Capítulo 431: 15
I Want To Know What Name To Put On Your Tombstone
"Did you feel that?" Harry asked.
"Like the earth moved?" Hermione asked softly, her eyes still closed as she clung to Harry. She wanted him to kiss her again. She wanted to indulge herself in a few of her more tame fantasies. She was living in a near perfect dream and more than anything, she wanted the dream to continue. Yet Harry had not returned to kissing her, which made her long for him more. In fact, it felt as if he were slipping from her embrace.
Slowly Hermione's brain began normal function once again as Harry's lips remained disconnected from hers. She began to realize that something had happened that not only captured Harry's attention, but everyone else's as well. A heavy silence had settled upon them all and someone had turned off the wireless. Hermione looked around and noticed everyone had stopped dancing, and were all looking around anxiously.
Before she could ask any questions, Harry gathered Hermione's right hand in his left, as he had slipped his wand out of his holster hidden in his sleeve. He then began leading her through the crowd, his head turning this way and that, searching for something. Hermione felt something heavy settle in her stomach, and a chill ran down her spine as they continued through the crowd. She began silently praying that it wasn't what she was beginning to suspect this was.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, trying desperately to suppress her rising fear. Harry shook his head slowly as he scanned the room. Hermione began to feel very nervous, and began reaching for her own wand as dignified and as modestly as she could. However, Harry was making it very difficult with his leading her around. If he would just stop, she was sure she could get it without showing everyone her undergarments.
"I'm not sure." Harry replied, still leading her through the crowd of tense looking teenagers. "Neville."
Harry stopped when he found Hannah and Neville, both looking around anxiously. Hermione took the opportunity to slip her hand up her dress and grab her wand which she had hidden in her garter belt, thanking her mother for insisting she wear stockings instead of pantyhose. She felt herself blushing, and thanked the gods Harry and everyone else was distracted at the moment.
"Neville, where is your floo. I think it might be smart to send everyone home as quickly as we can." Harry stated matter-of-factly.
"It's in the sitting room." Neville said looking extremely nervous. Hermione remembered it was the same look he'd had on his face a few years ago when Snape had made everyone test their own antidotes on themselves.
"It's your party, you need them to follow you." Harry said. Neville stared at Harry for a moment. Hermione and Hannah were looking at both boys, waiting though they weren't sure for what.
"NEVILLE!" Harry snapped, making Neville flinch.
"Right." Neville said nervously. He gave Harry a sort of pleading look as if he wanted Harry to take charge, but his friend merely looked stoic. Neville heaved a sigh and then straightened up as he turned to address his guests.
"Um, Everyone! Listen, I'm going to take you all to the floo, and we're going to send everyone home. I'm sorry, but I think it's a good idea if everyone were to head home. Please follow me through those doors. Stay together, and keep calm." Neville said sounding far more confident than he felt. Hannah gave his hand a squeeze and he smiled at her before turning back to Harry who nodded at the host, who was now heading for the double doors with his guests starting to follow, murmuring amongst themselves as they went.
"Hermione!" Lavender said as she caught up with her friends. "Harry, what's going on?"
There was another, much louder clap of thunder, and the house shook badly. There were several startled screams from some girls, and younger teenagers. That was followed by a series of distant screams and what sounded like gunshots that echoed all around them. The hairs on the back of Hermione's neck stood on end when she glance at Harry. His face had become like stone as they looked towards the door.
"They're in." Harry said to himself. He felt Hermione's grip on his hand tighten with fear.
"Harry?" Hermione whispered tensely. "Please tell me that we're not being attacked."
She glanced at Neville who looked seriously scared, and Hannah who was staring at the ceiling as if she thought it might come down upon them all. In fact almost everyone looked as if they were frozen with fear.
Harry urged Neville to move, but before they could take a step, the double doors before them cracked as something heavy slammed into it from the other side. The smell of sulfur seeped into the room, and Harry shouted for everyone to back away. A second later, the door exploded, sending splinters and dust flying out at them all. Harry threw himself in front of Hermione to protect her from any shrapnel.
Two hooded and robed figures rushed through the cloud of dust and into the ballroom laughing manically. Harry shoved Hermione aside towards where Lavender was taking refuge behind a table, and leapt forward to face the two attackers. It startled the robed figures when a teenager stepped forward to face them, while every other kid was looking for a place to hide. This gave Harry a huge opening and he didn't hesitate.
Snapping his wand like a whip, Harry conjured a tongue of flame which he wrapped both of the assailants with. Their ebony black robes began to smolder and burn as they squirmed and panicked. The bigger of the two men managed to get his wand up and fired three bright yellow spells at Harry. The young soldier dodged them easily, but had to release his flame whip. The two men shrugged out of their burning robes to escape being roasted within them.
The bigger of the two was wearing a sleeveless tunic revealing huge muscled arms covered in tattoos. There were angry red marks where Harry's flame whip had burned him. He began circling Harry while the other man snarled angrily, interrupted by a choking cough.
"Don't know who you are boy, but you just made a huge mistake. I'm going to make you cry like a little girl before I kill you." the tattooed man snarled, raising his wand. It was the last thing he would ever say.
Harry, moving faster than Hermione thought possible lunged at the bigger man. He didn't dive left or right, but ran straight at the tattooed individual. Harry's tactic definitely threw his enemy off balance, and when he was just a few feet from his target, Harry leapt up into the air, kicking the Death Eater right in the face, dislodging the skull like metal mask he wore. Harry followed this with a slash of his wand that tore a wide gaping cut down the man's chest. Hermione gagged when she saw the man turn and some of his innards spilled out. He didn't even have a chance to scream in pain as Harry spun and landed a hard chop right to the tattooed man's trachea. The Death Eater fell in a heap, coughing, spluttering before choking and falling silent.
"You arrogant little prick!" The second man shouted angrily as he watched his fellow die. "I'm going to make a coat from your flesh!"
The second Death Eater raised his wand and fired a series of spells at Harry who dodged each one quite impressively. Hermione was gripping the table edge so hard she thought she heard it crack under her fingers. Lavender was breathing so hard that Hermione thought she might pass out soon. Every teen was watching this battle with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Hermione knew that Harry had been trained to fight, but she never once imagined what it might look like.
He was fast. Impossibly fast. Not to mention agile. He didn't make any unnecessary moves, or waste energy with useless spells. As he was dodging his opponent's spells, he looked as if he was readying himself. Waiting for that perfect opening to end the fight quickly and decisively.
Harry ducked under a fiery looking red spell and made three slashes with his own wand which conjured a couple hundred long heavy looking nails which he then banished into the smaller Death Eater and ripped the man to shreds.
There followed a heavy silence, broken only by the distant sounds of fighting elsewhere in the house. Everyone simply stared at the two dead bodies in the middle of the floor. Then Hermione retched, as did many others who witnessed the entire battle.
"NEVILLE!" Harry shouted, getting his male friend's attention. "Get them out now!"
At Harry's words people began coming out from their hiding places and head towards their host, who was now rising to his own feet, looking frightened, and oddly angry.
"What are you going to do Harry?" Hermione asked, running to his side. Harry swished his wand, and something huge, silvery and bright formed and then ran off.
"Was that a patronus?" Hermione asked, blinking stupidly.
"Hermione." Harry said, bringing her attention back to him. "Go with Lavender. Go to her house. I'll come and get you later, when this is sorted out."
"How?' Hermione asked rather panicky. "How, you don't know where she lives, do you?"
"328 Park Street in Manchester."
Hermione turned to find her blonde friend had come over to them. She was very pale, and her hair was dishelved a bit. Her pretty dress was now stained with dust.
"That's where I live. You can take the Knight Bus there and get her when you're ready." Lavender said, looking at Harry who gave her a grateful nod.
Hermione then realized Harry meant to stay and fight the attacking Death Eaters.
"Harry, no. Don't do this. Let the Aurors handle…" She began to babble. Harry shook his head quickly and gently cupped the side of her face, stopping her from rambling on further.
"Hermione, by the time the Aurors arrive, they'll be a load of people dead. I can't let that happen. This is what I've been raised to do. Help will be here shortly, but a lot of people could get killed before they get here. I promise you that I'll be fine. Now please, do as I ask." Harry said with a tone that made Hermione shiver, but not with fear. He had said it was a request, but Hermione knew that he was ordering her to do as he said.
"Come on Hermione." Lavender said, taking her friend's arm. Hermione looked as if she wanted to argue but Harry simply stared at her hard, making her swallow her argument and allow Lavender guide her away.
All the other teens were now gathered by the wreck of a door, waiting for Neville to lead them to the floo so they could leave. They could still hear spells being fired, though there was hardly any screaming now.
"Neville!" Daphne Greengrass shouted. "It's clear!"
Neville nodded, and with one last look towards Harry, who was bringing up the rear of the group, turned and began leading his guests towards the sitting room, hoping that there would be no one in there so everyone could get out safely. Hermione kept looking behind her to make sure that Harry was still there, knowing that he was just making sure they all got to safety before he would go find another Death Eater to fight. She glanced at the tattooed man who lay dead in a growing pool of his own blood, and her stomach turned. She couldn't even begin to process what she had witnessed Harry do. Thankfully, she knew this wasn't the time to do that.
The giant pane glass window that looked out onto a small hill erupted inward and rained glass shards down into the small ballroom. Harry placed himself between the glass and the few stragglers, though it wasn't necessary. There were screams of course, and the formerly calm teens who were trying to leave now scrambled, pushing and shoving for the door.
Harry turned and stood tall as six new Death Eaters came in through the window, laughing at the sheep trying to escape their slaughter. The robed figures stopped short when they saw the two bodies.
Harry rolled his shoulders and leaned forward a bit, slipping into a fighting stance, wand at the ready.
"Oi, look at this, we got ourselves a hero." One Death Eater called out humorously. A couple of them laugh, but the others were still looking at the bloody bodies of their fellows, and then back at Harry cautiously. They began to surround Harry slowly, and Harry gave one quick glance to the door and felt a weight melt off his shoulders, as the other teens had made good on their escape.
"This is going to be interesting." he thought as he turned around again and prepared to thin Voldemort's ranks a bit more.
"This is wrong." Hermione kept thinking as she followed Hannah, who was behind Neville.
"We should go back." Hermione said to Lavender who walked next to her. "He needs us to help."
"I don't think he needs our help Hermione." Lavender said heavily, feeling a chill creep up her arms as they all followed Neville down a long hallway.
"But he can't fight them all alone…" Hermione tried to argue.
"Granger, are you blind?" Daphne Greengrass said on Hermione's other side. "I know fully qualified wizards who can't even dream of fighting like Potter did. He's fine."
"Shut it Greengrass." Lavender snapped.
"Everyone quiet!" Neville hissed. They had come through a short hallway and stood in an archway. They could hear people fighting nearby, but had seen nothing yet. Neville still looked a bit sick. He was sweating, and pale. He glanced around the corner carefully, looking for any sign of danger. Seeming to be satisfied they were safe, he began to lead them across a wide hall. However, when he'd taken three steps, he was suddenly thrown violently and crashed into a glass cabinet. Neville scrambled to get to his feet, but a heavy grandfather clock was flung at him, pinning him down on the ground. Hermione could hear him struggling to free himself, and wondered why he wasn't using his wand.
Hannah's shrieks broke Hermione out of her curiosity. She turned to see the blonde Hufflepuff girl being manhandled and shoved to the floor where a beefy looking man straddled her and fought to capture both of her flailing hands.
"Looky here!" A man's voice shouted in glee. "Hors d'oeuvres."
Two more men appeared out of thin air. Hermione knew they must have been disillusioned. Hannah began screaming like a crazed woman as the one who'd grabbed her began pawing at her ample chest, while the other two began stalking the group of teens. Two bigger boys stepped forward, looking to be heroes, with wands raised, and shaky determined looks.
"Let her go this instant." The first said, a large shouldered round faced boy with a quavering double chin.
The two men laughed as the third managed to get Hannah's dress down, and grabbed a handful of soft flesh. Hannah was sobbing and pleading now. Hermione felt nearly paralytic with fear as she watched what happened. She couldn't even think straight, and she swore she might snap her wand in half with as tightly as she was gripping it.
"And just who's gonna make us piggy?" One of the Death Eaters taunted. "You?"
"There's more of us than there are of you." The second boy said, his voice shaking badly. He was tall and thin, like a river reed. His threat only served to make the two men in front of them laugh. There was a flash of green and both boys fell to the floor, looks of fear forever etched on their faces.
There was a small pause as everyone tried to process what they had just seen happen before them broken only by Hannah's pleas for mercy, and then screams of dread filled the small hallway, deafening Hermione. The Death Eaters all began laughing heartily, and the one who had Hannah on the floor bent to lick her face like a dog, making Hannah cringe and squirm, trying in vain to get out of his grasp.
She would never be able to explain what made her do it. Hermione would never be able to really even remember deciding that she had to act. It was almost as if someone else took control of her.
She felt her arm raise, wand held tightly. She heard herself shout the spell, and she saw the spell erupt from the tip of her wand and impact the taller of the two robed men, sending him spiraling across the floor and crashing into the wood paneled wall.
Two others copied her, though she was very unaware of it. Three spells lit up the dark halfway, and the laughter of the Death Eaters ceased, only to be replaced by swearing and promises of pain.
Hermione stared aghast at the Death Eater she had attacked. He was rising to his feet, looking quite menacing. His fellow was not so lucky however. He was groaning on the floor, and holding his crotch. Hermione thought she saw Lavender out of the corner of her eye appearing quite satisfied with herself, though the expression melted almost immediately due to the Death Eater Hermione had attacked coming at them.
"You little bitches!" The Death Eater snapped, reaching out to grab Daphne Greengrass, tearing the front of her dress. Daphne shrieked as she was sent tumbling to the floor. The Death Eater turned and reached out to take both Hermione's and Lavender's wands from them. He had just grasped Lavender's wand when his fellow, the one who'd been violating Hannah on the floor let out a roar of agony.
Hermione saw the man throwing his head back while trying to pull a couple of fingers out of Hannah's mouth. She was biting him hard enough to draw blood, and didn't look as if she was going to be letting go anytime soon.
"Gerroff you crazy slag!" the brute shouted, swinging his free hand and smacking Hannah across the face.. Hannah cried out, and it was then that Hermione realized her own would be attacker was distracted.
Hermione took a small step back and lunged forward, driving her knee as hard as she could right into the man's most sensitive and vulnerable area. The man howled like a wounded hound, and he crumpled in a heap. She then stunned him before turning towards the man who was now punching Hannah's face repeatedly.
"HEY!" Hermione shouted. Both she and Lavender leveled their wands at the Death Eater. Just as he looked up, both girls hit him with bludgeoning hexes, knocking him a good ten feet down the hall. The man didn't get up.
"Check on Hannah." Hermione said to Lavender before she went to Daphne who was holding the front of her dress up to protect her dignity. Hermione quickly mended the garment, and Daphne went to retrieve her wand while Hermione went to Neville who was still trapped under the heavy clock. When she got to him, she found out why he hadn't been able to free himself. His wand lay a foot away from his furthest reach.
"Here." She said, levitating the clock.
"YOU BITCH!"
Hermione and Neville, now free of his prison, turned to see the last Death Eater stalking towards them. He had recovered from whatever Daphne and Lavender had hit him with and clearly wanted to even the score. However he didn't get far as four spells hit him in the back, knocking him across the hall, head first into the wall. Neville winced when the man's head smashed into the wood, before he crumpled down to the floor.
"We've got to get people out of here." Hermione stated softly. "And we need to find Harry."
"Come on." Neville said, limping a bit. "We're almost there."
Neville made his way to his girlfriend who was being helped by Lavender. He took one look at her and his face fell. She was already bruising, and there was blood at the corners of her mouth. She refused to look at him, and when he reached out to help her, she pulled away.
"We need to get everyone out of here. Daphne said urgently. Neville, still looking at his girlfriend gave a short nod, and told everyone to follow him. Hermione's heart went out to her friend when she saw his face. Neville was very confused and just as scared as the rest of them, but now he looked angrier than she'd ever seen him before. She just hoped he wasn't thinking of doing something stupid.
Hermione waved to the rest of the teens who waited in the hallway to follow them as Neville began to lead them onward. She saw that most of them now had wands in their hands, though they all looked terrified beyond measure. As the last one passed her, and she made to follow them all, she looked over her shoulder wondering where Harry was, and if he was okay."
Sirius Black had been sitting in the kitchen of their newest base of operations. He had a brand new bottle of Ogden's Finest Firewhiskey, a gift from Remus, sitting on the table before him as he was preparing to ring in the new year.
Sirius always had a difficult time around the holiday season. Christmas and New Years were the worst for him. These were the times of year that the ghosts haunted him most. And unlike previous years, Harry wasn't there to distract him.
Sirius was missing his Godson badly. He hated that he'd kept Harry so isolated all these years, especially now. Sirius knew he'd have a much easier time letting go if he'd been used to Harry being away at school. It was bloody annoying. Without Harry to train, Sirius had fallen into a rut. Voldemort's forces had been mostly quiet over the past few months, and there had been nothing to distract Sirius from worrying about what his godson was getting up to.
He had of course gotten reports from Professor McGonagall, and Professor Dumbledore about his progress, but it wasn't good enough. He truly missed having the kid around.
Of course, the more he heard about Harry at Hogwarts, the more he felt guilty over keeping the boy hidden away. He had missed so much. So much that couldn't just be explained, or understood just from reading it in a book. Especially in regards to inter personal relationships.
Sirius smirked a little as he tried to imagine his poor godson trying to figure out the physical portion of dating. If he hadn't felt so despicable for what he'd done to the son of his very best friend, he would have found the situation intensely humorous.
Of course, Sirius knew that it was mostly his fault for any of Harry's social foibles. He could have been more supportive, or physically affectionate to the poor boy. But he had kept him at arm's length, and treated him as the soldier he now was. Sirius had trained him to be cold, hard, and emotionless. To shut off his feelings so he could fight with a clear head. Sirius simply hoped this Hermione Granger was patient, and willing to show his godson all the wondrous benefits of being with a woman.
Sirius reached for the bottle as he glance at the clock. With only two hours until the new year, he figured it was about time to start drinking. He wanted to be black out drunk when the clock struck midnight.
He was quite alone tonight as Remus had gone out with Tonks that night. Sirius and Moody had talked him into taking the girl out and showing her a good time.
Moody felt it was long past time that the werewolf and the metamorphous shagged it out. They'd been flirting so long that it was becoming sickening. Sirius was in full agreement, and had sat his longtime friend down and told him all the ways he was being an ignorant horses arse.
Moody had also gone out for the evening. He was meeting with some old friends to get drunk and relive the glory days as he'd put it. He'd invited Sirius to tag along, but Sirius had refused, choosing to remain behind, "just in case".
Sirius had invited Amelia Bones to join him for the New Year, but she had already accepted an invitation to Augusta Long bottom's party. Amelia had then tried to invite him to come along, but there was some bad feelings between Augusta and Sirius, due in part to what had happened to Frank fifteen years ago.
So, he sat alone in the kitchen with a new bottle, a clean glass, and his guilt for company.
He poured a healthy amount of the amber liquid into his glass and raised it to his lips, saluting some invisible person before beginning to tip it back. He was stopped however when a huge bright silver stag appeared in front of him and spoke in Harry's voice.
"Death Eaters attacking Longbottom Manor. Bring everyone!"
The stag faded into nothingness, and Sirius had to blink a lot to clear his eyes. However, he didn't remain seated as he did this. He nearly fell on his face trying to get up from his seat. He rushed into the sitting room and reached for the pot with the floo powder. Just as he was about to thrown the glittery dust into the small fire, it roared to life and turned green.
"Sirius?" Professor Dumbledore's face appeared in the flames.
"Albus, I was just about to call you. Longbottom manor is being attacked." Sirius said, turning to look for his cloak and making sure his wand was secure in his wrist holster.
"Damn." Dumbledore scowled. "I have just received a report that Death Eaters were attacking Amelia's home, as well as Thaddeus Cornwall, and the Thatchers and the Boot family."
"Seems a bit random." Sirius grimaced.
"We can figure out the reason later. I need you to get over to Norfolk and…"
"I'm going to Longbottom Manor." Sirius said flatly. "Harry's there, fighting alone."
Dumbledore frowned but nodded.
"Contact me when things have been resolved."
Sirius nodded again, and Dumbledore's face disappeared. Sirius slipped his wand out and cast his own patronus. The giant wolfhound shot off like a comet, and Sirius took a breath and spun on his heel, disappearing with a crack.
Amycus Carrow had never seen anyone in his whole life fight the way this boy had.
Not once in his life could he remember anyone, save perhaps Albus Dumbledore being capable of facing half a dozen wizards in open combat, and holding their own. But this boy was not only managing it, but beating them soundly.
He wasn't perfect. The boy had suffered a few scrapes and bruises, mostly as the result of his own doing. Yet he'd avoided serious injury, and it was really starting to frustrate Amycus and his remaining partner.
The boy's back had been scorched badly when he had dropped to the floor to avoid six spells being shot at him all at the same time. They had surrounded him of course, but the boy had anticipated this, and had simply dropped down to his belly when they'd shouted and fired at him. The spells collided into a large fireball which had burned the back of his suit jacket clean through and blackened his shirt beneath it. Amycus was sure his flesh had been burnt as well, but he couldn't be sure.
After that, the boy had kept the Death Eaters on the defensive. He lashed out while still on the ground and with a powerful bludgeoning hex, broken the ankles of one of their own. Kensington, who'd been standing directly in front of the boy fell, howling like a stuck pig and grasping both his ankles. The boy rolled himself to his feet and hit the closest hooded figure right in the chest with a bone breaker. Kensington gasped, sputtered and fell back… dead. Amycus wondered if the boy had driven Kensington's broken ribs right into his lungs and made him drown in his own blood. It's what he would have done.
Five remained standing, but they were proving unsuccessful. The boy moved so fast, and almost acted as if he knew what they would do before they did. Worse still, he didn't rely solely on his wand. He chose to get close if he could which did two things. The first was to make it hard for the other Death Eaters to use their own wands out of concern of hitting their fellows. The second, and most unsettling was how good this kid was at inflicting injury with only his fists and feet.
Amycus had been paralyzed with awe when the boy had driven his thumb into Capshaw's eye. He'd grabbed the bigger man by the throat and just stuck his thumb right into eye hole of his foe. Capshaw had managed to push the boy off of him, but not before the damage had been done. Capshaw tore off his mask, and Amycus had seen the eye had been ruined. Blood was almost pouring out of the man's eye socket.
The boy practically danced as he avoided their spells and landed a hard kick to Yaxley which he followed with a cutting hex. Callenbaum was hit next, though he did managed to block a few of the boy's punches. Callenbaum was one of the bigger men in their master's legions. The boy seemed to adapt quickly however. When he realized he likely wasn't going to land a punch, he used his wand. He feigned another punched, did a strange sort of tumble backward to get some distance, and struck.
The blasting hex hit Callenbaum right in his mask. Blood, bone and brain exploded outward, and Callenbaum fell.
Seeing this boy kill their fellow was like being hit with lightning. After that, the fight elevated. None of the Death Eaters cared any longer if they might hit their fellows. They were throwing spell after spell at him, desperately trying to stop this upstart. Yet nothing seemed to connect. He ran. He dodged. He used anything he could to protect him, and on occasion, he would use a shield charm if there was no other option for him. Worse still, he was exhausting them.
The Death Eater's spells were starting to get weaker in power, the longer the fight lasted, and the Death Eaters themselves were becoming clumsy and slow. Yaxley was losing his patience the fastest, and began disregarding his fellow's well being.
"Are you mad?" Amycus shouted when one of Yaxley's curse nearly hit him, but Yaxley fired three more Killing curses at the boy, who managed to dodge them, though only just.
"This little arsehole is really starting to piss me off!" Yaxley shouted.
Amycus could understand that. This child was making fools of them all. But, he had to make a mistake, and if they combined their efforts, they might be able to end this farce at last.
"Get around him." Yaxley directed. Amycus nodded, and keeping his wand up and firing off the occasional spell to keep the boy moving, he started working his way around the room, along with Gibbon on the far side. Yaxley and Juggson spread out a bit, creating another circle in which to ensnare this "hero".
Capshaw probably should have seen his end coming. The boy was watching him the closest of the four. Amycus wondered why the boy seemed to be focusing his attention on the big man. He was kept on his toes with a series of hexes and curses, but Amycus realized too late that the boy had realized they weren't trying to hurt him, only direct him back to the center of the room, the entire time, watching Capshaw closer than the rest.
Then, just as they had managed to get into position, the boy struck. Lunging first to the left, then faking to the right, he leapt onto Capshaw, knocking him on his back to the floor. He drove his fist into Capshaw's ruined face before rolling off, just as Yaxley used a flame whip curse, which struck Capshaw across the chest, flash burning through his robes and singing his flesh.
"ARE YOU MAD!" Capshaw screamed at Yaxley. He tried to get up, but his life was at an end, he just didn't know it yet.
Behind him, the boy was moving again, his wand flashing as no less than seven spells burst forth from the tip of his wand. All the spells weren't fro Capshaw, but meant to throw the others off guard. Amycus himself had to conjure a shield for one, and slip past a second. When he was clear, he caught sight of Capshw, who'd been hit with something atrocious, and the man's head imploded.
"You're going to pay for that!" Yaxley shouted, holding his shoulder where a piercing hex had hit him. The boy didn't look at all upset at the threat. In fact, he looked almost exhilarated.
Juggson was snarling like a mad bull now as well. Amycus felt as if he were the only one keeping his calm at this point.
"Who the hell are you boy?" He asked, trying to sound threatening. "I want to know what name to put on your tombstone.
"Harry Potter." The boy said evenly.
Amycus stiffened, as did his remaining fellows. Amycus turned to Yaxley who stared back. They knew the name. They had been warned by their master that should they encounter this boy, they were to capture him, and bring him before their Dark Lord unharmed.
"Oh we're about to be rewarded above all others." Juggson said greedily. He stepped towards the boy calling himself Harry Potter, and looked as if he meant to use a body bind on him. The boy had other plans.
Potter leapt straight up, and then cast a levitation spell on himself, taking him right over Juggson's head, and right behind him. Juggson spun to face the boy, arm raised to bat him away. But he stopped suddenly, and both Yaxley and Amycus could only stare in shock as they looked on. Juggson was suddenly as naked as the day he'd been born.
Juggson stumbled back in surprise and the boy snapped his wand left to right, and Juggson dropped his wand and clutched at his throat. When he turned and fell on his knees, Amycus saw blood spilling through his fingers, and down his bare hairy chest.
"I don't believe this." Amycus scowled, his stomach churning.
"The Dark Lord needs to be warned." Yaxley said to himself. He started to back away from the gruesome scene. To a casual observer, it would appear as if he were fleeing, but Amycus knew better. Their information had been wrong. Dumbledore's little pawn was not weak, nor was he incapable of fighting viciously. He put all the Death Eaters to shame with his skill and his prowess.
"I… we must tell out lord." Yaxley said, stumbling over some broken chairs, and landing hard on his rear end.
Potter stood now, looking between the two men. Neither Amycus, nor Yaxley seemed capable of using their wands at the moment, clearly to shocked by all they had seen this boy do. The boy casually flicked his wand at Amycus, knocking the man back and unconscious to the floor before turning to stalk after Yaxley, who began to whimper.
"Why did you attack these people?" Harry asked, raising his wand at Yaxley's face. With a flick, the mask flew off, and clattered on the floor.
"What was your purpose here?"
"I-I can't." Yaxley stammered. "He'll kill me."
Harry flicked his wand again, and Yaxley's wand shot out of his hand and almost floated into the boy's waiting grasp.
"You can tell me or the Aurors, I don't really care either way." Harry offered. "But if you tell me, you might get a more comfortable hole in which to spend the rest of your days."
"Azkaban isn't safe…" Yaxley argued.
"I never said Azkaban." Harry shook his head softly. "Tell me why you attacked this house. What was your mission?"
Yaxley had no idea why he felt so full of fear especially as it was just a boy. A teenager no older than sixteen years old. Yet, here he was trembling like a frightened baby. He was backing away like a terrified lamb, and it was beginning to make him angry. The fear in his eyes began to disappear, and his trembling became worse as rage began pumping into his veins. His eyes narrowed, and he quickly got to his feet, his fists balled his knees bent, and his vision red.
"You filthy little bastard." Yaxley snapped. "I'm not afraid of you. You're nothing. You're the shit on the soles of my boots!"
"I guess that means you're not going to tell me what I want to know." Harry scowled.
"ARRGH!" Yaxley cried out as he lunged at Harry. The boy just stood there, looking dejected and then he slashed his wand, and Yaxley was hit in the face with a bright yellow hex. He stopped quite suddenly as he saw stars in his vision, and he felt his throat constrict. He clutched at his neck, trying to rip away whatever was strangling him, yet he found nothing but his own skin.
His vision began to darken around the edges and he could feel his muscles getting heavy. He was gasping for air now and his vision as getting even darker now. He slumped onto his hands and knees, one hand still tearing at his neck, stripping long pieces of flesh away in the vain attempt to get air into his lungs.
The very last thing Yaxley saw was the boy coming over to him, and kicking him in the face. Yaxley barely felt anything at all as he passed out just as Harry's foot made contact with his face.
Harry looked all around him when after Yaxley died. There was now only one Death Eater left alive, and Harry knew that he couldn't kill him. He might be the only source for information when it was all said and done. Harry summoned all the fallen wands to himself and stuffed them into his pocket before binding the last Death Eater in heavy ropes. He then levitated the bodies of the dead into a row near the shattered window to be identified later.
Just as he finished, he heard voices coming from outside. He gripped his wand tightly and prepared for a second wave, when he suddenly recognized one of the voices. He felt relief, but didn't yet relax his stance.
"Phoenix!" Harry called out the identification call.
"Flash!" came the reply. Sirius Black popped his head up, a smile began forming on his face as he spotted his godson. "You alright?"
"Nothing some dittany, and murtlap won't fix." Harry nodded as his godfather, and three others climbed into the room.
"Where is everyone?" Sirius asked.
"Hopefully safely away by now. At least the kids. I haven't even left this room yet. First it was those two there," Harry indicated two bodies, "And then six more came in."
"Jesus, Harry, did you leave any of them alive?" Sirius scowled. Harry indicated the tied up man leaning against the sofa behind him.
"Did you… did you crush his skull?" One of the other Order members Harry had never met before asked, sounding disturbed. He was a tall man. Thin yet muscled. He had long red hair tied in a ponytail, and a dragon fang earring in his left ear.
"I did." Harry said without emotion. "We should head inside and see if there are any more of these bastards."
"Yeah.' Sirius nodded, motioning to his fellows to get moving. "Try not to kill any more if you can help it."
"I didn't have anyone watching my back, I didn't have a lot of choice." Harry stated.
"No you didn't. You did exactly what you were trained for." Sirius replied sounding rather guilty. "But you shouldn't have had to."
"We can talk about it later." Harry said heavily. He turned and Sirius followed him out of the ballroom and into the house.
It had been many years since Sirius had been here. He, James, Remus and Peter had all been here the night before Frank's wedding with a few others for the start of the wizard's bachelor party. It had been the very last time he'd been allowed to set foot on Longbottom land.
Sirius brushed all his thoughts aside. There'd be plenty of time for regret and second guesses later. Right now, people needed their help.
Hermione stood in the small cozy sitting room waiting for her turn to use the floo, all the while watching the door for any sign of Harry or trouble. She hoped Harry would come sweeping in and tell them all it was safe now, and he'd be unharmed as well. He would take her in his arms and kiss her and whisper to her that everything was fine, and that she'd been crazy to worry about him.
She turned to look at Neville who looked so lost and afraid. Yet, there was something in his eyes that surprised her. Something she couldn't exactly identify, but gave her pause. He had sent Hannah home first, wanting her as far away from here as possible, but she hadn't looked at him when she left, nor had she said anything to him.
Hermione wasn't all that surprised as Hannah had very nearly been aped with her boyfriend seemingly incapable of defending her. Hermione wondered if Hannah might be blaming Neville for what happened. Hermione tried no to think too much about it. She doubted she'd be able to think straight if the same thing had happened to her.
Hermione turned back to watch the door. There were only a few people left before she would be following Lavender. Harry had made her promise she would go to Lavender's house, and the blonde had adamantly refused to leave until she and Hermione were the very last. Perhaps Lavender wanted Harry to appear just as much as Hermione did.
Two boys stood by the closed door, listening for anyone who might be coming closer. Neville called out to them, announcing it was now their turn to leave. The first boy, urged Lavender and Hermione to come home with him, but the girls refused. The boy looked at them sadly before accepting some floo powder from Neville and leaving the party.
"You lot are crazy to stay here." The last boy said. "I don't like leaving you all."
"We'll be fine Alex.' Neville assured him. "It's quieted down a lot."
"That isn't necessarily a good sign mate." The boy called Alex said fearfully.
The door burst open and two masked men stepped in, laughing at the sight.
"Well, what do we have here?" The first asked merrily. "You lot wouldn't be trying to run away would ya?"
Alex turned and leapt into the fire, throwing the floo powder at the flames. Before he could shout his destination, he was struck in the back with the poisonous green hex that ended his life. His body slumped into the fire, and began to burn. Lavender shrieked, and rushed to pull the boy out of the fire.
"Now don't you go wasting your energy on him, love." The second Death Eater said in a gravelly voice. "You're gonna need your strength, I think."
The other Death Eater began laughing, and Hermione felt her stomach turn.
"She does have quite a nice figure, wouldn't you say there Higgins?" The gruff voiced man said as he slowly crossed the room.
"I wouldn't mind a go." Higgins laughed. "But as you found this place, I'll let you have first pick. Besides, this lass is looking very delicious to me, what with that slit in her dress and those lovely creamy breasts just aching to be devoured."
"I don't fancy an audience though, so that little bugger's gonna have to go." The gruff voice man chuckled. "What's say we put him out of our misery eh?"
"You'd better keep back." Hermione said far more confidently than she felt.
Oooh, I likes 'em feisty, don't I Thorfin?" Higgins laughed, staring hungrily at Hermione. "Don't you worry love, I'll be taking good care of you.
"Stupefy!" Lavender shouted. Her spell clanged on Rowle's shield and he began to laugh uproariously.
"Did you see that Higgins? How precious. Blondie here fancies herself a duelist! Ha ha, how adorable." Rowle guffawed. He then reached out and snatched Lavender's wand right out of her hand. He'd cut across the room in three steps, closing the gap between himself and Lavender in a blink of an eye.
Seeing Lavender disarmed seemed to motivate Neville, and he shoved Rowle back, putting himself between Rowle and his fellow Gryffindor.
"Diffindo." He snapped. He waved his wand wildly, and the spell went right over Rowle's head and hit a painting which crashed to the floor.
"Need to work on your aim, boy.' Rowle laughed.
Hermione was in a panic now. She had never felt as frightened in all her life, yet she just couldn't stand by idly anymore. However before she could even think on what to do, her wand was ripped from her hand. She saw Higgins catch it easily, and she felt as if someone had just pour the slimiest of rubbish down on her as the Death Eater looked her ups and down. She brought her arms up protectively over her chest and began to back away.
"Oh no, no love. You ain't gonna get away from me." Higgins said reaching Hermione's side in a few steps. He reached out and grabbed her by the back of the neck. She began to shriek in terror as he dragged her over to a large velvet sofa where he threw her down hard face first. He twisted her left arm up and behind her back, pinning her down on the sofa.
"Hermione!" Lavender and Neville shouted, though Rowle prevented them from going to their friend. He shoved Neville to the floor and grabbed Lavender's arm, clearly thinking the same as his friend. He laughed at Lavender's screams as he turned, taking aim at Neville who was scrambling to get to his feet again.
"Say goodbye sonny." Rowle chuckled.
Rowle screamed out as his wand hand fell from his body, severed just above the wrist. Lavender and Neville froze for a moment, as all three of them watched the severed hand bounce twice on the hardwood floor, still gripping Rowle's wand.
Neville was the first to regain his wits, and lunged at the now screaming Rowle, knocking him to the floor. Lavender stumbled a bit, but remained on her feet as Rowle released his grip on her. Neville began punching the man, swearing loudly with every hit.
Higgins, who'd begun opening his robes in order to defile Hermione stopped dead, turning to stare in confusion at his fellow Death Eater. He turned back to the door to find a man with shoulder length scraggly black hair and a teenaged boy with messy black hair, and his wand shifting towards him.
"I'd step away from the girl if I were you." The man said.
"I'll help you." The boy said sourly. "Bombarda."
Higgins felt the spell strike him in the chest and send him flying over the couch towards the fire. His head hot the mantle and he was knocked out as he fell into the fire on top of the boy he'd killed only a few minutes earlier.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted as she sat up and saw her date coming towards her.
"Are you alright?" Did he hurt you?" Harry asked quickly, looking her over.
"No, I'm fine. You got here just in time." She said, embracing him gratefully. She fought back tears as she felt him wrap an arm around her waist.
"I think that's enough old man." Sirius said wrapping his arms around Neville and lifting the boy off of a very bloody Rowle. Sirius stunned the Death Eater and bound him in magical ropes before going past the teens and back to the door where he began to peer out cautiously.
"Why are you still here?' Harry asked, pulling away from Hermione and looking deep into her eyes, making her relax under his stare. "You were supposed to leave."
"We were just about too when they found us." Lavender said, looking very shaken. She kept rubbing her arms as if to ward off a chill.
"You alright Neville?" Harry asked his friend who was standing back and looking upset. He gave a nod, but said nothing.
"Harry." Sirius said, looking over his shoulder out the door. Harry gave a nod and turned back to Hermione.
"Stay here. I'll be back for you in a bit." Harry said, hugging Hermione gently before slipping out of her arms and going to follow his godfather. Hermione wanted to follow him, but he gave her one last look over her shoulder that froze her in place. His eyes were hard, and his face was severe.
"He'll be alright, Hermione." Lavender said as she came to her friend's side. "He… well look what he did here."
"I know, but I still…" Hermione said softly. Lavender nodded and took her friend by the shoulder, and took her to the couch where the two sat down, staring at the bodies of the two men Harry had just dispatched.
"Ugh, I'm going to have nightmares." Lavender grimaced.
Neville stepped forward and conjured a blanket which he lay over the body of Higgins before he turned to watch Rowle for any sign of movement. He was feeling really embarrassed by how little he'd done. This was his house and he'd been incapacitated twice. All he could think to himself was how ashamed of him his grandmother would be when she found out.
Neville was unaware of Lavender's eyes on him. She had been really impressed with Neville that night. Sure, he'd gotten knocked down, but he had still fought Rowle with his bare hands to protect her. He'd put her safety above his own. Lavender couldn't help wonder how Ron would have acted in the same circumstance. While she was sure he would have shot his mouth off, she wasn't so certain Ron would have done much more, and then she began to hate herself for thinking that way about her boyfriend.
Hermione could only stare at the door, waiting for Harry to return to her and take her home and away from this nightmare of an evening.
One very long, and nerve-wracking hour later, Harry returned with Neville's grandmother behind him. Hermione shot to her feet and leapt into Harry's arms, nearly crying at seeing him still alive, and for the most part unharmed. He held her tightly to him for a few moments, and she fought to keep herself in control.
"Are you alright Neville?" Augusta asked her grandson. Neville gave a short nod, and Augusta sighed in relief.
Hermione pulled away from Harry when Neville's grandmother addressed her.
"I'm ok." Hermione said when she was asked about her well being. Lavender also remarked that she was fine. Augusta then asked them all to follow her. Hermione clung to Harry as he followed behind Augusta.
They passed into the room that Augusta had been hosting the adults for the party. The room was trashed. Almost all the furniture was burnt or destroyed completely. There were no bodies, and Hermione saw three Aurors and Amelia Bones herself near what remained of a table, whispering together.
"Through here.' Augusta said, as she came to a door. Hermione, Lavender and Harry followed Neville into a small office where Sirius stood looking out a window and Professor Dumbledore sat in a high backed chair.
"Good evening." Dumbledore said as he took them in and then motioned for a small sofa next to his chair for them to sit on. Harry stood behind the sofa as there wasn't enough room for him. "I am very sorry that you had to endure what took place tonight."
"Why did they attack us?" Neville asked, sounding bitter.
"Because their master was trying to send me a message." Augusta said sourly. "But all he did was ensure that I will do everything within my power to see him and his followers meet a sticky end."
"What do you mean Gran?" Neville asked. "What message?"
"You grandmother, along with a few others have been very vocal in their support of a new bill in the Wizengamot. One that would allow the Aurors the ability to use lethal force when confronting Death Eaters." Sirius turned to face them all now. Hermione thought he looked a bit sickly, as he was pale and had heavy bags under his eyes.
"They chose the wrong house to attack tonight." Augusta Longbottom said, pouring herself a rather large glass of brandy. She poured a second glass which she took to Dumbledore who accepted it gratefully. Hermione noted the scowl she sent at Sirius, who lowered his eyes.
"Four former Aurors, three Unspeakables, and a five time dueling champion." Augusta chuckled as she took a sip from her glass.
"Indeed it appears they underestimated your guests.' Dumbledore agreed. "You always did have a knack for being with the right people at the right time, My dear. But I fear if it was not for the warning from Mister Potter, things might have been worse."
"Ah, here you are." Amelia Bones said as she entered the study. "I have the final numbers, if you wish to hear them."
"I would…" Augusta began but Dumbledore cut across them.
"Augusta, if I may, perhaps it would be wise to have our young allies looked over and then sent to bed. It has been a very trying night, and I am sure they are all exhausted."
"I'll take them." Sirius offered. "Amelia can fill me in later on."
"Of course." Amelia said with a pointed look at Sirius. He gave her a nod, and then went to the door where he waited for the teens to get up and follow him.
"Duncan is in the kitchen, he'll look them over and heal anything that needs to be healed." Amelia directed them, and Sirius gave a nod before closing the door behind him.
"Kitchen is this way." Neville said, leading them with his head hanging low. Hermione smiled softly as she watched Lavender take him by the arm and walk with him. Harry took Hermione's hand and she gave him a gentle look, and leaned her head on his shoulder as they followed, with Sirius taking up the rear.
When they arrived in the kitchen, Hermione sat in a straight back wooden chair and slipped out of her shoes. The high heeled pumps her mother had lent her were not meant for running or fighting in, that was certain. She began rubbing her feet while Duncan began looking over Lavender first.
Hermione noticed Sirius taking Harry to the other side of the room, and begin talking in hushed tones. She wondered if Harry was being debriefed or whatever it was that happened to soldiers after battles. Harry was doing most of the talking, and he kept glancing at her. Each time he did, she felt a rush of warmth spread in her chest.
"I told him I was fine." Lavender said sitting next to Hermione, and slipping her own shoes off as well. "Neville's much worse off than I am. You notice how he's been favoring his left arm?"
"What?' Hermione asked, having not really heard anything her friend had said.
"Neville was pretty brave tonight."
"Yeah, he was.' Hermione agreed. "he was as scared as the rest of us, and he still got everyone to safety."
"He doesn't see it that way." Lavender looked at Neville who was being checked over. "With what happened to Hannah, I think he's blaming himself. And the way she reacted when he went to her… it really cut him deep."
"You can't blame her really, but I know what you mean." Hermione agreed.
"I don't know what to do or say to him. I don't even know what to tell myself really. I'm still shaking." Lavender said, holding up her hand to show Hermione how she shook.
"I've never been so afraid. I didn't know what to do. I've never not know what to do." Hermione lamented. "I'm supposed to be intelligent, and rational, and I couldn't think straight, much less do anything. I don't even know how I stunned that man in the hall. I just…"
"Instinct." Lavender shrugged. "It was all any of us could do."
"You're turn." Neville said to Hermione. She gave him a sympathetic look as she got up and went to see the man called Duncan. He had her stand straight as he cast a few spells over her, and asked her several questions. She had a few minor cuts, which he healed easily, and then gave her a small vial of potion which he told her to drink once she got into bed.
"It's a dreamless sleeping draught. You sleep for about ten hours and be fully rested when you wake." Duncan explained as he turned to look at Harry who was still talking to Sirius.
Hermione thanked the man and went back to her chair to wait for Harry . it took a lot longer as Harry had actually gotten hurt a bit more. His back had been burnt, though not seriously, and he had a lot more cuts and bruises which Duncan healed. Sirius had stood by his godson as the young man was patched up, grimacing when he saw Harry's back. Hermione felt her stomach churn when she saw it, and asked how he'd been hurt. Harry told her of the spells colliding and how he'd been burned when he'd dropped to his stomach. He didn't looked to chaffed about it, and Hermione glared at Sirius, knowing it was because of him that Harry didn't seem to have any kind of self preservation instinct.
Sirius ignored her glares for the moment.
When Harry was finally fixed up, the teens were allowed to go. Harry took Neville aside before they all said their goodbyes and spoke for several moments. By now, Hermione was beginning to feel very tired.
Sirius made portkeys for Lavender and Harry and Hermione before wishing them all a good night. Neville hugged both Hermione and Lavender and shook Harry's hand before telling them he would see them in a week at school. Lavender wished them all a happy new year as her portkey activated.
A few moments later, Hermione was being steadied by Harry when they had landed on her snow covered front lawn.
"That was quite a party." Harry said as they headed for the door. Hermione shook her head.
"It was definitely not what I had in mind for a New year's eve party. I didn't even get to ring in the New year properly."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked confused. Hermione stopped and turned to face him. She had her key in her hand, and was just about to open the door when Harry had questioned her.
"I sometimes forget how sheltered you've been." She smiled softly. "Traditionally, you kiss your date at the stroke of midnight."
"Why then? Why not whenever you feel like it?" Harry asked, looking a bit perplexed.
"It's just tradition, like the mistletoe." Hermione shrugged.
"I'm beginning to like some of these traditions." Harry nodded, making Hermione smile a little brighter. She turned and unlocked the door. The house was dark, and Hermione guessed her parents had decided to stay a bit later at their own party. It wasn't that uncommon after all. Last year they hadn't come home until noon the next day.
"Do you need any help?" Harry asked.
"Help?" Hermione asked, turning back to Harry.
"I noticed you're walking a little oddly, and you removed your shoes at Neville's. I thought you might be hurt or…"
"No, I'm fine. Wearing shoes like this comes with a price. I mean, it makes us girls look taller, and more attractive and all, but they can be murder on our feet." Hermione shrugged, tossing her shoes on the floor.
"They do seem impractical." Harry agreed, looking at the black pumps. "But you did look desirable in them."
Hermione was thankful it was so dark in the house as she felt her face heat up. She'd never been called desirable before. She wanted to cheer, but remained quiet. Harry brushed past her to inspect the rest of the house. Hermione guessed he was probably still on high alert or whatever. Right at the moment she was rather grateful.
"I suppose we should go to bed." She said shakily after several moments. "Though, I don't really want to be alone. Just… I keep seeing… everything."
"That's why they gave you the dreamless sleeping draught.' Harry said as he came back to her satisfied they were safe. He took her hand gently, and pulled her to him. She immediately felt comforted, and thought how bizarre that felt given everything.
"I know, but I just… I'm still scared Harry. What happened. What I saw. What I did. What I saw you do… Everything. It was just so frightening. I'm just afraid right now."
"Then I'll stay with you." Harry said. Hermione pulled back so she could look at him, despite the darkness.
"You will?" She asked, not sure exactly how she felt about it.
"I'll sit with you while you sleep if that will make you feel better." Harry offered. "I'll watch over you, and make sure you stay safe."
Hermione could only stare at him. His face remained passive, showing no hint of anything, just as always. And just as strangely, she took comfort in it.
"You don't…" She started to say but he cut her off with a soft, chaste, lingering kiss that spoke volumes to her soul.
"Thank you.' She said when she broke the kiss.
"You don't need to thank me for taking care of you." Harry replied evenly. Hermione felt a shiver run up her spine that had nothing to do with fear, or the haunting memories of what she'd survived that night.
She asked him to give her a few minutes to change, and she slipped up to her room where she slipped out of her dress and changed into her favorite sleep wear, shorts and a camisole, before brushing her teeth and washing her face. She came out of the bathroom just as Harry reached the top of the stairs.
She felt a bit exposed wearing so little in front of him, just as she had Christmas morning when she'd walked in on him. She shivered a little as she suddenly remembered reading how sometimes sexual attraction could be heightened after a traumatic experience. She quickly went to her bedroom, trying to push all thoughts of a shirtless Harry out of her head.
"People died tonight." she told herself. "People died and you're thinking about shagging Harry your… whatever he is."
Harry went to her window while she turned down her blankets and slipped under them. She watched him as he peered out the window onto the street. He had changed clothing as well. Hermione wondered what her father was going to say when she found out what happened to Harry's tailored suit.
Harry, satisfied no one was outside waiting to ambush them, turned back to Hermione who was sitting up in her bed watching him. He walked over and handed her the vial of potion, then turned around and went to grab the chair at her writing desk.
"Could you come over here?" She asked a little anxiously.
Harry began to drag the chair over but she stopped him, telling him to sit on her bed. Harry paused a moment, considering, then sat down next to her, and leaned back against the headboard. He then watched as Hermione drank her potion. He took the vial from her and placed it on her bedside table as she made herself comfortable. She had scooted very close to him now, her head resting on his thigh and her arm over his leg, holding him as best she could.
"Don't leave me Harry." She whispered as the potion began taking affect.
"I'll be right here." He said, slipping his fingers through her soft brown curls.
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