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A/N Oh crud. I only realized sometime after posting that the opening A/N of the previous chapter sounded just like 'Wheelie'. AAARRGGGHHH!!!!! Anyway, enough of such unpleasant thoughts. Happy New Year everybody. Let's hope 2008 turns out to be a good year.
Chapter 23: The Dementor's Kiss
Amidst the early fog of the morning, a boat slowly sailed along the waters of the Hogwarts lake. What was unique about the boat was that it was a US Navy Riverine Patrol Boat, sailing in a Scottish "Loch". The boat continued observing various points of the lake before finally sailing toward the side of the lake farthest from Hogwarts. Waiting at the shore were Ron, Prowl, and a blue Ferrari F50.
"What's the word, Perceptor?" asked Prowl.
The patrol boat, Perceptor transformed into a robot with a cannon-like scope on his shoulder as he walked up on shore. "The situation is not one of the most optimal outcomes perceivable," said Perceptor. "Decepticons have stationed their forces in strategically optimal stations. I am unable to calculate the variables required for your strategy to proceed for the most efficient outcome."
Ron stared at Perceptor trying to figure out what he had just said. "Er... hi, I'm Ron," he finally said. "So... I guess you're a boat... huh?"
"I am obliged to confess that being a watercraft was not my ideal option," said Perceptor. "Ideally I would have preferred to have been a microscope: I find much fascination in the layouts of the microscopic dimensions. However, to accomplish such an alternative mode, there would be a necessity to remove the excessive mass somewhere, an action that is by the laws of physics an impossibility. Therefore, I have elected the choice of watercraft for I calculated that it would be the most value to the Autobots."
Ron stared at Perceptor. "Bloody Hell! Are you speaking in English?" he exclaimed.
Perceptor handed Prowl a CD-ROM. "I have downloaded all tactical options to this compact disk," he said. "I calculate that the information will be most valuable... although..."
"What?" asked Prowl.
"A point of interest," said Perceptor. "Certain locations of the topography had considerably lower temperatures in isolated areas. I was unable to come to any logical conclusions as to why such a phenomenon is occurring."
Prowl looked down at Ron. Ron replied, "Don't look at me: I'm still trying to figure out what he's saying."
"We'll have to figure that out later," said Prowl. He turned to the Ferrari F50 and handed it the CD-ROM. "Blurr, deliver this information to Optimus Prime."
The blue Ferrari transformed into his robot mode and started rapidly stating, "Right away! Right away! You can count on me Prowl. I mean really, really count on me. I'll get it done in a jiffy. Straight away. I'm going, going, going. Leave it to me Prowl. I'll be done in no time at all. This will be done very quickly. Do you think I could do this very quickly? I think I could do this very quickly. Do you think so Prowl? Huh? Huh? HUH?"
"Blurr!" interrupted Prowl. "Just get on your way!"
"Right! Right! Right! I'll be on my way now. I'm going, going. OK, let's go. Going now. Later. I mean later." Blurr took the CD, transformed back into a Ferrari, and zoomed away faster than any car or any broomstick Ron had ever seen.
* * *
Back on the Ark, Optimus Prime was sitting in front of Teletran-1's computer console. "This is it," said Optimus. "This could very possibly be the last time."
"Will it really end this time?" asked the voice of Elita One.
"With Megatron there's no way to tell," said Optimus. "But there is definitely a good chance that this could very well be the end. Primus help us."
"Prime," said Ironhide, stepping into the bridge. "It's time."
"Understood," said Prime as he stood up. "May it all end today."
"Good luck," said Elita One.
"Elita?" said Ironhide. "Erm... how's Chromia doing?"
"She's here with me, Ironhide," said Elita One, sounding amused.
"Tell her I said 'Hi'," said Ironhide."
"She says 'Hi' as well," answered Elita One.
Optimus Prime walked out of the bridge and faced his assembled forces. "Autobots, transform and roll out!"
* * *
Harry threw a pinch of Floo powder into a fireplace at the Three Broomsticks only to be rebuffed. "It's like we feared," he said. "They've somehow managed to block the floos. Probably discovered what frequency the magic is on and having that Soundwave bloke jam it."
"One of these days, I'd like to ask them how they manage to do stunts like that," said Neville.
"It doesn't matter," said Harry. "We wouldn't have enough floo to evacuate the entire school anyway. The key to this plan is getting as many students out as possible through the passageway underneath Honeydukes."
"Tha's goin' ta take time," said Hagrid. "Even wit' magic."
"We don't have a choice," said Harry as he walked out of the Three Broomsticks. "We had to schedule the evacuation during the battle so that the Decepticons would be distracted and wouldn't realize what was going on under their feet." He was pleased to see that the Autobots had joined the Order in Hogsmeade. A blue Autobot was just handing Prime a compact disk.
The blue robot rapidly rambled, "I did it! I did it! I did it! A job well done! Most well done! I did a well done job right? I mean I'm sure it's a well done job but if any job is a well done job I did it right? I mean it is..."
"Thank you Blurr. It was a job well done," interrupted Prime. He inserted the CD into a slot on his shoulder. "Prowl and his team are in position," said Prime. He turned to Harry and said, "We are ready on our end."
"OK, that's our cue," said Neville. He and the other Hogwarts professors that were with him made their way over toward Honeydukes.
McGonagall turned to Harry and said, "We'll make haste and evacuate the castle."
"Good luck," said Kingsley. He turned toward Harry and said, "Aurors are in position."
Harry glanced at his watch. "Its 11:45 now," he said. "Let's go. And everybody, remember what 'Mad-Eye' always used to say: CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
* * *
The assembled forces of the Order and the Autobots slowly made their way over toward the gates of Hogwarts. Harry and Optimus were leading them, Harry's Inivisibility Cloak firmly hidden underneath his black cloak. As he approached the gates, they magically opened and the Order and Autobots silently streamed through.
The first thing Harry noticed was the missing Hogwarts Express carriage perched high up on one of the castle's ramparts. "The carriage! Hermione!" he exclaimed. He was about to dash forward when Prime suddenly fell to his knees. "Huh? Optimus? What's wrong?"
"I... I don't know..." said Optimus. "I feel like... like something isn't right... like..."
To Harry's horror, he saw all of the Autobots start to quake, many of them also starting to fall to their knees like Prime had. Whatever was affecting the Autobots was affecting the Order as well, as many of them were starting to look rather weak.
It was only then that Harry started to feel it as well: the crushing, depressing, sensation that nothing was ever going to be right again; the overwhelming feeling of despair. Harry instantly recognized the sensations. He mentally cursed for not having noticed the eerie mist that covered the grounds nor the sudden drop in temperature.
"W-what is happening...Doc?" said Bumblebee as he too fell to his knees.
"I... I don't know..." muttered Ratchet, already sprawled out on the ground.
"It's them!" exclaimed Harry. Within the seconds the air was filled with floating wraiths dressed in black cloaks and rotted hands: Dementors. They gleefully glided around the Autobot forces, sucking up the feelings from them as the Autobots started growing weaker and weaker.
"Most fascinating aren't they?" said the voice of Megatron. Harry looked toward the Quidditch Pitch to see that it had been converted into a throne for the lord of destruction. "They feast upon your positive feelings, leaving nothing but the negative ones: a most torturous existence for you Autobots but perfectly at home for us Decepticons."
Little by little, the Decepticons started emerging from different places: behind the Quidditch Pitch, behind the castle, from the Forbidden Forest. They all gathered around Megatron seated on his throne.
Prime was barely holding himself together. "How... did... you..."
"Recruit them?" finished Megatron. "Easily: by offering them the tastes of Cybertronian Sparks." Megatron started laughing as some of the Dementors started swirling around him. "You see, the Dementors feast on human souls, their equivalent to Sparks. When I learned that they have the power to affect Cybertronians as well I offered them a taste: they simply couldn't resist the possibility of feasting upon something new yet similar to what they usually consume." He glanced over at Optimus's fallen form. "And now Prime, perhaps you would like a kiss."
One of the Dementors drew closer to Prime, its hood pulling back to reveal a hideous mouth. Optimus felt as if his very Spark was being ripped from his body as the Dementor drew closer...
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silver stag suddenly galloped forth chasing the Dementor away. Prime almost instantly recovered as Harry directed the stag around, driving forth the Dementors. Soon, other wizards and witches started releasing patronuses and the Dementors were banished by half formed animals or silver mists. Harry was delighted when he saw amongst the patronuses a familiar otter, and was surprised to see that it didn't come from the carriage.
"Should've done your homework, Megatron!" Harry declared.
Megatron did not look pleased. "Astrotrain," he said.
"As ordered, Lord Megatron," said Astrotrain (now in his off white and violet robot mode). He fired his rifle straight at the carriage, only for it to pass through empty space. "What? A hologram?"
"Mind if we join in!" exclaimed a voice from the direction of the forest. A group of automobiles suddenly drove out of the forest at high speeds. They stopped right by the main Autobot forces and a good number of humans emerged from the cars.
"Hermione!" exclaimed Harry.
"Harry!" likewise exclaimed Hermione. Before either one realized what they were doing, the two had leapt into each others' arms with their lips locked together. For a few moments Harry and Hermione were all that existed in their little world as the two reveled in being together once again. Absence tended to make the heart fonder and these two felt as if they had finally found each other after so long...
"Hem-hem." Harry and Hermione broke apart from their kiss to face Ginny (and her disturbingly dead on impression of Delores Umbridge) whom had an unreadable expression on her face.
Guilt immediately started racking up in Harry's mind, despite the fact that he had failed to realize that he was still holding Hermione in his arms. "Um... Ginny... I..."
Ginny placed each of her hands on Harry's and Hermione's shoulders. "We'll talk later," she said. "We have more important things to deal with right now."
"Luna?" exclaimed Ron, as he came upon the others.
"Ronald?" said Luna. Soon, the two were holding each other in a strong embrace.
"Oh Luna, thank God you're OK."
"Er... hello Ron," said Percy. "Remember us? Your family? We were captured as well."
"Forgetting about us that quickly?" said George, though he was smirking.
"Oh, let him have his moment," said Arthur, an approving grin on his face.
"Oh everybody. As touching as all of this lovey dovey reuniting is... WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLEFIELD!" exclaimed Draco.
Harry and Ron let go of the girls and stared at Draco. "What's that ferret doing still alive?" asked Ron. Draco scowled at him.
The extra automobiles transformed to reveal themselves as Blaster, Kup, Mirage, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, and Hound. "Sorry we're late," said Blaster. "We ran into some extra trouble not to mention we also had to deposit the student hostages that were with them at a safe location nearby."
"Better late than never," said Prime. "That was some fancy holographic display there, Hound."
"They shot it a lot sooner than we expected," said Hound. "We were hoping to use it a bit more effectively."
"Effectively?" asked Bumblebee.
"Miss Granger here came up with the plan to trick the Decepticons," said Hound. "We let them take the carriage to Hogwarts while we trailed close by. Then, at the right time we slipped the carriage with one of my holographs. Didn't expect them to shoot it though nor did we expect those Dementor things nearly taking us out."
"Those Dementor things ruined my strategies as well!" lamented Prowl. "I didn't calculate any of this! I don't know what to do now!"
"Hey Prowl, how about this for a new strategy?" said Jazz, placing his hand on Prowl's shoulder. "Beat the scrap out of every Decepticon you come across!"
Prowl stared Jazz incredulously for a moment before cocking his rifle and saying, "Let's roll!"
"This changes nothing," declared Megatron as he stood up. He would've continued speaking if Motormaster hadn't suddenly leapt forward.
"You're mine, Prime!" he bellowed as he leapt at Optimus Prime. Optimus merely swung back and smashed his fist into Motormaster's face, sending the Decepticon flying through the air and crashing straight into the castle's walls.
"That was a poor rhyme, Motormaster," said Prime.
Megatron glared at Prime as the Decepticons rallied around him. He looked toward the fleeing Dementors and sighed. "Never trust dark creatures to do a robot's job," he said, "Decepticons - ATTACK!"
"Autobots!" yelled Optimus Prime. "Prepare for battle!"
A/N Hmm. I'm afraid that chapter was a little rushed. Not to mention that I crammed in a lot of stuff into a single chapter just so that I could get to the big battle scene. Oh well. Next chapter... the FINAL BATTLE BEGINS!