The Battle at the Ministry
I awoke, and pulled on my robes, sneaking past Umbridge, who was asleep in one of the chairs near the fire. As I made it towards the Great Hall, I heard a voice.
"Stop." I slowed, and turned, catching sight of Umbridge, wand pointed at me.
"Show me your arms, and I won't have to do this." I raised my hands, setting down my bag.
"Do what, exactly?" She smiled evilly.
"I don't want to jinx you." I laughed before drawing my wand, people slowly crowding in to watch.
"You think you can beat me in a duel? I defeated Dumbledore himself." She quailed for a split second, but shrugged it off.
"I have full rights as a Ministry Official to question you using force if necessary." I nodded, and spoke.
"Well, I have full rights to defend myself." She sighed, before shooting a Stun spell at me. I barely flicked my wand, and it bounced off of a Shield Charm. She tried again. And again. And again. Each time I wouldn't retaliate, just block it into the ground. Eventually, she grew frustrated, moving from Stuns to Disarms, but I still blocked it easily. Finally, with a noise of frustration, she sent a jinx at me. I dodged it before speaking.
"We don't learn about those from the Defensive Magical Theory book." She growled, and yelled at me, drawing even more people to our crowd.
"What are you afraid of? Just show me your arms. The mere fact that you're doing this means you've got something to hide." I rolled my shoulders.
"Or, it means I don't like taking orders from a short," she flung another curse at me, "poor dressing," she shrieked in anger, "ugly toad." The next thing I knew, a Cruciatus Curse bounced off of my shield at a funny angle, jetting straight into Luna, who had been watching from the sidelines. She screamed, and my eyesight reddened at the edges. Without even casting a spell, the floor cracked open, the hallway rumbling and shaking as the crack widened, shooting quickly towards Umbridge. I struggled with my anger, and halted the gap inches before her feet.
"End the spell." She was shaking, and I was shocked when she shook her head, two people carrying Luna from the hallway as she writhed.
"Show me your arm. Show all of us your arm, Kehoe." I growled, anger boiling inside me, and chuckled mirthlessly, the sound echoing insanely around the hallway.
"You've seen what I can do without a wand, Dolores. Are you this keen to find out what I can do with it?" She stood firm, and I continued.
"End the spell. Now." She rose to her full diminutive height.
"No." My arm began to move of its own accord, crack slowly closing as I stepped towards her. I struggled, and grasped my wand arm with my other, holding it back. I was at the point of breaking, and knew I couldn't hold on much longer, before I heard Dumbledore.
"Dolores. End the spell, now!" He pushed through the crowd, and walked quickly between her and I. I was still fighting the instinct to hurt her, one part of me wondering where it came from, the other struggling to keep me from tearing her to shreds.
"Dumbledore, I demand to see his arms." He beckoned to someone behind me, and I felt someone's strong arms wrapping around me, and dragging me back. He spoke softly.
"There is an innocent person being tortured to death right now, and you are the only person who can stop it. As the Headmaster of this school, I command you to release the spell." She shuddered, and flicked her wand.
"There. But I will find out why he will not show me his arms, Dumbledore. There is something going on at this school, and I shall find out what it is." She turned on her heel, and stomped up the stairs. Once she had left, Dumbledore turned.
"Let him go." I was dropped, and I turned to look at who was holding me back, finding that it was a suit of armour. Suddenly, as I made to put my wand away, the Mark flared like it never had before, as did my hand.
"Dumbledore!" I dropped to my knees, wand seemingly glued to my hand, and he dashed over.
"What is it?" I groaned, hand burning, and spoke between gasps.
"Wand... Mark... Burn..." He grasped me, and practically carried me to the Hospital wing.
"Poppy, help him." She turned from where Luna was lying on a bed, and saw me.
"Come on, what is it?" Dumbledore left, shutting the doors, and I spoke slowly.
"My hand... The wand burns, like the Mark. I can't drop it." She sighed, before summoning a stream of cold water and dousing my hand. It helped some, and she reached into the stream, pulling the wand slowly and painfully from my grasp. I gasped when it was gone, and the burning on my Mark tripled.
"Roll your sleeve up." I did so, and was surprised to see that the mark was bright red. She hosed it down, while I gripped the side of a bed. Once the pain had stopped, I relaxed.
"Why do you think that happened?" She shrugged, confused, and I heard a voice behind me.
"It happened because of the magic associated with receiving the Mark. For a year or so after having it tattooed into your skin, it subtly influences your emotions, and if you resist them, especially in your case, the result is painful." I turned, and saw Snape approaching us. I nodded, and he watched cautiously as Madam Pomfrey wrapped my arm and hand with a gauze-like substance that cooled the burns my wand had left. She patted my shoulder, and I smiled before walking over to Luna.
"Are you okay?" She nodded, propped up on a few pillows, and flashed a strained smile at me. I brought her into a hug, and we embraced for a little while, before Madam Pomfrey came up to us and handed Luna a potion.
"This should help with the after-effects." Luna nodded before downing the potion in a single gulp. She shuddered, and, after a moment, relaxed. Snape spoke.
"You are extraordinarily powerful, Dugan, to have resisted a Mark that was applied by the Dark Lord himself." I nodded, and rose, patting Luna's shoulder before drawing him aside.
"Do you think that it would be possible for me to defeat him in a duel?" Snape shrugged.
"You have beaten Professor Dumbledore, so there is a chance. A very, very slim one, though. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to return to my office. Call upon me if you have questions." I nodded, and he turned on his heel and exited, leaving me to ponder the future and how I was going to survive the next few years.
-
After the events of the past week or two, with Dumbledore's Army being busted and Dumbledore himself vanishing, I was surprised we were still having Career Advice Day, with Umbridge as the new Headmistress. I sighed, and stood, exiting my class, Charms, along with everyone else, and heading towards the room I was going to meet with Flitwick in. I entered, and found him already there, which was strange because I had left the class far before him. I shrugged inwardly, and sat, stowing my bag next to me.
"Ah, Mr. Kehoe. Before I recommend the courses to you that I feel you would have the best aptitude for based on your grades and skills in magic do you have any that you wish to discuss?" I frowned, and looked over the pamphlets.
"Maybe an Auror." He nodded. It was then I noticed Umbridge in the back of the room, scribbling notes on a clipboard. I subtly checked to make sure my arms were covered, and returned my attention to Flitwick, who was glancing through the pamphlet.
"That would be a definite option for you, as your classes are all graded Outstanding, so far. Have you ever thought of teaching here?" I frowned, and shook my head.
"Not really. Do you think I could?" He nodded.
"You possess an incredible amount of knowledge, which you could use to teach students in almost any class, save Divination or Care of Magical Creatures." I made a face, and spoke.
"I'm a little glad I don't have an aptitude for Divination.” He chuckled, and nodded before continuing.
"Well, I certainly think you could excel at either working as an Auror or as a teacher, here at Hogwarts." At this point, Umbridge coughed slightly.
"If I could interrupt, Filius." He paused, grimacing slightly before turning.
"Yes, Dolores?" She leaned forward.
"Perhaps an Auror or a teaching position here is not the best choice for Dugan, as he has a slight temper issue." Filius shrugged.
"Well, it is, in fact, my advice that Mr. Kehoe is listening to, so I will take yours into consideration. Dugan, do you have any questions about either career?" I shrugged.
"What kind of qualifications do you need to teach here?" He shuffled through his notes.
"Well, it would require a personal recommendation by no less than four teachers, and an O.W.L. Score of at least Exceeds Expectations in all of your exams. What class would you be interested in teaching?" I frowned, thinking to myself.
"Possibly Transfiguration, or maybe Defence Against the Dark Arts, as Professor McGonagall is probably still going to be teaching here when I apply." Flitwick nodded, while Umbridge interrupted us again.
"I don't think that Defence Against the Dark Arts would be the best class for him to teach, Filius." He shuddered, and made to speak.
"Well, once more, it is my advice that he is following, as I am the head of his House. You are more than welcome to give your input, but I reserve the right to ignore it. Anyway, Dugan, Defence Against the Dark Arts would be a good class for you to teach, as your class grades in the past have been admirable, an Outstanding in every year." I nodded, and he handed me a pamphlet on the class itself, and I thanked him before exiting the room, and heading to my next class.
~
The worst part of Umbridge's Reign of Terror was the Inquisitor Rule that stated boys and girls couldn't get within six inches of each other. Of course, Luna and I broke that rule, but I couldn't hold her hand in public anymore, or peck her cheek before we separated for different classes. I was progressively getting angrier and angrier at Umbridge, knowing that it was in part because of the Mark, but also because of the several rules she had put up. Therefore, when O.W.L. testing arrived, I was relieved to hear that we could get several free periods between tests, during which I could sneak in some time with Luna. As I hurried to my first written exam, Charms, I reviewed all of the things I had studied the nights before. Cheering Charms, Silencing Charms, and a few simpler ones like Levitation and Colour Change Charms. I entered the Great Hall, stowed my bag, and sat at a desk. When the room was full, Flitwick stood on top of his usual stack of books.
"This is the written portion of your Charms O.W.L., and both the quills and tests themselves have been enchanted with Anti-Cheating Charms and will sound an alarm if someone tries to bewitch them. You have one hour. Begin." I flipped over the test, wrote my name on the top, and began. What is the Charm that causes objects to fly? I wrote in the answer, Wingardium Leviosa, and proceeded to the next one.
-
Afterwards, I met up with Luna outside of the Great Hall.
"How was it?" I shrugged.
"Not too bad. I've got to go back in, though, for the practical Defence exam." She nodded, and hugged me. "Good luck." I smiled a little, and hugged her back before entering the Great Hall once more.
Defence Against the Dark Arts was a breeze. I performed all of the counter-jinxes and counter-curses perfectly (having had some experience with the curses and jinxes themselves), and, as the instructor was finishing up, she spoke quietly, glancing back at Umbridge.
"I heard a little rumour from a friend of mine that you are an unregistered Animagus..." She moved her body to shield me from the Headmistress.
"For an extra point?" I smiled, and glanced around the room before quickly shifting into the dove, something I hadn't done since my third year, too afraid at being discovered. She clapped her gnarled hands together, and I shifted back quickly.
"Beautiful... I'd say you've earned that extra point, Mr. Kehoe." I smiled, as the wizened old witch smiled back. I exited, passing right by Umbridge, who was watching me suspiciously, and walked slowly back to the dormitory, reminded of the joy I used to feel as the dove. I hurried into my dorm, shut the door, and opened the window, jumping out and shifting in midair. I swooped through the air, barely missing the ground, and soared through the sky, not worrying about the Astronomy exam that night, and I decided to play a few pranks on the younger years. I spotted a group of three I couldn't exactly make out, and angled my body downward. I pulled up at the last second, landing gently on the middle one's head. It was then I realised the three were in fact Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Hermione shrieked, and began batting at her hair, as I had landed in hers. I ruffled my feathers, and hopped onto Ron, who swore and emulated Hermione before I jumped to the ground and shifted back.
"Hey, guys." Hermione humphed, and scowled at me before looking back down at the book she was reading.
"Are you all ready for the Astronomy exam?" We continued walking, me backwards, while Ron and Harry shook their heads glumly, Hermione engrossed in her book, which I realised was a book on the planets. I shrugged.
"Well, I'm pretty sure I'm ready, my only goal is to make it through the year without getting all of Ravenclaw's points knocked out by the Izzies." Ron chuckled, while Harry remained silent. 'Izzies' was a term that stood for the Inquisitorial Squad, and was my preferred name for them opposed to some of the more offensive names other fifth years had come up with. We made it to a tree next to the lake, and Harry collapsed, followed by Ron. Hermione set her bag down, and continued reading.
"Well, I suppose we'd better start studying too." Both Harry and Ron pulled books from their bags, and began reading as well. I groaned, and flopped onto the ground, not excited at all for myriad exam in Astronomy that night.
-
I wrote in the last planet on my chart, Uranus (ha ha), and set down my quill, noticing that no one was anywhere near done. I replaced my telescope in its holder carefully, and indicated I was done. One of the professors walked over, and sighed, as I had been finishing all of my exams far earlier than everyone else, the rumour circulating among the testers.
"Alright. You're done." I asked if I could stretch my legs, and, when she nodded, I walked to an empty part of the parapet and looked down at the grounds, beautifully mysterious in the night. I gazed down, looking at Hagrid's hut, and was surprised to see a sudden jet of red light.
"What the..." All of a sudden, people from the ground below began shouting, and I realised it was Umbridge trying to get Hagrid taken out of Hogwarts.
"That prick..." I watched in anger as it escalated, and gasped along with the others when McGonagall was Stunned by the lot. She fell, but I was already in motion, leaping over the edge of the tower and shifting as I fell, landing quickly next to her and shifting back.
"Minerva? Are you alright? Come on, let's get you inside." I lifted her carefully, and carried her inside, into the Hospital Wing as people shouted behind me, hurling abuse at Umbridge. I burst in, and shouted to Madam Pomfrey before finding an empty bed and gently setting McGonagall down (the problem with finding an open bed was the twins had passed out as many of their Sickness Pasties as possible before their brilliant escape, and people didn't understand the second half was the cure.) When she arrived, I explained the situation. She blanched, and nodded before dashing into her office and returning, to my surprise, with a bottle of Firewhiskey. She tipped a little into McGonagall's mouth, and sipped some herself. I reached out for the bottle, and downed half of it quickly, trying to suppress my anger at Umbridge with the burning sensation. I handed it back, and wiped my mouth, coughing slightly before turning to see Umbridge with the other people she had brought to capture Hagrid, who had escaped, from what I had gathered from the shouts and cheers in the entrance hall.
"As Headmistress of this school, I command you to explain how you went from the highest tower in the castle to Professor McGonagall's side in mere moments, Kehoe." I chuckled, and walked past her into the hall. She followed, and shouted.
"I'm serious! I shall have here men detain you, and I will use as much Veritaserum as it takes to get an answer from you." I slowed, and turned.
"I'll tell you." She stopped, surprised, and I smiled.
"I'm a wizard[c1] ." She growled, and the people in the entrance hall cowered, save me. She drew her wand, as did the other men, who I realised must be Aurors. I copied them, and she laughed mirthlessly.
"You think you can take on the five of us?" I knew it would be easy, but I needed to scare them before the inevitable duel. I began to giggle, trying to copy the Dark Lord's laugh as much as possible, and it evolved into a high, cold, utterly insane laugh. It pealed around the entrance hall, people shivering in fear, as Umbridge quailed. All of a sudden, it stopped.
"A better question is this: do the five of you think you can take on me?" She scowled, and they raised their wands.
"One second, please." I turned to the spectators.
"If you would, please be ready to cast a Shield Charm at any moment, as there will be a lot of curses and spells going through this hallway in a few moments." I turned my attention to the five of them, and bowed. They did not, and I sighed.
"Well, shall we?" They sent five spells at me, two Stunners, a Body Bind, and two Disarms. I blocked them easily before laughing.
"Mediocre spellwork, you lot." I whipped my wand in an arc, drawing water from the dewy ground outside, and sent a tidal wave at them. As it washed over them, I Stunned two of the Aurors, leaving three people total. Umbridge gasped, water sopping from her cardigan, and shivered. I twirled my wand once more, sending a gust of air at them, taking the opportunity to Stun the other two Aurors.
"It seems you are alone, Dolores." She glanced around, surprised to set hat the four others were down for the count. She turned back to me, and I grinned.
"I will not hesitate to use the Cruciatus Curse once more, Kehoe." I sighed, and held out my arms.
"Go on. Do it." She frowned, and scowled deeper, suspecting treachery. I waited expectantly, and she shrugged before grinning evilly and sending a Disarm at me faster than I could block with words. I barely had time to react at all, and used Jack's Reversal spell without even moving at all. It shot back at her, and her wand flew high into the air, landing neatly in my hand. She looked at me, thunderstruck, and I danced a little jig.
"You can't beat me, Umbridge. Give it up." She glanced around fearfully, and I tossed her wand to her.
"Why do you even want to see my arms, anyway?" She eyed the wand carefully, and responded.
"I was notified that... You might be a Death Eater." My stomach dropped out, but I played up appearances. Knowing I had all of my O.W.L.s done and graded, I really didn't have to stay here for this year. But, if I wanted to come back next year, I had to finish the school year.
"I'm offended, Professor. Besides, you know you can't discipline me, because I'm too good of a spellcaster, and you can't write home, unless you want me to take the letter to my parents' graves. So just give up, then. Let me finish my fifth year, and then you can send as many people as you want. Not hard." She frowned, and sighed.
"Fine. Now, get out of my sight. I have to interrogate Mr. Potter." I froze, as she turned on her heel, leaving me to receive the back pats from everyone in the hall. I smiled, and thanked them, hanging around until I was alone, suspicious of what Umbridge had said about interrogating Harry. Presently, I heard Umbridge's voice drawing near, accompanied by Harry's and Hermione's. I Vanished myself, and watched as they passed, Hermione telling them about some weapon that Dumbledore had. I was intrigued, and followed them, still invisible, into the forest, through the knotted roots and towering trees, until we reached a small clearing. In it stood a towering figure, what had to be a small giant (oh, the irony). I swore, fading into existence, and ducked behind a tree, too afraid to help as the giant yelled, and as presently Umbridge was swept away by a horde of centaurs. I swore louder, causing Hermione and Harry to jump. I stepped from my cover, and waved.
"You could have helped us with the centaurs, Dugan!" I shook my head, and beckoned.
"We need to get you lot to the castle. It isn't safe here." Harry shook his head.
"They've got Sirius in the Hall of Prophecy, Dugan. Voldemort does." I paled.
"Damn. Well, we'd better get going. Let's-" we were interrupted in our walk, by Luna, who I hugged tightly, a Gryffindor by the name of Neville, Ginny, and Ron.
"Dugan?" I nodded, and Harry glanced at Luna and I in confusion for a moment.
"Okay, we're going to the Ministry. I think I saw some thestrals over there, by the big oak tree..." The group hurried over, me holding Luna's hand tightly. We found the thestrals presently (I think, I couldn't see them), and began mounting them. I spoke to Luna.
"You stay here." She looked up at me, blue eyes become sharp and dangerous.
"No, I'm going with you. You do know what will happen if you go, right?" I nodded, knowing that if I went, and helped Potter, I would be exposing my treachery to Voldemort and making myself his Number Two target. At this point, with Sirius at the Ministry and Dumbledore missing, I figured it was my duty as the strongest wizard to go and help them fight. I looked at her long and hard, before kissing her swiftly and helping her onto a thestral before turning to smoke (Ron often referred to it as me 'smoking out,' even though I had no clue where he was getting the phrase from) I followed the thestrals, too busy worrying about the path we would take to care about anyone seeing us, and we soon arrived in London, soaring over streets and buildings with unsuspecting Muggles living in them before slowing down over a particular section of the city, landing next to a beat up telephone box in a gloomy alley. I glanced around for a door, while Harry rushed over to the telephone booth.
"We'll all have to fit-Dugan, could you smoke out for a moment, please?" I sighed, and waited until everyone was crammed into the box.
"This may feel strange." I stepped towards the doorway, turning to smoke as I entered the booth, and heard Harry do whatever he was doing to get us into the Ministry (the thing with smoking out was I couldn't hear very well, but I could see around the same.). The telephone booth slowly began to sink into the ground, and I was feeling quite strange, fitting in my smoke around everybody. Thankfully, the ride wasn't long, and I turned back as soon as the door opened a few steps away in the Atrium Hall. It was strange, black marble tiles with fireplaces lining it and a banner of Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, in a central area with windowed offices and several lift doors. I took my pin, and looked at it with mild interest as we dashed past the fountain, hopping the desk and dashing into an open elevator. Potter smashed the ninth floor button, and we were off, jangling and rattling so loud I expected us to be caught the second we left. As we slowed, I drew my wand, stepping in front of the others to protect them from any oncoming curses. The only thing that greeted us was more black marble and flickering torches. Harry took point, and we moved down the hall, turning right and heading towards a plain black door.
"Okay, listen," he said, stopping before we reached the door.
"Maybe... Maybe a couple of people should stay here as a-as a lookout, and-" Ginny interrupted.
"And how're we going to let you know something's coming? You could be miles away." Neville spoke.
"We're coming with you." Ron agreed, and Potter sighed, before turning and entering the door, finding a circular room filled with other doors. Once the door behind us shut, they began to rotate. I raised my wand, and shouted a spell. The room was filled with blinding light, and the doors stopped moving, the one directly in front of us opening.
"That's the one! Dugan, how did you do that?" Harry spoke, looking at me in bewilderment. I herded them towards it while I replied.
"Very powerful Dark Magic. If they hadn't heard us before, they heard us now." We moved quickly through a room full of clocks of all sorts, and into the Hall of Prophecy.
"Okay, we need to go... Right." We followed Hermione, wands out, as we passed row after row of towering shelves, all full of small glass orbs, filled with white smoke, until we reached row ninety-seven. It was empty. I grasped the meaning instantly, and ran from the far end of the row as hard as I could to where the others were watching Harry.
"Guys, it's a tr-" he picked up the orb with his name on it, and examined it. I knew what was coming before it had happened.
"Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slow, and give that to me." I growled, drawing my wand and turning on none other than Lucius Malfoy. He saw me, and chuckled.
"Drop the act, Kehoe. Your job is done." I stood between him and Harry, and shook my head.
"You think I was on your side? Sure, I broke the lunatic out of Azkaban, but I also told Dumbledore of the entire plan. And to think, you all follow a half-blooded, no-nosed, pale freak who was foolish enough to be fooled by a fifteen-year-old kid! Really does show how gullible Ol' Voldy is, doesn't it?" From next to him, I heard Bellatrix shriek in anger, and I laughed, echoing around the room. I tapped Harry's foot slightly while Bellatrix hurled abuse at me.
"I'm going to create a diversion." He nodded slightly, and communicated the message to the others. While she yelled, I Silenced her.
"You talk too much. Think about brushing your teeth, maybe." Her jaw dropped, and everyone looked at me, thunderstruck. I raised my wand, aiming at the shelf next to us, and shouted my distraction.
"DESTRUCTO!" With a massive explosion, the row of prophecies shattered, sending pale forms all over the place. We dashed past Death Eaters, arms over our heads, and pelted down the hall until we reached the fifty-third row, bursting into the door room. We all took one at random, and the one I chose led into empty space. I fell, it shutting behind me, and landed hard on a stone bench, feeling my left leg snap beneath me. I roared in pain, and continued falling, hitting bench after bench until I finally stopped, a heap of broken bones. I looked up, the door I had entered in a long ways up, and groaned in pain as I was alone. I laid there, and knew I had to rise, for I could hear voices in the distance, just quiet enough for me not to be able to discern their owners. I aimed my wand at my broken leg, and, in a moment of desperation, groaned out a spell.
"Reparo." It snapped back into place painfully, and I screamed in pain as waves of white-hot pain rolled over me. I turned my wand on all of my injuries (several broken bones and a dislocated hip), before shakily rising. I blew my hair from my face, and leaned on a bench for support, turning and viewing the rest of the room. It was a circular pit, benches lining it as it rose up, and in the centre stood a crumbling archway, with a curtain fluttering gently inside of it. It was from there that the voices were emanating from. I raised my wand, and crept around the the other side, limping slightly (Reparo is a good spell to repair inanimate objects, but often has disastrous side effects on living things.) I leapt around the edge of the archway, and frowned as I saw there was no one there. I limped around to the other side, and saw that the voices were actually coming from inside it. I made to enter, but heard a thunderous crash as someone was falling down, much like I had. I ducked behind the archway, and peered around it, seeing Harry being captured by as many as ten Death Eaters, who also had Neville. As they advanced, I leapt out from my cover and began firing curses at them. I managed to hit two, before the others reacted. I used a Summoning Spell on Neville, whilst dragging Harry out of the way. Neville crashed into me, sending the three of us spinning across the platform that the Arch stood on, while I jumped to my feet, duelling eight Death Eaters at once, desperately using all of the spells I could think of. I just had to buy enough time for Harry to formulate a plan to get us out, and I gritted my teeth, setting to work giving these people a run for their money. I ducked and weaved, Harry and Neville hiding behind a column of the archway, while I shot jinxes and curses at the others. One was hit with a Blindness Curse, and he screamed, distracting two others long enough for me to Stun one and knock the other unconscious. Five left, Lestrange and Malfoy firing off Killing Curse after Killing Curse after me. I felt one ruffle my hair, and I cursed, sending streams of spells at them. A line of bright white light took out two, leaving three left. I was beginning to tire, sweat soaking my robes, and was to the point of ducking behind the archway and welcoming my fate when more people burst into the room. I took this distraction as an opportunity to jinx another Death Eater, before looking up and seeing that the Order of the Phoenix had arrived. I shouted in joy, and ducked behind the Archway as more Death Eaters flooded the room. I checked on Harry and Neville, the former standing in front of me, shooting spells, while the other leaned against the arch. I ducked back into the battle, dancing through a hail of spells, and petrified a Death Eater before seeing Sirius fall. The room froze, as he fell into the archway, not reappearing on the other side. The Death Eaters made their escape as Dumbledore appeared, but I dashed after Lestrange into the Atrium. I shot a curse after her, and she turned, growling.
"Betrayer!" She shot a Killing Curse at me, which I dodged, and we dueled for a brief moment before my Mark burned. Dread filled me as Voldemort appeared behind Bellatrix, and she cackled before dashing off.
"So. I hear you have betrayed me, Dugan. This will not stand." He drew his wand, and I growled.
"I may die here, but I must ask you one thing." He arched an eyebrow.
"Is Tom short for Thomas, or is it just Tom? I've always wondered, and-" he yelled in rage, and sent a rolling wave of Fiend Fyre at me. I waved my wand sending it into the windows, shattering them, and twirled it, sending the glass shards flying at him. He swiped his wand, and they puffed into smoke, which turned into a massive snake that filled the Atrium. Before I could react, another person entered the duel, and I turned to see Dumbledore glaring at Voldemort.
"Take care, Tom, for the two of us combined are more than enough to defeat you." He shrieked in anger, and I glanced at Dumbledore, who winked. We raised our wands in unison, and the snake burst into a ball of water, which engulfed Voldemort, sending him flying into the air. All at once, the ball vanished, replaced by fine salt. Voldemort was nowhere to be seen, and I looked around warily. Suddenly I was picked up by an unseen force and slammed into a wall, vision going black.
~
I awoke, on the floor in the Atrium, Luna cradling my head in her lap. I opened my eyes wider, and she gasped.
"You're alive! Dugan's alright!" I tried to sit up, but gasped in pain as what felt like daggers stabbed my entire body.
"Don't move, don't move, you're hurt really bad." I nodded slightly, and looked up at her. I noticed a small line of dried blood on her forehead, along with a bloody nose.
"Luna, are you okay? You've been hurt." She laughed, and nodded, tears streaming down her face. I sighed, and relaxed into her hands, people shouting in the background, and started to fall asleep.
"Stay awake, Dugan." Dumbledore's voice brought me back, and he handed me a flask, careful not to touch my skin.
"Drink. It'll speed the healing." I took it, and gulped it down. It tasted foul, with the consistency of pudding, but I drank it down, a cold feeling spreading through me. He smiled at me, before striding off to talk to Fudge. I laid there, in Luna's arms, for a while, knowing that war was coming, just not when. I also knew that it would be the hardest fight of my life, because I was now sharing Voldemort's Most Wanted position with Harry.
[c1]Imagine that being said in the thickest Irish accent possible, if you will.