The Book of Morgan Le Fey

Chapter Thirty-Five: Chaos and Resolution

'MOVE!' Harry shouted.

Ron gave a roar and shoved himself against the Death Eaters behind him--all of whom were gripping his friends, family and Draco--with all his strength. Like dominoes they fell, toppling over and hitting the ground.

'POTTER!' Snape yelled. 'Take your wand! Get the others from Macnair!'

Ron dove as a jet of light from a Death Eater's wand zoomed past; it narrowly missed Snape. Snape turned again and raised his wand to curse Lucius Malfoy, but Draco--who hadn't been disarmed--was quicker, and he shouted the Disarming Charm at his father, sending the older Malfoy's wand spinning out of his hand and out of sight.

'Draco!' Lucius screamed, but Draco yelled 'Impedimenta!' and sent Lucius flying backward, where he landed hard and was still.

'Accio wands!' Harry yelled; Ron looked up from the floor to see Harry fire a Summoning Charm at Macnair; half a dozen wands came flying in Harry's direction. Ron leapt up and grabbed his and a few more, Hermione's included, and Harry caught the rest.

'Ron, look out!' Ginny screamed, and Ron turned to see Wormtail aim his wand.

'Avada--' Wormtail began.

'Silencio!' Ron cried, and his spell struck Wormtail in the face, rendering him silent. Wormtail raised his wand again, and Ron bellowed 'Stupefy!' and Wormtail slumped to the floor, unconscious.

'Ginny!' Ron yelled. 'Take your wand! Neville!' Ron tossed Ginny her wand, started to toss Neville his, thought better of it, and instead ran to Neville, dodging a Death Eater's curse as he went.

'Neville, take it!' he yelled, shoving the wand in Neville's outstretched hand; he was still holding onto Luna, whose eyes were huge and wild and who was struggling.

'Longbottom!' came a shriek, and Ron whirled round to see Bellatrix Lestrange advancing on them.

'Expelliarmus!' Ron shouted, aiming his wand at Bellatrix; the spell hit her hard and she gave another shriek as her wand went flying.

'Neville, get Luna out of here!' Harry shouted, as he threw a Trip Jinx at a Death Eater and ducked to avoid a Curse from another.

Ron heard another shout, and Ginny gave a scream; he turned and saw the arm chair flying at him.

'REDUCTO!' Ginny yelled, and the chair burst apart and disintegrated into dust.

'Thanks, Gin!' Ron began, turning every which way, trying to find a way out of this room. He had to find Hermione.

Just then he heard another roar, and whirled around in time to see a Death Eater--Crabbe--leaping at him.

'Impedimenta!' Ron bellowed, and his spell slammed Crabbe in the chest, knocking him backward so hard that he slammed against the opposite wall and slumped limply to the floor, unconscious.

Ron heard Bill scream, 'Everyone get out of here!' but he could hardly see where everyone was going--nearly everyone was dressed in black; the room was dark.

He saw a flash of long blonde hair dart past him, and heard Neville yell 'Luna!'

Ron turned to see Luna grab the flask of poison, which Dolohov had set back on the mantle. Bellatrix Lestrange had her wand in hand again.

'Avada Ke--'

'Silencio!' Harry shouted, pelting her with a Silencing Charm.

'Impedimenta!' Susan added, knocking Bellatrix off her feet and onto her back, where she gasped for breath.

'Incarcerous!' Ginny screamed, and ropes appeared out of nowhere, binding Bellatrix tightly.

'Luna!' Neville yelled. 'Look out!'

Luna whirled around, wandless, to see Augustus Rookwood barreling toward her. She still had the flask of poison in her hand.

'Accio flask!' Rookwood screamed. The flask jerked in Luna's hand but didn't budge; the poison inside slopped over the side of the flask, a little of it hitting Luna's fingers. She didn't seem to care; her eyes were huge and looked almost possessed. Rookwood, furious that his spell hadn't worked, launched himself at her. Luna gave a scream--it was more than a scream, it seemed to come from somewhere deep within her, like the shriek of a great bird of prey--and, gripping the flask tightly, hurled the entire contents of the flask in Rookwood's face.

He screamed as the poison splashed into his eyes and mouth and, blinded, began to flail about mindlessly.

Neville, meanwhile, pointed his wand at Rookwood and shouted 'Stupefy!'

'I have the book, Neville!' Luna shrieked, holding up The Book of Morgan Le Fey in her hands that Rookwood had taken from Hermione earlier.

'Luna, Neville, go!' Harry yelled. Suddenly there was a massive crack. The Dark Lord had Apparated back into the room.

'POTTER!' Voldemort's voice screamed out over all the others and he raced at Harry.

'Reducto!' Harry shouted, aiming for the ceiling just above Voldemort's head. Huge chunks of plaster came raining down, missing Voldemort but catching his robes and tripping him up.

'Harry, come on!' Susan screamed, stunning yet another Death Eater.

Harry turned to go but then Ron yelled, 'Susan, look out!'

Voldemort aimed his wand at Susan and bellowed 'Your girlfriend suffers, Potter! Crucio!'

'NO!' Harry cried, and he threw himself in front of Susan, facing her, and taking the spell full strength across the back. He screamed in pain and fell toward into Susan, knocking her down, but then something incredible happened. The spell seemed to reverberate and shot back toward Voldemort.

'What?' Voldemort yelled in surprise, and the spell caught him across the chest. He shrieked and fell backward onto the rubble of ceiling.

'Harry, what did you--' Ron began.

'Get out of here!' Harry screamed, leaping to his feet, as though entirely unaffected by the Cruciatus Curse Voldemort had just thrown at him. Harry grabbed Susan's hand and they dashed out of the room. Bill came in behind them, along with Ginny; they fired spell after spell at the remaining Death Eaters.

Then came Snape.

'Get going, Weasley!' Snape hissed. 'Find Granger!'

Ron dashed to the door and as he rounded the corner he heard Luna, Neville and Draco Malfoy all yelling. Ron hoped Luna had managed to find a wand somewhere.

Ron set to banging on the doors.

'Hermione!' he screamed, his throat raw.

'Ron!' Her voice was muffled. Not behind that door, Ron thought. He banged on the next one. And the next.

'Hermione!' he yelled. 'Where are you?'

'IN HERE!' she screamed, banging on the door from the inside. It was the next door down.

'I'm coming!' he yelled.

'I'm sealed in!' she cried.

Ron was halfway to her door, his wand out, ready to break open the door with a Reductor curse if he had to, but suddenly something hard and heavy hit him from behind and sent him sprawling; he fell into the room next to Hermione's, where they'd found Eddie, and he landed hard, smacking his wand hand on the wood floor. His wand went skittering beneath the bed.

Ron dove as he heard the whooshing of another jet of light come at him; the mirror above the mantle shattered and shards of glass flew everywhere. He shut his eyes tightly as bits of glass slashed at his face and hands.

When he opened his eyes, Dolohov was standing over him, pointing his wand at him. Ron swallowed and felt almost sick. He'd failed. Dolohov was going to kill him now.

'How shall I kill you, Weasley?' he said, in his heavily accented voice. 'How much pain do you think you can stand?'

'Shut up and do it, you bastard,' Ron growled.

Dolohov laughed. 'On second thought, perhaps it would be more fun...without wands. It's hardly sporting of me, is it, to kill you while you're defenseless.'

Ron glared at him and felt rage begin to boil in his blood.

'Let's do this like men, shall we, Weasley?' Dolohov taunted, and he tossed his wand across the room, where it landed neatly on a bedside table. 'Hand to hand? After all, you need to avenge your girlfriend!'

A surge of hatred pounded through Ron, turning his blood to ice, and he leapt up off the ground.

Dolohov ran at him. Ron held his ground until the very moment Dolohov reached him, then leapt aside, kicking out hard with his right leg. He caught Dolohov in the stomach and the Death Eater fell, coughing. Ron jumped.

Or more correctly, fell, crashing onto Dolohov with such force that a few of Dolohov's ribs cracked. Dolohov screamed and swung, connecting with Ron's browbone.

A cut opened up and blood dripped into Ron's eye, blinding him. Dolohov shoved him in the chest, knocking him back, and leapt up, panting and clutching his ribs.

Ron wiped blood from his eye and stood up unsteadily, his head spinning from the punch.

'Is that the best you can do, Weasley?' Dolohov yelled, laughing again, then wincing and clutching his ribs.

'No,' Ron snarled, and he pounced again. Dolohov tried to sidestep him, but the pain of his broken ribs seemed to slow him down. Ron plowed into him, sending him hurtling backwards and into the far wall of the room, so hard that the plaster cracked. Dolohov twisted and managed to swing his fist, where it glanced off Ron's jaw. Ron didn't even feel it; adrenaline was pumping through his body. Dolohov swung again, but Ron blocked the punch, shoved the Death Eater's arm downward, and viciously banged his forehead against Dolohov's.

The moment their foreheads made contact Ron questioned the wisdom of using a head-butt as a defensive move. Stars spun in his eyes, and Dolohov, though woozy himself, seized the advantage and shoved at Ron, hard. Ron felt himself falling, and he grabbed at the Death Eater's robes and pulled him down with him.

They rolled, and Ron's momentum allowed him to land on top of Dolohov. He jumped up again, ignoring the throbbing in his browbone, shaking his head to clear it; the skin around the cut had begun to swell.

He swayed on his feet and was just working out what to do next when a huge CRACK! split the air; it sounded distant, as though it happened down the hall. Had someone else just Apparated?

A horrible, piercing shriek filled the air and several more loud cracks sounded in the room next door.

'Luna, Harry, Neville, Susan, Draco!' a voice yelled. 'Go!'

Ron shook his head. It sounded like...Lupin. Which could only mean...the Order had arrived. However thin their ranks.

The grunt from across the room told Ron that Dolohov was up and moving, about to strike.

Ron was ready--his fist shot out and connected with Dolohov's cheekbone, shattering it. Dolohov screamed and Ron groaned through gritted teeth and the pain in his knuckles. Dolohov responded with a kick so swift and hard Ron didn't see it, and didn't even feel it until the breath was knocked out of him for what felt like the hundredth time that day; Dolohov's foot had connected with Ron's stomach. Ron gasped and coughed and doubled over, and Dolohov again seized the advantage; he leapt onto Ron's back and pulled him up, closing his forearm tightly round Ron's throat.

Ron gasped again and struggled, but the Death Eater's fury gave him the strength to hold on. He could feel Dolohov's breath in his ear, hear him laughing madly as he squeezed on Ron's windpipe. Ron began to see spots as he furiously pulled at Dolohov's unyielding arm.

This is it, he thought. I'm going to suffocate. The spots grew larger in front of Ron's eyes. He had no wand, he couldn't do anything. He had no air, he couldn't breathe...

'RON!'

Hermione's voice penetrated the walls of the room, and Ron's brain--oxygen deprived as it was--returned to itself for just a moment. In that moment, Ron saw everything in his life; his childhood, meeting Harry, meeting Hermione, six years of school together, fun and horror and love and anger and frustration and triumph. And something in his body, in his veins, in his heart screamed for release. Ron took a great gulp and focused his entire being on the Death Eater choking him, and it happened: a great surge of electricity shot through his body, so powerful it was almost painful. Dolohov gave a surprised cry as he was thrown away from Ron, the electric charge so powerful it sent him crashing across the room.

Ron gasped and gulped air, as much as he could. He staggered over to the bed. He'd escaped Dolohov for that moment, but wandless magic wouldn't save him. He was tired, he didn't know how long he could hold the Death Eater off. He needed his wand; he needed to end this and get Hermione the hell out of there. He knelt by the bed and saw it, just out of reach. His own wand. He dove again and shoved at the bed and grabbed for it.

'NO!' Dolohov yelled, and just as Ron's fingers closed round his wand, he looked up to see Dolohov's wand flying across the room; Dolohov had managed to summon his wand to him. Ron twisted round on the floor to lie on his back, gripping his wand tightly; Dolohov's wand landed neatly in his hand and he raised it slowly and laughed.

'You'll join your Mudblood whore,' he hissed. Ron felt another surge of rage and slashed his wand at Dolohov.

'Avada--' Dolohov began.

'Diffindo!'

Dolohov gasped, and Ron heard it first--a ripping sound. Then he saw it. Blood. Great quantities of it, spilling from the slash Ron had made; the slash across Dolohov's throat. The Death Eater went white and made a sickening, gurgling sound and clutched at his throat as blood spilled over his fingers. His mouth worked, he tried to speak, but the wound had silenced his voice.

And then he fell, and Ron saw the very light dim in the Death Eater's eyes before he sank to the floor, leaking blood from his throat, landing in a heap of black robes.

Ron stared at the crumpled form of the dead Death Eater on the ground for a long moment.

'Blimey,' he heard himself say.

'Ron!'

Ron blinked. 'Hermione!' he yelled. He leapt up from the floor and ran out into the corridor again and to Hermione's door.

'Ron, please get me out!'

He raised his wand, pointed it at the door and yelled 'Alohomora!' The door glowed briefly but didn't open.

'It won't open!' Ron yelled, pounding on the door furiously, yanking at the handle. 'What do I do?'

'Weasley!' Ron whirled around. It was Draco Malfoy.

'Malfoy, help me open this door!' Ron snapped. 'Alohomora won't work!'

Malfoy glared at Ron for a long moment. He held his wand in his hand, and for a few seconds Ron wondered whether Draco would curse him and run after his father and beg forgiveness for letting Lucius down.

'Maybe if we both use it,' Draco said, and Ron nodded, and they both pointed their wands at the door and said 'Alohomora!' Nothing.

'Bloody hell!' Ron bellowed.

'Ron!' Hermione screamed.

'Oh, for god's sake,' Malfoy snapped. 'Get back, Weasley.' He yanked Ron back from the door and stood back himself.

'Stand back from the door, Granger!' he yelled, and without waiting to determine whether Hermione had in fact done this, he aimed his wand at the door and said 'Reducto!'

The door burst apart, and Ron shoved Malfoy out of the way and burst into the room. And stopped dead in his tracks.

Lucius Malfoy was there, and he was holding Hermione in a vise grip, with his wand pointed at her throat.

'Let her go, Malfoy,' Ron said at once. 'Don't hurt her.'

Lucius laughed. 'She's already dead, you idiot. Which means she's worthless to me.'

'Then let her go!' Ron snapped.

'Where's my son?' Lucius hissed. 'You bring me Draco, and I give you the Mudblood.'

Ron swallowed and his eyes met Hermione's. She was very pale; she had wrapped her arm in a piece of cloth she'd torn from the Death Eater robe.

'I dunno know where that prat you call a son is,' he said, still clutching his wand. 'Maybe your boss got him.'

'My "boss" is busy at the moment,' Lucius snapped. 'I know you know where he is, Weasley. Find him, and I'll hand over the Mudblood--'

'I'm here, Father,' said Draco, and he appeared in the doorway and strode up to stand just behind Ron.

'Ah, Draco,' said Lucius. 'This has certainly turned into a day full of surprises. For me and for you.'

Draco glared at Lucius. 'Is that what you call murdering my mother? A surprise?'

'It had to be done,' Lucius said, and his voice actually sounded a bit sad. 'One day you'll understand.'

'Go to hell,' Draco spat.

'Or perhaps not,' said Lucius, smirking. 'In any case, Draco, you have cost me my Lord's favor and humiliated me in front of my peers.'

'I'm happy to disappoint you,' said Draco.

Ron watched this exchange with growing apprehension and impatience. Hermione had a deadly poison inside her and these two were in the midst of their father/son rubbish. As far as Ron was concerned he didn't care if Lucius and Draco killed one another, so long as he got Hermione out of there.

'Draco, Draco,' Lucius said, shaking his head. 'You could have been great, like me. But alas. You lack the courage for greatness.'

'You really think there's anything you can say to me now that will hurt me?' Draco hissed. 'I've already heard all of it, Father. Let the Mudblood go and let's have this out, shall we? She's as good as dead, anyway.'

Ron shot Draco a murderous look, but when Draco's eyes met his, Ron noticed something at once. Draco's grey eyes flicked briefly over their wands, then at Hermione, then back at him. And Ron understood.

'You do have a point, son,' said Lucius. 'But then again, I was just thinking it might be rather fun to finish the Mudblood off once and for all, seeing as you lacked the nerve to do it yourself--'

'Stupefy!' Draco shouted, and his spell hit Hermione right in the chest. She slumped heavily against Lucius and the reverberation of the spell caused him to stumble. Ron acted; he pointed his wand at Lucius and shouted 'Stupefy!' and the Death Eater, too, slumped to the floor.

Ron raced to Hermione and lifted her gently from the floor, pointed his wand at her and said 'Enervate.'

Her eyes fluttered open.

'Oh!' she gasped. 'Ron!'

''Mione,' Ron said, and he pulled her into the fiercest embrace of his life.

She clutched him back and began to sob.

'I've got you,' Ron said breathlessly. 'I've got you. Let's get out of here!'

'Ron,' Hermione sobbed. 'Ron, I'm--'

'We're going to get you out of this!' Ron yelled, not totally believing it. 'I'm not going to let you die!'

'O-okay,' she stammered, and she let him help her up. He handed her her wand. 'I can walk. I'm okay. I--' She stopped speaking when she saw Draco Malfoy standing over the unconscious, and now bound form of his father. Draco's face was white with hatred and he was pointing his wand at Lucius.

'Malfoy, what are you doing?' Hermione asked.

'Go on,' said Draco, in a strangely flat voice. 'I just have to finish this.'

'Malfoy, you can't--' Hermione began, her eyes wide with horror.

'Yeah, I can, Granger,' said Draco furiously, turning his icy grey eyes on her. 'He deserves to die.'

'Maybe he does, but you can't kill him!' Hermione cried. 'You're not like him! You--you couldn't cut me, remember? You're not like him!'

'He killed my mother!' Draco raged.

Ron groaned.

'Bloody hell, Malfoy!' he shouted. 'If you kill your stupid father you'll be a murderer just like him and you won't get the satisfaction of seeing him go to prison and in any case we don't have time for all your family crap because in case it escaped your notice we're under attack by your former mates! Now get the bloody hell out of here!'

And before Draco could protest, Ron grabbed the smaller boy roughly by the collar and yanked him out of the room.

'No, Weasley!' he yelled. 'Dammit, let me go!'

'Shut up, Malfoy!' Ron snapped, rolling his eyes; his other hand clutched Hermione's and he shoved Malfoy roughly out into the corridor and slammed the door shut behind him.

Just then another explosion shook the corridor. Ron stumbled, his shoulder wrenching painfully; Draco fell against him, then Hermione, and they all went down. Remus Lupin tumbled out of the master bedroom, clutching a wound in his shoulder.

Ron blinked through the dust and felt his heart almost stop as Peter Pettigrew--Wormtail--stepped through the door. His right hand glowed silver and was covered with blood.

'Professor Lupin!' Ron yelled. Lupin's eyes rolled back and he fell forward with a crash.

Hermione, meanwhile, raised her wand.

'Petrificus Totalus!' she shouted, and her spell struck Wormtail square between the eyes. He went rigid at once, dropped his wand, and crashed to the floor. Draco then snapped 'Incarcerous', and ropes bound Wormtail from shoulder to ankle.

'Let's get out of here,' Hermione said anxiously.

Ron nodded, only now noticing that her face looked flushed and sweaty, her eyes glassy. Was a fever already starting in her? He had to get her out of here, had to get her to the hospital wing, or St. Mungo's.

'Weasley, Granger!'

Ron and Hermione looked up to find Draco Malfoy leaning over Lupin, whose face had gone white and who barely seemed to be conscious. Nymphadora Tonks was cradling Lupin's head in her lap. She looked up; there were tears on her face.

'We have to get him to the hospital,' she cried. 'Wormtail--he slashed him. The silver--it's poison to him!'

Ron blinked and strode toward her, Hermione just behind him.

'We've got a Portkey,' he said quickly. 'Down at the cemetery. Hermione needs to be in hospital, too. Help me carry him, Malfoy.'

Draco looked up and nodded, his face expressionless.

Together Ron and Draco hoisted the limp form of Lupin onto their shoulders; Lupin, always thin and lanky, nonetheless felt heavy, deadweight. They dragged him to the stairs.

They had just started down the stairs when Susan, Neville and Luna came bursting through the massive hole in the wall.

'Look out!' Susan screamed.

Tonks and Hermione whirled around, wands at the ready, as Bellatrix Lestrange and Crabbe leapt into the corridor. Neville threw a curse at Bellatrix, but she gave a yell and seemed to merely shrug it off. She laughed.

'You cannot kill me, Longbottom!'

Crabbe turned and raised his wand, aiming it at Tonks and Hermione, who both were quicker. Tonks shouted 'Impedimenta!' even as Hermione screamed 'Expelliarmus!' Crabbe flew backward and slammed into the wall, his wand soaring out of his hand and over the banister, to clatter on the floor below. He slumped over, out cold.

'Go!' Tonks shouted at Ron, Draco, Susan, Hermione and Neville. 'Get out of here!'

'We're not leaving you alone!' Susan yelled.

'Serpensortia!' Bellatrix shrieked, pointing her wand at Tonks. A huge snake exploded out of the end of Bellatrix's wand and landed right on top of Tonks. She fell backwards and the snake reared its head to strike.

'Evanesco!' Susan screamed; the snake vanished in a puff of smoke.

Bellatrix gave a howl and raised her wand again, but then Neville took aim and screamed 'Accido!' and she fell back against the banister. Neville had a wild, frenzied look on his face.

Bellatrix shook her head and stood, still gripping her wand. 'Is that the best you can do, Longbottom? You're not nearly so talented as your father!'

'IMPEDIMENTA!'

The spell struck Bellatrix in the chest. She flew backward, still holding her wand, smashing the railing into bits. She began to fall; she gave a howl and waved her wand, and she stopped in mid-air.

Hovering high above the ground floor now, she laughed gleefully and turned to Ron and Draco. Ron stumbled slightly, trying to lift his wand without dropping Lupin, but it was no use.

'I'll be sure to tell your father you said good-bye, Draco!' Bellatrix shrieked, but in the next instant, another scream burst the air.

'REDUCTO!'

Neville's Reductor Curse hit the chandelier hanging directly above Bellatrix. In the split second that the base of the chandelier shattered, Ron gasped and stumbled again, dropping Lupin's feet.

'Weasley!' Draco snapped, but Ron gripped the sides of his head as the vision--the one he'd had the summer before, the one he'd forgotten about, filled his brain. Screams, horrible and ear-splitting. And red. Blood everywhere.

And Ron opened his eyes to see and hear Bellatrix screaming as the chandelier plummeted, smashing into her and sending her crashing to the floor.

The explosive landing seemed to shake the whole house. The crystal in the chandelier shattered and sprayed; Ron shut his eye, threw up his arm, and whirled around to stand in front of Lupin, but bits of glass slashed at Ron's forehead and wrist. Draco cried out and Ron saw that a piece of glass had opened up a large gash in his cheek. Hermione, Neville and Tonks had dived to the floor, their faces down.

For what seemed like an eternity, there was silence. Ron slowly opened his eyes and turned. He heard the crunch of footsteps above and looked up to see Tonks, Neville and Hermione staring below them. Ron looked down, swallowing.

Bellatrix Lestrange lay twisted among the metal of the chandelier; her face and arms were slashed. The center of the chandelier disappeared inside a large hole in her chest. Her eyes were wide open, their expression fearful and furious. Blood was everywhere, pooling onto the floor. She was dead.

Neville stared at the woman who'd tortured his parents, but he didn't look smug or satisfied at what he'd done. He only looked horrified.

'Come on, Neville,' said Tonks, taking his hand gently. 'Let's get out of here.'

Neville nodded and he in turn took Luna's hand, and the three of them started down the stairs.

'Wait!' Susan cried. 'Harry!'

Ron's head snapped up. 'Where is he?' How on earth could he have forgotten Harry?

Suddenly they heard a shout from downstairs.

'Malfoy, take Lupin!' Ron snapped, as he raced down the stairs.

'Ron, wait!' Hermione screamed, and she barreled after him, followed by Susan.

A crash came from the living room, and Ron dashed into the room, followed by Susan and Hermione, in time to see Harry throw a Reductor Curse at the china cabinet, which Voldemort had bewitched to fly straight at him. Harry was bleeding from a gash in his leg; his Death Eater robes were torn to shreds. He was sweating and he looked near collapse.

'You cannot beat me, Potter!' Voldemort screamed.

'Harry!' Susan cried. She lifted her wand and ran toward Voldemort; Ron tried to reach for Susan's sleeve, to hold her back, but she was too fast.

'Susan, NO!' Harry cried.

Voldemort turned and aimed his wand at Susan.

'Avada Kedavra!' he shouted, at the exact moment Harry yelled 'Protego!' and dove in front of Susan.

Susan and Hermione both screamed as the jet of green light from Voldemort's wand sped toward her, but it collided with the red beam of light from Harry's wand, and Ron felt his jaw drop as something extraordinary happened. The two beams of light joined and formed a single golden light, and both Harry's and Voldemort's wands began to vibrate. Both of them were frozen in place, but for their trembling as they fought back the other's curse.

'Get out of here!' Harry gasped. 'I can't hold him for long!'

'Ron!' Hermione shrieked, and she raced to his side as Ron grabbed Susan and pulled her back.

'What are you doing?' Harry cried. 'Get out of here!' The golden beam of light split and became dozens of threads of light that began to grow, expand, and

make a web.

'What's happening?' Ron shouted.

'Priori Incantatem!' Hermione yelled, and Ron stared as figures--gray, pearly figures began to spill from the tip of Voldemort's wand. 'A reverse glance of all the curses he's used, and all the people he's killed!'

'What can we do?' Ron cried.

'We can't do anything to Voldemort as long as he's inside that web!' Hermione fretted.

Voldemort gave an unearthly shriek and tried to jerk his wand away, but Harry mirrored his movement, and the connection between their wands burned hotter and brighter. More and more people spilled from Voldemort's wand, and then Ron saw them--two grey figures that were Harry's parents. Harry looked up at them and smiled.

'Harry, break the connection!' Hermione yelled, holding up her wand. Ron and Susan followed suit.

Voldemort looked at the three of them and screamed. 'NO! I will kill all of you!'

'Do it!' Hermione screamed, and Ron stared at the figures of Harry's parents as they nodded. Harry nodded back. Ron gripped his wand and pointed it at Voldemort. Susan and Hermione were doing the same. Ron had no idea if they could do anything against the Darkest Wizard who ever lived, but if it could help Harry beat him...

'NOW!' Harry screamed, and he jerked his wand away, severing the connection. Voldemort hissed, aimed his wand at Ron and shouted the Killing Curse just as Susan and Hermione screamed 'EXPELLIARMUS!' Ron dropped to the floor as the jet of green light raced overhead, just missing him and the girls. Voldemort jerked backward as the girls' spells hit him, but he didn't drop his wand. Ron leapt up and he and Harry both shouted 'IMPEDIMENTA!', and Voldemort went hurtling back against the wall with a crash. He slumped to the floor and was still.

Harry advanced on him, shaking off Ron's grip on his arm.

'I have to finish it,' he said, and he raised his wand and pointed it at Voldemort.

At that moment, the red eyes opened and Voldemort gave a hiss, and Harry screamed and his knees buckled; his hand flew to his scar.

'Impedimenta!' Ron cried, sending a jinx at Voldemort; it bounced off him as if it were nothing and Voldemort gave a laugh, and then Harry turned slowly and spoke, but it was in Voldemort's voice.

'He is mine,' Harry/Voldemort hissed. 'And all of you will die.'

And suddenly, both Harry and Voldemort were raising their wands and aiming them at Ron, Susan and Hermione.

'Harry, no!' Hermione screamed.

'Harry--' Ron began, horrified, and he stood in front of Hermione and Susan.

Harry's body began to tremble, and he opened his mouth and Voldemort hissed 'Kill them.' Harry pointed his wand at Ron's heart.

Ron gulped. Of all the scenarios he'd played over in his mind, this had never occurred to him. That Voldemort would act through Harry, and kill them all. That it would be as much a mental battle as a physical one.

'Harry, it's me!' Ron yelled. 'It's Ron!'

Harry clenched his teeth, and his free hand clutched his scar, which was glowing, and for a moment, his green eyes flashed red. And then he gave an ear-splitting scream.

'NO!'

And Harry's eyes and his voice were his again.

And suddenly Voldemort, too, was screaming, and falling backward from the force of Harry's resistance, and then Harry was falling, falling forward, and Ron, Hermione and Susan all raised their wands and shouted 'Stupefy!' but before their spells could strike, there was a vicious crack!

Voldemort had Disapparated.

'Harry!' Ron shouted, and he bent forward and turned Harry over; he was unconscious.

'We have to get him out of here,' said Hermione, her voice oddly distant, 'in case Voldemort comes back.'

'Harry,' Susan whimpered.

'Hermione, are you--' Ron began, feeling a new rush of fear. She was very pale now.

'Fine,' said Hermione, waving his hand away.

Tonks appeared then, with Draco, Neville and Luna. Lupin was hovering, his head lolling forward.

'Harry,' Tonks said. 'What happened?'

'Voldemort,' said Ron, lifting Harry up. 'We have to get out of here. We have to find Bill and Ginny and the Portkey.'

Tonks pointed her wand at Harry and muttered 'Mobilicorpus.'

Draco went ahead, wand out, his Death Eater robe thrown aside. Ron let Tonks go by him, directing Lupin and Harry's progress. Neville went behind her. Finally came Hermione, her wand out. Her hands were shaking and she was sweating. Her eyes were red and feverish

'Hermione?' said Ron tentatively. 'Are you--'

'I'm--I'm okay,' she said, nodding. 'I--' But she didn't finish speaking. Her eyes rolled back, revealing the whites of her bloodshot irises, and she slumped forward.

'Hermione!' Ron yelled, catching her in is arms. 'No, no, please no.' He scooped her up in his arms. Her head lolled.

'Stay with me, Hermione,' said Ron desperately. 'We're going to get you to Madam Pomfrey right now. She'll be able to cure you, I know it!' But even as Ron said this he knew it was no use. The antidote for the poison racing through Hermione's veins had surely been destroyed, just as the poison itself had been.

'Too--too late, Ron,' she muttered, lifting her head painfully and looking up at him. Tears were in her eyes.

'No!' Ron snapped, 'You'll be fine.' He followed Tonks and the others outside, where the bodies of several dead Death Eaters lay. Snape was there, levitating them to lie side by side.

'Ron!'

Ron looked up from Hermione's sweaty face to see Bill and Ginny running toward them. They were bruised and dirty.

'Bill!' Ron screamed. 'We have to go back now! Hermione--she's sick! And Harry and Lupin! Where's the Portkey? Tell me we still have the bloody Portkey!'

'It's gone,' said Bill. 'Vol--Voldemort destroyed it.'

'No,' Ron said, feeling helpless. Tonks had lowered Harry and Lupin onto a soft patch of grass and strode over to Bill. The night was cloudless but dark. The stars were winking down at them all, beautiful and bright. Ron cradled Hermione in his arms, at a loss for what to do.

'Where is Voldemort?' Bill snapped.

'Disapparated,' said Tonks shortly, gazing worriedly at Lupin. 'I don't think he'll be back tonight. Most of his crew here is either dead or in custody.'

'Bill!' They turned to see a tall, muscular black wizard with a bald head and a glittering gold earring striding toward them. It was Kingsley Shacklebolt.

'Kingsley,' said Bill, taking charge again. 'We have to get these three to St. Mungo's right now.'

'Wait!' a female voice said. It was Luna. But Bill and Kingsley ignored her.

'We'll just have to make a bunch of new Portkeys,' Bill was saying. 'Get everyone to St. Mungo's--Hogwarts won't have what we need.'

'Too late,' Hermione moaned. 'Not enough time.'

'Wait!' Luna cried again.

'Please, Luna, we--we have to concentrate, all right?' Bill said tersely, turning back to Kingsley.

'But I have--'

'Quiet!' Snape snapped, joining Tonks, Kingsley and Bill.

'I HAVE THE ANTIDOTE!' Luna screamed. They all turned to look at her.

'Wh-what?' Bill said at last, when they had all recovered themselves.

'I--I have the antidote,' said Luna again, timidly. 'I--I took some, from the cauldron. It's in this flask.' She reached inside her robes and pulled out a small but very full flask with a cork stopper. Inside was a radiantly turquoise, opalescent liquid that glowed brightly in the dark of the night.

Ron could have danced with glee. Instead he shouted, 'Bring it here, we need to give some to Hermione!'

'It's--it's not finished,' Luna said quickly. 'It needs a few more ingredients.'

'What?' Ron and Tonks yelled, exasperated.

'We have to go back. To Hogwarts,' said Luna. 'I have to finish making the potion. The ingredients here were destroyed in the battle. But--but the school would have them.'

'Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!' Ron bellowed.

'Luna, we need to get them to St. Mungo's--'

'The potion can't be made there!' Luna cried. 'St. Mungo's doesn't have mimbulus mimbletonia plants, does it?'

'What?' Bill asked, puzzled.

'But--but Neville does,' said Luna, looking over at Neville and smiling at him weakly.

'Come on!' Ron yelled, wishing they would quit arguing. Every minute they spent here was bringing Hermione a minute closer to dying. More black spots had appeared, on her arms now.

'There's Floo Powder in the living room,' said Susan. 'I saw it. We can use it to go right to the hospital wing.'

'Let's do it,' said Bill firmly, abandoning the idea of Portkeys. 'Kingsley?'

'All right,' said Kingsley. 'I'll get back to headquarters and make my report to Arthur.'

'COME ON!' Ron bellowed.

Taking their cue from him, they followed Ron into the house; Tonks levitated Harry and Lupin. Neville and Luna brought up the rear; Luna had returned the flask of antidote to her robe pocket.

They reached the living room; the tables and chairs had been overturned. The bodies of two Death Eaters were sprawled across the floor, spattered with blood, along with the detritus of Voldemort's battle with Harry.

Snape wrinkled his nose in distaste. 'The Ministry will have a time of it, cleaning up this mess,' he said sourly.

'There it is,' said Susan, pointing to a large ceramic pot on the mantle.

'Ron, you go first,' said Bill.

Ron shoved his way to the front. Hermione moaned again, now only half- conscious. Ron hoisted her up a little and took a handful of the Floo Powder. He hurled it into the fire and said, very loudly and clearly, 'HOGWARTS' HOSPITAL WING!'

Don't die, Hermione, he thought silently. Don't die. She opened her eyes and looked up at him; a delirious expression was on her face as Ron stepped with her into the flames, and everything began to spin.