Chapter Number: 14
Chapter Name: The day Harry Potter died
The beast was supposed to arrive at the city the next afternoon, so Harry and Hermione decided that since they had no idea when they might be able to come back and observe the Griffins to take as much information about the creature as they could for that day. The rest of the information they could easily find from reference books. It was Hermione's idea.
Once they arrived there, Harry wanted to take a closer look, but Hermione forbid him from taking control of the carpet. There was a small struggle when Harry tried to take control of the carpet. It was quickly and efficiently dealt with by Hermione after a little arm twisting. Specifically Harry's arm.
They worked together for a long time, before Harry remembered that he wanted to ask Hermione a question. It was about something that he had found in Hermione's textbook. Especially the one on Runes. " ...er Hermione?"
No answer from Hermione as she was furiously writing things down on her scroll, careful to keep the carpet controls behind herself.
" Hermione....?" he started again, but Hermione snapped at him. She had thought Harry was going to ask if they could get closer. If it hadn't been that, it would been about the assignment, she was sure of it. " What?"
Harry didn't seem to even realise the terseness of her voice. " What do you study in Runes? I mean it's the study of old languages right?" He also did not see Hermione's face flaming slightly as she realised she had made a mistake about Harry's question. She put aside the flustered emotions and said, softly, " Why do you want to know, Harry?" Her curiosity was peaked.
Harry flipped over the pages of his book a second, before answering. " I was thinking about quitting Divination."
The bland way Harry made the revelation, made her loose track of all other thoughts. ' Finally one of those two morons is coming to his senses.' thought Hermione, but the first thing that came out of her mouth was very different. " If you do that," she said sounding disappointed, " what's going to happen to my gift?"
As soon as she had said it, Hermione couldn't help but mentally slap herself. She could not believe that she had said what she had. She had been working tirelessly to get both Harry and Ron - well more like dropping hints - very blunt and undisguised hints to quit divination, but now she had told the person who was finally changing their mind to come over, that she would not want them to change. ' Why the hell did I say that.'
Harry didn't bother answering that question. He knew Hermione wasn't really thinking when she asked the question. " I saw these symbols in my head when I was doing the healing spell on you..." Harry wasn't looking at her, but had he been looking at her, he could have seen her turn into an interesting shade of pink. " -I think they were runes... May be something to do with the ancients. I've never felt power like that before." Hermione quirked her eyebrows, and Harry could feel Hermione doing it without looking up to her. " It was like someone had set of almost all of my nerves on fire… like a Cruciatus curse , only in a good way. I could feel it in my blood. Like I could do anything…" Harry could feel Hermione considering his words. " Maybe I could get some of that power..."
"... so you can defeat Voldemort" said Hermione without shivering.
This was a new twist in Harry's life and one that Harry had started to enjoy immensely. " Yeah. Don't worry -I'll give the book to Ron. Since I'm not going be doing it anymore, I'm sure Ron could make good use of it. I doubt he'll drop an easy subject and risk loosing all those easy owl points in it - besides I wouldn't let him drop it. He wouldn't be able to pickup anything else this late into the school life."
" I'm pretty sure Professor McGonagall would be delighted to let you change from Divination, but I doubt there'll be any room, but Arithmancy is more fun and only half the class is full..."
" For now I just want to know what those symbols are. Maybe later I'll know how to control them."
Their musing were interrupted when they saw unnaturally colored lightning bolts strike down from the sky near the city in the horizon. The same thoughts crept on to their mind at the same time. " The beast" said both in unison, facing each other.
Harry had started to say, " We've got to get back."
Hermione nodded, taking the control of the carpet, and getting reading to go off.
" I'll drop you off at the house and then I'll -", said Harry, but was quickly interrupted by Hermione.
" Oh no, You don't! Harry Potter! I'm not a child. I'm coming with you." Harry wasn't really surprised that she said this. She was head strong and he himself had said to Ali Pasha, his friends were willing to risk their lives with him, and he expected her to do the same this time. Deep deep deep deep down he knew.
In the high speed, as they swooped closer to the ground, they created a storm of displaced sand in their wake. When they were within viewing distance they saw that the attack from the beast was coming from the opposite side of the city. They saw hundreds of Wizard, Witches rush to the other side of the city, most of them were running, the clever ones already on broomsticks or carpets. Harry and Hermione saw few of the carpets swoop down and grab people off the street in one spectacular dive.
Harry and Hermione looked at each other. A meaningful glance passed between them. They had thought the same thing. They could try to do like other carpet riders were already doing. But they had no idea how to do it, and if they missed they would not only be slow in getting there on time, but also might reduce the number of people who would be able to help.
They flew under two bridges, and over a minar. Both flattened themselves to the floor to reduce the air friction. They saw several people apparate as they passed a columned structure.
Hermione urged the carpet to go fast, and the speed picked up slightly. Hermione made expert turns and loops past buildings and other carpet riders. If it had been under other circumstances, Harry would have had thought Hermione would make a great chaser - as long as she was allowed to use the carpet instead of the broomstick.
When they finally reached the centre of the carnage, Hermione felt sick. Harry could make out five dead bodies in the very least - chewed in half, or smashed and splattered. Some of them had arms and legs severely damaged, yet they kept up the assault with there wands pointed at the beast and firing sparks of light that either bounced off or just were absored. Hermione wanted to throw up desperately, and Harry felt little better. This was their baptism by fire into what war was like.
It was almost as if Harry could sense how difficult it seemed for Hermione, and told her take the carpet and spread the word that hundreds more are coming to help. Not to give up. It would be important to boost the hope of the people who were fighting for their lives and their families. " Were will you be?" she said anxiously.
" On the ground." Harry said, edging to the carpet's end. " Go" he said almost taking the last step. But then Hermione grabbed his arm. " No. I won't let you go."
" I have to." He said, with his voice telling her he would do it no matter what she said or did. The typical Harry stubborn voice. He did soften up. " I'll always love you and Ron. Remember that!" With that he kissed Hermione on the cheek and jumped off the Carpet at a height of over 20 feet. Hermione thought he was going to die but about half way Harry started to descend slowly, as the hovering charm that Harry used came in to effect.
Hermione was determined to do as Harry had asked her to, she used her wand and yelled "Sonorous", before she started to yell, " Everyone! Re-enforcement are coming"
She moved the carpet towards the ground.
Harry descended into the cluster of wizards who were using lightning bolts to attack the beast, but not with any success. Some of the wizards were using spheres of electricity while others used either "Stupefy" or " Impedimenta". All this seemed to only make the beast angrier - and do nothing useful. Harry barged into the conversation of the group and said, " We have to do one thing. And we have to keep it up until there are enough of us."
The oldest in the group was the same person that Harry's eyes had caught in the arena the first day of the septanic games. His gaze was almost as penetrating as the one the Professor Dumbledore had. It made Harry both uncomfortable and, oddly enough, remind him of home. Hogwarts.
The elderly man could sense wise words coming from the youngest among them, but the rest didn't want to be upstaged. They were going to ignore Harry's suggestion - prompting Harry to wish that people in that part of the world were aware of who he was. It had become obvious to him that the people present could see his scar in plain view, yet refused to acknowledge him. Few people in morocco seemed to know who he was. And it gave him a feeling of being normal. That is what he had felt after coming to Morocco. Now the reason behind that feeling might be detrimental to the people around him. Before Harry could make a move to try and convert these people, the old man spoke up.
" Listen to him. It's a Nundu. It takes more than a hundred trained wizards to subdue one of them. We'll need a hell of lot more amateurs to subdue it. We have no other choice but to keep using one spell (stupefy) to attack it."
The people around the group reacted as if they had heard of the plan the first time. " Not a problem, Mr. Potter. You have grown. I'm Professor Dippet. We'll talk more soon."
With that he took off to where everyone was going. There was about a hundred wizards now shouting in unison "Stupefy", but they still needed the reinforcements.
Harry noticed that they were gaining ground, making the beast move backward with each passing minute.
It was a not until it was too late did Harry realize that they had been inadvertently cornering the beast in the same direction that Hermione was working to free a wizard, half conscious and into the carpet. The beast's eyes focused on Harry, and as if it could read his mind, he found Hermione near him . Vulnerable.
It started to move towards her.
Harry felt a blinding rage that he wouldn't be able to save Hermione and with each second she was moving closer to death. He started to feel the same power he had experienced before when he performed the healing spell on Hermione. His blood seemed intoxicating, his senses becoming sharper and clearer. His body started to glow white.
The next second, Harry had taken into a run to the beast. Several of the surrounding wizards were so stunned that they stopped performing the stunning curse. Some of them could only look on as Harry yelled, " No! I won't let you take Hermione!"
At her name, Hermione turned to see what was happening behind her. She was just in time to see the beast within a few feet of her, when, something bright white crashed into the beast. There was a big white flash and massive sonic boom that seemed to be an amplified noise of the pop that one hears when someone had just apparated out. She was thrown backwards from the sonic boom as were hundreds more wizards and witches that were there. Most of them were in shock and could not get up once the residual light had vanished.
Some had seen Harry glow white and then charge at the beast and most recognized that Harry had apparated out with that magical creature. Thing is they didn't know who the mysterious stranger was, as in the panic no one had seen his scar. Not that it would matter yet, no one really knew the characteristics of the boy who lived.
Almost in a blind panic, Hermione looked for Harry. When she couldn't find him, she felt her heart almost die. She knew in her heart that Harry was not one of the dead. He had apparated with the creture, a feat impossible to do. She started to shake as she finally realised something.
Wherever he was, Harry was now alone. Alone with a massive creature that took the life of several wizards and witches.
" Harry" she cried out. She had just started to run toward the direction Harry had been running, when someone grabbed her.
" You can't go that way... Bloody hell!" said the man as Hermione bit his arm, but the man didn't let her go. Holding a struggling Hermione to himself.
" Please let me go. I have to find him. I have to find Harry Potter. Please let me go!"
" You mean the Harry Potter. The one the..." he said incredulously.
" Do you know any one else?" She spat. " Please let me go....please..." pleaded Hermione with the young man.
" I'm sorry, but I can't. We have to finish the spell. Otherwise his sacrifice would have been in vain..." Hermione saw the man cry. No matter what kind of martial arts move she tried, the man simply disabled her.
Another man, this one elderly, came to her and asked, " Where's Harry?" It was the man who introduced himself as Professor Dippet to Harry. He looked sad and mortified. " Gather the people still alive. Start the spell immediately. Go. Leave her with me." He said to the younger one who was holding Hermione.
The man followed the order without question. As soon as he let go Hermione started to run toward where Harry was heading. But the elderly man said, form behind. His voice oddly calming and soothing, " He's long gone my dear, and you know it. I know it. By this time tomorrow everyone will know it. But remember he did it for you. He did it so you stayed alive. If you go after the beast, alone and right now, you'll waste his sacrifice... Do you want his sacrifice to be in vain?" The man paused.
Hermione started to cry and fell to the ground crying. The elderly man put a hand over her head and said, " Once the spell is finished, we'll send out search parties. If he's still alive then we'll get him. But for now you need to sleep...." Hermione was going to argue but the man pointed his wand at her and said " Dormis"
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END OF CHAPTER
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SAME AS THE FANFICTION.NET VERSION ::
This is not the same as the ff.net version. This is more polished and more "correct" Also with less gaps, and better commentary.
When is Chapter 47 coming ::
I can't really tell. I am trying to finish as fast as I can, but real life is so hectic, and the way the site is taking up time… it's really a lot of work.