Awakening the Dragon.
Chapter 14
It had taken him two months for him to finally pluck up the courage. Valentines Day, the time when one was supposed to express their romantic feelings for some one, but Ron never for a moment thought that the person he would be expressing those feelings to would be Luna Lovegood. But she had been relentless attacking his conceptions of her like one of the generals he could recall in his memory. Finally she'd battered down his defences and he'd found something truly extraordinary.
He found her.
Taking a chance he'd finally plucked up the courage and asked her to go out with him, on a date, it was probably the scariest thing he'd ever done in his young life so far. And when she said yes he felt like he could fly without using Harry's firebolt. Pity Voldemort decided to ruin his plans.
This was definitely not what he had planned this hogsmeade trip Ron thought to himself as he banished another cobblestone towards the one of the pockets of Death Eaters. He smiled a grim smile of satisfaction as he saw the solid rock smack into the wand arm of one of them. The wand dropping to the ground and with a quick flick of his wrist he cast a full blown reducto at the foot long length of wood watching as it exploded into splinters amongst the group, cries of pain and surprise his reward.
Beside him Luna moved in usual dream like fashion, yet somehow she was always in position, spells slamming into her shield, sweat beading her brow as she summoned a large granite flowerpot. The stone cracking as another Avada Kedavra spell was blocked. He took a brief moment to survey his troops as he saw them in his mind, all the D A members where paired off like he had shown them, one blocking, another attacking, all heavily outnumbered but clearly holding their own. He swiped his hand across his forehead, his fingers coming away smeared with blood and he scowled. Quick as a flash, ignoring the cut n his scalp he targeted the same group of death eaters, his conjuring spell summoning the large diamond shaped steel plate and he banished it from him, the sheet of metal spinning at knee height scything through the group.
He paled as the screams mingled with the other noises from the battle and blood fountained from ruined limbs. The spell expired at the steel plate vanished in a mottled spray of black and white spots. A dozen low pitched roars filled the air and he blanched even further as he watched the tree line at the edge of the village shudder and a meaty fist pushed aside one of the pine tree as if it were a curtain. "Oh bloody hell." Grabbing Luna by her arm he pulled her away, he aimed his wand into the air. Blue sparks rocketed into the air and almost as one all the DA members ceased their attack and defence manoeuvres and started to run to Ron's position in the main square outside the three Broomsticks. Barking orders the DA members quickly lined up even as the sounds of apparition filled the air and Order members that Ron recognised appeared on the streets with wands drawn.
"First rank on my command…fire!" As one twenty wands fired cries of Reducto filling the air and what could only be described as a sheet of blue energy slammed into the magically resistant hide of the first giant. It staggered backwards, its chest a meaty pulp, it's scream dying off in seconds as its lungs were reduced to so much goo. "Second target!" He pointed to the second of the Giants. "Fire!" again the sheet of blue energy crackled across the square striking the giant low just below the hips. It bellowed as flesh and bone separated, one leg cart-wheeling away in a spray of crimson black gore as it collapsed sideways clutching at the ruined stump even as it's life's blood drained away. Ron closed his eyes from the sight but the sounds of several of the DA member throwing up reached his ears.
The third giant seeing the fate of his two clansmen turned lumbering back into the forest, a ragged cheer from the defenders rising up in it's wake only to die slowly as mist seemed to settle over the village turned war zone. Ron shivered as Luna clutched his hand tightly as dark hooded shapes could be seen flitting through the mist. "Oh sweet Merlin...dementors" Pulling Luna with him he turned to the DA members. "All of you start to fall back to the castle!" Scattering the DA members started to run even as they heard cries of the Order members summoning Patronie to counter the slowly advancing soul sucking fiends.
"Ron!"
Ron skidded to a halt as his sisters panicked cry pierced the fear enducing effect and he turned watching as a group of them slowly circled his little sister and Neville who with his new wand was trying desperately to fend them off. It was proving futile as being so close and facing so many only faint wisps of silver mist escaped from both their wands. Panic spurned him on grasping tightly to the memory of Luna's bright smile when she agreed to come with him today he raised his wand, his voice a ground shaking roar cast the patronus spell. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The tip of his wand exploded in a blast of pure silver and a Lion of huge proportions loped towards the ring of dementors and lashed out with a mighty paw, it's silvery claws raking across the back of one of the foul creatures causing it to shriek in pain.
A crack of displaced air surprised the young man and spinning around his concentration faltering, the mighty lion fading and he found himself staring into the eyes of Antonin Dolohov. The deatheaters smiled a wicked grin, his wand already raised. "Av…"
Ron closed his eyes expecting the flash of green when a whistling noise filled the air and his eyes snapped open and he watched as the DeathEater toppled backwards an arrow shaft protruding from his left eye. Spinning his mouth dropped open as his eyes rested on a small group of people, the one with the bow instantly recognisable. "Hermione????"
Hermione said nothing as she knocked another arrow and let fly, the simple wooden shaft exploding in blue flame as was loosed and it struck one of the Dementor and it's billowing black cloak erupted into flames.
If seeing Hermione was a shock, it was nothing compared to watching Harry, the sword in his hand glowing the same blue as Hermione's flaming arrow and he charged the ranks of Dementors. The last coherent thought Ron had before finding himself once more in a pitched battle against the remaining Death Eaters was what the bloody hell.
TBC…
AN: Well there it is, shock horror an update, I know when I posted the last chapter I swore I would continue this story and my others, well unfortunately life conspired against me. While I am still firmly in the Harmony encampment and clear quite delusional still, my disgust at the half blood prince was so great that I actually lost my way with regards to HP fanfiction. I found myself falling back on old favourites Like Ranma ½ and new obsessions with the current series of Battlestar Galactica, and until recently have been unable to work on these stories. Well as you can see with this Update I seem to have found my stride, and while I can't promise speedy updates I can assure you that I am working on finishing this story.
Yours Sincerely
Kai Lun Mau