Annabeth Chase and Things Are Getting Intense

Chapter Forty Two

A/N: soooo sorry for the late update, I had a bit of an overstimulation/anxiety attack yesterday lol and I couldn't finish the chapter. 

Today was sort of chaotic but the fire was out before it could melt through the floor so everything's good. 

Hagrid roared and punched the offending Death Eater in the face. "Fang's in there, yer evil—!"

Annabeth looked back between the flaming hut and Harry dueling Snape. There were so many animals in there, not just Fang, but everything Hagrid kept. They would be burning alive in there, and Annabeth couldn't let that happen. At the same time, she was reluctant to leave Harry alone with Snape.

"Go!" Harry said as he caught his breath for a second. "I've got Snape—"

Nodding, Annabeth ran for the cabin. Leaving Harry with Snape was a risk, but she trusted him and she didn't have time to stand and contemplate pros and cons.

The heat increased rapidly as Annabeth got closer to the burning house. It was pouring smoke like an anti-gravity fog machine, but she pressed on. Somewhere inside the cabin she could hear Fang yelping. Drawing up the front of her shirt to cover her face, she took out her wand and shouted, "aguamenti!"

Water sprayed out from the tip of her wand, but Annabeth didn't have time to do anything other than clear a path that would allow her to open the door. Pushing it with her shoulder, she used one hand to hold her shirt over her mouth and the other to direct the stream of water from her wand.

Luck may have finally been on her side, because the only living thing in the Care of Magical Creatures Professor's house was Fang. A quick scan of the flaming cabin showed her that. If there was anything else, she was sure she would have heard it crying out. Otherwise it was probably already dead.

Fang was cowering in his bed, his ears back and tail low between his legs. The fire hadn't reached him yet, but it was close, and Annabeth directed the water from her wand over to his area, making sure to douse him so the fire would have more trouble getting through to him.

The flames were spreading fast, so Annabeth had to be faster. It was already oppressively hot in the cabin and Annabeth knew she was breathing in smoke through her makeshift filter. Sweat was dripping off her face, but she pressed forward until she had a clear, though rudimentary, path.

Fang stood frozen on his bed, so, cursing and coughing, Annabeth forced her way through the fire and closer to him. She reached him quickly, and, eager to get away from the waves of heat and smoke that kept pressing in on her, grabbed the giant mastiff by the collar and led him through the cabin.

The water that sprayed out of her wand wasn't doing much from where she was. Because, of course, if there's a fire you're trying to douse, you can't put it out from inside the house (I'm in the cabinet I am complicit in whahahariuaehivber).

Annabeth had almost all those lyrics memorized. But this wasn't the time.

A fit of coughing over took her, not so bad that she doubled over, but it was getting close. She pushed her way forward. Now that Fang was away from his (relatively) safe bed, he was eager to run for the door. Annabeth kept a firm hold on his collar as they ran through the fire, dousing the flames in their path, however temporary the path may be.

They reached the door and burst out into the cool night air. Fang immediately ran for Hagrid, who fell to his knees and embraced his dog. Annabeth took in huge breaths of the clean air, coughed a bit, and breathed some more. 

"Annabeth, are yeh alright? Come on, talk to me."

"Fine," Annabeth said, eyes watering between coughs. "Where's Harry? Is he okay?"