Chapter One Hundred And Fifty-Nine: The Eight Harry's
Flying above houses on the back of Cedric's broom, Lina watched the houses pass by beneath her as she did she thought back to the last time she had been at number twelve Privet Drive. Sixteen years old, her dad still alive, the mere idea of Voldemort coming back seemed almost impossible and the dark mark hadn't been seen in fourteen years.
The disillusion charm concealed the members of the order of the phoenix until they had landed in the back garden.
Lina saw Harry wrench the back door open and hurtle out. Hermione flung herself into his arms as other order members let out a polite greeting. Once Hermione let go Ron clapped him on the back.
"All righ, Harry" Hagrid said "ready fer the off?"
"Definitely" Harry beamed looking around at them all, his eyes landed on Lina, "I thought you would be at work."
"Yeah well with a lot of people trying to kill you I figured it's my duty as older god sister to ensure that doesn't happen. Work can wait" Lina replied.
Harry's smile grew "I wasn't expecting this many of you."
"Change of plan" Mad-Eye growled, he was holding two enormous, bulging sacks and his magical eye was spinning from the darkening sky to the garden with a dizzying pace. "Let's get under cover before we take you through it."
Harry led them all into the house and into the kitchen where they all made themselves comfortable. Cedric sat on top of one of the spotless work surfaces, he gently grabbed Lina and she settled herself comfortable between his legs, despite the slightly heated looks Bill was giving them.
"Kingsley, I thought you were looking after the muggle prime minister?" Harry called across the room.
"He can get along without me for one night" Kingsley replied "you're more important. "
"Harry guess what?" Tonks said from her place on the counter next to Cedric. She held up her left hand wiggling it at him showing off the ring that was now permanently there.
"You got married?" Harry yelped looking from her to Remus.
"I'm sorry you couldn't be there, Harry, it was quiet."
"But so beautiful," Lina said not wanting Remus and Tonks to think their day was any less special because of it. The truth was only Lina, Cedric, Ted and Andromeda were invited. Remus said Lina was the only family he needed there.
"That's brilliant," Harry said "congrat-"
"All right, all right, we'll have time for a cosy catch up later!" Moody interrupted. A silence fell over the group in the kitchen as they waited for Moody's next move. The older man dropped sacks at his feet and turned to Harry. "As Dedalus probably told you, we had to abandon plan A. Pius Thicknesse has gone over, which gives us a big problem. He's made it an imprisonable office to connect this house to the Floo network, place a Portkey here or Apparate in or out. All done in the name of your protection, to prevent You-Know-Who getting in at you. Absolutely pointless, seeing as your mothers charm does that already. What he's really done is to stop you getting out of here safely. Second problem: You're underage, which means you've still got the trace on you."
"I don't-"
"The trace the trace!" Moody impatiently. "The charm that detects magical activity around under seventeen, the way the Ministry finds out about underage magic! If you, or anyone around you, casts a spell to get you out of here, Thicknesse is going to know about it, and so will the Death Eaters. We can't wait for the trace to break, because the moment you turn seventeen you'll lose all the protection your mother gave you. In short: Pius Thicknesse thinks he's got you cornered good and proper."
"So what are we going to do?" Harry asked.
"We're going to use the only means of transport left to us, the only one the trace won't detect because we don't need to cast spells to use them! Brooms, Thestrals and Lina's motorbike that she's lent to Hagrid for the night. Now, your mother's charm will only break under two conditions: when you come of age or-" Mood gestured around the kitchen "-you no longer call this place home. You and your aunt and uncle are going your separate ways tonight, in the full understanding that you're never going to live together again, correct?"
Harry nodded.
"So this time, when you leave there'll be no going back, and the charm will break the moment you get outside its range. We're choosing to break it early because the alternative is waiting for You-Know-Who to come and seize you the moment you turn seventeen. The one thing we've got on our side is that You-Know-Who doesn't know we're moving you tonight. We've leaked a fake trail to the Ministry, they think you're not leaving until the thirtieth. However, this is You-Know-Who we're dealing with, so we can't just rely on him getting the date wrong, he's bound to have a couple of Death Eaters patrolling the skies in this general area, just in case. So, we've given over a dozen different houses every protection we can throw at them. They all look like they could be the place we're going to hide you, they've all got some connection with the order: My house, Kingsley place, Molly's Auntie Muriel's - you get the idea."
"Yeah."
"You'll be going to Tonks's parents. Once you're within the boundaries of the protective enchantments we've out on their house you'll be able to use a portkey to The Burrow. Any questions?"
"Er - yes," Harry said "maybe they won't know which of the thirteen secure houses I'm heading for at first, but won't it be sort of obvious once" Harry quickly counted the people in the kitchen "sixteen of us fly off towards Tonks's parents?"
"Ah. I forgot to mention the key point. Sixteen of us won't be flying to Tonks's parents. There will be eight Harry Potters moving through the skies tonight, each of them with a companion, each pair heading for a different safe house." Moody withdrew a flaw of what looked like mud but those in the kitchen knew it was actually polujuice potion.
"No!" Harry said loudly, his voice echoing around the kitchen "no way!"
"I told you them you'd take it like this" Lina said leaning back into Cedric who ran his hands soothingly up and down her arms.
"If you think I'm going to let seven people risk their lives!-"
-"Because it's the first time for all of us," Ron said.
"This is different, pretending to be me-"
"Well, none of us really fancy it, Harry," Fred said, "imagine if something went wrong and we were stuck as specky scrawny gits forever."
Harry didn't smile "you can't do it if I don't cooperate, you need me to give you some hair."
"Well, that's the plan scupped," George said, "obviously there's no chance at all of us getting a bit of your hair unless you cooperate."
"Yeah, fifteen of us against one bloke who's not allowed to use magic, we've got no chance," Fred said.
"Funny, really amusing," Harry said sarcastically.
"If it has to come to force, then it will" Moody growled, his magical eye spinning manically "everyone here's overage, Potter, and they're all prepared to take the risk."
Mundungus shrugged and grimaced. Lina kicked out hitting his shin and at her icy look, he didn't say a word. To say she was still angry at him ransacking Grimmauld Place after her father's death was an understatement.
"Let's have no more arguments. Time's wearing on. I want a few of your hairs, boy, now" Moody said.
"But this is made, there's no need-"
"No need!" Moody snarled "with You-Know-Who out there and half the ministry on his side? Potter, if we're lucky, he'll have swallowed the fake bat and he'll be planning to ambush you on the thirtieth, but he'd be mad not to have a Death Eater or two keeping an eye out, it's what I do. They might not be able to get at you or this house while your mother's charm holds, but it's about to break and they know the rough position of the place. Our only chance is to use decoys. Even You-Know-Who can't split himself into seven. So Potter - some of your hair, if you please."
Harry hesitated further he looked at Lina who gave him her most encouraging smile.
"Now!" Moody barked.
With all eyes on him, Harry reach up to the top of his head and pulled out a tuft of hair.
"Good," Moody said, he held out the flask "straight in here, if you please."
Harry dropped the hair into the mud like substance, in an instant, the potion began to froth and smoke and when it cleared it was now the colour of bright gold.
"Right then, fake Potters line up over here, please."
Lina turned around and pressed her lips against Cedric's, but remembering that nearly all her family were in the kitchen she pulled away.
"I love you," she told him.
"I love you two" Cedric replied.
Lina stepped away from him and joined the rest of the fake Potters, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Fleur.
"We're one short," Remus said.
"Here," Hagrid said gruffly, he lifted Mundungus by the scruff of his neck and dropped him down by Lina who gave him the side-eye and moved to stand in between Fred and George.
"I told jer, I'd sooner be a protector," Mundungus said.
"Shut it" Moody growled "as I've already told you, you spineless worm, any Death Eaters who we run into will be aiming to capture Potter, not kill him. Dumbledore always said You-Know-Who would want to finish Potter in person. It'll be the protectors who have got the most to worry about, the Death Eaters will want to kill them."
Mundungus didn't look particularly reassured by this but Moody was already pouring the poly juice potion into thirteen glasses and handing them out.
"Altogether then..."
Lina didn't think twice, she downed the potion all in one and immediately began to gag. The taste was revolting but it worked. Lina shot down in height, her features began to bubble and distort, her long hair shortened, her shoulders grew broader and more masculine. In a blink of an eye, seven Harry Potters were gasping and panting from the after-effects of the potion.
Fred and George turned to each other "wow - we're identical."
"I dunno, though, I think I'm still better looking," Fred said looking at his reflection in the kettle.
"This is so freaky," Lina said looking into the kettle as well.
"Bill," Fleur said looking at her reflection in the microwave door "Bill, don't look at me - I'm ideous."
"Those whose clothes are a bit roomy, I've got smaller here," Moody said indicating to the bags on the floor containing Harry like clothes "and vice versa. Don't forget the glasses, there are seven pairs in the side pocket."
Lina rummaged through the sack pulling out clothes and glasses and changed, behind the cover and Cedric and his jacket into the providing clothes.
"Good," Moody said once the seven imposters were dressed. "The pairs will be as followed: Mundungus will be travelling with me, by broom-"
"Why'm I with you?" Grunted the Harry nearest to the back door.
"Because you're the one that needs watching" Moody growled, his magical eye now not moving away from Mundungus. "Arthur and Fred-"
"I'm George," said the Harry Moody was pointing at "can't you even tell us apart when we're Harry!"
"Sorry George-"
"I'm only yanking your wand, I'm Fred really-"
"Enough messing around!" Moody snarled "the other one - George or Fred or whoever you are - you're with Remus. Miss Delacour-"
"I'm taking Fleur on a Thestral" Bill said, "she's not that fond of brooms."
Fleur Harry walked over to stand by Bill giving him a lovesick look that looked odd coming from Harry's face.
"Miss Grainger with Kingsley, again by Thestral, Ron you're with Cedric on a broom-" Cedric didn't look too pleased not being with Lina but didn't say anything.
"Which leaves you with me, Lina!" Tonks said brightly.
"Brilliant," Lina said beaming back.
"An you're with me, Harry. That all right?" Hagrid said looking a little anxious "we'll be on the bike, brooms an Thestrals can't take me weight, see. Not a lot o room on the seat with me on it, though, so you'll be in the sidecar."
"That's great," Harry said.
"We think the Death Eaters will expect you to be on a broom," Moody said "Snape's had plenty of time everything about you he's never mentioned before, so if we do run into any Death Eaters, we're betting they'll choose one of the Potter who look at home on a broomstick. All right then" he said tying up the sacks with the Potters clothes in and leading the way to the back door. "I make it three minutes until we're supposed to leave. No point locking the back door, it won't keep the Death Eaters out when they come looking...come on..."
Before they would all have to separate Lina found Cedric talking to Remus "It's me..." Lina" she said when she realised the men were trying to work out which Harry was before them."
"I'll give you a moment alone," Remus said excusing himself.
"Hey," Cedric said, his mouth turning upwards into a lopsided grin.
"Hey" Lina replied, "so I know Moody said it should all be smooth sailing but we don't always have the best track record when it comes to stuff like this so I just want you to know I'm coming back you, I promise...and this is where I would normally kiss you but considering I look like Harry I'm not going to do that."
Cedric chuckled, he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around Lina and kiss her and tell her how much he loved her but like Lina said with her looking like Harry it would be too weird. "I promise I'll come back to you too."
"Black! Diggory!" Moody yelled.
They approached the group who were all standing by their method of transport, Lina smiled at Cedric and went to stand with Tonks, Cedric went to stay with Ron Harry.
"All right then," Moody said "everyone ready, please, I want us all to leave at exactly the same time or the whole point of the diversions lost"
Everybody mounted their brooms and Thestrals, Lina placed her hands on Tonks's waist and Hagrid kicked the motorbike to life.
"Good luck everyone" Moody shouted "see you all in about an hour at The Burrow. On the count of three. One...two...THREE!"
Tonks kicked the broom off the ground and up they soared past clouds still in formation and then they were surrounded.
At least thirty Death Eaters enclosed the order members, cloaked, on brooms and ready to attack.
"Tonks!" Lina yelled already pulling out her wand and firing any spell that would get rid of the Death Eaters at them.
"On it" Tonks yelled back, she turned the broom sharply to the right jolting Lina and causing the hand she was still holding on to Tonks to tighten.
Lina looked behind her just as a bust of red light shot their way. Both ducked just in time. "They're still coming for us!"
"How many?!"
"Confringo!" A burst of fire shot of Lina's wand and hit the masked face of one of the Death Eaters, the Death Eater fell off his broom and Lina lost sight of him several feet down "three now" she answered.
"We can outrun three!" Tonks shot the broom down to the left, to the right and up again in quick fast movements in random patterns as to confuse the Death Eaters, all the while Lina was duelling them all.
"Confringo!"
The spell was aimed perfectly at the Death Eater closest to them, but they swerved, as they did their hood and mask fell revealing Bellatrix.
"Tonks, we've got a problem" Lina yelled.
Tonks quickly looked behind and her face set deeper into determination.
Lina didn't think it was possible but the broom picked up speed "we're nearly there."
"Stupefy!"
The spell hit another Death Eater leaving Bellatrix and one other.
Lina saw a jet head her way, she ducked but the spell wasn't aimed at her, it was aimed at the broom. The broom lurched from the spell and Lina was thrown sideways off the broom, she caught onto the broom with one hand her body dangling down. "Dora!"
"Hold on" Tonks yelled.
"What else am I suppose to do" Lina yelled back.
With the Death Eaters still firing curses at her relentlessly. She knew she would have no way of getting back on the broom without being hit.
"Bombada!" Lina yelled.
The spell hit the other Death Eater throwing him off, the end of the broom splintering.
That only left Bellatrix, but before Lina could do anything, a spell hit her square in the chest.
"Lina!" Tonks yelled.
The girl's grip slipped from the broom, the hand holding her wand opened as she felt all the breath in her body leave.
And she fell.
Down.
Down.
Down.
But still alive.
The wind harshly whipping her face broke her out of her painful shock and gave her enough energy to save herself before her venerable body met the harsh ground.
"Accio broom!"
Lina prayed to Merlin, to Helga Hufflepuff, to her parents, that the spell would work and this wouldn't be how she died, but nothing happened. Closer to the ground she fell, the end coming near and then she felt it.
The handle of the broom with the end splintering but still working (only just) attached itself to her hand, Lina swung her leg over only thirty feet before she hit the ground.
"Accio wand!" Lina again waited a few seconds but still flying when her wand unscathed returned to her.
She wasn't sure how long she was flying for or if she was going in the right direction but somewhere over a long grass field, the broom started to give up.
Sparks exploded from the end narrowly missing the back of Lina's head. The ground drew closer, finally, ten feet from the grassy earth the broom lurched forward catapulting Lina face-first into the ground below.