Forbidden Love
Chapter 36
At Neville's scream Harry's swift walk towards the exit hastened to a sprint. Coming to an abrupt halt at the top of the stairs before the Great Hall, he watched worriedly as Professor Cypher faced off with Rodolphus Lestrange. The ruby eyed professor took several steps back in their direction as Bellatrix issued a loud hiss towards Harry from her location behind her husband and his brother Rabastan.
"Take Neville and get into the Great Hall now!" she shouted without even looking in their direction.
Harry, Hermione and Ron nodded rushing forward to help the other boy up from his location sprawled on the floor near her feet. His expression was dazed as he looked up at him they could tell he had been hit with some type of curse, his eyes were unblinking and unfocused.
"Neville?" Hermione quizzed softly. "We need you to stand for us, can you do that?"
"We don't have tome to coddle him Hermione," rebuffed Ron, reaching forward and hauling the other boy up. Harry quickly stepped forward to help steady him.
As they made their way, balancing Neville between them back towards the Great Hall, Harry noticed Arthur and Bill Weasley join Professor Cypher in the face off with the Lestranges'.
"This way children," someone called.
Looking over, Harry saw Professor Flitwick beckoning them to a hallway just right of the Great Hall.
"This way, we'll get him to Madam Pomfrey right off," he said with a small smile.
Ron and Hermione began to head in that direction but Harry held fast as he recalled the scene between the Professor and Neville in the Great Hall. Wasn't he the one that the other boy had left with? -Correction, wasn't he the one who had forced the other boy out of the room?
"Harry," whispered Ron harshly, "what are you doing? Come on."
"No," the dark haired boy stated firmly. "Hermione stop," he commanded.
His girlfriend threw him a surprised look but stopped nonetheless regarding him curiously "Harry, what's wrong?"
"He is," Harry stated with a frown. "Help Ron get Neville into the Great Hall, when you do, send Professor McGonagall out right away." He kept his eyes trained on the small professor who was now watching him with a narrowed gaze. "Something's not right and I mean to find out what it is."
At that comment both Ron and Hermione looked at the professor once more, now discerning the shifty light in his eyes and the strange twisted smile upon his features that didn't travel past his lips. Observing their silent study of them the professor cocked his head to the side, resembling a large bird at the strange tick like motion before his grin became more pronounced.
"Oh dear, oh dear," he commented in an oddly far away tone. "Seems to be a problem, a problem indeed. I shall have to handle the problem before it spreads."
That was the only warning that they had of what was to come. The spell came so quickly that Harry knew it could have easily been the end of one of them if Hermione hadn't, amazingly enough, been able to get a shield up just in time. The silent spell bounced off the barrier and hit the wall next to Flitwick causing a section of the stone to burst into several large pieces. As the dust cleared Harry looked on horrified to see that while the professor had gotten out of the way, he was now no longer alone. He was flanked by six Death Eaters, wands raised they began shouting off spells.
"Confundo!" yelled Hermione as Harry barley deflected a spell, only to be advanced upon by another Death Eater.
"Protego!" shouted a voice to his left, Harry's surprised gaze flew to Neville who once more looked alert.
Giving a relived sigh, Harry released the other boy and grabbed Hermione's hand rushing the rest of the way towards the Great Hall with Neville and Ron in tow.
"Get to your parents!" he called to Hermione, turning to face off with a DE who as not far behind them.
"But," she plead, her conflicted gaze flying between her boyfriend, who was hurling spells and deflecting curses and her terrified looking parents who were being guarded by an anxious looking Molly Weasley.
"Expelliarmus! But nothing, Hermione go!" shouted Harry.
Chaos had erupted in the Great Hall as the remaining teachers rushed towards the door and families scrambled towards the back of the room. Harry gave a small sigh of relief when, after a small hesitation, his girlfriend disappeared from his side. He knew that she had gone to her parents, he also knew that she would be back after a while but at least for now she was safe.
"Duro!" Ron shouted from his left, Harry threw him an impressed look when one of the D.E's turned to stone.
"Not bad mate," he shouted between yelling off several spells of his own.
"Thanks," Ron shot him a quick grin before ducking a spell aimed for his head. "Couldn't have done it without the D.A."
Harry nodded absently as he and Professor Cypher shot off simultaneous hexes pushing the D.E.'s back towards the exit of the Great Hall. He knew what Ron meant, he still remembered covering that lesson in the D.A., mainly because Neville had turned his feet to stone and had to be carried to Madam Pomfrey's office by him, Ron and Dean. Hazarding a quick look to his left and right he was pleased to see the members of the D.A. fighting alongside the Professors. As Dean shot off a spell sending one of the larger D.E.'s out the door, Harry grinned and finally began to relax a bit. This would be no problem.
Once they reached the hall once more his grin faltered as he realized that he had spoken too soon. Several more Death Eaters seemed to materialize from nowhere and these were a lot faster moving than the last. With their forces down due to several teachers like Sprout, Burbrage and Hagrid evacuating families through the door at the back of the Great Hall, he quickly realized that easy was not the way to describe this battle.
Harry let out a painful grunt as he was hit in the chest with a spell and flew backwards further into the hall. As he skidded along the floor from the force he came to a halt next to the benches of the Hufflepuff table hitting his head painfully on the side. Groaning he rubbed the back of his head where he had been hit before stiffening at the sound of laughter coming from his far right. Setting up a bit he was incensed to see Malfoy and his two cronies Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum watching the battle as though it were some type of show put on for their amusement. Giving an inaudible growl he pointed his wand at the table and called out a spell making the water pitcher next to them explode. He gave a small laugh and a self satisfied smirk when Malfoy screamed like a girl and fell out off of the bench onto the floor.
"Protego totalum! Confundo! Expelliarmus!" A voice called from just behind Harry.
The dark haired boy looked over and saw a nearby Death Eater fly into the far wall. He turned his head just in time to see his girlfriend skid to a halt next to him. Ducking when a spell was shot her way Hermione threw Harry a disgruntled look.
"What the hell were you doing?! You almost got yourself killed!" She hissed, throwing up another protection spell.
"Sorry I had something to take care of," he replied, calling out another disarming spell and shouting off a counter curse.
"Yeah like frightening Malfoy," she shot back with a glare.
"What?!" Harry exclaimed standing and pulling her with him as several hexes came their way. "He deserved it!"
"Yeah well you deserved to get hit for being so ruddy careless," she called back shouting off another spell and taking out a rather large Death Eater.
Harry sighed and pulled her against him as a killing curse flew past her head "Maybe," he conceded with a shrug, "but obviously we don't always get what we deserve," he finished, throwing a scowl to the Slytherins who were now heading out of the fighting area lead by Malfoy's mum.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Let it go Harry, we have more important things to worry about right now," she ducked and shot off a curse, causing boils to break out on the D.E.'s hands, "if you hadn't noticed."
Harry gritted his teeth against a frustrated retort and refocused on the fight. He pushed Hermione in one direction and dove in another just as one of the large benches came hurdling towards them. Grabbing a metal tray off the table and paying no head to the rolls that now littered the floor, he used it to deflect a more harmless curse back at the Death Eater who had shot it.
"Ella! Watch out!!!!" Harry started at hearing Hermione's mum's name.
Turning quickly he saw Ella Granger standing frozen just behind the teachers platform. Her eyes wide and her mouth open as another bench flew full tilt right for her.
"Nooooooooo!!" the agonized scream ripped from Hermione's throat snapped Harry out of his stupor.
"Levicorpus!" he shouted.
A moment later Ella Granger was lifted into the air by her ankle, the bench slamming into the wall where she had been moments earlier just seconds later. Harry was racing behind Hermione to her mum, deflecting and protecting her from the curses that she was forgetting to look out for in her haste. When they arrived Dan had already reached his wife and was holding his arms up, clasping fingers with her.
"Liberacorpus!" Harry called when they were almost to the couple.
Ella floated back down to the floor just in time to get tackled by her daughter.
"Mum, mum, mum, mum, mum," Hermione just kept whispering over and over again.
"I'm okay," Ella whispered kissing her daughters neck and her husband's cheek as he too joined the impromptu hug.
"I know, I know," whispered Dan pulling back and studying her face. "But how?"
"I don't know," the older woman, shrugged shaking her head in wonder.
Hermione pulled back from her mom and wiped her tears. "Harry," she breathed.
The dark haired boy, who had been busy watching over the small family reunion, had not been paying attention to the conversation so he was surprised to feel his girlfriend fly into him. Grunting a bit at the impact, he shifted and put one arm around her, attempting to keep his wand arm free just in case.
"Thank you, Harry. Thank you so much," she breathed, kissing his neck, then his chin, then his lips and wreaking havoc on his concentration.
When she pulled back a moment later he was surprised to be the recipient of yet another strong hug. A moment later and after placing a kiss of her own on his cheek, Ella Granger pulled back and offered him a small smile, "I guess I owe you my life, huh?"
Harry blushed, "It was nothing, you should-"
"It was everything," Dan Granger interrupted.
Harry gave him a quick look and a small nod, unable to argue with the logic in that statement. He couldn't even begin to imagine the Grangers without Ella… it was… just too… impossible, too depressing.
"I also owe you for Hermione's life," the older man continued with a wry smile.
Harry's brows furrowed, "What do you mean? If anything she's saved me, I mean I would have been dead at least twice already during this fight if it weren't for her."
"And she would have been dead how many times on her mad dash over here if it weren't for you?" Dan stated seriously. "You saved the two people who matter most in my life Harry and just earned yourself a position as the third," his eyes flicked between him and Hermione. "So, you two, be careful out there." They both gave quick nods.
"Why didn't you guys leave with everyone else?" Hermione asked, voicing Harry's initial thoughts.
"That's my fault," Ella said sheepishly. "I couldn't just leave with you two still in here. I mean you're just children -I, I would have gone mad not knowing that you were okay."
Harry gave her a small smile, "Hermione's the brightest witch of her age, you have nothing to worry about."
"And Harry's the strongest wizard of many ages," Hermione chimed; Harry threw her a look. "You are, you've done stuff, been through things that are - are indescribable yet you still fight. You have lightning fast reflexes and every student out there fighting is able to hold their own because of what you taught them."
Harry turned and gave a look to the students in question, allowing himself a small smile as one of the Patil twins hit a D.E. with a spell that made him punch himself in the face and Ginny Weasley hit another with a spell that made his wand arm grow so large that it tipped him over. However his smile quickly fell when he noticed Ron on the ground and a Death Eater standing over him, his wand pointed.
"Ron!!" Harry and Hermione called out in unison.
However before either could lift their wand someone else called out too.
"Avis! Avis!" Luna Lovegood shouted.
Two small flocks of twittering birds appeared behind the blonde then, like something out of a twisted muggle fairytale, she sent then with a large brandish of her wand hurling towards the D.E. who had Ron down. Harry and Hermione watched in amused shock as the birds attacked the large man, pecking and at his mask and biting at his hands. They cringed a bit when they realized that the birds were going for flesh. The D.E. swatted helplessly at the squawking animals and made a mad dash for the exit of the Great Hall a large flock of angry birds following in his wake.
"You two get somewhere safe!" Hermione called to her parents before taking off after Harry who had rushed over to Ron.
"Ron, are you alright?" Harry asked, looking his mate over.
"Yeah, just a bit of a headache is all," Ron shrugged before giving an admiring look to his girlfriend. "Wow… I've never seen anything like that…"
Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement and the blond girl blushed. "Yes well… he shouldn't have been messing with you," she muttered.
Ron grinned and sat up giving her a light kiss. "I'm sure that he won't ever make that mistake again," he winked.
Luna's blush deepened.
"I'd hate to break up this moment, but we're kind of in the middle of something here guys!!" Dean Thomas called from a few feet away
"Oh -er, right! Sorry!" shouted Harry, standing to help the other boy fight off the two large Death Eaters that were blocking his way.
Hermione gave a quick glance to the back of the hall. Relieved to see her parents no longer in sight, she went back to the battle also.
The bloodcurdling laughter of Bellatrix Lestrange brought Harry's attention abruptly from the D.E. he was facing off with. He jumped out of the way just in time for the spell that the man had hurled to blast a chuck out of the wall before freezing on his spot on the floor. Across the hall Ginny Weasley was on the ground writhing in pain, with Bellatrix standing over her a twisted smile on her gruesome features.
"No!!!" Harry yelled, distractedly hearing the sentiment repeated by several members of the Weasley clan.
However before any of them could get a spell off, Bellatrix was hurled into the wall just past Ginny's prone form. Harry watched in shocked awe as Neville Longbottom quickly jumped over Ginny, blocking the younger girl from Bellatrix's view with his own body.
The older woman hissed at him and gave a small smile "Serpensortia!" A large deadly snake flew from her wand, hissing at the dark haired boy and winding back and forth looking for the right place to strike.
"Confringo!" Neville called without hesitation.
Harry cringed when the serpent exploded into tiny bloody pieces before quickly standing and resuming the fight with his own Death Eater. Five minutes later when he finally had the D.E. safely incased in stone he returned his attention to the fight between Bellatrix and Neville. Harry gave an appreciative nod at the litheness of the other boy when he seamlessly removed himself from the way of a killing curse.
Harry's gaze searched the ground for Ginny, and he sighed in relief when he located her awake and alert watching the fight from a short distance away being held protectively by Mrs. Weasley. Rushing forward the dark haired boy lifted his wand to add a couple of curses to Neville's when his arm was grabbed. Giving a startled look to his right he was surprised to see Ron holding him back.
"Ron what?"
The red haired boy shook is head "Don't… he wants to do it himself."
"But-"
"No buts Harry, dad gave him the go ahead."
The dark haired threw a shot look to Arthur Weasley who was on the other side of the hall also watching the fight. As his gaze took in the scene he realized that several people, D.E. and student/Auror alike had stopped to watch the battle.
"But…" Harry shook his head lightly "I can't just stand here. Ron, she killed Sirius!"
The other boy side and gave him a sympathetic look, "I know mate but… well, she did a lot worse to his parents."
Harry looked down.
"Come on mate, look if he can't handle her then you have free reign to jump in and give it a go, but -well, give him a chance. He deserves it, you know?"
Harry bit the inside of his cheek and gave a stiff nod. The tension ebbed away from his body somewhat when a warm hand lightly touched his back. Turning his head he gave a brief small smile to his girlfriend before looking back at the fight. One of Bellatrix's spells sliced through Neville's arm, a huge gash appeared and red blood steadily flowed as several shouts of laughter rang out from the Death Eaters. Harry tightly clenched his wand and gritted his teeth.
"Don't kill the little bastard Sweet, we still need him," the deep voice of Rodolphus Lestrange called out playfully.
Harry took a step in his direction, but Hermione forestalled him by placing a hand on his arm. "Harry, look."
Turning his gaze back to the fight his was surprised to see Bellatrix get hit with one of Neville's attacks. Stumbling backwards the older woman tripped slightly over an overturned bench at the Slytherin table before brandishing her wand once more.
"Expulso!" she shouted, Neville jumped out of the way and part of the Ravenclaw table behind him was blown into small pieces.
He barely had time before she was on him again "Crucio!" The dark haired boy as well as several people behind him ducked to avoid the spell.
"Fight back!" Harry yelled impatiently.
Neville ignored him and Bellatrix smiled. "Fight back little Neville-weville," she sang while shooting off another curse. "It's not fun if you don't, your parents fought back," her smile widened, "Well… at first."
The dark haired boy clenched his teeth but still did not yell out a single spell. Harry and Ron shared bewildered looks.
"Well this is turning into a downright bore," Bellatrix said rolling her eyes, "I bet Potter can give me something more interesting to play with," she leered in Harry's direction. Hermione grabbed his arm again. "We don't really need him alive do we Dear?" she called in the direction of her husband. The large man shrugged
"I suppose it was a bit on the optional side," Rodolphus replied with a wide twisted grin.
"Oh goody," she sang before turning sharply back to Neville, as quick as a serpents strike she called her most dangerous spell. "Avada Kedavra!"
"No!" Harry along with several others called, however the dark haired boy didn't look worried.
A moment after she shouted out the killing curse he reached behind his back and pulled out one of those sterling silver trays like Harry had used earlier. The spell hit the shining surface and immediately deflected back, Bellatrix had only time enough to let out a strangled scream before she was hit dead center with her own curse.
"Noooooooo!!!" her husband roared as her wide eyed body limply hit the cold ground.
Several people including Harry pulled their wands but it was too late, the large man shouted out a spell that hit Neville so hard that he flew into the air and connected roughly with the wall at the back of the Great Hall. His body made a sickening crunching sound before slamming the floor like a rag doll. The fight immediately began once more, but Rodolphus Lestrange seemed numb to it as he made his way over to his wife's prone form. His brother deflected and countered the curses shot at them while the large Death Eater grabbed the body from the ground. Lifting his wand he blew out one of the windows of the Great Hall before running over to it, and with the agility of a large cat he jumped onto the ledge and out of the opening with his brother in tow.
Not caring for now about if the Lestranges' escaped, Harry took off in the direction of Neville, distractedly noticing that the Death Eaters were attempting to make a hasty retreat. Coming to a skidding halt at the wall, he recoiled a bit at the gruesome image of the usually quiet dark haired boy lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. His body twisted in a manner that would make it seem that he had no bones if it weren't for several of then jutting out in various odd and sickening ways. Ginny Weasley was over him crying, while Hermione had turned and buried her head in Harry's shoulder as soon as he arrived.
"Stand back!" ordered a strong voice, Harry turned to see Professor Cypher pushing through the small crowd that had gathered. Kneeling down next to the body she reached out a hand to his twisted neck and pressed down. "He has a pulse, get Madam Pomfrey here right now!" She demanded. "If we hurry I know we can save him."
Harry let out a ragged breath as Bill Weasley disappeared in the direction of the door at the back of the Great Hall where the healer had evacuated with the families. Closing his eyes and giving his girlfriend a strong squeeze he feverously prayed that the professor was right.
A.N. Well that's it for this chappy, I only have one more. As for the symbols that show up, that is a CODING ISSUE, I do what I can to stop it, but since it doesn't show up when I preview the chapter and I don't always get a chance to check it after I submit then all I can do is the best I can. I apologize for not always catching it, but please refrain from cursing or making rude comments about my writing because of an issue that I cannot control. Thanks!! Don't forget to PLEASE REVIEW and until next time Ja ne!!!
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