Prophecy 472

13- The Battle

Ron was interrupted from his thoughts by a shout, and he rushed out of the wooded space back to the clearing. There, flying in circles around the burrow, were four black cloaked figures. Their trails left long lines of gray-black smoke in their wake, making it look like a storm cloud was circling the house. The lines got as close to the perimeter line of the wards as possible, two moving clockwise, two moving in the other direction.

Why are there four of them?

He felt a tug at his elbow and turned swiftly to face Harry, his wand instantly drawn up to his friend's throat. Dropping the wand back down, Harry didn't even flinch, just spoke.

"They've used the time turner again," he said urgently. "It's two of them from our time, two from the future."

Ron nodded and the two friends instantly separated again, running in different directions. Neither needed to tell the other to be safe, to get to Hermione, to protect the house, they both mutually accepted those responsibilities, one mindset now without speaking.

Ron ran toward the death eater closest to him. The four had dispersed now, flying out at various angles, throwing hexes and curses at the team of aurors on the ground. Flashes of light whizzed past Ron's head; he ducked and bobbed to miss each one, throwing a few of his own over his shoulder. If they could just bring down all four before they found Hermione, it would be all right. Ron threw a stunning spell at one that looked to be an older Willigsbee, but the figure flew straight up into the air just before it hit him.

There was a crash to his left and Ron looked to see one of the aurors on the floor, having fallen from a broom. The broom landed next to the auror with a thump and Ron summoned it to him immediately. It flew through the air and sharply into his hand. He was already running before it reached him and he jumped onto the broom at a gallop, shooting upward in the direction the death eater had just gone. Ron could make out his shape about forty yards above him. He urged the broom on, picking up speed and gaining altitude. Just as Ron was reeling back to throw a hex, the death eater shot back down at a sharp angle. Ron had to compensate and jerk down, sending his broom into a straight angle toward the earth. The floor was coming at him faster and faster but Ron kept on, obsessively tracking the death eater until he got a good line up and threw a stunner.

The death eater crashed to the ground and Ron followed, not having enough time to jerk upright and land softly. He rolled three times and the broom broke in two. Jumping up instantly, Ron ran toward the fallen death eater, binding him quickly in ropes with his wand.

"One down!" Ron bellowed as loudly as he could. He heard Harry's reply from the other side of the field.

"Two down!"

Ron wondered which one Harry had managed to catch but immediately moved on, running to a clump of woods where he saw three aurors trying to reign in a dark figure darting through the trees. He was moving quickly until something caught in the corner of his eye. He turned his head back toward the burrow, where he saw little Rose walking on unsure legs across the yard. Ron froze in a moment of disbelief. No one else was around her and she was moving closely to the perimeter of the wards. In the doorway he saw Fleur clutching Victoire, screaming for her to come back, and Audrey running as fast as she could to retrieve Rose. Ron could tell from the distance she wouldn't make it in time.

"Rose!" he shouted. "No!"

His legs darted him forward, running faster than he thought was humanly possible. Time seemed to slow as he watched with unbelieving eyes each step Rose took forward, moving her closer and closer to danger. He called on every ounce of energy left in his body and moved faster. Just as one of her little feet passed over the barrier, Ron had scooped her up in his arms and run over to the other side, back within the wards.