It was two o’clock on a bright and sunny Saturday in mid May. The town of Hogsmeade was the epitome of summer “ the trees and grass were a vibrant shade of green, daffodils and daisies were sprouting up in random patches, the small birds were singing in the blossoming trees, and there wasn’t a cloud in the crystal blue sky. The students of Hogwarts were out on the penultimate Hogsmeade weekend of the school year. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were meandering their way from the castle to the village with Professor Potter; the unfortunate presence of other students forced them to call her that. She was on her way to meet Charlie, who was Apparating to The Three Broomsticks. They strolled down the lane, breathing in air that was rife with the smell of the burgeoning summer, and chatting rather frivolously.
Percy’s death had cast a shadow that was slowly but surely lifting. They were comforted greatly by the knowledge that Percy’s death had not been in vain “ it had strengthened the love and resolve of his family. In the end Percy had remembered who he was and what that stood for. Just when they thought he had turned on them, he had proved that he was a Weasley to the core. He couldn’t and wouldn’t give up his family; he showed more strength of character and moral fibre than any of them could have given him credit for. His death had, however, ensured that a minimum of five Order members were present at Hogsmeade weekends. Ellie had volunteered unflinchingly, and naturally Charlie had followed suit. Occasionally Harry caught stolen glances at others, like Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt and even Sturgis Podmore, who floated around inconspicuously in the background; never hovering for more than a second. Harry also had the suspicion that Mad-Eye was traipsing about under an invisibility cloak; he had felt the brush of fabric against his fingers several times, even though the nearest visible person was more than a foot away.
Charlie was waiting at the door of The Three Broomsticks and greeted his wife-to-be with a hug and a kiss on the cheek; he was obviously a little uncomfortable kissing her as passionately as he would have in the company of her students. “All right there, you lot?” he asked them as Ginny stepped forward for a hug; everyone nodded diligently. “Good, got anything special planned for today?”
“Not really, just browsing,” Harry answered.
“Quite right, just be glad you’re not stuck in the castle on such a beautiful day.” Ellie glanced skyward.
“Well you four be careful; we’ll be in here all afternoon if you need us,” Charlie told them, pushing the pub door open; again they nodded and set-off for the top of the high street. Hogsmeade was as usual: teeming with students. They bobbed in and out of the shops in large groups nattering about their latest purchases; if only they had known that danger was descending upon them.
Without warning almost a hundred Dementors swooped down on the hordes of students. People were running and screaming in all directions. A few older wizards were cowering feebly, trying desperately to conjure Patroni. Harry and his friends sprinted to a nearby shop doorway. Ron pulled out his wand. “Come on; let’s do it!” he urged.
“We need help; there are not nearly enough of us to fight off that many Dementors,” Hermione said, with only the slightest hint of fear.
“Harry, your pendant! Ellie can get others here.” Ginny pulled the golden pendant from under his robes. He grasped it tightly in his hand and clearly said her name. Seconds later she and Charlie were standing beside them.
“How many are there?” Charlie demanded as he pushed past the teens for a clearer view.
“About a hundred,” Hermione answered. “But how did you know?”
“We’re not deaf, Hermione. We heard the screaming and then someone came running into the pub shouting about Dementors,” Ellie replied. “Let’s get out there; if you see any DA members tell them to join the fight.”
Charlie blasted the door off its hinges and the six of them burst on to the street casting the spell. Harry’s stag was joined by a lioness, an otter, a bear, a dragon and a phoenix. A griffin and an elegant swan soon added to the six silver animals; Harry glanced over his shoulder to see that Neville and Susan had joined their plight. Soon over a dozen members of Dumbledore’s Army, including Katie, Cho, Colin, Dean, Seamus, Hannah and Justin, had all fired their Patroni at the Dementors. Realising their opponents were gathering strength, the former guards of Azkaban Prison retreated. Like a whippet out of the gate, Ellie turned to those behind her; she pointed her wand at her throat and called ‘Sonorous.’
“This is Professor Potter. All students must return to the castle immediately. I repeat: all students must return to the castle immediately!” She removed the spell and addressed the students in front of her. “I want you lot to help the younger and incapacitated students. Make sure that they all get back to the castle; off you go!”
The crowd of students dispersed in different directions, helping others to their feet and supporting those too weak to stand. Harry had a fourth year Ravenclaw boy’s arm pulled around his neck, Hermione and Ginny were supporting a sixth year Hufflepuff girl between them and, much to his disgust, Ron was left to prop up a Slytherin seventh year. As they reached the winding driveway of the castle, Charlie sprinted past them with two third year girls, one over his shoulder and the other under his arm. “Charlie, where’s Ellie?” Harry demanded.
“She’s helping some of the villagers and sent me to get her granddad and Madam Pomfrey,” he answered in a very disgruntled manner. Harry dropped his load to the floor; Ellie was surrounded by a village of half conscious wizards and witches. Before Harry could say anything else, Charlie was half way up the school drive.
“I’m going back to the village,” he told the others as he drew his wand.
“Then so are we,” the three replied. They simultaneously dumped their charges on the floor unceremoniously. Harry called out to Katie and Hannah who were just a few feet in front of them.
“Katie! Hannah! Can you float these three back up to the castle?” he asked them. Katie looked at him dubiously, knowing what he was about to do, and nodded.
The four of them readied their wands, sprinting all the way back to the village, not knowing that Elizabeth Potter was already back in Voldemort’s clutches.
Meanwhile, chaos reigned in Hogsmeade High Street.
The second she had sent the students back up to the school, Ellie had rushed into Honeydukes and enlisted the help of the owners in dispersing chocolate to those affected by the Dementors. She was just breaking a bar in half to give to two young witches outside Gladrags when she spotted a fallen figure at the very end of the high street; the heap lay unmoving in black Hogwarts robes. She rushed to their aide as quick as her feet could take her and compassionately knelt beside the crumpled form. She reached out tenderly to roll the student over and came face-to-face with the sneering, better-than-thou expression of Draco Malfoy.
“Oh dear, Potter, you are in trouble,” he sneered. Ellie looked up to find herself completely surrounded by Death Eaters. She didn’t even have time to reach for her wand before a Binding Spell hit her square in the chest; her arms and legs sprang to her sides like stiff cardboard. She felt herself plummeting backwards and being dragged along the ground. When she was finally dropped to the floor a tall, skeletal figure swam into her narrow line of vision.
“Hello again, Ms. Potter. It has been a very long time.” The slit like eyes of Lord Voldemort gleamed ruby red several feet above her.
As Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny emerged on the High Street people were disappearing into The Three Broomsticks; the four teens followed them in hopes that Ellie would be in there. The eight eyes scanned the crowded pub to no avail. Harry strode over to the bar where Madam Rosemerta was filling several glasses with Firewhiskey. “Rosemerta, have you seen Professor Potter?” he inquired in as calm a voice as he could manage.
“Last time I saw her she was handing people chocolate outside,” the pub owner replied; almost spilling Firewhiskey everywhere. The four immediately spun on their heels and marched back out to the now completely deserted street. There wasn’t a soul in sight. Harry frantically searched the street with his head whipping from side to side, as his three friends fanned out with Ginny to his left and Hermione and Ron to his right. Slowly and stealthily they proceeded up the street, with their eyes running over every nook and cranny. Every step that he took without sight of her made him want to call out for her; he barely restrained himself by thinking that if she was in danger the best way to help her was to catch her attacker by surprise. They were about to give up when Ron held his arm up to halt their progress, he pointed to an area of dense trees that were just over a slight hill at the end of the high street, where the tiniest sliver of a black robe could be seen.
“Death Eaters?” Ginny whispered. Harry nodded nervously and furiously at the same time.
“Ron, you take the far right, and Hermione, you go with him. Ginny, you come to the left with me,” he whispered taking her hand. Ron echoed this movement by taking Hermione’s; he gave Harry a look that blatantly said ‘take care of her.’ The two pairs edged around the hill and the outskirts of the trees but found that they couldn’t see an awful lot. There was a sole Death Eater who was keeping watch and, with one swift movement, Ginny had stunned him. As they moved closer they still couldn’t see much, but they could hear the voices of the assembled Death Eaters.
“I’ve just been down in the school, my Lord. She sent the students back to the castle as predicted,” Snape informed them.
“The boy included?” Voldemort demanded.
“Yes, my Lord, the villagers confirmed that she used the defence club members to force the Dementors back, and then she sent the children and Weasley up to the castle for Dumbledore. We won’t have long.” There was quiet urgency in Snape’s voice.
“I intend to take as little time as possible,” Voldemort hissed. He muttered, ‘Finite Incantatem.’ Harry briefly poked his head out from behind a tree and was only just able to see his cousin picking herself off the ground in a clearing of the trees. He also caught a glance of Ron on the other side of the woods.
“My, Ms Potter, how you’ve grown since our last meeting; I can see that your father’s arrogance lives on in you by the way you hold your head.”
“My father wasn’t arrogant!” she shouted adamantly.
“He was a fool and he died because of it. He made his choice and it brought him an early grave; now we come full circle as his daughter must make the same choice.”
“What choice is that then?”
“Join me and live; or fight me and die.”
“No choice necessary. I’d rather die standing than live on my knees!”
“Watch your tongue girl!” Lucius called out.
“No! You may be afraid, Lucius, but I’m not!”
“You are nothing more than an insolent child,” the older Malfoy berated her.
“I am not a child!”
“This is true; you are betrothed, are you not?” Voldemort interjected.
“I am,” Ellie answered with defiance.
“To that Weasel? What does a girl like you want with a Weasley?” Lucius goaded her with his smug expression..
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand, Lucius, but I choose the likely man over the rich man because I would rather have a man with no money than money without a man, an affliction from which your dear Narcissa suffers,” she sniped. Malfoy lunged for her, but a swish of Voldemort’s wand stopped him.
“As entertaining as it undoubtedly is to see Lucius outwitted by a slip of a girl, we must make swift work. If you would draw your wand, Ms Potter, we shall duel and see how much the great Albus Dumbledore has taught his granddaughter.” He bowed to her but Ellie refused. “The similarities between you and cousin are obvious. He bowed to me and you will as well. IMPERIO!” he shouted, but it didn’t work. Unlike Harry, she could fight his Imperious curse. “Very well, we shall begin nonetheless.” He tried to hide his surprise under a look of vindictive pleasure, but there was no mistaking the infuriation and humiliation in his red slit eyes. He turned his back to Ellie, took several steps away from her, and she did the same. They ended up ten paces apart.
“Reducto!” Voldemort called, but Ellie was marginally quicker than him.
“Protego!” she shouted, and Voldemort’s spell bounced off her shield and almost hit its caster.
“I am impressed; you are quick,” Voldemort complemented her.
“She passed Auror testing,” one of the other Death Eaters reminded him.
“Of course; just how quick are you?” Voldemort proceeded to fire of a succession of spells within seconds of each other. Ellie caught all but one of them; she was hit in the arm by a stunning spell and the arm fell limp by her side.
“You are a worthy opponent for Lord Voldemort,” he said admiringly, a small smile playing at the corner of his evil mouth.
“No, I’m just the warm up act; if you can only get one spell past me then you’re going to struggle when you have to face Harry.” Her chest puffed out slightly with pride.
“He is just a boy. Who will be here to protect him when you are gone?” Voldemort inquired menacingly.
“His friends will protect him; our family will protect him!” Her voice was filled with unwavering determination.
“I am growing tired of you; you are no less arrogant than your cousin, your uncle, and your father before you. Your foolish, bleeding heart has led you here, Ms. Potter, led you to your death at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Your end has been sixteen years in coming, and this time you will not escape me. Take a look around: there is nowhere to run, nobody to save you now. AVADA KED…”
“NO!” Harry threw all caution to the wind and dove from his hiding spot; he lurched through the wall of Death Eaters, scattering them in all directions as they toppled over like dominos. In the commotion that followed, nobody had noticed that as Voldemort had raised his wand, a Death Eater had taken a distinctly protective step towards Ellie.
“What the hell are you doing here? Why aren’t you back in the castle?” Ellie turned on Harry furiously as the surrounding Death Eaters managed to gather themselves together again, pulled their wands out and pointed them at the pair.
“I…I came to help,” he answered sheepishly. He was beginning to realise that he had once again made a monumental mistake.
“You should have gone back up to the school, Harry.” The anger in her voice still remained, but her eyes were more terrified than ever before.
“Now, now that isn’t true. Weren’t you just saying that you were the warm up act for bitty, baby Potter?” This came from Bellatrix Lestrange. Both Harry and Ellie rounded on her.
“You!” Ellie roared. The wand in her hand twitched dangerously.
“I’m going to kill you!” Harry screamed. Ellie caught his wand arm before it could get high enough to aim at Sirius’s murderess. When Harry looked at her angrily, she flicked her eyes to the hooded figures surrounding them and shook her head barely a degree in either direction.
“Let me see, Mr Potter, how many of your little friends have you brought with you this time? Spread out and find the others,” Voldemort demanded.
“Harry?” Ellie’s eyes begged him to tell her that he hadn’t bought anyone, but the screams of Hermione and Ginny as they were brought into the clearing confirmed her worst fears. She gently closed her eyes as the dread swept through her veins, and he was sure he heard her whispering a quick prayer. Her eyes snapped open just a second later as the sound of Ron’s muffled struggling reached her ears and he, too, was brought forward, fighting restlessly against the two Death Eaters that were restraining him.
“If you let them go I’ll do whatever you want,” Ellie pleaded. “I’ll join you. I’ll take the Dark Mark. I’ll tell you all about what my grandfather is doing to fight you, everything. I’ll tell you everything. Just please let them go; they’re children, innocents.”
“There is no such thing. Didn’t I tell you this would happen, Potter? Here she stands with the knowledge that she cannot win, the knowledge that you could die here today and she cannot do enough to satisfy me. I’m afraid, dear Elizabeth, that it is too late for that. Why have the Queen when you can take the King?” Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry’s chest. Ellie stepped in front of him staunchly. Two Death Eaters swarmed upon her quickly while a third pointed their wand at her. She had no choice but to allow herself to be pulled out of the way; she couldn’t do anything if she was stunned or dead.
“Finally I have my chance; there is no mother here to save you now. I really quite enjoyed duelling with you, Mr Potter; you presented me with quite a challenge. Say goodbye to the world AVADA…” Before he could finish the incantation, Ellie had caught her captors by surprise and rammed her way past them to stand in front of Harry, forming a human shield between him and the impending curse.
“Silencio!” someone cried. Although Voldemort’s voice died away his mouth clearly formed the word ‘KEDAVRA’ and a green light blasted out of his wand tip.
The curse was absorbed straight into Ellie’s chest and, as if in slow motion, she turned to Harry with tears streaming down her face.
“Harry,” she gasped. “Run.”
But he didn’t run.
He stood watching as she slumped to her knees and reached out to catch his cousin’s crumpling form as she fell to the ground.
A/N: Another cliff-hanger, I hope that you don’t think I’m too cruel?
Continual thanks go to Magical Maeve and Ashley for their superb beta work.
Even if you do stick around for…Fallen, which is the next chapter!