“Don’t you dare touch her. Only I’m allowed to kiss that girl.”
Harry stood in the doorway, panting from exhaustion. Keeping a Patrons materialized for such a long period of time drained more energy than he thought it would, but he didn’t care. Saving Ginny and the others was the only thing that mattered to him now.
“Get it,” Harry told his Patronus. He watched as his stag obediently charged the Dementor.
The Dementor backed against the wall, scanning for a way out of the chamber. Seeing as most of its options were quickly diminishing due to the charging Patronus it took to the air, hovering inches above the silver stag.
Panic quickly began to arise within Harry, if the Dementor got past his Patronus then there would be nothing between him and the beast. But at the last possible moment the stag reared on it’s hind legs and caught the Demeanor’s cloak in it’s antlers. With a flick of it’s head the gleaming Patronus sent the Dementor crashing into the wall, charged again and caught it full in the chest. Harry watched as a black cloud emanated from the cloak and deteriorated in the air. The Dementer’s cloak oddly slackened and fell to the floor, completely empty of its previous occupant.
With the room temporarily free from danger, Harry ran to the redhead chained to the wall.
“Ginny! Ginny are you alright?” Asked Harry as he freed Ginny’s hands from the iron shackles. He swore to himself when he saw her cut wrists.
“Harry…Harry you came.” Her voice sounded weak, it was all Harry could do to keep his eyes free from tears.
“Of coarse I bloody came,” said Harry in a strangled voice. “Did you think I would let you die?”
“I knew you would come, I knew you would save us.” Ginny winced as she spoke, it seemed to Harry that each syllable she pronounced caused her pain.
“Shh,” said Harry in a soft, gentle voice as he covered her wrists with bandages he had just conjured. “I’m going to get you out of here, I’m going to get you all out of here.”
“Harry I have to tell you something,” Ginny’s breaths were coming more hoarse with each word she spoke.
“Ginny save your strength-” But Harry was cut off by Ginny taking his hand. And with that he looked into her eyes.
An emotion flooded Harry’s heart so sudden and so unexpected it took him a moment to realize what he was seeing. In Ginny’s eyes was the same look that she had given him so long ago, it was the blazing fiery passion that she approached him with after the Quittich cup back in his sixth year. It was the look he had secretly longed to see since he left her all those months ago.
“Harry, I…I love you.”
Harry couldn’t believe his ears. He felt light headed, all the aches and pains his body had seemed miniscule. Strength spread into every part of his being. Nothing mattered, nothing mattered except that Ginny Weasley still loved Harry Potter.
“Ginny, I-”
“Harry! Harry hurry up!” Harry snapped out his momentary lapse of reality when he heard Neville’s desperate voice calling for him.
“Neville, I need your help with the others!”
“Alright, I’m coming!”
A few moments later Neville appeared in the doorway. After surveying the room he spotted Luna chained to the wall and quickly ran to her side.
After double checking Ginny’s injuries, Harry knelt down to Ron and repeated the first aid process. Ron’s skin was extremely pale, it looked like he lost a lot of blood. He had a large gash across his stomach that was still bleeding when Harry found it.
Hermione wasn’t much better, her curly hair was sleeked in dried blood and her face bore many small scratches. Harry started to panic when he realized that supporting one semi-conscious and three unconscious people through a castle swarming with Dementors was not going to be as straight forward as he previously thought. He was so immersed in trying to find a solution that he didn’t realize what Neville was doing.
“Harry, hold her head up for me.” Harry jumped at the command and realized that Neville was holding multiple corked vials containing a greenish liquid.
“It’s an energy boost, a powerful energy boost.” He said in reply to the question written on Harry’s face. “I made it by collecting the juice secreted by my Colan Azucare.
“It’s a rare plant found only found in North America,” he once again replied to Harry’s unasked question. “Anyway never mind that, help me out here.”
Ron, Hermione and Luna each coughed as the potion was poured into their mouths. Each looked miserable and bewildered.
“Harry? How did you get here? And Neville too?” grunted Ron.
“Oh Harry, thank goodness, is the Order here too? And the Ministry?” breathed Hermione.
“Neville...” was all Luna managed to say, but the emotion in the word was deeper than any paragraph of words. Neville held onto Luna tight and was about to reply but Harry broke the silence first.
“The Order and Ministry are on there way, right now its just me and Neville.”
“You mean to say you broke in here by yourselves?” asked Hermione awestruck, the others obviously shared her incredulity.
“Yes, and now we have to break out. We managed to put a dent in the Dementor’s forces, but there is still a lot of them left, and we can probably count on the fact that they sent word for help.”
The matter-of-fact tone to his voice made it seem like they were about to go for a stroll in a garden, and the fire in his eyes told anyone who looked that he would not be stopped from the task. For some odd reason, the four prisoners found a feeling of courage warm their beaten bodies, mend their broken spirits.
Each stood, Neville first and followed by Luna. Neville placed an arm around her waist and held his wand in the other. Next Ron got up, helping Hermione after him and they supported each others weight.
Using the wall she was sitting against as support, Ginny stood and leaned against Harry, taking his hand in hers. If all she could do in this situation was to give a little of the courage her hero had given her, than she would gladly do it a thousand times over.
Harry looked at her, emotions filling his head. At that moment the desire to kiss her filled him to the brim, and he probably would have if it wasn’t for Neville’s alarmed cry and the cold that was starting to tingle his skin.
Looking around Harry saw that the surfaces of the room were beginning to frost over and that his breath could be seen. He held up his wand, but his arm felt dead and heavy. He was sure he couldn’t summon another corporal Patronus. But then he felt pressure on his hand interlocked with Ginny’s, and knew that failure was not an option. He came here to save the lives of the people he loved, and he would do that even if it meant to give his own.
“Expecto Patronum,” he whispered. His stag stepped gracefully onto the ground and walked to the beaten door frame, joined by Neville’s lion.
“Neville, take the rear. I’ll lead, make sure you guys stay between us seeing as your not quite fit enough to perform magic even if you had your wands.”
“But Harry, like you said there are still loads of Dementor’s and maybe some Death Eaters-” Ron started but was cut off by Harry.
“Have a little more faith in your best mate, Ron. I’ll get you out of here.” Every eye was on Harry. Everything about him seemed reassuring; his composure, words, the strength he seemed to be pulsating to the rest of the group. Yet something seemed wrong, something in his eyes. A sadness that the five standing before him had never witnessed. They didn’t quite know what to make of it. But before they could inquire further the two patronus’ started to paw the ground and rear their heads. It was time to go.
Harry turned on the spot and saw a company of Dementors standing ten yards form their current position. Smiling to himself he raised his wand to the new group and sent his patronus charging. The Dementors faltered and broke ranks, but Harry advanced.
There was indeed a sadness in his eyes as he waked into the fray, a sadness coming from the decision he had made. The others may not have realized it because they didn’t fully understand the situation they were in. But Harry knew what must be done. One doesn’t simply walk into one of Voldemort’s fortresses and release the prisoners. There would be a price to pay, and he’d be damned if his friends were the ones to suffer for it. No, he would insure their safety, he knew what he must do to make sure not only his friends but any other victim would suffer in this prison again.
As he walked forward his stag slew Dementor after Dementor, leaving nothing but their torn cloaks behind. The path out was easy to find, seeing as how damaged it was from the break in. So Harry lead his friends through the mess, not letting a Dementor nearer than five yards. Sweat was pouring down his face and his feet felt numb, but forward he pressed and determinedly kept the magical link with his patronus. He knew if he let It break he wouldn’t have the strength to summon another.
Blood was escaping his wounds, but he wouldn’t stop. They had the momentum and he couldn’t let up. Neville was protecting the rear and he the front. If they could just get off this peninsula the fortress was built on and back to the mainland he knew they could escape. The Order and Ministry should be here by then, and they could deal with this retched prison.
As they ascended a staircase they were met with more Dementors. As Harry ordered his stag forward he noticed a flash of light. A red beam flew from somewhere in the black fray before him, and he barely registered what it was in time to deflect the curse into the side wall.
“A warrior with a ragged scar and a comrade with a lion…” came a voice thick with sarcasm. Harry recognized that voice even in the mist of this hellish situation. So Death Eaters had come after all.
“That’s what the Dementors told us,” said Bellatrix Lestrange stepping from the mist of the black army. “It crossed my mind that the warrior was you, but I didn’t think that Harry Potter was foolish enough to attempt this!” she said, her voice full of glee.
“And on top of it the Longbottom boy is here to! But what of the Lion? Ah…” she breathed as she caught sight of the lion patronus. “To think you actually had a scrap of talent-”
“Enough,” said Harry. The word was simple enough, but the tone of command in his voice was like a slap on Bellatrix’s face.
“How dare you speak to me-”
“How dare you try to stop me, How dare you kidnap my friends, and how dare YOU speak to ME!” Came Harry’s interruption. The words even surprised himself. The past year had really weathered him into what the Prophecy spoke of him as, he thought ruefully. And with that he flourished his wand and sent a spell directly at Bellatrix.
She dispelled it with a flick of her wand, but was surprised at the shock she received in her wrist. This boy really had gained some power, she thought to herself.
Harry knew his spell would be deflected, he had planned on it. He sent his patronus charging into the center of the Dementors. He saw Bellatrix take a step back, he saw his opening.
With a flick of his wand he sent a blast wave through the air which hit Bellatrix full in the stomach. She dropped to her knee’s and received another blow to her shoulder. She fell backwards, sprawled on her back. Harry sent the spell a third time, but this time at the ceiling. Bellatrix’s eyes widened as she saw the ceiling above her break apart and start to fall.
Harry didn’t have a clear view because of his stag fighting the Dementor’s but he knew Bellatrix was beneath the rumble. He turned to the others to make sure they were okay, and was surprised to see an awestruck look on their faces once again.
“What?” He asked defensively, “You think I was just sitting around this past year?”
He turned forward again and saw that the Dementors had fled with the fall of their leader. Harry breathed a sigh of relief, maybe with Bellatrix dead the Dementors would be gone for good. He took a few steps forward but stopped. Something was wrong. He looked down and saw the rubble strewn across the floor vibrating up and down. He looked for the source but was suddenly blown backward of his feet as the rubble covering Bellatrix’s body was blown off in every direction.
An evil, cackling laughter filled the air as Bellatrix rose from the center of the previous rubble pile.
“To think that Potty has actually gotten stronger! Oh the Dark Lord will be pleased indeed, he doesn’t like weak challenges you see…” but whatever else she might have said was drown out by her renewed laughter.
“But before I hand you over to him, I’ll have my fun. Oh yes, we will have fun…” and as she started to walk forward the Dementors returned behind her. Advancing toward their prey. The Dark Lord wanted Potter, but the others were disposable.
Harry desperately groped for his wand, but the shockwave Bellatrix let off sent it somewhere that he didn’t see, it could be anywhere.
As Harry stood again, no wand in his hand and victory seeming lost, he faced Bellatrix and her black army of Dementors. Wand or know wand he made a promise to himself to rescue Ginny and the others, and that was exactly what he intended to do.
Candles in the Night by patronous
Chapter Notes: ok here it is, not my favorite chapter to write, but the next few might just be awesome. thanks and review!