Chapter 17 - Pluses and Minuses
Foul air wafted up from the knee-deep muck of the swamp that Harry and Hermione were slogging through. If not for their magical eyepieces they would have been nearly blind from the fumes, not to mention the starless night sky and the thick fog. Harry adjusted his black robes uncomfortably and tightened his grip on his wand when he felt a chill run through him.
"We're getting close," Hermione said.
"I hope this works," Harry said warily.
"If it doesn't we'll just apparate away," Hermione replied unconcernedly.
"We'll have tipped our hand though," Harry said, not for the first time.
"At worst they'll know that they can't face us anymore safely. You know its worth the risk or you wouldn't have agreed to try this," Hermione replied.
"Just keeping you on your toes," Harry said innocently.
The half-submerged trees that dotted the swamp gave way to a rather expansive clearing. The two teens walked forward cautiously toward the center and knew they were getting close to their target. Sure enough, a dozen ghastly forms in tattered robes erupted from the other side of the clearing and glided toward them with obvious malice.
The preparations for the planned attack on Riddle Manor had escalated to a tempo that could nearly be described as desperate. The twins had been especially busy trying to get supplies from the tight markets. They had needed everything from dragon hide clothing to extra wands, items that were all increasingly scarce. When Harry saw the lists he was amazed at just how high the attrition rate on their equipment had been over the months.
Meanwhile, Hermione had continued to spearhead the research on dementors while Harry tried to make as many potions as he could with the ingredients they had left on hand. They were here now because Hermione had come up with a clever scheme to replace Snape's services as a double agent and because she had also managed to complete the spell to kill dementors…she thought.
"We have come for parlay," Hermione yelled as the dementors bore down on their position. The swamp was freezing solid as they approached and the bad memories were becoming harder to keep down even with Harry's strong mental control.
"Harry," Hermione said curtly to signal the attack. They pointed their wands at the oncoming rush of dementors and cast a bright white spell with a tint of bluish haze around its fringe. The two dementors that were caught within the beams erupted into uncontrollable spasms. The creatures howled in pain as they were enveloped and their darkness quickly dissolved into nothingness by the spells. Harry released a breath he didn't know he had been holding in relief at their success.
The remaining dementors froze in place instantly, but when Hermione tried to talk to them they still refused to respond. She was about ready to kill another one out of frustration when two more dementors floated toward them. Harry pointed his wand at them in anticipation of some kind of trick.
"We grant parlay," one of the newly arrived dementors hissed in an eerily ethereal voice.
"We have developed a spell capable of destroying you," Hermione said in a commanding tone. "Your kind has been responsible for countless atrocities…"
"We are responsible for nothing," the dementor interrupted. "We merely do what is natural to us, but
we always obey the authority of the stewards. They have always sanctioned our behavior since the beginning of our
existence."
"The Ministry hasn't authorized your attacks on muggles and random feeding on innocent people," Harry retorted hotly.
"The Ministry is no longer the steward, only the strongest can command us, or if we are the strongest then we command ourselves," the dementor replied.
"It must be some kind of dementor thing," Hermione said, her confusion apparent.
"They obey the strongest magical faction? What kind of logic is that?" Harry asked rhetorically.
"Now you will obey us," Hermione said finally. "Or we will destroy your kind completely."
"You are not the strongest faction," the dementor said calmly, "only the most dangerous. We should not allow you to leave this place alive."
"As if you could kill us," Harry said haughtily. The dementors, which were clearly unconcerned by Harry's show of confidence, began to move again.
"Killing us would only multiply your danger," Hermione said quickly. Her wand tip glowed brightly, but before she was forced to use the spell the dementors stopped again.
"Explain," the lead dementor demanded.
"Right now only we two know the spell to kill your kind, but if we do not return we have ensured that the rest of the wizarding world will be made aware of the technique. You will be hunted down and destroyed." Hermione warned. For a moment Hermione didn't think it had worked, but then the dementors all dropped down in a graceful kneel.
"We renounce the previous ties as is our custom," the intoned. "And now stand ready to serve the Masters of Undoing, Lord and Lady Potter."
Harry's jaw dropped and he started to tell them that they weren't married yet when Hermione's elbow dug into his ribs. "Take a victory when you can get one," she said. "Besides, with any luck it'll be true soon enough."
Harry gave her a broad smile, which she returned before addressing the dementors again. "For now you will continue on in Voldemort's service as spies. All his activities will be reported to us, including the locations of his bases. You will do nothing to raise his suspicions about your true loyalties."
"We hear and obey," the dementor said. "However, we cannot tell the location of the Dark Lord's bases because of the enchantments he has erected against us or against all sentient beings."
"I suspected as much," Hermione replied. "What else can you tell us?"
"The Dark Lord has forged alliances with the Red Mountain giant clan, groups of disaffected werewolves, and is still in negotiation with various other groups of vampires, trolls, and shaman from the eastern empire. We are not permitted to attend such functions."
"Understandable," Harry muttered. "One other thing, you will refrain from using the kiss. Is that clear?"
The dementors seemed to grumble a great deal at that, but they nodded that they would do so. Harry and Hermione spent another hour hammering out the fine details of their agreement until they were satisfied that the dementors would do their jobs well.
"Do you think they suspected?" Harry asked as they watched the dementors glide away.
"It doesn't matter if they did," Hermione said. "They have no choice."
"They are sentient though. Is it really right to double cross them like this?" Harry asked sheepishly.
"They're dementors," Hermione huffed. She was one of the biggest supports of sentient rights, but with dementors the line had to be drawn. "Look Harry, you know it's got to end like this. They're a danger to the entire world. As soon as we defeat Voldemort we've got to destroy them all while we still can. Who knows if there may not be some way for them to eventually overcome the spell."
"Yeah," Harry agreed, though he still found it somewhat distasteful. "I know you're right. We can't afford to take the risk."
Moments later they were both back at Grimmauld Place. Harry sometimes marveled at how he managed to get around before he knew how to apparate. Hermione immediately went to check on one of the few potions that she was doing herself.
"I watched it just like you said," Molly told her. Even though Snape's notes had indicated that it would be okay to leave it alone Hermione had still enlisted the aid of the matronly Weasley.
"Thanks," Hermione said warmly. "I didn't expect anything to happen, but if this batch fails we'll be seriously set back."
"How much longer until its finished?" Harry asked.
"It should already be partially finished," Hermione replied. "According to the notes the finished potion will float to the surface like oil floats on water."
Harry looked into the nearly full cauldron and noticed that there was a thin layer of clear liquid on top of a thicker layer of greenish goo. Hermione attached a pan to the cauldron brim and prepared to harvest the small amount that had completed.
"Help me tip this over just a little," she said. "We only want to pour off the clear potion."
Harry still had his armor activated so it wasn't difficult to steady the ponderous bulk of the cauldron while Hermione focused on the actual pouring. When she was finished she divided the liquid up into the proper dosage.
"Only two?" Harry asked.
"I saved two for myself," Hermione replied. "It takes a long time to purify like this. We don't have the special materials we need to make a distillery."
"I guess it will have to be enough. How long will it last?" Harry asked. With all kinds of rare materials in short supply due to the war they were lucky to be able to make the potion at all.
"As near as I can tell the potion should nearly double our natural powers and then begin to drain away slowly. Of course as we cast spells it will drain even more quickly, so the short answer is that the more magic you do the shorter the duration will be." Hermione explained. Harry again marveled at her uncanny mastery of all things magical. Even though Harry had become more powerful in terms of raw magical ability and he had become wise in his own right about the lore of magic he realized that Hermione's ever increasing knowledge easily dwarfed his.
"Bill told me to tellz you zat everone from `Ogwarts, haz arrived," a familiar voice came from the door.
"Fluer," Molly said warmly.
"Dad and Harp aren't coming," another voice broke in. Fred and George had appeared behind their older brother's fiancé.
"The Ministry is keeping all the aurors at London Headquarters right now and for some reason Dad got caught up in it too," Fred explained.
"Figures," Molly muttered. "Keep poor Arthur in that awful department for all those years but at the first sign of trouble the Minister practically chains himself to him."
"Uh," Harry said, perplexed. "Okay, tell them we'll be there in just a second."
"Here Harry, take half of these," Hermione said as she shoved a long box filled with wands toward him. They wouldn't work as well as their own wands though, but they would be better than nothing. "I expect my wand back in one piece you know." She added jokingly.
Harry nodded wanly and gave her a small smile. Everyone who was preparing to engage in the coming offensive had been given two additional wands. A favorite tactic of most wizards involved stripping the opponent of their wand whenever possible. With extra wands it was hoped that their forces would not be caught off guard. Beyond that they had instructed the twins to issue all the remaining potions, armor, dragon hide, and other supplies that were left.
As they walked into the meeting Harry quietly observed all their friends and supporters who had gathered in Grimmauld Place's main parlor looking grim, but determined. Nearly all of the Weasley family was present of course along with Luna and her father. There were also several of the remaining wizards who had volunteered due to the twin's recruiting efforts. Despite all of the leaks in their security over the months a few of these were still wrapped in their concealing garb as a testament to the fact that a few Light Bearers had managed to keep their secret identities, even from each other.
Almost the entire staff from Hogwarts and what remained of the old Order lined the senior most positions at the table. Headmaster Dumbledore was standing in a grandfatherly pose with Fawkes sitting on his shoulder. Even Snape had managed to drag himself to the meeting with the aid of an unwieldy looking cane.
"Some of you are aware of what's going on here, but some of you are not so we'll begin at the beginning so to speak," Hermione said.
"We have managed to secure invaluable intelligence on the location of Riddle Manor at long last thanks to the efforts of Professor Snape and so the time to strike is now," Harry said with a business like tone.
Hermione conjured a diagram of the region around the tunnel that Snape's memories had revealed and their estimates on where important locations probably were. "As you can see this tunnel acts as an emergency escape route into the heart of Voldemort's operation. Harry and I will use it to gain access to the wards protecting the area so that they can be disabled. We will then call the rest of you in what we hope will be an effective final attack on Voldemort."
"Won't they feel the wards going down?" Dumbledore asked. Anti-apparation spells usually were accompanied by a heavy wet feeling either lifting or settling as a ward came into play.
"We will set up our own anti-apparation wards to prevent that ahead of time," Hermione explained. "Then if we need to apparate out we can quickly demolish them."
"What about guards in the tunnels?" another person asked. "Wouldn't we stand a better chance with an all out attack?"
"There shouldn't be any guards in the tunnel," Harry said. "There were none in Snape's memory and we believe that the tunnel is for Voldemort's use only. A secret escape in case something goes wrong with no Death Eaters aware of it to compromise its existence should they be captured."
"Despite that," Hermione added. "This is still going to be a risky operation, especially with Harry, our only indispensable asset, leading the attack. Headmaster Dumbledore cannot come in the initial stages of the attack because it is possible that Hogwarts is being watched. Even a short absence now, on his part, is risky because without him the school is seriously vulnerable to attack. Once the focus of the Death Eaters is shifted to their base it will enable him to safely leave the school and join the attack, but until then we can't risk having Voldemort leave Riddle Manor to attack Hogwarts and escape our assault."
"Unfortunately, there is no one else qualified for this other than Harry and Hermione," Dumbledore said in agreement.
"If that horrible man is so eager to attack Hogwarts then why not just lure him there and ambush him?" Molly asked quietly.
"Another reason that we have to make sure that we can hit Voldemort in his stronghold is that, ironically, he is most vulnerable there. If we were to lure him to Hogwarts then he would undoubtedly come with the bulk of his forces with his guard up to expect a trap." Hermione said explicitly. "We currently don't stand a chance against him in open combat with all his forces, even at a place like Hogwarts."
"That's another reason why we're doing this now," Harry said. "These last few weeks of attacks combined with several people quitting has conspired to weaken us, as I'm sure you're all aware. If Voldemort realizes our weakness he will come for us and then the battle will be on his terms instead of ours."
"This isn't a trend that can be stopped in the long term," Hermione added quickly as several people began to swell up with indignation at the characterization of the Light Bearers as weakening. "Already Voldemort is calling together more allies from all across the globe. Shaman warriors from the Far East, various groups of vampires, and who knows what else."
"It is true," Dumbledore said to stave off another round of dissent that threatened to break out. "Especially in the case of the vampire houses. Vampires know that they are no match in single combat with even an average wizard. Conjured wooden stakes, enchanted flames, and cutting curses quickly rob them of their prized immortality. Against a wizard such as Harry they would succeed in incurring mass casualties for their kind at best and at worst end up on the losing side of a war to be hunted down by the victors. However, if they believe victory is assured to Voldemort then they would be much easier to entice."
"Finally," Harry said anxiously, "We have one final trump card to play. Thanks to Hermione's brilliance and hard work we have managed to recruit one final ally. The dementors have joined us."
Pandemonium erupted from all corners of the room, as people yelled out questions in disbelief except for the few whom were already aware of what had happened. Hermione made a slight tutting noise at the typical over reaction of wizards who were still too enthralled with their own dogmatic beliefs. Most of them didn't know anything about dementors other than their evil attributes and accordingly didn't believe that they could be controlled despite the Ministry's long history of making deals with them. Of course she had to admit that one could make a reasonable argument against the wisdom of any agreement with them.
"Why would the dementors join you?" one of the masked wizards spat out once the room had more or less regained its civility.
"They joined us because we now have a way to kill them," Hermione said stiffly. "In exchange for their continued existence they help us against Voldemort."
"Basically, they surrendered to us," Harry said helpfully. "I know everyone is suspicious of dementors, and with good cause, but their help could be invaluable. In any event, they represent a formidable and expendable warrior group that even has the potential to destroy Voldemort with their kiss should I fail."
"Admittedly it isn't a good contingency," Hermione said before the arguing could start up again at the notion of being saved by dementors.
"All right, if that's all settled we need to hand out the final command structure and small unit organization," Ron said as he stepped forward. "We're reforming our "champion killer" squad that was so effectively led by Neville until the tragedy at Hogsmeade. Professor Dumbledore will be its new commander, but operational command will remain with the Light Bearer structure, namely myself, Luna, and then Professor Dumbledore."
Some of the old Order members still looked rather indignant at such an arrangement, but Snape strangely nodded his approval. The best witches and wizards left in the Light Bearers migrated over to Dumbledore to prepare coordination with him. Ron proceeded to hand out the squad level commands and restructure their composition. No longer did they need someone who could perform a patronus on each squad since the dementors were on their side.
"We don't know how long this will take," Harry said after all the arrangements had more or less been completed. "It could be a matter of several hours or even longer depending on what we run up against."
"I will be returning to Hogwarts," Dumbledore announced. "I suggest most of you return with me. Portkeys will be standing by to take us outside the anti-apparation wards when the signal to join the attack comes."
"Many Hogwarts students are going to be joining us in this effort," Ron added. "We have been training them as much as possible for over a year, but they have almost no real experience except the ones that survived Hogsmeade. Our regular fighters should be ready to give some last minute tips. It isn't much, but it's the best we can do."
Harry and Hermione lingered for a moment to gather their power for the ordeal ahead. Dumbledore and most of the gathered wizards portkeyed away to Hogwarts, but the Weasleys and Luna stayed behind to see them off. Their eyes burned brightly with their full powers an instant before they vanished away to what was hopefully a safe location near Voldemort's secret tunnel.
Harry looked through the washed out form of Hermione as their invisibility charms took effect. The location was surprisingly warm, green, and cheery considering that the place supposedly contained an entrance to the lair of the vilest wizard in generations.
"I don't see anything," Harry said. He scoured the landscape with his red tinted eyepiece for good measure, but it revealed nothing as well.
"I really don't think there will be any guards," Hermione said reassuringly. They jogged out of the cover they had appeared behind and retraced Snape's memories until they found the entrance to the tunnel network. Harry's eyepiece could see through its conventional camouflage for enough distance to know they weren't walking into a trap. At least not an immediate obvious trap, but he still feared a trap they couldn't see.
Hermione cast a charm that forced the hidden entrance to open and quickly descended. Harry followed closely on her heels into the surprisingly large passageway. It was much more impressive than it had appeared in Snape's memory. The walls were covered with some kind of design he didn't recognize.
They made their way slowly down the hall as they searched for the wards. They had a good idea that they were somewhere close by because most wards created their effect in a circular pattern with the ward at the center of the circle. There were numerous small alcoves and rooms that were mostly bare, though some contained strange looking furniture.
Harry sniffed the ancient earthy scent of the passage. "Is it just me, or does this seem a bit elaborate for an escape tunnel?" Harry asked Hermione as they investigated yet another side room.
"Voldemort probably just wanted to make it as difficult as possible to find anything like wards or even the entrance to the main mansion in the event that someone like us managed to find this place," Hermione reasoned.
As they went deeper into the tunnel system they stopped creeping along the walls, though they did maintain their invisibility charms. The place seemed to be well and truly deserted after all.
"I wonder where the light is coming from?" Hermione asked suddenly. Harry realized that he had completely overlooked the fact that the entire tunnel was bathed in a dim glow even though there was no visible light source. It was like a moonlit night without the moon.
"I don't know. I've never seen a spell that could do something like this," Harry said.
"Me either," Hermione replied. That worried Harry a little. Voldemort might be a brilliant wizard and all, but he didn't seem like the type to invent mundane utilitarian spells. Maybe he discovered it by accident when working on something else or perhaps a Death Eater created it. Harry shoved his pondering to the side and concentrated on the matter at hand. Unimportant mysteries such as that could wait.
"Harry, over here! I think this could be it," Hermione said.
Harry hurried over to where she was standing in front of a trapezoidal shaped doorway. They gingerly stepped into the room, which was made out of gleaming white surfaces and brightly lit with the same ambient light. There was a narrow band of writing that circumscribed the entire room, which also appeared to be trapezoidal in shape. In the center of the room was a pedestal, while from the ceiling a long thin beam extended down like a giant spiky stalactite.
"There aren't any wards here," Harry said softly.
"Look at this writing Harry," Hermione whispered back eagerly. "It's some kind of runic dialect. I think I can read some of it."
"We should get out of here," Harry said, suddenly overcome by a sense of dread.
"Fine-" Hermione cut off with a squeak of terror. "Harry, where's the door?"
Harry felt sick as he turned around looking for the door. He remembered the flash of bright white light they saw in Snape's memory. "Hermione, see if the text says anything, maybe it tells how to open the door."
"It says, "We are" then I can't read this word, then "to give up," no, wait," Hermione stuttered as she tried to translate. Harry began examining the part of the room where he believed they had entered at, but if a door existed it was seamless. He walked slowly around the room searching for any indication of a door or a way to open one, but found nothing.
"Something about defense," Hermione said. "Conquer…travails…time!"
"Huh?" Harry asked, confused.
"Harry, there's an equation here, it increases geometrically and then there's some key that says one equals seven hundred thousand," Hermione said, trailing off at the end and paling considerably.
"This room conquers time Harry," Hermione wailed as she continued to read. "One day is equivalent to over two thousand years in this room. We have to get out of here before its too late."
"Get over here," Harry said roughly as the implications hit him. "Avada Kedavra"
Green light impacted against the wall, but instead of blowing a hole in it the light turned to liquid and rippled off across the white surface before being absorbed.
"Together," Hermione yelled. Like a muggle air lock the time chamber needed to change the passage of time gradually between the inside and outside of the room. "We've only got a few minutes before the spell slows down time in here too much."
Two beams of green light slammed into the wall, but again the white surface seemed to simply absorb it. Still, Harry though that the wall was having a more difficult time in handling so much destructive energy.
"Try something besides Avada Kedavra," Hermione suggested frantically. Harry's wand glowed with a black aura as he charged up an immense negative lightening attack. The deadly energies scorched the pure white surface of the wall, but then even the scorch marks sank into the surface. It was like the wall was actually a bottomless pit with unlimited potential to absorb attacks.
"What is this place?" Harry asked again in a hollow voice.
A silvery messenger charm passed through the wall and began circling over their heads. Harry and Hermione both felt desperation rise as a second, then a third joined it. Suddenly a flood of messenger charms poured into the room…
"They've been gone too long!" McGonagall said loudly. She, along with other senior Light Bearers were all in the Hogwarts' headquarters for the group trying to come to terms with what seemed to be the derailment of their attack strategy.
"What do you want me to do about it?" Ron asked her crossly. They had sent a lot of people home or at least to hastily erected cots so they wouldn't wear themselves out waiting for a signal that so far had not been forthcoming. Ron wished, and not for the first time, that the emblems could do more than give vague apparation commands.
"We have to send someone after them," McGonagall said in a slightly more composed tone.
"Yeah, then we blow their cover, assuming of course we can even find where they went, and we mess the whole thing up." Ron replied. He glowered slightly at the boisterous transfiguration professor. McGonagall, who was normally very composed, had vacillated between anxiety, anger, and restlessness as the hours of waiting stretched into days. "Look, I don't like this anymore than you, but we sent a messenger charm, which was risky enough, and we know they're both still alive because of the emblems."
"Alive and captured maybe, for all we know," McGonagall retorted.
"If they were captured then why is Hermione still alive?" Ron asked. "She's way too dangerous to keep alive and also utterly useless to, uh, Him, so that means they're probably fine. I'm sure it's something else, like difficulty finding the wards or something."
"For two days?" McGonagall asked, clearly dismayed with her inability to make any headway with someone who should still be her student. She had been very open minded about Harry and Hermione's stealthy ascension to power, but secretly she wasn't sure about all the friends they seemed to have pulled along with them. Still, McGonagall had to admit that Ron had successfully led several operations, including Hogsmeade, and had planned literally dozens more. If only by harsh experience the boy with a natural penchant for strategy had turned into a formidable guerrilla warrior.
"I'm afraid I must concur with Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore interrupted. He let out a heavy sigh. "Unless you can come up with a better course of action other than compromising their location I can't see how-"
At that moment a wheezing limping Filtch burst through the door, "Headmaster, come quick, there's a dementor at the gates."
Ron and McGonagall had to run to catch up with the swift graceful pace of Dumbledore as he swished down the hall toward the main entrance to the castle. Ron was continually amazed how someone as frail and elderly as Dumbledore could move like a teenager, regardless of how magical genes lengthened a person's natural vitality.
The heavy gates that guarded Hogwarts' main entrance were covered in ice as a consequence of the proximity of the dementor. Dumbledore merely waved his hand and his connection with the school caused them to swing inward. Ron caught sight of his face as he beheld the dementor and saw fierce disgust radiating from the usually placid Headmaster.
"You serve the Masters of Undoing?" the dementor hissed frighteningly. It had stayed back a sufficient distance so that the dreadful aura put off by its darkness didn't affect the three humans beyond their ability to cope with the bad feelings that threatened to bubble up.
"Harry leads us," Dumbledore replied simply.
"Very well human," the dementor hissed back, sneering, if indeed a dementor can sneer. "We honor our bargain with information. The one you know as the Dark Lord Voldemort is calling all his allies to himself and preparing to strike this place as soon as the full moon rises."
"That's tonight!" Ron exclaimed. "That's bloody well three hours from now!"
"The Dark Lord also sends a portion of his allies to strike at the seat of England's magical government," the dementor continued, unconcerned with Ron's outburst.
"Can you help us?" Dumbledore asked, though his voice sounded as if the words nearly strangled him.
"We honor our bargain with aid once the battle is joined," the dementor replied. "It matters not, by this time tomorrow we will serve the strongest faction once more."
"Do you know where your, uh, masters are?" McGonagall asked hesitantly. Dumbledore's eyes flashed at her, but he didn't say anything. The dementor bristled noticeably.
"Masters do not keep us informed of their greater plan," it replied shortly. "I have no more relevant information."
Dumbledore said nothing, but watched carefully as the dementor glided away toward the forest and finally left their view when it melted into the shadows. He waved his hand again and the great doors closed. Additional locks and fortifications began to initiate as the Headmaster secured the school to its maximum ability to defend. A great steel colored gate covered in sharp spikes descended to cover the wooden doors that usually served as barriers by themselves.
"Will that really help?" Ron asked, slightly impressed by the display.
"It will somewhat," Dumbledore replied. "The castle itself will fight with me and with Professor McGonagall should I be overcome."
"Let us not talk of such dreadful things Albus," McGonagall said softly.
"Quite right," Dumbledore agreed. "Ronald, I believe it is time to summon everyone here. If Hogwarts is to fall let us at least bloody Voldemort's nose in the process. We will never again fight in a more defendable position."
"I'm not so sure of that," Ron replied idly.
"Even that thing, Middle Yard, cannot fight as well as Hogwarts," Dumbledore said proudly. "The Founders were marvelous individuals. Their knowledge of magic was as broad and deep as their power was great. No enemy has ever assailed the defended walls of Hogwarts and succeeded."
Lightening cracked through the air and in the distance dark storm clouds gathered. The wind began to pick up as well and in the process it began to howl eerily. Ron felt his skin crawl and as they walked back through the castle he noticed that there wasn't a single ghost to be seen. Even Peeves, who normally stirred ruckus at any hour, was strangely absent.
"Albus," McGonagall said worriedly, "Is…He…doing this?"
"Altering the weather is a power wizards may possess, but only by greatly taxing their powers, never as an ambient effect." Dumbledore replied slowly, "Even his power is not that great. I'm sure this is…coincidence."
Ron nodded, but he didn't feel reassured. The wind was definitely screaming now in a very unnatural way. The storm clouds were not moving at all, just growing larger at a slow inexorable pace.
"Ronald!" Luna's voice came from behind him as he rounded the hall. He didn't even get entirely turned around when he found himself engulfed by a mass of blonde hair.
"Luna, what is it?" Ron asked.
"Something's wrong," Luna said. She looked up at Ron with large, slightly wet blue eyes. "It feels wrong, just like, just like…"
"Like what?" Ron asked gently.
"Like when Mum died," Luna replied with a sniff. "I felt like this all day. Just a few minutes ago its like it all came rushing back."
"There was a dementor here," Ron said soothingly. "Maybe its effects transferred through to you somehow."
"No," Luna said vehemently. "I've felt like this once before, at Hogsmeade. I didn't say anything because I thought it was just some kind of horrible reminiscing, but now I don't think so anymore. I'm scared for you Ron."
Ron began to feel afraid too. He had never seen Luna so serious or worried before. The knowledge that…He…was getting ready to attack seemed to give weight to Luna's concerns in a way that he usual quirky theories were never validated. Luna seemed to sense that Ron knew something more.
"What is it Ron," she asked shakily. Suddenly she seemed to become aware of something he had just said. "What were you talking about a dementor for?"
"It came to warn us," Ron said. "You-Know-Who is getting ready to attack us head on. He's gathering his followers and according to the dementor he'll be here in three hours or so."
Luna gasped as her hand flew to her mouth. "What about Harry and Hermione?" she asked, her resolve instantly stiffening.
"No word yet," Ron replied.
Luna whipped out her wand and sent a silvery bird fluttering away.
"Luna!" Ron exclaimed. "What did you do?"
"Silly," Luna said, "I sent them a message to let them know what's going on."
"But what if Who-Know-Who intercepts it?" Ron sputtered.
"He's already gathering for his attack right?" Luna reasoned. "He's probably already left his base. Anyway we've got to try; they need to know that their attack has already failed. Time to try something else."
"Now where are you going," Ron asked as Luna began to move again.
"Professor Dumbledore sealed the castle didn't he?" Luna said.
"Yeah," Ron replied slowly.
"Well, then we've got to start moving all the young children down into the dungeons," Luna replied as if it were obvious.
"Because…" Ron said suggestively.
"They can't fight, the dungeons are the safest place in the castle. They're below and to the center. Oh I wish Harry were here, we could put them in the Chamber of Secrets," Luna said.
"Wait, Luna that's brilliant," Ron said excitedly.
"You can speak parseltongue?" Luna asked, lapsing back into her normal vacant expression.
"No, but we don't actually have to get them in the chamber," Ron explained. "There's a whole network of piping down there that leads to the Chamber. It'll be much better than leaving them up here and it is a natural choke point. Easily defendable."
Ron and Luna stormed through the Castle gathering up the students who were old enough to fight first. They then had those students disperse and gather all the younger children so they could be taken to the entrance to the Chamber.
"I must say, well done," McGonagall said as she watched the students jumping down one at a time through the shattered remains of the washbasins that had hidden the first entrance to the Chamber. Many of the other professors, especially the ones who were not particularly adept at combat, had already taken shelter there too as a last ditch protection for the children.
"I suggest you pick up the pace," Snape growled from the doorway. "The moon should be rising any minute now and the storm has gotten worse."
"Too bad the werewolves don't actually need to see the moon to transform," Ron said idly.
Snape looked like he wanted to retort badly but instead he settled for a simple nod before limping off. As the last child fell through the opening Ron wrapped an arm protectively around Luna's thin form. Now all they could do was wait for the inevitable.
-->