18; St. Mungo's Massacre

"Hello Dora."

"Harry." She replied, "Shouldn't you be at Hogwarts?"

"Since when has that stopped me?"

She gave a hollow laugh, "Dad's dead."

"I'm sorry Dora, he was a good man."

"How are you?"

"I struggle to get the sound of a neck snapping out of my mind, but other than that; I'm nervous, Voldemort will attack here tonight." Harry said, "You, Andi and Moody are his main targets."

"Well, they had to vanish the bones in my hand to fix it, I'm in fighting condition. Skelegro tastes horrible."

"Agreed, let's go visit Moody."

They were blocked from entering by two nervous aurors.

"Sorry, Auror Tonks, Mr. Potter, but we can't let you in, sorry."

Harry wondered what was going through their heads as they had to tell two 'celebrities' to go away.

Harry nodded sadly, "I understand, please tell him we tried to visit."

Harry and Dora turned around and almost bumped into someone.

"Mr. Potter!" a voice exclaimed, Harry recognised the head healer, "Were you two trying to visit Director Moody?"

Harry almost grinned, "Yes, we know each other through Dumbledore, and Auror Tonks here was his protégé and is a good friend of mine. We were going to visit him together, wish him a speedy recovery."

He narrowed his eyes, "Well, I suppose if you know him, could allow it…" He paused, "What did yourself and professor Dumbledore donate on Halloween?"

"Can't be too careful, I suppose. We donated Phoenix Tears."

"One last thing, Serpensortia."

Harry rolled his eyes, "~Greetings, serpent.~"

"~Speaker?~"

"Vipera Evanesca."

"That reminds me, I have found a new parsel spell that may help his recovery."

"Come along then."

They walked past the aurors and into the room beyond.

The head healer left after he showed them in.

Most of Moody's visible flesh appeared grotesquely melted and burned, though there were small patches where there was less damage, such as where the strap for his eye shielded his tissue from direct exposure. His sole eye was reddened and narrowed, it also seemed unable to focus for long periods.

"Potter, Tonks, what's happened?"

"The Lestranges attacked Dora and her family. Rodolphus and the three DEs they brought with them are dead."

"Good, but you don't sound happy." Moody commented, "Who died?"

"Rabastan killed dad." Dora stated morosely.

"I'm sorry, Edward Tonks was a good man." Moody said, "How's Andromeda?"

"She's alive and recovering well."

"Good."

"Voldemort will attack here tonight."

"Damn, I'm in no condition to fight."

"I found out what spell Voldemort used for Pettigrew's hands, it's parselmagic."

Moody narrowed his one dysfunctional eye, "What spell did Harry Potter want Nymphadora Tonks and I to test at the battle of Azkaban."

"Don't call me Nymphadora."

"Alternate Imperius, incantation; Exuasíazo."

Moody nodded, "Try it."

Harry lowered his wand to Moody's missing hand, focusing on and visualizing the functionality of the hand. How it worked, moved, looked. "~Quicksilver~"

Tendrils of silver begun to appear on the damaged tissue on the end of his stump, it flowed in rivers along the scarred lines, burned and gouged in Moody's damaged limb, filling the valleys torn in his arm with quicksilver. The silver liquid flowed down, covering the end of the stump in silver, then expanded filling out into the shape of a hand. When it stopped, Moody gasped.

"I can feel the hand, it feels, real." He exclaimed, lifting his new hand.

"Now for the leg."

"Aye, do that."

"~Quicksilver~"

Just like before, the quicksilver filled the scars above the severed limb first, then expanded to replace his leg.

"That's far better than my old leg."

Moody stood up and walked around the room, testing his new limbs.

"Potter, would it work for a new eye?"

"Possibly…" Harry said, "Dumbledore said that it holds enchantments well, what spells were on your last eye, the simpler ones that let you see, we'll start with those."

"Wouldn't want you to fuck up the spells Potter, the man who made the eye showed me enough to make one that could see and be linked to my real eye, I'll cast those spells on it myself." Moody said, "Did you ever finish that wand for me, mine didn't survive Voldemort's attack."

"I did, yes. Dobby!" Harry called, the elf appeared with a pop, "Bring Moody's wand from home please."

"Yes, Master Harry Potter Sir!"

He popped out and back again, reappearing with a long rectangular box in his hands.

"Dobby put it in box for Master, Mister Ollie Wandie gave boxes to be used."

"Thank you, Dobby"

Dobby disappeared and Harry handed the box to Moody.

"Cypress and Tunderbird feather, 13 Inches." Harry said, "Cypress wands, according to Geraint Ollivander, tend to be matched to those destined for a heroic death. Thunderbird feathers favour combat and transfiguration, and occasionally may even cast curses of their own accord."

Moody picked up the wand with his silver hand. When the wand was firmly in his hand, he gave it a wave. A few small arcs of electricity flew from the wand to Moody's silver hand, Harry was worried he had made a mistake until he saw Moody's grin.

"Perfect."

"Let's try that eye, shall we?"

Voldemort sat at the head of a long table, along the table were his Inner Circle, his Generals, bar Severus, of course.

"Bellatrix, Antonin, Walden, Alecto, Amycus, Fenrir and I will each lead a group of seven on the attack at St. Mungos." He declared, "Bellatrix will deal with Nymphadora Tonks, Antonin with Andromeda Tonks, Walden with Moody, the rest of you will deal with the Aurors, Order of the phoenix and other combatants and I will deal with any other high-priority targets that show up, Bones, Potter, Dumbledore and others. Steal any medical supplies you can get your hands on."

He dismissed the Inner Circle to prepare and decided to dive into the connection he had found with Potter. Perhaps he might be able to gain some crucial information.

In St. Mungos, Harry had just conjured Moody's eye when he felt a sharp pain run though his scar.

Harry focused on following the pain back through the link to Voldemort, all the while trying to keep Voldemort out of his mind.

He tried to pull up emotions of despair, cowardice, fear and a desire to escape. But, Voldemort's unrelenting assault was making it difficult.

Voldemort could feel Harry's valiant attempts at doing… something. He resolved not to let it happen, whatever it was. He slammed against the boy's occlumency, it was impressive for his age. Bella was right about the boy's natural talent.

Harry knew his defence wouldn't hold if he couldn't drown Voldemort in negative emotions. He decided that the best defence was a good offence.

Voldemort felt Potter trying something else, so he redoubled his efforts.

Harry used everything he knew of legilimency, he followed Voldemort's attack right back past the Dark Lord's shields, just as Voldemort shattered his own.

For some reason, possibly because what both were doing wasn't quite legilimency, possibly because both entered the other's mind near simultaneously, rather than seeing each other's memories, something else happened.

Their eyes snapped open, both feeling the other's presence in their minds, trying to push them out while still staying in the other's mind.

Harry stood up and leaned against the end of Moody's bed.

"Harry! Are you alright?" Dora asked.

Harry waved her off and looked toward the corner of the room, which seemed to fade into a long table.

What are you doing in St. Mungos, Potter?

Harry's eyes darted around the new room, which he seemed to be seeing at the same time as the room in St. Mungos.

Voldemort! Harrys spat mentally, What is this?

It seems that our attacks on each other's mind has… joined our perceptions temporarily and allowed us to communicate mentally. It is quite fascinating.

Harry conceded that the Dark Lord was likely more proficient in the Mind Arts than himself, and his explanation made sense.

Is that a room in Lestrange Manor? Harry asked.

Harry could sense Voldemort's slight surprise.

Bella's guess was right, you are much more than you seem.

What would Bellatrix Lestrange know of me? And how? She has only been out of Azkaban for… what? Four days?

Bellatrix has a way of convincing people Potter, Voldemort said, bemused, I suspect that Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Parkinson or Narcissa heard about your conflict with the… Incompetent Squad, and Bella heard from them.

You are much better conversation when you aren't being overly dramatic. Harry replied, But that doesn't make me want to kill you any less.

"Harry!" Dora yelled, "What's happening?"

Ah, the metamorphmagus, Moody's Protégé…

"Dora I'm fine, just give me a minute."

…Such a pity Bellatrix is going to kill her. She would have been a fine addition to my ranks.

Voldemort pulled out of Harry's mind and Harry was thrown from the Dark Lord's mind.

"Fuck!"

"What happened, Potter?" Moody asked.

Harry looked up and met Mad-Eye's new 'mad eye'. It was silver, but a bluish silver iris and a darker grey silver pupil had formed on the new eye, "I just had a mental conversation with Voldemort, he knows I'm here, but doesn't know about your new body parts."

"Anything else Harry?" Dora asked.

"Bellatrix Lestrange is coming, you are her target." Harry groaned, "And to top it all off I have a splitting headache."

"I hope you warned Amelia about the coming attack."

"And Dumbledore, and Croaker."

"Croaker? Why warn the DoM?" Moody asked.

"You never know, they might send help." Harry said, "They want Voldemort dead as much as we do."

"We should evacuate the hospital." Dora suggested.

"That's up to Amelia." Moody replied, "I'm staying here until he comes, he might change his plans if I'm not here."

A patronus came through the wall at that moment.

"Potter, we need to talk. Meet me in my office, As Soon As Possible. Amelia Bones."

Harry ran his hand through his hair, "Moody, could you ask her to meet us here, if I ask her to meet here, I'll sound disrespectful."

Moody nodded and fired off his own Patronus.

A few moments later the door opened, and Minister Bones stepped in, only to find three people pointing wands at her.

Harry cast muffliato, then asked, "How did Voldemort survive his death in 1981?"

Bones hesitated, "Horcruxes. Who told Harry Potter what they are?"

"Sirius Black, Amelia Bones only told me the punishment for making them. The others are who they say they are."

She nodded, "What happened, Alastor?"

"Potter used parselmagic to fix me up."

She turned to Harry, "How sure are you that he'll attack here tonight?"

"Very, his plan was to have Dolohov attack here to kill Moody, but since the attack on the Tonkses failed to end them, he upped his attack. Now he's leading it himself, and he knows I'm here, just not why. It's an irresistible target."

"Damn, the DMLE still hasn't completely recovered from Azkaban."

"Neither have his people. But I told Dumbledore, it's a public place, he knows many people who can make an excuse to be here."

"I usually wouldn't work with his Order, but we need the wands."

"He'll bring them." Harry said, "Moody, if you know anyone who'd help, send them a Patronus."

Bones and Moody nodded.

The group of four spent the next hour planning.

Unfortunately, most of their planning was for naught.

With a series of pops, seven group of seven Death Eaters appeared in and around St. Mungos.

Amelia Bones was just opening the door to leave Moody's room, which let them hear a sound not unlike popcorn popping.

"Potter, you said it would be tonight."

"Clearly," Harry said, "he moved up his plans, likely because we're here."

The group called all the reinforcements they could, and they could only hope they would get here soon.

"Use imperius curses, we're outnumbered."

"Even Harry, ma'am?" Dora asked.

"Yes," She said as they rushed down the stairs, they ran into their first Death Eaters on the stairs between the second floor and the first.

"Imperio!" Bones, Moody, Harry and Dora shouted, luckily, none of the Death Eaters were talented in resisting the curse.

They quickly dealt with the rest of the group of seven, taking one more under their control, and went on into the Dai Llewellyn ward, stepping over the unmoving body of a healer on the way.

There were ten living Death Eaters and Voldemort inside, they were torturing some of the Healers and their charges who dared fight back.

Voldemort noticed their arrival instantly.

"Minister Bones, Auror Tonks, Harry Potter and Director Moody. How nice of you to join us, and I must say, I like your new look director." His eyes locked with Harry's, "~If you are not Harry Potter, I will be most displeased.~"

"~Fuck you~" Harry responded.

"Ooh," A Death Eater said in a baby voice, "Bonesy and Moody wet you use imperius curse?" then continued after a pause, "Whatever would dear old Dumbledore think?." She said and dropped her hood, revealing Bellatrix Lestrange.

Dora's hair and eyes turned a violent blood red and she glared at her aunt.

"Do you really think you can kill me?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes, but I am not foolish enough to believe that you would stay dead." Harry replied, "Rematch, Tom? First we bow."

"Avada Kedavra!"

A shield of butterflies appeared in front of the curse. "So predictable," Harry lamented before smirking, "Recognise the spell? Ignis Sagitta."

The room erupted into chaos.

Harry noticed Dora duelling Bellatrix off to his side, Moody, Bones and the imperiused were dealing with the other nine.

Harry and Voldemort stood opposite, neither yet casting. Voldemort with his yew wand in hand, Harry with his Redwood in one and Ebony in the other.

A flurry of dark and lethal spells left Voldemort's wand just as arcs of lightning sprang from Harry's left wand.

The lightning expertly connected with many of the spells Voldemort sent his way, any that got past the lightning were batted back with a technique Harry had learned. By pushing a quick burst of magic through his wand he could bounce spells back as though he were playing ping-pong.

The technique was known as spell-batting and quite popular in duelling.

As Voldemort's barrage ceased Harry sent two loops of his cutting spell chain from each wand and finished up with Dragonfyre from both wands.

Voldemort batted many of his spells back toward Harry's imperiused allies, ending four of them for good, the dragonfyre was redirected upwards and two burning Death Eaters fell through the hole in the ceiling.

Neither landed a hit for five minutes, at which point a cruciatus curse from Bellatrix caught Harry unawares and he was hit by a cutting curse which dug into his shoulder and a blasting curse which slammed him backwards into the wall.

His ears ringing, he looked up dizzily to see a bright green light heading his way, his addled mind idly recognised that it was a similar colour to how he usually wore his eyes. Another part of his mind wondered how big his funeral would be and what the eulogy would be like.

A smaller part of his mind pondered what possible reason one would have to wear such ridiculous robes as the man who stood in the doorway beside him.

All of these thoughts occurred in less than a second

A wall of pretty white rock appeared between him and the bright green light and broke like glass that was hit by a rock, he saw Dudley do that once. But, unlike the glass, when this broke it went flying back to the snake-man that made the green light.

As the ringing in his ears subsided, Harry heard the man with strange robes say "-mistake coming here today, Tom."

The fog started to clear from Harry's mind, and he looked around for his stick- wand, it was a wand- there, ebony, now the redwood st- wand, there.

He pointed his sti- Wands!- at snake-face and tried to think of a spell, why couldn't he think of a spell… yes, he hit his head… concussion! There was a spell for those; concuss, conco, concoosio… no…

"Concusso!" two spells rushed towards snake-face, Voldemort, that was his name, they slammed into his hasty shield and pushed him back quite a bit.

Voldemort snarled and blew a hole in the floor, calling a retreat.

Harry stumbled towards the others, "'Nyone know 'ow to f-fix con-conussion" He slurred.

"Yeah" Dora replied, "Mum taught me the basics of healing"

"Fanks, Dora!"

Ten seconds later Harry was coherent but had a nasty headache, "He won't give up that easily, after him!" Well, perhaps not fully back to his senses.

Dora turned him around, "Use the stairs, not the hole in the floor."

They headed down the stairs, which were had bodies scattered along them, Auror, Healer, Death Eater and other alike.

A minute later they were out of the Hospital, but still just within the Muggle-repelling wards.

Voldemort stood alone, clearly waiting for them, and he was smirking, "Fiendfyre!"

A massive basilisk appeared between them and Voldemort, but they could hear him cackling stereotypically.

Harry snapped off a quick spell at the Hospital, "Homenum Revelio, forty people inside, Sonorus, Activate your portkeys, retreat, he's cast fiendfyre… Homenum Revelio, Twenty five."

"We need to hold this off, who knows how to counter Fiendfyre?"

Suddenly, Voldemort's fiendfyre disappeared, and he stood there, smirking evilly.

Why became obvious when a silver handed body came flying through a hole in the wall, fiendfyre spraying from his wand, ceasing only when he hit the ground with a sickening snap.

"I never liked Wormtail." Voldemort said before his disapparated.

St. Mungos was consumed by the fiendfyre before they had any chance at doing anything.

"Exuasíazo" Harry tried, and was marginally surprised when he actually felt it try to take hold of the hellish fire, it was, however, to no avail, as the connection snapped after only a second.

Dumbledore, Bones and Moody worked to counter the fiendfyre, it took them almost ten seconds to stop its growth, and a further fifteen to fully extinguish it.

"We quenched the fire faster than I expected." Dumbledore remarked.

"Homenum Revelio, there's a survivor." Moody grunted, he raised his new wand and lifted some of the rubble from the far side of the hospital.

The ash in the area moved as a figure shifted, moving to a sitting position. The figure had long matted dark hair, burned at the ends, and was covered, head to toe, in ash and blood.

The figure tried to stand but fell to the ground again with a pained hiss.

A series of cleaning charms flew silently from Harry's wand towards the figure.

The ash and blood disappeared, and the figure was instantly recognised.

"Mum!" Dora yelled, rushing over to her side, "Are you okay?"

"Aside from the fiendfyre burns?" Andromeda Tonks asked, with a pained grimace, "Dolohov got my eye, not sure if it can be healed at all, but I got his life. My leg is definitely broken."

There was a nasty cut over Andromeda's left eye, parts of her clothes were tattered. Charred, blackened flesh could been seen in parts.

Dumbledore had a rock in his hand, "Take hold, it will take us to Poppy."

The group portkeyed to the hospital wing of Hogwarts. None looked forward to knowing how many lives this loss had cost them, nor how the loss of St. Mungos would affect the war.