The Grendel hurtled into the ground. Bellatrix watched from afar as it pulled itself free of the earth and scrambled away from another blast of fire.
"YOU SIX!" She screamed, pointing out six random death eaters. "ATTACK THE BEAST, AND USE FIRE CURSES! NOW!"
Two entered fully into the barrier, blowing flames across the already scorched field. The other four looked at each other and tentatively held their arms past the barrier while keeping their bodies outside of it.
The Grendel howled as its arm was lit up in crackling heat. It turned and sprinted over the burning field to its new foes.
One of the two dove out of the way, while the other spun around in an attempt to disapparate. His head soon parted from his body, as well as his arms and legs. Two out of the four halfway in the barrier flinched back, withdrawing their arms.
The Grendel showed them why that was wise.
It gripped the wand arms of the two who hadn't pulled back with each of its clawed hands. One man was pulled, shrieking into the barrier and flung onto the ground. The shattering of his ribs was heard from hundreds of feet away. Before the other could meet a similar fate, Bellatrix whipped her wand around and sliced his arm off at the shoulder. He fell to the ground, screaming in pain.
"Episkey," she said, closing the wound. "Bring him another wand! You're not getting out fighting, Riley, you're one of the better hit wizards here."
I hope the dark lord saw that! Does he see how responsible and not reckless I'm being? She thought eagerly.
The Grendel finished ripping the other man who was inside in half before turning its eyes on the last death eater within the barrier. The same that had survived the fiery inferno the dark lord had first hurled at it.
He screamed as it tore after him. By the castle, Voldemort was casting a complex spell over the castle parapets. With a flourishing finish, he flicked his wand three and a half times.
The stone statues of Hogwarts rose, not to defend it, as they were enchanted to, but instead to serve the dark lord. And his current orders were to smash the ugly troll thing into a bloody mess.
That took longer than I expected, Voldemort thought. Dumbledore really put effort into those wards.
The enhanced statues jumped from the walls and into the blackened ground. As one, they moved forward, to fight the Grendel. The half-troll roared its challenge, abandoning the body it was about to prey on to meet them.
Magic flesh met magic stone and the stone cracked. Several weapons tore into its body, shearing off rotting heaps of flesh. Fists of varying sizes slammed into it and pustules hidden under the skin burst. The popping sacs sent yellow and green pus splashing over the statues, dissolving them wherever it hit.
Its claws tore through the soldier's hardened bodies with ease and soon, the Grendel was surrounded by shattered and melting fragments of rock. The monster itself was not untouched. It had stopped regenerating partway through the fight and was left minus one arm and a good chunk of its flesh. Some mismatched bones were visible, a skull adorning the inside of its chest, where a sternum should have been.
Perfect! Voldemort exulted internally. The best opportunity to showcase my glory! A weakened yet powerful foe at my mercy! Now, beast, you die.
He raised his wand over his head to cast a final curse, when his flight stopped entirely, his body sizing up as it tried to hurl. His mouth let out a terrible cough that shut down his higher functioning for a moment. He slammed onto the charred field and desperately tried to regain his breath, wheezing all the while.
NO! VOLDEMORT CANNOT BE SEEN AS WEAK! He panicked. Voldemort's arms struggled to lift his body, the lack of air confusing his senses.
"NO!" A feminine shriek sounded. "YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM! PERCUTIS IGNIMINE*!"
A bolt of white-hot fire screamed through the air and seared off the Grendel's other arm.
It gave a warbling shriek of agony that further confused Voldemort. Since when did it feel pain? He wondered dazedly.
The dark lord jolted up in a panic, time seemed to slow down as his mind worked frantically.
It did not react to pain before. It is reacting to pain now. What changed? With wand in hand, Voldemort cast a discreet spell he found in Egyptian tomb at the distracted monster. The soul is only partially attached! It must be slowly assimilating into the physical world through its body! What is it doing now?
The Grendel stumbled away from him, clumsily dodging Bellatrix's boots of hissing fire. From his position, Voldemort was pleased to see how she was attacking it. She stood outside the barrier as she cast her spell, but right as she finished the curse, the tip of her wand flickered through the barrier, unleashing her fire before coming back out safely.
The Grendel reached one of the men it tore apart and jabbed the stump of its right arm into the open flesh. It jerked its head to avoid another attack and started pulling out its arm. Its entire arm.
Voldemort finally got to his feet as the Grendel pulled a newly formed right arm free, dripping blood and innards.
IT CAN REGENERATE FROM BODIES! He held his wand at the creature as it approached another corpse. There were closer ones, why did it ignore them? His eyes examined the one it used and noted the bleeding face. The disease! Of course! The bodies of its victims are incubators for more of it! Truly detestable! WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT!?
The Grendel continued evading Bellatrix's spells, seeming to grow more and more controlled in its movements.
Once its other arm was fully grown back, it turned back to Voldemort, who noticed its face was becoming less random and more shaped.
He turned to look at Bellatrix, he had a plan to slaughter the creature.
Suddenly, she fell fully through the barrier. Her face twisted into a furious snarl as she whirled around to slam her fist into the barrier wall.
On the other side, Lucius Malfoy stood proudly, arms tucked behind his back, with a smug look on his face.
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Her arm fell limp, her eyelids drooped. She had no more energy. As hard as she struggled, Hermione couldn't finish the circle entirely. As her vision wavered, she wondered if it would be fine to cast the spell now.
She wondered if she even had the strength to try.
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"Duck!" Voldemort ordered, flying over a swiping fist. Bellatrix lowered her head as commanded and shot a quick fire curse that went into its torso.
"The more body mass, the less effective the piercing fire, my lord!" Bellatrix informed him.
"Then stop using piercing fire," he said.
Bellatrix obediently shot a series of killing curses that tore chunk after chunk out of its body as she weaved around its terrible claws.
Was the Grendel growing larger or was that just his imagination?
Voldemort watched as it attacked his lieutenant, stepping forward onto one of the corpses littering the battlefield. This time he noticed that a significant amount of raw flesh was torn from the body, connecting to the Grendel and filling in the holes her attacks left behind.
The dark lord scowled, and sent all of the bodies flying to the castle walls, away from where the Grendel fought his most loyal follower.
The creature caught onto his actions, and responded with a claw, by sending Voldemort the same way.
He felt something break when he hit the wall and tumbled to the ground.
Across the field, Bellatrix ducked underneath a claw swipe, giggling madly, and sliced off its arm as it passed over her head.
The Grendel roared in fury, and Bellatrix slashed off its stabilizing leg at the knee.
She cackled as the beast fell on the ground before her.
"Did you really think that a disgusting beast like you could take on a purebloo-"
The rest of her words were interrupted by a wracking cough that tore through her body. She was so surprised when she had been shoved past the barrier that she had forgotten about putting up bubble head charm entirely.
She fell to her knees as her body shook with terrible coughs.
Behind her, the Grendel reattached its arm and leg, standing to its full height.
She saw the shadow rise up and twisted to get away from it.
Her actions saved her life, the downward, back-snapping blow instead shattering both of her legs.
She raised her hand only to realize the wand that supposed to be there was not.
She looked around frantically for the wand, searching around with her hands.
The Grendel, seeing her helpless, turned its attention back to Voldemort. It didn't see him at first, until it looked directly upward.
Voldemort flew above the Grendel, his lower body shrouded by writhing shadows.
A fire curse hit the ground, barely missing its neck. The Grendel was back to dodging.
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Authors's Notes:
Conquest: if you already figured out that Lucius was going to betray them, then you get a cookie.
Forsooth: in the shape of a thumbs up! l=
Conquest: eh, it doesn't kind of look like a thumbs up, doesn't it?
Forsooth: the best we can do.
Conquest: I particularly like the part when the statues were fighting the Grendel. It's an awesome scene in my head.
Forsooth: Same, bro!
Conquest: anyways, like and subscribe- wait that isn't right…
Forsooth: read and review! Don't forget to tell us what you think! And if you REALLY enjoyed it. Well…good for you.
Forsooth wanted to make a spell that shot a small bolt of white-hot fire, so Forsooth took the words for "strike" "fire" and "bolt". Percutis, Ignis, and Fulmine and mixed them together a bit.