Bab 25: ch 25
"NO!"
I prepared to cast a spell to protect my brother from the killing curse about to leap from her wand.
It was not meant to be.
My magic senses have been going haywire since the battle began, with all of the spells being thrown about. But my mind picked out an anomaly in the fighting. There was a spell coming my way.
Natural instinct to stay alive kicked in and without thinking, I ducked and rolled, taking my attention away from my brother.
"Avada Kedavra!"
My eyes snapped up to the green jet of light and watched, helpless as it impacted it's target.
Red hair, an exact match to my own, bounced off of the floor of the Hall of Prophecies. Once his body settled, his eyes stared out lifelessly in my direction.
Percy…
I was once again interrupted by a spell heading my direction. It was, once again, a green fast moving spell that could only be the killing curse.
Enough.
I side-stepped the spell and kept my eyes on it as it passed me. My arm was already moving in the air. Ozone filled the air around me as I looked towards the caster.
A shield spell leapt up in front of the body who cast the killing curse at me, not letting me see who it was. I was intent on showing whoever it was that there are more effective spells in the right hands.
'BOOM'
A bright white light filled the room, the walls shook, and the other people in the room felt the breath leave their bodies as the spell manifested in the world. Once my retinas adjusted to the darkness of the room again, I saw the effects of the spell I cast at my opponent.
Peter Pettigrew stood without a shield in front of him, and with a hole in the middle of his chest. His limbs were stiff as he fell backwards, dead.
"Ron!"
I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see Harry looking at me. He pointed down to where I knew our companions were fighting. I traced his finger to find out what he wanted to see.
Fleur. I realized and took in the situation she was in.
Her hair whipped around her, apparently it fell out of it's ponytail sometime in the battle, as she deflected two spells and sent back one of her own. I expected her to be backing up, but at her feet was a body that I could tell she was trying to protect.
"Let's go." I said, grabbing Harry and running her direction.
Her attackers were slowly wearing her down and walking towards her, hugging a wall. My wand whipped up and I sent a brown spell their direction. It hit the wall right behind her attackers.
I slowed my running to concentrate on the spell. A giant hand formed out of the tiled walls and smacked the two attackers away, sending them flying and breaking a few bones no doubt.
Two spells the color of the piercing spell flew from Harry's wand beside me and hit them mid-air. The two hit the ground and I didn't look to see if they were down for the count, instead choosing to link back up with Fleur as soon as possible.
I sprinted her way and realized we were heading back in the direction of the time room and the entrance to the Department of Mysteries.
It took me longer than I wanted to reach her. On the way there I noticed that we were the only people left in the Hall of Prophecies, if you didn't count the three bodies on the ground. In the back of my mind I could feel magic still being cast, but it was far away.
How could I miss the fighting move around? I wondered but realized that war was chaotic.
"Fleur!" I yelled getting her attention.
She turned my way with her wand raised at me, a reaction that I could understand considering the situation. Her clothes were a little ruffled and her hair flowed down the sides of her head, but other than that, she looked flawless, untouched.
Relief spread throughout my body at the sight that she was fine and untouched.
"Ron!" She replied just as relieved.
We met with a quick hug before she released me quickly and pointed at the ground to the body laying there. I quickly identified Tonks' red vibrant hair. Blood pooled in a long gash from her abdomen.
Harry kneeled down at the same time as we looked and I saw his wand wave over her in what I deduced to be some kind of diagnostic spell. The oddest part was the hissing sounds coming from his mouth as he cast.
He waited a moment to analyze what his magic was telling him and then nodded to himself. Fleur and I just stood there and watched him work, taking a moment to breathe and get control of ourselves.
My heart clenched as I tore my eyes from Harry and they found the pale lifeless body of my brother lying on the floor. My wand whipped and Percy's body flew towards me, at a much slower pace than what a summoning charm normally did. I cast two more spells to catch him and levitate his body into a peaceful state, with his arms crossed over his chest.
His eyes are still open. I realized as my hand reached out without thinking and closed them, completing his peaceful look.
His body was abnormally cold, freezing to the touch.
I looked back towards the ground, unable to stand the sight anymore. Harry had Tonks' shirt hiked up enough to see the wound but not enough to risk her dignity. The gash was a nasty piece of dark magic that I knew wouldn't be easy to heal and would take her a while to get over.
"She took it for me." Fleur said squeezing my hand. "We have been fighting together but I was blinded by your spell, and one of them cast at me, she was busy deflecting the others at the same time and just moved in front of it." Fleur finished quietly.
Everything I do is met with consequences. I thought, realizing that I was inadvertently responsible for Tonks' state.
Harry started casting and once again all I heard was the distinct sound of parseltongue as his wand hovered above the wound. What I didn't expect was the skin to start to knit itself back together, almost immediately.
It took another twenty seconds for him to finish up and I stood there gaping as her nasty oozing wound was replaced with a thin line stretching across her abs, her very toned abs.
"Wow." I commented as he finished.
Harry ignored me and stood up while waving his wand at the same time. Tonks sat up quickly, her wand in hand. She recognized us quickly and dropped her wand back down.
Tonks' other hand immediately went to her wound and she groaned in pain from sitting up so fast. She hiked her shirt up quickly to inspect the wound.
"Don't move too fast!" Harry said incredulously. "It's not as strong as it was!" He dropped back down to help her.
She gaped, just as I had, at the perfect, thin line that should have been extremely worse. "How?" Tonks croaked.
"I'll explain later." Harry answered. "Can you stand?" His right hand grabbed under her arm, and his left supported her back as he hauled her up without warning.
Tonks hissed in pain and looked at him like she was going to murder him. "Merlin, Harry!" She got out between gritted teeth.
"We've got to go." I stated interrupting everyone. "We need to regroup, they're most likely outnumbered."
I didn't wait for an answer, instead I turned to the direction I knew the door was at and pulled Fleur along with me, she followed without protest. I tried not to think about how Percy's body also floated along behind us.
"Don't move in a way that will strain it." Harry ordered Tonks behind us.
"Easy for you to say. We're in the middle of a battle." Tonks bit back, obviously in a bad mood but keeping her sassy attitude.
I ignored their banter as I reached the door that would lead back into the Time room. I opened the door and threw up a shield immediately. A spell bounced off of it and all four of us retaliated in the direction of the caster.
Fortunately for him, and unfortunately for my need of revenge, Tonks' Stunning spell and Fleur's banishing spell hit him while Harry and I's more lethal spells missed. I didn't recognize the man as I moved further into the room. Ropes sprang from Tonks' wand and wrapped around him.
Too bad she's here. I thought as I realized it would be a bad idea to torture and kill him in front of her. She's still an auror.
I ignored the body as I passed him without taking in the features of the man. Instead a thought hit me.
"Harry, where's the prophecy?" I asked him as I stopped before the next door.
He patted the pocket on the side of his pants, a pocket that must have been enchanted to carry more than it looked.
"Destroy it." I commanded, realizing that we didn't need it and to keep it was to risk Voldemort getting it.
Harry gave me a confused look. "I need to hear it." He said not obeying me.
"I'll tell you what it says later, I promise." I said genuinely.
He wanted to protest more, I could tell, but he knew my reasoning. He sighed and reached into his pocket. When he pulled his hand out, the glowing orb came with it. He wasted no time in rearing back and tossing it onto the ground, shattering it.
"Thanks mate." I told him as I turned back to the door, worried for the rest of my family and the Order.
I burst through the door and threw my shield up again, no spell hit it this time and I let it drop before casting a homenum revelio.
Nothing.
"Where is everyone?" Tonks asked.
"Have any spells that can tell us?" I asked looking at all the doors around us, confused as which one to take.
"Yes." Fleur stepped up and started casting. It was the exact same spell that Remus cast in the room the first time we were in it. I made a mental note to ask her about it.
"This way." Fleur said heading towards a door on our right.
I burst through the door, not wasting any time, and conjured a silver shield instead of a normal protego, knowing there was fighting going on.
Once again, nothing hit my shield, but a lot of magic hit my senses. The entrance room had cut me off from feeling the fighting but now that I was through the door I realized that everyone had moved into this room.
My silver shield disappeared as I vanished it and I was met with the room I was trying to avoid, the Death Chamber. It started as a narrow chamber and then opened up after about ten feet, the ceiling reached Church levels and the floor looked like a cave, leading to a raised platform that held the Veil.
It had two identical pillars reaching up from the ground and connecting with a beam on the top of it. Inside of the unnatural stone, white wisps fluttered about randomly.
A mad cackling that I knew was Bellatrix lestrange, broke me out of my wonder. That's when I noticed Sirius, inching closer to the veil, in a duel with Bellatrix. All around them, spells flew as Death Eaters and Order members continued to fight.
Kingsley was outclassing two opponents in his duel. Lucius was currently dueling both of my parents at once, and doing fairly well. Bill stood beside Moody as they dueled three more Death Eaters.
I locked on to my brothers murderer, and my wand moved in the same pattern as it did when I tore a hole through Peter Pettigrew's shield and chest. A hand grabbed my wand arm and stopped me from casting.
"Not with everyone around!" Tonks hissed to me.
I didn't look back to her but I nodded in acceptance, knowing she was right and that particular spell could affect the battle overall. I turned back to Fleur as Tonks ran off.
"Watch him, would you love?" I asked pointing towards where my brothers body sat floating in the air.
At her nod I sent another spell into the ground. A giant hand, much like the one who knocked Fleur's attackers out earlier, appeared and opened to allow his body to rest on it. The hand stilled and locked in place, as if it was cradling him, according to my will. It was a bit theatrical, but my brother deserved nothing less.
I looked back to see that Tonks and Harry had already joined the battle, but had split to help different parts. Tonks going to help members of the order and Harry going to duel Bellatrix with his Godfather.
Sirius was now way too close to the Veil, which would kill anyone who touched it immediately. Harry appeared in my vision as he deflected a spell and grabbed Sirius, pulling him away from the Veil. How he knew to do it was beyond me but I was relieved regardless.
Suddenly I realized that there might have been an alternative to fighting and possibly losing more Order members, or worse family members. My wand traveled to my neck and I cast the sonorus charm.
"The prophecy is destroyed, it is over!"
No one listened, the fighting continued.
"Enough! The prophecy is destroyed, Voldemort will never hear it!" I called out again.
"Avada Kedavra!"
I dove in front of where I was standing and felt the spell hit behind me, spraying debris onto my clothes but not hurting me.
I rose to my feet and deflected another orange spell almost casually. I side-stepped his next spell and sent a wave of fire not meant to harm but obstruct his sight. Then I started my next chain of three spells, bombarda, piercing, and an overpowered severing charm sent towards his leg.
He didn't fall for the fire, his shield rose. I wasn't surprised to find my opponent's shield shatter under my bombarda. I was surprised when he recovered by deflecting my second spell and stepping over my third. That's when I knew I wasn't dealing with a grunt.
My opponent didn't retaliate immediately, instead his head cocked to the side, as if he was truly seeing me.
"Well well, a Weasley with some skills, a rare thing in the world." He spoke, I still didn't know who he was.
"Can I have the name of my next victim?" I asked condescendingly.
He smirked, apparently appreciating the banter. "Rodolphus Lestrange, your death." Lestrange answered with wide arms, proud of himself.
He cast another chain of spells and I wondered if he would continue to be so predictable. I deflected each one of them with a bat of my arm.
A whip of fire shot from my wand, heading towards his neck. He also batted the spell away. I twisted my wand and the fire he deflected reformed into a bird that attacked his arm. He didn't block it and his wand arm went up in flame. I expected it to spread throughout his body, but he kept his cool and cast a spell that dissipated the fire.
Impressive. I admitted watching him cast while the same arm was on fire.
I also noticed that patches of his robe had melted onto his arm and skin was peaking through. The fire I use is not nice. I admitted, knowing the pain would lead to his downfall.
I sent a spell into the ground, it didn't escape his notice. Another one of my giant hands reached up from the ground right before his feet to grab him. He retaliated with a spell that detonated against the earth hand, sending debris my way. His first attack in a while, and it was impressive.
A sweep of my wand and the debris twisted around my body before I sent it back his direction with a wave of transfigurations that sharpened them and turned them into mini bullets. It was one of the most mentally straining combinations that I had ever cast. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of monster Dumbledore was.
Lestrange's eyes widened, overwhelmed by the prospect of hundreds of small spikes heading his way. He panicked and turned around while diving to the side. His upper body escaped unscathed, his legs were not so lucky and were punctured by no less than thirty of the spikes.
I sent a disarming charm that left him helpless as he screamed at the pain and clawed at his legs. I snapped his wand as soon as it hit my hand.
I cast a levitation spell that shot him into the air upside down, with his legs and arm on full view. Then I banished him in the direction of his wife. Bellatrix didn't see his body coming, she was too busy breaking Sirius' defenses and hitting him with a nasty curse that I knew would need to be treated immediately.
Luckily, my timing was such that Harry could administer the treatment. Her husband's body fell to her feet with a crunch, he stopped moving. I felt a touch of disappointment when I saw his chest still rising, telling me he was breathing and not dead.
Bellatrix's head snapped to her disappointment of a husband, and took in his injuries. Then her eyes traced his trajectory and landed on me. A giant smile split her once beautiful face.
"You should have killed him." Bellatrix called out as I approached her and fell into dueling range. "I would do it myself, but the Dark Lord has use of him."
"Oh I will, eventually." I answered her, not surprised at her willingness to kill her own husband. Her madness was only outweighed by her loyalty of Voldemort.
"The orb is destroyed, Voldemort…" She hissed at his name. "...will never hear the prophecy. You have failed."
She looked at me, and I could tell she was trying to see if I was lying.
"You're lying!"
Called it.
"It's broken fragments lie in the Time room, beyond that door back there." I said pointing to the side of me to where I knew the door was.
Bellatrix didn't answer me then, instead of her wand raised to cast a spell. She didn't get very far as a hush fell across the room and her eyes looked behind me. I didn't bother falling for the trick. Turns out it wasn't a trick and she took off running, at a surprising speed in the opposite direction. I wondered where she was going and noticed a door that I don't remember being there. I decided to finally turn around and saw the reason of her fear.
Dumbledore had arrived.
It was not the same old man I considered an ally and mentor. No, this was a wizard capable of dueling every single one of us in this chamber and decimating us. Every line on his face screamed domination for any opponent. The Elder Wand was grasped firmly in his grip, broadcasting his intent.
Fawkes' cry lifted the spirits of all the Order members, while spreading fear through our opponents.
Some Death Eaters also paused long enough to be subdued, Lucius and two other followed Bellatrix through the door that I realized would lead to the Ministry Atrium.
"Tom's here." I heard Harry tell me from where he approached with Dumbldore. "I can feel his disappointment."
I traced Dumbledore's eyes and found the reason of his staring. Fleur approached us now that there was a lull in the fighting, Percy levitating behind her.
Yes, look at what we have done, Dumbledore. I thought as he took in the sight of my brothers dead body.
A cry cut through the air, opposite of the one Fawkes had just let out. It was the cry of a mother, who just realized one of her sons is dead.
Bellatrix's cackling, Voldemort's laughter, there would never be another sound that would haunt me as much as the sound that came out of my mother's mouth.
I hung my head and focused on my occlumency to reign in my emotions that threatened to spill out. When I lifted my head again I saw Kingsley and Remus holding Sirius up and helping him walk. Tonks was being held up by Fleur. Bill and both of my parents were hunched over Percy's body, trying to pull Molly off of him.
Harry was nowhere to be found.
"Harry?" I asked just as the door that Bellatrix ran into closed.
Fuck! I thought as I realized he went after he just like in the books. I took off in a sprint, towards the door. I reached it in what felt like no time, but I realized was enough time for him to be killed by Voldemort. Idiot!
"Wait!" Someone called out behind me.
I burst through the door, and skidded to a stop when I almost ran into Harry's back. He hadn't moved three steps since he crossed the threshold. I could see why.
"Ahhh, Ronald Weasley."
His voice was slippery smooth, the representation of a snake in human form. Well, more like a Basilisk in human form.
His robes flowed around him, like they were lucky to grace his frame. His pale skin made his red eyes pop. He hadn't even drawn his wand yet.
Harry's body relaxed and I realized I had interrupted a mental duel between the two of them.
"Your occlumency has improved Harry. Bravo!" Voldemort praised and his death eaters laughed behind him.
"Hello Tom." I answered him just as Dumbledore walked into the room behind us.
Voldemort's eyes narrowed at me when he realized what I called him. "Dumbledore, must you interrupt my fun?"
"You should not have come here tonight, Tom." Dumbledore answered him as he stepped up in front of both Harry and I.
I expected more banter but Voldemort's wand leapt into his hand at least three times as fast as I myself could manage. A killing curse leapt from his wand and I didn't even hear the incantation in my shock.
My magical senses went beyond out of control as the two titans of the wizarding world brought their magic to the front of their skin. It was nothing I had ever felt before, their very magical presence influenced the world around them.
The statues in front of us leapt forward and absorbed the blow before it could even get half-way to our position. Next thing I knew, Dumbledore wasn't beside us anymore, as he apparated to the other end of the atrium and animated the rest of the statues in the middle of the chamber.
One of them tried to pin Bellatrix but she sent a spell that shattered the statue. The other statues disappeared into the floo, something I didn't think could happen as they weren't alive.
Bellatrix turned her gaze on Harry and I as the two titans dueled further into the atrium, their magic dominating the room. She overcame her fear of her master and Dumbledore and sent a stunner towards Harry that I expected him to block.
I was wrong, his body dropped unconscious, leaving me alone to duel Bellatrix.
I broke out of my stupor and focused on my occlumency shields. My wand moved and a wall of earth sprang up in front of Harry to protect him from the duel. Then Bellatrix pulled off the kids gloves.
My wand rose and deflected three spells, that seemed too close to be possible. I started moving to the side, not making myself and easy target. At the same time I cast two spells designed to distract her. My third spell was a bombarda that hit the ground beneath her, sending debris all over the place.
I had to abandon my transfiguration to conjure a silver shield to absorb her killing curse. Two simultaneous gongs rang out through the room.
I glanced to the side to see that Voldemort had conjured a similar shield to absorb Dumbledore's spell. Voldemort and I mirrored each other.
Then I realized that I had moved enough not to catch Dumbledore in any cross fire and waited for my opportunity. Bellatrix was all offense, flowing from one spell chain to another. I blocked all of her attacks, waiting for my chance.
In the end, I decided to create my opportunity. One deflect, side-step, another deflection, another sidestep and I sent a spell at the ground. Bellatrix knew my strategy at this point but I was counting on that.
Her eyes went to the floor beneath her and ignored the smell of ozone that penetrated the room.
At the same time, a snake made of fire rushed towards Dumbledore.
My wand whipped and the same spell that killed Peter Pettigrew leapt from my wand moving faster than any killing curse.
I watched as she realized her mistake in looking down, giving me enough time to complete the long wand motion that the lightning bolt required. I whispered the name of the spell, reveling in my victory over her. I knew it would hit.
"Fulmen."
The lightning bolt traveled over the distance to hit it's target.
Except a brown metal pole, that I would later learn was copper, covered in runes pierced the ground close enough to attract all of the lightning and leave Bellatrix unharmed.
My eyes found the reason she was alive, Voldemort standing right behind her, having apparated to save her. My shock at being foiled prevented me from realizing that a green light was traveling my direction.
What?!
My life didn't flash before my eyes, I didn't have any time to think of anything but shock as the killing curse traveled my direction.
A flash of fire appeared in front of me. Fawkes' beak opened up and he swallowed the spell that would have taken my life.
I did nothing as water cascaded from the pool to wrap around Voldemort and hold him inside it. He floated for a moment before realizing he couldn't get out. Without a crack, or a pop to notify his absence, he reappeared beside the water. With a flick of his wrist, the water disappeared. Bellatrix just stared at me.
That's when I noticed the copper pole covered in runes was actually glowing.
I clamped down on my shock and awe of my opponents with my occlumency and willed myself to act.
Dumbledore appeared next to me just as wall of pure stone appeared in front of us, a result of my earlier spell that distracted Bellatrix. The Elder Wand rose and shield appeared in front us.
The wall in front of us shattered as it absorbed the impact from whatever the copper pole did. The stone wall did absorb most of the impact, but Dumbledore's shield deflected the debris that shot out in response.
I banished the rest of the wall in front of us so that we could see our opponent.
He was nowhere to be found.
I heard shuffling behind us and we both turned to see Harry wriggling around on the ground. I expected his eyes to turn red, and signal that Voldemort had possessed him, just like in the books. I was relieved to see green when Harry's eyes opened.
"Get out Tom." Harry stated to the air around us.
A scream of anger sounded out in the direction of Bellatrix and we both turned to see that Voldemort hadn't moved, only turned himself invisible to try and possess Harry, a dumb move apparently.
That's when the floo's lit up with green flames as aurors and other ministry officials poured into the atrium.
Voldemort turned and sneered at the newcomers before grabbing Bellatrix and disapparating.
I finally relaxed as his magical presence faded and Dumbledore reigned in his own magic. Fudge was sputtering something about Voldemort being back, acting like he didn't already know.
I could have slapped Dumbledore with his next sentence.
"Still got it."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone