HP 6 - A different Half-Blood...

The Forbidden Forest

"Ava-" Voldemort started.

"Unanimusi!" Harry shouted, not aiming at Voldemort, but at Bellatrix.

She attacked Voldemort, who had to stop her Stunning Spell. Seamus did not waste a second and quickly lunged for his wand.

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled before Seamus got to the wand.

He was thrown back and unconscious. Voldemort was Disarming Bellatrix when Harry picked up Seamus's wand and threw it at Snape.

"Go get the Order!" he shouted, but Snape looked up hesitantly. "GO!!!" he said again.

Snape gave one last look. Crack. Dumbledore was on his way. It is going to be alright, he thought, but his scar erupted with pain and he fell to his knees again.

"NO!!!" Voldemort shouted. "Fine Potter! But Dumbledore won't get here in time!"

"Master... please I'm sorry..." Bellatrix begged, apologizing.

"Shut up! Call the others! The Order is coming!" Voldemort ordered.

She hurried from the room and Harry stood back up.

"Just you and me now Potter," Voldemort sneered.

It was not exactly true. Malfoy was still on the floor staring at his father and Seamus was Stunned. Voldemort flicked his wand, but Harry sprung to his left and jumped over the table, flipping it over to hide behind. Voldemort's Killing Curse burned a hole right through the wood.

"Hiding again, Harry..." Voldemort laughed and blasted away the table.

Harry scrambled to his feet and faced Voldemort. He did not have his wand. He had his mother's wand. Their wands would not connect as they had the last time they dueled. Harry was focused. Any pain he had had was gone, as adrenalin pumped through his veins. He gripped his wand tightly.

"Crucio! Voldemort said, but Harry was ready.

"Protego!" Harry shouted, sending the spell back at Voldemort.

"Finite Incantem," he said, lamely. He was toying with him now.

"Stupefy!" Harry cried, but Voldemort just waved the blast away as if it was nothing.

Maybe if I try Animomency... he thought and focused his mind.

"Impedimenta!" he thought, but Voldemort Vanished Harry's blast.

"Don't try it Potter... our minds are connected..." Voldemort said, but not aloud.

His lips never moved. They were communicating mentally again. Harry had to force him out. He focused his mind and tried to empty out his anxiety and fear.

"Avada Keda-" Voldemort started, but Harry had another idea.

He quickly glanced down and saw a leg from the table on the ground. He sent it right at Voldemort, who used the Reductor Curse to reduce it to dust.

"Windigardium Leviosa!" Harry shouted and a chair that was behind Voldemort lifted up. He sent it directly at Voldemort. Voldemort moved to stop it and Harry focused his mind filled with hatred.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Harry shouted, but Voldemort conjured a shield like at the Ministry again to block it.

The shield was split in two, but Voldemort was unharmed. Harry by now, realized he was no match for Voldemort.

Voldemort laughed piercingly then said calmly, "You are nothing Potter. However, it has been amusing. Now is your time to die."

Voldemort sent a green blast right at him, but Harry jumped out of the way and dodged another second Avada Kedavra.

"I can do this all day... Harry," Voldemort sneered sending a third blast.

Harry sent a few hexes at Voldemort, who shrugged them off as they were just annoying bugs, but he was losing his patience. He sent the Awaking Spell at Seamus, who got unsteadily to his feet. Harry sent another Stunning Spell at Seamus, but Seamus got to Malfoy's wand in time to deflect it. Voldemort sent another green blast at him and Harry moved out of the way again. Seamus took aim and hit Harry with the Trip-Leg Jinx, and Harry fell to the floor. Voldemort stood above him.

"Good-bye, Harry Potter," Voldemort said, but suddenly the door burst opened again and Tonks, Mad-Eye, Snape and Dumbledore rushed in and Voldemort turned to meet his aggressors. Seamus Stunned Tonks, but then Harry muttered the counter-curse for the Trip-Leg Jinx.

"Impedimenta!" he shouted and Seamus froze.

By then, Bellatrix and two other masked Death Eaters entered the room and attacked the Order. Bellatrix and Snape were battling toe-to-toe, but he disarmed her. She scrambled back out the door and he chased after her. Mad-Eye took on the other two Death Eaters and Harry saw Wormtail cowering at the door, not willing to commit to the fray. Dumbledore and Voldemort were dueling vehemently again, sending words and spells at each other. Harry got up to fight, but Dumbledore stopped him.

"Harry! Go through the mirror!" Dumbledore said, while he sent another spell at Voldemort. "Hurry!"

His scar was burning with rage, but he pushed Voldemort out.

"No, I can help!" Harry said, indignantly, because after all, it was his destiny.

"No, Harry. Go now! It isn't the time!" Dumbledore said, wearingly, but looking directly in his eyes. Harry nodded, conceding.

"Accio!" Harry said, Summoning his own wand.

He looked at the mirror and then down at Malfoy. Grudgingly, he picked up Malfoy, who did not help him at all. He did not want to leave, but did not actively resist Harry's attempt to drag him forward. Harry put Malfoy's arm over his shoulder and went toward the mirror. Voldemort sent a spell past him and it would have hit the mirror, if Dumbledore had not deflected it.

"The Forbidden Forest," Harry said automatically and their reflections changed into a whirlpool and then into the dark trees of the forest.

Without another look back, Harry dragged Malfoy through mirror. He again had the feeling of insects crawling on his skin as they stepped out into the cool night air.

Unable to carry Malfoy's weight anymore, he dropped him on the forest floor and looked back into the mirror. Dumbledore and Voldemort were still dueling intently. Harry wondered if he should go back. They might need his help, but Seamus was up again and starting toward the mirror.

There was not another option, and Harry raised his wand. "Reducto!"

He blasted the mirror into a thousand pieces before Seamus could get through. Harry looked around at his surroundings. He was not sure he could find his way back, and it was going to be a long trip through the pitch-black woods. There was no way he was going to make it if Malfoy was not going to help, because his strength was gone. He tried unsuccessfully to get Malfoy moving, but he would not budge. Harry was about to kick him when he sensed something.

The woods were suspiciously quiet. No crickets or rushing leaves. He jumped when he heard a branch crack, which sounded like a shotgun blast in the dead silence. He did not see anything, but there was something there. He then took into account that these woods were forbidden for a reason.

The temperature of the air dropped down in a matter of seconds and Harry did not need to see anything to tell him dementors were here. His insides froze. He did not have a second to waste and fixed his thoughts on Ginny.

"Expecto Patronum! Harry shouted, and Prongs erupted out of his wand and charged the dementors that had surrounded them.

The stag circumnavigated Harry and Malfoy, who had started to shake, and scattered the dementors in every direction. Harry, however, did not let his guard down. For dementors do not make branches break. He listened intently and heard a low growl.

"Lumos," Harry muttered, but the wand light only reached the tree line around him.

It revealed a dark shape, which started to move forward. Its snout appeared and it looked like a dog, but bigger. Harry suddenly glanced up and peered through the leaves of trees to see a bright full moon.

It was a werewolf and other growls told Harry that they had surrounded him. There was at least five of them he could make out and too many for Harry to take on alone, but Malfoy was not moving. The one that was closest to him let out a long howl that sent a shiver down Harry's spine, and apparently Malfoy's, too. He sat up and backed into Harry's leg. Harry did have two wands, but was not keen on giving a wand to someone who just kidnapped him and tried to deliver him to his death.

"Here Malfoy!" Harry growled, and unwillingly threw his mother's wand at Malfoy. He did not have time to think about the consequences, because one of the werewolves attacked.

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled as the werewolf lunged through the air at him.

The werewolf was blasted back into a tree, but got right back up. He realized that werewolves must have the same magic that giants and other large magical creatures in their blood. He could not Stun them. Another werewolf lunged through the darkness and was inches from Malfoy's face, when Harry froze it with the Impedimenta Curse. Malfoy scrambled to his feet and grabbed the wand, just as two more attacked.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry said, and one of them froze.

The other one, however, jumped and slashed his long, yellow claws down Harry's back, spraying blood out. Harry fell forward, but rolled over in time to send flames at the werewolf. It shrieked in pain and terror and ran off a ways before rolling in the dirt. It was still whimpering when the next assault began.

Malfoy was sending spells at the other werewolf in the shadows. The werewolf that Harry had tried to Stun, charged again. Harry got up and sent another Full-Body Bind that had worked on the other werewolf, as Malfoy froze the one that Harry burned.

The last werewolf stayed in the shadows, growling and hunched, ready to charge at any second. Harry watched him and was ready for him to strike. A low growl behind him made him jump. He had forgotten about the one he had temporarily frozen with the Impedimenta Curse. He turned around and saw Malfoy trying to freeze that one, but just then, the last werewolf lunged and knocked Harry off his feet. His wand was knocked out of his hand. The werewolf came back around and stood right over Harry's wand.

"Malfoy!" Harry whispered urgently, but he was busy with the other werewolf, which had dodged the spell.

The werewolf's blood red eyes were gleaming and he bared his bloody inch long teeth. He was going to kill him if he did not get his wand back, but it was out of his reach.

Maybe if I try to Summon it... Harry thought.

"Accio wand," Harry thought, his wand from below the werewolf soared into his hand. The werewolf jumped in initial shock, but then charged forward. Harry did not waste a second and froze it on the spot with a Full-Body Bind.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Malfoy shouted at his werewolf, and it also went rigid and kneeled over.

Harry's adrenalin was running out. The effects of the Cruciatus Curses were starting to come back as he was forced back down to his knees again. Blood was flowing out of his back. He heard movement in the woods around him. There was no way they were going to get out of these woods alive. Even the Full-Body Bind was wearing off as the werewolves were starting to move.

Malfoy was panicking and looking around fearfully. The situation was hopeless, but Harry had to fight. He shakily got to feet. He turned to see a now unfrozen werewolf lunging right at him. It was too close. He did not have enough time to stop him.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Malfoy shouted, freezing the werewolf again inches from Harry's face.

Harry turned to stare at Malfoy in surprise, but the next line of attack was forming around them. The terrors of the forest were coming out. Not only more werewolves and dementors arrived, but Acromantlas and the other terrors that Harry had never seen before came to welcome them into their mists. Shapeless creatures and monsters of the night were half-hidden in the darkness as they approached. Voldemort wanted to make sure he did not get back alive. Harry laughed half-crazed as Malfoy looked at him as though he had lost his mind. Harry got his wand ready. Go out fighting, he thought defiantly as they were starting to move in. However, another noise was coming thundering through the woods. The ground was shaking, which knocked him down to his knees, again. Trees spread apart and towering figure emerged.

"Grawp?" Harry called, uncertainly.

"Who's GRAWP?" Malfoy yelled, but it was not Grawp.

She was larger and had a tangled web of blond hair on her head, and in the moonlight, Harry saw a board, ugly grin on her face. She was carrying a thick ten-foot tree trunk and she raised it high over her head and let out a roar. Neither Harry nor Malfoy said anything at first, but looked up at the twenty-foot giant in horror.

Hagrid... Harry thought. You didn't....

He briefly thought about what he was going do to Hagrid if they made it out of this, but the snarls, the clicking noises and the crunching of branches stiffened his resolve as he got up.

"Malfoy... fire..." he said, sternly, looking out into the darkness all around them. He then met Malfoy's quivering eyes for a second and they both raised their wands.

"Inflagimus!" they shouted and sent the flames all around them.

The giant and the rest of Voldemort's minions cringed from the flames, but it would not hold them back forever. The werewolves jumped over the flames. Harry and Malfoy sent spells at them, but they came from all sides. They went back to back as more came through flames. The giant stepped over the flames and scattered the werewolves in her path, but she stepped on and crushed one of the still frozen werewolves without flinching.

"I, death!" she roared, in barely understandable English. "I, Magnia!"

She swung her club right down between them and they went in separate directions. Malfoy rolled out of the way and tried to duck Magnia's next swing, but he was not fast enough. Her club hit him and sent him flying into a tree. He landed on the ground with blood coming out of his head.

"Stupefy!" he shouted, but the spell just bounced her into a nearby tree.

It only seemed to make her angrier and she furiously started toward him, now. He only had a few seconds to think of another curse.

"Optius!" he shouted, sending the Conjunctivitus Curse right into her eyes.

If it works on dragons it should work on her, he thought, and it did. No sooner than did the spell hit her eyes, did she shriek in agony. She put her hands over her eyes and ran from them, knocking into trees and scrambling to get away.

Harry listened to her footsteps die out, but realized the fight was not over. The fire was dying down and the rest of their welcoming party was closing back in around them. A loud piercing shriek made him cover his ears. He did not know what it was from, but suddenly the air went cold and dementors swallowed up the remains of the fire. The snarling werewolves made their way back to them.

Now, he was alone against a circle of adversaries. Malfoy was still knocked out and Voldemort's minions were going over the charred remains of the fire. He was not going to last a minute once they attack, but then another thunderous sound erupted that was quite different.

Loud winding and backfires were coming toward him. The creatures of the night were lit up with blinding light that made them recede into the darkness and the growling was replaced with loud honking. Mr. Weasley's car blasted through several the spiders and weird shaped creatures, and stopped right in front of him.

Harry did not have time to marvel at its timely interruption. He ran around to the drivers' side of the car and the door popped open. He blasted a werewolf that was about to take a chunk out of Malfoy, and then grabbed him and threw him roughly into the car then pushing him into the passenger seat. He turned back to the wand that Malfoy had dropped as a spider bounded forward.

He did not have time to think, but shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

He felt hatred shooting through his body and the spider went limp. He Summoned his wand quickly, and jumped into the car, throwing his mother's wand at Malfoy . He shut the door just as another werewolf rammed into it, breaking the glass. The car revved forward on its own accord, knocking Voldemort's allies aside.

Harry looked behind him and saw the werewolves running after the car, but they were falling behind. The car occasionally bounded upward into the air over rocks and downed trees and landed roughly on the ground. The rickety ride was painful on Harry's weak body. He winced with every jolt and bounce. He glanced over at Malfoy, who was now wide awake and looking dazedly out the window, gripping the wand.

It took about twenty enduring minutes for the car to maneuver its way out of the Forbidden Forest. The sun was starting to rise and it lit up the car as they reared past the lake and Hagrid's hut, and stopped suddenly in front of the entrance hall.

Harry did not get out and neither did Malfoy, but a minute later Ron, Ginny and Hermione came running out toward him. Harry slowly got out of the car just in time for Hermione and Ginny to rush him, hugging him and stammering incessantly. Ron, who was so white his freckles were gone, was lagging behind.

"S-Stop," Harry said painfully, as the force of their hug backed him into the car. He rubbed his back gently and pulled his trembling hand out, showing them the blood.

"Harry!" Hermione cried. "Are you ok!"

"Yeah, werewolf," he muttered hoarsely, as his throat was still raw.

"Werewolf!?!" Ron said horrified, now turning pale-green.

"Just a scratch," Harry said, realizing he was shaking quite noticeably.

"Seamus..." Ron said, angrily.

"He came in and offered some.... we should have never drank it..." Hermione said, ashamed of herself.

"Sorry, mate," Ron said, lowering his eyes.

"D-Don't be... if y-you didn't he would have found a-another way," Harry stammered, wincing in pain.

"Yeah, well right after we drank it, Malfoy came in from the portrait hole... and..." Ron stopped when he noticed Malfoy was in car.

Ron ran over to the other side of the car, pulled him out violently and punched him squarely across the face. Malfoy slid down the side of the car to the ground and Ron would have hit him again, if Harry had not pulled him off, with the little strength he had left.

"Ron! S-Stop!" Harry ejected. Ron backed off hesitantly, very confused. Harry was still shaking, but walked in front of Malfoy.

He bent down and reluctantly asked, "Are you ok?"

All three of them were looking at him as though he had completely lost it. Malfoy, however, finally looked dead into his eyes.

"You..." he muttered, but Harry stood up and looked down at Malfoy.

"I didn't do anything. Your dad got himself killed. He chose his life and I just saved your neck about three or four times tonight," Harry said, quietly, and Ron, Ginny and Hermione were beyond words.

Malfoy did not say anything else, but got to his feet and did not look into Harry's eyes, again. Instead, he looked out at the horizon, apparently deep in thought. Harry shut the car door, and the car reversed and headed straight back into the woods.

"Thanks!" he yelled out and surprisingly the car honked back.

An awkward silence followed the car's departure. Malfoy was the first to move. He glanced at Harry's direction and slowly walked back into the castle. Ron made a move to stop him, but Harry shook his head.

"We should get inside, too. It's not safe out here," Ginny said, eyeing the woods.

"Yeah, and maybe I should go to the hospital ward," Harry laughed painfully and swayed on the spot. Ron put Harry's arm over his shoulder and they started toward the door just as someone else was coming out.

Lupin, who was still twitching slightly from his transformation and looked very grave and sickly, rushed out to them and quietly said, "They are back."

"Is everybody alright?" Harry asked worryingly.

"Not everyone," Lupin whispered, lowering his eyes.