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Harry Potter and the Ritual of Love's Memory | ||||||
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Category: Post-HBP Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, General, Romance Warnings: Death, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Violence Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 259 Summary: After the horcrux hunt implodes leaving most of those Harry loves dead, he starts a new life with a few fellow survivors far away from wizarding Britain. But the discovery of an ancient ritual that promises to send a single memory back in time sparks hope that maybe things can change. Dark ending to DH followed by a tweaked retelling of GoF through DH. Harry/Ginny. Friday updates. Original Timeline Voldemort's Victory - Chapter 1-5 (Feel free to skip if you don't like major character deaths) Tenochtitlán - Chapter 6-9 New Timeline Harry's 4th Year - Chapter 10-28 Harry's 5th Year - Chapter 29-68 Harry's 6th Year - Chapter 69-Current Hitcount: Story Total: 169482; Chapter Total: 1399 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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The mid-October air was cool and crisp with a faint hint of the oncoming winter as Ginny and Harry wandered toward the Three Broomsticks. The two had spent the morning exploring various shops together and generally enjoying being away from Hogwarts. Even though they stole away for a walk around the grounds when given the opportunity, Harry felt like there was something different about being on a date in Hogsmeade. His hand was warm in Ginny's as they traipsed through the village. Harry felt his stomach rumbling as they approached the tavern. He could see through the windows that the lunch rush had begun to dissipate, a fact for which he was grateful. He had hoped that the group's plan would work out, and sleeping in a bit and taking a late breakfast while most students were busy queueing to leave had seemed a good idea this morning. Waiting for their food while Madam Rosmerta attempted to serve every other visiting Hogwarts student at once had been a challenge on a few occasions, so the sight of several empty tables encouraged Harry that he wouldn't need to deal with a sour mood from any hungry Weasleys. A scowling and somewhat gaunt Draco Malfoy stormed out of the tavern while they were still a short way off, followed by Crabbe and Goyle. Seeing them reminded Harry of how much more pleasant his classes were when he wasn't forced to contend with verbal barbs and attempts to goad from the three Slytherins. Harry only shared Charms with Crabbe and Goyle, who performed abysmally on most of their OWLs. He wasn't as clear about how Malfoy fared on the tests, but Draco's schedule only matched up with Harry's for Transfiguration and Charms. With the workload in those classes steadily building and under the watchful eyes of Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick, Harry hadn't needed to consider his rival much this term. The blonde boy was muttering something angrily to himself, not even looking back at the hulking duo trailing behind him. His eyes met Harry's as he walked and his scowl deepened. "If it isn't pathetic Potter and his pet Weasel," he spat, staring at them with venom. "Taking time out from your busy schedule as Dumbledore's lapdogs, pretending to teach classes for him?" "Maybe you should've joined the club!" laughed Harry, though he and Ginny both subtly slipped their wands into their hands. "Advanced Defense was always going to be out of your league, but you might have at least scraped into regular Defense!" Malfoy scoffed derisively. "Potter gets whisked into a special class by a headmaster desperate to make him appear almost competent, and he takes it as a sign that he's got actual skill!" "If Harry's as bad with a wand as you say he is, how inept must your father be?" asked Ginny with a smirk. She began ticking off strikes against him on her fingers, using her wand to keep it at the ready. "Your daddy couldn't keep Harry under an Imperius, couldn't outduel him one-on-one, and would've at least lost his arm if Harry hadn't saved his worthless hide. Talk about pathetic!" "Hope he's enjoying his luxurious new accommodations. Maybe the Aurors got him a cell near their dads, too," added Harry, nodding to Crabbe and Goyle. "Gin, did you ever figure out which of their noses you broke?" Both Crabbe and Goyle looked ready to fight, drawing their wands and stepping forward past Draco, but he grabbed a fistful of their sleeves and tugged them back. It looked as if Crabbe might actually punch Malfoy, but the moment passed as all three glowered at Harry and Ginny. "Come on," growled Draco, his eyes narrowed. He looked as if he had caught a whiff of some awful smell. "We've got more important things to do than listen to insults from a destitute blood traitor and orphan destined to die like his parents. With any luck, we'll be on hand to watch it all play out!" Malfoy stomped away, followed slowly by his angry bodyguards. Both glanced over their shoulders menacingly at Ginny. She feigned blowing a kiss at them before turning the motion into a rather rude gesture, causing Harry to sputter with laughter at their look of consternation and rage. She bumped him with her hip when he held the door as she entered, rolling her eyes at him as she moved toward the table where Luna was brightly smiling from her seat next to Parvati. Ginny hopped into the seat next to the Ravenclaw after playfully ruffling Ron's hair, earning a "Geroff!" from her brother and a giggle from Padma, who sat to his right by her sister. Harry was happy to slide into his spot between Ginny and a nervous-looking Neville seated beside Hannah. "To tell the truth, I wasn't sure about the whole late lunch thing," said Ginny as she got settled into her seat, looking across at Padma. "But I've got to hand it to you: this seems a lot better than fighting the crowd when everyone's trying to get food. I'm surprised Ron didn't revolt when you suggested it, though." "He wasn't that hard to convince," she replied with a smirk, causing Ginny to groan audibly. "Oh, shut it! I just made sure to include a stop at Honeydukes about an hour ago before he started gnawing on anything that moves." "Hey! I'm not that bad!" argued Ron when most of the table laughed and even Harry couldn't repress a snicker. He started to continue the point, but was interrupted by Madam Rosmerta bringing eight butterbeers and opening a notepad to jot down their orders. It was not lost on Harry that his best mate's order was quite sizable. After taking a long drink of his butterbeer, Harry's eyes fell to Luna, who didn't look quite as dreamy as usual with her fingers intertwined with Parvati's. Or perhaps she looked as if she was a different sort of dreamy. "Oh, Luna! I didn't even get a chance to ask about how the entrance exam for Advanced Defense went last weekend. How do you think you did?" "The gauntlet was slightly less formidable due to foreknowledge of what I'd be facing this time, but it was still quite grueling. I believe I performed better than my first time around, but it was too much for me to overcome. Still, I feel encouraged that two of my three attempts only ended because of the time limit, although the other time my robes caught on fire." "Hey, progress is worth celebrating," stated Ginny with a smile. "I think you'll manage to get through it before the end of the school year if you keep improving. Harry and I have talked about how you're one of the best in our year." Luna beamed at the praise and took a quick sip of her butterbeer to obscure the color rushing to her cheeks before turning to Neville and Hannah. "What did you two think? Was it any easier the second time?" "Not much easier," admitted Neville with a wince. "I did alright on my first run through then made it further on my next try. But my last attempt was a fairly spectacular failure. I think I was unconscious and flat on my back in less than two minutes." "Was it one of the dummies that cast stunners?" asked Parvati , scrunching her face up as if remembering something rather unpleasant. "I was so excited about making it past one of them until it came back to life and knocked me out from behind." "Probably, but I didn't really even see what got me that time," replied Neville shaking his head. "Hannah lasted longer than me in that round, but it's just a lot harder than I think either of us expected." Hannah nodded seriously. "I finally made it past the part with two dummies firing spells on my last try, but the path was blocked beyond them and I couldn't clear it in time to see what was beyond it. I'm not sure if I've got what it takes to get all the way through, especially since I'm barely scraping by in Professor Flamel's class." "There's no shame in not getting into Advanced Defense, but it sounds like you've still got a shot," suggested Padma fairly. "Even if it takes until seventh year, it doesn't hurt to keep trying. Maybe what you learn in Defense Club and with Professor Flamel will be enough to put you over the top." Hannah didn't look entirely convinced, but Neville nodded with determination. "That's what I keep telling myself. Beating the gauntlet is just the next goal, but the main thing is getting better at defending the people I care about." "Since the gauntlets change a bit each time, it might be worth going over some of what we've all seen from them," suggested Ron with a shrug. "McGonagall said that we could talk strategy with each other. Maybe that'd help you have a good gameplan for the next time you try to make it through." The idea was met with enthusiasm from the three still charged with facing down the Advanced Defense entry gauntlet. The eight friends spent nearly a quarter hour discussing various obstacles and means of overcoming them until Madam Rosmerta returned with their lunches. Conversation shifted to various other school happenings while they dug into their food. As Harry finished the last of his chips, he spied a familiar head of blonde hair through a window walking hand-in-hand with Bill. Sirius had mentioned that there would be members of the Order of the Phoenix or aurors present during Hogsmeade visits, and Harry was glad to see Fleur had been one of the ones chosen to help keep the students safe. He nudged Ginny to draw her attention to the couple before walking to the counter to pay Rosmerta for their food. The two of them said their goodbyes to the group before hurrying out the door in the direction the couple had been walking. They had almost caught up with them when Fleur whipped around with her wand at the ready and a frantic expression on her face. Ginny and Harry both skidded to a full stop in the moments before Fleur eased back down from high alert. After the initial shock wore off, Harry smiled at the way his former competitor had reached her non-wand hand across Bill instinctively to protect him. "Je suis désolée," apologized Fleur as she lowered her wand. "Zee recent attacks 'ave put me on edge all day. " "No harm done," replied Ginny easily, stepping forward to hug the French witch. "At least I know one of you knows some defensive magic. Your fiance, on the other hand…" "I'm never going to hear the end of you mistakenly thinking I was taking the Defense post, am I?" asked Bill, whose only reply from his little sister was her sticking out her tongue. "Is it going to ruin your reputation to walk around Hogsmeade with your professor, or are you two willing to risk it to catch up with us about how your terms are going?" "Perhaps they would rather find somewhere more private than patrolling with us," suggested Fleur, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Should I tell your sister about zee secluded places we've discovered while exploring zee village?" "Not a chance! The Weasley brothers carved out an exception to the rules about what we planned to do to any of Ginny's boyfriends because we've got a collective soft spot for Potter, but that's taking it a step too far." He glanced from Fleur to his sister and the suddenly nervous-looking boy holding her hand. The eldest Weasley sibling raised an eyebrow. "In fact, I'm suddenly feeling extra protective of these two. Maybe we should insist on them accompanying us for the rest of the afternoon, seeing as they're so prone to getting into trouble." The idea that exploring the village to search out some of the private places Fleur had mentioned sounded rather appealing to Harry, but Ginny was having none of it. She strode forward purposefully and snaked her arm around Bill's before turning to Harry. "Bill was notorious for using reverse-psychology to get Percy, the twins, and Ron to do what he wanted. He obviously wants us to protest and leave them all alone so that he can attempt to use his Weasley charm on this poor, defenseless Veela." Fleur let out a mock gasp and clutched at her heart. "I, on the other hand, am not as easily manipulated as my brothers." Still clutching Bill's arm, she turned to say something to Fleur, leaving Bill time to silently mouth, "Reverse Reverse-Psychology!" to Harry before giving him a smug look and a wink. Despite the playful jabs between siblings, Harry very much enjoyed wandering the streets alongside Bill and Fleur. Though neither of their new jobs were as thrilling as working as curse breakers at Gringotts, finding ways to make the world a better place through their careers suited them both well. Bill's recollections of particularly ill-advised excuses from students who had neglected to complete their assignments earned plenty of laughs before explaining how proud he was to see Ginny performing so well in such a challenging subject. She made no attempt to hide how much her brother's words meant to her. For her part, Fleur seemed to be doing quite well in her role at the Ministry of Magic. The Department of International Magical Cooperation dealt with the logistical challenges of foreign wizarding relations, which Harry knew very little about but seemed very complicated. Within a month of taking the position, she had been instrumental in building a partnership with a delegation of magical peoples from Senegal. Speaking French fluently had led to a connection with two of the Senegalese Minister's aides while the head of her department attempted to hammer out the details on an agreement that Harry never fully understood. What he did get was that Fleur and her two new friends managed to steer the negotiations in a positive direction and that Bill couldn't keep his eyes off his fiance as she explained how everything turned out. Their mood stayed upbeat for most of the afternoon, until a comment from Fleur accidentally introduced conflict. "Ginny, I don't know 'ow you cope with all zee secrecy regarding Bill and 'Arry's little group," commented Fleur with a little frustration. "After 'e told me about being summoned to meet with Dumbledore about some important matters which 'e could not share, even with me, I could barely sleep from wondering what they 'ad spoken about. And then 'e says that 'Arry 'as been in zee group from more than a year? If I waited that long to learn what Bill was working on, I theenk I would lose my mind!" Harry took in a quick breath and squeezed his eyes shut as he realized that his plan to fill Ginny in about the meeting after the Hogsmeade visit had just gone up in smoke. "Wait, Bill's a part of the group now?!" The growing pressure from Ginny's grip on his hand assured Harry that this was not an ideal situation. "And when were you planning on telling me this? I seem to remember you saying that any news you were allowed to share could wait when I asked about the meeting!" Bill grimaced but made no move to jump to Harry's aid as Fleur looked at them askance. Ginny's temper was clearly flaring and there was little choice but to plunge ahead. "I was going to talk to you about it this weekend," answered Harry lamely, his cheeks reddening under his girlfriend's glare. "I didn't think it was a big deal." A sharp intake of air from Bill that sounded almost like a hiss coincided with a dangerous look from Ginny to alert Harry that he'd said the exact wrong thing. "Not a big deal that my brother joined up with my boyfriend in doing something so dangerous and secretive that nobody outside the room can know about it?" spat Ginny, who Harry thought must somehow grow an inch or two when she got angry. "Sorry, that's not what I meant to say," sputtered Harry as he tried to salvage the situation. "I didn't think it would be a big deal to wait until we could sit down and really talk through everything when we weren't super busy." For a brief second, Harry thought he'd stumbled into a viable answer as Ginny's frustration seemed to diminish slightly. "So… You just wanted to tell me in a private moment where we'd have time to talk things through?" she asked more calmly. Harry sensed imminent danger but couldn't identify where it was coming from as he nodded a little too earnestly. Ginny's brown eyes flashed as she prodded him in the chest with her finger. "A private moment like the hour and a half we spent 'studying' in that empty classroom on the fourth floor right before curfew last night?" Harry could actually feel the color draining from his face as his shoulders drooped. His mind went completely blank as he tried to come up with any sort of reply, but the sudden rush of memory from that evening combined with a fear of sticking his foot any further into his mouth kept him in silence. He barely registered the sound of a stunned Bill murmuring, "Hour and a half…" or the very unVeela-like snort from Fleur. "And don't get me started with you!" continued Ginny as she wheeled around to face Bill. "I'd almost forgiven you for keeping me in the dark about your job this summer, but now I have to learn about you joining this little boys' club because Fleur's the only person who'll keep me in the loop?" "It's not just guys, McGonagall is part of it," interjected Harry. "And we just added Tonks and Professor Flamel!" Ginny shot a glare at him that effectively communicated the sentiment that it would be best not to bother with corrections of that sort. She let out a loud huff of frustration as she turned back to her brother. "Keep up this kind of behavior and you'll be forfeiting the title of 'Best Brother.' You're on thiiiiiiin ice, William!" Bill raised his hands as if she had aimed a powerful spell in his direction. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! No need to start talking crazy!" "You know 'e is sensitive about this ever since Charlie 'as moved back to England," noted Fleur with a wry smile. "I told you that in confidence!" yelped Bill, his hands lunging forward to pinch Fleur's sides. Her laughs rang out in the street for a few seconds before mingling with a more distant sound that was hard for Harry to identify at first. There was a faint rumbling that made Harry perk up his ears as Fleur's laughter stilled. All four remained motionless and quiet until they heard something they each instantly recognized. A distant scream. Without a moment's hesitation, all four began sprinting down the street toward the growing sounds of chaos. A sickening crunch of wood being splintered. A guttural roar, deep and full of rage. More cries of terror. Rounding a corner, Harry nearly toppled over a third or fourth year student who was scrambling away from the scene in front of them. Three gargantuan giants lumbered away from the wreckage that had once been the Three Broomsticks. Each stood at least twenty feet tall, their great steps shaking the ground beneath them with each footfall. Despite having left the tavern more than an hour ago, Harry's mind flashed to the friends he had left there. Had they chosen to remain there talking until a giant's fist smashed the building into barely more than a pile of kindling? Unwilling to wrestle with the implications, he rushed forward alongside Ginny, Fleur, and Bill. "Their hide is impervious to most low-level spells!" called Bill as they ran, his wand at the ready. "It'll take something powerful to make any sort of dent!" "They are weakest around zee neck and face, but make sure to stay far clear of their arms," added Fleur as they narrowed the distance. "They are likely to flail wildly when injured!" "Let's try to hold their attention long enough for people to escape," replied Bill. "Keep them at bay until help arrives. Impedimenta!" The spell struck the nearest giant square in the jaw, but Harry didn't think it had slowed at all. The giant smacked its own face with a massive grey hand as if swatting at a mosquito. It turned to gaze down the street at what had caused the annoyance and its eyes landed on the four standing amidst a steady flow of students and villagers fleeing the area. It let loose a growl that grew into a roar, which brought the other two giants' attention to its attackers. The four shot off a flurry of spells in quick succession as the giants approached. Red, blue, and yellow light shot through the space between them but didn't seem to make much difference. Two of the giants covered their faces and necks with their enormous forearms, while another ducked to the side to rip a lamppost from the ground to use as a club. "Remember zee golem from zee tournament, 'Arry?" called out Fleur as more spells ricocheted off the giants' tough skin. Bill grunted in recognition as Harry thought back to that harrowing fight. "Focus on the nearest giant and cast bombarda on my count! Un! Deux! TROIS!" Four voices cried "Bombarda!" as neon purple balls of spell energy flew toward the closest giant. The first connected with the giant's arms, exploding with enough force to blast them away from their defensive position in front of its face, though they were very much still attached and dangerous. The second and third spell collided with the upper chest of the giant, doing enough damage to knock it back slightly and leave a concave dent in the creature's sternum, though Harry saw hardly any blood from the wound. However, those strikes did knock its chin up, leaving the beast's neck exposed as its eyes pointed toward the sky. The final bombarda struck the giant right on a lumpy knob that Harry thought might have been like an adam's apple. A sickening squelch accompanied the sound of the explosion. Though the spell would have easily blown up most things it was fired upon, the neck outwardly appeared almost unscathed. Visible beneath the skin, however, were two jagged protuberances that gave Harry a queasy feeling. The giant made an angry, gurgling sound as it grasped at its throat. It toppled to the ground, still clasping at its neck while coughing up blood, as the other two giants stepped on their companion while continuing their advance. "Look out!" cried Bill, causing Harry to pry his eyes from the horrifying sight of the giant rolling on the ground. Ginny yanked him by the arm as a lamppost smashed into the ground where he had been standing moments before. A rush of wind from the makeshift club blew across his face. "Damn, they've got long reach!" exclaimed Ginny before returning fire. Harry had no time to marvel at how close he'd come to being bludgeoned by the giant before joining Ginny's effort. He wiped sweat from his brow out of exertion, even in the chilly autumn air. One of the giants grabbed a section of the Honeydukes roof with its hand, collapsing the wall around the entryway and flinging it like a projectile at its four attackers. They ducked and covered their heads with their hands as most of it soared well over them, though smaller boards, shingles, and other debris rained down upon them as the main piece sailed overhead. The sound of screaming children indicated that many students had taken shelter in the candy shop. The cacophony drew the giant's attention back to the now-roofless building. "We can't let them destroy Honeydukes with so many people inside!" shouted Harry as he scrambled back onto his feet. "We've got to draw them away somehow!" From well beyond the collapsed giant, Hermione darted into the chaos of the street to join Blaise as they moved toward the fray. Relief that they were both safe flooded Harry until the giant with the lamppost began to slowly wind up to bring its club down into the middle of the shop. Without considering the implications of the action, Harry planted his feet, leveled his wand at the giant, and cried, "Accio lamppost!" at the top of his lungs. It wasn't enough to pull the club from the giant's hand, but the magical tug caused the creature to turn menacingly toward the annoying wizard accosting it. A chorus of "Accio lamppost!" rang out as Ginny, Fleur, and Bill joined with Harry in attempting to wrest the weapon from their foe. The giant's grip tightened as it tried to wield the club, but the four held fast. The other giant paid no mind to the battle between its compatriot and the puny wizards and witches; it was much more interested in the screams emanating from the ruptured building. Great lumbering steps brought it closer to its enclosed quarry. The shrieks of terror redoubled when the giant's head loomed over the broken wall and ruptured roof, though Harry saw a few jets of light fly upward into the darkening skies, too. The lamppost was still being pulled back against the giant's will as the four of them strained to keep it from bringing its weapon down on Honeydukes when an idea occurred to Harry in a flash. "Drop the spell!" he called out, allowing his wand arm to fall to his side. "Do it now!" Harry didn't have to look to know that they'd heeded his advice. With the force of four powerful spells no longer holding back its attempt to smash the lamppost down like a club, the giant's arm lurched forward at remarkable speed toward the building. However, it instead collided with the back of the other giant's head with a sickening crunch. The lamppost, now irreparably-bent beyond recognition, crushed the skull of the other giant before it realized that it had been struck. The force of the blow knocked it to its knees where it collapsed sideways in a heap without moving. A glowing white otter darted toward the four of them from somewhere behind Honeydukes. Harry frantically looked down the street to where Hermione and Blaise had appeared, but neither were visible now. The patronus carried Hermione's panicked voice as it stopped in front of them. "Secret passage! Distract the last one!" Ginny rushed forward, calling out over her shoulder, "She's trying to get the students out through a passage to Hogwarts! We've got to buy her some time!" Two shop owners, both of whom looked absolutely terrified, burst out of their doors to fire spells at the remaining giant, but it was clear to Harry that nothing they shot was affecting it in the slightest. As he ran to get closer, he saw a gaggle of fifth years from Defense Club were attempting to fire bludgeoning hexes from behind the cover provided by the corner of a nearby shop. Harry doubted their spells would be anything more than an annoyance, but he was grateful for any sort of distraction. With darkness swiftly approaching, Harry saw a sickly-grey hex fire from Ginny's wand directly at the giant's face. For a moment, nothing happened. Suddenly, humongous grey blobs with flapping wings began to emerge from the giant's nose. They swarmed out, their tiny claws tearing at the insides of each nostril and ripping at any part of the giant's face they could reach. Ignoring the flurry of low-level spells fired by fairly weak shopkeepers and young students was no problem for the giant, but a storm of bats erupting from its nose to attack its face was something wildly different. It swatted at the creatures violently, smacking itself in the face in the process. It roared in anger and pain until they had all been smashed and smeared across its hands and face, along with more than a smattering of blood. Gone was any interest in the building or those hiding within it. The giant swept its angry face to the side until its eyes trained on Ginny, snarling as it glowered at her. Ginny's eyes grew wide and she muttered a potent swear under her breath just before the giant charged at the four of them. Despite its lumbering appearance and dull-witted stare, the giant sprang forward faster than Harry thought possible. Without a moment to lose, Harry's hand clasped Ginny's and tugged her to the side. They fled down an alley between two shops, careening past bins and leaping over a small, frightened cat as they sprinted. Harry glanced over his shoulder as the giant smashed into the side of one of the shops, nearly too big to fit between the buildings. Two flashes of light let him know that Fleur and Bill were firing at their pursuer, but whatever they'd shot at the giant had deflected harmlessly off its tough skin. A kicked bin soared over their heads as they ducked to the left in front of a shop and up an empty street. "How do we slow it down?" yelled Ginny, her breath coming in gasps from sprinting to the commotion then away from the giant, not to mention the exertion of the high-powered spells she'd fired. Several heads poked out of shop doors or cottages, and a multitude of students pressed their faces against the glass of Zonko's Joke Shop. "Shoot water behind us!" called Harry loudly, his lungs burning in his chest. She didn't hesitate, crying "Aguamenti!" and pointing her wand backward behind them. Harry turned around, still running backward to keep as much distance between himself and the giant as possible. Ginny's spell had covered most of the cobblestone road with a small layer of water, but he didn't expect that to be enough to slow down the attacker, who burst out from the alleyway and onto the wet street. Gritting his teeth and concentrating, Harry pointed his wand at the ground instead of the giant and yelled out, "Glacius!" The flowing water conjured by Ginny began to freeze instantly, coating the street with a sheet of ice. The giant's face was full of rage as it made to run after them, ignoring the ground at its feet. For a second, Harry thought his plan had worked: the giant slipped on the icy street and looked to be losing its balance. But it brought its huge fist down with a tremendous shudder, shattering the thin ice on the ground. Massive and calloused bare feet skid across the broken ice with skin far too thick to be cut. Though the behemoth was slowed, it used both legs and arms to scramble for purchase against the slippery road. A familiar voice called out from the open door of Zonko's while Harry turned to rejoin Ginny in sprinting away. "Incendio!" yelled Ron as he stepped forward, with Padma peeking out from behind his tall frame and crying out, "Confundo!" Ron's orange spell rocketed toward the giant, extinguishing against the thick, grey skin of its side and barely leaving a mark. The silver of Padma's spell connected near the giant's head, but it seemed too dense to be confused out of its terrible anger. Fleur and Bill clambered out of the alleyway over the wreckage left in the giant's wake. Bill's magnified voice thundered through the chilly evening air. "ANYONE WHO CAN CAST: STUPEFY ON THREE! ONE! TWO! THREE!" Ginny and Harry wheeled around to face the giant, their wands hastily aimed as they both cried "Stupefy!" at the top of their lungs. Their jets of blue light hurtled at the massive figure pursuing them as four bore down on it from Ron, Padma, Parvati, and Luna at the entrance of Zonko's. From behind, Fleur and Bill fired theirs, as well. A shining glow of blue light erupted as eight spells collided with the giant. Harry shielded his eyes from the brightness, though he thought he saw at least two strike the giant squarely in the head. Through his spotty vision, Harry squinted at the dark shape where the giant had stood. Even running on all fours, its head had still remained almost ten feet off the ground. A huge THUD resounded as the giant's body collapsed to the ground, followed by cheers from various students and villagers who had been watching the scene. Harry allowed his shoulders to droop as he gasped for air. He almost reached for Ginny, but found he needed both of his hands planted on his knees to support himself. "Are you- alright, Gin?" he wheezed, the pain in his chest growing as he tried to force air into his lungs. "Fine," she replied, also out of breath. Her eyes traveled from the fallen giant to the alleyway it had chased them through. "Think that's it? I didn't see any more giants, did you?" "Think it was just- the three of them," replied Harry. He let out a low swear as he pushed against his knees to right himself. Chilly air filled his lungs as he sucked in ragged breaths. "Let's go see if we can help out- back at the Three Broomsticks. I've had more than enough- excitement for one day…" |
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