The Hogwarts Express rolled into Hogsmeade station and was quickly boarded by Aurors and Medical Wizards looking for wounded students or stowaway Death Eaters. The kids were ushered off the train and, while most were taken back up to the castle, a select few were taken to a newly re-built building in the village.
Ron held Hermione close while they followed the Auror through the streets of Hogsmeade. Harry and Ginny followed close behind, but neither said anything. They had all been silent since leaving the cavern where the Death Eaters had kept them prisoner.
When Ron and Harry found Hermione standing over the dead body of Antonin Dolohov, both were speechless. Hermione said nothing as they tried to ask her what had happened, and she wouldn’t even move until Kevin and the Animagi had found them and brought them back to the train. Ginny was especially ignorant of everything, but there was little anyone could tell her.
They were brought to the recently rebuilt Three Broomsticks pub and shown to a room on the upper floor. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were already seated in the room. “Please sit,” Dumbledore said, indicating a sofa. The students did as they were told. “I know that you all must have many questions, but I must ask you to indulge us. You all know much more of what went on in the cavern then we do, so if you could explain what has happened, I would appreciate it.”
Harry and Ron exchanged glances. Neither knew where to start, or how much to tell the headmaster. Harry finally spoke and told them everything he could remember. It was fresh in his mind, but he didn’t like the idea of reliving the incident. When he finally came to the part when he and Ron found Hermione standing over a dead Dolohov, he stopped.
The headmaster listened carefully. “I see,” he said. “This is a most disturbing turn of events. As you all well know, an informant within Voldemort’s followers has been sending information to us for some time. This incident was one such thing that we were made aware of, which is why Kevin and the Animagi were aboard the train. However, the Aurors were supposed to protect the train and make sure no student was taken off.
“I admit, that it was foolish of us to put innocent lives in danger, but this was our best chance to capture the Dark Lord.” Dumbledore lowered his head. “Pride does not only corrupt the wicked.”
Professor McGonagall looked over at the students. “Miss Granger, can you tell us what happened when you were taken away by Antonin Dolohov?”
Hermione shook her head. “I can’t…don’t want to…”
Ron wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Please tell us, Hermione.”
“I can’t…”
“Hermione,” Dumbledore said, raising his head. “Whatever happened in the cavern does not matter, but we need to know.”
Hermione’s eyes started to fill with tears. Ginny handed a handkerchief over to her. Accepting it, she dabbed her eyes and started to speak.
****************************************************
He stood with his wand pointed at her, a menacing glare in his eyes. She knew what he was going to do, and she couldn’t think of anything to do that would stop him. Her wand was in his robes, and there was no one nearby to stop the Death Eater. Her mind was blank as she tried to think of any way she could save herself.
Dolohov didn’t make any move. “It seems that no one will be coming to your rescue. I was hoping to have more subjects to test this curse on, but you will have to do.”
“Wait!” she suddenly screamed. Dolohov stopped and looked at her quizzically. “Please, don’t do this. I’ll do anything you want. Just don’t kill me.” Tears started welling up in her eyes.
The Death Eater smiled. “Typical of a mudblood, begging for her life. What would I ever want from you?”
Hermione had no answer for that. There was nothing she could, or would want to offer him. She only wanted to buy herself some time. Her eyes darted around the cave, quickly, but there was nothing she could find that would be of use. Added to that, her hands were still bound behind her back. Dolohov raised his arm to cast a spell…and she saw it.
Her wand.
For the first time, Hermione didn’t think, didn’t plan anything. She just kicked. Her foot buried itself in the Death Eaters abdomen, which forced him to double over. Hermione spun quickly and reached for her wand. She managed to grab it and cast a spell to free her hands.
Dolohov recovered and shot a spell that knocked her back against the cavern wall. Her vision was blurred as pain shot up her spine, but she could just see her enemy raise his wand again. He started chanting something she couldn’t understand.
Hermione acted. She cast a stunning spell, but he managed to deflect it with a shield charm. She tried a few other spells, but Dolohov was an experienced wizard. No matter how many books she had read, it would be no match for him.
His chanting continued until he said a word that Hermione did recognize, excessus. Her mind cleared as she realized that, whatever this curse did, it would kill her in the end. She tried, once again, to think of something she could do to save herself. Everything she had ever learned, she had already tried and it had not saved her. But maybe… There was one other thing she knew that would stop him, but she couldn’t do it. It wasn’t possible that she could pull off such a powerful spell.
Dolohov’s chanting became louder as he neared completion of his curse. A bright purple light glowed from the tip of his wand. Hermione knew that light; it had haunted her in her dreams, had nearly killed her a year ago, and was ready to do so again. It was now or never.
She composed herself, and raised her wand. Dolohov stared at her with a curious glance. His incantation was complete, but he did not finish the curse. “Have you another pathetic spell that you think will save your life? After only another word, my curse will tear you apart from the inside out.”
“Never,” she whispered.
“Avada Kedavra!”
**********************************************************
“His eyes got so big when he realized what I was doing,” Hermione explained. “He never knew what was coming.” She dabbed the tears from her eyes again.
Dumbledore listened closely, only nodding every now and then. “I see,” he said. “So that is how Antonin Dolohov died.”
Harry was confused at Dumbledore’s relaxed voice. Hermione had used an Unforgivable Curse against another wizard, an offense that carried a life sentence in Azkaban Prison. It may have been used against a Death Eater, but it still had been used.
Dumbledore seemed to have read Harry’s mind. “You need not fear, Miss Granger. There will be no punishment from the Ministry for what you have done. You acted out of self-defense, not out of malice.” Hermione looked up at the headmaster. He smiled, “What has been done this day will no doubt be with you for many years, but you must not worry. You have shown that you have the courage to fight, which is what Voldemort fears the most. He had hoped to make you all frightened and unwilling to oppose him, but he was shown that there are more people against him then he had realized.”
The door to the room opened at that instant. Kevin and the four Animagi entered, each looking concerned. Dumbledore got to his feet. “What has happened?”
“Voldemort is already retaliating,” Kevin answered. “His forces in Northern Ireland and Germany have launched counter-strikes. We have reports that an army is massing in the mountain area where we were taken. I sent Avis with a message to the Ministry asking for help, but I don’t think they’ll be able to spare much.”
Dumbledore nodded. “Possibly. Our forces are pulled thin these days.” He looked over at the students. “You’ve just missed an interesting tale from Miss Granger, I’m afraid.”
Kevin shook his head. “Not really. We were listening outside the door, but we didn’t want to interrupt.” He took a seat, as did the Animagi. “They’ve answered our questions, Dumbledore. It seems only right that we answer some of theirs.” Dumbledore nodded in agreement as he sat back down.
The Animagi took seats as well. “I think I know what their first question is, Kevin,” Lita said.
Kevin nodded. “As you well know by now,” he started. “The housedogs are actually Animagi. I made everyone think they were simply enchanted animals to fool any spies that Voldemort might have inside our ranks. No one beside myself, Sara and Professor Dumbledore knew the truth.”
Chris folded his arms. “The hardest part was acting like dogs despite our human minds. We kept wanting to do things that people do, but we had to keep the disguise up.”
“How were able to endure it?” Ginny asked.
“It wasn’t easy,” Chris answered. “If you think back, you have to see that we didn’t act like dogs all the time. That could have caused some people to get suspicious, but we got lucky and no one seemed to pick up on it.”
“What were they going to do to us?” Ron asked. “What was this all about?”
Kevin leaned back in his chair. “Voldemort knows that he is mortal, at least for now. He wants to make sure that he will have a healthy supply of followers, even after he dies.” Kevin took a deep breath. “Do you all remember me telling you what happened to me when my mother was still carrying me?” The students nodded. “Well, Voldemort wants to start that sick plot again. He wants a young heir who can be brought up under his guidance. Only this time, he wants the father to be one of his own Death Eaters.”
Professor McGonagall let out a small shriek. “Are you saying that he wanted to impregnate our female students?”
Kevin looked over at her. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Voldemort is sick, and he wants to hurt everyone that he can, in any way that he can.”
“What about the boys?”
“He wanted to turn them into Death Eaters. His ranks will eventually dwindle, so he needs replacements. Where better to find them then a school?”
The room fell silent for a moment as the truth about the situation sunk in. Finally, Hermione raised her head. “Kevin, do you know what Dolohov’s curse would have done to me?”
He reached over and patted her knee. “Do you really want to know, Hermione?”
“I have to know…please?”
“All right,” he said. “The Ministry of Magic was able to figure out what the effects of the curse are. It would have, of course, eventually killed you, Hermione, but not right away. The curse was supposed to shut down your internal organs first, and put you in a lot of pain. You would have spent the next few days in agony as your intestines, lungs and heart stopped working.”
Hermione’s eyes suddenly filled with tears again. Dumbledore got to his feet. “Perhaps you should take Miss Granger back to Gryffindor tower. You all could use some rest.”
Ron steadied Hermione as they all left the room. Kevin stood up and started pacing around the room. “That is not going to leave her anytime soon.”
“No, it won’t,” Dumbledore replied. “But she is strong, as they all are. They will be able to get through this.” He looked over at Kevin and saw a concerned look on his face. “You have something else to say?”
Kevin stopped pacing and met the headmaster’s eyes. “Albus, you and I both know that Voldemort is not going to take this loss well. He is going to want blood, our blood.”
“What do you suggest?”
Kevin shook his head. “As much as I don’t want this, I know this is the only thing we can do.
“We have to shut the school down.”