Magic Never Dies (Harmione)

Chapter 23

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A/N: Hi! Serious R rated fluff alert ahead. The last couple of chapters have been intense and this one is meant to be the light one, a place to catch their breath on the way to the end. Because hey, even if they didn't need it, I did. Thanks for reading along.

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In the end, they all joined forces to apparate the exhausted thestral and a semi-conscious Viktor Krum to the gates of Hogwarts. Lupin sent his patronus off in search of McGonagall to let them in, while Tonks sent hers after Hagrid.

"Well, he's a thestral at the moment, isn't he, and Hagrid's more likely to know what to do with him than Madam Pomfrey," she reasoned.

"Good point, love," Lupin admitted. "Those that can stand, stand guard. We're not safe until we're in the gates, and he knows where we're headed. Just because he thinks Harry's dead doesn't necessarily mean he won't come after the rest of us. Best to be safe."

"Constant Vigiliance!" Moody agreed, and gimped to position in the back of the group. They closed into a weary circle, waiting mostly in silence. The new moon hovered over Hogwarts in a sky pricked bright with stars... but far beyond their horizon to the west each was keenly aware a far more sinister light illuminated the waning night. Hermione knelt beside Harry and stroked his neck. Ron shifted from foot to foot beside her.

The look in Minerva McGonagall's eyes when she peered through the gate said volumes.

"Oh my...oh... Ron! Oh!" The gates flew open and she stepped back, ushering them inside. Madam Pomfrey was with her, her eyes roving and assessing each of them as they straggled past. She made a beeline for Viktor, propped up between the twins.

They limped and gimped and dragged themselves towards sanctuary, Lupin and Tonks aiding Bill. ('Whatever they're stunning with,' he had managed through numbed and clumsy lips, 'it's not your average stunner.') Harry struggled up to regain his ... hoofs, and plodded on. He felt the remnants of Dumbledore's magic still protecting him as he came slowly closer, welcoming and probing curiously. He knew that the wards had all been recast when the Headmaster died and a great deal of the magic around Hogwarts exuded from the castle itself, but still he sensed Dumbledore's essence stubbornly woven throughout, forever a force to be reckoned with.

'Not yet,' he told it. 'Not this time. But I'm still trying.'

"And Harry?" Professor McGonagall asked Lupin significantly, as they reached the massive doors to the castle.. "Remus, where is Harry?"

"It was a disaster. Riddle showed up shortly after we did with his usual gang of thugs behind him. Harry was hit; indirectly, mind you, and late in the game, but hit. It was another Avada, cast by Voldemort himself, and..." He gestured to the thestral.

"Oh, for goodness sake, Lupin, I've seen the thestrals for years now. You don't mean... he's not...you didn't just... leave him?"

"No, Minerva, it would seem that thestral is Harry. He appeared to change over almost the very moment after he'd been hit and had the presence of mind to transfigure his own wand into a lifeless image of his body. Voldemort believes him dead; he cast the Dark Mark over Durmstrang. The thing of it is, he doesn't seem to be able to change back."