intoxicating. / / fred weasley / / under revision

Chapter 97

"They took my Luna," he whispered, "Because of what I've been writing. They took my Luna and I don't know where she is, what they've done to her. But they might give her back to me if I-- If I-"

"Hand over Harry?" Hermione finished for him.

Maeve looked up at the twins, Fred grabbed her hand and putting himself in front of her. Xenophilius looked ghastly, a century old, his lips drawn back into a dreadful leer.

"They will be here any moment. I must save Luna. I cannot lose Luna. You must not leave."

He pushed the twins and Maeve into the room with the trio, spreading his arms in front of them, trying to block their exit.

"Don't make us hurt you," Harry said. "Get out of the way, Mr. Lovegood."

"Harry, stop it." Maeve whispered.

"This isn't the time to be nice to him, Maeve." He looked over at her, then they were startled by Hermione.

"HARRY!" Hermione screamed.

Figures were flying past the windows. As the six of them looked away from him. Xenophilius drew his wand. He launched himself sideways, shoving Ron and Hermione out of harm's way as Xenophilius's Stunning Spell, but when Maeve pushed the twins out of the way, she was grazed with it, knocking her out and falling into Fred. There was a colossal explosion. The sound of it seemed to blow the room apart, as Fred tried to scoop her up. Fragments of wood and paper and rubble flew in all directions, along with an impenetrable cloud of thick white dust. Burying them. She began to gain consciousness, when heard Hermione's scream, Ron's yell, and a series of sickening metallic thuds which told her that Xenophilius had been blasted off his feet and fallen backward down the spiral stairs.

"Freddie." She cried out, reaching out for him, "Georgie?"

"We're okay." George told her, half buried in rubble, Fred tried to raise himself and then dug Maeve and George out of the rubble.

"No...no...upstairs...Potter!" They heard Xenophilius plead downstairs. Hermione had her finger up to Harry's mouth, to keep him quiet as George helped Ron up. Fred was checking Maeve all over, wiping the dust out of her hair and off her face.

"No-- no-- I beg of you!" sobbed Xenophilius. "It really is Potter, Really!"

"You lying piece of filth." shouted a wizard.

"I swear...I swear...Potter's upstairs!"

"Homenum revelio." said the voice at the foot of the stairs. Hermione gasped

"There's someone up there all right." said the second man sharply.

"It's Potter, I tell you, it's Potter!" sobbed Xenophilius. "Please...please...give me Luna, just let me have Luna..."

"You can have your little girl, Lovegood," said the wizard, "if you get up those stairs and bring me down Harry Potter. But if this is a plot, if it's a trick, if you've got an accomplice waiting up there to ambush us, we'll see if we can spare a bit of your daughter for you to bury."

Xenophilius was trying to get through the debris on the stairs.

"Come on," Harry whispered, "we've got to get out of here."

"Do you trust me Harry?" Hermione asked, and then turned to everyone, "Do you trust me?" Maeve grabbed Fred and Georges hands in hers.

Harry nodded.

"Okay then." Hermione whispered.

"Hold tight" she whispered. "Hold tight...any second..."

Xenophilius' paper-white face appeared over the top of the sideboard.