Storm Clouds

Battle Cry

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

"I can't take it anymore! This waiting is driving me absolutely mad!"

"Ron, its been less then half an hour."

Ron ceased his pacing and leaned one shoulder against the mantle. "I know, and its been the longest half hour of my life." He glanced toward where Harry sat on the other side of the room. "I don't know how he does it. He always looks so calm."

Hermione stood and crossed to Ron's side. For a moment she stared at Harry as he sat, watching out the window at the lightening sky. The knuckles of his one visible hand where white from clenching the chair's arm.

"He only seems calm," she said. With a soft sigh she rested her head on Ron's shoulder. "Its too quiet in here," she whispered.

It was true. All of the seventh year students, and most of the sixth, had followed Morgan and Lupin out of the portrait hole and off to a battle that no one had expected. They had been led by none other then Fred and George, each bearing an expression of such seriousness that their own siblings barely recognized them.

"I can't believe the pair of them just went off like that," Ron said, emotion making his voice louder. "They could get killed!"

"They and countless others," Hermione said quietly, laying a soothing hand on the redhead's arm. "They're of age, Ron. They knew what they were doing."

Ron looked down at the petite girl at his side. Hermione was amazed to see tears in his eyes. "They knew what they were doing, but I don't know how I'll manage if anything happens to them." He gave a wan smile. "Obnoxious, irritating gits that they are." He wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders. "They're my brothers, 'Mione."

"I know."

The pair stood for a time, holding each other close, each lost in their own thoughts as the sunlight in the room grew brighter. The quiet was broken when Ron's stomach gave an alarming rumble. He grinned sheepishly.

"Stress makes me hungry." He looked around the common room, hoping for some sign that a group of house elves had delivered breakfast.

It was then that he noticed the absence of another head of blazing red hair.

"Where's Ginny?" he asked, his arm dropping from Hermione's shoulder. "Where's my sister?"

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

Ginny sat, huddled in a corner of the Great Hall, arms locked tightly around her knees to still their trembling. She had managed to slip out of Gryffindor Tower in the confusion and then slipped away to hide from Morgan. She didn't think that the Deputy Head of Gryffindor House would appreciate her presence, but she was determined to do what she could.

If I really am the next Guardian of the Phoenix, she said to herself, then I should be able to help.

Of course, she could also get killed before managing any help.

One of the double doors to the Great Hall creaked open. Ginny clambered to her feet, not wanting to be seen cowering in the corner like a frightened animal. She held her breath, waiting to see who came through.

A shaft of sunlight caught on blonde hair, and the next moment a barely audible whisper reached Ginny's ears.

"No sign of Professor Griffith," the voice said. "I don't know whether to be upset or glad."

"I'd be glad if I were you," Ginny spoke up, having recognized the other voice. "She'll skin us all alive when she discovers us."

Pansy and Mandy exchanged a glance. "Skin us alive, you mean," Pansy said, a small smile playing about her lips. "She needs you intact, remember, Gin?"

Failing to hide her surprise at being addressed in such a familiar way by a member of Slytherin house, Ginny quickly changed the subject. "What about Eleanor?"

"We met her in the entrance hall," Mandy said. "And took her right back to her dormitory. She may have been one of the potential Guardians, but she's still only thirteen years old." Mandy's face was grim and set. "I'd like for her to enjoy her next birthday."

Those words gave Ginny a jolt. Her own fifteenth birthday was only two weeks away. That was also the day that Morgan would make Harry a part of the Order of the Phoenix. It felt like it a lifetime.

"So, what are we going to do?" Pansy asked, bringing Ginny back to the present. "And how are we going to keep out of Morgan's way while we do it?"

Ginny took a deep breath. "Morgan and Lupin are down by the Whomping Willow. I think they have some sort of surprise planned. The rest of the teachers are deploying along the lakeshore."

"What about the other students? Ones that are of age?" Mandy asked.

"Morgan sent some of them down to Hagrid's, but most were kept here at the castle. Dumbledore mentioned something about the ramparts, the North Tower and the Astronomy Tower." Ginny shrugged. "I think we should stay here and be ready if anything gets close to the front doors."

"And I think you should get your ass back up to Gryffindor Tower."

Ginny spun. "Ron? Hermione? Harry?" She blushed, but raised her chin and faced her brother defiantly. "I'm not going back to where its safe." Her voice dripped with contempt for that word. "I need to learn how to fight, don't I? If I'm going to protect the Order of the Phoenix?"

"Ginny. . . ."

"No, Harry! I belong here, doing what I can to help in this battle!"

"Does Morgan know you're here?" Hermione asked. "Does she know that all three of you are here?"

"What do you think?" Pansy replied. "She'd have our heads if she. . . ."

Pansy's words were cut off by a roar of rage from outside. It was quickly followed by a multitude of screams - some of pain, some of fright, some of determination. Ginny didn't hesitate; she was out of the Great Hall and sprinting towards the main entrance before Harry even realized she had moved.

He caught up with her just outside on the front steps. "Are you crazy?" Harry asked. He had to shout to be heard above the sounds of fighting coming from the Forbidden Forest. "You can't just go charging in with no idea of what you're going to do!"

"I know exactly what I'm going to do!" Ginny shouted back. "I'm going to help!"

Harry reached out and quickly grabbed her arm before she could get away. "Help how, Ginny? You're not even of age, let alone in possession of the powers you'll have as the Guardian. What do you think you'll be able to do?"

A column of black smoke rose from the far side of the forest. Ginny watched it, her face twisted with anger and indecision. "I can't just sit here and not do anything!" she cried out, almost sobbing. The she froze, and cocked her head to one side, as if listening to a voice only she could hear.

Then she disappeared in a burst of orange flame.

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

The world blazed orange for a moment, and Ginny's only thought was that she had somehow landed back in Ron's bedroom at The Burrow. That's definitely Chudley Cannon's orange, she said to herself. Then in the blink of an eye she was standing on a low, grassy hill face to face with the Whomping Willow.

Face to face with it, and with only a moment's warning as a thick branch came whistling through the air at her, the smaller branches and twigs clenched in a giant fist.

Ginny hit the ground in a dive to her left. The impact stole her wind and she rolled onto her back, scarcely able to breathe. She had barely recovered when a hand grabbed the collar of her robes from behind and dragged her clear of the tree's branches.

"What in the name of God do you think you're doing, Guinevere?" Morgan hissed as she released Ginny's collar.

Ginny stumbled to her feet and looked around at her surroundings. "I don't know what I'm doing here," she said. "I was just standing on the front steps, and now. . . ." She looked directly at Morgan. "What happened?"

Instead of answering her Morgan raised her head to the sky and shouted "Why? Why did you have to do this now?" When she lowered her head she met Ginny's eyes. "The Order of The Phoenix brought you here, Ginny. Not the best of times, I grant you," she said as a small explosion went off in the distance.

"But how?" Ginny asked.

"Its actually quite simple," Lupin began in his quiet voice. "The empathic and telepathic connection between. . . ."

"What do you mean you were standing on the front steps?" Morgan shouted. "Why aren't you safe in Gryffindor Tower?"

"Because I belong out here!" Ginny hollered back. "Isn't that what I'm supposed to do - fight evil and protect the innocent?"

"That's why the Order was able to take hold of her," Lupin said, laying a calming hand on Morgan's shoulder. "If she didn't feel that she needed to help it wouldn't have been able to bring her here."

"And I made the mistake of thinking that some help would be nice," Morgan said. She pushed her glasses up and rubbed her tired eyes. When she looked back at Ginny her eyes were burning sapphire flames. "I hope you've perfected your Patronus, Guinevere. You'll be needing it."

Ginny swallowed hard, then forced herself to relax. Once the remnants of her anger and panic faded she felt the soul-deep chill that could only have one cause. "How many do you think there are?" she asked.

"I can sense thirty separate entities," Morgan replied. "They're coming through the tunnel from Hogsmeade right now."

"Voldemort wants to weaken our defenses as much as possible before he arrives on the scene," Lupin explained. "Dementors are ideal for the task, since not everyone has a reliable Patronus."

Ginny nodded her understanding. "I certainly don't." She glanced at Morgan. "I can't help with that, but I know who can."

Morgan stared directly into Ginny's eyes, and felt the telepathic pathway open. "Harry," she whispered, and before Ginny or Lupin could react she vanished in a flash of blue and reappeared a moment later, a disheveled and disoriented Harry at her side.

"Wha. . .?"

"No time for explanations, Harry. Just be ready with your Patronus."

As Morgan spoke the branches of the Whomping Willow stilled their motion. The four of them watched as ice crystals began to form on its bark, spreading up and out from the hole at the base of the trunk. Morgan took half a step to the front of the others, positioning herself as the first target. Harry could vividly remember the time she had turned herself into a Patronus, and guessed that would be her first line of defense. He would be ready when he was needed.

It was fairly clear, however, that Ginny wouldn't be. Her face was starkly white, her teeth were chattering, and her hands shaking despite the grip she had on her upper arms. She had taken a few steps back from the tree, and now stood uncertainly, half-poised as if to flee.

"Gin, you'll need your wand."

She started at the sound of his voice, and met his eyes. "My what?" she asked, her voice a thread of its usual self, and with an unmistakable quake of fear.

"Your wand," Harry repeated, raising his voice and speaking firmly. When Ginny didn't move he reached into the pocket on her robe and pulled out her wand, thrusting it into her hand. He studied her pale face for a moment. "Gin, you don't have to do this."

Those words seemed to shake her out of her stupor. "Yes, I do." Her fingers clenched around her wand; knuckles shining white in the now full light of day. "Yes, I do," she repeated.

The cold that suddenly swept over them all was paralyzing in its intensity. There was a sound like a death rattle, and Ginny almost involuntarily looked towards the Willow. What she saw made her stomach turn. A hand, covered in grayish skin, scabbed and skeletal, was pressed against the frozen bark of the tree. She could just see movement in the dark bole, and she swallowed hard.

"Don't do anything yet," Morgan said. "Let me handle this."

Harry, Ginny and Lupin all stepped back as Morgan raised one hand and pointed her wand at the tree. Harry heard her low voice utter an incantation, but he couldn't make out the words. And then the next second it was unnecessary, for it was plain what the spell had done.

Flames, burning almost white hot in intensity, leapt from the end of Morgan's wand and engulfed the Whomping Willow. Ginny flinched away from the glare, unable to look too closely. She almost expected to hear a scream of agony come from the tree, but instead there was a faint and eerie wailing, almost like hearing a storm at sea from a distance inland. It was a moment before Ginny placed the sound.

Whatever the fire was it was burning the Dementors, even as it left the tree untouched. The stench was unbearable; Harry turned away, working hard to swallow the urge to vomit. He could hear Ginny retching beside him, and he reached out a hand and entwined his fingers in hers. The human contact calmed her and she managed to turn back to where Morgan stood.

Just in time to see her collapse on the ground and the flames she had conjured flicker and go out.

"Morgan!" Lupin shouted as he rushed to her side. He was so intent on helping her that he didn't notice the three Dementors that were unaffected by the fire.

Harry did. He gripped Ginny's hand tight in his. "Happy thoughts, Gin!" he said as he raised his wand, mentally groping for a joyful thought of his own.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!!" The words exploded out of Ginny's mouth before Harry even had a chance to think. There was an instant of uncertainty, when he worried that the spell would be ineffective, before he was all but blinded by the shine as Ginny's Patronus burst forth from her wand.

What really surprised him, however, was not so much that she had produced a Patronus, but that hers glimmered in shades of copper and gold, instead of the silver of Prongs. It looks just like her hair, Harry thought to himself as he watched the large cat with tufted ears tear into the Dementors.

Ginny was every bit as surprised as Harry, but in her case it was the sheer existence of her Patronus that was astonishing. In the months since her first disastrous lesson she had made steady progress, but nothing like what she was watching now had ever happened. And even as she watched the bobcat began to flicker, and its light faded.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry called out as the last golden light of Ginny's Patronus disappeared. The silver form of Prongs leapt forth, and speared the final Dementor on his antlers. The Dementor dissolved in a burst of greenish-grey smoke. Then he ran to where Morgan lay crumpled on the ground, Lupin at her side. Ginny beat him by half a step.

Morgan was beginning to stir when they arrived. Her face looked wan and gaunt, as if the magic used to create that fire had drained part of her physical substance away. When her eyes opened she looked slightly dazed.

"Can you stand?" Lupin asked, grasping her beneath her arms and lifting her to her feet. "Its done here," he continued. "We need to go and help the others before Voldemort launches his main attack on the school."

"Done?" Morgan asked, shaking her head in confusion. "The Phoenix Fire spell. . . .?"

"Not quite," Lupin said. He released one of his holds on Morgan to lay a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "That was amazing."

Morgan's wits were returning, and she had no problem following the trend of the conversation. "Ginny?" she asked, gazing at the young girl in surprise.

"I did it," Ginny said, exhaustion and pride competing for prominence in her voice. "I conjured a Patronus."

"What was it?" Morgan asked, her teacher's curiosity leaping to the fore.

"A bobcat," Harry answered. "And it was a coppery-gold, not silver." He met Ginny's eyes and couldn't supress his own grin. "Professor Lupin was right. That was amazing, Gin."

Ginny's reply, if she intended to make one, was drowned out by a burst of flames and screams that came from the direction of the castle. She was still unsteady on her feet, but Morgan began to run back that way, her wand in her hand and her face stern. Lupin followed closely in her wake.

"Are you OK, Gin?" Harry asked. Despite her smile, she looked exhausted. He knew how draining it could be to conjure, let alone maintain, a Patronus.

"I'm fine," Ginny replied, still grinning. "I did it, Harry."

Harry smiled in his turn. "I know you did. But there's more to do, if you're up to it."

Ginny nodded, and hand in hand the pair ran after Morgan and Lupin, back towards the castle. Fear began to return; once the surprise of her Patronus wore off all Ginny could think about were her three brothers in harm's way at the school. She didn't know how much help she would be, but she was certainly going to try.

They caught up with Morgan and Lupin just as the adults rounded Hagrid's hut and reached the expanse of the castle's front lawn. Morgan stopped so suddenly that Harry expected to see tufts of grass fly from where her feet skidded in the turf. A moment later he saw why.

There were Death Eaters, at least twenty of them, fighting their way towards the front door of Hogwarts. A group of teachers, including Professors McGonogall and Sinistra, were holding them off with a variety of spells. The air between the two groups of combatants blazed with every colour of the spectrum as spells and curses flew back and forth. An occasional bolt of light rained down from above, and Harry could see students on the ramparts helping as best as they could.

All those details registered in the blink of an eye, because Morgan barely hesitated before launching her attack. "DEPULSO!!!!" she shouted. The spell, focused through her wand and backed by all the power of the Order of the Phoenix, blasted the group of Death Eaters apart and sent them flying in every direction, some landing as much as thirty feet away.

"Ginny!" Morgan shouted as the last victim of her spell hit the ground with a loud THUD. Ginny dashed to her side and placed her hand in Morgan's. Their eyes met for a moment before they both raised their wands. "STUPIFY!!"

The Stunning Spell spread out in a circle from where Morgan and Ginny stood, issuing not only from their wands but from their bodies. The red glow was the brightest Harry had ever seen, and he was so entranced by it that he was almost stunned himself.

Lupin reached out and dragged Harry down to the ground a split second before the stunner passed the place where they had stood. An odd, almost singed smell permeated the air in the spell's wake. It was almost a minute before the odor faded, and when it did Lupin raised his head a fraction of an inch from the ground.

"Is it safe?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled by the grass.

"Yes," Morgan replied. "For the time being."

Harry rose to his feet and looked around at all the stunned Death Eaters. The teachers were moving amongst them, magically binding them as they went. Most had lost their masks in the original blast of Morgan's banishing charm, and Harry was not surprised to see the pale and pointed face of Lucius Malfoy staring blindly at him from the folds of his hood. He resisted the urge to administer a sharp kick to the elder Malfoy's head before moving to Ginny's side.

"Still OK?" he asked, slipping an arm around her shoulders. He was surprised to feel her shaking, It wasn't fear, however, as was made immediately clear by her next words.

"That hurt," she said, leaning her head against Harry's shoulder. "I've never channeled that much power before." She held up one hand and clenched her fist tight. "I can't stop shaking."

"The shakes will stop," Harry said, squeezing her shoulders. "They'll. . . ." His voice trailed off and he turned toward the main gate.

"Harry?" Ginny asked, moving with him. "What's wrong?"

"He's coming," Harry whispered. Then he cried out as his scar seared with pain. He blinked away the sudden tears that leapt to his eyes, and when his vision cleared he saw the tall, skeletal form that stood between the pillars of the gate. A shudder of fear passed through his frame.

Ginny, for her part was as frozen as an ice sculpture. All the blood had drained from her face, leaving her with a ghostly pallor. She almost cried out when he spoke; it was a voice straight out of a nightmare. Literal nightmares, for her.

"Impressive," Voldemort said, his cold voice slaked with contempt. "I'd expect nothing less from the Guardian of the Phoenix."

Ginny jerked her eyes to Morgan's and heard the older woman's voice in her head. Easy, it said. Keep still and do nothing. You can not give yourself away. Ginny nodded her assent and directed her gaze back to where Voldemort stood. She heard a strangled gasp behind her, and spun around just in time to see Ron, Hermione, Pansy and Mandy arrive on the scene.

Voldemort laughed at the new arrivals. "More teenagers to help, Guardian? I'd expect nothing less of Potter, of course." He threw Harry one contemptuous glance, which caused his scar to throb painfully. "But the others. . . ." He shook his head, almost as if he felt sorrow. "Its almost a pity that they will have to pay, but your foolishness cannot go unpunished."

It was Morgan's turn to laugh, and she sounded every bit as cold and cruel as Voldemort. "My foolishness? Take a look around, Tom." She gestured toward where the teachers and some of the older students were trussing up the last of the Death Eaters. "You're making threats with no one to back you up, yet I'm the fool?"

Voldemort looked angry at being addressed with his true name. "You will pay." He looked around at the gathered teachers and students. "You all will, one way or another. But for now. . . ." His gaze traveled through those assembled until they lit on Hermione. "Mudbloods first, shall we?" He crooked one long finger, and with a low cry of alarm Hermione was magically pulled from Ron's side and glided toward Voldemort.

Morgan stepped between Voldemort and Hermione, and a blue glow enveloped the young girl. Her involuntary movement stopped. "Dark Lords first, shall we?" And with a truly evil smile Morgan waved a hand and blew Voldemort off his feet and almost 20 yards across the lawn. He landed with a bone-jarring thud.

Ginny gasped out loud and took a step forward. Don't move!, Morgan's voice sounded again in her head. Stay where you are and be ready.

Ready for what?, Ginny replied, making her first use of the telepathic link.

What I'm about to do will probably hurt worse then that stunner we cast earlier. Don't falter.

Voldemort struggled to his feet, wheezing painfully. "You protect a Mudblood?" he asked, almost spitting the words. "You are the most powerful wizard in the entire world, and yet you save the trash that pollutes our race?"

Morgan's face was a mask of stony anger. "I protect anyone that needs me. Lucky for me, you don't." She raised her hand. "EXPULSO AURORA SOLIS!"

The light that burst from Morgan and Ginny would have put the sun to shame. Harry had just enough time to clamp his eyes shut and turn away before the blast of the spell caught him, knocking him off his feet. He could hear shouts; some of surprise, some of shock, before the sound caught up with the light. It roared around him until he thought his eardrums would burst. All he could do was cover his ears and huddle from the fury that Morgan had unleashed.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the noise stopped and Harry was able to open his eyes. He blinked several times against the bright orange spots that clung to his vision.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione. Sounding worried.

"I'm fine," Harry replied, glancing about the lawn to take stock of the situation. Ron was still flat on the grass, but his groans meant he was alive, at least. He could see the rest of the teachers and students scattered about. Most were already struggling to their feet. Lupin was walking across the grass to where Voldemort had stood just moments before.

And in the midst of the chaos stood two large birds, each about the size of a swan. One had steel-grey feathers and brilliant blue eyes, the other feathers of a white so pure it blinded, and eyes that glowed like copper.

The Guardians of the Phoenix.