The Battle of the Grounds

Holly shivered again, eyes on Gryffindor tower.
They were up there, she thought. They were all up there, probably watching her right now....just waiting.
Holly licked her lips nervously, waiting.
A huge black falcon swooped down from the tower at the speed of light.
Holly automatically stepped back wand outstretched waiting.

Shadow walked silently towards her friend, not afraid of the night or the falcon. She put a hand on Holly's shoulder, and waved hello.

Holly jumped violently and automatically held her wand to Shadow's throat.
"Oh- Gawd, it's you...."
She looked up at the falcon again.
"You know what that means? .... Means they're coming....."

Shadow put her head on one side, confused.

"The people," Holly said, "The ones that almost invaded Hogwarts last time. The ones in the cloaks and the other ones.... some of the others fled into the forest I think but theres still a good hundred of us about-"
The rest of Holly's explanation was drowned out by a mighty all from inside Gryffindor Tower. She and Shadow could not make out what was being said, but they could guess. For a moment later the grand front doors of Hogwarts opened and out came about a hundred cloaked figures on horseback, with swords as opposed to wands.

Shadow groaned silently and ran towards the forest, dragging Holly with her.

Holly whimpered slightly and let herself be dragged.
She crouched behind a tree.
"Whats the plan chief?" she asked.

Shadow grinned slyly, not saying anything (duh) or letting on what she was thinking.

"Is this the moment to grin slyly?" Holly asked exasperatedly, "Are you gonna like wait until they practically kill me until you say?"

Shadow shook her head and walked around the trees, picking up a few small sticks, sharpening them into points and then taking one long stick and a piece of string, making a makeshift bow.

"One?" Holly asked doubtfully, "If I didnt trust you I would already be running through those trees kid,"

Shadow smiled slyly again, and picked up one arrow. She nocked it in the bow string and putted it back as far as she could. She let go, the arrow flying towards a tree. Shadow concentrated hard, and the tip of the arrow glowed with her magic. As soon as it hit the tree, it exploded, leaving a burnt husk of the tree.

Holly realised her mouth was slightly open and she closed it and nodded slowly.
"Okaaay...." she said, and looked back toward the castle.
"I dont think they know we're here...."

Shadow nodded and whistled softly, a fiery chestnut pegasus arriving.

"Hello," Holly said absently to the pegasus, she thought for a moment for anything that could help her in a fight. "I got me wand," she said boastfully. But she was joking.

Shadow groaned silently before turning to Shaeman, stroking his nose before mounting on his back. Merlas wandered through the trees as well, chewing on some grass. Shadow pointed to Holly and then to Merlas.

Holly looked up in time to see this gesture and obediently attempted to moun Merlas. When this did not work, she levitated herself onto his back.
"I keep forgetting im a witch," she muttered.

Shadow grinned and slung her bow over her back, nudging Shaeman with her heels, the pegasus obediently taking off.

"Y'know im sitting on your brothers back," Holly said thoughtfully, "Never thought I'd see that day but there you go...."

Shadow shook her head, pointing to the fiery chestnut she was on.

"Oooh yeah. Well then you're on your brothers back. Thats weirder...."
She drew her wand and redied herself for a fight.

Shadow grinned, leaning low over Shaeman's next, soaring through the air.

Holly grinned, and moved her fringe out of her eyes.

Shadow nocked an arrow, aiming as Shaeman hovered, and fired the arrow.

Holly bit her lip at the sight of the hooded figures on horseback and stunned one of them, knocking him and his horse dead in their tracks.
"I love magic," Holly said tackily.

Shadow wheeled Shaeman round before aiming another arrow.

The arrow zoomed over Holly's head, making her duck automatically, and then send another stunner at one of the hooded guys. She had to grip onto the pegasus neck to stop herself sliding off.

Shadow fired her arrows in quick succession until one of the figured fought back, managing to hit Shaeman's wing with something Shadow couldn't identify. Shaeman kicked in the air and started to fall until they hit the ground with a sickening thud.

Holly swore and looked at beneath her.
"Um....little horse type thing, please go down there...."
The pesasus did so and Holly dismounted with a thud.

The hooded figures had got to the pair first, one with an unconscious Shadow, two others restraining Shaeman as he limped after them back to the castle.

Holly muttered the very worst word she knew and took cover in trees until she felt it was safe to follow them. She kept a good distance the whole way, but made sure she could see them at all times.

Shaeman pulled against the halter they had put over his head. He had sensed Holly.

Once the group entered the castle, Holly looked around, and then followed.

Shadow woke up in a room, her hands and feet bound.

Holly had lost the group after a few minutes, and had been walking all around Hogwarts, looking for Shadow, starting to get panicky.
Eventually, when she got to the third floor, she opened a door, and there was Shadow, all tied up and such, but with the hooded figures all around her.
Holly closed the door, hoping no one had seen.

Shadow looked around at the figures and patiently waited, wondering what was going to happen.

Holly debated for a whole two minutes whether she should blast the door open, or patiently wait outside, pressing her ear against it.
The latter would be more sensible, but she liked to blast things, and so did this, bounding into the room wand outstrethed.
"HA! HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW HOODED FIGURES?" she spat at no one in particular.

Shadow looked up at Holly, her eyes full of fear. There was a large gash down her head.

"Eurgh!" Holly said, imagining the pain Shadow must be in. She instantly began to undo the ropes by hand, but hard as she pulled, they wouldnt budge.
"Um.....severing charm. Right. Em. ..."
Holly uttered the spell, hoping it would work.
"Dammit my hands shaking, ill try again,"
She did so.

Shadow wriggled, trying to get loose.

Holly looked around, realising that since her entrance, none of the hooded figures had spoken. This was good, but slightly off putting. Like Natalie talking about her pumpkin recipie when you were trying to kiss Riley.

Shadow stopped moving, watching the hooded figures.

"Are they blind?" Holly murmured to Shadow, "Or stupid?"

Shadow shrugged, and started trying to break the ropes again until one figure kicked her in the stomach. Tears sprung to Shadow's eyes, but she was back to her furious wriggling as they grabbed Holly, tying her up as well.

"OI!" Holly yelled at them, "NO BRAINERS- THIS IS LIKE MANHANDLEMENT! I DO NOT GO WELL WITH IT! PUT ME DOWN SON OF A BANSHEE!"
She kicked out at the hood.
"Well you dont need both of us," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Just let the Shadow go. Seriously!"

Shadow shook her head, and flinched as one hooded figure grabbed her left arm, yanking up her sleeve and ripping off the bandage over it, exposing her dark mark. Shadow tried to pull her arm back, but one figure pulled out a wand, touching the mark with the tip. Shadow's mouth fell open in a silent scream of pain.

"Dammit," Holly muttered, stretching her fingers as far as they could to the waist band of her jeans, where her wand lay safe.

Shadow's hand twitched until the figure let her arm go and vanished her bonds.
"How much do you think he'll pay to get his demon back?" He said.

"He wont!" Holly spat, unable to reach her wand, "He'll kill you for annoying him for such a trivial thing. Happy? But of course if you were to find some kid wanted to .... join him. Then he might not kill you..."
Holly indicated herself.

Shadow shook her head at Holly desperately, standing up to try to free her, but a hooded figure knocked her down and stamped on her shins. Shadow screamed silently again.
"An interesting suggestion." The man said.