Destiny Trilogy: The War

Chapter 11: For Cedric

Ginny had her head buried in Ron's shoulder, too terrified to look. Malfoy was as white as a sheet. He was clutching on to the railing of the marble staircase so hard he looked as if he was trying to make it crumble. The dragon writhed on the floor, her tail wildly lashing tail smashing one of the winged-boar statues into smithereens. Charlie had already tried stunning her, but it hadn't had any effect, she was in too much pain.

"Professor...do something...please..."

"There is nothing I can do, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore replied gently.

"Isn't there anything...?" Malfoy asked desperately, forgetting that Dumbledore was a muggle-lover and that he hated him as much as his father did.

"No," Dumbledore sighed. "She is of the Wild Magic; the very same Magic that makes seeds burst into plants in spring, and blows life into the winds. It is more powerful than any wizard can ever hope to be, but it is not forgiving of those who break the Law. She is beyond our help."

Harry was in a corner, shaking, his eyes squeezed shut. Kera was screaming. Harry tried to block out her voice by covering his ears but it didn't seem to be working very well.

"Harry?" Ginny asked worriedly, trying to make herself heard over the frantic roaring of the dragon.

"What is she saying?" Malfoy asked suddenly. "You can understand her, can't you?" He turned to Harry, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him roughly. "Damn you Potter, TELL ME!" he shouted fiercely. "It's the least you can do!"

Harry shook his head, still trying to block the screaming, the guilt flooding over him. It was his fault again. She was in agony because of him... the memory of Cedric floated out of the darkness, lying there, empty...

Then Malfoy punched him, hard.

"Harry!" Ginny and Hermione rushed forward.

"Is that all you can do, wallow in your self-pity and guilt?" Malfoy shouted.

"You--" Ron rushed at him, bringing the much shorter boy down. There was a flurry of kicks and punches as the boys scuffled.

"Ron!" Hermione yelled as she tried to pull him back.

"Mr. Weasley! Mr. Malfoy!" McGonagall said sharply.

Ron let go of Malfoy with a one last shove and strolled back next to Hermione's side, glaring at Malfoy.

Harry wiped the blood from his lips, dazed.

"Thank you, Malfoy. I needed that."

Ron stared at him as if he'd sprouted another head.

"He's right. I'm being an idiot," He got up slowly and offered Malfoy a hand.

Malfoy stared at him for a moment, then brushed his hand aside and got up by himself. Before Ron could rush at the Slytherin again, Charlie hurried up the stairs.

"Professor...I can't do anything," Charlie told Dumbledore.

Dumbledore sighed. "We need Miss Delacour. Minerva, if you would be so kind as to watch over the students while I look for her--"

"Albus! You can't possibly go out and look for her now! If anything happens I can't possibly--"

"Minerva," Dumbledore interrupted her. "We have no other choice. You are worn out and it is too dangerous for you to venture out there alone now."

An image of the Hufflepuff banner with 'For Cedric' written on it from the distant memory of the Quidditch Finals flickered in his mind's-eye. It didn't make sense, but Harry felt as if it would change everything if he could save Kera now...as if there would be a redemption.

"I'll go," Harry muttered, forcing his weary and abused body out of the door before anybody could stop him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and shrugged it away without turning around.

"You're not playing hero alone this time, Potter," Malfoy said coolly from behind him, whipping out his wand.

It was hard to find that unmistakable glint of silvery Veela hair in the nightmarish chaos on the grounds of Hogwarts. A stench of burning wood and flesh permeated the air, and the metallic stink of blood and clashing weapons everywhere made Harry's stomach turn. Flashes of light accompanied an extraordinary range of hexes and curses that could be heard being shouted hoarsely across the cacophony around them, followed by dull thuds of falling bodies and muffled yells of pain. The aged Aragog had led his descendents out in aid of Hagrid, and the place was a teeming black mass of giant spiders spitting sticky silk at the quintapeds while some of the bigger acromantulas were seizing the entangled creatures and carting them off into the Forbidden Forest. Flames from the fiery Balrogs had engulfed many of the trees in the Forbidden forest, and the earth trembled constantly with the pounding of Giant feet and deafening roars of anger. The deadly breath of the nundus crept up on unsuspecting fighters, not discriminating between either side, littering the battlefield with the carcasses of trolls and spiders. The two boys moved quickly and stealthily along the side of the castle walls away from most of the fighting and tried not to draw attention to themselves. When they passed the bloodied and unconscious form of the Muggle-Studies professor lying in the leeway of the walls, Harry had to fight an immense urge to drag the man indoors, and Malfoy blanched and looked like he was about to throw up.

"Let's split up! It'll be faster that way!" Harry yelled to Draco as he rushed blindly into the mess.

"You mean we'll die faster that way!"

Draco cursed as he lost sight of the Gryffindor.

*~*~~*~**~*~*~~*

Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to leave the support of the wall after all. After Harry had cast a few strong hexes at the attacking monsters, he had been rudely reminded of his near brush with death by a violent fainting spell that had seized him so suddenly he had almost blacked-out in front of a charging graphorn. And now his head was throbbing again. Where is Fleur? Harry thought dimly. He heard a loud grunt behind him and wished he hadn't turned so suddenly. He registered hazily that it was a forest troll and not a mountain troll that was attacking him with a huge club, and that it was also too late to do anything but throw himself on the ground and pray that the creature didn't have enough brains to aim properly.

But before the troll could reach him, someone shouted "Internia Incendo!" and it fell, writhing on the floor in agony.

"Malfoy?" Harry said, surprised.

"Save it, Potter," Malfoy snapped. "I just didn't want Kera's effort to go to waste."

A vial of potion landed a few meters away from them and exploded, effectively cutting off all further conversation. They flinched when they were splattered with mud and pieces of graphorn.

"It came from that way," Malfoy said, grabbing Harry roughly by the arm and hauling him onto his feet.

It probably took them a little more than ten minutes to get to the nearest person, with both boys fighting back to back with unexpected solidarity and making quite a formidable team despite Harry's present weakened state.

"Harry!" one of the twins called out, rushing over to them. "Ron and Ginny...are they...?"

Apparently all the seventh-years had been mobilised to help the professors as well.

"They're fine," Harry assured him. "They're inside now."

"We don't have time for this," Malfoy snapped, scanning the combating throng.

"Have you seen Fleur anywhere?" Harry asked, ignoring Malfoy.

"Over there," Fred replied as his twin zapped an on-coming quintaped. "You'd better get out of here fast."

Yelling back a quick thanks, Harry ran off in the direction indicated calling for Fleur, the adrenaline surging through his body like wild fire, and not even bothering to apologise when he bumped into Snape in his haste and caused him to nearly drop a vial of explosive potions.

*~*~~*~**~*~*~~*

"Close you eyes and block your ears," Professor McGonagall advised. "It affects all living creatures, not just males."

Harry had seen Veelas dance during the Quidditch World Cup and heard their music--but he had never heard one sing. Despite having his fingers stuffed in his ears and his eyes squeezed shut, the unearthly melody that resembled Fawkes's phoenix song in a bizarre way crept into his consciousness, sending shivers down his spine. The tongue of the Veela was incomprehensible to him yet achingly sweet, flowing around him like liquid silk, coaxing his mind to relax and sink deeply into the enchantment. He lost track of time, and all he knew was that he wanted to music to go on forever.

When it stopped, Harry couldn't help opening his eyes in shock. Ron had his hand half-raised, as if trying to grasp at the last strands of music that were fading away rapidly from the air and from their memories, leaving behind a odd sense of loss.

"That was...intense," Hermione managed.

The next thing everyone noticed was absolute silence that now permeated the Entrance Hall, echoing with the residue of the powerful magic that had just been wrought. Fleur looked very exhausted, and was leaning on Charlie for support, with the dragon before her now deep in a hypnotic sleep. She was small as dragons go (perhaps because she wasn't fully adult) and despite the name, her horns were not silver, but an incandescent dark green. Her silver-green wings were leathery, folded at her sides like huge tents. Long scaled limbs rippled with hidden muscles and ended in fearsome silver-clawed feet. The awesome and almost majestic lines of the lizard-like face were softened slightly by her slumber, and a glint of green was barely visible from beneath her partly closed eyelids.

Looking at this strangely beautiful creature in front of him, Harry suddenly found that could almost understand Hagrid's obsession with dragons. An immense sense of release came over him, as if all the darkness and shadows of the past year had simply melted away. They'd brought her back, and she was going to make it.

The great doors burst open and a slightly singed and mud-splattered Hagrid entered, followed by a horde of weary but equally cheerful and battered students and staff.

"Professor Dumbledore! They've retreated! We got 'em!"

The seventh-years burst out with cheers, and the twins rushed forward to engulf their siblings in a mess of red hair and tears of relief and happiness. Even some of the staff couldn't help smiling as the students celebrated, not caring what House they were from or how covered with mud and blood they were.

"And crikey!" Hagrid said in delight. "That's a dragon!"

"Yeah," Harry agreed, dazed. It was over.