Death Eaters in Daigon Alley - 2

New explosions shook the ground every few moments with alarming frequency. He could hear the laughter and crude jokes from the Death Eaters, but the street itself was eerily deserted. When they'd walked this way less than an hour ago, there had been a few scattered shoppers and several open shops, now it resembled a ghost town. Harry imagined everyone was inside, seeking cover.

As they neared the first burning shop, Harry could feel the heat on his face from the burning buildings. The temperature outside seemed to rise the closer they got to the bank. Heavy smoke filled the air, making it difficult to see what was happening. He jerked his head towards an alleyway where several rubbish bins lay scattered. The Weasleys took cover behind them.

"Back in the rubbish again," Ron muttered.

"Ron, get down," Fred shouted, pushing Ron to the ground as a jet of green light came speeding down the alley.

Muffled shouts and curses sounded from the street ahead. Fred dragged Ron behind the bins.

"Bloody hell. Thanks, Fred," Ron said, looking slightly dazed.

"I saw someone go this way," a harsh voice sounded ahead.

The air was suddenly filled with the sounds of Apparition. Multiple cracks and pops filled the air as witches and wizards dressed in Ministry uniforms arrived on the scene. The flashes from curses being fired became brighter and more intense.

"Stupefy," Harry shouted.

A beam of red light shot from his wand and Stunned the Death Eater who had followed them into the alley. Peering around the corner of a building, Harry could see Ministry Aurors fanning out and taking cover all along the street. The Death Eaters were casting spells at them with fierce intensity, and it took a moment for Harry to comprehend that the Aurors weren't returning spells at all.

"What are they on about?" he asked no one in particular, horrified to see the Aurors being slaughtered.

"What's happening?" Ginny whispered behind him.

"The Aurors have arrived, but they aren't casting any spells. The Death Eaters are making it look like child's play," Harry said, stunned.

He watched as the lead Auror made several attempts to negotiate with the Death Eaters, the majority of which were holed up on the steps of Gringotts. He felt his stomach clench in disgust as several of the Death Eaters used the Levicorpus spell to dangle the bodies of dead Aurors in the air.

"Stupefy," George yelled, his face contorted in rage.

One of the Death Eaters who'd been desecrating the bodies slumped over, but his victim fell to the ground in a heap as well. George's Stunning spell alerted the others to their location, and a barrage of curses began pelting off the walls and against the bins in the alleyway.

"Back, move back," Harry shouted, pushing Ginny out of the way.

Ron, Fred and George took one side of the alley, while he and Ginny backed against the other. If the Death Eaters swarmed, they were trapped. Harry's eyes scanned frantically, finally settling on a rusty, metal fire escape located several meters above their heads. He was startled by a loud crack not far from where he and Ginny were standing. Several more cracks followed in rapid succession.

"Potter," Mad-Eye Moody said, appearing suddenly alongside Hestia Jones. "What's the situation?"

Moody and Jones volleyed several spells back and forth with the attacking Death Eaters. They were the first spells to be aimed at the Death Eaters directly since Harry had arrived on the scene. He saw Bill and another witch he didn't recognize joining Ron and the twins. They all began aiming spells towards the steps of Gringotts. Several other Order members had also joined the fray.