I still own nothing really.
The boulder is down the ramp
Chapter 41: The Pitch and the Question
Something has to go wrong, cause I'm feeling way too damn good, Nickelback
*******************Hallway outside of the Great Hall*******************
June 9, 2006
6:25pm
"Ron, have you seen Harry?" Hermoine sputtered, trying to catch her breath as she slid to a halt. "I've running all up and down this damn castle and I can't find him. He's even blocked his presence from me, the prat. We were supposed to go to the dinner this evening as it's the last before graduation and we need to get together with our speeches for Graduation tomorrow." The words tumbled out and she stood waiting for his answer, her foot unconsciously tapping in time with her accelerated heartbeat.
"Yeah" Ron replied slowly, unconcernedly, not looking up from where he was tying his trainers, "he's in one of those moods again, I think he went down to the Quiddich pitch to think like he does, I think he's depressed 'cause we're leaving soon."
Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed softly, "You would think he would know by know that I'd find him there." Hermione frowned at the thought of a depressed Harry, but it's not like they haven't shared depression this year either. She suddenly felt something brush against her ankle, absently she reached down and brushed it, but seeing nothing she stood up again impatiently.
"You would think so, wouldn't you..." Ron replied with a barely repressed grin, still concentrating on his shoes.
"Hell... If Dumbledore asks, tell him, his Head Girl is dragging his Head Boy out of a funk again." Hermione turned and sprinted off towards the main doors, and outside onto the grounds, her robes fluttering behind her.
"Sure, Hermione" Ron said to the air, standing fully and giving a silent thumbs up to Luna, who had just stepped out of the adjacent cloak room. With a sudden thought, Ron leered at her, why should Harry have all the fun tonight? "Just stay there dear." He growled lowly, to which Luna giggled brightly.
Glancing once towards where Hermione had ran off, I never thought I'd be setting her up like that a year ago, for a genius DAMN that girl can't see the signs at times... Ron threw his arms around his fiancée and they shared a laugh.
*******************Hogwarts, Quiddich Pitch***********************
6:30 pm
In the center ring of the gigantic Quiddich pitch, Harry sat alone, his knees drawn up into his chest. His head was down and the only features one could discern were a set of black robes inscribed with a rampant lion and messy black hair. He heard footsteps and then...
"Harry James Potter, where the hell have you been?" Hermione snarled, "I've been looking for you all over this castle, though I should have known you'd be here I guess." She went on peevishly, "Damn it Harry, I've...with what we've been through, with what we've shared... you could have come to me if you were down again, that is sort of my job." Hermione stared down at him, a glare building in the corner of her eye.
Harry was careful to keep his head down and his mind blank during this tirade to keep her from seeing the grin that threatened to take over his face or the thoughts that desperately wanted to spill forth. He knew the minute that he met her eyes, the charade would be over. I never could lie to her; I might have to work on that depending on the answer to this...
"I'm sorry Mione, its just hit me and I had to get away from everyone" Harry replied softly, making sure to keep his eyes averted. And get you away from everyone, including Ron, though he along with half the damn castle is in on this by now. Under the cover of his robes, his hand brushed the front pocket of his jeans, Aw hell lets just get on with this.
Suddenly Harry looked up straight into her eyes, which had snapped to his as she overheard his thoughts. His heart in his chest, he summoned the last vestiges of his Gryffindor courage, "Hermione, from the minute you repaired a poor, bedraggled kid's broken glasses all those years ago; you had my heart. You put up with me through trials and tribulations that no one in their sane mind should have to, just because you were my friend and later so much more. Hermione Jane Granger...I would be the happiest wizard in the world if you would be my wife." With this question, Harry raised his right hand palm upward, a gold and silver ring with a large center diamond flanked by a softly glowing ruby and a sapphire on either side was floating an inch or two above his open hand.
"Yes" she whispered, as tears suddenly fell from her chocolate eyes, which were wide with shock. Her heart was threatening to break out of her chest, while the wild thought, How the hell did he manage to hide this from his thoughts, the doof? Crossed her mind aimlessly.
"What did you say?" replied Harry quietly, with a grin that threatened to break his jaw. Though he knew damn well what she had replied, and damn well what she had just thought.
"I said YES, I'll be Mrs. Harry Potter" With this promise she fell to her knees in front of him and grabbing him by the hair, crushed his lips onto hers.
****Several minutes later*******
Hermione sat in Harry's lap with her head comfortably on his shoulder, an act which wasn't terrible hard as she was only an inch or so shorter than him. "I love you, Harry, even if you are a prat." They looked out over the placid lake, which was just visible though a gap in the stadium wall.
"You, too Mione" He replied, giving her shoulder a slight squeeze. Harry picked up their joined hands, kissed hers gently, and let their hands fall back on their shared lap.
"How the hell did you keep this from me?" Hermione muttered, her eyes shining for him. She sighed as she wiggled about to get a touch closer.
You mean how did I keep it from that noisy girl that's always in my head? Harry asked silently, laughter in his thoughts.
Yeah exactly, Hermione replied, likewise without words. Stretching, she turned and kissed him gently and settled back into his lap.
"Wasn't easy" Harry replied verbally now, in their normal mix of spoken and mental communication. A sudden, random thought crossed his mind and with a mischievous glance. "You know" he began, with the smile that hadn't left his face since she said yes, "We can save money, you know, since we only need one set of initials on the towels..."
"Harry!" As she punched him lightly in the arm, thankfully much softer than he knew from hard won experience, than she could throw a punch, "Honestly, who all was in on this?"
"Besides Ron?" Harry replied with a laugh.
She glared at him for a moment, before giving it up as a lost cause, "Yeah, I kinda figured Ron, since he sent me down here after you, oh by the way, I love the ring, it matches our birthstones and everything."
"Yeah" Harry replied, " although in my defense I already owned it, it's been sitting in Gringotts. It's my mum's, so don't loose it ok." At which Harry almost looked as if he could cry. Hermione silently kissed his cheek, and rubbed his back a bit. After a few seconds he went on. "Sirius evidentially had it safe in his vault, the side stones change color to the birth stones of the betrothed, as you can see, and like all wizarding rings, it automatically resizes, though it will only fit you."
"Oh Harry..." She replied a lump suddenly in her throat, first Lily's wand and now this...
"As to your original question, lets see... Besides Ron, Dumbledore and Lupin since they went with me to get the ring out, McGonagall, most of the rest of the Weasley herd, your old roommates, Crookshanks, Hedwig, Tonks, Moody, Hagrid..."
Hermione laughed happily, a sound that did his soul good; they both had had so little cause for that this year, "Should I just have asked who didn't know?"
"Well I don't think Snape or any of the Slytherins knew, but I will rectify that as soon as we go back in for the feast" Ducking her mock punch, "actually to be fair, only Ron and the familiars and the rest of the Gryffindors knew I was going to ask you tonight, though I wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore knew too."
Hermione smiled up at him indulgently, then as he watched he could see the wheels spinning behind her eyes. "Harry" She said softly in a slightly nervous tone. Harry's heart hiccupped at that tone, and he looked at her, but he was mollified by the expression on her face. He nodded for her to go on. "Love...you know we aren't exactly normal." He nodded again, as she kept speaking quietly in a suddenly serious tone. "This is forever Harry." She didn't sound scared at that pronouncement, but rather more like she was expressing an immutable fact.
"I already said it was Mione." Harry said in return, a little confused, and truth be told a little scared.
A fact that was immediate obvious to the girl in his lap, "oh Merlin Harry, I'm sorry, I don't want to back out." She spoke quickly, the words tumbling out in her haste to reassure him, "No on the contrary, seeing as we are who we are...the formal rite would probably be appropriate." Harry instantly knew what she was talking about, though as a muggle-raised wizard, no one had bothered to tell him about it, but he had seen it in reference to other things in History of Magic texts, as very few these days took that route, even the pureblood families did not perform that ritual, usually.
"Are you sure...you know what the price could be for that. Honestly Hermione...I would rather you not take the chance." He squeezed her tightly to forestall her protests, "But I know I couldn't go on anyway, if anything..."
"Me either" she whispered in response and Harry nodded, he knew she felt that way; he was in her mind after all. Hermione slipped off his lap and knelt in front of him, their eyes boring into each other's souls. Silently, Harry pulled his wand from its holster, and with his other hand he captured her hand. His eyes never leaving hers, he pulled the tip of it across her palm, blood welling up were it passed. He winced at the sudden pain in her eyes, but his mind read her continued determination. Flipping his wand to his left hand he repeated the pass on his own hand.
Dropping the wand to the grass he grabbed her right hand with his, their blood mingled and without a command from the other, both of them whispered an incantation that was old when Atlantis was still floating, though it hadn't been in English then. "Blood to blood, soul to soul, I bind my heart, my powers and my very life to my mate, for this life and for eternity." With the last word, their eyes flared with blue light, and a sheet of icy flames the same color as their eyes enveloped them. After a minute the flames died to reveal the bound pair still sitting, their hands clasped, still staring into each other's eyes. Hermione brought her left hand up to join their joined right ones and the ring so recently given was glowing brightly and pulsing in time to their joined heartbeats. Leaning together, their lips met, and if a peel of thunder erupted over the grounds or if birds took flight suddenly from the trees neither noticed. They knelt inches apart for several long moments, before Harry finally came to his senses and smiled over at her. With a slight groan he rose to his feet.
"Anyway" as he stood up and pulled her to her feet, "we should probably actually go to the pre-graduation feast as we are the Head Boy and Girl and you are the valedictorian."
"Only because of your first five years, love, you're ahead in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration now," Hermione replied seriously to which he just muttered in return, "I hate speeches anyway." The two started back towards the castle to share their news. As they ambled towards the exit to the pitch, "Harry, does anyone have a rat as a pet that you know of anymore, after Scabbers?" Hermione asked distractedly, as Harry leaned over to peck her on the cheek.
Harry shook his head absently, his thoughts still totally on his beautiful fiancée next to him. "No, between Crookshanks and all the other cats, and the two or three cat animagi they are pretty few and far between."
Hermione pointed with their joined hands. "Then what is that one doing over there with a weird collar?" A large, gray-brown rat, was sitting up on a stanchion, staring at them. It had its front paws folded under it as if it were hiding them for some reason. The rat was wearing an odd, worked leather collar, inset with an oddly glowing black stone.
Suddenly behind the two lovers many, many CRACKs, like a whole string of fireworks, echoed off the stands and a fierce pain erupted in their minds. Together they turned around.
"Oh Shit............"
***********************The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole*********************
Molly Weasley walked into the living room, a cup of tea with only a tiny splash of Ogden's for flavor in her hand. Over the last three years, Molly had lost weight, the constant stress of first working for the Order against Voldemort, and then despite all of her efforts, the events corresponding to the direct involvement by her entire family against the dark. It had been bad enough two years ago, when Arthur had come to her in the late evening to tell her that Ron and Ginny had gone with Harry to the Ministry on what they had thought was a mission to rescue Sirius, and had ended with his death.
A small part of her had blamed Harry, just for an instant, but then the mother in her had broken thorough. She loved Harry too much for her to stay mad at him for too long. She had even forgiven him for telling her bluntly that even though he considered her the mum he had never had, that if it came down to between her and Hermione, Hermione won.
Actually it was that conversation that occurred early one morning after she noticed that Hermione was missing from her room at Grimmauld, and therefore in his, that had totally convinced her of Harry's seriousness with regards to her.
Molly sat down in her favorite chair, and with a flick of her wand, summoned knitting needles and yarn from a large basket. She supervised as they started in on yet another jumper, this one a dark blue with an L woven into the front. It was a melancholy expression that crossed her face at the sight. This year had been both joyous and tragic for her family, she had lost a son to the fight, and though another act of brutality by Voldemort, gained a daughter. She had been glad, no that wasn't the right word, or rather it was, despite the tragedy of Hermione's parents deaths and honored when Hermione had instantly agreed to the adoption. The adoption had given Hermione the temporary guardianship she needed in the Muggle world, and more importantly had bound her though ties of magic and blood to the Weasley clan.
She looked around and as the needles kept knitting the jumper for a certain blond haired witch, she glanced at the clock. This was one of the oddest clocks in England, it did not tell the time, but it did tell the status of the entire Weasley clan ranging from home and safe to mortal peril, both native born, and with a tiny laugh as Molly considered it, the betrothed and married now. The clock was getting crowded, and as such the labeled hands had shrunk to get everyone on. Might want to look into a second clock to get everyone on at this rate. Molly thought wryly at the sight. The clock originally had started with just her and Arthur when they got married, then as each child was born, a hand had appeared.
And as one had died, disappeared. Molly poured a larger shot of Ogden's in her cup with the next refill at that thought, but she didn't cry. The clock had also gained hands this year, Hermione had appeared the instant she accepted the adoption by the Weasleys, and Fleur had appeared when she and Bill got married, a month later than planned. At Christmas, Luna's name had appeared, next to Ron's, and as she watched, a new hand faded into view with Harry's name. "YES" Molly screamed in the otherwise empty room, as the clock instantly recognized Hermione's acceptance of Harry's proposal. It was a little odd that the clock had waited until Bill actually married Fleur to add her, but both Ron and tonight Hermione's betrothed had appeared instantly. Molly raised her cup to the clock in silent salute to the clock and smiling, picked up a copy of the Quibbler from the coffee table.
Suddenly a KA-CHUNK echoed from the clock, and Molly glanced up thinking Arthur was on his way home, finally. They were going to the graduation of, three now, of their children tomorrow and he had gone to Diagon Alley to pick up presents for them. However this was not to be, as Molly watched, her stomach slowly changed to lead, as every hand on the clock except her own, started moving from their various locations; school, work, wherever, to settle finally on mortal peril. Her scream echoed over the yard, and the door crashed in as the Aurors guarding the Burrow ran in to see what was the matter. At their frantic question, she shakily pointed at the clock, and the faces of the Aurors turned white as freshly laundered sheets.
**************************Great Hall Hogwarts*****************************
Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts and perhaps the greatest wizard since Merlin walked the earth scanned the packed hall. As he gazed over the Gryffindor table he noticed the obvious absence of both his Head Boy and Head Girl. Catching the eye of their normal partner in crime he got a slight wink, which he returned with a satisfied nod. They are just like his parents. His lips broke into a wide smile under his beard, and he leaned over to his right and whispered behind a long fingered hand, "Minerva, it looks as if you may be getting another generation of Potters in a few years, looks as if the boy got up his nerve."
"About bloody time" the head of Gryffindor house replied in the same tone, "I guess we can survive another generation of Potters, though if they come with another herd of Weasleys, Merlin help us all."
"Well I suppose that's already set in stone," Dumbledore motioned slightly with his head towards Ron and Luna, who were busy snogging at the Gryffindor table, an act that any other night, would have brought their head of house down on them like the wrath of God, tonight she just smiled and continued her conversation.
What the hell, he's graduating tomorrow anyway, and he, Harry and Hermione will be on the way to the Auror academy...Of course they've, especially Harry and Hermione, have already had all the training and much more except the paperwork. McGonagall thought proudly, as she gazed on her students. "I'm just glad that Harry has that everyone he loves dies nonsense gone, " McGonagall muttered in a thoughtful tone.
"You can't blame the boy Minerva, this war has taken James, Lily and Sirius from him already. It took Hermione's parents and one of the Weasleys and its not over. Probably the only reason those two stayed apart as long as they did, not that they ever really were, was that fear, it's probably the reason he wasn't together with her all of last year, instead of just at the end. The bright hope is that they are even more powerful together than separate..." Dumbledore trailed off as he sensed something odd. Oh damn, another homing charm. His thoughts flashed back almost a year, to the day when all at once, the Weasleys had lost Percy, Hermione had lost her both of her parents and the headquarters of the Order had been attacked. A series of assaults that only failed in killing Harry and Hermione by the unleashing of their talents. Then even more rapidly, he felt a presence that he had not felt directly for many months and deep down had hoped never to feel again.
CRACK, the sound echoed throughout the hall. At least fifty masked figures stood with wands pointed at the students and Professors, though the great majority covered the Professors. The dark figure at their head strode briskly to the Professor's table and whipped off his mask.
"Albus, we meet again, and this time I seem to have the advantage." Lucius Malfoy laughed harshly. He waved around at his retinue of Death Eaters and they laughed too, a sound that sent a chill down one's spine. "And soon, if not already, my master will have killed your great hope, and his mudblood too. Unless he decides to keep her for a bit of sport." The last was delivered with a look in his eye that caused McGonagall, who was now standing next to Dumbledore to gasp. Dumbledore however cracked a wry smile as he looked down at Lucius from his golden chair.
"Think what you will Lucius" Dumbledore saw that Draco had come up behind his father, softly. The Death Eaters had let him pass unmolested, their mistake.
"Hello Father," Draco drawled, and with a sweep of his arm, he placed the tip of his wand behind Lucius' ear, "Grandfather says hello, STUPEFY." In a flash of red that lit up the hall, Lucius dropped like a sack of potatoes. The majority of the Death Eaters were dumbstruck, only to be struck by another feeling, that of unconsciousness. As the elder Malfoy fell, all of the Death Eaters had looked over at the spectacle, and a hundred wands were drawn behind them. A veritable wave of red crashed over the Death Eaters, and in the end none of those that had arrived uninvited still stood.
"Minerva, Flitwick, take care of things here" Dumbledore stood up and with his left hand grabbed a medallion carved with a Phoenix battling a snake. With his right hand he made a grand wave and muttered "Apparato protego dispurtus"
Among the crowd of students several felt medallions identical to Dumbledore's begin to vibrate and grow warm in their pockets. "Fawkes!" Dumbledore shouted, and a grand, red-plumed bird appeared in a column of fire and alighted on his shoulder. "Members of the Order to me." And with that half the Professors at the staff table and at least 10 students from each of the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables vanished in identical puffs of smoke, and a thunder of disapparation CRACKs.
Draco's old cronies stood and looked stunned, Pansy in particular, stared at him for a long, disbelieving moment. "YOU FUCKING BLOOD TRAITOR!" She screamed hoarsely, "ADAVA KEDAVRA," a bolt of green snapped just past his ear as he dove off the stage. The spell shot past him, barely missed McGonagall and blew a two foot chunk out of the stones making up the walls of the Great Hall.
Draco twisted in mid-air, "PETRIFCUS TOTALUS." Unlike Pansy he didn't miss. She crashed forward into a pile of mashed potatoes, and slid off the table to the floor. "You weren't that good, bitch," Draco yelled over to her paralyzed form.
As if Pansy's action and Draco's response had been a signal, his now former friends let out a storm of spells, firing anything and everything they could at the rest of the hall. Professor Flitwick went down at the head table from a wild stunner, and Professor Grubbly-Plank soon followed in a full body bind. McGonagall, moving much faster than her age should have allowed, and would have if she stopped and thought about it, dove behind Dumbledore's massive golden chair for cover, which was vibrating from the myriad spells hitting it.
Glancing around, she noticed, again, that Dumbledore had taken the best with him, understandable, but annoying, Thanks, Albus, I appreciate it, really. She muttered to her herself as she poked her head around the throne-like chair to return a stunner. To make manners worse, the sixth and seventh year Slytherins, who were most of the difficultly, were the closest to the professors' table, making this a wandfight across the span of a tabletop in places. Merlin, I hope that they don't remember to enervate the Death Eaters that are already out, damn you Albus. She griped to herself as she ducked back behind the chair to avoid another spell.
With a fresh CRACK, an additional Death Eater appeared, but unlike the ones before, the woman was unmasked. She was severe in figure and pale blond. Minerva thought instantly that she knew her from somewhere, with a shout from one of her students, she knew where from.
"MUM" Draco cried, catching sight of the newcomer. His wand spun to cover her, but it shook in his grasp. Narcissa Malfoy, however glanced over at him, and down at her husband, then back at her son, taking in the situation from Lucius' unconscious form, and the fact that Draco was with the good guys.
"TRAITOR" she cried in an eerily perfect impression of Pansy's earlier shout, then shot a blinding yellow curse at her son, which he ducked under to miss the majority of the Cruciatus curse's effects. Ducking down next to Lucius, she pointed her wand at the ceiling over the teacher's table. "REDUCTO" a huge explosion erupted, followed by chunks of stone and ceiling timbers falling over the teacher's table causing the professors taking cover there to scurry away before they were crushed, but that hadn't been her goal anyway, she had needed a distraction. With an odd circular motion of her wand, "ENERVERATE ARERUM" she revived the fallen Death Eaters including her husband. "Lucius, Draco, he...."
"Later, my love, we will deal with our former offspring later, for now...EATERS, cover and out" He waved forward then back at the door. The newly revived Death Eaters, put up a fusillade of fire forward, all the while retreating towards the doors, and out into the castle proper. Lucius Malfoy suited actions to words, and led the Death Eaters he had brought, his wife, and the Death Eaters among the Slytherins in a fighting retreat down the length of the Great Hall and out the doors. Along the way several Death Eaters were stunned once more, but not nearly enough. If Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the rest of the DA/Order were here, it would be a different story, but with the majority of them gone to fight, and at least half of the Professors gone or incapacitated, there was no chance of stopping them before they got away. As the last of the Death Eaters and their allies reached the exit doors, they paused and as one they pointed their wands upward. Repeating Narcissa's earlier performance, "REDUCTO" at least twenty voices cried as one.
The combined spells hit the ceiling over the center of the hall. With an explosion that compared to Narcissa's earlier efforts like the sun to a light bulb, the ceiling shattered. In hauntingly slow motion, huge stone chucks and massive timbers began to fall over the top of the massed students.
*****************Quiddich Pitch*******************
"Potter...and your mudblood too. So nice to see you both as you have both caused me so much trouble," A hooded man with faintly glowing red eyes, stated lowly. "Dumbledore has many defenses around this old place but as with anything there are chinks in the armor. The field that prevents apparition into this castle does so by preventing our kind from focusing on the target so in effect one cannot see to jump in or out. But with a beacon to guide us, such as was carried in by my minion here, we can find our way. It's ironic that Pettigrew here found that old collapsed passage while he was your father's friend. Oh well, I believe that the prophesy says that you will have to stand alone, and as much as I would like to take my time we are in a bit of a hurry." With that, Thomas Marvolo Riddle, Lord Voldemort, in one quick movement pulled a black wand from his robes, pointed it at Hermione and shouted, "AVADA KEDAVRA".
Time stood still, Harry's and Hermione's eyes met, a flash of light sparked in their eyes and the stones on the engagement ring glowed with a sudden, inner fire. Harry grabbed Hermione. "Protego Infentio Maxima" they snapped as one, Harry turning her from the curse, ever so slowly. A bubble of golden light surrounded them at the same instant the green bolt of the death curse reached the brown-haired girl, and in a flash of light they were both blasted though the air, to lay crumpled on the ground several yards away, both utterly unmoving.
"All too easy" the Dark Lord muttered and turned away.
A new set of CRACKs rang out in the stadium, and suddenly Dumbledore, and adult and student members of the Order of the Phoenix were aligned against the Death Eaters. The dark ones outnumbered the light almost ten to one and more than one student fingered his or her wand nervously, but not a one flinched as Voldemort cackled at their appearance.
"Too late Albus, your champion has fallen along with his mudblood lover, your cause is lost. If you surrender now I will be content with letting the Dementors have you instead of my followers." Voldemort's dark visage cracked a dark, sinister smile.
Dumbledore shook his head sadly, "Tom, you were one of my best students, perhaps, to my shame, my greatest student until those two came along, and still you don't truly understand."
"What old man? That you have lost?" Voldemort sneered as the hundreds of Death Eaters with him laughed thunderously.
Dumbledore gave him a mischievous smile, a twinkle in his eye, "No that the serpent should never go into the lion's den." As Dumbledore finished his mysterious statement, a wind started twirling around him, ruffling the robes of the bystanders, and his eyes began glowing a bright, shining white.
"Riddle!" An annoyed baritone came from behind him.
"No, it can't be" Lord Voldemort cried disbelievingly and turned slowly in an unconscious repeat of Harry and Hermione's reaction when he had appeared earlier.
As he turned he saw a sight that finally made his dark heart quiver in fear. Harry was standing and supporting a pale, but very much alive, Hermione Granger. Harry's usually messy hair was standing up and even the thick mass of Hermione's hair seemed to blow in a nonexistent wind. Both of their eyes, jade and amber, seemed to flash in time with each other in a bright, electric blue. Then as one the flashing stopped and their eyes glowed the constant, steady blue of their heritage, of their full powers. As Voldemort and the rest of the audience watched in shock, except Dumbledore who just smiled brightly, Hermione and Harry's appearance slowly changed, the paleness was gone, and in a moment, their torn clothes morphed into the battle gear of the Order and a pair of matching swords cropped up behind their shoulders.
"Bloody brilliant" whispered Ron, off to Dumbledore's side, as he continued to stare down a group of Death Eaters, who slowly started edging back.
"Tom, once again you underestimated that which you don't understand. Their combined powers and yes love were able to stop your curse. Now I would repeat your own offer to you, except we both know that Azkaban won't take you...Oh and I can feel your followers trying to jump out, and you see that just will not work, yes I dropped the wards to let mine in but I can just as easily bring them back up."
"You old fool you think that was my only plan, after all my friends make it much easier to knock down your accursed school." With a wave of Voldemort's hand, five dragons suddenly appeared over the lake. Their vast wings beating ever closer to the school, brief puffs of fire lighting up the sky as they came nearer.
As the members of the Order and Harry looked up, Voldemort ran for the school, trailed by at least two thirds of his Death Eaters.
A/N: Parts of the bonding were unconsciously inspired by Fenriswolf's Intervention, while other parts, Harry's proposal, has been written for the longest time. Thanks to Fenris for letting me borrow his idea. If you haven't read that, and are over 18...well actually you shouldn't be reading this if you are underage, but anyway...go read it. Next chapter a Forlorn Hope and a another major plot twist as obligations are stronger than....