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See Previous Chapters Here
Title: Harry Potter and the Seven Soldiers, chapters 10 & 11 of 17
Author: kanedax
Fandom: Harry Potterverse
Spoilers: Harry Potter 1-6; Previous Chapters (see above)
Rating: R for violence & suggested nudity
Summary: As the battle rages outside, Ron Weasley confronts an old friend
Notes: So, yeah, getting them out at a faster clip. As with the previous chapters, they ain't mine, and if anyone knows of any other sites that would like this story let me know.
Chapter 10
The Servant
Ron pulled hard on the door.
Alohamora! he thought, pointing his wand at the lock. No good.
Giving up for now, he turned to look at his surroundings. To his surprise, he was in McGonagall’s transfiguration classroom. The room appeared to be in shambles. It had never been decently repaired after the first attack on Hogwarts, and the second attack apparently left the walls looking like Swiss cheese.
Leaving his wand at the ready, Ron slowly walked down the aisle. I’m locked in, he thought. And knowing what You-Know-Who’s been doing to us, I have a feeling it’s not going to be easy to get back out again.
As if to answer his thoughts, Ron jumped when he heard a small scratching from the wall to his left. He pointed his wand in that direction, then heard some more scratching behind him.
The noise appeared to be coming from behind the walls. More of the same scratching piled on top of the previous, joined by the occasional squeak. Ron could actually feel the ground vibrate beneath his feet.
Suddenly, from the holes in the walls, thousands upon thousands large brown rats scurried down into the room. Ron tried to get out of their way, but they quickly covered the floor, the chairs, all of the desks in the room. They ran around quickly, and Ron’s feet started to warm from the heat radiating from their bodies. He could feel their tails brushing against his ankles.
He heard a swishing noise. He saw a blur, then felt a metal object smash against his face. He staggered backwards, feeling warm blood drip from his mouth. He looked around the room, but his attacker disappeared.
Suddenly he reappeared again, this time behind Ron. He dropped to his knees as what felt like a large frying pan slammed into the back of his head. The room spun before his eyes.
Don’t pass out, Ron thought to himself, Whatever you do, don’t pass out.
Another swish, another blur, catching Ron in the nose. He could feel the bone crack as blood this time poured down his face.
Through the pain, his mind continued to talk. Focus, damn it! You saw your attacker this time! Don’t lose him!
He stood up, looking around at the sea of rats. He waited, ready for another swishing noise.
Left!
Ron dropped to the floor, and as the assailant flew over him, he raised his wand.
Flagrate!
As the assailant missed his attack, his body spun, allowing a glowing red mark to wrap around to his back.
Ron stood back up, looking back around the room, searching for the mark.
Right there, he thought, that rat right there, with the silver paw.
Levicorpus!
The glowing rat was hauled out of the throng, dangling upside down by one rear paw. It squealed and writhed, but did drop.
Ron walked up to the rat and again waved his wand.
“Oh, master!” Peter Peddigrew whimpered, “It’s you! Oh, thank goodness.”
Ron continued to stare, his eyes narrowing.
“I’m so sorry! I was… The Dark Lord forced me to! He made me… no, no, he used the Imperius curse on me, Yes! But you, my good master, you can save…”
Wormtail trailed off, becoming more and more unnerved by Ron’s quiet stare.
“Why won’t you speak to me, master? Are you hurt?” He lifted his silver hand, reaching for Ron’s face, but Ron backed away.
“Are you cursed? It’s… it’s the Mutatio curse, isn’t it? Oh, master, I can help you! The Dark Lord taught me how to cure such an ancient curse! Just give me your wand, and I can fix it!”
Ron continued to stare, but a great debate raged behind his eyes.
“Yes!” Peter exclaimed, “Yes, please, master! If you let me live, I will be in your debt forever! Please, let me help you!”
Ron shook his head. If I hadn’t let him live before, none of this would have happened, he thought.
He flicked his wand, and Peter Pettigrew once more became Scabbers the rat. Ron swung his wand to the right, and the rat flew hard into the wall, falling to the ground dead.
You killed Cedric, Ron thought, and as the rats all escaped back into the walls, the door opened. You brought Voldemort back, allowed the deaths of so many.
And all because I let you live.
You didn’t deserve another chance.
Chapter 11
The Salvo
Meanwhile, the largest battle the wizarding world had seen in decades raged outside the walls of Hogwarts.
“Fleur!” Kingsley Shacklebolt yelled, “Get your squad to the west end, they’re running thin!”
It was a sight to behold, but not one in which you wanted to take part. Hundreds of wizards, including many who joined from nearby Hogsmeade, battling wand-to-wand. Others were fighting ferocious beasts. One giant, and another half-giant, plowing through the field and tackling their share of trolls in the process. Bodies began to fall everywhere as friends and neighbors found their lives cut short.
The pace of battle suddenly slackened as a heavy fog rolled across the field. DA and Death Eaters alike felt a sudden chill as a dark mass issued from the hillside.
“Dementors!” Parvati Patil screamed.
If anyone in the battle had been at the pond the night Harry Potter and Hermione Granger saved Sirius Black, they would have seen a massing of Dementors that rivaled what the combatants were seeing now. Hundreds of the black-cloaked ghouls swarmed down on the battle, grabbing anyone they could find, their hunger not to be quenched by Dumbledore’s Army alone.
“Everybody back!” Viktor Krum yelled, watching in horror as a Dementor clasped its face onto Hannah Abbott. Another attacked Amos Diggory.
“Form a line, form a line!” Charlie Weasley yelled, “Wands out!”
“George!” Fred Weasley yelled as three Dementors attacked his twin brother.
The line of troops formed quickly, as many who could tear themselves away from battle did so. Many did not. Viktor stuck out his wand.
“Patronuses, attack!”
The words Expecto Patronum echoed across the field. One after another, giant glowing creatures issued from the tips of wands, a veritable Noah’s Ark of Patronuses. They locked horns, locked teeth, locked claws with the Dementors. Even the ghostly forms coming from the unpracticed joined into the battle.
“The idiots are all lined up,” MacNair said to his troops. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s feeding time.”
The werewolves of the enemy charged across the field, dodging through the battling spirits. Many of the Army were able to disable them with spells, but many others collapsed as they were fell upon.
Fred and Charlie Weasley ran to their brother, knocking aside any werewolves in their path. Fred lifted George’s head.
“George!” he yelled, “Say something!”
George said nothing, his eyes staring, unfocused, off into the distance.
“They Kissed him,” Charlie moaned. “The bastards got him.”
“No!” Fred cried, clutching his brother to his chest. Charlie put his arm around Fred’s shoulder, trying to hard to fight back the tears.
Neither of them saw the werewolf jump at them. They felt the impact as it collided with them, but Fred only felt the bite of normal human teeth, only felt dull fingernails scratch his back.
They both reacted instantaneously, flinging the werewolf to the ground. But instead of a werewolf, it was only a small man, lying naked and stunned.
“What the hell?” he said. He looked up at the two Weasleys, their wands both pointed at his face, and then ran off in fear.
Fred and Charlie looked around the battlefield. This appeared to be happening everywhere, as werewolves were being replaced by naked men and women.
“What’s happening?” Fred asked as a young woman ran past them, covering herself with a dead Death Eater’s cloak.
“They’re not werewolves anymore,” Shacklebolt said, walking up beside them. “I think someone took out the Alpha Wolf. When that happens, the curse is broken.”
“Good lord,” Ernie MacMillen said. “Fenrir Greyback’s dead?”
“Yeah!” Aberforth Dumbledore yelled. “We got ‘em on the ropes!”
Chapters 12 & 13