Harry, Ron, and Hermione all stumbled when they came out of the darkness. When Harry regained his composure, at first he thought that they had ended up in a completely different place than where he meant to go. It was only when he was able to make out the depressing ruins of the Gaunt house that he realized they were in the right place.
If it were not for the dark holes where the windows should have been, then the house would have been completely invisible to somebody strolling by. The surrounding wilderness had taken the ruins with such efficiency that Harry couldn’t make out the door.
“Where are we?” Hermione finally asked, peering at the house.
“Voldemort’s mum’s house,” Harry said simply.
“And the village?” asked Ron. Harry pointed and Ron took off in that direction. “Oi! We can’t just”!”
“Shh!” Ron hushed urgently, holding up a finger and waving for them to follow.
Harry was annoyed with Ron but followed anyway with Hermione at his side. The three of them followed a downhill route towards the village of Little Hangleton, and slowly the trees around them began to thin. In the sky Harry noticed black smoke drifting up, and it was only then that he started to hear the sounds of people from far away.
Ron suddenly held a hand up to signal them to stop. He stood perfectly still, and peered around intently. Harry’s annoyance tripled.
“In case you forgot, Ginny’s””
“I was the once who saw her being brought in!” Ron snarled quietly. After a few seconds of silence he said, “Don’t you notice anything?”
Harry looked around and listened. “There’s no fighting,” he said in shock. All he heard were explosions, screaming, and laughing coming from the village.
“Well, the Ministry can’t be rounded up on such short notice,” Hermione reasoned. “Especially when there was another plan that they were about to execute.”
Ron looked towards the village in thought. “Okay, the two of you stay here while I go on ahead. I need to””
“Like hell you are!” Hermione blurted out angrily, catching Harry off guard but making Ron shush at her.
“They could be anywhere,” he hissed. “Fine, you can come along, but you have to do exactly as I say. I know how these bastards work.”
“Lead on, then,” Harry said, wanting desperately to get something done. His plan was to get to Ginny as fast as humanly possible, make sure she was safe, and then find Voldemort. Unfortunately, he knew that sort of plan wasn’t possible without distractions.
Without another word Ron started to make his way towards the village again, and the sounds that issued from it became louder. Eventually the trees cleared enough allowing them to get a spectacular view of the village”or at least it would have been spectacular if it wasn’t for the destruction that met their eyes.
Dozens of buildings were lit ablaze, which was spewing up all of the black smoke that Harry saw earlier. Tiny figures were running every which way trying to runaway from the figures that were shooting speck of light at them. Harry was even able to make the numerous people that were now hovered far above the ground.
Sick, twisted people, Harry thought to himself angrily.
Ron signaled for them to stop again. This time Harry knew why: there were footsteps that were getting closer. He led them into a thick bush, and the three of them laid low until they saw the hem of the owner’s black cloak billow not too far from them.
“Damn him, ditching me so he can go Muggle hunting,” they heard him grumble loudly. “Not like I wanted to go too!” he turned around to yell before moving on.
Harry saw Ron smirk and jab his finger on the ground to tell Harry and Hermione to stay put. Slowly, Ron maneuvered his way out of the bush barely causing a sound. He then started to sneak his way towards the Death Eater in an awkward way, probably to avoid stepping on a twig.
When he finally got close enough, Ron said audibly, “Oi, Frisky.”
“I told you a million times,” the Death Eater said, turning around, “not to call me””
As soon as the front of the head was exposed, Ron smashed his right fist against the Death Eater’s jaw, causing him to fall to the ground. “You know, you never were the brightest, Frisky,” he said, rubbing his knuckles.
“A Stunning Spell would have been less barbaric,” Hermione said, coming out from under the bush.
“A Stunning Spell would have been loud,” responded Ron, actually out reasoning her.
Harry went to look at the groaning Death Eater. Kicking him onto his back, Harry saw that his mask had fallen off to reveal a weak chinned man with a large lump on his cheek. “Frisky’s” eyes widened at the sight of Harry.
“Podder!” he exclaimed but not without pain. He seemed to make a motion to reach into his robes but Ron stomped on his hand.
“Not today, Frisky,” Ron told him, digging the ball of his foot into his hand. “Now, you’re going to tell me where that prisoner from France is being held.”
“Who da bloody ‘ell are you?” the Death Eater asked venomously.
Without warning Ron kicked his side, causing the Frisky to recoil in pain. Harry stared at Ron, and instantly decided that he didn’t like this side of his friend. He knew that Ron was completely on his side, but did some of the Death Eater’s ways rub off on him? Still…whatever it took to save Ginny.
“Why I’m hurt, Frisky. Don’t you recognize your pal Andrew?”
Recognition lit up in the Death Eater’s face. “Da spy!”
Ron kicked his side again, and then bent down to grab him by his collar. “Exactly, this means that you know full well that my cover was blown because I tried to save the prisoner. Now tell me where she is.”
“No clue,” the Death Eater said in defiance.
Surprisingly, Ron smiled. “Come now, Frisky, do you actually expect me to believe that? For Merlin’s sake, everyone knew that the only reason she was taken captive was because she’s with Potter. There’s no way you don’t know where she is.”
“And why should I tell you, triador?”
Keeping his grin, he said, “Please, to be a traitor would mean that I was on your side in the first place.”
This time the Death Eater spat at Ron, who immediately punched him on the side of the head once more. “D’you know why I risked my life to save her?” Ron asked while the Death Eater was blinking in pain. “Because she’s my sister, Frisky. And don’t think for a second that I won’t do whatever it takes to get you to talk.”
“You’re bluffing!” the Death Eater said, though there was fear in his eyes.
“I’d use the Cruciatus Curse if I didn’t know you would scream your bloody guts out,” threatened Ron.
The fakest laughter that Harry ever heard issued from Frisky’s mouth. “Please, you had no talent with Dark magic whatsoever.”
“True,” Ron said quietly, “but I don’t need magic to make you talk.” Ron took the Death Eater’s right hand. “Remember, Frisky, the prisoner is my sister and Potter girlfriend. And as for her.” He nudged his head at Hermione. “She may not like my methods, but I’m sure she’ll gladly step out while I interrogate you.” He started to bend the Death Eater’s pinky in the wrong direction. “What do you say?”
“It’ll heal.”
“It’ll hurt like hell,” Ron retorted, applying more pressure.
“The mans”!” Ron put his hand over Frisky’s mouth and shushed him. “The mansion on the other side of the valley,” he said more quietly.
“And Voldemort?”
Frisky made an involuntary spasm. “Waiting for Podder in the graveyard.”
“And Mulciber?”
“The top of the church’s bell tower.”
At that last answer Ron delivered final blow with his fist that was stronger than all the others. With the Death Eater effectively knocked out, for some reason Ron began to take off the black robes.
“Ron,” said Hermione, trying to hide her disapproval of the way the enemy was treated, “why are you doing that?”
“Because my mask and robes were taken from me after Voldemort let me go,” he answered.
“And what do you want with Mulciber?” asked Harry.
“Normally,” Ron explained, struggling to get the robes over Frisky’s head, “Voldemort is in control of all the Imperius Curses placed on people. But for obvious reason he wouldn’t want to be distracted by that today, so he most likely gave Mulciber (a specialist with the Imperius Curse) control over all those people.”
“Sounds good,” Harry said, nodding. “We go for Ginny, and then he’s next after she’s safe.”
Ron heaved a great sigh as he finally liberated the robes from its wearer, and then pointed down at the village. “The bell tower is along the way to the mansion, so we have to take out Mulciber first.”
“Bullocks, we have to save Ginny first,” Harry disagreed.
“Be reasonable,” Ron said, baffled by his reaction. “There are too many Death Eaters between here and the other side of the village. We can cut down their numbers by freeing all those under the Imperius Curse.”
“Then we’ll go around!”
“We could be caught,” Hermione suddenly said, wringing her hands. “I agree with Ron: We disguise ourselves and try to turn the odds in our favor.”
“Oh of course you agree with him,” Harry said to her sourly. “You two do what you want, I’m going after her.”
Harry made to leave, but Ron grabbed his shoulder. “I need your help.” When he didn’t listen, he continued, “Look, my first instinct was to charge in headfirst, too, but there are other ways to do things. Freeing all those people won’t just give our people a better chance but it’ll also help all the Muggles down there. Doing exactly what Voldemort wants won’t help us win the war.”
There were a few seconds of no talking and all that can be heard were the sounds of destruction coming from below. What would have Ginny thought if all Harry cared about if he went straight for her without even trying to save all those innocent people?
There was then a large explosion. He turned to look down at the village to see a column of smoke in the distance, and then there were scattered cracks issuing all around them. The Ministry had finally arrived.
“Damn, we don’t have time for disguises now,” said Ron, tossing aside the black robes.
“No, it’s still a good idea,” said Hermione, picking them back up. “We just need to get two more and avoid anyone on our side.”
“Hold it right there!” a voice called out behind them.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all turned with their wands drawn to see a man pointing his own wand at them. But he slowly put it down at the sight of them and the beaten (and half naked) Death Eater lying nearby. “Harry Potter?”
“Avada Kedavra!”
The man reacted with a surprising speed to dodge the Killing Curse, while Harry shouted, “Stupefy!” He heard the Stunning Spell surprisingly hit its mark seeing as he could barely see the target through the foliage.
“Thanks,” the man said, regaining his composure. “The Ministry is focusing most of the attack over there,” he told them, pointing to a far off spot down the hill. “Most of the bastards will probably be too distracted to notice you passing by.” Without another word he ran past them to join his Ministry fellows.
Harry then looked across the valley to see the speck on top of a hill that had to be Tom Riddle Senior’s mansion. When he lowered his eyes he saw triangular roof of the village’s church and its bell tower. It was a good distance away from where the man said the Ministry would focus its forces, which no doubt were already suffering casualties”both from loyal Death Eaters and those under mind control. And Tonks, Kingsley, and Beth are all somewhere in there.
As frustrating it was to admit it Ron was right. They had to find some way to tip the odds in their favor before they could get to Ginny.
“Let’s go,” Harry said, taking off down the hill with Ron and Hermione right behind him.
“We need two more sets of robes,” Hermione said, the ones she had fluttering behind her as she ran.
Before Harry could answer a jet of blue light shot out from the brush to their left and passed right in front of them. The sounds of fighting then appeared from where the spell came from.
“Get the hell out of my way!” Harry heard.
“Dad!” Ron exclaimed, running in that direction.
Harry and Hermione followed, and when they reached a small clearing they saw Mr. Weasley and two others dueling against four Death Eaters. Harry was about to jump in to help when Mr. Weasley started amazing him with his fighting ability. Any spell that was thrown at him was immediately blocked and countered. It was only when he noticed someone else in trouble that Harry finally shouted, “Stupefy!”
His Stunner was blocked and it called attention to his presence.
“Relashio!” Ron shouted, jumping into the fray to help his father.
Hermione threw down the robes she was holding. “Impedimenta!”
Harry blocked the counter spell aimed at her, and the two of them did battle with the same Death Eater. Wanting nothing more than to move on, Harry unleashed every single spell, curse, and charm that he could think of.
“Get the hell out of our way!” Harry yelled at the Death Eater, who didn’t even have time to respond while trying to defend against him and Hermione.
The duel lasted for a few minutes, and Harry and Hermione were able to take down their foe with no damage. It was Mr. Weasley who got away with the worst of it when a curse caught his arm. All four Death Eaters fell a little too easily, but it was only a small taste as to how hard it was going to get.
“So what’re you three up to?” Mr. Weasley asked after nursing his wound.
“We’re gonna try and set free all those under the Imperius Curse,” Ron answered. “You have to spread the word to hold off on harming anyone who is being controlled.”
“And how exactly”?”
At that moment Harry and Ron began to take off the robes of the Death Eaters they helped cast down, and Hermione began to pull on the ones taken from “Frisky”.
“I”never mind,” Mr. Weasley finished with an arched eyebrow. “Just try not to get killed by anyone on either side.”
“Just focus on getting as many Muggles to safety as possible,” said Hermione, putting the hood over her head and donning the mask.
“Of course,” he said, leaving.
The black robes hung loose around Harry after he got them on. One of the people that were with Mr. Weasley then came over with his hand stuck out. “Good luck, Mr. Potter.”
“Don’t go dying on us. Remember that you’re ‘The Chosen One’,” said the other.
“Shouldn’t the two of you go out doing you’re jobs!” Ron told them harshly.
Eyeing him curiously, they ran off in Mr. Weasley’s direction. When Harry put on the hood and mask, he immediately found it unpleasant to be in the enemy’s clothing. “How did you ever get used to this?”
“Who says I ever did?” Ron asked back, putting on his own mask.
Harry then found it very odd to hear Hermione’s voice coming from inside a Death Eater’s hood saying, “Let’s get going, the more time we take the more lives that are lost.”
“This should go without saying, but keep your guard up and let me do all the talking,” Ron ordered, continuing down the hill towards the village. Harry and Hermione followed without any contradictions.
As they got closer and closer to the village, more Death Eaters started to pop out of nowhere. Harry was so used to them attacking him that he had a hard time now try to curse them oblivion. They were mostly in groups that consisted of one person giving commands to the other, usually barking orders to get to the front lines faster, or to fortify some building. None of them gave Harry, Hermione, or Ron any mind.
But it wasn’t until the three of them actually entered the village that Harry wanted to do as much bodily harm to as many Death Eaters as humanly possible. Multiple houses were in flames or ruin, the bodies of dead Muggles littered the streets, and those that were still alive were being chased down for sport. Those that weren’t being chased were too traumatized to move, and the Death Eaters didn’t seem to take much fun in harassing them so they were left alone.
He then crashed into Ron, who had stopped in his tracks.
“Listen,” he told Harry and Hermione very seriously but quietly, grabbing their upper arms with a strong grip. “There is nothing that you can do for these people right now. You hear me? Nothing! The best thing we can do is get this over with as fast as possible.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Hermione said from behind her mask, though she sounded a little sickly.
Promising that he’d make Voldemort pay for all suffering he caused, Harry gave Ron a firm nod.
“Oi! What the bloody hell are you three standing around for?”
Harry looked around Ron to see a large Death Eater storming up to them. “Get your asses to the front lines, there’s work to be done!”
“Well I already have my orders!” Ron immediately retorted, spinning around to face the man. Harry noticed that he had changed his voice considerably. “I’m not about to let some nobody like you tell me what to do!”
“Oh?” the enemy said sarcastically. “And what exactly are you’re orders?”
“Brisbee wants us to give Mulciber extra security. You know as well as I do that we can’t afford to let the blood traitors under our control be set free.”
Despite everything that was happening around them, Harry couldn’t help but be impressed with Ron’s ability to make up such a story on the spot, and sound so convincing. He exchanged looks with what little he could see of Hermione’s eyes, and he could tell that she felt the same way. Still, Harry’s wand was ready to be unleashed at a moment’s notice.
“And where exactly is Brisbee?” the Death Eater asked menacingly.
“Up in the hills coordinating a defense incase any forces try and sneak up on us on this side.”
“Can’t the bastard tell that we’re being attacked from one front? He’s just wasting our manpower.” Harry heard the Death Eater mutter under his mask. “Get to your posts, you lot. And don’t be surprised if you’ll end up answering to me next time we see each other.” He then stormed right though them up into the hills.
“That one was always a bloody git,” Ron said after the Death Eater was out of earshot. “Let’s go.”
As they started sprinting again, Hermione asked quietly enough so only they can hear, “How many of these people d’you know?”
“Enough,” answered Ron, looking around to make sure that all the enemies around were too busy to overhear. “If I was ever caught by our side, I needed names to hand over to get out of as much trouble as possible.”
Harry was about to respond to that when a building to their left exploded. He was blown off his feet, and skidded several feet before coming to a stop.
“Breach! We’ve been breached! We need rein”ach!”
“Get as many Muggles to safety as possible,” another voice yelled.
As the dust started to settle, Harry saw that an influx of Ministry and Order forces had entered the area. Normally he would be thrilled to have so much help, but at the moment they posed more of a threat to him. The witches and wizards that didn’t start doing battle with the Death Eaters went straight for a Muggle and got them to safety as fast as possible. Harry stood up on wobbly legs, looking around for some kind of way out.
“Incarerous!” he heard someone shout.
“Protego!” Harry countered, diverting the ropes aimed for him. A woman then started to run at him shooting all kinds of spells. Having no other option, Harry countered as many as possible but he wasn’t fast enough and his left arm was grazed. Knowing he had no time to appreciate the irony that his first injury was caused by someone on his side, Harry yelled, “Petrificus totalus!”
Obviously not expecting something so tame from a Death Eater, the woman was caught off guard and didn’t block herself in time. Her limbs snapped together, and she fell to the ground face first.
“Expelliarmus!” Harry heard. He whipped around and saw the only two people in robes that weren’t trying to obliterate their opponent.
“Stupefy!” he shouted, sending his Stunner to the opponent of the taller of the two. That Auror, too, was caught off guard and suffered a direct hit. Harry and Ron quickly went to Hermione’s aid, and the three of them escaped from the fight as fast as possible.
The good news was that the combined forces of the Ministry and Order were penetrating the village and saving many Muggles in the process. The bad news was that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were mistaken for enemies. But Harry had no choice but to keep on the robes he was wearing, for the Death Eaters would go after him more with them off then an Auror would with them on.
As they sprinted nearer to the church, Harry heard a resounding boom up in the sky. He, Hermione, and Ron stopped in their tracks to look up, and amid all the smoke Harry could make out six figures zooming around. One of the figures dive-bombed not far from where they were standing, and multiple explosions went off behind it.
“It’s George!” Ron cried.
Harry thought that was preposterous, because how could George be traveling so fast and set off explosives with the risk of hurting so many innocents?
“Look out!” exclaimed Hermione.
Another one of the figures was heading towards their area. Hermione waved her wand around, and a protective bubble appeared just as the figure zoomed past and explosions went off around them. It was then that Harry noticed that the resounding bang only produced a green haze.
From inside the bubble, Harry watched as the Death Eaters around them were beginning to keel over with fits of laughter.
“Laughing gas?” Harry blurted out loud.
“Obviously something new they’ve been working on,” said Ron. He took a large gulp of air and charged out of the bubble.
“Wait until it lifts!” Hermione shouted in frustration. She saw that there was no stopping him, took in a gulp of air too, and followed. Harry wasn’t far behind.
Harry ignored the many Death Eaters that were trying to control their fits of laughter, and were crying out to him for help. It didn’t take long for the haze to lift, but the effects still lingered. Finally exhaling, Harry had to stop for a second to regain his breath.
“What’re you waiting for?” asked Ron, though he too was trying to catch his breath. “The church isn’t far from””
He was interrupted by three blurs instantly surrounding them.
“Seems like a few of them made it out,” a familiar voice said.
The blurs came to a stop, and Harry instantly recognized them. George, Oliver Wood, and Katie Bell were all wearing rags over their mouth and noses. Each held a wand pointed at them in one hand, and in the other was their broom with some sort of odd attachment on the end.
“Stun their asses,” George said without any pity.
“Wait, it’s us!” Ron told him, removing his hood and mask.
“Ron!” Katie and Oliver exclaimed. Harry and Hermione removed them too.
“Geez, Ron, you must really like that outfit,” George observed.
“Shut it,” Ron snarled. “Just get back to work.”
“What’s that at the end of your brooms?” Harry had to ask.
“Like it?” George asked proudly. “It took a million trials but we finally got it to break the sound barrier.”
“Avada”ha ha ha! Ked”Ked”av””
“Stupefy!” the six of them yelled, all the Stunners hitting the Death Eater trying to cast the curse.
“Listen, you three should spread your gas over the church,” said Ron.
“Mulciber is in the bell tower, Ron,” Hermione told him.
“What’s Fred up to?” asked Ron. His question was immediately answered by a series of explosions on the other side of the village. “Okay then.”
“You three should get as many Muggles away from the village as possible while spraying that gas,” Harry told them. “There is an antidote, right?” He didn’t want anyone be sent to St. Mungo’s on his account.
“Of course, but we won’t be giving it to any stinking Death Eaters, that’s for sure. Count on us,” George said, mounting his broom.
“Nice seeing you again,” Oliver told Harry with a salute.
“Bye,” said Katie.
The three of them kicked off the ground and went to another part of the village. Harry, Ron, and Hermione donned the masks once more and started for the church.
As the amount of Death Eaters increased once more, they finally reached the church. From what Harry would see all of the entrances were guarded, so it wasn’t going to be easy to get inside.
Harry was about to formulate some sort of plan, when Ron yelled up at the tower, “Oi, Mulciber!”
A hooded figure poked its head through the opening high up, and asked, “What is it?”
Ron instantly pointed his wand upwards. Surprised by the sudden action, Harry and Hermione did as well. “Reducto!” the three of them yelled. The three Blasting Charms all hit the side of the tower, which began to collapse.
Nobody was trying to subdue Harry, Ron, and Hermione after they cast the spells. They were all far too busy running away from the tons of collapsing stone and woodwork. When it all came crashing down, a cloud of dust and debris swept over the three of them.
When it all settled, the Death Eaters that managed to escape turned to them, and yelled, “Traitors!” He was about to cast a spell in their direction, which Harry was prepared for, but was thwarted by another Death Eater”or at least that’s what he looked like a first glance.
Harry Potter and the Secret Spell by Phoenix 86
Chapter Endnotes: sorry that these updates are taking so long.