Somnio Salvus DRARRY

Chapter 7

This time Harry was ready. He wasn't sure what he was ready for, but he paused before putting his illuminated wand into the tree with a sudden feeling that he might need it. He gripped it tighter as the chanting started, and spun round as the first of the Death Eaters emerged from the forest.

Disarming curses whizzed past him as he dodged and blocked them all. He managed to get three Death Eaters into a Full Body-bind before Voldemort's emaciated form floated ashore. He was working on a fourth by the time Voldemort began his 'You will suffer for my years of torture' speech, and barely heard a word.

It wasn't until Voldemort screeched 'Tacito,' that he began to think he might have to admit defeat. The deafness charm didn't prevent him from casting spells, but if he couldn't hear the incantations of the Death Eaters, he couldn't block them. His confidence began to waver, and a tickling charm hit him from behind.

Giggling helplessly, he tried to blast spells off in random directions, but it was impossible to enunciate correctly. His next curse was supposed to summon a torrent of giant, stinging hailstones, but all he managed to produce through his laughter was a shower of buttercups.

The frenzy of activity felt strangely unreal when accompanied by thick silence. Through his rising panic Harry began to wonder if it was real, or just a....

What happened next made him forget to wonder anything at all and he watched in amazement, still giggling fitfully.

A curse had whizzed over his head from behind and hit the Death Eater in front of him, who doubled up in pain as if he'd been punched in the stomach. Harry assumed that it had been meant for him, and that the caster had a very bad aim, but then it happened again. Another cloaked figure bent over with a groan, clutching his stomach, then another. Harry turned and gasped. Draco Malfoy was behind him, blasting off curses at a phenomenal rate. His wand was a blur, and his aim was immaculate. Death Eaters were dropping like flies all around them.

Malfoy paused for long enough to disable the spells on Harry, and noise rushed into his ears, making his head thump. Regaining control of his voice, he aimed his wand at Voldemort and shouted the first spell he could think of.

'Pesterus!'

A swarm of angry, chattering sprites poured from his wand and swarmed towards Voldemort like angry bees. Each time he tried to cast a spell or take a step forward they would bite, sting, poke him in the eye or otherwise distract him. Meanwhile Harry stood back to back with Malfoy, and together they made a sort of game out of picking off the remaining Death Eaters. Malfoy continued to use the Appendicitis curse, interspersed with the odd 'Explosius' hex for effect. Harry used a selection of 'Ambulatus' spells which forced the Death Eaters to walk calmly into the lake until all that was left of them was a cluster of bubbles at the surface.

Eventually only Voldemort was left, and he had managed to dispose of most of the sprites by swatting and stamping on them. He loomed furiously over the two boys.

Harry felt...well, nothing really. He realised with astonishment that he was not all that scared. He cast a glance at Malfoy, who was now standing by his side and glaring challengingly at Voldemort.

The Dark Lord hissed quietly when he spoke.

'So! The son of Lucius has turned traitor. What a disappointment, you showed such promise. I was certain you shared the beliefs and convictions of my followers.'

'I did!' snarled Malfoy. 'Then I found out just how you go about forcing your beliefs on other people, and I found out the truth about how you intend to keep Muggles away from the wizarding world. Not by improving security measures and changing travel and habitation laws, but by killing every Muggle you can get your hands on! I may have believed they were inferior but I don't think they all deserve to die!'