Lendoren

Disclaimer : the characters belong to Jo Rowling, the story to kelokelo, the translation to septentrion, and the betaing to Tanit

Chapter 35. Pain.

Harry knew at once that he had to empty his mind the best he could. If Voldemort knew how to use Legilimency, the Dictator—the creature couldn’t be anything else than him—could too. He gritted his teeth and tried to forget everything. Out of fear and determination, he managed to protect his mind from the other’s intrusion, and the Dictator quickly lost patience. He spoke to Voldemort in a dry tone, “Take care of his girlfriend. He’ll be more talkative after a few minutes.”

Ginny collapsed under the onslaught of the Cruciatus Curse. She felt like she was going to die right away, she was suffering so much. Harry was transfixed with horror. Ron and Hermione clang to each other so that they wouldn’t move. Hermione felt anger coursing through her, like a cold rage. The Dictator and Voldemort would pay tonight for all the evil they’d been committing for years. She would make sure they’d find the payback very unsavoury.

As the seconds ticked by, Harry felt his determination grow, in spite of the pain inflicted on his girlfriend and the coarse laugh of the Death Eaters. At last, he could divert his eyes from Ginny’s jolting body to stare at Voldemort, then at the Dictator before saying, “I don’t know where she is, and even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell. Besides, you won’t be able to read it in my mind either. I’ll get back at you a hundred times worse, Voldemort, for each second I pass here. As for you,” he said, grimacing with disgust at the Dictator, “Hermione will personally take care of you. She doesn’t even need her bloody companion for that.”

The torture still lasted long minutes, but Harry’s determination didn’t lessen, quite the contrary. He started to use the link established by Voldemort to enter his mind. He knew then how Voldemort feared and hated the Dictator. The latter used him like he himself used his Death Eaters. No pity, sarcasms, the Cruciatus Curse …

Harry, mad with anger, began taunting Voldemort.

“So, Tommy, did you enjoy your daddy’s last Crucio to bring you into line?”

Voldemort started and took his wand off Ginny, who was lying on the ground, her eyes closed and moaning with pain.

“Shut up! You don’t know what you’re speaking about, Potter!”

“On the contrary. You’re just good to obey orders, and …”

He couldn’t finish his sentence as he was struck by a Crucio that made Voldemort’s one feel like a simple graze. He felt like his bones would liquefy. However, a picture in his head helped him to cling to life: a mischievous face, framed with red hair, who was smiling at him with tenderness and love.

Ron and Hermione had buried their nails in the other’s hand to not betray their presence. It was only 11.25 p.m. Still thirty-five minutes before she received all her powers. She blessed Harry who seemed, for once, to have understood he had to encourage the Dictator to believe Hermione and Erwin weren’t happy together, and thus couldn’t use their full potential.

Harry fainted after a few minutes of this torture. Ginny was still prostrate; she couldn’t move, only cry at the sight of Harry. The Dictator was furious and ordered in an icy voice, “Let’s go. We’ll find her ourselves since these pathetic children faint with the lightest pain. You’d better hurry up, else you know what will happen to you.”

They dashed in the corridor, following him. He looked like he was floating above the ground, not unlike a Dementor. Even Voldemort had taken to sprinting. As nothing was told about Harry and Ginny, the Death Eaters left them there without hesitating. Nobody wanted to be the one to ask the question.

Ron and Hermione got nearer slowly, still hidden by the invisibility cloak, lest some one would come back, but they were soon surrounded with silence. Hermione contacted Erwin through their link. “They’re coming up, and the Dictator’s with them this time. They’ve left Harry and Ginny alone here. He’s persuaded that our magic won’t fully work because he’s convinced a Slytherin/Gryffindor couple can’t work. Where can I find something to lessen the Cruciatus Curse’s effects?”

“In my cupboard, take all the vials and use the one labelled ‘Regenare’. You’ll give half of it to each of them. It’ll take five minutes to reduce the Cruciatus’ effects, and they’ll be able to fight. After that, you get up here and join me in the Great Hall. Take your Lendoren appearance, nobody will recognise you. If you come across Death Eaters, eliminate them by any means, though conventional means would be preferable.”

Hermione and Severus both knew they didn’t have time anymore to discuss who was right and who was wrong. They were using their link to guide each other to the location where she needed to go. She looted Severus’ cupboard while Ron feverishly read the labels. At last, he found the one he was looking for. He didn’t think anymore either, he was just obeying the instructions he was given. He gently poured half of the vial content in Ginny’s mouth, then the rest in Harry’s mouth. Hermione helped him by supporting their unconscious friends. She’d taken her Lendoren appearance, and her face had a very determined look on it. She put Ginny’s head on her lap; Ron did the same with Harry. After a few minutes, they stirred. Harry opened his eyes. There was an expression of astonishment on his face.

“We’ve seen everything,” Hermione said calmly. “We couldn’t intervene because I must wait for midnight to get all my powers. I still have a quarter of an hour to wait.”

“How long have you been here?” Ginny asked. She was getting stronger by the minute.

“You were still unconscious. It was around ten p.m.”

“How did you come here without being caught?”

“We saw the Marauder’s Map in the bathroom, but I was wary of Ginny’s bag. I asked Ron to think of the Chamber of Secrets, or at least of what he’d seen of it, and I used Legilimency on him. Sorry, Ron, but I didn’t have the choice. And I only looked for the Chamber, I didn’t see anything else.”

Ron was gob smacked. That was why she had Apparated them both … Apparated?

“But I thought one couldn’t Apparate in Hogwarts? You’ve been annoying us with it for years.”

“You can’t,” Hermione replied. “But the Lendoren can. That’s why Erwin and Professor Gryffin were with us so quickly when I called Erwin the day we were attacked in Hogsmeade. And now, I can do it as well.”

“And after?” asked Harry, while he was getting up slowly.

“We’ve taken your invisibility cloak and we’ve listened. I could warn Severus the first time the Death Eaters went in the upper levels. They didn’t know that I was Erwin’s companion. Unfortunately, they’ve found what they were looking for, though there weren’t as many of them when they came back. I guess some of them have been caught. Afterward, they woke you up, and you know the rest.”

“What now?” Ginny’s voice sounded more confident.

“Now,” Hermione said, “we go up after them if you feel strong enough. Show no mercy, it’s them or us. I absolutely must join Erwin in the Great Hall, where he’s luring the Dictator in.”

“we’ll follow you.”

Surprisingly, there wasn’t any fighting in the castle. Every Gryffindor student had been moved to the Hufflepuff’s and Ravenclaw’s quarters. Gryffindor tower had been devastated, but Severus cared little about it. The Dictator was wasting time, and that was all for the better. McGonagall felt a pang to see her House being the prey of fire but knew the worst had been avoided: the students were safe, for now. The Death Eaters were being systematically harassed by the Lendoren who used their ability to Apparate within Hogwarts ceaselessly. They investigated the corridors, and as soon as they fell upon Death Eaters, they neutralized as many as they could before they Apparated into the Great Hall.

Severus used his intimate knowledge of the castle. He burst in on the Dictator to taunt him and to lure him where he wanted him: in the Great Hall. It was the only place in the castle where Hermione could use her powers at full capacity without going outdoors. He didn’t know what would remain of Hogwarts afterward, but if they were still alive, they would be able to rebuild it. His ruse worked. A very enraged Dictator was racing after him, keeping in mind that midnight was coming closer. Voldemort and the Death Eaters were following like well-behaved sheep. They didn’t notice that a few of them regularly disappeared from their ranks, courtesy of the teachers, the Order members and the Lendoren, who were attacking them in their back. After a while, the Lendoren gathered in the Great Hall. They were ready and waiting for the enemy to come. They felt apprehensive too, for they still hadn’t seen Hermione.

Answer to reviews

catysmom: thanks. The few next chapters will be a bit more angsty.

Anon: thank you.