Author's Note
Nothing much of note comes to mind right now dear readers aside from the fact that I'm working diligently on the next chapters Till then! Janie xoxo
SORCERERS' NOOK
By JanieB
THIRTEENTH INTERLUDE
Looking down at the smooth, glass-like surface of the Inferi-infested black water as she floated across it towards the Wall of the Arch, Annice fancied that one of the dead lying just inches beneath the surface looked familiar, its fine-boned, pointed face bringing to mind that wretchedly insignificant Disciple, Draco Malfoy. Whether he'd known it or not, he had led her to her destiny and for that, she could almost feel a little pity for the manner of his death. However, as the shore drew closer, any lingering shred of pity she may have felt vanished along with the staring, misty-eyed visage of Draco Malfoy.
Once through the Arch, she made her way to the Head Disciple's cavern, and entered without knocking on the smoothly sanded wooden door.
At the sight of her, the Head Disciple, a tall, thin middle-aged wizard with sparse, grey hair, immediately dropped to one knee, bowing his head.
Annice's full lips curved slightly in gratified satisfaction; her Master had already announced her ascendancy to the Disciples.
Glancing around, she saw what she needed and crossed to a small table from which she picked up an intricately carved silver bowl. The Head Disciple watched as she drew her wand and pointed with it at the bowl, causing it to momentarily glow blue.
I want, she told him, thirteen of the finest duellers and fighters amongst the Disciples to meet me this evening at six. They are to use this Portkey - she held up the bowl - and I will meet them there.
Replacing the bowl, she left the kneeling Disciple and strode purposefully across the Ante-Chamber towards the door, which opened as she approached. The few Disciples she passed were kneeling in supplication facing the Wall of the Arch and did not raise their heads. As she reached the top of the stone steps that lead into the grey, heaving water, a small black boat rose from the depths; she stepped down into the completely dry vessel and sat down. No water entered it from the erratically crashing waves through which it sliced without rocking, quickly reaching the rock from which Annice was able to Disapparate.
As she arrived on the doorstep of her home - an ancient, well-kept manor house not unlike that belonging to her neighbours, the Malfoys - the realisation of what had happened, how much had changed since she'd left only the day before, seemed to explode within her, flooding her with intense joy.
The door opened and she walked in, sparing not even a glance for her house-elf who closed the door behind her. Without turning her head as she walked up the stairs, she simply said, Dinner in the small sitting room in half an hour.
Reaching her bedroom, she crossed and entered the adjoining bathroom, using her wand to fill the bath before disrobing and sinking gratefully into the steaming, fragrant water.
Tonight, she thought, I will prove myself to my beloved Master. Tonight I will give him what he most craves and needs - the death of Harry Potter and his friends. And in full justice, Harry Potter will die in the same place he defied my Master and his Chosen One: Hogwarts.
*
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
In which everyone at the meeting at Hogwarts has to fight for their lives and Harry reveals something he learnt from Voldemort that he never intended for anyone to know about...
Hermione stepped out of the green flames onto the hearthrug in Professor McGonagall's office, Harry following her a few seconds later. The Headmistress of Hogwarts was waiting for them, seated at her desk.
`Please, sit down,' she invited, indicating with a wave of her arm the two armchairs in front of her desk.
`How are you, Professor?' asked Harry and Hermione in unison as they took their seats.
`Immensely curious,' came the smiling reply. `And fortunately, we have a good half an hour before anyone else is due to arrive, so there's time for you to satisfy my curiosity.'
Hermione moved forward to sit on the edge of her seat as she spoke. `Professor, we've learnt so much today, I hardly know where to start!'
`Are we able to tell you?' queried Harry. `The Minister -'
`The Minister has been kind enough to keep me well-informed and he visited me earlier this afternoon so that I could sign the Document of Secrecy. You may both speak freely, Harry.'
Between them, they recounted everything they'd learnt since they'd last spoken to the Professor, including the story of the Riley family Pensieve and of the memories that had been guarded avidly by the house-elf, Toby, finishing with what they had learnt from viewing certain of those memories earlier that day.
`A number of Dean's descendants lost their lives in gathering the information in some of those memories,' Hermione told her, `and we've discovered how it was that Cynric's memory was preserved and included in the Book, despite his murder by Edmar, which normally would have prevented him from being able to save his own memory of that evening: Cynric invented a spell that enabled his wife to share his memory for a set period of time, and it was she who saved the memory which was later put in the Book by her brother-in-law, Oswyn.'
`Oh, my,' commented the Headmistress, sounding somewhat horrified, `that would mean his poor wife shared his last moments - would have felt his death...'
Harry and Hermione nodded solemnly.
`How ghastly for her,' said the Professor faintly.
`But brave,' said Hermione. `It was also from memories preserved by Cynric's wife, the Lady Edlyn, that we learnt of the Curse Tablet. Cynric placed it in the hall of Edmar's home the night he was murdered.'
`Curse Tablet?' queried the Headmistress. `I thought they were relatively useless Muggle contraptions from those times.'
`I think in the main they were,' said Hermione, `but Cynric created a true Curse Tablet using true magic, and from his family's research over many, many generations, we believe that that Curse Tablet has been instrumental in the downfall of each and every Chosen One.'
The elderly Headmistress stared at them across her desk. `Are you saying that this Curse Tablet still exists - that its curse still wields the power to bring about the downfall of this Dark One's new Chosen One, this Annice Nott?'
Harry nodded. `We're certain of it. We're also certain that the Dark One knows nothing of the Curse Tablet, for if he did, he'd have stopped at nothing to find it, after which he would have destroyed it immediately.'
`I don't suppose you happen to know where it is, do you?' asked Professor McGonagall drily.
`Unfortunately, no,' said Hermione with a sigh. `It must have been retrieved after Cynric's death, probably by his brother, and put somewhere for safekeeping. We think that any mention of it, aside from the fact that it exists and was put into force, has been deliberately avoided to keep it safe from discovery.'
`Well, let's hope that its resting place remains unknown,' replied the Professor with feeling. `Does anyone else know of this?'
`Well, aside from Neville, Dean and Ginny who were with us, we had a meeting with the Leighs downstairs at the Nook this afternoon and told them everything, but I put secrecy and impermeable silence wards in place first,' Hermione assured her. `It's just that originally, we'd promised the Leighs to bring their portrait here for this evening's meeting, but since they now know everything we'll be recounting tonight, that's no longer necessary.'
`I see. However, I don't think it's necessary, or wise, to mention the Curse Tablet at the meeting later.'
`We didn't plan to,' said Harry. `The fact that the Tablet's existence is unknown to the Dark One is the best safeguard we have, and the fewer people who know of it, the better.'
`And what about gaining access to this Dark Realm?' asked the Professor.
`As we believed from our earliest readings of the Book,', said Harry grimly, `the lake in the cave used by the Dark One's Disciples is connected to the Dead River which runs through the Dark Realm. We learnt a lot more today from the memories we viewed; it will be necessary for us to enter the cave and pass through the Arch to the lake. We will then have to cross the lake to the island in the middle and from there we will be able to travel to the Dark Realm. Once we are standing on the shores of the River of Shadows in the Dark Realm, we will be able to use the spells set out in the Book to destroy the source of the Dark One.'
A bleak silence settled over them momentarily as Harry finished speaking; it was broken by the soft voice of the occupant of the painting on the wall behind Professor McGonagall.
`And so, Harry, once more your life will be instrumental in saving many others, and yours also, Miss Granger.'
A far more ominous silence followed these words as Professor McGonagall's gaze travelled between Harry and Hermione, back and forth, as she struggled to come to terms with their meaning.
`What does Albus mean?' she asked, not quite managing to keep a tremor from her voice. She continued on without waiting for a reply, her voice dropping to a low whisper, `You don't expect to return, do you?'
Harry and Hermione exchanged a meaningful glance before Harry replied, `We have to face the fact that there is the danger of us being injured, perhaps killed, when we destroy the Dark One.'
` "Us"? Who's going? And "killed"? Surely that's not inevitable!' exclaimed the Headmistress.
`You don't think I'd let him go alone, do you?' asked Hermione with a sceptical half-smile. `And no, being killed is not inevitable -' she said, determination in both her voice and her eyes as she gave Harry a quick glance, `- I intend to do quite a bit of research before we all -'
` "All"? Exactly who is "all"?' demanded the Professor, interrupting. `Miss Weasley, Mr Longbottom and Mr Thomas as well as yourselves, I presume? And how on earth do you all intend to enter this cave without detection, which I'm sure would be necessary in order for you to succeed in not being killed!'
`We will be liaising with the undercover Auror, and with his knowledge and help, we're confident we'll be able to get into the cave, to the lake, and once there -'
Interrupting once more, Professor McGonagall rose to her feet, her voice calm and strong as she spoke. `I believe you should allow the Department's Aurors to take care of this, Harry; they are experts and have been trained for just this sort of thing, over and above your own experience and ability. I see no point in either of you - or anyone else! - risking their lives unnecessarily!'
Harry's reply held a simple, implacable resolve. `We won't be risking our lives unnecessarily, Professor.'
Professor McGonagall stared at him for a long moment before sinking back into her seat with a resigned sigh. `Why am I wasting my breath?' she asked of no one in particular. Then she looked at Harry with a crooked grin. `From past experience, I don't doubt it's quite useless for me to insist you don't go, but won't you at least take some Aurors with you?'
`There will be a contingent of back up Aurors,' Hermione told her. `Once we're through to the Dark Realm, the Dark One will be engaged by us there and the Aurors will then only have to deal with the Disciples. They should have no problems getting past them; some will stay and guard the cave, others will join us in the Dark Realm.'
`At least, that's the plan,' came the amused observation from Dumbledore's portrait.
Harry and Hermione couldn't help but smile up at him as Harry said, `Yes sir, that's the plan.'
With his blue eyes twinkling, Dumbledore replied, `Then let us hope, Harry, that all goes according to plan.'
*
Just after seven thirty, Professor McGonagall led the way down to the Great Hall in grave silence; before leaving her office, she had persisted with her endeavours to have Harry and Hermione change their minds about going into the cave themselves, even whilst she knew it would be to no avail.
The same arrangements were in place for this meeting as had been for the first, and they arrived in the Great Hall a few minutes later to find everyone already seated around the High Table, their myriad conversations creating a quiet murmur that gradually ceased as their presence became known.
As they walked, Harry glanced up at the ceiling, Hermione doing the same when she saw his head tilt back. A deepening blue canopy was permeated with streaks of multicoloured clouds, strewn across the hazy summer sky like a profusion of beautiful silken scarves.
`It's bewitched to look like the sky outside, I read about it in Hogwarts, A History,' murmured Hermione with a mischievous smile, drawing a burst of laughter from Harry.
As they approached the dais, Harry noticed and pointed out to Hermione the two Aurors and three LEOs they'd last seen at the Ministry the previous week.
`Aside from those Aurors and LEOs, everyone else here tonight was here for the first meeting, except for Colin,' said Hermione quietly as they moved to their left, walking around the table to their seats; the Professor had gone in the opposite direction, stopping briefly to exchange a few words with some of those already seated.
As they sat, Hermione on his right, Harry turned to his left and glanced at the end of the table where Colin had sat last time with Seamus and Neville. `It's a wonder Dennis didn't come tonight, in his place,' murmured Harry.
`Probably because his mum and dad just get too worried, I imagine; especially since he's now travelling 'round for Wizarding World.'
Hermione turned to acknowledge the Minister for Magic, Alcott Brayden, seated on her right, as well as Gawain Robards and Kingsley Shacklebolt seated beyond him. Harry smiled as he waved to Hagrid at the end of the table.
Professor McGonagall reached her seat, but remained standing, her resounding, `Good evening, everyone,' quickly bringing an attentive silence. `We have much to get through this evening, so the sooner we start, the better. Miss Granger will address you first with a summary of events which will bring everyone up-to-date with past events and the current situation. Afterwards, we will hear from Mr Potter and Mr Robards with respect to what they have in mind to deal with this situation. Following that, you may ask questions. Let us proceed. Miss Granger?'
Professor McGonagall seated herself as Hermione rose to her feet and after a short greeting, began to read out her summary, only slightly modified from the version she'd recounted earlier that day. Once she'd finished, she announced that Harry would explain what they'd learnt during their viewing of some of the memories that morning.
Harry stood as Hermione took her seat once more, reaching for the glass of cold Gillywater set at her place and draining it gratefully as Harry spoke.
`What we learnt this morning will be invaluable in aiding us to destroy the Dark One. We now have detailed information about the Dark One's cave, the lake it contains and its connection with the River of Shadows and the Dark Realm. A party of us will be entering the cave, then from the island in the middle of the lake, we will travel to the Dark Realm. Some of the memories we viewed also contained a number of spells and incantations necessary for the destruction of the Dark One. We will be studying these further in the next week to ensure we are using them correctly. Now,' he took a deep breath and glanced around the table at the many familiar faces, `I know that many of you will want to be part of this -'
`You're not going anywhere without us, Harry!' cried Fred Weasley, a few seats to Harry's left, leading a surge of similar remarks from all around the table.
Harry's solemn face as he held up both his hands for silence quickly quietened everyone.
`There will be a meeting at the Ministry next week for those of you who wish to help; details will be owled to you all. It is not help we will be short of, we know - and we thank you. The Department's Head Auror, Gawain Robards, will now speak to you about -'
Before Harry could finish, a pearly white transparent wolf bounded into the Great Hall, running straight towards the High Table, its tongue lolling. Before it reached the dais steps, it turned suddenly and leapt onto the Ravenclaw house table. Then it spoke with a voice known to only a few in the room.
`Annice Nott is on her way to Hogwarts with a party of Disciples to kill you all.'
The Patronus then vanished, leaving utter silence in its wake for a few moments before pandemonium broke loose as everyone jumped to their feet, wands out, all calling out at once.
`SILENCE!' roared Kingsley Shacklebolt's magically magnified voice and in the silence that immediately followed, he said to the man beside him, `Gawain, you take it from here. I'll take Cleaver and Rundle and keep watch outside for their approach; we'll notify you by Patronus the instant we see them.'
Robards nodded and immediately spoke out.
`I can vouch for that Patronus - it belongs to the Auror who is working undercover as a Disciple. Therefore, I have no doubt that this is a genuine message. I would prefer that most of you Floo home now as it will be easier for us to fight if we don't have to worry about defending those of you who are untrained. Miss Cloud and Miss Solly,' he pointed to the two witches in question, `you especially should leave as I don't believe you've had any experience in fighting. And Minister, if you would be so kind as to escort Mrs Morley home, before making your own way home.'
The Minister looked as though he was about to protest strongly at this request, until reminded gently by his Head Auror that in accordance with Ministry policy, the Minister for Magic was prohibited from endangering himself in such a manner whilst in office. Nodding his acquiescence with barely concealed indignation, the Minister squared his shoulders and with a tight smile, moved around the table to escort the Head of Magical Research, Hermione's boss, to the ante-chamber, followed by a nervous Lucy and Esmerelda.
Charlie, standing next to his parents, began to suggest that Molly should also Floo home but was quickly silenced by his mother's fierce look; even her husband had refrained from making the same suggestion, knowing it would bring her wrath down on him.
Harry and Hermione, after the initial shock brought on by the Patronus's message, both had the same thought, spoken first by Harry, `How do they know where we are? Who told them?'
Hermione shook her head helplessly, anguish in her voice as she said, `I mustn't have cast strong enough wards this morning, someone overheard -'
`Impossible!' interrupted Harry, then dropped his voice as he said, `It must be someone we know, someone who knows...'
`But Harry - the Document of Secrecy - everyone signed it, no one could have said anything -'
`Unless they didn't sign it.'
Hermione was almost wringing her hands in agitation. `But everyone did - I'm sure that Kingsley and Gawain would have checked - '
`Come on,' said Harry as he took her hand, giving it what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze, `we can't worry about it now, we have to get ready to fight.'
They walked together around the table towards where the Head Auror and the three LEOs were standing at the top of the steps; Robards was giving directions and instructions to those now crowded around the bottom step.
`The house tables must go,' said Robards, looking at Professor McGonagall, `if you wouldn't mind attending to that please, Minerva. Then I need you all to split into two teams, one on each side of the room. Annice Nott and the Disciples will have to fly in either through the main entrance and then the doors here, or through the window - or they may split and come from both directions. I want the half of each group closest to the doors to be ready for whoever comes through there, and the other half to watch the windows.'
Harry and Hermione automatically moved to their left, towards where the Gryffindor table had been seconds ago; Professor McGonagall had moved swiftly to Vanish the tables.
Because he had a feeling that this witch, Annice Nott, would prefer making a grand entrance by bursting through the windows, expecting to surprise and frighten everyone seated at the High Table, Harry stayed at the front of the hall; Hermione was beside him, Ron next to her and then the rest of the original Dumbledore's Army members, together with Molly and Arthur and the three LEO's, completed their team. Standing with his wand ready, Harry looked across the empty hall as the other team finished moving into place; Mad-Eye Moody was directly opposite him, a grinning Hagrid beside him, then Robards and the Headmistress, the rest of the Weasleys and Remus and Tonks closest to the doors.
As he was grinning back at Hagrid, a second Patronus in the form of a lynx came bounding in. Harry knew immediately who it belonged to, even before Kingsley's voice echoed through the Great Hall, `There are fourteen of them and they are here.'
*
The Patronus was barely gone when the sound of the great oaken entrance doors slamming open and crashing back against the stone walls reached them; at almost the same instant, the incredible sound of the glass windows imploding into the room reached Harry's ears, followed immediately by numerous shouts of Protego! as everyone sought to prevent the shimmering rain of glass shards from causing harm.
As the shower of glass dropped harmlessly to the floor with a long, drawn out tinkling sound, Harry looked up to see two groups on brooms flying into the Great Hall - one made up of seven black-robed figures who flew through the entrance doors, the other led by a witch in dark, blood-red robes who swooped over the High Table, followed by half a dozen black-robed figures; the instant they realised the element of surprise was not theirs, they flew sharply upwards through the sea of floating candles into the heights of the vaulted ceiling. There, they flew about in sharp, random patterns to avoid the spells and hexes aimed at them from the teams below.
Harry felt a moment's smugness; it was very obvious that Annice Nott had expected to find them utterly unprepared for this attack, although his smugness was short-lived as the red-robed witch quickly rallied all the Disciples; she'd obviously had the foresight to consider this scenario even while she didn't expect it.
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Kingsley run through the entrance doors with Rundle and Cleaver on his heels, the three wizards moving quickly to their left to swell the ranks of the other team, all the while eyeing the flying figures above them as they took up position next to Remus and Tonks.
`Give yourselves up now!' roared Kingsley, his voice once again magically magnified. Annice Nott's cold, malicious laughter in answer to this demand reminded Harry of Voldemort.
With blinding speed, the Disciples suddenly all flew downwards in thirteen different directions, their curses flying everywhere - crashing into the walls and floor - the counter-curses from those on the ground flying high into the air, some colliding with the great ceiling beams and others appearing to soar into the now almost dark sky.
Harry saw Hagrid's pink umbrella issuing random blitzes around the room, Gawain Robards beside him looking momentarily aghast before he turned back to fighting.
Harry was desperately wishing Annice Nott would fly lower, but she remained above the Disciples who were still circling the hall at great speed, throwing numerous spells in every direction.
Ron, on the other side of Hermione, was yelling at the closest Disciple, encouraging him to get off his broom and fight like a real wizard. His answer was a well aimed Avada Kedavra that had him grabbing Luna and diving to his left to avoid it, almost knocking Neville to the ground.
Harry yelled in triumph as his well-aimed Confringo curse sent one of the Disciples spinning across the other side of the hall into the wall between Bill and Penelope, Percy catching his wife as she stumbled out of the way. Bill leant down and pulled the broom from beneath the unconscious Disciple, leaping on to it and immediately flying at the closest Disciple, knocking him almost off balance and preventing him from sending a killing curse at Charlie and Cordelia who had just thrown a hex at him.
The pace of fighting was so frenetic, Harry couldn't tell whether it had been ten minutes or twenty since the Disciples had first flown into the room. Despite their advantage in being on brooms, inroads were being made into the ranks of the Disciples by virtue of the two team's superior numbers. Harry kept glancing up at Annice Nott, desperately wishing she would join fly lower so that he'd have a chance to take her down, but she remained above the protective layer of Disciples, sending spells and curses down at those below with barely any regard for the safety of the Disciples.
Fred and George were almost halfway along the wall on Harry's side of the hall, and as he moved to one side to avoid a jet of orange light, Harry saw them fighting over the broom of the Disciple they'd just blasted off it. Fred managed to get his leg over first and took off, leaving George swearing mightily at his twin. Harry's gaze followed Fred as he flew across the room in hot pursuit of another Disciple who swept around to his right; the hooded Disciple was so intent on keeping his distance from Fred, he didn't notice he'd flown lower until the tail of his broom was grabbed by a hand the size of a dust-bin lid, which then shook the broom until the Disciple slid off, left hanging onto his broom by one hand. With a triumphant yell, Fred threw a curse at him and with an infuriated yell, the Disciple fell to the ground at Hagrid's feet.
Harry called out to Hagrid to get his attention, then cried Accio broom! The broom slipped from Hagrid's grasp and flew across the room to him. Hermione turned to Harry as he took hold of the broom, and despite the fear in her eyes, she gave him a brave smile and told him to be careful.
`Don't worry,' he told her quickly, his eyes bright as he gazed down at her, `I have everything to live for.'
Harry made straight for the vaulted ceiling where Annice was still circling, sending down curses; she had her back to him but as he rose higher and flew towards her, one of the Disciples yelled and pointed at him and she turned, immediately sending a jet of green light speeding towards him. Harry dodged it easily, but as they continued to throw spells and curses at each other, Harry realised he had his work cut out for him in defeating this witch; he had seen highly experienced Death Eaters and Aurors fight - but Annice was so coldly methodical, so powerful and so fast, that he found himself pushed to the limit of his considerable flying and magical abilities. He dared not even take a second to glance down and make sure that Hermione was still all right.
As they continued to circle around each other, hurling spells and curses as well as dodging the ones from below, Harry kept his eyes on Annice's face - it showed nothing but implacable concentration. As they continued fighting, he felt his fury grow at this woman and her minions who were endangering the lives of everyone dear to him. Impossible as it seemed, the pace of their fighting increased and their eyes locked as they flew towards each other, wands held ready. A slow, cruel smile spread across Annice's face and Harry glared at her, knowing his anger and hatred for her and what she stood for were shining from his eyes.
As they drew closer, he heard her low, sibilant voice, `Harry Potter - at last my Master will be avenged!'
Harry instinctively rolled to his left at the same time as the flash of green light sliced the air where he'd just been. Harry managed a grin when he glimpsed the shocked surprise on her face as he turned sharply and righted himself, flinging his arm around and throwing a curse at her just as she was beginning her turn to face him once more. She was too fast though, and he heard her cry, `Protego!' so that his spell bounced harmlessly off her shield.
As Annice flew towards him once more, her wand raised above her head, her teeth bared, Harry heard Hagrid's agonised yell from below him, drawing his eyes irresistibly down to see his large friend hit one of the Disciples with a deep blue jinx. He could see Professor McGonagall lying at Hagrid's feet - but he could tell whether she was just unconscious or - he couldn't tell, and he didn't have time to dwell on it as horribly familiar green light sped towards him from the wand of the Chosen One; once again his exceptional flying skills combined with his Quidditch-honed reflexes saved his life as he rolled and rose so fast Annice lost him for a second; reflexively she looked down, expecting him to have dropped - and it was only when a hex hit her broom from above, almost throwing her off so that she spun around, barely managing to stay on as she did so, that she looked up - straight at the tip of Harry's wand. The word of the spell was in Harry's mind but before it could take effect something hard and fast collided with him, knocking the breath out of him as it knocked him off his broom.
He heard the horrible sound of Annice's laughter as he fell - then above all the other noise, he heard Hermione's voice cry out the hover charm to break his fall, and in the next breath he was landing unsteadily on his feet, stumbling to catch his balance. There was no time for a thank you or even a glance of gratitude as the Disciple who had deliberately crashed into him sped down towards him, his wand pointing at Harry's heart. In the heartbeat it took for the Disciple to scream, `Avada Kedavra!', Harry saw another flash of green light across the room and Bill leaping in front of Fleur; without another thought, Harry turned on the spot and reappeared beside the Disciple whose broom lay in splinters on the floor, knocking his wand arm upwards and sending the killing curse he'd just thrown at Fleur to crash harmlessly into the wall.
`Thanks, Harry!' cried Bill, `But how the bloody hell did you do that in here?'
Harry grinned and shook his head, although Bill couldn't be sure whether he was indicating he didn't know or that he couldn't take the time to tell him. Harry took a second to look around the Great Hall - there seemed to be as many of their side on brooms now as there were Disciples, Annice still circling high above them all, concentrating her curses on those flying against the Disciples, whilst those below were trying their best to unseat the remaining Disciples without harming their own colleagues.
Harry was still watching Annice as yet another Disciple fell to the floor, courtesy of the Auror, Manny Cleaver. Harry noticed her pause for a second and take in the scene below her. It was obvious she was now fighting a losing battle against superior numbers and as Harry watched, she slashed her wand at George - now in possession of a broom - as he tried to hex her, turning to fly down past him, heading for the broken windows, calling to the Disciples to follow her.
`NO!' roared Harry in frustration, and only because he wanted more than anything to stop this witch, stop her from returning to her Master, stop her from escaping, just stop her - he did something he'd sworn to himself he'd never do: he rose unaided into the air and flew swiftly after the escaping witch.
He heard Hermione's desperately shocked scream of `Harry!' amongst many others as he flew towards Annice - she had almost reached the gaping windows - but Harry was controlled by his determination to stop her, and as she made it to the breach in the windows and flew through, he followed her, Hermione's voice still echoing in his ears...
*
A speechless Hermione stood and stared at the large gap in the window which Harry had just flown through. With no broom! She continued to watch as the six remaining Disciples still on brooms followed him out into the night.
`Oi, Hermione, give us a hand would you?' Ron's voice brought her out of her reverie and she turned, moving immediately to help him with Luna who had a large gash in her arm that he was trying to bandage with a piece of his own shirt he'd ripped off. She was glad of the activity to keep her mind off the ball of fear that seemed to have lodged in her chest and was growing with every second. Fear for Harry.
Luna sank slowly to the floor, assisted by Ron and Hermione, who crouched down on either side of her, still trying to stem the flow of blood and bandage the cut. As their eyes met over Luna's head, Ron waggled his eyebrows and said with a sardonic grin, `Trust Harry to have something like that up his sleeve.'
Hermione's voice was anguished as she replied, `But Ron, how?'
Ron shrugged as they wound the long piece of his shirt around Luna's arm. `Well, Voldemort could do it, couldn't he? Probably a hangover from then.'
Hermione shook her head, frowning. `But that connection with Voldemort - it was destroyed when the Horcrux in Harry was destroyed!'
Ron shrugged again as he tied off the bandage. `Who knows, Hermione? We'll just have to wait and see when we can ask Harry.'
Ron began talking soothingly to Luna and, satisfied that her friend was fine, Hermione stood up and looked around the Great Hall, the ball of fear threatening to engulf her.
There were seven Disciples in the middle of the room, guarded by the two Aurors and three LEOs who were conversing amongst themselves as they watched their prisoners. All the Weasleys were gathered together, Dean with his arm around Ginny, Molly on her other side with Arthur's arm around her shoulders. Most of them had cuts and gashes of various sizes but seemed unharmed otherwise. Kingsley, Robards and Mad-Eye - with a notably unsteady Headmistress holding his arm to remain upright - were standing near the dais with Remus and Tonks, all of them looking around as they spoke. Hagrid, Neville and Seamus were moving around the room, repairing cracks and tidying up the shattered glass.
Hermione, her eyes drawn once more to the window where she's last seen Harry, began to walk towards it, stopping as she approached the group standing near the dais and Kingsley spoke to her.
`Ah, Hermione! Did you know of this ability of Harry's?' he asked.
Hermione shook her head, desperately fighting the tears that had suddenly appeared.
`No? I wonder...'
`Miss Granger,' said Professor McGonagall gently, although her voice held repressed pain, `perhaps you could help move everyone to the ante-chamber so that they can begin Flooing home?'
Hermione nodded and automatically moved away to begin her task, now feeling quite numb. She kept glancing at the high windows, already repaired, her thoughts with Harry. She hoped he'd return soon because she didn't know how long she could keep going without knowing he was all right, knowing that he was safe...
*
As Harry flew after the red-robed witch, he heard her scream her defiance at him as she raced for the Hogwarts boundary and freedom. He kept throwing spells and jinxes at her - but she was flying in a blindingly fast, haphazard pattern, making it impossible to aim accurately. He was managing to close in on her - he saw her white face as she chanced a look back at him and knew she was afraid. Then he was within six feet of her - and she was within six feet of the fence - and even as he flung a last silent curse at her, she passed the boundary and vanished, the echo of her triumphant laughter all that remained.
Harry felt fury explode inside his head at his failure to stop her and roared his frustration to the empty sky. He dropped to the ground just inside the fence and stood, his head hanging in sudden exhaustion, his shoulders drooping with disappointment. He barely noticed the remaining Disciples flying overhead and Disapparating the instant they were outside the Hogwarts boundary.
Worried now for those he'd left behind, he turned and looked back at the castle, but from this distance nothing could be seen. He knew it could be dangerous to Apparate into the Hall - he didn't know whether fighting had ceased or not - as he could land in the middle of a killing curse, so he once again took to the air, resigned to the fact that he would now have to face interrogation from many quarters about his ability to fly, Hermione's not being the least of them. But that would come later. As he neared the Hall, he readied himself to fight once more, but then he saw that the windows were now repaired and felt his heart lighten; they must've have captured the remaining Disciples and were cleaning up! Eager to see everyone again and make sure they were all right, he flew to the great oaken front doors, landing at the bottom of the steps. He was hopeful he'd be a little less noticeable if he simply walked back into the hall...
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note
See you next chapter dear readers!
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