HPNS- Chapter 8

Read Chapter 7 here or start at the beginning

The Phoenix Vendetta

The chilled night air whipped Hermione’s face, blowing her hair about sharply. Her eyes began to stream. Frankly she didn’t enjoy flying but most of these adventures inexplicably involved being airborne… on brooms… Hippogriffs… even Thestrals. Hagrid would be reaching destination on Sirius’ gargantuan motorbike.

Her heart pounded loudly in her chest and she dared not to look directly below. But it was the thought of only one person out of the mission that resounded in her windswept brain. Ron had gone to battle Fenrir Greyback, the most savage werewolf ever known. He had mutilated Bill and she wondered whether Greyback had yet developed a taste for Weasley-blood. If so, then there were three young and healthy Weasleys headed straight for him. She suppressed an overlarge shudder.

With a jolt she suddenly noticed that they were illuminated against the full moon, its light was golden and calm… full moon… Hermione shut her eyes mid-air to clear her mind of a grisly image of Ron lying in his own blood, chewed to bits and dead.

Harry was flying to her left bent low on his broom, his jet-black hair fluttering in the wind. She tried to concentrate on the mission she was a part of and went over the plan once more. They had already decided the pairing. Harry and Charlie were to go after Goyle and Nott, she and Hagrid would tackle Zabini and Pansy Parkinson, while Moody and Tonks were left to tackle Severus Snape… they alone would bring him down.

Hermione still couldn’t believe that he had killed Albus Dumbledore, that a teacher had raised wand against a Headmaster. Especially since Dumbledore’s trust and involvement with Snape had been implicit. Dumbledore couldn’t have been mistaken. At this point however, it was difficult to differ from Harry’s opinion, Harry, who had been a witness to Dumbledore’s death and had nursed hatred so deep in his heart against Snape. It was impossible to think of any alternative explanation to Snape, when he had been named as the main target of the plan… the prime traitor.

***

“Now listen to me clearly”, Remus Lupin said to Ron, Fred and George standing around him, “Greyback is quite a handful and he has companions tonight. It is full moon, but you need not worry about me, I’ve taken my potion and will not transform completely. I might have some features of a wolf but I won’t be dangerous to the three of you. What you need to clarify is that, although Greyback will be transformed which makes him terribly fatal; he will be easier to capture. He will have little control over his thoughts and will merely attack you. Thus a few powerful spells should have him in control”.

Ron unclenched his tightened jaw after paying uncharacteristically close attention to a long speech. He mumbled softly “Erm… I thought you said that he would have accomplices. H-how many do you reckon there’ll be? One for each…”

Fred cut him across sarcastically, “Well Ronniekins, I thought you were ready for what’s coming, seeing that you were so jumpy about signing up!”

“Or did you expect Greyback to hang out with Pygmy Puffs, Mr. Trainee Auror?” George continued.

Lupin raised his eyebrow at the twins who grinned in the dark, and put a finger each to their lips with two identical winks. Ron’s scowl was quite distinguishable, but he chose not to reply.

They stood huddled in the dark street of Dewford Crescent where the boys had been attacked a fortnight ago. Lupin had showed them the exact location near the bushes where there were blood stains on the leaves. They set out with their wands lit in the brightly lit night towards a small inn at the end of the street.

***

Harry gazed up at the magnificent church of Westminster in the clear moonlight. He had never visited it before but this was certainly no pleasure trip. Tonks and Hermione were adjusting their robes and hair after the flight while Moody and Charlie kept their wands out and illuminated, prepared for any nasty surprises. A moment later, Hagrid made a conspicuous landing next to Tonks, causing her to shriek and tumble over.

“Kingsley didn’t have the actual location of these Death- Eaters” Moody growled, “but I can tell they were around here… I can almost smell them”.

Charlie looked at him uncertainly and said “Uh oh-kay… shall we split up and search then, the sooner the better”.

Harry suddenly noticed a deep cut running down the side of Charlie’s neck as he turned around to face the others. Might’ve been from one of the Order’s missions, Harry thought to himself dismissively.

“No, we’ll stick together and find them” Tonks interposed “when we find them, we’ll split and take care of it. Coz’ if we separate now, who knows who we’ll confront and our entire plan’ll be wasted”.

Soon the party silently walked down the road from Westminster. Hermione and Charlie shared Moody’s Invisibility Cloak, while Harry shared his with Moody. Tonks however, chose to move incognito as a ‘fat, ugly, old’ woman in a red flower hat. It had taken all of Charlie’s energies to place a Disillusionment Charm on Hagrid, so that he could travel like a giant chameleon.

Harry kept looking furtively behind them and at the other end of the narrowing alleyway. It was uncomfortable with Moody breathing the whole spirit of Constant Vigilance, down his neck.

They left the main road of Westminster and stood in a rather deserted and dimly lit alley, similar to where Ron, Fred, George and Lupin had been standing a while ago, at the other end of Britain

***

“Blimey, what a great location for a pub!” George whispered as they entered Ye Poison Apple. Deserted and placed in shadows, they could see the shack that even Hagrid would have thought twice before entering. Taking in the overwhelming smell of stale drink, Ron imagined that Hermione would probably refuse to touch him if she knew that he had step foot into this joint.

The inn was almost isolated excepting a small group of travelers huddled together in conversation in the corner and an ancient barman. Lupin walked up to the barman and asked if Greyback had been in there because he had important business with him. Ron meanwhile thanked his stars that when they had been out on the streets, the moon had been under heavy clouds. It was maddening to imagine that the only adult with them would turn into a werewolf as well, whether under control or not.

“Aye ee’s bin stayin ere fore a week, came wiff a buncha mates. Them rented four rooms” Ron heard the barman say, “bu’ yew won find ‘im ere no more… ee’s out for tha night, nev’r said wen e’ll be back”.

Lupin joined Fred, George and Ron, who stood with their wands clenched tightly in their pockets.

“If we believe him, then Greyback’s not here” he said in an undertone, “it makes sense as he’ll be transformed and can’t possibly stay in an inn with his accomplices”.

“Let’s get outta here then, no point hanging around”, Fred said opening the door.

Ron thought to himself glumly that it would be easier to wait in the inn for Greyback to return in the morning, surprise him and capture him with the others. But then again, it would also be cowardly, and he had already been called ‘Ronniekins’ once.

***

Harry held his breath with the others beside him as they hid in an alley, watching ‘the old ugly lady’ walked up to a hooded figure, leaning across a lamppost in the night.

“Scuze’ me dear, I’m quite lost. Which un is Elm Street?” Tonks said in an appropriate voice.

The figure looked up at her, its face concealed within the folds of a cloak.

“Pureblood?” asked the figure in a drawl.

“Bless my toes, ‘ow should that make any matter? I’m asking for Elm Street”, Tonks replied cheerfully, while fingering her wand within her purse.

“You’ll be next mudbloods!” the figure insinuated and then, laughed mirthlessly.

Harry’s memory flashed at the mention of that sentence. His heart gave a jolt and he heard Hermione’s quickened breath behind him, indicating recognition. Suddenly,he heard a muffled cry and felt someone fall near his feet. He swung around and saw Hermione’s body prostrate beneath him.

“Peek-a-boo!” cried a figure, its face hidden behind a skull- like mask like the others around it, wands raised right at Harry.

***

“Are you sure this is where he’ll come out to attack?” Ron heard George whisper to Lupin who stood behind them, hidden behind bushes.

Lupin didn’t reply…

Ron quickly turned his face around not knowing what to expect. He saw Lupin’s figure crouching low on the ground, face down and head clenched in his arms, at a little distance away from where he had stood before. Every fibre in Lupin’s body was shaking madly.

“Back off!” yelled Ron, motioning his brothers away from the spot, “back off now! We need to wait till it’s done!”

The moon was out of the clouds, bathing the dark street in its iridescent light.

“Remus… are you okay?” Fred whispered uncertainly, at the figure, heaving up and down as it took great breaths.

Ron’s eyes widened in horror at what he saw. There was fur sprouting from Lupin’s neck and arms… his nails became talons… ears became larger and pointed. Without warning, Lupin’s half-transformed figure lifted its face into the sky and howled at the moon.

“We can’t say he didn’t warn us” George said, backing away further with his wand positioned.

“It’s quite alright” the wolf-man spoke in a deep, husky voice, “you’ll find I’m quite normal with the exception of this paraphernalia”.

Ron stared at the creature as it spoke; he was certainly frightened but thought this was better than what Greyback would be. They resumed the lookout for the werewolves across the street.

“Holy…!” screamed Fred suddenly from Ron’s right.

The next thing Ron knew was that Fred was lying spread-eagled on the ground with a monstrous creature upon him, one that looked terribly like Lupin… but seemed unlikely to say something like “It’s quite alright”…

***

If Hermione had ever witnessed a battle of such intensity, pace and violence, this battle definitely qualified. “Expelliarmus” she quickly chanted in her mind, aiming towards Gregory Goyle after having dodged an Unforgivable Curse herself. Goyle stared stupidly at her before opening his mouth to block her spell. He was a second too late. Clutching his wand in her hands, she herself was suddenly at a loss for what to do.

“STUPEFY!” yelled Harry hitting Goyle squarely in the back. He collapsed onto the ground in a heap just as she had only a few minutes ago.

“HARRY watch out! LOCOMORTER MORTIS!” she screamed to block out a Death Eater from attacking him from the back.

She turned around to see one of the Death- Eaters aiming a thousand complicated spells at Hagrid who simply lifted him in the air and threw him across the street with Herculean force. This gave Hermione an idea. She was ready this time when Pansy Parkinson turned a sweaty, furious face towards her and raised her wand.

“Wingardium Leviosa” she thought and her spell worked effectively as Pansy rose into the air, bewildered.

“Quietus” Hermione chanted again depriving Pansy of her voice… the curse that would have otherwise hit her was blocked halfway, as Pansy clutched her throat mid-air, willing herself to shout out the curse.

Hermione looked around again rubbing her injured elbow. Harry and Charlie chased after two Death Eaters who had tried to apparate, but resorted to running away. Moody was nowhere to be seen, but Tonks (who no longer was an old lady) nevertheless was battling feverishly with Amycus Carrow. Shortly after, Hagrid joined Tonks in the struggle.

Owing to her inattentiveness, she saw a spell miss her ears only by inches. Turning around she stared into Draco Malfoy’s face.

His mask was no longer hiding his bruised face. It had been two years since she had looked into that pale, pointed visage. There was moment’s interlude as they merely stared at each other… Malfoy looked emaciated and devoid of any colour, but again something about him was strong and intimidating, just like Ron and Harry had seemed to her. They all seemed more powerful.

There was malice in his steel eyes, more developed and intense than the raw pride Hermione had seen in them all those years at Hogwarts. Malfoy had been proud of things he had never achieved… his blood, his father, his money, his contacts. But the look in his eyes was different now and it seemed that he had achieved that look of evil and power very recently… it had been entirely his own doing.

Malfoy and Dolohov were not expected this evening. Snape was absent. The Order of the Phoenix was usually very accurate but this faux pas was probably the result of a false trail.

Before either Hermione or Malfoy attacked each other, there was a distraction in the form of Moody appearing between them out of the blue; he looked injured and was sprawled on the ground. And then, Malfoy used this interruption to disapparate out of the scene…

***

“STUPEFY! STUPEFY!” Ron bellowed at the blood-thirsty beast which had opened its dripping jaws at Fred.

The werewolf was hit by the Stunning spell and fell sideways. Before he could extend his hand to help Fred onto his feet, Ron felt his own legs crumble against the weight of something that jumped on him from behind.

He heard a horrific growl… felt the hot, nauseating breath on his neck of the creature that was upon him now. Images flashed in Ron’s mind… he could see eleven-year-old Harry sitting in the Hogwarts Express on their first day… Hermione walking down the stairs with Viktor Krum…Luna Lovegood reading the Quibbler upside down… Pip playing in Ginny’s hands…

Ron trembled with eyes shut; face down on the road. His sweaty fist was tightly closed around a wand whose use he seemed to have forgotten.

The beast ripped his shirt open viciously and its inch- long talons tore at his skin. An unbearable pain shot up through Ron’s spine. He felt Greyback lick his raw, bleeding flesh as though to tantalize himself … this was it; he was going to die… or worse.

Warm blood oozed down his sides… Greyback’s infected fangs were only centimetres away from Ron’s white, sweat-tracked neck…

In the depths of his benumbed mind, Ron heard a werewolf howl deeply somewhere close by and all of a sudden, Greyback was kicked off from his back with tremendous force.

“REMUS! Get him off! We’ll get the other two” chorused George’s voice from above Ron.

As though petrified, Ron lay still on the floor with his eyes tightly shut, unable to gauge or believe what had happened. George turned him over to his face and felt his pulse quickly.

“I’m f-fine, not b-bitten” Ron croaked, as he was helped to his feet.

Once he stood and winced at the pain in his back, he saw something that shook him to his senses. Lupin-the-werewolf was locked in a physical combat with Greyback who was lashing with his teeth in every direction.

George ran off to tackle a beast that was close to biting Fred’s leg off.

Ron stood quite undisturbed watching the spectacle before him. The open wound on his back began to sting in the chilled night breeze. He raised his wand, his arm surprisingly steady, took careful aim and muttered the Killing Curse.

***

“Charlie he’s heading for the alley there!” Harry shouted as he avoided the Cruciatus Curse that Zabini aimed at him.

Theodore Nott was heading straight out of the street to deflect Charlie who immediately send a Stunning Spell at him.

Harry paid for his lapse of attention and was blown off his feet with a jinx from Zabini that he had never encountered before. His skin cut open in several places as though by a scalpel and blood drenched his robes. Harry fell to his knees in panic. Before he was rendered immobile with the pain, his hand dived into his robes for a bottle of ‘Advanced Murtlap Essence’ which, he hurriedly dabbed it onto the cuts. Meanwhile, Zabini went off to help Nott escape. Harry grunted in frustration at this handicap, he knew he would be of no use if he carried on bleeding like this.

Charlie was fighting both of the Death-Eaters. Harry continued to watch as Nott was struck by a Shield Charm and momentarily lay on the ground very still.

Zabini battled on furiously and he and Charlie waved their wands like swords.

Harry quickly got up dropping his cure, as he noticed Nott stir and reach out for his wand.

“EXPELLIARMUS!” Harry bellowed at Nott and almost immediately afterwards, stunned him by chanting the spell in his mind.

Zabini was distracted and abruptly moved towards Nott while Harry and Charlie exchanged a significant glance. Understanding what Charlie was indicating, Harry pretended to fall to the street in a faint. When he would get a clear shot of an unsuspecting Zabini, he would stun him as well.

“It’s over now, it’s only you and me and you’d better come along without a fuss”, Charlie said, his wand gripped in both hands, directed at Zabini.

From the corner of his eye Harry saw Zabini stand up and face Charlie, he raised his wand as well. And then suddenly without a moment’s warning, he spun on his feet and bellowed “PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!” right at where Harry lay on the ground. Harry felt his wounded limbs tightly bind themselves; his body became as rigid as a dash-board.

As though he were a silent and incapable spectator, Harry witnessed what seemed to be an epic struggle between Charlie Weasley and Blaise Zabini. They both fought with cut-throat skill and courage… it was impossible to determine who would win. Zabini spared no Dark Curse of his knowledge but Charlie deflected them all with equally strong defensive spells. Harry didn’t know how long he would lie like this watching them battle on… he prayed that someone… even Hagrid… anyone… they needed help.

Charlie succumbed to a Cruciatus Curse that Zabini aimed at him non-verbally and he lashed about on the pavement, shrieking in pure agony. Harry felt a pearl of sweat run down his face as he concentrated with all his might to break the spell which bound him. He began to chant a complicated counter-jinx in his mind which he had learnt off from a book of defensive magic in Ron’s apartment… it would free him in a moment… he wouldn’t let Charlie suffer like this.

But Harry was a moment too late.

“AVADA KEDAVRA!” roared Zabini, his wand pointing at Charlie’s heart… at Charlie Weasley. A flash of blinding, green light, and then Zabini vanished right before Harry’s disbelieving eyes.

Read Chapter 9- Dirge of a Warrior here