Rating:
PG-13
House:
Schnoogle
Genres:
Action Drama
Era:
Multiple Eras
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix Quidditch Through the Ages Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Stats:
Published: 01/08/2005
Updated: 06/29/2005
Words: 244,306
Chapters: 66
Hits: 89,703

The War of Shades

quintaped

Story Summary:
Seventh year - The scar connection becomes wide open, giving both Harry and Voldemort ever more detailed views into each other's mind. Harry works on practicing the message he gained in Egypt (Harry Potter and the Goblin Rebellion), but Voldemort launches the Second War to fill Harry with hatred and anger and to strip him of all who are loyal to him. Ever more desperately Harry trains himself and others to fight, but something is making all of his friends fight each other. Harry must find a way to stop the internal warfare or Voldemort will be able to launch an attack on Hogwarts that will destroy all who are capable of resisting him, including Harry. Through all this, Harry must learn for himself how he will finally vanquish Voldemort.

Chapter 50

Chapter Summary:
Harry apparates to Gringotts, where a goblin army is quickly gathered for apparation to a cave behind the dark army. He then goes to the main battlefield where he evacuates the wounded. Harry is called by Remus Lupin for help fighting the giants. Hedwig gets her revenge.
Posted:
04/17/2005
Hits:
1,103


Chapter 50 Gringotts Mobilizes

Harry apparated to an empty alcove of Gringotts' lobby. Looking around, Harry drank in the aura of normalcy about Gringotts: there was no apparent war training or preparations or hunkering down. He knew that this was only appearance, in that the goblins had been participating in patrolling Diagon Alley and repelling attacks along with the wizards of the area. They took the night shift and the deep shadowed areas since they could not tolerate sunlight. The goblins were always defense oriented anyway, since the trust people placed in a Gringotts account was based on the high degree of security the goblins provided. But here in the lobby, everything appeared normal - all business.

Within seconds, Harry heard his name called in a deep gruff voice.

"Harry Potter!" called Grishnack. "It is time, then?"

"Yes, Grishnack. The attack is on."

Grishnack went to a small device on the wall not unlike a muggle fire alarm box. But when he smashed the glass on it, a voice rang out throughout the lobby and the underground of Gringotts, saying "Potter needs us." Immediately, the bank was a tumult as female goblins, who could defend their homes, including the bank under which their homes were excavated, but were ineffective away from them, ran to substitute themselves for the goblin men, who sprang for the various places around the bank where they had stowed their spell-resistant hauberks and wicked-looking short swords in scabbards. They were all assembling in an enormous conference room just off from the lobby.

Harry was amazed as he walked to the room with Grishnack. Grishnack smiled, as much as a goblin can, and said proudly "You are surprised, Potter? Why? Last year we said we would stand by you whenever you needed us. Every goblin here is thoroughly aware that we would be dead right now but for your courage and kindness. Goblins are not sentimental, but we appreciate loyalty and pay it back tenfold."

When all the goblin men old enough to fight had assembled, Grishnack addressed them.

"The day we have been preparing for has come. The enemy has committed himself, and attacks Potter and his friends. It is the same enemy that tried to exterminate us all last year and that exterminated all but one of a hullabaloo over two decades ago. Potter comes for our help.

"I know I need not, but I will remind you that we were all left powerless before the heliopaths last year until Potter and his friend Dobby, whom we now know as Gargamel, came and destroyed them. In the aftermath, he was attacked and suffered a crushed leg and severe cuts. Despite this, when my dear daughter Melony was mortally wounded, he kept her alive with his tears and his touch until a goblin healer could restore her.

"He has shed blood in goblin halls to save goblin lives and shed tears for love of a goblin sister. We owe him our lives and he is a true goblin friend. He needs us and we will prove to him today the value of goblin friendship. Potter, what are we asked to do?"

Harry felt a bit abashed after such a stirring speech focused on him, but he cleared his throat and began, "The plans are in this envelope. I am to bring you, Grishnack, to the assembly point so that you can apparate there and conduct the operations described in the plans. There are reasons I have not been told what the plans are, but there is no time to explain. Hogwarts faces over 4000 sorcerers, a thousand dementors, and several hundred giants. I just want to encourage you to trust the directions. They were prepared by the same team that directed the Hogwarts' students in the Battle of Gringotts last year. You will recall that there was only one Hogwarts casualty in that battle, besides my own injuries, and no enemy escapes. May today bring us the same success - to both sides."

"Show the enemy the same mercy he has shown to goblins!" shouted Grishnack.

Harry understood that, as did all present, to mean to be utterly ruthless. With that, Grishnack pounded his chest with the fist with which he held his sword, in what was clearly a signal, as the entire assembly roared as one the goblin battle cry "Fight like mothers!!"

Harry checked the parchment around the envelope as he handed the envelope to Grishnack.

"Ah, it's a map to the point. It's a cave. I scouted this cave out late last year. Now I know why. I remember this one. It's clean, dry and spacious, and it has three entrances into deep woods. You won't have any trouble with sunlight from here. Grishnack, are you ready?"

Grishnack extended his hand for Harry to take. "Grishnack has never let a wizard apparate him anywhere, but I will allow you to do so, Potter. The rest of you count to fifteen before following in groups of ten. I am ready, Potter."

And with that, Harry grasped his hand, and apparated the two of them to the cave, which was located on the far side of the woods from Hogwarts, toward the south. Knowing he had little time before the cave began to fill with goblins, Harry took his leave of Grishnack, again wishing the goblins well, and left the cave.

In the shade of the deep forest, Harry opened the last envelope. He was surprised by the message: "Apparate to the south side of the lake and look for flares. You are the only student who can evacuate the wounded and captured by apparation, and we cannot spare fighters from the lines. Apparation will allow you to do the evacuation work of 100 students. They are marked by magical flares color-coded as follows: red sparks for friendlies, green sparks for enemy, and injuries are marked yellow sparks for lightly hurt or unhurt, blue sparks for badly hurt, but able to recover or be restored, and purple sparks for the dead or nearly so. Just take away their wands, if they still have them, and apparate them back to the front steps of the castle, where we will have teams of healers, helpers and guards to take care of patients, prisoners and wands. Keep an eye on the battlefield; help if needed, but only if it's out of control. Remember that the platoons and squadrons have learned to fight as teams and they are more powerful working together than any one wizard on his own, and your presence in the battle may actually hinder our forces. Rescue and evacuation are critical and we are prepared for the fight. You can use your mirror to communicate with Remus Lupin who will be at the north battlefield, but who will be in touch with Ernie as well as Ron."

Harry went where he was told and started walking stealthily into the forest, looking for magical flares. Apparently, Voldemort's army had sent some scouts out ahead of the main group, as Harry soon saw several green and yellow magical flares near each other. Approaching he found witches and wizards disabled and bound. They were being overseen by Hugh Douglas, a Scots first year in Hufflepuff who had a severe limp when he came to Hogwarts. This was a critical job he could do despite moving slower than others. In one hand he held a broom: he was one of the very few first years allowed a broom, so he could keep up with others with his damaged leg. He held the prisoners' wands so they could not be used should the prisoners revive before being evacuated.

"Hugh!" called Harry, "How goes the battle so far?"

"Only enemy prisoners so far as I know. Got twenty o' 'em here, Coach. The few students hit so far we were able to unhex right away. I was hearin' some fiercer fighting a few minutes ago o'er there to the southeast. Now that you're here to take this lot, I'll work m'way over there and start gatherin' together more. This is the north end of this part o' the battle; you'll probably find someone else guarding others on the far south."

"You're out here without anyone who can do a Patronus," observed Harry.

"The dementors're all being steered toward the center of the line, where your mate Dean Thomas has been handling 'em with some sort of special wand. Han't seen it m'self, but m'captain, Susan Bones, told me 'bout it afore she assigned me here. Take the wands, Harry, and I'll get to work. See ya in a few."

And with that, Hugh set off toward the southeast, looking for sparks and levitating prisoners to a central location. Harry placed the wands in a spare pocket of his robe and grabbed a hand each of two bound captives. It was no surprise that these were not people he recognized - the Death Eaters would not be at the very front. He apparated to the castle steps.

He found a well-organized operation there. The prisoners were quickly checked for injuries and disabling spells, unhexed if need be for mutual safety and levitated into the castle. Harry assumed they were taken either to secure facilities in the dungeons or to the Ministry by Floo Network.

Professor McGonagall was there and greeted him "Excellent, Potter, you didn't tarry. Are there many more?"

"Eighteen more in the first group, and more groups being assembled. I haven't seen any student casualties yet," he replied and then disapparated before she could even respond. He appeared back again in seconds with a couple of witches, and repeated the process 8 more times. He began to understand the importance of his job in this: a first or second year could only take one prisoner at a time and it was a fifteen minute walk with a levitated body from the battlefield to the castle. Harry had done in less than 2 minutes the job that would have taken a half hour for twenty students. Certainly at this point of the battle, they needed competent bodies on the line more than they needed a single fighter, no matter how capable.

Harry's involvement in the battle went on like this for well over an hour and a half. It took longer to find each group of prisoners as they were found deeper and deeper in the forest. Increasingly he found injured students among the captured and injured enemies. He gradually got the picture of the battle formation: a wide 'V' which surrounded the south end of the forest from the west, while the goblins attacked from the east driving the enemy toward the center. Harry found that the DA had made preparations for the battle in the times he had been away - there were hidden entrenchments and other prepared battle positions, allowing the students safe positions to pin the enemy down as others advanced. He also found evidence of a number of booby-traps: some like Hermione's explosion, others less dramatic but still effective. He even found the remains of several of Fred and George's portable swamps modified into portable quicksands: one still had a hand extending from it.

The pattern of injuries confirmed that they had eliminated the least dangerous sorcerers and were coming across better and better fighters. Still he was removing many more enemies than students. It wrenched at him to see that the students had been hit with life-threatening injurious spells, though the prisoners were almost entirely disabled with removable disabling hexes. Harry focused on removing those with the greatest need for healer attention first. It pleased him to think that in the midst of all this fighting, he was helping to save lives.

Harry was keeping very busy with evacuations when he got a call on his mirror from Remus.

"Harry, can you be spared for a while over there?"

"If I'm needed that badly, Remus. I've mostly been removing prisoners, not too many injuries so far. How's it going over there?"

"Bad, Harry. The plan was for each squadron to attack a giant at a time in formation so that firepower could be sufficiently concentrated to knock them out. Then the acromantulas could kill the downed giants safely. That was hard enough but workable when we thought they would be fairly spread out. We knew it wouldn't be easy because the trees are all at least twice as tall as the giants, so we had to keep formation while weaving in and out of the branches. But they've been in close formation, hacking a path through the forest. It's very hard to concentrate spells all on the same giant when they are so close to each other, so we've only knocked out a few. We also have taken some casualties. We've been able to use the dragons to harass the giants with fire from behind without setting the woods on fire, and Maxime and Grawp have hindered their path, but they just keep coming."

"That's not like giants to fight so closely and in coordination."

"That's what we thought so we made some close passes to look in their eyes - they're under the Imperius Curse to make them cooperate this way."

"That means there's an enemy sorcerer somewhere near enough to control them."

"Yeah, and we looked. He's not in among them and we would have seen someone on a broom. At the rate they're going they'll break through the edge of the forest in no more than an hour. Harry, if they break through to the heath, they'll be able to attack the castle or circle behind Ernie's forces and pin them down."

"I have an idea," said Harry. "Pick me up. I'm right beneath you."

Sure enough, Harry apparated directly underneath Remus's broom. Remus set down and picked him up to show him the situation. They flew high over the forest. This would have been foolish over the other battle front, but height was an ally against the giants, who could not cast spells but only throw things. Harry was able to see what fast progress the giants had made. They also saw the progress of the Acromantulas behind the giants and could see they could not arrive in time to stop the giants before they made it to open terrain.

"Set me down in that glade, Remus, then tell Ron to get all of the squadrons and dragons out of here for fifteen minutes. They can evacuate the wounded on their way back to the castle, but they have to hurry. It's not going to be flying weather for awhile."

Once Harry was down, Remus set off to signal Ron. Harry pulled both of his wands and thrusting them in the air, began making large circles with them in opposite directions. He thrashed the air in ever more violent strokes, sending up two enormous black thunderheads, spinning in contrary directions. Then Harry himself began twirling round and round, continuing to whip the twin storms up larger and larger, and spinning and entwining around each other. The thunderheads began to rotate around each other, drawing closer and closer.

Soon after he had begun his full-body twirling, Harry noticed Remus returning. "I told everyone to clear out!" Harry shouted over the howling winds which had begun.

"We're too close to the giants! There has to be a wizard out here! I've got to watch your back!" yelled Remus against the storms.

"This is not delicate magic here, Remus, I can't watch out for you," shouted Harry.

"Don't! I know the risks. Keep going no matter what - you have to stop the giants' progress. I'll scout around."

Remus darted in and out of the branches surrounding the glade where Harry was working. The winds were getting fiercer and fiercer and soon Remus realized that Harry was creating a massive tornado. The winds were making it hard to steer the broom and he frequently bumped into branches and tree trunks. As he passed through one set of branches fairly high up, he felt something catch on his robes. At first all he thought was that he had snagged on something. He thought "So what, my robes have been in tatters before," but suddenly he felt his broom get much heavier and harder to handle. Just as suddenly he felt an arm reach around his waist and an icy cold hand clasping his throat.

"My master thought this silver hand would prove useful against you, werewolf!" shouted Peter Pettigrew in Remus's ear. "If not killed by silver, you would just revive with tonight's full moon. Go into the clearing!"

Remus entered the glade, still flying, and Harry faltered in his storm-making until Remus waved him on.

"Potter, he's so noble - he wants you to finish your magic. Do you want to watch another of your father's friends die as you stand by uselessly?"

Again Harry faltered and the storms began to lighten, though still fierce. Remus waved him on, but Peter clamped tighter onto Remus's neck. Remus was beginning to lose consciousness, when suddenly they heard a tremendous scream from above. In a blaze of white feathers and metal, all the more pronounced with the bright sunlight illumination and the backdrop of violent black stormclouds, Hedwig was diving upon Peter from the side his magic hand was on. He released his grip around Remus's waist with the other hand and tried to reach around to ward off the enraged owl, but was unable to get it up in time.

Hedwig plunged her metal talons into Peter's eye sockets, blinding him and then began raking his face. He knocked her away and grabbed hold of Remus again. Harry renewed the vigor with which he conjured the storm. Hedwig soared and stooped in attack once more, again attacking toward the magical hand. Hearing the owl's screams as it dove, Peter released his grip on Remus's throat and tried to thrash out at Hedwig. She grabbed the silver hand in her titanium talon. She crushed the silver hand and wrenched it off of Pettigrew's arm, throwing him from the broom.

Pettigrew was in a panic after all this, which accounts for his next action. In all circumstances previously, his reaction to every situation requiring a fast surreptitious escape was to transform into a rat and skedaddle. Finding himself blinded, bleeding profusely from where his metal hand had been torn off and falling from some sixty feet up, he did just that. If he had thought things through, he would not have, for he did so in the presence of an extremely agile and vengeful magical owl. Hedwig wheeled around one more time and caught Wormtail the rat in the air in her natural talon, piercing him through the chest. Then she headed off toward the owlery tower, her prizes of war grasped proudly in her talons.

Remus was still gasping for breath as he set his broom down hard near Harry's feet and rolled to the edge of the glade to recover. Harry continued the twirling dance with ever-greater energy and soon what was perhaps the greatest tornado ever seen by humans in Scotland was touching down, following right up the path already cut by the giants, scattering them every which way and breaking any remaining effect of the Imperius Curse. Perhaps a hundred were killed or disabled immediately by crashing into trees and hillsides, and just as the tornado began to lift and dissipate, the broom squadrons returned to attack the now separated giants one at a time. As Ron's squadron passed over the glade, he exchanged thumbs-ups with Harry.

Harry ran over to Remus and helped him to sit up. They could still see Hedwig making celebratory circles around the owlery.

"As rotten as he turned out, I cannot but remember sadly what good friends we were so long ago, Harry."

"I'm sure, Remus. I'm sorry."

"Don't be - it had to happen," said Remus with a sigh. "That's some bird you've got there, Harry."

"Hagrid knows how to pick the best," said Harry, marveling. "She deserved that one, you know."

"How so?"

"I saw it in his mind just before she ripped his eyes - he was used as the bait to lure her when her leg was torn off. He recognized her in attack as she dove."

"Well, I guess there's only one thing I can say about that then."

"Yeah, Remus?"

Remus shouted, "BON APPETIT, HEDWIG!"

Harry laughed with him.

"What'll you take for her?" asked Remus, grinning.

"What - you want to buy her from me?" said Harry bemusedly, "What do you think she's worth?"

"Aw, Harry," said Remus with a smile, "You know I don't have that kind of money."

"Gringotts doesn't have that kind of money. I'll share her with you, but I'd never sell her. But if I don't make it through all this, she's yours."

"Harry, don't talk like that!" scolded Remus sharply, which caused him to cough and choke.

"Enough chatter," said Harry, grabbing Remus's broom in one hand and his wrist with the other. "It's time to get you up to Madam Pomfrey."

And with a crack, they disapparated, leaving the giants to the squadrons and soon the acromantulas.