Courage - Harry Potter

-94-

Book: Courage
Chapter 94
Word Count: 5107

Layla froze, squinting her eyes closed. She felt Harry's hand tighten around hers, but she was too frozen to comfort him. Snape, a man whom she never liked but never thought would do something like this, had just killed their headmaster and the only man who Voldemort was afraid of.

"Out of here, quickly," said Snape.

He seized Draco by the scruff of the neck and forced him through the door ahead of the rest; Greyback and the squat brother and sister followed, the latter both panting excitedly. As they vanished through the door, Layla finally turned to Harry.

"Harry...? I—"

"Later. Come on," Harry pulled Layla by the hand after the Death Eaters and whipped out his wand, aiming it at the brutal-faced Death Eater who was last to leave the tower top and was disappearing through the door.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

The Death Eater buckled as though hit in the back with something solid and fell to the ground, rigid as a waxwork, but he had barely hit the floor when Harry was clambering over him and running down the darkened staircase, still pulling Layla along rather harshly. Layla felt as if her arm was about to be pulled out of its socket but said nothing, simply sprinting to try and keep up with her boyfriend.

At the bottom of the tower, Harry finally released Layla's hand. The dimly lit corridor was full of dust; half the ceiling seemed to have fallen in; and a battle was raging before them.

"It's over, time to go!" Layla heard Snape shout as Snape disappeared around the corner at the far end of the corridor; he and Draco seemed to have forced their way through the fight unscathed. Harry quickly span towards Layla.

"Stay here, help the others fight. I'm going after them."

"No, Harry, what if—?"

"No time," was all Harry said before he plunged after Snape and Draco.

"Harry!" Layla called after him, but it was no use. So, instead, she focused on the fight.

Her brown eyes flickered everywhere, her heart hammering. That was when she saw a flash of red hair: Ginny was locked in combat with the lumpy Death Eater, Amycus, who was throwing hex after hex at her while she dodged them: Amycus was giggling, enjoying the sport: "Crucio — Crucio — you can't dance forever, pretty—"

"Impedimenta!" yelled Layla.

Her jinx hit Amycus in the chest: He gave a piglike squeal of pain, was lifted off his feet and slammed into the opposite wall, slid down it, and fell out of sight behind Ron, Professor McGonagall, and Lupin, each of whom was battling a separate Death Eater.

"Layla!" Ginny cried in relief.  "Where did you come from?"

"Not important. Is everyone all right?" asked Layla as Ron walked over to them. The Death Eaters had all retreated, and quite suddenly at that. McGonagall was tending to Bill, and Tonks and Remus were picking up Neville, slowly. "Is Bill okay?"

"Everyone's accounted for, Lay. Bill was attacked by Greyback. He will live, he'll just... look different," said Ron, looking miserable, before pulling the girl into a hug. "We didn't know where you were!"

"Well, I'm fine," reassured Layla. "Is the fight over?"

"I think so—"

"Good. I'll see you guys later," Layla interrupted Ginny, turning on her heel and tearing off down the hall in the direction Harry had gone.

The corridors were empty as her feet pounded through, her wand held out at the ready, her heart ready to rip itself out of her chest. She sprinted through corridor after corridor, desperately looking for some sign that Harry had been through, occasionally spying a bloody trainer print to follow, her heart sinking every time she did. She ducked into a shortcut, flying down the steps and leaping over the vanishing stair halfway down, coming out of the hidden entrance through a tapestry at the bottom, right in the middle of a group of Hufflepuffs.