Own wand trembled in his hand, and he almost welcomed the oncoming

Oblivion, the promise of nothing, of no feeling...

And then a silver hare, a boar, and fox soared past Harry, Ron, and

Hermione's heads: the dementors fell back before the creatures'

Approach. Three more people had arrived out of the darkness to

Stand beside them, their wands outstretched, continuing to cast

Patronuses: Luna, Ernie, and Seamus.

"That's right," said Luna encouragingly, as if they were back in

The Room of Requirement and this was simply spell practice for the

D.A., "That's right, Harry...come on think of something happy..."

'something happy?" he said, his voice cracked.

"We're all still here," she whispered, "we;re still fighting. Come

on, now...."

There was a silver spark, then a wavering light, and then, with the

Greatest effort it had ever cost him the stag burst from the end of

Harry's wand. It cantered forward, and now the dementors scattered

In earnest, and immediately the night was mild again, but the

Sounds of the surrounding battle were loud in his ears.

"Can't thank you enough," said ron shakily, turning to Luna, Ernie,

and Seamus "you just saved--"

With a roar and an earth-quaking tremor, another giant came

Lurching out of the darkness from the direction of the forest,

Brandishing a club taller than any of them.

"RUN!" Harry shouted again, but the others needed no telling; They

All scattered, and not a second too soon, for the next moment the

creature's vast foot had fallen exactly where they had been

standing. Harry looked round: ron and Hermione were following him,

But the other three had vanished back into the battle.

"Let's get out of range!" yelled Ron as the giant swung its club

Again and its bellows echoed through the night, across the grounds

Wehere bursts of red and green light continued to illuminate the

Darkness.

"The Whomping willow," said Harry, "go!"

Somehow he walled it all up in his mind, crammed it into a small

space into which he could not look now: thoughts of Fred and

Hagrid, and his terror for all the people he loved, scattered in

And outside the castle, must all wait, because they had to run, had

To reach the snake and Voldemort, because that was, as Hermione

Said, the only way to end it--

He sprinted, half-believing he could outdistance death itself,

Ignoring the jets of light flying in the darkness all around him,

And the sound of hte lake crashing like the sea, and the creaking

Of the Forbidden Forest though the night was windless; through

Grounds that seemed themselves to have risen in rebellion, he ran

Faster than he had ever moved in his life, and it was he who saw

The great tree first, the Willow that protected the secret at its

Roots with whiplike, slashing branches.

Panting and gasping, Harry slowed down, skirting the willow's

Swiping branches, peering through the darkness toward its tick

Trunk, trying to see the single knot in the bark of the old tree

That would paralyze it. Ron and Hermione caught up, Hermione so out

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 584