Awakening The Dragon
Chapter 15:
Practicality was found to be an issue now that Harry had decided it was time to return home, unfortunately, movies aside getting a small arsenal of various weapons through customs at Tokyo International was proving somewhat of a challenge so in the end Harry had chartered six berths on a Japanese freighter that would make port in London. The trip was not very pleasant but Harry found he didn't mind so much as he and Hermione explored their burgeoning relationship. They talked, sharing childhood horrors an funny memories between stolen kisses an training and a two weeks later Harry found himself leaning against the railing watching as London slowly materialized
out of the early morning fog.
"Are you sure you are ready for this Harry?"
Harry let the corner of his mouth curl up slightly as he turned his head to the side as Grandfather Wu stood next to him. "Ready or not Grandfather I can't stay away any longer, Prophecy can't really be denied, and the longer I stay away the more of a free reign Riddle has to destroy what I care about." He shrugged taking a step back from the rail as a wave of frigid sea water splashed against the side of the ship sending it's spray into Harry's face.
With nothing else to say Grandfather Wu simply nodded an together they watched the city come into view.
* * * *
The made an unusual troupe as they walked through London towards the Leaky Cauldron. All noise stopped as the door opened an they five of them made their way inside, cloaks were pulled back, wands fingered before Harry drew back the hood of his cloak an he stared them all down. So shocked where the occupants of the inn no one thought to stop the party as they made through the back door into the alley and opened the portal to Diagon Alley.
Harry frowned at how empty the streets were even though it was almost lunch time as he led his friends through the odd twisty streets till they were finally in sight of Fred an Georges joke shop, the garish sign exploding with color and sound. "Dear lord it's worse than I thought!" Harry grinned at Hermione's muttered outburst an he pushed open the door.
"I'll be with you in just a minute."
He walked through the shop an round the counter grinning at the sight of one of the Weasely twins head first in one of the stores cabinets. "Hands on your head this is a stick up!" Harry laughed as the figure yelped with surprised, the thump of their head hitting the top of the cabinet an the fast scramble as they tried to extricate themselves.
Fred rolled to his feet an stared stupidly at the people in his store, eyes darting from Harry to Hermione an back again. "Harry?" Fred struggled to his feet. "Harry!" He grabbed a hold of the younger boy an slapped him hard on the shoulder. "Bloody merlin you frightened about a decade off my life!"
Harry just laughed at his antics happy to have finally put one over on one of the twins. "Where's George?"
Fred straightened his robes an gave Harry a mock Glare before pulling the younger boy into a tight Weasely hug. "It's bloody smashing to see you again Harry, you as well Hermione." He grinned stepping back from them. "As for George, he working our new counter in Zonko's today, Hogsmeade trip an all that."
Harry nodded. "I need to know..." He never got the chance to finish his question as the floo erupted in green flames an George staggered out of the fireplace, blood streaming down his face from a gash on his scalp.
"F-Fred..." George collapsed on the floor and everyone erupted into action, grabbing more floo powder Fred tossed it into the fire yelling "The Burrow!" His head disappeared into the flames even as Harry turned to his friends.
"We need to get to Hogsmeade now!" He looked at Hermione. "We need a portkey!"
Hermione nodded and grabbed a sheet of paper from Fred's desk and drew her wand. "Everyone grab hold!" Harry and the Asian contingent grabbed the sheet of paper and she tapped it with her wand and a sharp command uttered the spell. "Portus!" And with a sharp tug behind their navel the six of them found themselves swirling through the air and with a thump they all stumbled to a halt outside the shrieking shack.
Harry turned to the others raising his voice about the noise of battle that could be heard coming from town. "I have no idea how bad things are down there or just what we are facing, so just all of you...be careful."
He reached for Hermione pulling her close resting his forehead against hers. "Stay safe." And with those final words the five younger members shrugged off their cloaks and readied their weapons before breaking into a trot across the frozen February ground.
* * * * * *
The vision that greeted them once they reached the edge of town was of chaos, buildings burned, people dueled relentlessly with masked Death Eaters screams of pain and the roar of destruction filled the air, they moved as a team, striking down anything evil thing that crossed their paths as they headed for the heart of the small village where hey could hear most of the fight was coming from. Exiting from a narrow lane Harry and Hermione skidded to a stop watching with pride as the DA's focused fire drove back the giants. Suddenly they shivered, the temperature dropping so rapidly their breath misted in the air before them.
Harry shivered. "Dementors." And they turned as they heard Ginny's panicked cry for help drawing wands to summon their Patronai when they heard Ron's bellow even over the noise of battle and watched expecting his collie to form and gaped in surprise at the mighty lion that exploded from their friends wand.
"NO!" A panicked cry formed on Hermione's lips as she watched the dark form apperate beside their gangly friend, it's wand raising, moving on instinct she knocked an arrow and let it fly feeling a sense of grim satisfaction as it punched a hole through the Death Eaters eye hole and out through the back of his head, the magic binding the mask in place fading with his death and it slid free down the arrow shaft.
Harry and the others exploded into action even as Hermione knocked and fired arrow after arrow into the ranks of the Dementors, her specially crafted arrows burning blow as she fed her Ki into each one, the Dementors exploding into flame with each successive hit. She never even acknowledged Ron's surprised greeting instead focusing on the battle watched as Harry and Yoshi danced through the ranks of foul spirits, their swords leaving a trail of burning empty cloaks in their wake but the numbers were to great, Voldemort seemingly having committed his entire force of Dementors and Death Eaters to the battle.
Rolling back his sleeves Grandfather Wu spread his feet and braced himself and with a crack that somehow echoed across the square like thunder slapped his hands together and began the mantra' the wind howled around the square, pushing the remaining Dementors into a tighter and tighter group and with the final word Wu's head fell backwards and from behind him a storm of paper exploded into the tightly packed horde, where each page struck blue flame exploded across the cloaked fiends, finally he collapsed, face pale gasping for labored breath even as he was helped to his feet by Noriko.
"Grandfather whats wrong!"
Gently he shook her off. "So many at once, it was difficult child and I am no longer a young man." Suddenly the building across from them erupted outwards and only Hermione's rapidly cast barrier shield stopped them from being crushed beneath the falling debris.
"Taurg Smash lil pinkies!" The dust cloud settled and a giant, far larger than the previous ones stomped through the remains towards them it's massive club raised high to smash them to bit when an almighty crack sounded and the Giants bellows of rage turned to pain as it fell forward it's own momentum causing it to slide to a stop mere meters away from the barrier protected trio of Hermione, Noriko and Grandfather Wu.
It struggled to rise even on it's maimed leg and Hermione watched as Akira leaped from where he had felled the mighty giant and with a stumbling run clutching at the Giants filthy fur jerkin and clambered onto it's shoulder and hefting his Iron Hammer smashed it down upon the giants forehead. With a sickening crunch Taurg's eyes rolled back in his head and blood poured from his nostrils and he collapsed upon the ground still.
By now the sounds of fighting had died down and Harry surveyed the remains of the battle, Hermione standing at his side her fingers laced with his even as Ron limped towards them Luna at his side, her hand on his back keeping him steady, the rapidly wrapped bandage around his forehead giving his a look of a veteran of the war he had been in.
Saying nothing the two young warriors stared at one and other before Ron hauled off and slugged Harry hard across the face causing him to stumble backwards, the sound of drawing still followed by a sharp wait filled the air and Harry stepped back towards Ron and grabbing the slightly older boy yanked him forward into a solid embrace. "Yeah I missed you to you daft git"
Hermione's lip trembled as tears filled her eyes and she stamped her foot and lunged forward wrapping her arms around them both. "You are both daft gits!"
They stood that way for several seconds before breaking apart the two boys looking somewhat embarrassed at their emotional display. But before they could even begin to talk a petite figure with shockingly bubble gum pink hair slammed into Harry arms wrapping round his ribs in a tight hug. "You are back! Oh god Remus is so going to kill you!"
Hermione giggled as Harry laughed. "It's nice to see you again as well Tonks." The shorter witch released him and took a step back stumbling over some of the debris and blushed with embarrassment. "Where the hell have you been!" Her expression turning to one of annoyance as she waved a finger at him" But any response she may have garnered failed as a mighty crack of thunder filled the air and the clouds started to roil in the sky as a massive beam of light Speared through the air from the castle.
Grandfather Wu frowned. "Harry!" He turned to his young charge. "Someone is summoning something, Something huge!" He barely got the words out as lightening split the Sky slamming around the group causing super heated earth to splatter against hastily erected shields."
The strands of magical lightly arced high into the clouds and above them a rift formed and slowly materializing into view a strange beat formed, like a dragon and man combined, of massive proportions , wings a mixture of hard shell and ethereal energy spread from it's back as landed on what remained of Honeydukes and it bellowed, more like a shriek from a b-movie Godzilla set and it's maw opened wide as energy formed like the magical lightening they heralded it's arrival and it lurched forward the sphere of power smashing into the ground and exploding outwards leveling houses in it's passing and washing over the small group of heroes.
TBC.
AN: Yeah I know almost a year later and it's updated, what can I say I lost my way with my writing for a while but after reading HBP an DH I figured i may as well try and finish this, hell i couldn't do any worse than Jo did