I still don't own any of this universe. Darn it.
Chapter 25, Grim Homecoming
********************#4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging*************************
The group had apparated, or whatever it was that Dumbledore did when he disappeared, it sure did get past the Hogwarts wards. In an instant, they were standing in the living room of Harry's 'Home' since his parents had died. They had arrived in the back yard; and other than a small gasp from Luna, no one had said anything about the Dark Mark that floated over the house. Muggles couldn't see it after all, so after the Aurors had completed obliviating the neighbors to think no one lived here, they had even thrown a for sale sign up in the yard. Arthur had conferred briefly with Dumbledore and then left to inform the appropriate muggle authorities of the matter and that it had already been hidden.
In the corner of the living room Vernon Dursley was lying covered with a sheet. Dudley and Petunia were in the kitchen, where McGonagall was trying to get her to take a Draught of Peace mixed in with her tea. Curiously as Minerva walked in, Harry thought he saw a flash of recognition on Petunia's face, but she had never met McGonagall before had she?
Looking around the living room, Harry took in Vernon's smashed, prized wide-screen TV, the china that lay broken on the floor from a tipped cabinet. After surveying the damage, Harry turned to Moody. Mad-Eye had stayed behind when the Aurors and the rest of the Order members had left. Glancing at Vernon, Harry asked in a voice soft enough to not be heard in the kitchen, "What happened Alastor?"
"Well lad, from descriptions that we got from the neighbors before we oblivated them, it looks like Bellatrix and Lucius were responsible for this. Vernon there has all the marks of one of her victims. A Kedavra Curse did the final deed, but we were able to detect a silencing charm and multiple usages of the Cruciatus Curse as well." Moody reported in a tone to match Harry's.
'Thanks Alastor, that's about what I figured," Harry replied tonelessly. Hermione squeezed his shoulder for comfort, mindlessly; he stuck a spare hand on top of hers.
With a thunderous CRACK, the room was much more crowded. It looked as if the second wave had arrived, as ten Death Eaters apparated into the house led by Antonin Dolohov. They had the drop on Harry and the others, most of whom had pocketed their wands. "Potter...I see that I didn't manage to kill your little mudblood bitch last time, I still remember you screaming, Oh wake up Hermione, Oh please wake up, oh don't be dead..." He trailed off to the laughter of his fellow Death Eaters. "We'll make sure that she enjoys our company this time though 'eh boys?" The remainder laughed even harder at Dolohov's taunts.
To their amazement however, Harry just smiled at them, and chuckled a bit, though there was no mirth in the sound. "Dolohov, you stupid git, you only showed up here with ten to seven odds." Meanwhile, unseen to Dolohov, Harry and Hermione who each had one of their arms around the other's waist, each grabbed the other's second wand.
"Looks like there are only six of you, you can't count either Potter?" Dolohov sneered to the accompaniment of fresh laughter from the Dark Minions accompanying him.
"Noo seven" A decidedly Scottish burr sounded from the kitchen. Dolohov turned in shock and...
"STUPEFY" Harry and Hermione, cried as one, four red bolts snapped out dropping four Death Eaters, two on each side of Dolohov. Even as the stunners were flying they were diving to the floor and away from each other, both of them lining up on Dolohov.
"Petrificus Totalus," Luna shot, ducking a red stunner bolt and the odds were suddenly shifted in the good guys favor, as her victim fell face forward into the shag. As she recovered from her crouch, a Death Eater lined up on her "Avada AHHHH" and his hand fell to the floor, spurting blood from Ron's severing charm. Ron closed the gap in one stride and chopped the Death Eater in the throat, dropping him to the floor.
"Protego" Dumbledore snapped. Three stunners hit his shield at the same time, and whined off together to blow chunks from the living room ceiling. With a wry smile, he responded with a bellowed "EXPELLIARMUS" that not only disarmed all three of the Death Eaters but also knocked each back into the walls, leaving three man-shaped dents. All three were out cold.
In the span of seconds, Dolohov stood alone in a ring of fallen Death Eaters, nine wands suddenly pointed at his heart. "Dolohov give up, you aren't going anywhere, I think Azkaban still has your cell waiting," Harry pronounced calmly, "At least one of your scum is dead," he added as he kicked at the handless Death Eater.
"No Potter, I can not say that I will...let us dual...one on one, the winner leaves. I assume that your comrades have enough honor to allow us that caveat." Dolohov responded; his eyes filled with a dark fire. "However let it be in the old way...steel on steel" He smiled darkly as he slowly pulled a long, black saber from beneath his cloak. Silence reigned in the room, Ron eased closer to Luna as Dolohov leaned on his sword negligently.
Glancing back at Dumbledore, Harry received a fractional nod, it was up to him, he trusted him to do what was best, but he knew that Harry needed closure. "Appero Sword" In an instant, the smooth sheath of the Sword of Gryffindor filled his hand, the sword in it, ready to be drawn.
Dolohov smiled manically, as his glare flickered over to Hermione. "Oh I forgot mudblood...your mother was soo much fun." He spat, and erupted in an almost giggle-like laugh that raised hackles on the necks of the onlookers.
With these words Hermione put her hand on Harry's shoulder once more and murmured, "Mine, love."
Are you sure?
YES, She almost shouted in her thoughts, her chocolate eyes growing dark. Harry met her eyes for a long moment, a entire conversation passing in an instant. With a solemn nod, Harry offered her the hilt of the sword over his arm, like a squire arming his knight. With a bleak smile, Hermione drew the sword from the sheath in a whisper of steel.
At this unexpected development, Dumbledore's eyebrows almost met his hairline, but he uttered no comment, only casting a muttered "ENVESCO." Instantly, all the furniture and bodies vanished, the Death Eaters into a pile in another room, Vernon into the upstairs bedroom. The living room was suddenly quite large and white without any furniture or knick-knacks; the only colors marring its pure whiteness were from the people in the room and the blood on the carpet from Ron's opponent. Harry silently motioned everyone back, though he did have to flash his eyes at Ron to get him to move.
Dolohov could not believe his luck, not only did Potter accept his challenge giving him a change to escape, but he had forfeited in favor of his bitch. This may almost work out even better than planned. This follow up was to just wound them some more, and maybe capture Potter, no one expected to actually get Dumbledore. When I kill Potter's whore however, that may destroy him even more effectively than a curse. He thought gleefully as he approached, raising his dark, curved sword. He chortled darkly as he got ready, his every manner radiating confidence.
Hermione on the other hand, just stood there in a ready position, breathing slowly and evenly, her face bereft of emotion. She glanced over at Harry and received a slow, knowing nod, in turn.
Dolohov hammered his sword hard and fast in a vertical strike at Hermione's head, when it connected it would cleave her in left and right haves, and end the duel instantly.
The attack never landed however. With a massive CLANK, Dolohov's strike met the Gryffindor Sword, which Hermione had snapped into a high block in the blink of an eye. His muscles straining, he tried to force her sword down, to no avail. Sweat suddenly stung his eyes, and a sudden, desperate thought filled his head, what the hell, this is just a girl, a little mudblood girl.
Hermione stood motionless holding the block; she showed no sign of strain at all, almost as if there was no sword to hold away from her head. With a soft DO IT, Mione in her thoughts, she looked up into Dolohov's eyes and smiled coldly, as cold as the space between the stars. With a flash of power, her eyes lit up a bright blue and...time stood still...she pushed up fractionally, freeing her sword and spinning to her left around his back...Hermione snapped the tip of the sword up his back, from his right kidney to his left shoulder opening his spine up in a spray of blood...and with a twist of her wrist, she flung the blade back to the right...time sped up again to normal. Dolohov took one tottering step and fell forward. His head fell free from his shoulders with the step and rolled into a corner of the room, which was now far from white.
With a gasp, Hermione's eyes faded to their normal chocolate color and she collapsed to her knees, the sword tumbling from her suddenly limp fingers. Heedless of the spreading red stain in the white shag, Harry dove to her side and threw his arms around her. She glanced over to her right and after noticing the body of Dolohov, laying there about a foot shorter than it started, she fell forward onto her hands dragging Harry with her and preceded to loose everything she had eaten for the last week.
After a minute or so of dry heaves, Harry squeezed her tighter, and whispered "You a'right love?"
"No...but I will be as long as you don't leave." She replied softly without looking up. Harry helped her to her feet and they walked over to Dumbledore hand in hand. With a meaningful glance over at Moody, she nodded towards Dolohov's corpse. "Send Riddle compliments from the Mudblood, and the Boy-Who-Lived...Harry lets go home." Harry snapped out his free hand and his sword flew to it. With that final action, her eyes and Harry's met, they flashed as one, and they disapparated with a CRACK that echoed in the room for almost a full minute afterwards.
"The message will be sent lass." Moody muttered to the puff of smoke hanging in the air.
McGonagall hurried over to Dumbledore, an odd expression plastered on her face. She glanced over at Ron and Luna, both of whom were looking around tiredly, only a little shocked at today's developments. In an undertone she questioned him, heatedly. "Albus, did they just disapparate back to Hogwarts? And how did the Death Eaters apparate in here?"
"Looks rather like it, or perhaps Grimmauld Place, but I assume that it is Hogwarts they went to." Dumbledore said with a shrug, seemingly unconcerned where they had gone. "And as to the other...the wards were based on Harry being protected in the home of his closest blood relative...when Vernon died, Petunia must not consider this home any longer.
"They shouldn't be able to do that." She whispered back, the shock in her eyes framed by her glasses.
"It appears that they did however, Minerva. Alastor, I believe that you have a duty. Minerva, have Ronald and Luna help you, and take the remaining Dursleys back to Hogwarts. Put them up in the guest quarters. I will be in my office if you need me." Dumbledore replied and disappeared without a sound.
"Ron, Luna as you are packing up, if you can find me a box that would be splendid. A hatbox would be perfect." Moody said with barely repressed glee, as he pulled a well-worn hip flask from inside his cloak, and took a deep draught.
***********************Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office******************
10:35pm
Hermione, Harry, Ron and the rest wearily left Dumbledore's office. The events of very recent history weighed heavily on their minds. The door closed behind the teenagers, which unknown to them, acted almost like a switch on their Head of House.
Minerva McGonagall whirled on Dumbledore, and fixed him with the same glare that had terrorized countless Hogwarts students over the generations. However as with later generations of that family tree, he had learned to deal with that look, he just sat back and contemplated his desktop, letting her have her say. "Albus," She growled, her burr thick in her anger, "what the hell was that today? You should have known it was a trap, hell I knew it was a trap, but no...I was the faithful assistant once again, and I went up and got them, and told them, I told Harry that he had to go back there, and that he should take the very people that he cares about more than life itself with him. And he did, why the fool boy trusts you, why he trusts any of us after how we sat and refused to tell him anything, that whole damn year except "stay here, learn Occlumency, don't ask questions you are too young."
She stopped and took a breath, gathering steam. Dumbledore frowned slightly at her speech but he didn't impede her as she continued. "Hermione took a head today, Albus, she dueled with a Death Eater, with a BLOODY SWORD! And Weasley killed that other one as well. You've made those kids killers, Albus." Her accusing glare reflected in her glasses as she crossed her arms.
Suddenly a sound like a cannon shot echoed off the walls of the ancient office, as Dumbledore's large hand slapped his desk. Minerva jumped at the sound but stared at him resolutely, not backing down. Dumbledore took a deep breath, and then in a flat tone of voice, "Tom made them killers, not I or not them." Gradually emotion started to bleed back into his voice as he went on, sadness and longing for a time past, and hopefully to come again. "Minerva, do you really think my heart doesn't break a little more, each time those kids are made to once again save our collective arses? That every time Harry, who I was forced lie to for six years, or sixteen rather depending on how you look at it, that I couldn't tell him that he was my only remaining grandchild. That I didn't cry that night he had to carry Cedric home, after he once again did the impossible. That whole year when I, not him was too afraid to even look at him, because I was afraid, of a mistake I made fifty or so years ago. When I didn't squash Riddle like a cockroach when I could, back when he was a mere student? "
McGonagall looked shocked at that last pained admission, she had known that Dumbledore was here at that time, but she hadn't realized that he had thought something odd even then. Pondering these thoughts, she listened at Dumbledore's monologue which he had continued unabated.
"Minerva, you asked if realized that I have made those kids killers, that as Hermione, herself accused me as she called me on another one of those mistakes, that I had made Harry, and by extension her and Ron and so many others weapons in my war with Voldemort. Do you want me to count the number those kids have had to kill, fine it's easy, each one is like a scar on my heart, The nine that Harry has killed, five or so with that sword you so ably mention. Or how about Hermione, the girl who like my grandson, lost her parents to poor decisions of mine, the girl if it where not for this damn war would probably be my granddaughter-in-law already, and would have a father to walk her down the aisle in the Great Hall, who has been forced to take five heads, so to speak, to use your colorful example. Or how about Ron, the joker of the bunch, he's just managed four or so."
"STOP IT DAMN IT ALBUS" Minerva cried, and he nodded mournfully.
Dumbledore nodded, softly, slowly, "I am sorry, Minerva, I have one hundred fifty or so years that I admit to, and this is my third war with a Dark Lord, I'm tired...Earlier, before we blew up at each other you asked what I was thinking sending them in there, and by definition I assume that you either are or soon will be questioning some of my decisions since Harry came back from that graveyard, in hindsight. The truth is we were loosing the last war against Voldemort, and the only thing that saved us all, was that James and Lily sacrificed themselves so Harry could produce his first miracle. When Harry defeated him, it gave us time, time that I almost squandered, and I did cause Sirius' death, at least in how it happened. We lost last time, because, from the beginning we were running scared, reacting to Voldemort's attacks and not taking his forces out, we were content to just defend ourselves. And this time, if I ever to give Harry back any of that childhood he lost, to give his children one at all, we have to take the fight to them when we can, we can't hide, we can't cower, we have to stomp out this evil. Maybe if we...I had fought harder last time, Harry, and Hermione and all the rest would still have parents, and children, and lovers and...."
A/N Here ya go. Next Chapter, the fallout from this one.