Harry Potter and The Sacred Alliance

Harry Potter and The Sacred Alliance

Chapter 10

"Legilimens!"

Harry braced himself, even though it was hardly possible in the fraction of a second before the spell emerging from Dumbledore's wand hit him almost unawares. The classroom around him blurred into vagueness, as a plethora of memories took hold of his senses, each following its precursor with precise timing, while a small voice was screaming illegible words at the back of his mind.

Eleven year-old versions of Ron and Hermione were introducing themselves to him on the train... A mountain troll in the girl's bathroom was doing its best to throw him off its neck while a bushy-haired girl looked on with anxious and puffy eyes... The Whomping Willow came nearer and nearer as he and Ron tried their best to slow down the flying car... An extremely scared Hermione held on tightly to his waist as he guided Buckbeak unsteadily to the tower...

"No, I'm losing control!" The sane voice was getting louder and louder, as the classroom came rushing back into focus a second later, leaving an extremely drained Harry in his chair. He simply stared at his hands - he was generally able fight off the Legilimens curse within a few moments, but what he had just witnessed was totally unexpected... and pleasant but painful with a considerable amount of self-guilt attached.

"Don't taunt yourself, Harry. That was a more than acceptable, if not an outstanding, performance."

"But..."

"Memorable experiences are much harder to resist from being examined than their terrible counterparts. I knowingly employed the Legilimens curse for that purpose... Anyway, I suggest you return to your dormitory. We can continue our practice day after tomorrow. I'll inform you about the time tomorrow, after I return from the Ministry."

"The Ministry? But school starts tomorrow..."

"Yes, and neither I nor the Ministry has been able to find a DADA teacher yet," Dumbledore answered with a chuckle. "Hopefully I'll be back before the start-of-term Feast."

Harry nodded, rising up on his still shaky feet, his mind still reeling from the memories.

"Oh, and Harry... Your new text-books and stationery have been taken care off by Remus. You'll find them in your new trunk under your bed. And you're exempted from homework," Dumbledore added smilingly.

Harry's memory did record the information, but his mind was too preoccupied to process it, as he made his way to the Gryffindor tower, draping his Invisibility Cloak over himself to avoid being seen by the other recently arrived professors. A pensive and weary form of the old wizard was left behind, all pretenses of cheerfulness discarded.

* * *

Dear Ron and Hermione,

It's been almost a month since I've seen you and I know it is much much harder for you than me - though I do have some experience of what you may be going through. But what kills me is that I'm the one responsible for your suffering... If Dumbledore had forced me to do this, then I could have put the blame on him. But no, he gives me this damn choice... "It's your own decision Harry". I don't know if you'll ever forgive me for my decision.

Life is hell without the two of you and it must be a hundred times worse for you... But I promise I won't conceal myself from you for more than a few months - Remus said it'll be OK to tell you guys once everything settles down. Though I wonder if you'll take me back as a friend then... Darn it! Half of me wants to explain everything in this letter and send it your way immediately, but I can't... It's for your own safety.

Heh! Believe me or not, but you're both more than a part of me than I realized before. Most of the time I find myself divided into the 'Ignorant Leap-before-you-look git' and the 'Logical and Righteous Know-it-all' - no points for guessing which part originates from whom. So the only thing I don't miss about you two is your constant bickering, since it still takes place all the time inside my head. Of course the voice sounding like Hermione has been winning lately. No offense meant, Ron - but you've got to face the facts of life, mate.

Hey Hermione, I've heard from Remus that you're leading the DA... Using the S.P.E.W. for covering it up was a truly original idea, but hey, that's what you're special for! I never really thanked you for the unconditional support you have been giving me ever since we have been friends, without hesitating to correct me when I'm wrong. And I'm sorry for the prat I've been all through last year.

The same goes for you too, Ron. I appreciate the fact that you've always stood up for me, even if it's against the omniscient Hermione (no offense!). And you're going to get a new surprise before Quidditch season starts this year. I'll just give a hint - Ireland won the last World Cup on it. Yeah, you guessed it right - I can't use it anymore because it'll give my identity away.

Once again I ask you for your forgiveness... But I'm just kidding myself - this letter can't reach you... not now. I am also truly sorry for deceiving Ginny, Fred, George, and the rest of the Weasleys. And Hagrid too, of course. If I was sending you this letter, I would have asked you both to convey my apologies to all of them, but unfortunately I'm not.

Anyway, I'll be seeing you both tomorrow in the train, though you'll have to wait a few more frustrating months to meet me. Take care.

Love and best wishes,
Harry

He crumpled up the letter, clenching his fists, as the agony of the Polyjuice wearing off coursed through his limbs. But it lasted only for a second, and he had even got used to that after going through the same process - and to Snape's hardly concealed delight - practically every alternate hour in the past week.

Now the only thing left for him to get used to was being in a new body 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the rest of the year. Not to mention, behaving as if he had suddenly undergone a personality shift - though, according to Remus, that would not be absolutely necessary. However, he still had to get used to his new identity. Throwing the crumpled-up letter into the fireplace of the empty Gryffindor common room, he went up to his dormitory - the one which would also house the other sixth year boys from tomorrow.

Hundreds of miles away, in an ancient manor in Wales, two teenagers woke up from the same dream. Hermione Granger, and, a floor below her, Ron Weasley. However, by the time the alarms announced the dawn of the hectic morning that would follow, neither of them had any memory of it.

* * *

Even the common eye could not ignore the fact that there was something different about King's Cross station on September the first, as family after family in strange wear, towing heavy trunks and the occasional owl cage headed for the barrier between platforms nine and ten, only to disappear into thin air. Security officials were having a field day, denying the existence of a certain "Platform nine and three quarters" to wide-eyed eleven year-olds. But in typical Muggle fashion, they simply shrugged it off on coincidence.

A dark brown haired boy of sixteen with gray eyes, his height and built average, was in the process of walking casually towards the said barrier, the fact that it was made of solid stone not weakening his resolve. Muggle onlookers simply blamed this unexplained behavior on his freakishness, which was evident from the unusual black robes he was wearing.

But the consequences of his colliding head-on with the stone wall were the last things occupying his mind. His mind was, in fact, going over the hundreds of details related to his present identity that Remus Lupin had been hammering into his memory all through the the past week. The wand that was stashed in his waist under his robes would not, in Remus' opinion, produce results as good as his original one, but neither would it hamper his magical abilities too much, at least after a few months of practice.

For the coming year, he would be under constant effect of the Polyjuice potion, specially prepared by Snape to have a twelve hour duration of activity. But that was the easier part. He would have to be under constant vigilance and tell countless lies to preserve his cover. Last but not least, he would have to restrain from showing his true talents to their full extent, his prodigal seeker skills in Quidditch being most prominent among them.

To the outside world, he had been Harry Potter once, also the famous Boy-Who-Lived to the magical community. Now he was just another normal kid (if magical ones could be called normal) - a transfer student from Ireland.

* * *

The shrill, piercing whistle broke through the combined noise of the hundreds of chattering voices, bringing the crowd at Platform 9 ¾ to an abrupt hush. The ensuing rush for seats in the six passenger coaches of the departing train was nothing short of utter chaos, and, in Hermione's opinion, could probably put the Goblin rebellion to shame, as she witnessed the scene from her compartment.

The sky was cloudy, though the presence of sunshine would hardly lift her spirits. In sharp contrast to the rest of the train, the compartment was shrouded in total silence as Ron and Ginny, who were sitting opposite her, did not deem it desirable to start a conversation, especially after the row they had been involved in, over Ginny being hugged by Dean Thomas - her new boyfriend - at the platform. And Luna, the other occupant, was, as usual, more interested in her copy of The Quibbler.

A voice emerged from the S.P.E.W. badge Hermione had pinned on her top. She recognized it after a moment as that of Ernie Macmillan.

"Hermione, Ron, Virginia... You've got to be here in the prefects' compartment. Hope you're listening, and be quick. The Head Girl looks ready to bite your heads off..."

If Ginny had any dislike to being addressed by her formal name, she suppressed it, as the trio made their way to the prefects' compartment at the front. The fact that she had been selected as a prefect had probably nullified it.

By the time they returned to their compartment, even Hermione was thoroughly bored by the hour-long lecture they had just received on the various ways of maintaining discipline, though she didn't show it. Neville had joined them too by now, but fortunately without any 'defensive' plants to show off.

Hermione spent most of the next few hours in analyzing Neville's homework, giving much required suggestions on improving them. Ginny and Luna engaged in some 'small talk', carefully avoiding any mention of the former Gryffindor Seeker. Meanwhile, Ron simply whiled away the time strategizing moves on his wizard's chess board, only looking up when the food trolley stopped by.

It was dark outside by the time they began to change into their school robes, a slight drizzle adding to the invisibility beyond the window. A strange feeling of homecoming enveloped Hermione as Hogsmeade station drew nearer, though it had been a mere two months since she'd left this place. Probably the concentrated magic associated with the ancient castle, she concluded. But she couldn't help but wonder if everything would be same without him. The answer was clear - even before they had entered the castle.

Never. Neither would she ever get over the loss.

But it wasn't supposed to be like this... She had never believed in Divination, and yet the prophecy that Voldemort had been after couldn't have been a fake considering the efforts that Dumbledore had spent in concealing it from Voldemort. On the other hand, Dumbledore had just let him die. She didn't know whom to trust anymore.

She was just marveling at the fact that Malfoy hadn't shown up to torment them yet - which she had been dreading in all honesty, since she didn't have any idea how she or any of her companions would react to Malfoy mentioning his former arch-rival, when the train started slowing down, its metal wheels squeaking against the rails. Puzzled, she scanned their surroundings from the window, and the low visibility notwithstanding, she was sure that this wasn't Hogsmeade station.

"What the hell?" Ron blurted out, when his chess set toppled over to the floor due to the abrupt jerk with which their carriage came to a halt.

"Somebody's hit the brakes," said Hermione, "and we're not in Hogsmeade." A sudden picture of dementors surrounding their carriage flashed through her mind, and her stunned heart skipped a few beats when all the lights went out.

"Is it... is it the dementors?" asked Neville, his voice shivering at the thought.

"It can't be - I'm not feeling their effects," Luna's still-dreamy voice answered him. "Though I've heard about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks roaming about..."

"Anyone's heard Ginny moving?" interrupted Ron, groping around the place where Ginny had been sitting a few moments ago.

A moment of silence followed before a thud sounded near the compartment door.

"I'm here," came the reply, "I'm going over to the prefects' compartment. They might need us."

"No wait!", said Hermione, "We should stick close... The train's not supposed to stop here, and we don't know who or what..."

A muffled noise emerged from the S.P.E.W. badge, pinned beside her Prefect's one on her robe. "This is Goldstein speaking to all DA members from the prefects' compartment. I've spotted a hooded group holding up the engine. Guards are investigating."

A shocked moment passed in which a number of possibilities raced through Hermione's mind, before she replied back into the badge, marveling at its effectiveness. "Granger speaking from coach 5. Got you Goldstein. All members, if you are reading me, stay where you are. Alert other students and keep prefects with you if you can." She hoped her strict voice hid her fear and anxiety, also wondering whether the other members had their badges out.

The other occupants of the compartment had fallen completely silent - all of them being members of the DA. Wands were drawn out, some held in trembling hands. Again the badges, now pinned on everyone's chest, came alive with sound. Or sounds, as several people started speaking at once, whose voices were mingled with shrieks, curses and explosive blasts.

"Shut up, you morons!" exclaimed Ron into his badge. "Goldstein, report in." The noise from the badges died down, but no reply came from Anthony Goldstein, the Ravenclaw prefect, for the next few seconds.

Hermione had almost made up her mind to investigate before a bare whisper with a lot of heavy breathing filtered through. "Goldstein here... injured... Death Eaters... Guards and driver are down... they've got Padma. They want the Muggle-born students."

Badges were not necessary to hear the ensuing panic that gripped the two hundred students on the train, in spite of the repeated efforts of Hermione, Ron, Ginny and the other senior members. Hermione's heart was racing... Almost half the students were of Muggle decent... And as far as she knew, there wasn't a single professor on board, though hopefully they would be on their way any moment.

"Granger speaking. Goldstein, ennervate the guards... Where're the Head Boy and Head Girl?"

A moment later a stern male voice came through. "This is Head Boy Hopkins from coach 1. I instruct all members of the Defense club, prefects and whoever else who's listening on this to assemble in groups with all younger students now! I repeat, stay in groups with minimum five above the age of 13, and DO NOT LEAVE the train. Use the Lumos spell for light. Be united and be alert. Aurors and professors will be here any minute. I repeat again... Stay in groups in compartments, keep your wands out and under NO circumstances must you leave your coach. And DO NOT PAN..."

"EMERGENCY at coach 6! Death Eaters entering from back end! Thomas reporting in," came Dean Thomas' voice blaring from the badges.

"How many, Dean?" Ginny yelled, failing to hide her anxiety.

"About ten... STUPEFY!"

Terrified screams of first year students filled the air. Lighting their wands, the group rushed out to search their coach for younger students. Ginny, Neville and Luna went towards the back end, while Hermione and Ron headed in the opposite direction.

After checking two compartments filled with fourth and fifth years, Hermione was just reaching out for the door of the next compartment - the last on this end of their coach - when a hysterical voice broke though the other noises coming from her badge.

"Cho Chang here... There are too many of them... More than a dozen... They are using stunning spells in the next compartment. No choice but to get out of the train!"

"No! Fall back but DON'T leave the train," Hermione shouted back. As if on cue, a horde of screaming students burst through the inter-coach connecting door in front of them. Even in the dim wand-light, she could make out Cho, Michael Corner, Justin and others - Muggle-borns like her among them. Not to mention crying first and second years.

Adult voices bellowing "Stupefy", "Expelliarmus" and "Impedimenta" spells were following them. Now Hermione was herself panicked to her bones; the fact, that the Death Eaters were not here to kill, was hardly any consolation. Willing her mind to think, she found that she had only one option. Fall back!

Ron was pulling back terrified first years with him... Deciding to do the same, she caught hold of a two weeping second year girls by their hands. Red rays of light were bursting into their carriage through the connecting door.

"Reducto!" cried Ginny and Luna, who had joined them, aiming at the ceiling. It fell in, blocking the Death Eaters' path, only to be blasted away a second later. But Hermione's attention was soon snatched by an explosion at the other end. Dean, Seamus, Parvati, Lavender and some Gryffindor and Hufflepuff seventh years were running towards them from that side, younger students at their heels. Stunning and disarming spells were being exchanged by both sides, but the Death Eaters were pushing in.

Taking deep breaths to calm herself, she mouthed into her badge, "Granger here. Coach number 5. We are trapped from from both ends, please help!"

No reply came. But they couldn't give up, she told herself. Not after the efforts Harry had put into their training. There were at the most two dozen Death Eaters, and a total of about 50 sixth and seventh years in the train. They would just have to stall the Death Eaters for a few more minutes...

"Hopkins! Goldstein! Abbot! Where are you?" she tried again. Time seemed to freeze, as she waited for a response, but all that came was spell-work and frightened screaming. In quick succession, she searched the eyes of each of her companions - and even in the dim light, she could see nothing but fear and despair. Meanwhile, the Death Eaters on either side were on the verge of breaking their defenses.

Then just as all hope was seeping away, the badges sprang to life with a male voice, "Reading you, Granger. Kevin Burke speaking from coach 3, accompanied by revived sixth and seven years. We'll be there in thirty seconds."

"Who's Burke?" Ron asked, his tone mirroring the puzzled relief that swarmed through her.

But the answer was never heard, as Death Eaters had broken in through both ends of the coach, leaving Hermione at total loss of any plan of action. However, Ron seemed to be doing some quick thinking.

"Weasley here", Ron spoke into his badge. "All DA members in coach 5, push towards the front. I repeat, push towards coach 4." Then turning to Hermione, he whispered, "C'mon, we'll have to defend the other side."

"I'm coming too," Neville called out, following them both towards the Death Eaters who were entering through the connecting door from coach 6. Ron and Neville rained stunning spells and hexes at them, while Hermione set up a shield charm. Two hooded figures fell unconscious, but a third figure had set up its own shield and was hurling spells at them with stunning precision, reducing the power Hermione's shield with each hit.

It was then that she noticed the sleek long hair of the Death Eater, reflecting the red light from the spells. And the sardonic smile plastered on the female lips only confirmed her identity - Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Burke speaking. A dozen Death Eaters in coach 5 are down. Hopkins is trying to restart the train. Her... Granger, where are you?"

Hermione wasn't capable of replying back, her head throbbing with the mental concentration required by the shield - it would not hold much longer... Just when she was about to give up, the lights came back on, forcing everyone to blink their eyes in adjustment. But that wasn't the only surprise... With successive bangs, the exit doors of the coach flew open, as figures in blue Auror robes barged in, hexing the temporarily blinded Death Eaters.

A magically amplified voice echoed through the train, "This is the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Aurors have surrounded the train. All students are requested to stay in their compartments and take cover under seats."

First and second years were immediately rushed to the coaches at the front, while the others headed off in random directions in search of accommodating compartments. Meanwhile, the battle raging on in the last coach turned much fiercer, as both adult sides were using the Killing Curse freely. The remaining Death Eaters were hopelessly outnumbered.

It almost looked like the battle was over, from the abrupt stop in the sounds of spell-work, when the train started moving with a sudden jerk - in the backward direction. Something was definitely wrong. Swinging their compartment door open, Ron lead the way out, followed by Hermione and Neville.

Blinding green light filled the corridor, as the train's speed seemed to increase. When Hermione was finally able to open her eyes, the most stunningly bizarre vision awaited them. About twenty meters away, towards the back of their coach, a glowing green screen was suspended in mid air, its huge square boundary enveloping the coach breadth-wise.

Petrified Aurors were being sucked into it, with a force similar to gravity. It was probably a type of portal, she guessed, that the Death Eaters had conjured up to take them hostage. A moment later she realized that it was this force that was pulling the whole carriage into the screen, making the train move backwards, while the screen drew closer to her viewpoint. Muttering a Sonorus spell at her throat she yelled into her badge.

"Prefect Granger here. All students, move to coach 1. Come on, MOVE!"

Fresh screams of terror followed, as doors were flung open and students stampeded towards inter-coach connecting door. And then another realization struck her - not all the children were revived. With a frantic rush she started towards the fore, searching and reviving stunned students.

Even with the help of Ron and Neville, she couldn't do it fast enough. The glowing screen - which was now even sucking in the air around them - was bound to overtake them, considering the speed at which it was pulling the train in. They had just moved to the 4^th coach when a dark-brown haired boy joined them.

"Isn't there a way to stop that... thing?" he asked, in a voice that she instantly recognized as the one which had introduced itself as Kevin Burke.

"We don't know! It's a portal and it's sucking everything in... even the air!" she shouted back over the howling wind and rain blowing into the portal, her hair completely dislodged in the wind.

Aiming his wand at the metal link connecting their coach to the one that was partly inside the portal, Kevin yelled "REDUCTO!". It took a few tries from all four of them before the link finally exploded, disconnecting the rest of the train from the coach that was being sucked in.

"Hopkins speaking from coach 1", the badges came alive, "Engine's started."

As if on cue, the train slowed down to halt, and then the wheels began to rotate in the forward direction, taking them away from the portal. Her heart still beating at twice its normal speed, Hermione watched the portal grow distant with each passing second, as it swallowed in whole the carriage they had left behind. The grassy terrain around the rails stretched out before them, shrouded in the eerie green light coming from the portal, trees and bushes swinging wildly under the portal's magical pull.

"Hopkins from prefects' compartment. Granger, report in please... Are you still there?"

"Weasley here in coach 4. The last two coaches, including all the battling Death Eaters and Aurors, got sucked into a flat screen that's giving off the green light. Hermione says it's a portal to Merlin-knows-where. No known student lost."