were leaving that part to pure luck as well. . . .
"Even if this works, can't we just leave Malfoy in the tree?" whispered Ron. "Honestly, he should see some sunshine, just look at that pale face. . . "
"Ron, put aside that old animosity for a moment," whispered Hermione in a sharp tone. "We're all in this together, Malfoy's success is our success."
"Well, he should have been nicer to us then," muttered Ron defiantly. "Considering all the insults he's thrown at our family and at you . . . "
"It's not something I've forgotten either, Ron. . . . My memory isn't that bad," said Hermione. "To be honest, I don't think he'll become our best friend, but we shouldn't let personal feelings ruin this important mission."
Hearing this, Ron fell silent. A few more minutes passed in tense silence. Harry stared down the dark, narrow alleyway that led to the clearing with such concentration that tears welled in his eyes. Then he heard the unmistakable footsteps, metallic footsteps that could not be confused with anyone else's. . . .
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.
It was followed by the whoosh of steam, like a snake hissing in rage, and the faint clatter of countless cogs meshing together. Finally, like a whole new substance released from the darkness in which it had been completely dissolved, a cloaked black figure emerged into the light of the streetlamps. Harry reflexively ducked his head, along with Ron and Hermione, to hide it under the windowsill.
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.
Eisenbein's footsteps came closer and closer, then stopped abruptly. Taking a chance, Harry slowly poked his head out of the window. To his relief, Eisenbein was standing in place, hands clasped in prayer, ignoring the direction of the ballroom. Up close, unlike on the tiny monitor in Faraday's workshop, he could clearly see what Eisenbein was doing. He had pulled the ring from his finger and was turning it in his hand, slowly and deliberately.
Harry remembered how he had used the same stone to summon his parents, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, long ago, when he had been bracing himself to enter the Forbidden Forest, knowing that he would face death. A feeling of helplessness overcame him as he realized that the stone that had given him so much power that night was now in the hands of his greatest enemy. Finally, Eisenbein turned the ring three times, slipped it back on his finger, and lifted his head slightly from where it had been bowed. A hazy face peered out from under his hood, but it was too far away to read the expression on his pearly-white face. Still, they could tell that Eisenbein was facing someone they couldn't see, someone much smaller than himself.
"He's meeting the dead right now. . . . If we're fortunate, we might be able to overhear the conversation," Hermione whispered very quietly.
They held their breath, waiting for the words to come out of Eisenbein's mouth. But he betrayed their expectations, reaching out to the dead without a word. Soon Eisenbein began to waltz without a partner, his silver hands glistening in the moonlight. A shiver ran down Harry's spine as he remembered that even though he seemed to be dancing alone in the dark, moving his feet and flailing his arms, there was actually an invisible dead person there. It was a dance of death, and there was no better word to describe the gruesome sight before them.
"Who the hell is he dancing with?" Ron said, his voice trembling.
"I don't know. But I'm pretty sure his partner is quite small," whispered Hermione. As she pointed out, Eisenbein's gaze was slightly downward, and his silver hands moved at waist level. "A child, maybe? Could be a deceased acquaintance from his childhood . . . "
"Maybe," said Harry. "Eisenbein lost his body as a boy, so maybe it's one of the other two Muggle boys who were cursed with him and suffered a similar fate."
"I don't think so," Hermione said in a quiet but firm voice. "Though Percival Dumbledore put a terrible curse on the three Muggle boys who abused his daughter, he certainly didn't kill them."
"Yes, but you can hardly call him alive," Ron whispered, shuddering slightly. "I'd rather die than live like that . . . "
At his words, Harry felt a sharp pain, accompanied by a chill in the area of his heart that had been hit by the Fourth Curse. Ron was right — the Fourth Curse left its victims as good as dead, and it wasn't until he had fallen under its influence and become a Muggle that he fully understood that.
Eisenbein's dance became faster and faster, his steaming legs stepping with a smoothness that belied the fact that they were made of steel rather than flesh. Soon he and his unseen partner were nearing the edge of the clearing, where a few more steps in that direction would take them directly under the overhanging branches of an old tree. Within reach of Malfoy's Wand . . . .
"Just a little more, just a little. . . " Hermione said nervously, clasping her hands together. Harry wiped his sweaty palms on his coat and kept his eyes on the Dance of Death. Eisenbein spun so fast that the hem of the Invisibility Cloak whipped in the crisp autumn wind. Finally, he came under the branches of an old tree. As Harry, Ron and Hermione watched with bated breath, the leafy wand moved downward with a snap and inched closer and closer to Eisenbein's head, who was dancing beneath it. . . . Hermione gasped, and Ron's body shook even more violently than before. Harry tightened his grip on the broken window frame, barely feeling the tiny shards of glass digging into his fingers. But the wand that hovered over Eisenbein's head made no further movement.
"He's going to lose him!" cried Hermione.
"Stupid Malfoy, he always hesitates and then screws up!" Ron whispered in frustration. But just as Eisenbein stopped spinning in place and was about to move, the hidden wand flickered and a thin silver thread was pulled from his black hood. Ron and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, but it wasn't time to rest on their luck. As Eisenbein walked away, the silvery fragment of memory that had been secretly plucked from his head grew longer and longer, until it was clear enough to be seen if he turned his head even slightly. . . . Finally, the long thread of memory broke. But the thin silver cord was still hanging from the tree, dangling downward.
"Come on — do something, Malfoy," Hermione whispered, biting her lip.
Harry couldn't bear it any longer and took out his smartphone, opened the camera app, and used his finger to zoom in on the part of the wand. Ron and Hermione turned their heads as well, their eyes glued to the small screen. As he zoomed in, the silver thread became shorter and shorter. Malfoy was slowly spinning his wand, wrapping the bright silver memory around it.
"So this git can think," said Ron.
"Malfoy's smarter than he looks," said Harry. "Don't you remember how he used that Vanishing Cabinet to fool us all in our sixth year?"
"Yes, I remember it so clearly every time I see the scars on Bill's face — it was done by that Greyback Malfoy let in," Ron snapped through gritted teeth. Hermione gave him a warning look, as if to tell him not to bring up old grudges now, and kept her eyes on Harry's phone.
When Eisenbein finally stopped all movement and returned to the center of the clearing where he had begun his dance, the slender silver memory was barely visible, wrapped around Malfoy's wand. Eisenbein turned and began walking away from the place, toward the alley, and as he passed the old tree, Harry, Ron and Hermione let out the breath they had been holding in silence.
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. The metallic sound grew farther away as his steel legs stepped over the rough cement ground where weeds grew, and Harry's relief grew with it. Clunk. Clunk. Suddenly, Eisenbein stopped just as he had turned into a dark passage. Eisenbein jerked his head sharply to the left, toward the old tree where Malfoy was hiding. . . .
"Oh no," whispered Ron. Hermione gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.
The three of them quickly lowered their heads as Eisenbein whirled around. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. The footsteps grew louder again. Unable to resist curiosity, Harry slid his phone over the windowsill so that only the camera stuck out of the window, and he and his two friends looked at the screen. Eisenbein, captured by the phone's camera, moved slowly but surely toward the old tree. Harry's stomach, clenched by an invisible hand, twisted as Eisenbein finally stopped just below the tree, and he found it hard to breathe in the tension. Eisenbein stared at the spot where the bright silver memory that had been stolen from him hung.
"Do something, he's going to get caught!" hissed Hermione urgently.
"I'm not a wizard anymore, remember?"
"Ron, I mean you!"
"Are you mad? Risk my life for Malfoy?"
As they argued about what to do, Eisenbein's outstretched hand came closer and closer to Malfoy's wand. . . . Hermione was right, they really needed to do something. Without realizing what he was doing, Harry pressed the flash button on his phone screen. The intense light from the phone illuminated the clearing and Eisenbein looked back at the ballroom.
"Stupefy!" shouted Hermione, jumping to her feet. Eisenbein narrowly avoided the flash of intense red light.
"Expelliarmus!" shouted Ron this time.
With lightning speed, Eisenbein snatched the wand from his hand and deflected the Disarming Charm. He glared at the ballroom before turning to black smoke and billowing into the sky.
"Quick, we've got to get out of here!" said Harry, jumping through the window into the empty courtyard. "Hurry, Hermione!"
Hermione ran toward the old tree, breaking all the disguise spells she had cast on Malfoy, while Harry looked up to see the dark, cloudy figure being carried high into the sky by the wind. Finally, as Hermione had hurriedly finished her work, Malfoy, his skin still mottled with gray in places on his face and cloak, but no longer stiff, coughed and stepped away from the tree, the memory still dangling from the tip of the wand he held.
"Put it in here."
Malfoy carefully poured the silver substance into the empty vial Hermione had taken from her pocket.
"Now we have to get out of here before they get here," Hermione said hurriedly, grabbing Harry's arm. "One, two, three!"
The four of them spun around in the middle of the clearing. But as if suddenly blocked by an invisible wall, they bounced back, unable to enter the darkness.
"Harry?" muttered Ron, tugging at his coat from behind. Harry slowly turned in the direction of the ballroom. One by one, black-robed Dawn Breakers emerged from the abandoned building where they had been hiding.
The four retreated slowly and Harry felt the cold brick wall touch his back. Then there was a loud crash to their right and another group of Dawn Breakers came out, shattering the glass of the café on that side.
"This way!" Harry yelled, running down the darkened alley, the other three running behind him, green and red sparks flashing above them.
"Harry, I'm calling for backup!" Hermione exclaimed from behind him.
"No, we can get away on our own!" shouted Harry. If they made the fight bigger, more people would get hurt. . . . With these thoughts in his head, Harry ran through the darkness of the narrow street, twisting and turning until he slammed into a solid wall out of nowhere and spun backwards. Ron, Hermione and Malfoy, who were right behind him, barely stopped in time. Ron shone the light from the his wand-tip forward; the path was blocked by a solid wall of red bricks.
"It's a dead end!"
"I can see that!" snapped Malfoy. One side of his face, where his disguise hadn't been completely removed, was ashen, as if he'd been hit by plaster, making him look even more menacing. "How about disguising yourself as a brick this time, Weasley?"
"Out of my way, both of you!" shouted Hermione, stepping between Ron and Malfoy and pointing her wand at the wall. "Bombarda!"
A huge shockwave burst out like a cannonball, blasting the piled-up bricks into pieces. They climbed over the rubble of the collapsed wall and emerged onto a wide street.
Hermione grabbed Harry's arm and they spun in place again, trying to Disapparate. But the air was still clogged with a force they couldn't see, solid and unyielding. Then there was a roar, and a blinding light descended from the sky, enveloping them all.
"Drop your wands and surrender! You are surrounded!" a loud voice shouted from the sky. Harry shielded his eyes with his fingers and looked up at the sky. The blinding headlight from the front of a huge black helicopter was shining down on them, keeping watch.
"What are we gonna do?" said Ron, letting out a frightened little scream.
"Follow my lead," Hermione said as she put her wand back in her pocket and slowly raised both arms to the sky.
"Surrender? Run, all of you! I'll buy us some time!" Harry said, grabbing Hermione's arm. Meanwhile, through the crumbling brick wall they had just passed, the Dawn Breakers stepped out and encircled them. Harry's heart sank as he watched one of them flip through the pages of their hit list on the clipboard — there would be killings for sure. . . .
"How on earth are you going to do that, Harry?" said Hermione, her voice cold. "What I'm doing is buying time — just wait, they're on their way . . . "
"Who's coming, Granger?" whispered Malfoy.
"The reinforcements. I'm sorry I didn't comply with you, Harry, but I signaled them with my coin earlier. . . . I thought —"
Before she could finish, there was a sharp wheeeeeee and a small firework streaked across the night sky, hurtling toward the helicopter.
At the last second, the helicopter gained altitude to avoid the firework, but it still burst in the air with a loud bang. Several giant dragons burst out in a bright blaze of green and gold flames, lighting up the sky with a loud explosion.
"Stupefy!"
Ron, Hermione and Malfoy simultaneously cast spells at the Dawn Breakers distracted by the fireworks, then broke free of the encirclement and raced down the street, with Harry in hot pursuit.
"It's the Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs!" Ron exclaimed excitedly, punching the air. "Ha, look — it's George and Lee Jordan!"
Two figures on brooms swooped down from the direction Ron had pointed, their backs to the dragons and a large purple bat. They sent jets of red light in all directions and threw the sacks they were carrying at the Dawn Breakers on the street. The Dungbombs inside exploded with a foul smell and brown smoke.
"Ha ha, that was terrific!" Ron shouted again.
As the Dawn Breakers, startled by the sudden dive-bombing, retreated from the brown smoke, Harry and the others ran up the street to put some distance between themselves and their pursuers. As Harry looked up, a dozen D.A. members on broomsticks and thestrals flew by against a clear, star-studded night sky. George and Lee Jordan were spinning in the air, firing curses and hexes at the helicopter. But the craft deflected the spells as easily as if it had a powerful Shield Charm around it.
"No time to watch the fight, Harry!" Hermione tugged at his wrist. "Look, it's the Dawn Breakers!"
Where she pointed, black figures on broomsticks, about thirty of them, were rising from the streets in far greater numbers than the D.A. members. Judging by the absence of the pursuers on the street, it was clear that they had decided to take control of the skies first. Harry ducked into the nearest alley with Ron, Hermione and Malfoy and stuck his face out.
A shrill scream erupted from above, and flashes of red and green light shot dizzyingly into the black sky. The D.A. members and the Dawn Breakers tangled in the empty air, shooting curses at each other at close range. Despite being outnumbered, Harry's friends were much better at flying: moving as one organism, they opened and closed the distance with their superior flying skills, knocking one enemy after another from their broomsticks. Not far from Harry, George struck one of the Dawn Breakers in the back with a swing of his Beater's club. The man screamed as he fell from his broom into the trees below.
"Look at that, Hermione! That's what Quidditch is for!" exclaimed Ron proudly, grinning as he watched his brother and friends take control of the sky and overwhelm the Dawn Breakers. But the next moment, the menacing black helicopter slowly turned toward the clustered D.A. members, wiping the smile from his face. The helicopter began pouring machine gun fire into the sky with a deafening roar. In the center of the cylindrical, intense light emanated from the searchlight, a golden beam formed from countless bullets. The tail of the broomstick Lee Jordan was riding on was torn to shreds by bullets, sending him spinning and crashing.
"No!" shouted Ron. Luckily, at the last second, Luna stopped him in midair with her magic, hoisted him onto the back of her thestral, and they flew away from the gunfire. Meanwhile, the Dawn Breakers had regrouped around the helicopter, firing bullets and curses at the D.A. members who had scattered in all directions.
"We can't stay here — gotta get out," muttered Hermione anxiously. The other D.A. members must have had the same idea, and as they ducked out of the helicopter's line of fire, Neville descended toward the four of them on a thestral.
"Get on this and follow us!" Neville shouted, throwing a bundle of brooms tied together with string to the ground. Behind him, three Dawn Breakers shot flashes of red light at Harry and his company below, who barely ducked their heads to avoid them.
"Here, get behind me!" Ron pulled out one of his broomsticks and gestured to Hermione. She hopped on behind him, and the broomstick rose into the air, following the retreating D.A. members. Wordlessly, Malfoy picked up one of the brooms, a black one with silver bristles, and lifted it into the air as well. From the looks of it, it was Malfoy's favorite childhood broom, the Nimbus Two Thousand and One.
In the midst of the chaotic battle, Ron and Hermione seemed to have forgotten the crucial fact that Harry was no longer a wizard. . . . Left to his own devices, he picked up a broomstick, clutched it between his legs, and tried in vain to fly, even though he knew he couldn't. Of course, being a mere Muggle, the broomstick didn't show him the slightest bit of power. Eventually, Harry threw the broomstick on the ground and started running down the street on his own two feet. The smart thing to do would have been to explain his predicament to Malfoy and ask for a ride, but the thought of revealing his miserable situation to his old nemesis felt worse than death. . . .
Then a gust of wind blew his hair wildly and he looked back to see the helicopter slowly descending and approaching him. The intense beam of its spotlight shone down on him, blinding him for a moment. Harry instinctively ran down the street. Right behind him, machine gun bullets hit the road like little lightning bolts, sending chunks of asphalt flying in all directions and smashing them into his back and legs. He was deafened by the gunfire and half-blinded by the searchlight.
"Avada Kedavra!" shouted a harsh voice from the front, and this time a flash of brilliant green light flew right toward him. Harry ducked his head to avoid the Killing Curse, and a black-robed enemy on a broomstick swooped past over his head.
Harry sharply turned his direction and ran zigzagging. He didn't know why he was doing this in the face of death, but his instincts took over and he was desperate to stay alive, and he rolled and repositioned himself, dodging curses and bullets. But an unusually large chunk of asphalt, shattered by the rain of bullets, struck him hard in the calf and he fell to the stony ground. As Harry staggered back to his feet, the helicopter's searchlight shone down on him from behind, and in front of him, three Dawn Breakers on broomsticks charged forward, wands pointed at him.
Three of their Killing Curses flew at him in flashes of green light. To destroy him, to finish what Voldemort had failed to do so long ago. . . . But as his vision filled with the blinding green light rapidly closing in on him, a strong force suddenly tugged at his arm. Before he knew it, he was floating through the air, one arm dangling limply. The hairs on his head stood on end as the Killing Curses whizzed by just below his feet. . . . When Harry looked up, Malfoy had grabbed him with both hands and was pulling him up onto his broom.
"Pull yourself up, Potter!" yelled Malfoy. Harry flailed his legs and barely managed to crawl onto the broom and sit behind him. Two Dawn Breakers flew at them from either side. At the last second, Malfoy pointed the broom upwards and with a thud, the pursuers crashed into each other, screaming and groaning in agony as they fell to the cobbled street below.
Malfoy twisted and turned deftly in the air, dodging the curses coming from their backs, then sped forward again. Harry clung to the broom with both hands and legs, feeling his body float like he was in weightlessness.
"Now we are even!" shouted Malfoy. His mind must have been on Harry's rescue of him from the burning Room of Requirement.
"Just concentrate on flying!" Harry shouted into Malfoy's ear. Behind them, the helicopter's propellers grew louder and the searchlight shone down on them. "Heads down!" As soon as they lowered their stance, a hail of bullets whizzed past their heads with a dull roar. "It's right behind us! Do you think you can outrun it, Malfoy?"
"What do you take me for?" said Malfoy curtly, tilting his head to the side. "Didn't I tell you, Potter? I was outrunning helicopters way before you ever got to Hogwarts!"
Without warning, Malfoy flicked the broom upwards and they shot up like a rocket being launched. Harry gripped his broom so tightly that his fingers tingled, but he still almost fell out of it. The helicopter swung up to catch them, but it was too slow and missed the target, its angry propeller blades whizzing past just below Harry's feet. Malfoy didn't stop even when they were out of the searchlight's glare, but continued upward, driving his broom into the nearest gray cloud.
His whole body was wet, as if he had broken through the surface of the water, and it was difficult to breathe because of the tiny droplets of moisture that entered his mouth and nostrils by surprise. When they finally emerged from the clouds, Harry was soaked to the bone, and his wet hair clung to his scalp. He looked down, shivering; the helicopter, having lost sight of them, was moving away from them, shining its lights in the wrong places. Shaking his head to shake the water out of his eyes, Harry looked ahead, spotted a group of people on broomsticks around the towering spire of a church, and pointed at them. His knuckles were stiff from the cold and wind.
"There they are!"
"I can see that," said Malfoy bluntly.
The broom had just turned in their direction when a flash of red light darted past where they had just been. Harry turned to see about twenty Dawn Breakers on broomsticks right behind him. Malfoy sped up again, and Harry strained his numb fingers to keep from falling off the broom. Up ahead, members of the D.A. headed their way for support. Leading the charge, Cho Chang, with her long black hair, flew her broom past Harry's and attacked their pursuers. Soon, the broomsticks of friends and foes were tangled around Harry, and flashes of red and green light erupted in all directions.
"Mate, are you all right?" asked Ron worriedly as he approached their broom.
"Harry, we thought we lost you!" cried Hermione in tears, riding behind her husband.
"I'm fine, at least for now," replied Harry. "We have to lose them first. . . . Tell the rest of the D.A. to get out of here while the Quidditch players stay behind to buy us some time!"
Ron and Hermione nodded and left; Harry explained his plan to the D.A. members who passed by in the middle of the battle.
"I have a question, Potter," said Malfoy. Harry, Ron and Hermione had almost finished delivering the plan by flying dizzily back and forth across the battlefield in the sky. "Are we staying or leaving?"
"Well, I wanna stay, but you're the one who's driving," said Harry. "You decide, Malfoy."
"Then I guess we'd better run," muttered Malfoy. "No one will care if I'm dead or not, but it would be embarrassing if your friends were crying over your dead body. . . ."
Just then, red sparks erupted in front of them and hovered over the high steeple attached to the church. It was Hermione's signal.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" shouted Harry.
"Keep quiet, Potter," said Malfoy gruffly. "As you pointed out, I'm the one driving this."
Ron and Hermione's broomstick sped forward and out of the battlefield first, followed closely by the thestrals carrying Neville, Luna and Ernie. Malfoy accelerated his broom to catch up with them.
Harry glanced behind him and saw that the rest of the team, including George, Angelina, Katie, Alicia, and Cho Chang, all of whom had excellent flying skills, had stayed behind to lure and distract the enemy to the other side. Suddenly, a figure jumped up from below and turned to face Harry, revealing Romilda Vane's large, dark eyes and wide grin.
"I've got your back, Harry!" shouted Romilda joyfully. "Fly in peace!"
"That's the girl who used to like you, isn't it?" whispered Malfoy, looking back at him with a mocking expression. "I guess she still has a thing for you. . . ."
"Shut up and keep flying, Malfoy," Harry growled as they glided through the empty sky, putting distance between them and the church where the dogfight between the flying witches and wizards was still raging.
"Harry, do you see that on your right?" Romilda called from behind them after a few more minutes had passed. Harry whipped his head around. White and blue flames were rising from the roof of a building about five stories to their right. Unidentified black objects with tails of white smoke were coming fast toward them. . . .
"Turn left!" shouted Harry as their squadron swerved and picked up speed to get away from their new pursuers.
"Harry, can you guess what that is?" asked Ron, who was flying next to them. Harry jerked his head around and looked back. It was a group of five black motorcycles coming at them at an alarming speed, propelled by the intense flames coming from their tails. Riding above the flying vehicles were black-hooded Dawn Breakers, each with a wand at the ready.
"They're using dragon fire!" exclaimed Harry. The flying motorcycle he and Hagrid had ridden to escape Privet Drive so long ago had been equipped with the same feature.
"Wow, that's really useful information," Malfoy scoffed from the front seat. "So what are we gonna do with them?"
Harry tried his best to remember when the seven Potters, including himself, had flown through the air to escape the Death Eaters decades ago. The purple button on the motorcycle that Hagrid had pressed whenever they were in danger had given them an instant burst of speed, but the dragon fire hadn't lasted very long. . . .
"We've got to make them use up all their fuel!" shouted Harry, looking back at his companions who were listening. "Everyone spread out! We're going to force them to use up their fire!"
As instructed, the D.A. members moved in a fan shape, distancing themselves from each other. Harry glanced behind him, and the motorcycles that had been clustered together were now dispersing, veering off in pursuit of their prey, until one motorcycle, steered toward the two broomsticks that Malfoy, Harry, and Romilda were riding, began to follow at breakneck speed. The fiery exhaust from behind heated the cool night air with such intensity that its radiance was almost palpable, and the long streaks of white and blue blaze looked like auroras against the dark sky.
"Aim for the vehicle!" Harry shouted at Malfoy and Romilda. "It must be weakened by the flames!"
Malfoy spun his broom in a sharp turn and aimed his wand at the flying motorcycle. "Confringo! Confringo!"
One of the sparks Malfoy fired in rapid succession hit the front of the motorcycle as it approached them; black smoke rose from the engine with a small explosion. The hooded rider, clearly startled, was just about to react when Romilda aimed her wand at the Dawn Breaker.
"Expelliarmus!"
The wand flew from the Dawn Breaker's hand as he glared at the three of them, and he disappeared from view, his motorcycle sinking lower and lower.
"Wow, did you see that?" cried Romilda, raising her arms in excitement. "I did it! I saved you, Harry!"
"Enough talk! Keep moving, Vane!" yelled Malfoy. Harry looked around and saw similar things happening everywhere. The motorcycles, drained of their dragon fire, lost momentum and gradually fell behind or crashed to the ground, while the D.A. members who had lost their pursuers soared back into the sky. Harry's heart swelled with pride as he watched his talented friends in action.
Then there was a loud bang and Harry looked down quickly. The motorcycle they had taken down earlier was a burning wreck in an empty street, a thick cloud of smoke rising from it. Harry was about to turn his head again when he saw something rising out of the black smoke. The Dawn Breaker was following them, mounted on an unusually short broomstick for an emergency escape. He pulled another wand from his dark robes and pointed it at them. Harry reflexively drew his wand, realizing too late that it was useless.
"Romilda, look out!"
Romilda looked back. Time seemed to slow down. Her long, dark hair blew in the wind, and at the same time a flash of green light flew out and hit her in the face. Her body slipped off the broom and fell down, down, down. . . .
"NO!" shouted Harry. "GO BACK, MALFOY!"
"There's nothing we can do!" said Malfoy, speeding up the broom. When Harry turned around, there was no sign of Romilda, the Dawn Breaker, or anyone else. The city was just down there, as it always had been, twinkling with tiny lights like so many fireflies gathered together.