Then there was a blinding flash of Apparition, then another, and another. Then another ... there were dozens, scores of them. Hermione blinked and tried to keep count of each one, but it was a futile effort. There were just so many! They yielded witches and wizards battle-robed in the black and gold colours of The Knights of St David, each one wielding a wand and fresh, aggressive magic. The air was so dense with potential energy that it felt like being in the war path of an onrushing, angry hurricane. And suddenly there were as many wizards on one side of the Death Eaters" shield wall as there were behind it. Hermione's heart surged with such burning hope that she felt as though she'd drunk an entire vat of phoenix tears in one go. The armies faced off for a pregnant moment, then one of the newcomers lowered his hood and marched forward purposefully ... and Hermione dropped her wand in surprise.