Death Eaters in Daigon Alley - 6

On the rooftop, Harry froze, swallowing nervously as he faced the Death Eater holding him at wand-point.

"Well, look who we have here," the Death Eater said. Harry didn't recognize the voice. "My master will be so pleased with this added bonus."

Before Harry could respond, Ginny spun out from behind Harry's back, brandishing her wand. "Stupefy," she shouted.

The Death Eater took the spell directly in the chest and slumped to the ground. Harry had no time to congratulate her before two other Death Eaters emerged from the stairwell onto the roof.

Harry and Ginny both fired several spells, but the Death Eaters had the door to the stairwell to use as cover while they were out in the open. Harry took Ginny's hand and pulled her towards the building's ledge.

"Come on," he shouted.

He sprinted toward the ledge with Ginny on his heels, dodging spells the whole way.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked, breathless.

"Don't think, just jump," he shouted.

As he neared the ledge, he took a deep breath and simply leaped across to the rooftop of the next building. There was a moment while in the air that gave him that heady rush flying always did. He landed with a thud, but bounced back up, exhilarated and prepared to catch Ginny.

She stood on the other side, fixed in one spot and wide-eyed while the Death Eaters ran towards her.

Harry felt panic rising in his chest. Aiming his wand, he shouted," Stupefy!"

The Death Eaters were still too far away, and he missed. "Ginny, you have to jump," he said, holding out his hand. "I promise I'll catch you."

Ginny stared at the gap between the buildings then turned to see the Death Eaters running towards her. "Harry," she cried, her lip trembling. "Your legs are longer than mine."

"You can do this, Ginny. Do it, now," Harry demanded.

Ginny nodded resolutely, keeping her watery eyes on Harry. She backed up a few steps, took a running start, and bolted towards the ledge. She would have cleared it fine if she hadn't faltered slightly before jumping. That fraction of hesitation caused her to fall just short of the mark.

Harry leaned over and grabbed her around the waist before she slipped off the edge. His shoulder took the brunt of the strain, and he heard an awful popping sound before an unbearable agony swept down his arm. The pain was nauseating, and he had to clamp down on his teeth to keep from crying out.

Ginny screamed as his right arm dropped limply, releasing his hold on her. He leaned from the waist, keeping a tight grip on her with his left arm, straining to pull her up. They were out of the field of vision of the Death Eaters at the moment, but it wouldn't take them long to reach the edge.

Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck, clingingly tightly as he pulled her back onto the ledge. He could feel her nails digging into his skin and knew she wouldn't let go for anything. She was trembling violently and could barely catch her breath through her tears. He dragged her away from the edge and behind a half wall, shielding them from the Death Eaters spells.

Leaning against the wall, he gasped in pain, holding Ginny's shaking body close to his. "Ginny," he said softy. "You're okay. We're okay."

Ginny took a deep breath, pulling herself together. Her eyes widened, as if realizing Harry was in pain. Swiping her eyes, she leaned over him to peer around the wall.

"Petrificus Totalis," she shouted.