Chapter 69: Battle for Survival
“They’re not dead, Hermione…” Harry said, wrapping both his arms around her and holding her head to his shoulder. “Now come on, stop worrying and start thinking “ we’re getting out of here, and we’re going to find Ron and Neville… but I need you for this, alright?”
Hermione nodded and wiped her tears.
“Alright…” Harry said. “Dumbledore will probably know where we are soon “ the grounds were being watched by Ministry workers, so they’ll know that we’re gone. Now all he has to do is find us “ but we have no idea how long that might take… so we need to get out of this room, and find Ron and Neville.”
“We know there are at least nine Death Eaters,” Hermione said slowly. “Lucius, Bellatrix, Draco and the six who cornered us…”
“The Daily Prophet said there are about seventy total…” Susan added.
“But they won’t all be here…” Ginny said. “They’ll have homes, and jobs “ this is probably just where they report to, like Grimmauld Place…”
“So “ we’ll assume there can’t be many, here,” Harry concluded.
They were all quiet for a moment.
“Hold on a second…” Luna said. “Katie, have you tried Apparating from here?”
“No,” Katie said. “But that seems a little unfair, anyway…”
“Not if you can tell Dumbledore where we are…” Susan suggested.
“But, I can’t…” Katie said. “I don’t know where we are “ besides, I can’t Apparate to Hogwarts from here if I have no clue where I am. I have to have an idea of the relation between my two traveling points…”
“Well “ what if you Apparate outside the door…” Hermione said slowly.
“That’s a good idea…” Katie said.
“That’s too dangerous,” Harry said quickly. “We don’t know how many people are guarding us…”
Katie, however, didn’t seem to agree with Harry.
“Harry “ no, it’s our best way out!”
“Katie…”
“Hermione, can you perform a Disillusionment Charm?”
“Yes…”
“Katie “ they’ll still hear you!”
“It’s a small risk, Harry! Hermione “ do the charm…”
Hermione looked tentatively at Harry, who glared at her warningly.
“Hermione “ it’s a small risk on my life or a huge risk on both Ron and Neville’s lives…” Katie told her.
Hermione looked torn. But she reluctantly tapped Katie’s head with her wand, and Harry watched as Katie slowly disappeared from his sight. He could see the outline of her body, painted black to match the wall behind her, and then she disappeared with a loud crack.
There was an almost simultaneous loud crack outside the door, followed by a thud on the ground, a shout of surprise, and another thud. They heard a voice mutter something indistinct, a click in the lock, and the door opened.
“Katie?” Harry whispered.
“And you were worried…” he heard Katie say. He saw her faint outline travel back to Hermione; he took a moment to locate her head, tapped it, and slowly Katie’s regular appearance trickled back into view.
“Okay…” Harry said slowly. “That was amazing…”
“You can compliment us later “ now we have to get out of here…”
“And this time, Harry “ I’m stunning anyone who gets in our way…” Ginny said forcefully.
“Fine,” Harry said. “Now, let’s go upstairs…that’s where Ron and Neville disappeared from.”
They left the room, stepping over the stunned bodies of two Death Eaters; Macnair and Avery, Harry noted. They came to the end of the hall, which met a small room that the staircase was in. Harry edged to the corner, and peered in to the room, where he saw three more Death Eaters. He turned back to the girls and held up three fingers. Ginny and Hermione stepped forward, armed with their wands. Harry and the two of them sent three stunning spells into the room, successfully hitting each man. Harry let out a deep breath, and the six of them moved to the staircase, and ascended it as quickly as possible; their Silencing Charms were clearly still in effect.
“Alright “ where do you think they could have gone?” Harry asked quietly.
“Maybe Lucius and Bellatrix woke up and took them back to the room we started in…” Susan suggested.
“Good idea,” Harry said. “Let’s start there.”
They shuffled down the hall to their starting point. Harry reached his hand to open the door-
“WATCH OUT HAR-”
The rest of the warning was cut off by the sound of a slamming door in the adjacent hallway. Harry wheeled around just in time to duck a purple streak of light. He stood up quickly “ it had been Ron’s voice he heard yell the warning, he was sure of it.
“You fool!” he heard Bellatrix snap. “You’re not to harm the Potter boy “ if you value your worthless life, you’ll leave him to the Dark Lord!”
“Ron? Ron where are you!” Hermione cried. “Are you alright?”
The group looked down the hall, which was cast in shadow.
“Be careful, Hermione, Bellatrix was down there “”
“Crucio!” Harry heard Bellatrix screech, just as stepped into view in front of them.
Harry barely had time to register what was happening before Hermione fell to the floor and screamed in anguish.
“Hermione!” Katie shouted.
“Petrificus Totalus!” Ginny yelled. Bellatrix fell to the floor with a loud thud, and Hermione stopped screaming. Luna helped her up while Ginny and Katie set off further down the dark hallway.
“Wait!” Harry called, wanting to run after them, but knowing he shouldn’t leave the other three.
“Go, Harry “ we’ll be fine…” Luna said.
“But “”
“Go,” she said again.
Harry nodded and took off after Katie and Ginny “ there was no sound of footsteps to follow, and Harry cursed, wishing they hadn’t done the Silencing Charms. There was the sound of a door opening ahead of Harry, and he quickened his pace.
“Ron, Neville!” he heard Katie say. He sped up, and found Katie and Ginny at an open door.
“Be more careful!” Harry said.
“We found them, didn’t we?” Ginny replied impatiently.
Harry looked into the room to see an unconscious Neville, and an awake, but bruised and bleeding Ron.
“No…” Ron moaned.
They went into the room, wands out, to help Ron and Neville.
“What happened to him, Ron?” Katie asked.
“He’s stunned,” Ron breathed painfully. “It was Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix… they got us from behind “ you didn’t hear because of the Silencing Charms.”
“Enervate,” Katie muttered, pointing her wand at Neville, and moments later he awoke, seeming fully unharmed and standing up quickly.
“Where is Malfoy now?” Harry asked.
“No idea…”
“Come on “ we need to get the two of you out of here…” Ginny said, hoisting her brother’s arm around her neck and pulling him up. Neville helped her, while Harry and Katie opened the door and checked to see the coast was clear. He nodded to Ginny and Neville, who hoisted Ron out of the room. The five of them returned quickly to Susan, Hermione and Luna.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief to see they were all fine; Bellatrix was still on the floor, stiff as a board, but glaring angrily at the group. Harry was shocked to see another Death Eater lying petrified, next to her.
“What happened?” he asked sharply.
“Jumped us from behind - Hermione got hit with the Cruciatus Curse again, before Susan got him with the Full-Body Bind…”
“Good job,” Harry said to Susan.
“Ron…” Hermione said weakly. “You’re alive…”
“Yeah…” Ron said in a raspy voice, dropping onto his knees next to her. The two wrapped their arms around one another tightly. Neville rushed to Susan’s side.
“Are you alright?” he asked nervously.
“I’m fine…” she answered.
“Okay, we’re together “ now we need to get out of here…” Harry said. “Susan - you help me with Hermione “ Luna and Neville, you get Ron …”
“Actually, Harry “ I think I’m fine,” Ron said weakly. “It’s just my arm “ I think it’s broken…”
“Let me see…” Katie said, taking light hold of Ron’s arm and checking it for a few moments. “Yes “ I think you’re right… here…”
She pointed at Ron’s arm and muttered “Ferula”. A sling formed around his forearm and shoulder.
“That better?” she asked.
“Yes, much better “ thanks,” Ron said.
“Harry, I’ll help Susan with Hermione…” Neville suggested.
“Alright “ I’ll take up the back, then.... Katie, you lead with Ron and Luna…” Harry directed. “And Ginny, you’re with me.”
They all heeded Harry’s directions as they set off for the staircase and proceeded down it; they found the three Death Eaters they had stunned earlier still laying unconscious on the floor.
“Where now?” Luna asked.
“We need to find the door…” Katie said.
“Let’s try this way…” Ron said.
They all proceeded down yet another dark hallway with more doors leading into dark rooms. It was eerily silent, and creepily desolate. The continued to walk quickly down the corridor and it seemed to go on forever. The group finally came to a stop.
“It’s a dead end,” Ron said.
“Let’s turn back…” Harry said.
Just as they turned to head back, Harry heard footsteps and angry voices bickering from the end of the hall.
“Someone’s coming…” he said, in a hushed voice.
“We’re trapped…” Luna whispered.
“Oh, no…” Ginny gasped.
“We could try to take them…” Ron suggested.
“Let’s use that as our last resort…” Harry said.
They all stood, petrified for a few moments; Harry felt panic setting in again.
“Here “ we’ll go through this door…” Katie said suddenly, opening the last door on the left.
“Is it really a good idea to barricade ourselves, again?” Ron asked.
“We’re practically barricaded as it is!” Ginny said.
Not waiting another second, they all quickly ran inside the open door. Ginny snapped the door shut behind them.
“Colloportus” she said.
“Silencio!” Katie said.
Harry had no idea what Katie could be silencing, but he didn’t feel their was time to ask.
“What now?” Ron said.
“Rdukterr…” Hermione breathed.
“What?” Neville asked.
The voices were coming closer down the hallway.
“Re-duc-tor…” Hermione said again, more strongly.
“The Reductor Curse!” Neville said to the others.
“It won’t go through the wall, will it?” Katie said.
“It might if we all do it at the same time…” Susan suggested.
“Here, this spot right here…” Ginny said. “It’s on the same side as the dead end in the hallway “ if there’s any part of this room that’s close to the outside wall, it’ll be on this side…”
Nobody wasted any time; each of them lifted their wands, and pointed to the spot Ginny had chosen.
“REDUCTO!” they all said at once. There was a loud, bang and huge hole was blown in the stone wall. Harry felt a rush of warm air as sunlight came rushing into the room.
“It was an outside wall!” Neville said.
“Hurry,” Harry said. “They will have heard that…”
“No, they won’t “ I soundproofed the room…” Katie said. “But we should hurry anyway…”
Harry heard a click of the door lock.
“OUT!” he shouted to the others.
One by one they climbed through the hole in the wall. Susan and Neville got out first, followed by Luna.
“Don’t wait,” Harry said to them as Ron climbed out, holding Hermione with his free arm. “Run! Just keep running. Don’t stop. Not for anything. ”
The three of them looked at Harry hesitantly.
“RUN!” Harry said again, hoisting Hermione out to Ron.
“Susan, Luna “ you run…” Neville said. “I’ll help Ron with Hermione…”
“Go, now!” Harry said. “And promise me you won’t stop.”
Susan and Luna nodded, and finally heeded Harry’s advice, while Neville stayed and helped get Hermione out. Once she had been lifted from the hole, Neville and Ron took off quickly after Susan and Luna, holding Hermione up between them. Harry turned to Ginny.
“You next…”
Ginny hoisted herself onto the hole, but just as she did so, the door to the room blasted open. The room exploded in dust, and within a split-second, Harry barely had time to make out the image of Lucius Malfoy, before he was hit by a jet of red light and blacked out.
---
Harry awoke to find that the dust had settled. Through the makeshift hole in the wall, he could see that the sun was almost finished setting.
“Good evening, Potter…” Lucius said to him as he opened his eyes. “I see you managed to help most of your friends escape,” he sneered with disgust. “It’s a shame the Dark Lord is still attending to important business “ otherwise, we might not have this situation.”
Harry felt a small sense of relief, but immediately remembered that Ginny and Katie had not yet escaped to safety.
“Katie… Ginny…” he muttered, lifting his head to look around the room. He spotted Ginny first “ she was sitting up against a wall on his left, looking as though she had just been revived from a Stunning Spell, like Harry. He felt slightly more relieved, again. He turned his head, and saw Katie, to the other side of him.
She was sprawled across the floor, her eyes closed.
“Katie…” Harry groaned. He felt an uncomfortable jab in his stomach.
“It’s a pity…” Lucius said icily. “She didn’t have to go like that…”
“What are you talking about?” Harry asked.
“Bell “ she could have simply lowered her wand…” Lucius said. “But she had to be foolishly brave, and I had no choice…”
“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” Harry yelled.
“Now, now Potter “ there’s no need to lose your temper. After all, being angry with me won’t bring her back.”
She’s dead. Harry thought.
He felt sick. He wanted to throw up.
No, she can’t be…
“You’re lying…” Harry spat.
“Am I?” Lucius laughed mirthlessly. “Why would I lie, Potter?”
Harry couldn’t think of a reason why Lucius would lie; he could more easily just kill Katie “ he had no reason not to.
“And now, you can watch as the little Weasley is killed, too…” Lucius said.
“Noo…” Harry groaned.
“Now’s the time, Draco…” Lucius said.
A figure moved from the corner of the room. Harry had noticed him standing there.
“Now’s your chance, Draco…” Lucius said, his lip curling. “You have an opportunity, son “ you can kill the girl while Potter watches. I’m sure that will be pleasing to you…”
Draco laughed maliciously, and drew his wand and pointed it at Ginny. Lucius stood back and watched his son. His pride was sickening.
Harry closed his eyes. Katie was dead. And Draco was going to kill Ginny; all he because he sat down on that lousy rock. Now Katie had paid the price for his stupidity, and Ginny was about to, as well.
Harry opened his eyes and looked at Ginny.
“I’m sorry Ginny…” he sobbed miserably.
“It’s not your fault, Harry,” she whispered.
Draco was still standing, pointing his wand at Ginny, but he had not yet performed the spell.
“What’s taking you?” Lucius spat.
Tears were streaming down Ginny’s face.
Draco looked pitifully at his father, and then turned back to Ginny, more determined.
“Avada “” he started.
But he stopped, and lowered his wand. Harry could see he was trembling.
“Do it now, Draco “ or the Dark Lord will hear about this!”
Draco lifted his wand to Ginny once more. Harry watched him intently; Draco’s eyes flickered to him for a moment, before turning their hesitant gaze back to the sobbing Ginny.
He lowered his wand again.
“I can’t do it,” he said tremulously.
“What?” Lucius shot.
“I won’t do it.” Malfoy said, determined now, though still quivering; he stepped back from Ginny.
Lucius looked at his son with sheer disgust.
“I’ll do it myself,” he said, stepping in front of Ginny. He threw another loathsome look at Draco, before lifting his wand to Ginny.
“Avada “”
Harry closed his eyes. He couldn’t watch.
But he did not hear the rest of the spell. Instead he heard two loud thuds, as two people ran into the room. Harry opened his eyes, to see Lupin and Snape, as well as the stunned bodies of the two Malfoys.
“Harry, take Ginny and run!” Lupin spat.
Harry immediately jumped up, as did Ginny “ Snape threw them their wands, and they took off through the hole, as Lupin and Snape rushed to Katie’s lifeless body.
Harry stopped when he climbed out, and turned back to see Katie.
“Harry, come on!” Ginny said.
“Katie…” Harry said.
“Harry,” Ginny said softly. “Katie’s dead…”
“No…” Harry said.
“Come on Harry “ we have to leave…”
“Potter “ get out of here!” Snape ordered him. “We’ll see to Ms. Bell!”
Ginny tugged Harry’s arm and dragged him away. He finally tore his eyes away from Katie and ran with Ginny, feeling the numbing, yet all too familiar, pain of loss take over his body. Though this time, it wasn’t bearable at all. He turned back to the building again, and that a battle was being raged inside and outside the house. There were coloured jets of wand light, and even a small flicker of flames inside a window on the third floor.
“Harry “ now!” Ginny said again.
He turned to leave again, but was hit over the head with something heavy, and fell to the ground. His glasses fell off and landed on the grass next to him, his wand, too, shot from his hand. He heard Ginny scream. He felt for his glasses, and finding them, shoved them back onto his face just as he saw Ginny thrown to the ground thirty feet away. There was a sickening crack, and Harry saw her ankle was twisted oddly.
He looked up to see Bellatrix, brandishing her wand to Ginny, who was struggling to stand up. Harry scanned the ground for his own wand.
“I’ve had enough of this…” Bellatrix snarled. “You’ve gotten in my way too many times…”
“Lumos.” Harry said desperately. He saw his wand light up behind Bellatrix. It was too far. Instead he stood up and ran for her.
“Avada Kedavra.”
It was too late. The jet of green light hit Ginny and she stopped moving, and flopped back onto the ground
“NO!” Harry shouted, and he dove for Bellatrix “ but she Apparated out of sight, and he hit the ground. He pounded the hard dirt with is fist; his breathing was shallow.
He remembered Katie, and then he looked at Ginny.
They were both gone.
He rushed to Ginny’s body. And looked into her empty brown eyes.
“She called you her brother...”
A brother’s …
“And if it wasn’t for you “ Ginny would have died two times over!”
…third intervention will fail…
“I just miss dad…”
…and you will be united with the one you long to be with.
The words rang hauntingly in Harry’s mind. He hugged Ginny’s cold, lifeless body. He truly felt as though he had lost a sister.
As he held Ginny, he thought of Katie, and began to sob. His entire body was aching from the ordeal he had been through over the last several hours. He sat there a few more moments before realizing he was mere feet from a raging battle, and should probably run. However, he couldn't bring himslef to move.
Then, a familiar beautiful sound filled the air, and Fawkes fluttered down on him. Harry felt the soft touch of the phoenixes feathers brush his face. He took Ginny’s wand and pointed to his own.
“Accio,” he said, and his wand flew to him.
Fawkes blinked at him dolefully, and turned his tail feather to Harry. Still holding Ginny and the two wands, Harry took hold of Fawkes, and they all disappeared in a flash of light.