𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖓 𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕷𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌

Chapter 52. Hermione Kicks Some Butts

Harry's POV

Hermione clutched onto my shoulders as we rode through the dawn air. The sun was starting to rise, staining the sky purple, red, and yellow.

"Malfoy Manor, Buckbeak." I patted the hippogriff's flank softly. It squawked in response.

Hermione took a sharp intake of breath.

"Turn back, turn back!" She whisper-yelled.

I brought Buckbeak back. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few Riseners pacing outside Malfoy Manor. 

The silence was eerie, broken only by the slight flapping of Buckbeak's wings. 

"We have to take them." I muttered.

"You take left, I take right, tell Buckbeak to distract them and then fly away." Hermione murmured. 

"Ready?" I asked.

"Muffliato." Hermione muttered. The pale jet of light shot out from the tip of her wand.

"Distract the bad humans, kick them in the face, and them fly away." I whispered urgently to Buckbeak. He blinked. 

"Dive." I told the hippogriff. 

He shot towards the ground, the wind whistling in our ears, and we landed just behind the manor.  

"Buckbeak, go!" I whispered.

He took off. 

I walked backwards to see if Buckbeak was doing okay, and then trod on something hard. 

What I saw next knocked the breath right out of my lungs. 

Ron.

I pulled at Hermione's hand and yanked her down.

She saw him and her eyes widened. She let out a small scream. 

"We have to get him back to the ministry!" Her eyes were wild.

I told myself to think. Buckbeak was distracting the guards, Luna was being tortured inside the manor, and nobody could fly. Even if I Accioed a broomstick to carry Ron away, there was a chance that the Riseners could see it. 

There wasn't hope. I had to choose. I couldn't be the hero this time. 

Ron or Luna?

Ron or Luna?

Then I saw it. A small glint in the horizon, growing larger and larger, flashing red and gold.

"Fawkes." Hermione breathed. 

I didn't have time to marvel. I heaved Ron on Fawkes back and told him to tell Miss Weasley and Hogwarts that we were safe, and that they should start protecting the Wizarding World. Something told me that Vadadeces was not done.

Fawkes blinked one intelligent jet eye, and flew off, looking like a oddly lopsided bird. 

We looked at them fly away. I glanced at my Hermione.

She brushed off tears, the defeated look in her eyes replaced by a blazing determination. 

"Let's GO." She said. Hermione sprinted right, just as I saw Buckbeak fly away above our heads, and the sound of cursing from the Riseners grow louder.

I took off left. Drawing my wand, I shot a nicely aimed Stupefy at one of the wizards, who promptly shot a jet of energy at me. I dodged. I sent a Locomotor Mortis at another witch, who collapsed atop of her companion. The next wizard took a blow from Hermione's Flipendo, did a backflip, landed hard on his bottom and was promptly knocked out by a Stupefy. 

The last wizard proved to have some tricks up his sleeve. He sent me  flying with a unknown curse of his. I landed on my head and saw stars, but through my blurry vision I saw Hermione's wand roll next to me, on the grass. I groaned.

 She let out a defiant scream and kicked the wizard in the face. She dodged his curses and ignored her singeing hair, courtesy of the Risiner. I got up unsteadily, picked up Hermione's wand, and muttered a quick healing charm. As my vision restored, I saw Hermione kick the wizard where the sun don't shine, making him double up in pain, and snapped his wand. She snatched her wand from my hand and knocked him out with a Stupefy to his head.

Hermione stood next to the pile of unconscious wizards, breathing heavily. She blew the hair out of her face. 

"Let's get Luna out."