The Azkaban Thread, <It's about damn time!>

"Don't know," Jason told Raina, watching Dennis Creevey leave the battle and follow Madeline up the stairs of the Knight Bus. He was holding his right arm at a funny angle, as if it were broken. "Student-wise, the only people missing are Lucy and Keith, and I assume they're on the Knight Bus healing people... however, Draco, Blair, Tony and Jean-Pierre aren't out here either." He watched Kalia, Sally, Kai and Anky Fremp continue battling the Death Eaters, whose numbers were now reduced by three including the one Jason had just hit with a silent Killing Curse.

(OOC: Xanthe, this is your cue as long as everyone else is ready for the Aurors to arrive.)

Colin turned to Wendy and Tawnos... the group hovering around Lena was too big, and there was a strong chance one of her friends might accidentally get hit by a deflected spell. "You two get back to the bus," he said. "Diop and I will make sure nothing happens to Lena." Colin, in formal dueling terms, would serve as Lena's second, and Diop would be on hand to heal one of them if needed. He watched Wendy and Tawnos head out.

Meanwhile, Xanthe had returned to Ocelot form, and had been sat thoughtfully, surveying the sky. Mostly for the reason that nobody else was, and it's huge, starry expanse was a more than likely spot for further attack. Thus, she was the first person to spot several gradually growing dots, black holes against a blue sky, it was probably only the enhanced contrast she could see as an ocelot. Their wands were held aloft, and though she didn't know for sure, Xanthe was pretty sure she knew what they were. She turned back into a girl, growing up from the ground, but more quickly than before.

"AURORS!" Xanthe pointed upwards, to the dark mass that was steadily coming closer.

"Harry, Ron, Invisibility Cloak. Now," Jason said, turning to the others and adding, "Memory grenades when they land." Several of the hex grenades had been loaded with Memory Charms, for this exact reason. When the Aurors woke back up after being hit with them, they would see all the Death Eaters and guards lying around and assume Hogwarts students hadn't been involved in the battle at all.

Jason turned back toward the prison and located the barred window nearest to Lena's location. He fired a Patronus through the bars, which spoke in his voice: "Aurors. Mission compromised. Disapparate now. Do not engage unless attacked." The Death Eater Lena was fighting, if Lena hadn't killed her yet, would likely be too preoccupied with making good her own escape to continue the duel. Jason saw Tawnos and Wendy exit the prison, and pointed to the bus... Wendy nodded and ushered Tawnos up the stairs.

Amycus heard Xanthe's warning even over the sudden roar of a Killing Curse hurtling past his ear and taking out the Death Eater behind him. "I'm not going back to Azkaban!" he shouted. And, seizing Alecto, he held true to his word and Disapparated. The remaining two Death Eaters stood no chance... nearly a dozen spells converged on each of them.

(OOC: I don't mean to power play Alecto, and I can always change it if you want, but I figured Amycus would rescue his own sister.)

Jason waited for everyone else to get on the Knight Bus first... those who had memory grenades waited behind with him. As the Aurors landed, they were greeted by bright green fireworks as the grenades went off. Jason clambered onto the Knight Bus behind the others and barked "Go!" to Stan. The Knight Bus roared off.

(OOC: If I recall the second movie correctly, the Memory Charm's light is green. Also, let's just say everyone's on the bus now... it'd get boring to read "Trowa got on the bus", then "Luna got on the bus" post after post. I was going to do some stuff with the Aurors, but it's not all that important and with nobody playing Reyana I'd just be RPing with myself.)

Just as the bus started to move, Sally leaned out a window with a wand in one hand and a big bag in the other. "Accio grenade casings!" she called. The used grenades flew up and straight towards the bus and she caught them in the bag before pulling herself back inside. "Can't leave these lying around, like, no way of knowing what the Aurors'd make of 'em!" she said for explanation as she took her seat again.

(OOC: So the thread's officially over now? Wow, it's been emotional... )

"Smart, Sally," Jason told the younger girl appreciatively. He worked his way to the back of the bus and sat down next to Madeline.

(OOC: There's some Knight Bus stuff left to do, but it'll only take a few more posts.)

Madeline shifted her position so she was curled up against Jason, rather than the cold window. She was glad that this was over, though she knew that something else would be coming, but who knew what or when. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on his shoulder.

Jean-Pierre coughed and lurched awake suddenly. "Jason," he groaned. Jason leaned forward... fortunately, he was sitting directly behind Morges and didn't need to get up to talk to him, which would allow Madeline to continue her physical contact with him if she wanted. "I'm... dying," Jean-Pierre said. Jason shook his head and opened his mouth to protest, but Morges spoke over him. "I want... to make sure... Lupin knows I'm dead. Take... my body... back to him." He gave a great, shuddering breath and looked over at Blair. When he spoke again, he paused a lot less. "The stars cower in shame before your beauty," he told her. "I hope that you and Draco find some measure of happiness together. I am sorry my service to you was so short... but another will take my place. As I said before... the government of France may have forsaken you... but the people of France... never will." He turned his head and vomited blood, then looked to Jason again and continued. "I hope I found redemption in your eyes. I know you still wanted to kill me at one time... even though I... saved your life. Remember me as I was in Blair's service... not as I was in Maureen's." He closed his eyes, and drew one last rattling breath.

Blair felt her eyes well up with tears at Jean-Pierre's last words. For the short time that she personally knew him, he had made a big impact on her life; saving her. And now he was gone. just like that. To Blair, he would never be forgotten. She took his now cold hand in hers a let a tear fall on it as he breathed one last time. Blair couldn't hold the tears back any longer.

Tony and Draco both put reassuring hands on Blair's shoulders. Tony quickly removed his and stepped back, thinking that he was intruding on a private moment between Blair and her lover. "Can you take a look at my ribs?" he asked Lucy as a change of subject. "I think some of them got broken." The girl nodded and sat Tony down on the bed next to Keith's.

Sasha finally came to, sitting up cautiously and casting a quick glance around. A lake of bodies, both guards and Death Eaters, surrounded her, but she found no sign of movement.

Slightly embarrassed and ashamed that she'd been hit by a random stunner, she quickly Disapparated with a quiet pop knowing her failure would not go unnoticed.