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HP - Chapter 410: The Battle of Hogsmeade Part 1
🕑 Added 2024-12-06 10:23:22 +0000 UTCDisclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
“Dialogue”
‘Thoughts’
-Author notes-
Chapter 410: The Battle of Hogsmeade Part 1
“Bloody hell, what is that?!” Mundungus shouted, his voice trembling as he pointed toward the advancing horde.
“That’s… that looks like an army,” Dedalus Diggle replied, his voice barely steady.
It wasn’t just any army. Before them was a grotesque assembly, rows of Inferi marched alongside skeletal warriors and decaying zombies.
Among them, hulking undead trolls lumbered forward, and looming at the rear were two massive giants, their eyes glowing eerily in the darkness.
Horrified murmurs spread through the village as the alarm echoed.
Residents peeked out of their homes, only to be frozen by the sight of the nightmare unfolding before their gates.
“This is Voldemort’s army, or part of it at least.” Dumbledore declared calmly. “We knew he had the power of necromancy. This should not surprise us.”
“Still… this is a lot more than I imagined,” Kingsley muttered, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the advancing horde. They of course knew about James and Moody's encounter with the infieri so this was not new, but the size was still shocking. "You say this is just part of it?"
“Well, if you’re thinking of running, now’s your chance,” Moody growled while glancing at Mundungus. He then ready his wand. “But I’ll be damned before I let these creatures destroy Hogsmeade.”
Kingsley bristled. “Running was never an option for me.” He unsheathed his wand, its polished surface gleaming even in the dim light. "I may no longer be officially an auror, but I still consider my duty to protect the citizens of this country from harm."
“That’s the spirit!” Hagrid’s booming voice added strength to the group.
Dumbledore smiled. “ I'm counting on you all.” A thin wooden staff appeared on his hand.
“ What is that?, you are using a staff now?” Abeforth noted.
“ Ah yes, I had some time to visit a couple of nice craftsmen from across the sea. “ Since he already knew he had to leave his real wand for Voldemort to obtain, he had made previously made some preparations in advance.
Dumbledore’s expression softened as he regarded them. “I trust each of you to fight valiantly. Now, remember...fire is our greatest weapon against the undead. If you can conjure a Patronus, that will also serve you well.”
“ I can do that,” Remus said.
“ Fire. No problem.” Moody nodded.
“ We should intercept the undead before they can reach the gates. If the inferius get inside the village…it would be a disaster. Those things can move very fast when they want to.” Dedalus Diggle said with an expression of concern.
“ Indeed, we should move quickly.” Dumbledore was already walking as he said this.
Villagers clustered near the entrance, their faces pale with fear at the sight before them.
“Back to your homes! Lock your doors and stay inside!” Aberforth barked, waving them off.
“ Mister Dumbledore…” The villagers recognized the tavern owner immediately.
“ The Headmaster is here too!. “ One of them saw Albus Dumbledore and her face completely changed.
“ The Headmaster of Hogwarts is here to save us!”
“ Now…” Dumbledore began. “ I need you all to listen. Go back to your homes and lock the doors. Keep your wands ready just in case. “
“These numbers…” Mundungus’s voice quivered. “It’s worse than I thought.”
Dedalus studied the creatures carefully. “ Most of them should fall easily. What concerns me are those trolls and the two giants…even though they have become undead, would they still retain their magical resistance?”
“Let's give it a try, shall we?” Moody moved ahead of the group and pointed his wand at the bulk of the army. “ Infernus!”
A roaring fireball shot forward, striking the troll square in the chest.
Zombies and skeletons nearby recoiled, emitting guttural moans that scraped against the nerves of all who heard them.
At first, it seemed effective...but as the smoke cleared, the troll remained standing. Its eyes blazed with greater intensity, and it let out a deafening roar that sent a chill through the group.
“Brilliant,” Lupin muttered. “Now it’s angry.”
"It didn't do much..." Mundungus said.
“The inferi are advancing!” Dedalus called out.
The group turned to see the front line of Inferi break away from the larger army, sprinting with unsettling speed toward the gates.
“Expecto Patronum!” Lupin’s silver fox burst forth from his wand, darting toward the creatures. The Patronus slowed their advance, but only briefly.
“Fire spells now!” Kingsley bellowed.
“Bombarda Maxima!”
“Incendius Totatus!”
“Flamare!”
The air filled with a barrage of blazing spells, each one ripping through the ranks of inferi. The stench of burning flesh and bone filled the air as bodies collapsed into smoldering heaps.
Dumbledore stepped forward, raising his staff. “Fawkes!”
With a piercing cry, the phoenix appeared, its golden-red plumage lighting up the night.
Dumbledore's eyes became sharp and steeled. “ Go burn them all.”
Fawkes soared into the fray, raining fire down upon the horde. Inferi ignited wherever the phoenix’s flames touched, their twisted forms collapsing into ash.
“Ah… I haven't used it in a long time…I hope I haven't gotten too rusty.” Abeforth stepped closer while holding the wand inside his closed fist.
“ Orya!” Clenching his wand tightly, he punched the ground with a resounding crack. A shockwave erupted, sending inferi and flames hurtling back into the larger mass of undead.
The group turned to him, stunned.
“Still got it!” Aberforth exclaimed with a grin on his beardy face.
Albus smiled wryly. “Of course you do. I’m leaving those trolls to you, brother. I’ll do something about those giants.”
“ Sure!, I'll bury those damn trolls,” Abeforth exclaimed. Now that he had his confidence back, he felt capable of anything.
“ Albus…how are you going to defeat those giants?” Lupin asked. Even thinking about it for a while, he could not come up with any spell capable of taking one monster like that.
A normal giant alone would already be difficult to kill, but an undead one was much worse since they would basically ignore any damage that you caused, as long as it did not completely destroy them.
The Phoenix flew back and landed on Dumbledore's shoulder.
“ This old man still has a few tricks left. The rest of you…make sure none of those creatures ever set foot inside the village.”
After saying that, Fawkes took into the skies while carrying him.
