Title: War Within a Breath
Author: Muddgutts
Rating: R
Ships: H/Hr
AN: Hello everyone, I'm sorry this chapter took forever to post, but with the London trip and the baby on the way things are crazy. I would like to point out one thing before we start. I've had a few reviewers that feel Harry is very weak in this story. I think that's kind of unfair considering Harry hasn't even had a chance to jump in the action yet. If you'll only bear with me until the end I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Well enough of my babbling-on with the show.
Thanks AnneU hugs <3
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Chapter 10
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Harry couldn't help but think how stupid he must look at this moment-the so-called savior of the wizarding world, hogtied and lying in the wet grass trying desperately to face the street. He kicked his legs and flipped himself onto his side so he could watch Hermione and Bellatrix circling each other. Hermione had no problem side stepping the first spell Bellatrix cast at her, and now she mirrored Bellatrix's movements, slowly circling sideways with her wand at the ready.
It was like watching a pair of gun fighters in an old muggle western movie. Each had her best poker face on waiting for the other to make the first move. After about thirty seconds - which felt like an hour - Bellatrix grew tired of waiting and attacked. With a sharp chopping motion of her wand Bellatrix threw a burst of small glowing white orbs at Hermione, who jumped out of the way quickly. As soon as Hermione's feet hit the ground she spun on her heel and sent a stunner back at Bellatrix, who easily deflected it with a shield spell, but in the time it took to cast her protection charm Hermione dashed over towards the back end of the old BMW parked in the street and ducked behind it for cover.
"Oh you're quick, I'll give you that, but not very bright!" Bellatrix snorted as she waved her wand over the ground. Suddenly all of the broken bits of metal strewn across the ground from the BMW's broken grille floated into the air, and then streaked down towards Hermione. Sucking in a deep breath Hermione leaped out of the way onto the lawn. The rogue shards of metal impacted on the trunk of the old BMW punching small holes right through the car into the street with amazing force. Picking herself up quickly Hermione noticed water and fuel starting to leak out of the car onto the street, and she got an idea.
Creeping forward again Hermione whispered a summoning charm. The petrol pooling on the pavement began to float through the air to the palm of her hand then swirled into a shimmering globe of amber in her hand. Gritting her teeth Hermione sprang up from behind the car and hurled the ball of petrol at Bellatrix. Noticing the approaching ball of liquid, Bellatrix again raised the shield spell in front of her as she advanced.
Smiling, Hermione leveled her wand at the flying ball of fuel and screamed, "Incendio!"
A blast of fire ripped from her wand and hit the ball of petrol as it flew towards Bellatrix, lighting the fuel in midair. A large cloud of fire swept pass Bellatrix's shield spell, engulfing the Death Eater. The oily flames licked at her flesh and set her robes and hair ablaze. Bellatrix shrieked, whirling around as she tore the burning robes from her body, and then began dousing herself with water from her wand.
Edging around the car towards Harry, Hermione stopped for a moment. Smiling, she waved her wand towards the sky and then down to Bellatrix, summoning a blast of snow and sharp, frozen chunks of ice toward Bellatrix. The cold wind crystallized the water on Bellatrix's skin, cracking her flesh and turning her hair into a tangled web of frozen ice. Shivering, Bellatrix dropped to her knees as her wand fell to the pavement.
Hermione dashed over to Harry and started pulling at the ropes around his body trying to free him. Harry lifted his head quickly and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Remind me never to piss you off, okay?"
Hermione smiled as she loosened the ropes a bit around his waist and said, "You think I'm mad now; wait till I get you back in the house."
The smile dropped off Harry's face quickly as he looked over Hermione's shoulder and saw a dark figure blocking out the streetlight. "Look out!" he screamed, but it was too late.
Bellatrix grabbed Hermione by the shoulders, pulling her away from Harry. The Death Eater's face was inches from Hermione's ear, her icy breath on the girl's neck as she spoke. "Ah-ah-ah! We're not through yet, Mudblood! Now it's my turn!"
~*~
Tonks appeared with a crack in the backyard of Number 12 Grimmauld Place and immediately had to dive for cover from incoming blasts as red and green spells filled the air from Moody and Nott's duel. Taking cover behind the tree, Tonks called out to the aging former Auror, "Moody!"
Without turning around Moody spotted Tonks with his magical eye. "Took you long enough, Tonks. Where's the rest of the Order?"
Tonks got to her feet and peeked out from behind the tree. "They're on the way. Where are the kids?"
"Inside! They need help bad. Get to the second floor!"
"Right," she replied and quickly looked the house over. A wall of thorns blocked the back door, but she did see the open window at the top of the house and her stomach dropped. 'Oh my god . . . he's loose.' She didn't know how or when Lupin had escaped his room, but he was on the loose now, and she knew that no matter what their friendship was in the daylight tonight she was the prey and he was the hunter. Tonks had no choice but to defend herself the only way she could. Reaching into the waistband of her jeans Tonks pulled out her handgun and released the clip with her thumb. The clip, loaded with standard lead ammo, fell into her hand and from inside her cloak she produced another clip that was filled with silver-tipped bullets. She tried to place that clip into the base of the handle to load the gun, but her hand was shaking and she couldn't. Large pus-filled blisters were growing on her right hand, and her palm throbbed in pain.
"What the blazes are you waiting for? Get in there!" Moody screamed to her as he blocked another spell from Nott.
"Bullocks!" Tonks cursed, slapping the clip into the gun then jamming it into the front of her jeans. Taking her wand in her left hand Tonks apparated to the small roof outside of Lupin's room. She edged towards the window, hugging the wall and listening for movement inside. Nothing. The room was as still as the grave, too still for her liking. Hesitating just a moment Tonks slowly crept in through the broken window, broken glass and wood crunching under her feet as she went. It was pitch black inside except for a bright patch of white light from the full moon shining through the window.
A faint bubbling sound echoed from the other side of the room, and Tonks started scanning the room with her now-glowing wand. The room was a wreck. Everything was smashed and the door to the room was broken outward into the hallway, where the floor was smeared with blood and the bodies of dismembered hobgoblins. There Tonks found the source of the strange bubbling noise-one hobgoblin who was still alive under the bodies his comrades, but only just. His chest had been ripped open by a fierce slash from a clawed hand, and blood bubbled out of the wound with every breath the hobgoblin took. Tonks pushed one of the corpses off him and inhaled a sharp breath. The werewolf curse had already started to consume him. His eyes were white and hair was starting to sprout from his face and neck. It wouldn't be long before he was a raving animal lusting for the hunt. Tonks grimaced, drew her pistol and placed a silencing charm on the gun. Without so much as a second glance she placed two rounds of silver bullets in his chest and one in his head for good measure. Brass shell casings falling to the floor echoed off the ceiling as the hobgoblin stopped breathing.
Bloody paw prints trailed out through the smashed doorway into the hall. A cold chill ran down Tonks' spine as she followed the trail to the landing in the hall. A few damaged stairway lamps no longer worked, leaving the stairs dim and dirty looking. Tonks' steps were precise and gentle as she moved down to the third floor landing, not making a sound as she stopped a few steps before it. The rug outside the room was stained with dark dried blood and long gray feathers. Like the door to Lupin's room, the door to Buckbeak's room was smashed and broken, but outward this time.
Tonks flexed the fingers on her right hand sending a new wave of pain through her body. The flesh was charred and blistered from the fire at Diagon Alley. She thought of doing a bandaging charm on it but wasn't sure she could wield her wand too well left-handed. So she gently took her already light wand from her left hand and switched it to her right. With her wand lit and her gun loaded with silver bullets Tonks quickly entered the doorway to Buckbeak's room and scanned the area. She nearly gagged at the sea of dismembered bodies covering the floor. The stench of broken intestines hung in the air as Tonks scanned the remains for the teens and prayed she wasn't too late.
~*~
Wasting no time after Tonks left, Kingsley whipped out a small scroll of parchment covered in complex runes and flattened it against the outside wall of Borgin & Burkes. He waved his wand over the parchment and its black letters turned fiery red for a second before the paper phased into the wood making the structure itself into an anti-Apparition charm.
Circling around to the front of the shop again Kingsley peered from the shadows through the dirty front window. Dolohov moved quickly through the store gathering objects of interest from the shelves. Once the sack in his hand was filled he placed it on the counter and drew his wand level in front of himself. His eyes glazed over and the tip of his wand glowed a soft yellow. Dolohov spoke in a low hoarse voice, but Kingsley was having a hard time placing the language. It sounded like 'Northern Hill Giant,' but the phrasing was backwards and broken; perhaps it was a regional dialect, but he didn't know. At any rate it was clear to Kingsley that Dolohov was giving his final orders to the giant before leaving to follow Lucius Malfoy to find Bellatrix. Just as Kingsley was about to burst through the door of the shop and grab Dolohov, something odd happened.
Dolohov's breath came fast and heavy from his lips, and his eyes flared bright in the shadowy darkness of the old shop. His wand hand faltered and dropped to his side and Dolohov cursed under his breath, "Not yet! There's still more work to be done then he is yours, my pet, I promise." His wand rose again into the air, its tip glowing fiery yellow again. As if pushing an unseen force to the side Dolohov thrust his wand forward and breathed a sigh of relief. His body swayed to the side and he caught his balance against the countertop, breathing heavily as his eyes returned to their natural color. After a moment he reached for his bag on the counter and raised his wand in front of him to apparate. His eyes screwed up in concentration, but nothing happened. Panic flooded through him as he quickly looked around the room, and his eyes fell on a dark figure standing in the doorway.
The dark silhouette of Kingsley strode through the shop, crossing the main sales floor quickly. Coming into the dim candle light he said, "Hello Dolohov, remember me?"
"Kingsley Shacklebolt-I was just . . ." Dolohov snarled at him, whipping the bag off the counter at Kingsley, aiming for his head. Kingsley deflected the bag with his forearm and in one mighty stride closed the gap between him and the Death Eater. Dolohov desperately tried to point his wand as he tried to cast his death curse at Kingsley, but the Auror was too fast for him and grabbed his wrist, forcing it down towards the floor. The green blast from his wand ripped the floor to pieces sending hunks of wood flying through the air.
"I don't…"-Kingsley struggled to say as he lifted Dolohov into the air one handed and threw him over the counter top into the wall-"…think so!" As Dolohov hit the wall and slid to the ground his wand escaped him and rolled under the sarcophagus against the wall. Before he could even shake off the dizzy feeling in his head, Kingsley was on top of him, his large hands grabbing Dolohov by the throat and pulling him to his feet. Kingsley bound his hands together with a simple wave of his wand and then 'Accio'ed' Dolohov's wand and stuck it in his pocket of his cloak.
Struggling against his bonds Dolohov yelled at Kingsley, "I know my rights! You can't treat me like this!"
Kingsley slammed his captive against the doorframe on his way out of the shop and tightened his grip on the back of Dolohov's neck.
"Rights!" Kingsley growled. "You have no rights! You're a Death Eater, and you just tried to used an Unforgivable Curse on me!" Pushing Dolohov sharply against the wooden frame for good measure, he added, "That alone is 'Life' in Azkaban prison. So don't give me any shite about rights. You're going down this time for good." With a firm hold on his prisoner Kingsley pulled Dolohov out into the street and Apparated them both to the Leaky Cauldron.
~*~
Bellatrix grabbed Hermione by the shoulders, pulling her away from Harry. The Death Eater's face was inches from Hermione's ear, her icy breath on the girl's neck as she spoke. "Ah-ah-ah! We're not through yet, Mudblood! Now it's my turn!"
Before Hermione could pull her wand from her pocket she felt the harsh pull on her body of Apparition.
*POP!* *POP!* *POP!* *POP!*
Everything became a whirl of colors and shapes before her eyes as Bellatrix Apparated them both rapidly from one place to the next so quickly that Hermione could feel her stomach turning and her head spinning. With the last pop Hermione felt solid ground under her feet again and Bellatrix gave her a hard shove forward. Hermione's legs betrayed her and she fell to the ground, desperately clutching the street and trying to make the world stop spinning before her eyes. Though her hands shook violently she still managed to pull her wand out from her pocket and get to her feet.
She could hear Bellatrix laughing as she circled her enjoying the moment fully, but it was the sound of another voice that brought Hermione out of her dizzying fog. Harry's voice boomed loudly and her body reacted without question when he yelled to her, "Hermione! Protection spell NOW!" She cast her Protego spell in front of herself, and as a spell crashed hard against the shield it made her arms tingle. Her eyes focused again, she saw Bellatrix just a short distance in front of her with an angry smirk on her face.
~*~
Jumping over a small hedgerow into the front lawn Ron saw Harry still bound and lying on the grass next to the old BMW parked on the street. Trying to stay as low as possible, Ron moved quickly across the lawn to Harry's side. Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when Ron placed a hand on his shoulder. "Shh! Harry, it's me."
Harry craned his head around and a wave of relief washed over his face. "You scared the hell out of me. Cut me loose."
"Right, have you out in a tic, mate," Ron said as he began cutting the ropes with a mild severing charm. "How's Hermione doing?"
Harry turned his attention back to the street. "Not good. We have to get out there and help her quick. Hurry!"
"I'm trying!"
"Now come on, she needs us!"
"Just a few more cuts and you're there." Ron swiped his wand down the side of the ropes breaking the last few. Harry squirmed his way out and got to his feet drawing his wand, but froze in his tracks as he watched Bellatrix round on Hermione.
~*~
Hermione desperately tried to keep her wits about her as Bellatrix sent spell after spell at her. She dodged as many as she could and deflected the ones she couldn't avoid, but Bellatrix was just too fast for her, Apparating from one location to the next, which made Hermione constantly turn and spin checking behind herself for the next spell blast. As a large blast of orange light bounced off Hermione's shield, Bellatrix growled in frustration.
"Play time is over, dear. I'm no longer amused."
With the same blinding speed Bellatrix Apparated right in front of Hermione and pulled her left hand out from a pouch on her belt. Raising her hand in front of her face, she blew into it, sending sparkling red and white flakes soaring from her palm and into Hermione's eyes.
"AAAHHH!" Hermione screamed in pain as the sparkling dust got into her eyes, burning and eating away at her pupils. Falling to the ground, Hermione clutched her eyes, unable to stand the pain, then dropped her wand trying franticly to wipe the coarse powder from her eyes. The more she blinked the worse it got. It felt like a bucket of sand had been poured into her eyes. As the sound of footfalls thundered on the pavement towards her, Hermione's hand searched franticly on the hard surface of the street for her wand.
~*~
For the second time that night, Harry watched as Hermione fell, stricken down by Bellatrix. Recalling the image of her crumpled form on the floor of the Department of Mysteries, he broke into a dead run toward her, slipping a bit on the damp grass as he went. Ron bolted into the street as well, but not to Hermione. Harry threw him a quick glance as they ran, and Ron snarled, drawing his wand. "Get her off the street!" he said quickly to Harry before he started hurling spells at Bellatrix.
Spotting Hermione's wand a few feet in front of her, Harry swept in like a seasoned Seeker. He snatched the wand in one hand as he ran, placing it between his teeth, and scooped Hermione up off the ground. She struggled for a second then stopped and whimpered softly, throwing her arms around his neck, hanging on for dear life.
With a small hop Harry jumped over the curb and gently placed Hermione on the grass behind the BMW so she was away from the street. He ducked down behind the car as well and tried to speak to her in the best calming voice he could summon.
"Hermione, what did she do to you? Let me see your eyes." He gently placed his hands on top of hers and pulled them away.
Grimacing, Harry cupped his hand over his mouth to keep from gasping, as he didn't want to scare her anymore than she already was. The powder Bellatrix had blown in her eyes was acting like an acid-bath, burning her sight away. Hermione lifted her face towards him, her voice only a whisper as she said, "I'm sorry, Harry. Sorry-sorry I tried but she . . ."
Wrapping his arms around her softly Harry hugged her tightly and cooed into her ear, "Shh, it's okay, you're going to be fine. You were brilliant out there, honestly you're so quick. Don't worry, okay? Ron and I have this all wrapped up."
He didn't know if Hermione believed him, but she did trust him and she nodded, straightening up against the car. "Go on and help Ron. I'll just wait here." A sad smile broke on Harry's face as he watched her try so hard to act tough and not cry out in pain. He wanted to stay with her, but he had to get back out and help Ron. As he stood to leave Hermione grabbed his hand in hers and sounded desperate as she said, "Please Harry . . . be careful-for me."
Harry knelt down quickly and cupped her face. "I'll be right back. I promise." As tenderly as he could he placed a soft kiss on her lips, savoring the strange mix of spiced tea still lingering on her tongue from tonight's dinner and the salty blend of dirt and blood on her lips. Releasing her he placed her wand in her hand and said, "If you hear anyone coming close to you that isn't me or Ron, blast 'em!"
She gave a quick nod and he dashed around the car, charging into the street headlong into the duel between Ron and Bellatrix. Something turned on inside of him when he saw Bellatrix in the middle of the street easily blocking Ron's hexes. This was it. He had Bellatrix in his grasp and he knew it was now over never. He moved with purpose, gripping his wand tightly, for tonight he would face his godfather's murderer. Tonight he would have his revenge!