Harry Potter and the Birth of a New Sun

Harry Potter and the Birth of a New Sun

Chapter 44 - Flight to the Falls

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Riding high upon Grawp's left shoulder, Hermione looked up to see a large, green dragon swooping down toward her. Common Welsh, she thought. She and Grawp had just leapt over the wall surrounding Hogwarts and were bounding, much to Hermione's irritation, toward the Forbidden Forest. She had told Grawp to head home, but what she had meant was Hogwarts Castle. Grawp instead took that to mean Forbidden Forest. She was trying to convince him to turn around when the dragon flew past the full moon, casting a sudden shadow that turned her head upward. Its bat-like wings seemed to fill the sky, its eyes were on fire and its teeth flickered white, curling upward in something that resembled a smile. It had seen them and its sudden arc in the sky suggested that it was here to greet them warmly, very warmly.

She was certain that in few moments both she and Grawp would be consumed in a giant fireball, so she pulled her wand preparing to cast a shield charm and wondering if it would withstand the dragon's breath. In contrast to Hogsmeade, the air here was charged. Rolling her wand in her fingers, she could sense its power. So much power in fact that she began to dismiss the idea of a shield charm in favour of attack. Yes... she would defeat the beast! But a voice inside said, "Are you crazy! At best, three wizards would be needed to take on an adult dragon out in the open!" She shook her head, pulling in a deep breath and coming to her senses.

"Hurry Grawp!" she yelled, not really caring which direction he was headed. Anywhere was better and the forest, at least, would offer some sort of cover. "Run!"

Grawp responded, but so too did the Welsh Green. Closer... closer... she could now hear the beating of its wings, heavy in the air. The dragon's mouth began to open. He was about to blow! Hermione focused her attention upward, raising her wand high above her head.

"Proteg--"

She was struck broadside in the chest, her lungs collapsing as the air burst through her lips. The force had ripped her from Grawp's shoulder and the giant cried out. She was airborne, her legs dangling freely as the ground and dragon fell away, as if she were being pulled by a giant tether high up into the sky. She was surprised; Grawp was surprised; the dragon was surprised. He was about to follow, when he noticed another wizard dressed in blue over by the front gate - easier prey. Hermione tried to call out Neville's name to warn him, but the air had been knocked out of her and she was far too far away to be heard.

"Hold on!" a voice yelled and she was suddenly turning about in a large arc, unable to see what was becoming of Neville.

"Ron?" she squeaked. "Ron. Neville." She pointed back over her left shoulder almost in the direction they were now headed.

"Swing your leg over," Ron yelled again, trying to pull Hermione high enough to climb onto his broom. She was swinging wildly and missing.

With each swing and miss she would say, "We have to... get Neville," not noticing that they were moving farther into the forest, not toward the gate. Finally, she hooked a heel and swung up onto the broom, grabbing tightly to Ron's waist; the broom's gripping charms took hold. Ron shook his freed arm, trying to regain some sensation. Hermione, instinctively, held one hand to her belly and tried to regain her breath.

"For a bit there, I thought I was going to drop you," he said, nosing down on the broom and forcing it to pick up speed.

"Ron," Hermione called, "Neville's at the gate; we have to--" A giant flash filled the night sky followed by an enormous boom. Hermione looked back to see a huge fireball rising upward from where Neville was. "Neville!" she cried. It was clear that the dragon had struck. Nothing could have survived.

"Ron! Why didn't you go back?" She slapped him on the back.

"The broom wouldn't hold the three of us," he said grimly, holding steadfast to his present course.

"We could have fought!"

Ron did not reply, but she felt his shoulders slump. No... no they couldn't have, not that near the front gate. The magic there was too thin. They would have all been incinerated. She began to cry. "What was he doing there, anyway? He should have been with Harry, headed to the castle." She paused. "You don't think... Harry too?"

"That explosion... that was more than dragonfire," said Ron. "And it wasn't one of Sirius' traps."

"We need to tell the others. We need to see if Harry's okay. We need to go to the castle and--"

"We need to follow orders," Ron interrupted. The broom veered slightly to the right, heading deeper toward the heart of the forest. "Our coven is meeting at Terntalag. We need to..." He paused, twisting the shaft of the broom in his hands. "We need to regroup there."

Somehow, to Hermione, Ron's words were out of place. Follow orders? It didn't sound like Ron. Sure, they were with Professor Firenze's coven, but Harry... hopefully, Harry was with Sirius at the castle.

"But the castle... Harry..." she offered.

"It's not about Harry!" he snapped. "It's about... Aahg! Just this once, would you just trust me. I... I know what I'm doing." His voice trailed off with these final words. They did not instil confidence, leaving Hermione to wonder. Still, she didn't object. The thought that there might be more dragons back at the castle... she was getting tired of fighting.

They flew for about five minutes before Hermione began to notice the sparkling beneath them on the forest floor. As the canopy would break, shimmers of white and silver shown through. It was as if the ground was covered with twinkling fallen stars. She was trying to figure out just what they were when the broom stopped abruptly, smashing Hermione's face between Ron's broad shoulder blades. In the clearing below, Hermione could now see that the flashes of light were ghosts, hundreds of ghosts. She pulled on his sleeve, but Ron's attention wasn't focused on the floor beneath. He was looking intently straight ahead into the darkness.

"Do you see anything," he whispered.

"The ghosts," answered Hermione.

"Not there. There!" Ron pointed directly in front of them. Hermione squinted, only able to see the moonlit top of the forest canopy and the dark outline of the mountains behind. "I don't like it," Ron whispered again. "I can hear them talking." He pulled out his wand. "Whatever happens," he said, "don't let go." Hermione's grip tightened.

She knew that Ron's telepathy was growing stronger again. This time there'd been no outward signs that anything was physically wrong, but as he had reached farther out trying to make it easier to learn such things as enemy plans, particularly near the Slytherin table, it had also been more difficult to shut out the voices. He'd grown jumpy, rash, irritable, and often sought any refuge to keep away from people. It was why, even though the two of them had grown close again, it was difficult to discuss her situation. Now that she thought about it, his need to escape the voices would explain their journey to Terntalag instead of the castle. Now, in the midst of nowhere, she was glad he had such a phenomenal internal radar.

After an eternity of silence, he hissed through his teeth one word, "Vampires." Hermione drew in a noticeable breath, trying hard not to shudder. Ron closed his eyes and cast his focus forward. "They don't know we're here. They're hiding in the tops of the trees, waiting for something, or someone."

"The coven?"

"Maybe... maybe, the coven. Yeah, that makes sense. It's an ambush."

"How many?" Hermione asked.

"Three," answered Ron. "Maybe more." He shifted on his broom. He tried to wet his lips with his tongue, but his mouth was too dry. "We could send a message back and go around."

"We could," agreed Hermione, knowing full well they wouldn't.

"Three..." Ron muttered out loud. "We could take... no. We need to get to Terntalag." There was a long pause. Hermione was stunned at the words of her fellow Gryffindor. Ron's excuse made it that much worse. "It'll be too hard to fly. If you knew how to shift your weight in the air... Maybe next time you'll take me up on my offer to teach you how to--"

"So now it's my fault? Don't blame me for being ambushed and hauled away into the air!" said Hermione. "I was perfectly fine with Grawp! It wasn't my idea to--"

Suddenly to their left, a Threstral broke above the treetops of the Forbidden Forest. It was only five meters away when it reared back and let out a wild screech. Hermione cried out for only a heartbeat before she realized what it was. The creature beat its wings rhythmically, hovering above the forest, its skeletal black body shimmering in the moonlight. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it dipped back beneath the canopy.

"Well, that's bad luck," whispered Ron calmly.

"Oh, Ron," chided Hermione. "That's just superstition."

"Oh, really?" he replied sarcastically. "That's funny, because here they come. Get out word, just in case." He pulled in a deep breath and squeezed the broom handle.

Hermione turned and sent a patronus back toward Firenze and the wizards and witches he was leading through the forest to Terntalag. All she had time for was Ambush. The bright white light from the otter erupting from her wand blinded her temporarily as she turned back around and peered over Ron's shoulder into the darkness. She couldn't make out the approaching vampires until they were about twenty yards away and closing fast. What appeared out of the darkness was a human face as white as the shining moon and something else with two glowing eyes that looked more bat than human. Almost simultaneously, Ron and Hermione cast stunners at the creatures. The bat-like vampire swerved in midair avoiding the beams of light, but Hermione's spell struck the other square on. He yelped like a kicked dog and fell from the sky. Ron leaned forward and followed the crumpled mass downward.

"Keep casting!" he called to Hermione. "I'll do the driving."

"Why does that not comfort me?" she called. "Reducto!" she cast, but again missed the bat vampire. "Sly devil, that one."

It was difficult twisting backward and casting spells, but she was beginning to see a pattern in the vampire's flight. She was about to cast a spell when another creature appeared on their left, so grotesque in appearance, Hermione froze for but a moment. His face was green and skeletal as if someone had poured candle wax over a rotted corpse and the wax had not yet set. His red eyes were piercing, but the look gave Hermione an idea. She held her wand out at the newcomer.

"Incendio!" It wasn't a true hit, but the tatters of robes the vampire had draped over it caught fire, forcing him to stop in mid-air to attend to the flames.

"Duck!" yelled Ron. Hermione complied, almost sensing the guidance before Ron said it. A tree branch flew past. It struck the bat-like vampire, plunging a broken fork of wood some six inches into its chest. Blood spattered from his mouth and he crumpled to the ground below. She cursed herself for letting him get that close.

Ron flew like a madman, moving fearlessly through the forest trees. Branch after branch whizzed by their heads and more than a few scraped at their robes. She was beginning to think that maybe they had lost their pursuers. Ron may have too, because the sharp turns and zigzags were diminishing. It was then that the vampire with the green head appeared directly in front of them and with him was another bat-like vampire, its fur a golden beige. Ron stopped suddenly, causing Hermione, who was turned backward, to nearly flip off the broom despite its gripping charms.

"I thought you said there were only three!" she cried.

"I said maybe three!" snapped Ron, pulling the broom hard left as Hermione cast another fire spell.

"Well there were more! Oh, Merlin! The new one... it's a wizard!"

The beige one held a wand in the fingers of his clawed hand, growled, and cast a beam of green light.

"Turn!" Hermione cried, but Ron already was. It was as if he was anticipating their every move. He deftly avoided three more spells without once looking back over his shoulder.

"Hold tight." Ron pulled up on the broom, breaking through an opening in the forest canopy. All of them shot up in the night sky, the moonlight glistening off the vampires, giving Hermione an easier shot, but also making their position more vulnerable. Ron shot forward in a straight line over the treetops, the vampires in direct pursuit, their huge wings brushing the tops of the trees.

"Incarcerous!" Braids of rope spewed from the tip of Hermione's wand and, with a little flick of her wrist, a large net flew backwards. It engulfed the skeletal vampire, pulling his wings in and turning him into a large flying rock. She could hear the bones breaking as he crashed into forest canopy.

In return, the wizard vampire cast a stunner that struck the bristles of Ron's broom, singing Hermione's robes and burning her left leg. The broom lurched briefly to the right before he got it back under control.

"That was too close," said Hermione, trying to heal the injury.

"Yep."

"I like the trees better," she said, almost immediately regretting the words.

"Me too," Ron agreed and he nosed down on the broom descending back into the darkness.

Once again, the branches tore at their robes until they finally plunged through the canopy. They were moving as fast as Ron dared, flashes of white streaming by on either side. Ghosts continued to fill the forest.

"He's still on us!" called Hermione, forced to cast a shield charm in defence of the vampire's last stunner. "We better do something soon; this isn't working!"

"I know!"

There was an enormous tree in the distance and Ron willed his broom faster. He would have to time this right and with two it would be difficult. Faster. All thought was on the impending tree when he saw her. In a clearing, just to the right of Ron's path to mutual assured destruction, was a brilliant white Centaur. Golden hair draped loosely down her shoulders. She was nude from the waist up with only a quiver of arrows hung over her back connected to a leather thong that passed between her two ample breasts.

Faster... Thought of the tree flickered as Ron's attentions suddenly swung toward the Centaur. He was so enthralled he didn't even notice her notch the arrow.

"Bloody hell," he muttered, now looking back at her and totally disregarding the tree.

"Ron! Turn!"

He spun around just in time to pull hard left, but it wasn't enough. The trunk of the tree clipped their already tattered broom bristles sending a shock that shattered the entire broom into a thousand splinters. The pair went tumbling in the air, crashing through bracken to the ground below. Ron bounced like a basketball upon the forest floor till he came to rest under a clump of ferns. His ears ringing, he lifted his head off the ground just in time to see the vampire land on Hermione.

He screamed her name, reaching for his wand, but it had been lost in the fall. Wandless, he jumped to his feet and ran at the creature. "Get off, you fucking--" He threw himself on the vampire's enormous back, wrapping both arms around its neck and heaving as hard as he could to pull it off her. "I'll rip your--" Surprisingly, the vampire didn't resist and he flung it over on its back only to see an arrow plunged deep into its throat.

Breathing hard, a small gash dripping blood down her forehead, Hermione stood unsteadily and took Ron by the arm.

"Are you okay?" he asked. But Hermione stepped past Ron toward the creature on the ground. Together they looked down as it gasped for air like a fish out of water. Its eyes were no longer red, but blue.

"He needs our help," she said, reaching for the arrow.

"Hermione--"

"That will not be necessary," said a voice to their side. There was a fzzz-thwup and another arrow pierced the vampire's chest. Instantly, its laboured breathing stopped. There was a long, slow exhale. The bat-like features faded, replaced by those of a wizard... a wizard Hermione recognized from a shop in Diagon Alley. With one last effort he reached up and grasped Hermione by the robes.

"The boy," he breathed and then went silent, closing his eyes.

"Harry?" questioned Ron.

"Jamie," Hermione whispered, looking up into Ron's eyes.

"The boy of Harry Potter," said the white Centaur in agreement with Hermione, stepping closer to them.

"You... you..." Ron muttered and then looked away. "You know Harry?"

"I trained with him," she replied. "I am Felspar." She slipped her bow back over her shoulder.

"I am Hermione. This is Ron. We're Harry's friends."

Felspar looked closely at Hermione. She reached down and held her bushy hair in her fingers and then looked back to the sky. Hermione couldn't make out the expression on her face, but it was not a welcoming one.

"We have met, Hermione Granger. Two years ago my uncle nearly killed you for entering these woods. If it had not been for Albus Dumbledore, we would have certainly slayed the witch protecting you."

"Protecting me?" said Hermione incredulously.

"Umbridge," whispered Ron.

"You would be wise not to speak such a name in these woods, Ron Weasley."

"Felspar, Professor Umb... er, that woman was not protecting me. She was wicked and vile."

"On this we can agree, Hermione Granger." Felspar stepped over and placed a hoof on the dead wizard's chest. She reached down and retrieved her arrows, the blood vanishing from them as soon as they were exposed to the air. His corpse sunk into the earth below. "These creatures are rare in our woods," she said, slipping the arrows in her quiver. "Ronan said the night would be... interesting. He is never wrong."

Ron, his ears still ringing from the collision with the tree, shook his head, trying to focus on his original plan. "Are you going to Terntalag?" he asked.

"I patrol this portion of the forest," replied Felspar. "I believe Ronan thought it would be safer here, farther away from the forest edge. So, perhaps, he is not always right... but I wonder." She looked up to the sky not fully answering the question and frustrating Ron despite her beauty.

"Can you take her? I mean, can you take Hermione to Terntalag?"

"What?" asked Hermione. "You mean take us, right?"

"You can't be out here, Hermione," said Ron, holding her by the hands. "Terntalag is safer."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked irritably, wiping the drips of blood out of the corner of her eye. "I can fight just as easily as--"

"Your mate is right," inserted Felspar. "While it is noble to offer, your condition warrants that you not fight."

"My con--"

"Hermione," said Ron, grabbing her by the arm, "you nearly died today!"

"Humph!" Hermione exclaimed dismissively. "I'm not the one without a wand!" With a flick of her own wand she summoned Ron's and handed it to him. "Here," she said snidely.

"Not here, not up on my broom," said Ron, bringing her closer. "In the caves, after the explosion with Patrick, I... I thought I'd lost you. You don't even see it, but you were gone. They said you were going to die. Harry brought you back and nearly died trying and you think you just had a nap."

"I don't think--"

"I won't let that happen again... not again. I can't." He caressed her face with his hand. "Please... just go with Felspar."

Hermione took Ron's hand in her own and brought it down, holding it over her heart. "Ron, do you think I could live with myself, if something happened to you?"

"Nothing's going to happen to me. You need to--"

"We need to," said Hermione. "Don't you remember? Forever... together--"

"--till the end." Ron moved in closer. "Yeah, I remember," he muttered, looking down at his feet, not wishing to acknowledge his pledge when they were engaged. It seemed so long ago now. But at the same time he was suddenly glowing inside. It was the first time since Voldemort had taken control of Ron's body that she had even acknowledged they were still engaged. She had stopped wearing the ring after she had gotten out of the hospital. He assumed she had thrown it away; he never asked.

And, even though their relationship had been improving, it was also the first time that Ron felt Hermione press in closer. Before, as they would hold hands, or come nearer, he could sense an underlying repulsion, as if he wore some hideous mask that disgusted her no matter how hard she tried to see past it. For the first time, she overlooked the scars of his soul and held its true warmth.

"I love you," he whispered and they kissed. When she pulled back she was glowing, a warm smile spread broadly across her face lighting up the world. Then, for an instant, it faltered, her mind remembering something that she quickly pushed away.

"I love you t--"

Something crashed through the forest on their left. They looked up just in time to see a flash of black pass by. Neither Ron nor Hermione could make out what it was, but Felspar knew at once.

"Shahan," she muttered. "He was to watch the southern quarter." Her hoof clawed at the ground.

"Shahan?" asked Hermione. "I've heard that name. Harry mentioned it. He trained with you too? He's a Centaur."

"My cousin," answered Felspar. "His foolish ways will kill us all. He was supposed to watch the southern quarter."

"Yeah, you mentioned that," said Ron coolly.

"He can not go to the north. It was forbidden. At the falls..." Her hoof clawed at the ground again. It was clear she was agitated. She looked to the sky as if searching for answers. Both Ron and Hermione turned their gaze upward as well. It was then they saw them - about two dozen dragons, a mix of Welsh Green and Chinese Fireballs, heading from the north. The beating of their wings in the air was rhythmic and pulsating. Every now and then one of them would breathe fire and the others would cry out in an awful roar.

"Laughter," muttered Felspar.

"Where are they headed?" asked Hermione.

"Hogwarts," suggested Ron.

"No," corrected Felspar. "The creatures fly toward Terntalag. They are drawn to the wizards being guided by Firenze." She said these last words with contempt. Her gaze then returned to earth, looking north in the direction that Shahan was running. Which way to go? Then her mind began to focus as she recalled one of her lessons.

"In this forest, all living things are connected. When one feels joy, all feel joy, and when one feels pain..." She spun about and, before Ron or Hermione blinked, she launched three arrows at a distant tree. From the darkness, Hermione heard the faint thwump, thwump-thwump as they struck their target.

"The message has been sent," said Felspar. "I must now go retrieve my cousin before he is lost forever. Good-bye Hermione Granger. Good-bye Ron Weasley." Felspar bowed respectfully. "It is good to see love such as yours in these times."

"Wait," cried Hermione. "Please, take us with you!"

"It's not safe here," added Ron. "The falls... you mentioned the falls. Others are retreating there." Felspar looked curiously at the red head, tilting her head slightly to one side.

"Who in their right mind would suggest such a thing?" she asked. "None save the Chosen could survive their touch."

"I have," said Ron quietly.

Felspar reared backward and then, slowly, moved closer, looking intently into Ron's eyes, trying to discern truth from lie. With a graceful, yet strikingly swift motion, she grabbed a knife hidden along the edge of the leather thong she was wearing. "There are those, even among the Centaur, who blame you for the death Albus Dumbledore."

"I know," said Ron, sadly, still holding her gaze. "They would be right; it was my fault."

"That's not true!" said Hermione, coming to his side, almost using herself as a shield. "It was Voldemort; he'd taken control. Ron had no way to withstand the power that had overtaken him."

"Can you be so sure?" asked Felspar. "Even a mouse will take on the Manticore when cornered."

"But the mouse becomes the meal nonetheless," countered Hermione.

"Yes," pressed Felspar, still holding the knife in Ron's face, "but did this mouse fight? Did this mouse, who claims to have survived the Cleansing, fight still knowing he could not win?"

"Yes," answered Hermione.

"Can you be so sure he fought, not just for himself, but for the others he loved?" Felspar's eyes moved from Ron and narrowed on Hermione.

"Yes," said Hermione instantly as Ron turned to look at her. "Yes, I'm sure."

As quickly as it had appeared, the knife vanished. Felspar smiled slyly and placed her hands on the top of their heads, patting them as if they were pets. "I see now why your love is so strong." She looked back up toward the stars and whispered, "An interesting night, Ronan." She looked back at the couple.

"I think Shahan would say you lie like wizards. I guess we'll find out." Felspar then turned north. "Climb on you two. If my dam hears I had a wizard on my back, let alone two... No matter. If the signs hold true, we head to our deaths anyway."

Ron helped Hermione climb up and then she lent him a hand as he climbed on as well. In a flash they were racing through the forest at amazing speed, Ron clutching on to Hermione's waist and Hermione clutching onto Felspar.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered.

"What is it?" asked Hermione.

"Nothing," said Ron ruefully, wondering why he hadn't climbed on first.