Harry was grateful the following morning to find that neither of Hermione's parents mentioned strange noises in the night. He was certain that at least one of them had heard something. His hope was that they would disregard it as a part of their dream. After all, how could they hear their own daughter's voice? She was tucked away in Hogwarts.
"So Harry, how is our daughter doing?" Mrs. Granger asked.
It made sense to start the conversation with that. The night before, everyone had been feeling the need to lift the mood, so they stuck to talking about good memories from the past at Hogwarts. Eventually, though, current events had to come up.
"I don't know, honestly," Harry said.
"Really?" Mr. Granger said. "But it sounded like you were always nearly inseparable."
"It's the war," Harry said. "It… forced me to drop out of school, in a way. Since then I've only seen Hermione once. She sounds like she's doing okay in her letters. Mostly, it sounds like she's worried about me."
"That's how it is when she writes to us as well," Mrs. Granger said. "That's what convinced us to leave the country, actually."
"It hurts knowing that we can't help protect her, but at least we can avoid holding her back," Mr. Granger said.
"I think that's impressive—" Harry stopped talking.
A weird feeling crept up on him; it was a sensation that he hadn't possessed not too long ago, but that had developed across Aberforth's lessons. It was the sense that warned Harry when he was about to be cursed.
Tonks was the only other witch who should be around, and she was lost in eating her fried eggs. Harry got up, knocking over his chair and shaking the table in the process.
"Get down!" he said.
He pulled out his strongest shield charm, not sure what he was up against. A blasting curse hit the kitchen window.
The kitchen was joined with the dining room, both rooms located near the back of the house. The backyard lay just outside, and it had been infiltrated. Harry only realized this as the wall was blown apart.
His shield held out through the blast. Mrs. Granger and Mr. Granger both screamed. It was like a bomb had just gone off on their suburban house.
"Grainy Grainy Grangers!" a woman sang. "I hear there are two of you now. Older versions. I wonder how well they'll scream."
"Run," Harry said.
Only three Death Eaters were in the backyard. The reason for such a small group was probably two fold: they didn't expect the Grangers to be protected by any kind of magical fighters, and they were being led by someone fearsome enough that even unexpected variables weren't likely to stop her. Bellatrix Lestrange was here. That was one of the few Death Eaters that Harry knew he couldn't beat yet.
He had replayed his losing duel against Severus Snape so many times inside his head since it happened. It was always the same question on his lips: could Harry beat him now, after his training?
The answer was: "Most likely not." If Harry had to guess, he'd estimate that he had a 10% chance of sneaking a win over Snape by getting lucky.
Bellatrix was much better in a fight than Snape was. Harry's chances here were negligible. IF he had to win.
"Upstairs. Now," Harry hissed.
The Grangers scrambled in that direction. The Death Eaters tried to curse them, but they avoided using the killing curse. That was probably because they wanted to kill them slowly and force the Grangers to feel every second of it. However, it worked against them and let Harry block the spells with his powerful shield.
"Aurors?" Bellatrix said. "What are you pretty little things doing here?"
She couldn't see Harry and Tonks's faces yet because they were hiding behind the dining room table, which had been turned on its side in the initial blast.
"Follow Hermione's parents, Tonks," Harry said.
"Harry, you're not going to try fighting her, are you?" Tonks asked. "Don't, you aren't ready—"
"I'm not dumb," Harry said. "I know what my chances are. I'll follow you as soon as I've bought a little bit of time."
"Come out come out wherever you are," Bellatrix sang. "Ah, wait. I already know where you are. Avada Kedavra!"
The first killing curse of the duel blasted the table and made the two halves skid away in different directions. Harry and Tonks were revealed. Tonks did as Harry had asked and scrambled toward the stairs. Bellatrix only saw a flash of pink hair.
"Cousin!" she said, her voice horribly thrilled. "Come back and play!"
"Depulso!" Harry said.
His blasting curse hit the ceiling and devastated it. Big chunks of the ceiling rained down, mixed with a smoke made up of plaster.
"YOU!" Bellatrix shrieked with delight.
"Fuck off!" Harry snarled.
The plaster pieces made it hard to see, protecting him slightly as the Death Eaters tried to curse him but missed because of the visibilty. Harry spotted a shadow at the top of the room and heard a squeal.
By destroying a big part of the house, Harry had accidentally taken the floor out from under Eliza Granger. She teetered on the edge with her arms flailing and would have fallen if Harry didn't think quickly and levitate her.
The delay did cost him a little bit. Instead of getting out of the room quick enough, he offered a small opening that Bellatrix was quick enough to take advantage of. A spell that was an evil shade of red went past his shoulder and BARELY grazed him. The wound he was left with wasn't bigger than a paper cut, but it stunk of rotting flesh.
"Potter Potter Potter. Still have your arm?" Bellatrix asked.
Harry ran before the last of his plaster smokescreen could disperse. He caught up with the others on the second floor.
"Keep climbing!" Harry said.
"There are only two stories in the house!" Mr. Granger said.
"The roof," Harry insisted. "I'm saying get to the roof. Tonks can help you if you need it. I have a plan!"
It wasn't a very good one, but it WAS a plan.
The Grangers ran into the bedroom where Harry had stayed. They threw open the window and crawled out. Tonks made them levitate, sending Mrs. Granger up first. The Death Eaters appeared at the end of the hallway.
It was pretty narrow, something that Harry had noticed the night before. That meant that all three of them couldn't walk down it at the same time. Bellatrix ran ahead of the other two, facing Harry alone for a moment.
"Only the dark lord can kill you, but I can still have plenty of fun!" she screamed.
She attacked with three more of the spell that had brushed Harry's arm. Whatever it was was powerful dark magic that packed an incredible punch. Harry defended all three with a massive shield but was winded by the end of it. Considering he could handle Aberforth's spells for twice that long, it was a sign of how fearsome Bellatrix Lestrange really was.
Harry had to return fire in some way. Tonks was in the process of levitating Mr. Granger, probably about halfway done. He HAD to buy them more time. Harry shot a cutting curse and Bellatrix to make it seem like he was trying and aimed a second one at the sprinkler on the ceiling.
When it was cut into, water was spewed into the hallway. Harry used a spell that created a heavy gust of wind. It only blew Bellatrix's hair back… and managed to send all the water spraying over her and the death eaters.
"Stabilis Undam!" Harry yelled.
For a long time when their lessons started, Aberforth made Harry spend his days with his nose buried in books. At the time Harry was frustrated. It felt slow when what he needed was power. Over time, he came to understand.
Knowledge WAS power for a wizard. Voldemort could get away with using the overpowered killing curse every two seconds, but for everyone else you needed a repertoire of spells deep enough for every situation. After that, it was about outthinking whoever you were up against. Even Harry's great genetic magical power level was just a tool that let him think outside the box.
The spell Harry used was one that generated electricity. When normal wizards used it, it resulted in something akin to a static shock. When Harry used it, channeling almost a third of his magical reserves through his wand, it created something that looked like a cloud and behaved like a lightning bolt.
Bellatrix spun in a circle, drying herself off. Apparently the psychotic woman knew the basics of science, because she didn't use a magical shield (which could be weak against elemental attacks) and instead created a huge block of rubber in front of her. Instead of covering the hallway she only worried about herself. Her underlings weren't as fast as her and both of them fell down with their skin smoking.
"Potter's got some tricks," Bellatrix said. Her playful teasing was starting to sound forced. "Let me show you some of my own."
Harry abandoned his pride. That had been enough clever plots for now; he just dove with all his athleticism for the door to Hermione's room. Hermione's parents were on the roof now and Tonks had followed them. The wall behind Harry was torn through as dark spells melted it and ripped it apart.
"I'm coming!" he yelled. "PLEASE CATCH ME!"
He ran along Hermione's childhood bed. Bellatrix transfigured it into a bed of nails… but Harry was a step faster. He jumped off a second before the mattress stopped being a mattress, diving head first through the window.
He had a moment where he was staring down at the ground twenty feet below him and beginning to fall head first in that direction. It scared him pretty badly. Maybe he had trauma from his rougher quidditch accidents.
Tonks's magic caught him. She grimaced as she levitated him up. Mr. Granger reached out and grabbed Harry's ankle, hauling him onto the roof because Tonks wasn't able to lift him AND bring him closer at the same time. She canceled the spell and Harry landed on his feet.
"Thanks," he said.
"What's happening down there?" Mrs. Granger asked. "Are we safe here?"
"Absolutely not," Harry said. "I took out two, but the real problem is still coming."
Everyone looked worriedly at the spot where Harry had been levitated onto the roof and waited for Bellatrix to emerge. She didn't, and instead the only warning they got was a cackle so loud it went through the roof.
"Get close to me!" Harry yelled.
Everyone grouped up around him and he used a shield charm underneath their feet, making sure everyone was standing on it. Magic curses punched straight through the roof around their feet and flew into the air. Any of them would have gone straight through someone's body. One hit Harry's shield and made Harry wince.
"You can't keep that up for very long," Tonks said. "Harry, we need to do something else."
"I'll hang on!" Harry said. "There's nothing else we can do! We just have to trust them?"
"T-Trust who?" Mr. Granger asked.
Tonks realized what Harry was talking about. She checked the time with a spell.
"It's time for the guards to change!" she said. "But Harry, two more of us won't be enough to turn the tables on Bellatrix."
Harry couldn't answer her. It was taking all the vigor he had to keep his shield activated. He dropped down to his knees as Bellatrix pummeled his defensive magic. The roof had gaping holes in it now. Bellatrix's voice came through a few of them.
"Is anybody dead yet? I hope they're in a lot of pieces!" Bellatrix said.
She levitated herself through the largest of the holes. Harry canceled his shield underneath himself because there was no point in it now. The Grangers huddled behind him while Tonks tried to curse her aunt. Tonks's best spell was easily knocked aside by Bellatrix.
"Not good enough, ickle Nymphadora!" Bellatrix said. "Now if you don't mind, it's PAST time that YOU ALL DIED."
She used all kinds of curses designed to boil blood, make festering cuts, and even cut a person in half. Harry didn't recognize a lot of what she used, he just focused on blocking.
It's one of the core staples of dueling to know that shield charms are limited. It's more taxing to block than it is to cast spells of your own, so you can't win just by defending. However, Harry was up against a witch with greater skills than his own but less power. So he fought to make it into a battle of attrition.
"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Bellatrix screeched.
She wanted to use killing curses; something Harry couldn't block. But she wasn't allowed to kill Harry. "Get behind me!"
All three of the others cowered in his shadow. Tonks could have taken down death eaters like the ones Harry electrocuted below, but her aunt was on a completely different level. Even Sirius and Kingsley, two of the order's best fighters, had lost when they faced her. Harry could barely hang on by playing things in his advantage. He had forced himself back to his feet to make sure Belltarix couldn't use killing curses.
"GIVE UP ALREADY! YOU CAN'T WIN!" Bellatrix screamed.
Her sadistic enjoyment was being thwarted making her irrationally angry. Her face was split with a horrific snarl. Mrs. Granger was crying. Harry ached all over as he fought to stay up. His nose started to bleed from magical exertion.
But he didn't fall. That turned out to be enough.
Twenty simultaneous cracks sounded all around the house, deafening when they came together. Bellatrix was so addled by bloodlust that she didn't react fast enough. She should have lowered the anti-apparition wards around the house and teleported away. She tried one last time to kill the Grangers instead. By the time she did the right thing and attempted to flee, new anti-apparition wards had been brought up that she didn't control.
"Fuck!" Bellatrix said. "Do you think you have a chance against me? Do you?"
The earlier cracks had been the sound of wizards apparating to the scene. When Neville and Angelina found their arrival blocked by wards, they assumed the worst and summoned an entire squad of Aurors. Ten Aurors flew onto the roof using brooms while the other ten swarmed into the house via the first floor. Bellatrix turned to fight the new enemy.
"YOU'RE NOTHING TO ME!" she said. "TASTE THE ZEAL OF MY LORD!"
Individually, they wouldn't have fared any better against her than Harry. But they weren't alone. They moved as a perfect pack, blocking her spells together and casting spells of their own at her blind spots. It didn't take long for Bellatrix's ankle to end up broken. Her wrist followed it, causing her to drop her wand.
Bellatrix was still snarling. "Fine! Take me to Azkaban! I'll still escape and come for those wretched Muggle whores—"
"Diffindo," said an old man.
Bellatrix Lestrange's head was lopped off at the neck. It was, in simple terms, an execution.
Aberforth Dumbledore had floated himself up through the hole that Bellatrix opened for her own entrance. He didn't hesitate at all to put her down. This wasn't Fudge's ministry anymore. That moment, more than any other, summarized the Scrimgeour administration.
Aberforth looked Harry over from head to toe.
"You look like crap kid," Aberforth said. "Don't go telling anyone I trained you. They'll get the wrong idea about my skills."
"Thanks," Harry said.
He would have fallen down if it wasn't for Mrs. Granger and Tonks both grabbing him from behind and wrapping their arms around him. Eliza was still sobbing, now out of relief.
LINE BREAK
"Harry!" Hermione said.
That was her first word after entering his quarters in the ministry. For the night, while statements were taken, the Grangers were staying in the same part of the ministry where Harry and his team stayed. Not just Hermione's parents, either. The girl herself was there.
"They actually got you out of Hogwarts," Harry said, laughing ruefully.
He mostly felt fine now, just tired. Nobody would take his word for it though. He'd even had a proper medi-witch give him a potion to fix the nasty dark magic afflicting his shoulder. He just needed rest and time for his magic to recover.
Hermione ignored his words while running up to hug him. Her mom had brought her to Harry's room and was standing beside the door.
"Dumbledore wasn't thrilled when he heard that we were pulling her out," Mrs. Granger said. "My husband had to scream at him before he would listen. He doesn't actually have any grounds to stand on, either. If parents want their child pulled out, the headmaster has to do it. The only reason he could have kept her was if he buried the case because we're muggles. The minister would never accept that, though."
Scrimgeour had personally met with the Grangers to assess their condition. It was probably a calculated move because he knew that they were close to Harry and he was trying to score points with his new star operative. Harry appreciated the gesture anyway, calculated or not.
"Thank you," Harry said. "I'll feel better with Hermione safe."
Mrs. Granger hesitated for a second. It was Hermione who answered.
"I'm not going anywhere," Hermione said. "I'm joining your group, starting today."
"You aren't taking her out of the country with you?" Harry asked her mother.
That hadn't been the plan before, but after their brush with death he thought it would feel more real and they would want Hermione out of harm's way. Mrs. Granger smiled sadly.
"I'd love nothing more than to bring her to America," Mrs. Granger said. "But she's grown enough to make her own decisions. She wants to stand at your side. After seeing what you're capable of, I can't deny her that."
"I just stalled for time," Harry said. "It was the Aurors who saved the day."
"Don't speak like that," Mrs. Granger said simply. "I saw how hard you fought. Without you, we would absolutely be dead right now and no one would know it. In fact, you need to be thanked!"
Harry was slightly confused when she didn't use her words, but instead walked across the room. His eyes got huge as mother and daughter—in perfect sync—grabbed their shirts and lifted them off. He was so out of it that he hadn't noticed from the outlines of their breasts that the two of them were braless… until their nipples were staring him in the face.
"That's right, Harry," said Hermione's mother. "Lean back now and accept our gratitude…"
.
Check the link in my profile to find more.