CHAPTER 20
Their hearts drummed impatiently; adrenaline pulsed through each of the students within the cramped compartment of the Hogwarts Express.
They waited for something to happen, anything to happen.
Silence.
Just as one of the first year girls was about to speak, their hearts jumped to their constricted throats as a pair of footsteps began to draw closer and closer. Harry felt his arm being grabbed from the left side of him, but he knew well that Hermione was to the right of him; his eyes darted towards his left arm, and found Ginny's long slender fingers bunched into his robes.
A horrific creaking noise screeched through the train as it began to lift off from its tracks on one side; pushing all the students forward and crushing everyone against one another into the glass sliding door of the compartment.
"Harry!"
"Harry where are you?"
Harry placed his palms on the door and strained against it in an attempt to force the students from pressing him further into the thick glass, but as the train continued to be slanted upwards, Harry's arms gave way and his chest crunched against the sliding door.
"He's here!" One of the young boys called out foolishly. "We're in the last compartment, help us!"
"Oh bloody hell we're doomed now." Ron groaned darkly.
"Thafs not fery positif Ron!" Hermione barked angrily while attempting to free her cheeks from being pushed against the glass.
"Positive… I'm sorry did you say positive?... what in bloody hell can be positive about being crushed to death in a compartment full of a dozen smelly kids… sorry… and then having a couple of Death Eaters find us and slowly torture us to death?"
"Shut… up… Ron." Harry managed to mumble.
"Can somfudy pweas stof pushing my head into the glass!" Hermione demanded bitterly.
"Oh sorry." Ginny stated briskly.
Hermione frowned and rubbed her cheek.
"Is everyone okay?" Called another voice, this time feminine. Harry recognized it immediately.
"Tonks?" Ron questioned.
"Watcher Ron," She answered happily. "and Felix's here with me."
"We're all fine." Hermione called back in response.
"Speak for yourself… I'm being crushed into a bloody glass door by a dozen first years!" Ron complained.
"Hey, I'm not a first year!"
"Neither am I!"
"Well you should be grateful your," Hermione began, ignoring the younger students.
"Guys… not right now."
"You're right Harry." Hermione stated in a dignified tone.
"Looks like Potters's finally regained the pants in the relationship." A Slytherin boy smirked.
"Oh aren't you incredibly witty?" Hermione asked bitterly.
"Guys!" Harry yelled.
"Oi… what's going on Tonks?" Ron called.
Before Tonks could answer, an enormous eye peered in through the opposite window.
"Hermy!"
"It's a G-G-Giant!"
"Grawp?" Hermione questioned with a shrill voice.
"Grawp put us down!" Harry called.
"NO!" Hermione yelled. "No, no Grawp don't put us down…just, don't move."
"What is wrong with you Hermione, why shouldn't he put us down?" Ron yelled attempting to free his arms from his sides.
"Ron, if he `puts us down' the train is going to drop down hard and let me tell you…it's going to hurt!"
"Hermione's right Ron...unless Grawp knows what the word gentle means…"
"Uhh, we'd best not risk that." Ron answered making a worried face.
"What's going on?"
"She knows that giant?"
"Would everyone please just settle down?" Hermione said gently.
"Is this some sort of joke?"
"You think its going to eat us?"
"I don't wanna die!"
"QUIET!"
Harry nearly jumped out of his skin at Hermione's abrupt outburst.
"We need you all to stay silent and do as you're told!" Hermione stated firmly.
"So what's the big plan Granger?" The Slytherin boy demanded.
Harry saw Hermione's face twitch, she was really doing her best to keep her cool; Harry guessed that Draco had influenced the young Slytherin's to disrespect Hermione, just as he always had.
She looked to Harry for support.
"Tonks?" Harry called, hoping for some answers.
"We found him in the Forbidden Forest Harry, says he's Hagrids brother, and apparently his name is Grawp," Tonks paused for a moment. "Wait, how did you know his name's Grawp?"
"Uhh, long story." Harry answered.
"Right… well, he's meant to be guarding Hogwarts, we told him not to be letting anyone past him, and forgot to mention the train." Tonks stated with a slight giggle to herself.
"Guarding Hogwarts?" Ginny questioned.
"Yeah, I bet after what's happened to Hogsmead, they're afraid an attack on Hogwarts might be next."
"Exactly Harry." Felix answered inching his way to the compartment door.
"Can't you two just Apparate out there and put the train back on its tracks?" A young girl asked with a trembling voice.
"Not exactly, we used a designated Apparation location on the train, only Felix and I have access to it at this time." Tonks stated knowingly.
"Right… Anti-Apparation Wards?" Ginny asked.
"Exactly." Felix replied.
"So what're we going to do?" The girl with the trembling voice questioned nervously.
Before anyone had a chance to make any suggestions, Grawp's enormous, fat index finger pierced through the compartment window
"AAHHHHH!"
Chunks of glass spread across the cramped compartment.
"Grawp No!" Harry yelled.
"Grawp want to see Hermy!" Boomed the giant's voice. .
"What're you doing?" Ron questioned when Harry pushed past him.
Harry curled his arms around Grawp's enormous finger.
"Harry no way!" Hermione yelled angrily, desperately trying to push those around her aside to get to Harry.
"I have to, it's the only plan we got." He stated. "Grawp… take me to your shoulder."
Harry closed his eyes and clung on with all his strength expecting the giant to make a sudden abrupt movement, instead, nothing happened.
"Grawp, can you hear me?" Harry asked furrowing his eyebrows.
Very slowly, Grawp pulled his finger out of the compartment window. He looked at it for a moment, before he fumbled around and grabbed Harry by his robes.
"Hey!" Harry protested as he hung helplessly, looking like a scarecrow on a stick.
The giant carefully moved his arm and placed Harry on his shoulder, while still holding the train off its tracks with his opposite hand.
"Harry are you alright?" He heard Hermione call out.
"Yes… but now I need a spell that'll make this train float down gently back on its tracks!" Harry called back.
"Duh, Wingadrium Leviousa!" He heard the Slytherin boy answer.
"No Harry, don't!" Hermione yelled.
"I know, I know… it won't make the train float down gently." Harry said.
"That, and its not strong enough to hold the train afloat." She added.
Harry shook his head; she sure did know every detail of each spell she could perform.
"Try the flutter charm!" Hermione suggested.
Harry steadied himself on Grawps shoulder and made sure not to point his wand away from the compartment full of his friends and school mates.
"Fluttelio!"
He had expected to feel the heavy weight of the train strain against his wand. Instead, he didn't even feel the slightest pull and wondered if he had done something wrong. After all, Harry had never preformed the flutter charm before; he just remembered reading it from one of the many books from the library. Harry's expression became fixed with shock when a pair of large feathered wings began to sprout from each side of the train and began to flap quite furiously to keep the train afloat.
"What's happening?" He heard Ron question.
"Harry, did you do something wrong?" Hermione called out.
"Does the flutter charm include a pair of wings?" Harry asked nervously.
"I don't know; I never used it before… why?" She answered.
He heard a crash come from within the train as it started to hover up and down, up and down; like a boat being swayed in the massive ocean.
"Not the Flutter Charm Harry!" Tonks complained. "Try something else!"
"Like what?" Harry shrugged, knowing well that he should try and find a different way of bringing the train down to the ground. This particular charm was only keeping it afloat.
Harry's expression of amusement quickly faded when the train slowly began to soar higher and higher. Nervously, Harry hit his head with his hand in an attempt to stimulate the thinking process; instead, empty thoughts floated through his brain along with a jolt of pain.
"Shit!"
"HARRY!"
"GET US DOWN!"
"HELP… SOMEONE HELP!" The voices from above cried in desperation, which really didn't seem to help Harry in the least bit.
"Hang on!" He called back, hoping it would give everyone a hint of reassurance.
Harry didn't think things could possibly get any worse then the current situation he was faced with. The thought of the Hogwarts Express plummeting to the ground caused the hairs on the back of his neck to prick and his palms felt increasingly clammy.
What was he going to do? All he needed was a spell, but his head was whirling around so rapidly he couldn't think at all.
He felt a familiar sensation that made his stomach knot and his heart race with a plea to keep the strings of happiness from withering… Dementors.
The hooded beasts skimmed the icy surface like a serpent slithering through still water.
There were so many of them; Harry had never seen so many in one place all at once. Instantly, he felt the panic rising; how was he to hold them all off?
Harry's hand trembled and a sudden cold sweat coated his entire body. Was he capable of producing a strong enough patronus to keep himself and the hovering train from harm? Harry doubted this very much. It's true he had managed to fend off a group of dementors before; but this time there had to be at least a hundred of them, if not more.
Harry forced himself to summon his happy thoughts. Perhaps, if he combined every good memory, every good feeling into one, his patronus may be strong enough to at least create a shield around himself and the flying train.
Harry's first thoughts fell on Hermione. Her soft springy curls, her deep passionate chocolate eyes and her warm smile.
"Expecto Patronum!"
He pictured her gentle lips pressing into his own and vividly pictured their first kiss; recreating the arousing feeling that moment brought him.
The stag sprang from the tip of Harry's wand and began to fight off the heartless soul sucking creatures. Harry's proud creation glowed brighter each time Harry clung to another happy memory.
Harry steadied himself as Grawp threw his arms into the air and roared angrily. He plucked Harry from his shoulder by his robes, and placed him on the ground quite gently.
As he took a step towards a group of dementors that were closest to Harry, Harry was surprised to find the dementors afraid of the giant.
"Expecto Patronum!"
"Expecto Patronum!"
"Expecto Patronum!"
An otter, a red tailed hawk, a bobcat and a raccoon emerged from the train window and joined Harry's stag in an effort to keep them safe.
The otter circled playfully around Harry and charged fiercely at any dementor that felt the need to attempt to get closer to Harry, the stag guarded the hovering Hogwarts Express and kept close watch on the window that held Harry's friends and classmates, while Ron's patronus, the red tailed hawk, focused on keeping the dementors at bay with help from the raccoon and bobcat.
Harry felt his energy draining rapidly; his knees wobbled unpleasantly and a heavy sheen covered his pale face. He wondered how his friends were holding up in the train above, and how much longer they could hold on to their happy memories before the darkness overpowered them.
He heard his mother's plea for the dark lord to take her life instead of Harry's. He saw Ron's patronus fade like a wisp of smoke, and heard Voldemort utter the words that took his mothers life. Her piercing cry felt like it ran through every bone in his body. Harry knew he wouldn't be able to hold on to consciousness much longer.
The bobcat and the raccoon faded along with a great deal of Harry's hope.
His mothers scream echoed through his head. It was as if someone had recorded the sound of her death and was constantly replaying that moment, over and over.
The dementors closed in on Harry; closer and closer they gathered. The one thing that kept their skeletal fingers from ripping at him was Hermione's patronus. The otter swam through the air around him like a bolt of lightening; whipping its tail at the dementors in an attempt to push them further back. It made Harry feel calm and wanted, while giving him strength and the need to hold on.
Harry allowed his deep green eyes to glance up at the train. The stag Harry created was working just as hard at keeping the dementors at bay as the otter was. They were both becoming transparent and faint, and could falter at any moment.
Harry felt his mind become clouded, and with each passing moment, memories became extremely difficult to hold onto. Maybe it was better this way, he would have to die anyway when facing Voldemort, why was he holding on? Wouldn't it be so much easier to just give in?
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
AUTHOR NOTE: HEY GUYZ AND GALS!! I know its been a LONG wait… oy... I've had some writers block and not to mention my practical exams that took up a great deal of time.. I'm finding this fan fic getting longer and longer… I'm sure you lot arn't going to complain about that thought right? :oP … I know I left you with another cliffie.. this chapter was longer, but I figured this was a legitimate place to end it and I'd be able to give you guys another chappie before I continue working my way towards the end of this wonderful adventure… I'm curious to see what you all think of this chapter… as it is different and I had a REALLY difficult time with it!! I cant even begin to thank you all for your wonderful reviews… they really helped in difficult times and sometimes just going back and reading a few reviews made me kick my brain into gear and wrote at least a paragraph during my writers block LOL.. so again.. thank you, thank you! And I hope you enjoyed it =o)
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