Chapter 19 - More Confontations
Harry jogged through the train, dodging a few hexes here and there. He rushed forward when he saw a head of red hair fall to the ground. Ducking beneath a red flash, Harry knelt beside the fallen Weasley, Ginny. He checked her pulse quickly, just stunned, he winced as a hex zipped past him. When he spun around to see where it had come from he was only mildly surprised to see two platinum blond heads dueling. Draco had found his father. Harry covered the stunned girl with himself as another hex slipped past. He muttered the counter spell quickly. "Come on, Ginny. Let's get you back into the compartment," he muttered.
"Harry?" Ginny said as she came back from her unconscious state. "Why are you here? Where's Hermione?"
"Remus is with her, she was hit." Harry said pulling her into a compartment full of a mixture of first and second years. He glanced at the kids than back at Ginny, "Stay here, make sure they stay safe, I've got to check on everyone else." Ginny nodded and Harry took off back down the corridor.
A few cabins down he caught sight of another head of red hair. He caught up to his friend who was dueling another Death Eater, and doing a great job at it. He saw Luna doing just as well. He smiled inwardly, he'd taught them a lot of this stuff. Continuing down the train, he stopped only when he was knocked over by someone flying out of the compartment. Harry glanced up and found himself face to face with Cho.
"Are you alright?" He asked as he climbed to his feet and helped her to his. She nodded silently. Harry glanced up and saw the Death Eater that Cho had been dueling start to advance, and quickly, he shot a stunner toward the masked figure. He picked her dropped wand up from the ground and handed it to her. "I'll catch you later, I've gotta go see how everyone else is holding up."
"Okay, be careful," She said taking her wand and turning to a new duel.
It was only moments later that he found himself on the floor of the train once more, only this time he was completely immobile. His eyes darted around wildly before seeing a face peer over him. Thing is--it wasn't one of a masked Death Eater.
"I hoped I'd be the one to catch you. Now, you'll reverse whatever spell you cast on Draco," Said the pug face of Pansy Parkinson.
Unable to speak, Harry simply rolled his eyes. That would be the assumption of many this term, he knew.
"Imperius is an Unforgivable, you know that, right Potter?" She sneered. "The wizarding worlds savior goes to Azkaban for using an Unforgivable."
Harry longed to put the girl in her place; she obviously didn't know Draco as well as she thought. If only he could break her binding spell. He could feel his wand still in his grasp. Could he do it without being able to speak the actual words? It was worth a try. He zoned out her words as he repeated the counter spell in his mind. Concentrating on his wand and on what was needed to be done, he gave a sigh of relief when the invisible bonds disappeared.
He quickly rose and turned his wand on the Slytherin girl. She gave a squeak of surprise, "How did you do that?"
He shook his head slightly, "First off, I have cast no spell on Draco, I have never had any reason to force some one to do something against their free will. Second, I am quite aware of the Unforgivables, if you remember right they were used to kill my parents. And finally, you forgot to take my wand from me leaving me fully capable of freeing myself."
She gave a slight pout as she pulled her own wand and shot several consecutive spells. "If you didn't put a spell on Draco, why'd he change sides?"
"He did that all on his own," Harry said as he dodged her attacks and threw his own round back to her. "He finally realized that his Father is wrong and so is his 'master'. He came to me, not the other way around."
"You lie," She growled, shooting a stunner his way. "Draco wouldn't betray his Father."
He shielded the stunner with a quick 'protego', and smirked, "Well apparently he would, because he has."
She ducked from the rebound of her own stunner and scowled, "He wouldn't pair up with you or your mudblood and blood traitor friends."
"It would do you well not to call them that," he said throwing a jelly-legs curse. "And he has. In fact, Ron, Hermione, and Draco have gotten on quite well."
Pansy leapt out of the way of his curse and scoffed, "That I don't believe."
"You should, it's true," Harry smirked again as he tossed a tickling charm. "I found he and Hermione chit chatting over homework several times."
She shrieked as the charm hit her, quickly muttering the counter spell, she gasped, "A Pureblood like Draco Malfoy would not be caught speaking decently to a Mudblood like that Granger."
Harry arched an eyebrow and shut a stunner fallowed immediately by a binding curse similar to the one she used on him. She managed to block the stunner but was hit by the binding curse. He smirked and pried her wand from her stiff fingers, "I told you not to call her that. I think I'll be taking this for safe keeping." If looks could kill, the glare she was giving him at that moment would have killed him several times over.
He pocketed her wand and glanced down the corridor. Frowning slightly, he turned and headed back up the train. As he passed, he saw Ron dueling another Death Eater, curious to see which Malfoy had came out victorious, he pushed forward. He nearly laughed aloud when he saw Draco standing over his father's stiff body as he dueled one of Lucius's seconds.
Continuing toward the front of the train he shook his head slightly when he saw Ginny back in a duel. Of course she hadn't listened. He finally reached the compartment where he'd left Remus and Hermione. He entered hurriedly. "How is she doing?"
"Not well," Remus sighed. "Did you see Tonks?"
Harry shook his head and knelt next to Hermione again, "No, I didn't."
Remus had a momentary worried look, "I'm sure she's alright. How long would it take Hedwig to get to the castle?"
"Well, she knew it was urgent so she's probably there by now." Harry said.
"Good, then the rest of the Order should be here shortly," Remus said.
Harry nodded and glanced over at the first years. "Are you lot alright? Anyone hurt?"
The girl who had been holding the cloth over Hermione's injury had been crying. When questioned why, she sobbed, "It won't come off," as she showed her bloodstained hands.
Harry gave her a sympathetic smile. Poor girl. He held her hands in his and muttered a quick cleaning spell and the blood disappeared from the girl's hands. She gave him a wavering smile and a small hug and returned to her newly made friends.
Harry sighed, if only it was that easy to make Hermione smile again. He heard a loud sound and glanced over his shoulder at the hole the Death Eaters had made upon entry. He sighed in relief, the Order had finally arrived. It took only moments for the sounds of the conscious Death Eater's retreats to sound through the train.
A few minutes later, Albus Dumbledore was knelt next to Harry and the unconscious Hermione. "How are we getting to Hogwarts, Professor?"
"We are only a few short miles from the school," Dumbledore said. "Hagrid is bringing a mode of transportation. I, however, will be getting Miss Granger to St. Mungo's by apparation."
Harry nodded mutely but rose to his feet. "What can I do?"
Dumbledore gave a grim smile, "I need you to make sure all the first years get to the castle safely."
He nodded again, out of the corner of his eye he saw the girl whom he'd helped earlier watching him in relief.
"She'll be alright, Harry." Dumbledore said softly. "We need you to help care for the 1st years. The rest of your DA will be caring for the higher level students with the exception of yourself."
"Professor? H-How many were injured in the explosions?" Harry asked, unsure if he really wanted to know.
Dumbledore glanced at the group of first years who were listening curiously, "Too many were injured here, few were lost, but that is still too many."
Harry knew he wouldn't say more due to the first year's attentiveness to the conversation. He nodded again and watched as Dumbledore picked up Hermione, and with a crack, they were gone. Harry watched the spot for a moment longer before turning to the first years. "Alright, I need you to stay here, while I get the other first years up here, alright?"
They all nodded except for the little girl who had been watching him, "I want to come too," she said.
He knelt in front of her, "I need you to stay here. I'm not sure how bad everything is and I don't want you lot to see any of that."
She pouted, "But I don't want to stay here! That girl's blood is still here!"
"It will be much worse out there," Harry said gently. "You know what duels are right?" The girl nodded. "There have been a lot of duels since the train stopped, I'm not sure how many people are hurt like, Hermione was."
The girl's eyes widened, "Oh. Alright, I'll wait here."
"Good girl," Harry smiled, "I won't be long."
He hurried the length of the train peaking into each compartment and sending the scared first years to the front compartment. He made his way from the end back to the front, in only a few minutes. Once he made it back to the front compartment, he was surprised how full, yet how empty it was. He felt a pange in his chest that made him nearly tear up. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind, they were relying on him right now.
"Alright, stay close and don't wander," He said as he led them from the compartment. He dropped himself down onto the tracks from the hole and one by one began to help the first years down, counting as he did. Twenty. That's all there were. He sighed heavily and took the lead toward the castle. He jumped slightly, startled, when the same little girl from before took hold of his hand. He smiled down at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
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