Summary: Holy Horcruxes, Harry! All of your BOOK SEVEN questions answered! Harry, reeling from the events of his sixth year, must now begin the hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes. To his dismay, everyone in his life is keeping things from him! During his search, Harry uncovers his enemys' darkest secrets, as well as the secrets of his own past. The killing curse leaves no mark, so why does he have one? Why did it take Hagrid twenty-four hours to get Harry to the Dursleys’? His phenomenal adventures continue, and he will not emerge unscathed. Who will survive? Will Harry defeat Voldemort? And whose side are Snape and Draco Malfoy
really on? If you like it, please review it! COMPLETED 6/27/2007!!!
Categories: General Fics Characters: None
Warnings: Character Death, Violence
Challenges: Series: None
Chapters: 34
Completed: Yes
Word count: 116793
Read: 101078
Published: 12/08/06
Updated: 07/20/07
Chapter Twelve - Attack On Hogwarts by Sunny Christian
Chapter Twelve â“ Attack on Hogwarts
Turning to face the new professor, Harry wriggled his arm free and started to object.
But Arnaud Finnister was studying the lightning bolt scar upon Harryâs forehead.
âI havenât seen you around here,â began the young man. âAre you new?â
âNo,â said Harry.
Finnister squinted again at Harryâs forehead, examining it closely.
âCould it really be⌠Harry Potter?â
Harry nodded.
His face breaking into a wide smile, Finnister took Harryâs hand and shook it enthusiastically.
âSo nice to meet you!â he gushed.
âEr⌠you too,â Harry replied.
Then they heard the clicking of very uncomfortable shoes. Professor McGonagall was approaching.
âProfessor Finnister, a moment please,â she said.
âMost certainly, Headmistress,â replied Finnister, who released Harry and looked at her attentively.
Harry wiped his hand on his jeans. The manâs grip had been firm and clammy.
âWith these three,â she clarified, gesturing towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
âOh, yes, of course!â said the professor. He turned on his heel and hastened back along the corridor, calling again behind him, âSo nice to meet you, Harry Potter!â
McGonagall was observing them suspiciously. She seemed to have gotten her wits about her, after the surprise of finding trespassers in her office, and was now debating what to do with the guilty party.
âWhat are you doing here, Potter?â she said, after a few moments.
âThought Iâd come back to school,â Harry lied.
âI mean,â she continued. âHow did you get here? I was not told that youâd be returning.â
Then her eyes fell on the medallion around Harryâs neck. She reached out for it and he took an instinctive step backwards.
âThat explains it. Give it to me, please.â
Harry shook his head. âItâs not mine.â
McGonagall narrowed her eyes. âLuci Keegan gave that to you, didnât she?â
Ron and Hermione gaped at Harry, who said nothing.
âAccio Professorâs Pass,â said McGonagall, and Harry felt the chain break against the nape of his neck as the medallion floated away from him towards the Headmistress. He clenched his jaw in anger.
McGonagall pocketed the Pass and cleared her throat. âIn the future, I would appreciate it if you could abstain from entering my office without permission. Good day.â
Before Harry could argue, she had gone on her way.
He looked at Ron, and then Hermione, who said, âI didnât even think to ask you how youâd gotten into the castle! What else havenât you told us?â
Without a word, Harry walked away from the pair of them, back towards the Gryffindor common room.
Hermione was instantly at his side again, and he could hear Ronâs footsteps following.
âWhy dâya think she was so easy on us?â asked Ron musingly.
âYouâve never kept secrets from us before, Harry,â said Hermione, ignoring Ron, and sounding very disappointed in Harry.
âYouâve never kept secrets from me either, but things change, apparently,â he replied, refusing to look at her.
âYes, but that was for your own good.â
âRight.â Harry picked up his pace.
âDo you really feel like you can trust Luci?â Hermione asked gently.
Harry stopped abruptly and Ron almost barreled into him. He glared at Hermione.
âI donât know, OK? But sheâs helped me and sheâs kept things to herself. And thatâs the end of it.â
Then he started off again, and the three of them traveled the remaining distance in silence.
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After the morningâs onerous events, Hermione had gone up to her dormitory in a terrible distress, muttering about resurrecting S.P.E.W. right away. The common room was empty and Harry and Ron were sitting quietly by the fire, neither looking at the other.
Eventually, Ron broke the silence. âThe team has been good this year. Ginnyâs doing a great job as Seeker.â
Harry nodded distractedly. His thoughts were bouncing back and forth between Luci and the tasks ahead of him and the image of Ron and Hermione kissing in a dark corner.
After a few more minutes, Ron began again, âHagrid told us where your parents are buried.â
This got Harryâs attention. âI almost forgot! Where did he say?â
âNear your grandparents,â Ron replied.
âWhich set?â
âOh, the Muggle ones.â
âAnd where is that?â he asked Ron, who shrugged.
âDunno. Forgot to ask that, actually. Figured youâd know.â
âWe should go down and see Hagrid anyway,â said Harry, rising. âLetâs find out.â
Ron glanced at the stairs leading to the girlsâ dormitories as he, too, got to his feet.
âLet her rest,â Harry suggested. âCome on.â
They strolled leisurely down to Hagridâs hut. The grounds were empty, as most of the students were in class. The October air was chilly, but fresh and clean, and Harry breathed deeply as they walked. He had missed the scent of this grass, these trees, the aroma of home.
âSo who made the first move?â
âSorry?â asked Ron.
âWith you and Hermione.â
Ron blushed. âWho do you think? She did, of course. Iâd never! Sheâs out of my league.â
Grinning, Harry asked, âWhen?â
âAt the Burrow, before we came to Siriusâs place. Iâd been teasing her about spending her holiday studying for the N.E.W.T.s and she said, âWeâre too old for this, Ronald,â and planted one on me. What could I do?â
Ronâs imitation of Hermione had been spot on. Harry laughed.
Though he still felt somehow excluded, and this bothered him, Harry was happy for his best friends. It had been a long time coming.
Their knock on the hutâs door was answered promptly. At the sight of Harry, Hagrid grinned broadly, his eyes shining beneath the dark, tangled masses of hair and beard.
âCâmin, câmin,â he said cheerily.
Harry and Ron entered and, at Hagridâs gesture, settled themselves into chairs around the table. Fang came over immediately and put his head into Harryâs lap. Though he felt his jeans instantly soaking through with drool, he stroked the dogâs head affectionately.
âTea?â asked Hagrid, shoving a plate of cookies at them. But before they could answer, heâd continued, âHeard Finnister anâ Todge talkinâ abouâ yer return, so knew yeh was here. They were a bit too excited, if yeh ask me.â
Harry raised his eyebrows. âToo excited? What do you mean?â
âFinnister could hardly contain âimself, anâ Todge, well, sheâs a quiet âun, but she looked pleased.â
Before Harry could raise any more questions about the new Hogwarts professors, Hagrid had gone on, âAnyway, to what do I owe the pleasure?â
âHarry doesnât know where his Muggle grandparents are buried,â Ron chimed in.
âNo?â asked Hagrid, giving Harry an astonished frown.
Harry shook his head.
âTo tell yeh the truth, I was surprised yeh didnâ know that yer parents were buried witâ âem. It was in the letter âat Dumbledore left fer yer aunt anâ uncle. âCourse, those Muggles didnâ tell yeh nothinâ! Rotten of âem! James anâ Lily Potter, in a car crash! Rubbish!â Hagrid was growling angrily.
âWhat letter?â Harry inquired.
âThe one âat Professor Dumbledore left on the doorstep with yeh, tellinâ yer aunt anâ uncle what had happened, anâ why they had to keep yeh, anâ where yer parents had been buried.â
âI never knew about any letter.â
âNo, âcourse not,â Hagrid said. âTold yeh abouâ it the night I first met yeh, mind, but doubt yeh remember, eh?â
Harry shook his head. âWhat else do you think they didnât tell me?â
âI canâ remember the whole thing, but I think âat was the lot of it.â
Harry knew, in that moment, that he had to get his hands on that letter.
âSo my parents? Theyâre in a Muggle graveyard?â
âRighâ there in Little Whinginâ, near yer mumâs old house. Nice green grass, matter oâ fact. Took âem âere myself,â he said, with a proud smile.
âHagrid,â said Ron slowly. âThese cookies are actually good!â
Hagrid grinned. âWork oâ Olympe, those are!â
âWhere is she?â asked Harry.
âHas a school to run, but sends me packages now anâ again,â replied Hagrid, whose sparse visible skin had shone instantly red at the mention of Madam Maxime.
Harry and Ron smiled knowingly at one another. They were pretty sure that Hagrid and the French Headmistress had become an item.
The two boys spent a good deal of the early afternoon in Hagridâs hut, drinking tea and enjoying the suspiciously tasty cookies. Harry told Hagrid about his tiresome summer with the Dursleys and about visiting Godricâs Hollow, and Hagrid had wept at the mention of Harryâs parents.
When Harry and Ron returned to the common room, Hermione gave them both an earful about being sure to always tell her where they were going so that she didnât worry. Ron had humored her and, when she was quite finished, had kissed her softly and told her that she was very cute. Harry, uncomfortable, had turned away.
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That evening, Harry joined the rest of Hogwarts in the Great Hall for dinner, though there were few students remaining after the summerâs events. Even still, it was good to be back, beneath the beautiful enchanted ceiling, surrounded by the various house colors. But looking up at the staff table, however full of familiar faces, Harry felt that there was an air of emptiness without Dumbledore.
A good deal of pointing and whispering had been taking place, but Harry tried to ignore it as he dove into his shepherdâs pie. Ron told him that most of the students were forbidden to speak to him, due to their parentsâ fears that he would drag them into one of his notorious adventures. He laughed aloud at this and noticed Ginny glance up at him. She was positioned down the table and they both decidedly avoided eye contact. Neville, who sat beside her, was also looking anywhere but at Harry.
Suddenly, the casual chatter in the Hall was interrupted by a thunderous disturbance from the Hogwarts grounds. A small girl from the Slytherin table went to a window and, after accessing the situation, emitted a high-pierced scream. The whole room exploded in commotion. Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione, who each gave him a nonplussed expression.
Filch burst through the oak doors of the hall, shouting, âDeath Eaters! Death Eaters on the grounds!â
âEveryone to their common rooms!â commanded Professor McGonagall, without missing a beat.
There was a mad rush for the door. Dishware shattered, sobs rose amongst the crowd, and people mowed over one another in their haste to reach safety. But Harry, Ron, and Hermione remained in their seats.
âThe Death Eaters are in Azkaban!â Ron screamed over the noise.
âCertainly not all of them!â responded Hermione.
âWhat do they want?â yelled Harry.
âMy guess is YOU!â Hermione answered.
âBut howâŚâ Then Harry knew the answer to his own question. âFinnister and Todge! They know Iâm here! Maybe one of them is a Death Eater?â
âMcGonagall would never hire a Death Eater to teach us!â
âDumbledore let one slip through, so she could make the same mistake!â
Hermione bit her lip.
Harry leaned into the two of them so that no one else could hear him, but he was still shouting. âIf they want me, I canât let them come in here and attack innocent people!â
Ron and Hermione shared a worried look.
âWeâre going out to face them!â he continued. âCome on!â
He led them towards the back of the Great Hall, through the door that Hagrid had often entered to join the feasts. It took them directly out onto the grounds, where they could see many hooded Death Eaters advancing upon the castle. The Hogwarts staff was bursting through the oak front doors, throwing spell after spell at the intruders, who retaliated viciously.
âOut! Out!â Professor McGonagall was shouting at the lot of them.
Harry was keeping a close eye on Arnaud Finnister and a tall, yet plump, woman whom he didnât recognize, but whom he assumed was Clares Todge. He thought one or both of them might show signs of treason.
âGive us the boy!â someone shouted.
âWhat boy?â Professor Slughorn asked.
âPotter! We want Potter!â
âWell, you wonât find him here, you idiots!â snarled Professor Sprout.
She was on her back before Harry could take another breath. Hermione made a choking noise.
âWe know heâs here!â said a familiar voice, and Harryâs gut dropped out, because he knew that the voice belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange, the woman who had killed Sirius.
The rest of the professors instantly descended onto the hooded figures, who stood their ground, wands held high.
âWe have to help them!â said Harry, gesturing for Ron and Hermione to follow him.
âHarry, we canât! Weâre just students!â protested Hermione.
He continued forward and didnât look at her, but replied, âYou donât believe that any more than I do.â
âWait!â hissed Ron.
Harry stopped and followed Ronâs gaze, out towards the Forbidden Forest. In the distance, the three of them could see Grawp emerging from the foliage, led by Hagrid.
A squeal of delight emerged from Hermioneâs mouth. âEverything will be fine now!â
Harry, who thought this was quite an overstatement, moved back into the shadows with Ron and Hermione, and they watched silently as Grawp joined the professors, flailing his massive arms into the cluster of Death Eaters. They released screams of protest as, one by one, they were flung into the air, sometimes landing yards away. One of them didnât get up again.
This went on for some time, with the Death Eaters and the Hogwarts professors swapping curses, and Grawp throwing his weight around. At one point, someone had lit Professor Trelawnyâs shawl on fire and she had hopped around in a circle, trying to extinguish the flames. Several people fell on each side, but the three onlookers had trouble seeing what exactly was happening. They could only observe helplessly.
âWe canât just do nothing!â Harry said to Ron and Hermione. âLetâs put on the Cloak and see if we can sneak into the middle of it.â
His best friends agreed, though hesitantly, and Harry took the Cloak from his pocket and stretched it over the three of them. They began a slow walk towards the battle, trying to keep their feet hidden and to remain silent.
Once they were on the outskirts, Ronâs voice came, gruff with emotion, âIs that Hagrid?â
The gamekeeper was, indeed, on his back on the ground, near one of the Death Eaterâs, who had lost his hood. The tubby man looked remarkably like Gregory Goyle, and Harry knew that it was probably the boyâs father.
Suddenly, Hermione gasped, âLook!â and pointed as much as she could beneath the tight Cloak.
A herd of centaurs were materializing from the Forest, their bows in hand, looking fierce and reluctantly ready for battle.
At the sight of them, the Death Eaters who were still standing seemed to realize that their attack had failed. They scattered and began to dash away, towards the cast-iron gates of the castle.
âAfter them!â shouted McGonagall.
âWe need to get them to Madam Pomfrey,â said Finnister, gesturing to the bodies strewn upon the ground.
Harry was trying to get a better look at Hagrid. He couldnât see any blood, but the large chest wasnât rising and falling in its usual manner. Harry felt his insides growing cold.
âWe have to get back inside!â said Hermione. âHurry!â
She tugged on Harry and Ron until they both grudgingly turned back to the castle.
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The three of them had made it back to their common room without anyone noticing them. Harry had a nervous churning in his stomach, and he was anxious for news on Hagrid. He paced in a small corner of the room, and Hermione chewed her bottom lip, as the rest of the room gossiped about the incidence. Ron sat cross-legged and unvoiced near Harryâs feet.
McGonagall entered through the Fat Ladyâs portrait almost an hour later, her face pale as frost, her hands visibly shaking.
âThe Death Eaters have been eradicated from the grounds,â she said slowly, her voice quavering.
There was a cheer from the back of the room.
âBut,â the Headmistress began again. âAt a great cost.â
Murmuring began to spread throughout the room.
McGonagall cleared her throat and choked, âProfessor SproutâŚâ
She stopped and wiped a handkerchief across her eyes, knocking her glasses askew. To Harryâs left, he heard Hermione breath, âSheâs not even trying to seem composed.â
âProfessor Sprout and⌠and Professor H-Hagrid⌠have⌠fallen⌠in the fight.â
âF-Fallen?â stammered Neville.
McGonagall took a deep breath. âTheyâve⌠passed on, Longbottom.â
With this, and a small sob, the Headmistress hurried back out through the portrait.
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