Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it belongs to JK Rowling, etc etc.
Authors Note: Another small chapter. Sorry guys, but this chapter and the previous chapter should have been one chapter, but because I wanted to get something up yesterday I ended up splitting it into two. So here's the second part. Thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoy.
The Death Eaters flooded onto the Hogwarts Express, wreaking havoc and chaos. In the first five minutes they injured many and killed some. Neville and Ginny quickly saw what was happening and did their best to follow Harry's orders. They gathered together as many people as they could from their section of train and rushed them into the woods. They could only hope the rest of the student body would be smart enough to take refuge in the dense trees surrounding the train.
As Ginny led their fellow students into the trees, Neville took up the rear, making sure nobody got left behind. It was quite a hassle to get everyone moving in the first place, as most of the student seemed to be first years, so Neville wanted to make sure they didn't loose anyone along the way. It certainly didn't help that they seemed to be Muggleborn first years, who unfortunately had no idea what was going on. It wasn't exactly encouraging that their first experience in the wizarding world was one in which they would almost certainly die.
"Come on Harry," Neville muttered, casting a glance over his shoulder to see if they where being followed. Luckily, they seemed to have got away without being noticed.
Neville turned his attention to his surroundings. High above him, the trees loomed, their branches reaching out in a wide circumference, almost completely blocking out light. It certainly wasn't a comfort as they fled into the darkness, but it was their only option. Hopefully the dark would inhibit the Death Eaters as much as it would them.
Neville almost walked straight into the back of a tiny student, most likely one of the first years. He managed to stop himself at the last second, raising his head to stare over the heads of the other students to see why they had stopped. He could just about make out Ginny in the darkness, waving him over. He made his way through the throng and stopped by her side, whispering:
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's too dark," Ginny whispered back. "Should we cast Lumos or something?"
"No," Neville said, after a moments thought. "It'd give away our position. Way too risky."
"Then what?" Ginny whispered, her voice taken over completely by panic. "I can hardly see a thing, and I'm sure it's not very comforting to the first years either."
"Well we can't exactly go back." Neville said. "Unless you want to face a bunch of angry Death Eaters."
"Neville," Ginny moaned. "You know I don't."
"I know," Neville said, turning to look at the frightened faces of the first years. He sighed and turned back to Ginny. "We have to go forward. I know it's bad, but this is what Harry told us to do. He knows what he's doing."
"I'm scared," Ginny whispered.
"I know," Neville repeated, bravely taking her hand and squeezing it. "But I promise you I won't let anything to happen to you. You trust me, don't you?"
Ginny took a breath, her hair falling in front of her face for a second, before she brushed it away and nodded. "I do."
"Harry'll get help," Neville said, "so we just have to hold on. It'll be okay."
"Right," Ginny replied, nodding again.
"Okay." Neville looked around, trying to find some ideal place to hide, but the only thing he could see was a group of trees leading into darkness. Sighing, he picked a direction, heading north and away from the train. "We'll go that way," he said, turning to face the first years. "I know you must be scared, but you'll be okay, I promise. Everyone make sure to stick together, okay? Follow me."
Lots of terrified faces nodding at him, Neville turned and led Ginny into the darkness, the first years trailing behind him. He was still holding her hand.
(----)
Harry arrived back at the train, his wand tightly gripped in his hand, ready to fight. The entire area was strangely quiet, something which was become much more frequent around Harry lately. It was the sound of Death. Harry first looked up the train, the woods stretching out before him, and the train at his back. He could see nothing up, only a thin streak of smoke rising in the distance, most likely from the front cabin.
When he turned to look down, his eyes where inevitably drawn into the sky, were the symbol of Death hung. The Dark Mark shone above him, the skull and the snake, sending out its message: Lord Voldemort has been here - nobody will survive.
Harry clutched his wand tighter and looked down the train proper, trying to ignore the glowing spectre above him. The back end of the train was also quiet, but Harry could just about make out flames coming from the far end, and just in his line of vision, the crumpled form of a Hogwarts student. Harry ran over, dropping to his knees beside the motionless body. He turned it over, revealing the face of a dead boy; his eyes open in a comically surprised way and staring up into the sky at the Dark Mark. Harry could even hear the boy in his head, exclaiming in surprise.
"Oh dear," the boy said, "I think I'm dead. What a shame."
Harry closed the kid's eyes, his mouth twisting into a snarl. Death was cruel.
He stood and left the boy behind, running down the side of train. A scream up ahead gave him an extra burst of speed. He came to a stop outside the open door of one of the train compartments, where the scream had come from. He entered silently, looking around the corner.
Two Death Eaters stood over three Hogwarts students, wands aimed. Harry didn't have to think twice before he entered the compartment fully and aimed his own wand. His eyes narrowed.
Stupefy! His nonverbal Stunner collided with the back of the Death Eater on the left, sending the surprised wizard flying forward, over the heads of the (very surprised) Hogwarts students and crashing into the wall head first. Needless to say, he was unconscious, if not dead.
The second Death Eater whirled around, wand now aimed at Harry, mouth opening to cast his spell. The Death Eater stopped at the last second, eyes behind the skull mark widening in pleased surprise.
"Harry Potter," the Death Eater chuckled, the voice unquestionably feminine, but cold and cruel.
"How observant of you," Harry replied, not taking his eye of the Death Eater for a second.
"I'm going to enjoy bringing your head to my Lord," the female Death Eater gloated.
"Just shut up and cast a damn spell," Harry said, "you're boring me."
The Death Eater laughed. "Confident, aren't we? Let's see what you can do then! Serpensortia!"
A large snake erupted from the Death Eaters wand, slithering through the air and landing on the floor. The Hogwarts students screamed in surprise and shock, cowering away behind the Death Eater. The snake reared its head and gazed at Harry, before shooting forward.
"Stop!" Harry commanded in Parsletongue.
The snake stopped, it's raised head wavering back and forth rhythmically. Harry quickly banished the snake, sending it back to ether from whence it came.
"Marvellous," the Death Eater cackled, "how marvellous. When I heard you were a Parslemouth, I always wondered if it was true, but you are. However, that won't save you. Let's see what else the great Harry Potter can do. Crucio!"
"Protego!" With a slash of his wand, Harry blocked the spell, the air seemingly crackling with electricity before him.
"Crucio!"
Another Cruciatus Curse came hurtling his way, but with no time to cast another Shield Charm, Harry ducked and rolled backwards, creating more room for himself.
"Frango!"
This time, the Death Eater went for the Breaking Curse, which would turn anything in its path into ashes. Harry raised his wand into the air as the Breaking Curse came his way, it's yellow light almost blinding.
"Avertio!"
Harry brought down his wand with a harsh slash, moments before the Curse hit. The compartment was filled with bright yellow light. The air before Harry seemed to pop like a balloon and then the Curse was sent flying back at its caster at close to light speed. The female Death Eater didn't even have time to blink before the yellow light drilled right into her right shoulder. She screamed as her shoulder was reduced to nothing but fragments of bone and flesh and blood, her arm falling to the ground, no longer attached to her body.
"Stupefy!" Harry mercifully put the Death Eater out of her misery with a quick stunner, sending her body sprawling back to the floor.
The Hogwarts students behind her, splattered with blood and bits of bone and flesh, finally seemed to come back to themselves. They screamed as well, scurrying away and frantically brushing bits of the Death Eater from their persons.
Harry approached the downed Death Eater, looking at her with an unreadable expression. Did he regret taking her arm from her? Did he regret turning her own destructive spell back on her? The answer was a resounding no. He just wished he didn't have too.
Harry looked up at the three terrified Hogwarts students, who stared at him like he was a ghost come to collect their souls.
"You okay?" he asked, trying to sound as friendly as he could.
"Y-yes sir," one of them stuttered, obviously scared out of his life and under the impression Harry was going to do him next.
"Calm down," Harry said, "you're safe now, I won't hurt you."
"Safe?" one of the others asked.
"Yeah," Harry said, "safe. You should get into the wood and find a place to hide."
"Right," the first boy to speak said, getting to his feet quickly. The other two followed his example, and before Harry could offer them more reassurance, they practically fled the compartment.
Harry sighed, resigned to the fact that a new story about Harry Potter mercilessly taking a Death Eaters arm would be soon spread about Hogwarts.
"Just perfect," Harry muttered, moving past the two defeated Death Eaters and continuing his travels down the train.
(----)
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