Happy New Years to all! Quick note that may have been confusing. First, Kevin and Sara are not related, except that they are married. They are children of separate parents who were friends before they were killed. They met James and Lily, and when Kevin and Sara’s parents were killed, James and Lily took the kids in. This is simply a case of “marrying your best friend.” Secondly, when Sara paid for Ginny’s robes half in leprechaun gold, she was not trying to do something illegal. I was trying to hint that the dressmaker was trying to cheat her, so she did something to cheat him back. If the dressmaker had ever reported it, he would have to report his own illegal act. Now, on with the chapter.
A great thunder rocked the house violently.
Harry was shook awake by a pair of hands. “Wake up, Harry! Wake up!” Kevin stared down into his face, with a look of panic and fear. “Get up, quick. You have to get packed and help the younger students downstairs.”
Harry got his glasses on as the house shook again. Now fully awake, he got to his feet and found Seamus already dressed and dragging his trunk. Harry got dressed and started putting his things in his trunk. Remembering that magic could be used, he waved his wand. His clothes and belongings flew into the trunk, which closed and locked. With another wave, it levitated off the ground and followed Harry down the stairs.
Seamus had remembered that he could use magic as well and levitated his trunk. Sara was on the ground floor directing a few students into the living room. The luggage was being piled into a corner, while the students were huddled on the couches. They were shaking with fright. The house was rocked by another force and the students shrieked in fright. Harry went over to Sara. “What’s going on?”
Sara helped a first-year girl with her trunk. “We’re under attack…by Death Eaters.”
Harry was shocked. He ran over to the nearest window and looked out. There was a large collection of black robed wizards standing out in the lawn. They seemed to be in a trance. Harry left the window, grabbed Seamus by the arm and ran back upstairs. He pointed towards a room. Seamus went inside while Harry went further down the hall. Hermione passed him followed by three girls with trunks floating behind them. Harry helped as many students as he could pack their things and got them into the living room. He thought that all the students had been woken up when he noticed someone was missing. “Where’s Ginny?”
Hermione and Seamus looked around, but couldn’t find her. Harry started to run back up the stairs. He stopped, though, when Kevin raced down them with Ginny thrown over his shoulder. Harry looked concerned. “Is she all right?”
Kevin dumped her body into a recliner, which caused her to stir. “She fell back asleep,” Kevin said. “Amazingly calm, this girl is.” He went over to the fireplace, took his wand out and said, “Incendio!” A ball of flame shot from his wand and ignited the wood in the fireplace. “Now we have to stick it out for a while.” The house shook again, this time more violently then before. Kevin walked over to the window. “A few more hits like that and the shield charm will fail. We have to buy ourselves some time.”
“Time for what?” Harry asked.
“For the ministry to set up a floo connection to our house,” Kevin responded. “We are cut off from the floo network to prevent anyone from trying to get in without our knowing.” He turned away from the window. “That won’t stop those guys from trying, though.”
“Why can’t we use the portkeys?”
Kevin ran a hand through his hair. “The portkeys were destroyed. I was going to make new ones when it came time for you all to go back to school, so there was no need to keep them around. The only way out of this place is through the fire or through the Death Eaters. I like the first option better.”
Sara went over to stand by her husband. “I do, too. The problem is that it will take at least a half-hour to set up the connection. We sent Avis with a letter about ten minutes ago. He should get there soon; he’s the best owl we’ve ever had. In the meantime we are sitting ducks.”
Kevin broke away from her and walked over to the door. “Never. I’ll never be a sitting duck.” He put his fingers to his lips and blew a whistle. The four dogs converged around him. Kevin knelt in front of them. “You know what to do.” They each barked, as if they were acknowledging him and dispersed around the entryway.
The house was rocked by another shockwave and knocked Kevin to the ground. Sara grabbed the windowsill to steady herself. “That was the worst one yet.” She ran over to Kevin and helped him to his feet. “I think the charm is just about broken. We have to do something.”
Kevin led her back to the window and pointed his wand at it. “You too,” he said. She followed his lead and pointed her wand at the window as well.
Harry and Hermione stood up and walked over to them. “What are you doing?” he asked.
Kevin didn’t look at him. “Buying us some time.”
Harry looked out the window to see what spell they may be casting. He couldn’t see anything except the Death Eaters still congregated together. His eyes roamed over the streets and then fell upon the garage. The two sports cars were rolling out of it, seemingly under their own power. They rolled behind the Death Eaters, who did not realize they were there. Together, Kevin and Sara waved their wands. “Incendio!”
A great explosion pierced the night with fiery light and smoke. The Death Eaters were knocked to the ground, and a few of them did not get back up. The majority of them, however, made it back to their feet. Harry saw, though, that they were slow about it and some were holding arms and legs, no doubt injured in the blast. “Damn,” Kevin said. “They must have had a shield charm as well. It did something at least.”
“Won’t that explosion alert the Muggles?” Hermione asked.
As if in answer, the night became darker then it had been before the explosion. The fire outside was extinguished as a cold chill swept through the air. “No it won’t,” Kevin said. “They have Dementors with them. This way they can work in darkness, as they’re use to.”
When he said Dementors, the younger students began to murmur in panic and a few of them began to cry. Ginny, who was now fully awake, sat between two girls and huddled them close to her. Sara and Hermione did what they could as well. Seamus was talking to a group of boys, giving words of comfort. “What are you all scared for? We’ve got Harry Potter here to protect us, haven’t we?” He looked up at Harry, pleading for him to say something.
Harry wished that his friend hadn’t put him on the spot, but he admired his courage. Seamus had to know that Harry would get him back for this at the first moment he could. Still, he didn’t want to let him down. “Yeah, I will.” Looking over at Sara, he added, “With a little help from everyone.” He turned to Kevin. “What else can we do to hold them off?”
Kevin thought for a minute. “You can do the Patronus Charm, can’t you?” Harry nodded. “All right, we may be able to do something.” There were suddenly a series of small noises outside. Kevin turned back towards the window. “Looks like they decided against the collective hit and have opted to use individual spells. Not as effective, but will still work. Maybe a few minutes before the charms fail.” He walked over to the fireplace. Taking a cup that had been sitting on the mantle, he pulled out some powder and threw it into the fire. It glowed blue for a moment then went back to orange. “Almost there, but not yet. We need about ten more minutes for the connection, then about five to ten more to get everyone through.”
He walked into the entryway, waving for Harry to follow him. Once the two of them were out of earshot of everyone else, he whispered to the young wizard, “Listen, this is how we’re going to do this. I’m going to drop the shield charm and the Death Eaters are going to come pouring through that door, along with the Dementors. We use our Patronus spells to ward them off while the dogs go after the wizards. They’re tough and they can get the job done. If nothing else, we’ll wound a few of them and take them out of action.”
Harry looked up at Kevin. “You can do a Patronus too?”
Kevin smiled. “I can do lots of things.” He looked over into the living room. “Hermione! Seamus! Come over here!” The young wizards complied. “When I tell you, I want the two of you to open the front doors and then run for cover. Understand?” They nodded in compliance, though their facial expressions told Kevin that they would rather do anything but that.
They took their posts near the door, waiting for Kevin to give the word. He looked towards his wife and she gave him an encouraging smile. Turning back to the door, he yelled out, “ NOW!”
In a matter of seconds, the doors were thrust open and a wave of darkness wafted in. As one, Harry and Kevin waved their wands. “Expecto Patronum!” A silver stag erupted from the tip of Harry’s wand and charged at the Dementors. He looked over at Kevin to see what form his Patronus was. He saw a silver raven soar into the sky alongside a lion of the same shade.
Harry shook his head. He had to be seeing things. There were only supposed to be two Patronus creatures out there, but there were three. A six-foot long dragon soon joined the other creatures. There were four Patronus forms? Finally, a snake slithered from the wand. Harry could not believe what he had just seen. Kevin had conjured four separate Patronus forms. He didn’t know much about the spell itself, but he had never heard of this. The silver creatures ran straight at the Dementors and Death Eaters. They washed over the attacking wizards, the silver vapor illuminating the darkness for a moment. In an instant, the Dementors were thrust backwards and disappeared into the night.
The four dogs leapt from their watchful perches and attacked the stunned dark wizards. Their teeth sunk into arms and legs and were answered by screams of pain and surprise. Harry noticed that the Death Eaters looked confused and dazed. The Patronus charm had unsteadied them, allowing the animals to get in a quick attack. As quickly as the attack had started, it was over just as quickly. The animals ran back into the house and the doors were shut.
“Colloportus!”
Kevin sealed the door again. He wiped his brow, “That will buy us some time.” As he walked back towards the living room, he noticed that Harry, Hermione, and Seamus were staring at him. “How did you…” Hermione started to say, but couldn’t finish her sentence.
“Later,” Kevin cut her off. He ran towards the fire and took hold of the cup. Taking a pinch of floo powder he muttered, “Here’s hoping.” He thrust it into the flames. They simmered and crackled before turning the flames an emerald green. “Looks like someone’s on their toes tonight.” He waved his wand towards the student’s trunks and they disappeared. “Everyone line up and listen up. How many of you have never traveled by floo powder?” A few students raised their hands. “All right, there’s nothing to worry about, though it is a little overwhelming. You step into the flames and say, very clearly, Diagon Alley. You will be traveling at a great speed and will fall out of a fireplace somewhere in the alley. This is a chop-job so we can’t be sure where you will land. When you come out of the grate, try to find another student or a Hogwarts teacher. There will be several of them waiting in the alley for you. Whatever happens, do not panic.”
The students formed a line in front of the fireplace. Seamus took a spot near the front, but Kevin pulled him out. He did the same to Ginny who was a few spots behind him. “I need you two, as well as Harry and Hermione to stay here until they are all through.”
“Why?” Seamus asked.
Something started pounding on the front door. “That’s why,” he answered. “My charm won’t hold them off for long. Charms were never my specialty. We have to keep them at bay for as long as possible.” Kevin started motioning for students to step into the fire. The more experienced ones went first. The going was slow, as the fire did not accept the commands of all the students. After ten minutes, only eight students had made it into the floo network. At the same time, the front door was being wrenched open by the Death Eaters.
It finally could take no more and came apart at the hinges. A cadre of dark robed wizards ran into the house, waving their wands and shouting curses. Kevin and Sara were quick to cast a shield charm over the students and countered with a few curses of their own. Death Eaters were flung off their feet as the floors were transfigured to ice and a great wind was conjured in the hallway. For those lucky Death Eaters who stopped before they were tripped up, they were reintroduced to the attack dogs. The animals took a bite at whatever body part was presented first. Because of the sheer number of Death Eaters, it was much easier for Kevin and Sara to strike without threat to their own personal safety.
However, it soon became obvious that this strategy would not be able to continue. The Death Eaters took up positions behind the marble pillars and in the kitchen. Using caution, they were able to cast a few well-placed spells. The shield charm was sufficient to deflect most of these spells, but they did knock a few students to their knees. Five more were able to get through the flames before it started acting up again.
Kevin started casting disarming spells wildly through the entryway, while Harry and Seamus used various curses on any Death Eater stupid enough to still be in the open. Hermione was standing close to the fire, stoking it whenever it seemed to be going out. There were only three young students left.
Ginny peaked over the couch and quickly used a banishing charm on a wooden cabinet. It soared into the entryway and shattered against a pillar. The Death Eater hidden behind it foolishly leapt from his cover and was an easy target for Harry’s stunning spell. Kevin was getting frustrated with this constant cat and mouse game. He shouted to the others, “Harry, Hermione, Seamus, aim low! Sara, Ginny, aim high! Incendio!” He ignited the archway leading into the entryway. Sara and Ginny followed suit, while the other three turned their spells towards the floor. The archway was soon a wall of flame. Kevin whistled sharply and the dogs leapt through the flames into the living room.
The flames quickly spread to the rugs in the entryway as well as the carpet in the living room. The last three students made it into the floo network. “All right,” Kevin said. “Your turn.” He nodded at the remaining young wizards. Seamus quickly leapt into the flames, yelling Diagon Alley as he did so. Hermione followed him, and then Ginny.
Harry was almost through the fire, when he looked back and saw Kevin and Sara standing closely together with the dogs. “Aren’t you two coming?”
Sara nodded. “We’ll be along. We just have to take care of a little unfinished business.” A barrage of spells shot through the wall of flame in the archway, forcing Harry to enter the floo network.
Kevin wrapped his arm around Sara and pulled her close. “It’s a shame we have to lose this nice house.”
Sara kissed him on the cheek. “Yeah, but at least we didn’t pay for it.”
They placed their wands together in an X pattern. The dogs moved in close to their masters, somehow knowing what was about to happen. The two wizards pulled their wands apart quickly, rubbing the surfaces together. They shouted out, “Eversio!” A ball of shimmering light formed between the wands and started crackling.
Kevin looked towards the wall of flame. “Nice knowing you!” he called out to whatever ears could hear him. “I’ll see you in hell!” He placed his hands on Lita and Chris’ head. Sara placed her hands on Shawn and Stacy’s head. As one, they disappeared into the night…
…only seconds before the ball of light released an explosion that ripped through the entire house, and all who were still in it.
Author’s note: well, now things are getting interesting. Thanks to all who have reviewed so far, and if you have any questions about anything, send me an e-mail or paste it in a review. If I don’t plan to address the issue later in the story, I will send a reply. Also, "Eversio" means destuction in Latin. Just as an extra note, genealogy will play a part in my story, hence the title “Legacy.” So keep an eye on it.