Support System

Chapter V - Freak of Nature

**

Hermione gasped, utterly horrified, but remained composed. The sight out their window was terrifying indeed, but she insistently reminded herself important things, 'We faced circumstances like this before...Besides, what would Harry say to the option of cowering away?' Thinking of Harry made her decision easy. 'He would want our bravery to be present in his absence too, probably more so! After all, Dumbledore's Army had been for nothing but their self-defense...

"Hermione, now what do we do?!" Ron panicked fearfully.

"We fight!" Hermione responded strongly. Opening the compartment window bravely, she directed, "Aim your wand forward, Ron, quickly!" Hers was already aimed at their unnoticing assailants.

Meanwhile, trembling beside her, Ron pointed his wand and shocked her by sending the initial spell, yelling, "Expelliarmus!" Ron breathlessly watched his spell disarm one intruder, sending his or her wand far from reach. Then, almost missing, he yelled, "Stupefy!"

Immediately, Hermione and Ron were instantly sighted by the remaining assailant as the other fell unconscious. Even in plain view, the attacker was still hidden behind the hoods of their scarlet robes. He looked livid with surprise, and pointed his or her wand toward Ron. Immediately, the enemy declared in anger, "Sectumsempra!"

It all happened so quick that Ron was unable to dodge the spell before it struck him in the chest. Lifted from his feet, the spell's force shot him backward until he slammed against the compartment's door. As Ron yelled out in excruciating agony, Hermione rushed to his aid, terrified: Ron's ripped shirt revealed that his chest, along with his legs and arms, were full of cuts and bruises; the fatal concern was, however, that he was continuing to lose a lot of blood. At close sight, Hermione remembered Professor Flitwick mention that Sectumsempra had deadly potential. She almost fainted as the memory made her lightheaded--

Kneeling before his brutalized body, Hermione quickly ran through her head every recovery spell that she'd learned, deliberating. Apprehensive of her quick choice, Hermione pointed her wand at Ron, gulping harshly, and chanced using a life-or-death spell for the first time.

**

Lupin and Tonks hurried down the dark stairway leading to the Malfoy family dungeon. A tip-off had led them to infiltrate the Manor right away, where it accorded that Harry was being kept alive in a dungeon. Taking loud, deep breaths, they relentlessly rushed past round-and-round zigzagging walls, trying to remember the exact directions to Harry. But they made no mistakes luckily, and before long had found the jail cells.

"Lumos!" The two Aurors commanded, and the tip of their wand lit up like a flashlight: Twelve cells total were aligned side-by-side, six on each parallel wall. Despite the neat arrangement, the walls and floors inside and outside the cells were deteriorating unkemptly.

Regardless, Tonks and Lupin had only taken a few steps before finding Harry lied-down on the floor of the middle-left cell. Not wasting any time, they worrisomely tried awaking him, yelling, "HARRY, GET UP, WE'RE HERE TO RESCUE YOU! WAKE UP HARRY, HURRY!" Desperately afraid Harry was not alive, Tonks and Lupin were beyond relieved when Harry shook awake slowly. Pointing their wands' light to see, Harry was very thin from clear malnourishment, and also appeared to have been bruised-up recently--

But he was alive.

Harry squinted up at them in blank shock, quite sure he was dreaming. He'd become hopeless after so many days and weeks, which Harry had spent increasingly certain that he'd die an innocent prisoner. But all that negativity felt like utter rubbish as Harry realized this was a real-life miracle, not a dream: Tonks and Lupin were here to rescue him! Alert as ever, Harry was overwhelmed by joy, exclaiming, "You've finally found me, finally made it! It really is you, I can't believe it - I'm begging you, get me out of here, please! I've been in this hell since the day they kidnapped me. Voldemort's left me alive in this cage, but he'd intended to kill me right away, except that--" His desperate plea, scattered as it was, felt emotionally tangible.

Remus, pointing his wand at Harry's cell, declared a simple incantation, "Alohomora!" Remarkably, the cell burst open that easily.

Freed at last, Harry suffocated Lupin and Tonks into an enormous hug. Heavy tears filled Harry's green eyes without control, but he was too elated to be overly-embarrassed. He cried graciously, "Thank you SO much, I've been dying in there--"

But Lupin cut him off very importantly. "We mustn't waste time talking right now, Harry. We need to get you out of here pronto, before You-Know-Who discovers you're missing! Just follow our lead, understand?" They let go of him right away. Without another word, Tonks and Remus led Harry in a backtracking scurry--

It was time to escape.

**

Hermione almost died from relief as Ron's potentially fatal injuries disappeared, reprieved by her magnificent wand-work. Ron, half-consciously gasping for air, heard Hermione optimistically instruct, "Just stay put for now, alright? Thanks for the marvelous work, Ron!" Waiting until he obediently nodded, Hermione prodded prudently toward the window again. Uncharacteristically, Hermione's first priority was vengeance.

Initially, however, the remaining invader cried, "Crucio!" The masculine-sounding voice laughed as Hermione shrieked in fear....

But with luck, Hermione dodged his Unforgivable Curse by inches. She fell well out of view, taken aback, and mentally readied for a deathly game. She retraced slowly into the outsiders' view once again. She pointed her wand at him faster this time, screaming, "Halesrobo!" Fiery gold sparks sped at her attacker and bulls-eyed, hexing him on fire. The man screamed in horror as the fire spread without control over him, but he was quickly silenced as the flames mutilated into his skin. Within a minute the intruder was dead. Ron, sitting up, was just in time to witness the mutilated carcass hit the ground.

In what seemed no time at all, suddenly there was no visible armed threat!

Ron mustered every bit of energy he had left, rose upright, and congratulated Hermione, "That was bloody brilliant how you just saved everyone! Way to go - you're a truly extraordinary witch, you know that?" It wasn't really a question. Ron looked spellbound by an inferiority complex for a moment, as he was unable to imagine himself executing that difficult of a spell!

Several moments passed silently as Hermione realized she'd killed a man in self-defense. It was a horrible feeling of guilt, even though she'd been forced to act. Ron also looked pensive for a moment ...

But it was very short-lived.

Interrupting, practically half the Hogwarts staff arrived on broomsticks. The two teenagers scooted closer to the window and witnessed McGonagall and Dumbledore flying toward them quickly. Ron and Hermione were nervous as the two professors hovered alongside their window.

McGonagall breathlessly addressed them first. "We saw the surprise duel from afar and as we got closer, we all realized the defensive spells were all emitting from this compartment. That was some magnificent magic, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, especially with such little time to make decisions. You conquered over great danger! Gryffindor will receive quite a fair sum of points for your life-saving bravery!" Ron and Hermione had never heard McGonagall speak with this much pride before.

Dumbledore beamed at Ron and Hermione, nodding agreeably. Adding to McGonagall's words, the Headmaster jubilated, "Very well done magic from the both of you! I congratulate you, Ron, Hermione, for ending the showdown epically! Rest assured that your magnificent courage and extraordinary morality will be greatly commended. However, right now I beg for your patience as we investigate and re-secure the train. After all, we cannot rule out the possibility of another imminent attack!" Dumbledore had a way of reassuring them even while mentioning that scary possibility.

Watching their professors fly elsewhere, Ron and Hermione exchanged looks of pure amazement. But taking Ron off-guard, Hermione was growing more and more teary-eyed, and then finally she was filled with heavy tears. Sounding mournful, Hermione got Ron to not panic by grabbing him still. With his full attention, she whispered meaningfully, "Ron, oh Ron, I wish Harry could've seen, well partook really, in this accomplishment. After all, if it weren't for Harry teaching Dumbledore's Army, giving us confidence, we may not have even entered the fight!" Despite crying, she remained somewhat collected, and finished wisely, "That's the one thing I can believe is keeping Harry alive, maybe anyway - his perseverant fight for survival."

Speechless, Ron just lost himself in Hermione's wistful eyes. Taken aback, he was disturbed to find the same frozen terror that haunted his. Hermione noticed this too, and the exchange made both of them aghast...

**

Lord Voldemort was livid beyond belief after making an unconscionable discovery during a casual perusal through Narcissa's dungeon: Harry Potter had escaped without a trace!

Voldemort was first utterly bemused, and disbelieved it, but then within moments he was overcome by anger. He was outraged that his plans were wrecked completely. Mentally, Voldemort repeated answerless questions. How has my fool-proof plan become completely abolished? Severus assured me! Why this shoulder of irreparable peril! Who has done this? Is this a betrayer's work? If so, once exposed, I will not stop torturing him or her until I've killed them in return!

Half-ragged breathing and muscular tension overwhelmed the Dark Lord in his fury. The growing realness of it grew maddening, and Voldemort failed to contain a deafening shriek, which echoed through the empty dungeon. He desperately swore to himself that he would lay vengeance upon everyone involved in this exacerbated failure...

This passionate hunger alone kept him sane. Lord Voldemort pulled up his cloak's sleeve, revealing his Dark Mark. Calmly using his wand on it properly, he summoned the presence of every single Death Eater. Hardly able to wait, Lord Voldemort shut his eyes from his damaged reality, trying to be still. Obsessed with indoctrinating justice in forthcoming minutes, he heaved himself in deep breaths as he waited -
Death Eaters finally started Apparating in handfuls upon the scene of Potter's empty cell. Within mere moments they were complete in number, so the Death Eaters arranged themselves into four rows side-by-side. When they finished their diligent formation, they politely bowed before the Dark Lord. Placing total attention upon him, they stood fearfully still. A full-scale rendezvous meant something very serious was stirring.

Quietly, Lord Voldemort searched his Death Eaters with his reddish, glowering eyes. Once astute to the scene, Voldemort chastised them with incredible rage, announcing, "I have been utterly failed by at least one of you. Yes that's right, one or two fools dared to sabotage my longest-sought mission: Harry Potter somehow has escaped his cell! Look! And yet for a month the boy was detained with no troubles. This was how it was to remain, as you all know, given I have yet the proper means to finish him off! Nonetheless, no made-up excuses have any material function hereby. Once discovered, nothing will spare those guilty from punishment, because it's not possible that this was accidental. I know, not speculate, that this is the work of an imposturous operation!" Voldemort's last words left them stricken with fear.

The Dark Lord cleared his throat and paused momentarily for their contemplation. Tenser than ever, in a skin-piercing tone he continued, "Every single one of you knows very well that mind-reading is an extraordinary talent of the Dark Lord, am I correct? If so, those involved in this scheme should immediately confess." Lord Voldemort's gaze crossed the room, studying the belittled followers one-by-one; each of them flinched when it was his or her turn to be directly eyed, an effect which no length of time changed. After a prolonged moment, the Dark Lord softened his volume, insidiously hissing, "If I am forced to detect the blunderers myself, they will be exterminated immediately. Therefore, I recommend the guilty act wisely and speak now, otherwise face an insufferable death. You will not remain hidden!"

The Dark Lord's every Death Eater was left mortified. Taking deep breaths, Voldemort terrorized them again with an unmoving, compassionless stare; a moment passed silently as Voldemort again allowed the Death Eaters to contemplate the seriousness of his threat. And just as their mind-shattering silence began feeling overextended--

A very short male Death Eater stepped forward from the shadowy far-right. In absolute quiet, the Death Eaters watched the man bow into a servile position before Lord Voldemort...

**