The Hunter by Gryffinclaw_31



Summary: All was well in the Wizarding World. When murders started occurring- seemingly at random, Auror Potter was given the job to solve it. How would he solve it with his new skills and a new life? 
Rating: PG-13 starstarstarstarhalf-star
Categories: Post-DH/AB
Characters: None
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 2020.09.28
Updated: 2021.05.25


Index

Chapter 1: I.
Chapter 2: II.
Chapter 3: III.
Chapter 4: IV.
Chapter 5: V.
Chapter 6: VI.
Chapter 7: VII.
Chapter 8: VIII.
Chapter 9: IX.
Chapter 10: X.
Chapter 11: XI.
Chapter 12: XII.
Chapter 13: XIII.
Chapter 14: XIV.
Chapter 15: XV.
Chapter 16: XVI.
Chapter 17: XVII.


Chapter 1: I.

The Auror Office was known for its tidiness. At least, that was what visitors thought, for they had never visited the Auror cubicles or an Auror's Office.

Hidden behind two piles of papers was a young man with his head on the desk, hand sprawled lazily over the edge.

"Harry! Wake up, mate!" Ron Weasley exclaimed at the sleeping form.

Twenty-year-old Harry Potter jerked at the sound of his best friend, "Whuzzgoinon?" He stretched his hands.

"Did I fall asleep?" He asked, staring at his work incredulously. He never fell asleep at work.

"I think so, you did insist on not sleeping for three days," Ron replied, leaning on the table. "Robards has something for us, told me to fetch you as soon as I stepped into the office,"

Harry nodded, running a hand through his hair on their way. "I still don't know how I fell asleep,"

Ron shrugged and nodded at Kelly, the Head Auror's secretary, before knocking on his door.

"Come in," said a deep voice from the inside.

Gawain Robards sat at a much neater desk, scribbling away on parchment. At their entrance, he looked up and nodded at both of them. The window behind him lit the maroon room brilliantly; he had always been fond of summer.

"Potter. Weasley," He said, greeting the two.

"Morning, sir," Harry replied, Ron, stuck to merely nodding.

"I need the two of you to go to the Leaky Cauldron. There's a body in one of their rooms." Robards, never the one to beat around the bush, said in a clipped tone.

"A body?" Harry asked, frowning.

"In Leaky's? That's unusual," Ron said. Robards nodded.

"Unusual indeed, I am sending you because Longbottom is there, and since you're all friends out of work, it should not look suspicious. Go in civilian clothes, Weasley. Potter, take that cloak of yours. I do not want the press to spread rumours about Voldemort's return," Robards said, a frown on his face.

"We'll leave immediately," Harry said, turning to exit the room.

"Oh, and Potter, Weasley," Robards's voice called out,

Ron turned back, "Yes, sir?"

"You need to submit those files soon." his tone was much lighter this time.

OoOo

Harry wrapped the cloak around him before Apparating to Diagon Alley. Ron was right in front of him. He tapped Ron on his shoulder to confirm his presence.

Ron nodded and entered the pub.

"Neville!" Ron exclaimed, effortlessly switching into a casual tone. A few heads turned around and whispered, most remained undisturbed.

Neville looked confused, "Ron-" he began, but was silenced as Ron thumped him on the back.

"Haven't seen you for so long mate," Ron grinned at him, Harry waited patiently as they dropped the careless attitude. Neville looked around him. Harry walked gently and stepped on his shoe. Neville stared right past him and nodded.

"Oh, yes, I remember. Let me show it to you right now!" Neville said with a forced smile.

Harry removed the cloak as Ron set up privacy charms around the room. Neville and Harry smiled at each other, but it was short-lived.

"Hannah found it this morning, we've left it untouched since then," Neville said sombrely, opening the door, a strange feeling settled over Harry as he saw the big eleven on the door.

"Has anybody left recently? Has this person been living here for long?" Harry asked.

Neville shook his head, "No. Nobody has left the place yet. This person has been living here since yesterday."

"You better come in, Harry," Ron's voice called out.

"Can you seal the Floo? And place some wards around here? Place a Tracking charm at the boundaries, if anyone does leave, we should be able to see where they go," Harry said. Neville nodded.

"I'm going to leave you both here, I will seal the first-floor for now, "under maintenance", but you better hurry," Neville said from the stairs, making quotation marks with his fingers.

Harry stepped in, almost immediately hit by a stench. The room was peculiarly neat, except for the red stains on the sheet where the body lay, and the cracked mirror. He shuddered before shaking his head to focus.

Ron was bent near the mirror, examining its broken shards. Harry walked over to the body and saw a long piece of the mirror vertically under the hand, which was nearly touching the floor.

"It looks like he did it to himself," Ron said as he straightened. Harry frowned and examined the body closely; there were no signs of harm on the body, except for a slit in the stomach. The person looked old, silver hair on his side stood starkly in contrast to the black.

"No, Ron, he couldn't have used a mirror to create such a big gash, there should be something else." Harry looked around, but he could not find the victim's wand.

"Yes, but do you see any signs of disturbance?" Ron asked, examining the body closely.

"Accio wand." He said finally. Two wands flew to him; he threw Ron's back and examined the other. It was overly bent "Prior Incantato."

"Looks like a slicing charm was used," Ron said.

"Yeah, but there's something fishy," Harry said as he looked around the body, "He still has his watch, he's dressed in.." he looked around. "He was going out, Ron," Harry said, pointing at the cloak on the chair.

"You might want to have a look at this, Harry," Ron said grimly, handing him a wrinkled paper.

Dearest Barton,

If you are reading this, then it may well be possible that I have perished at the hands of the Hunter. He has already sent me another letter. You must run away immediately, go to a crowded place, you must save yourself. You must protect yourself, save the family's name-


Harry looked up frowning, "This seems to be a warning, but where's the rest of it?"

Ron shrugged, "Beats me, it's not in this room, I've tried Summoning it,"

"The Hunter? Do we know anyone with that name?" Harry asked, bending down next to the body, it looked eerily peaceful.

"Nobody I know, family's name seems to be an interesting concept, though," Ron said from behind him.

They searched the room in vain; there were no personal items except for the cloak.

"I think we should head back and send this body for a closer examination, that might give us some clue," Ron said, tapping Harry on the shoulder from where he was examining the mirror.

Harry nodded and levitated the wand into a sealed packet, along with the glass shard, he took another case and put the note inside it. The two returned to the pub after closing the room.

"Neville! Thanks for that mate! Come up here!" Ron said, he had always been good at changing his tone, a skill Harry wasn't very good at.

Neville looked at both of them, anxiously, "Well?"

"It's too early to say anything; we don't know if he did it to himself or somebody else did. We'll send some people to pick the body and clean the place. Has anybody left yet?" Harry asked.

Neville shook his head. "Everyone's still down; we only have five people living here, four now. Besides, I don't think a killer would have stayed around for tea."

He nodded, "I'll send a team of Obliviators, let's see if the rest of the people have something to say," he said as he put the Invisibility Cloak on.

The stairs creaked under them. Harry twirled the sealed letter in his hand; there was something off.

OoOoOoOoOo

Author's note: This is going to be my first time writing anything bigger than a one-shot. As of now, uploaded every two weeks. I would love to read your reviews, they are my only way of knowing if you liked it or your views, they are always encouraging me, and I always reply! A huge thanks for to Arnel for helping me with this one.

Back to index


Chapter 2: II.

"So, the fingerprints on the wand are his own?" Harry asked.

The chilly air, the death, the cold grey metal walls radiating off the gloom, everything in that room did not help Harry's uneasiness.

A lady dressed in white down to the gloves held the wand in her hands. She answered him from behind her face-mask, "Yes, in fact, his fingerprints are the only ones found on it, that is, except yours,"

He smiled sheepishly before realising she probably couldn't see it, "Sorry, Emily, does the body show any signs of any curses other than this one? Anything unusual?"

She shook her head, "It looks like it's self-inflicted. His abdomen is the only part which is in bad condition; they performed it with precision- and power, it cut right through most of his internal organs, no curses, no potions. Nothing."

"But I have evidence to suggest a murder, are you positively convinced?" He knew that he was annoying her, but it all seemed so absurd.

"Yes, Harry, I've dealt with quite a few bodies before, I am certain."

"Alright, thank you, Emily, I'll be back if I need anything else," Harry said finally, taking Barton's wand from her. She gave him a sharp nod before returning to her work.

OoOo

Harry's office, or cubicle, was a small well-lit room, with creamy walls, his desk, and a giant notice board- littered with newspaper articles of interest, deadlines and a few sketches that Teddy made.

"So, looks like we're off this case for a while," Ron said, leaning back into Harry's chair, crossing his hands behind his head, as Harry finished reciting the report.

"No, Ron, there's something else. Who's this Hunter character? And is the person who wrote the letter still alive? Doesn't this whole scenario seem sketchy?" Harry replied, momentarily stopping his pacing.

"I've sent some trainees to look up the birth and death records, figured we might get to know his family name-" Ron paused abruptly.

"Harry!"

"What?" Harry looked up, Ron bent forward, "The old lady, the one Proudfoot found in the Highlands? She apparently died of old-age?"

"Yes?"

"You think it could be related?" Ron raised an eyebrow.

Harry rubbed his chin, "I think we best check that out again, I think Proudfoot got his report only yesterday, but we need the records first,"

Ron nodded and sat back, "But it could also be that he performed the curse himself, out of fear? You know- better die on your own than have someone kill you,"

"Could be," Harry said distractedly, resuming his pacing. The Hunter, he could not think of any Death-Eater, any news reports- anything

"Think Harry, think," He muttered, raking his fingers through his hair.

There was a sharp knock on the door, "Come in," Ron said.

"Here are the files, sir," A trainee said, his head went back and forth between the two, eyes full of awe, and curiosity, Harry barely registered being called 'sir'.

Ron gestured at Harry's table, the trainee put them there and quietly slipped out of the room.

"Barton Edmund Audalix. Aged forty-seven." Harry skimmed through the file until he found something of interest.

"He was involved in the First Wizarding War, a ministry spy for Voldemort,"

Ron was twirling his quill with a thoughtful look on his face, "Audalix sounds familiar, I think I had a great-grand-aunt who was Audalix,"

"They are a pureblood family," Harry looked at him curiously, Ron shrugged, "Any illness?"

"None at all,"

Somebody knocked on the door again, "Come in," said Harry.

Ron smirked, "You've set yourself quite a reputation if no one comes in without knocking,"

Ignoring him, Harry looked inquiringly at their new addition.

"I interviewed the people at Leaky's- they're innocent and clueless," said Cassie, as she dropped another file on Harry's table, tying her dark hair. She was only a year older than Harry, and the two had gone on many of the early missions together. Cassandra had a particular talent of getting information out of people. She casually sat on the edge of Harry's desk.

Harry nodded and resumed his pacing, "Alright, so this is what we know: He was from a pureblood family. Aged forty-seven. He was involved in the First War from the dark side; he had no siblings, no family except his aunt, Aurora Audalix."

Cassie nodded, "Aurora Audalix is the body we discovered not far from Hogsmeade,"

"Great, that's our first link, did the Audalix have any enemies?" Harry asked, scribbling the name on a blank parchment.

"Not that I know of, from what Proudfoot researched on Aurora; they had been laying low in the Second War. Her nephew got out of Azkaban by pleading innocence and claiming to be under the Imperius curse in the First War," Cassie finished with a scowl.

Ron nodded, "We have to look at any family links they have, any friends or social circles, maybe it was because of some internal feuds,"

Cassie shook her head yet again, "As I said, they were lying low and living off the family wealth, but if you want, I can ask the lads working under Proudfoot's investigation to give any other connections that they might've found,"

Harry looked at Barton's wand on the table and sighed, "I'll talk to Proudfoot, we have to merge these cases, and yes, that would be brilliant, Cassie. Could you also check where their wealth and properties will go now?"

She jumped off the desk, "I'll see to it. You.. continue!" She gestured at the piles of papers on Harry's desk and smirked.

"Very funny, you're just happy you're done with yours," Harry grumbled as she exited the cubicle.

"So what do you think?" He asked, turning to Ron who was still lounging and reading the post-mortem report, Ron's face peaked from behind it,

"I think we need more evidence because right now, it really does look like this Hunter character might not be a big threat,"

Harry resumed his pacing, "Audalix was clearly running away from him,"

Ron sighed and stretched his arms as he got up. Placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, he gave a small smile, "I'll look at the files for people named Hunter,"

"Thanks, Cassie should be here any minute," Harry said, Ron shook his head.

"You're going home, mate,- you'll be no help if you don't rest after a night-shift, " Ron said firmly, Harry tried to protest, but Ron's gaze stopped him.

Knowing that it was futile; Harry nodded meekly, "Fine, but you're sending me the details as soon as you find them,"

"Done," said Ron, pushing Harry out of his own office.

OoOoOoOo

Harry stumbled out of the Floo into the drawing-room, which looked better than the condition he'd left it in. Feeling eternally grateful for Kreacher, who had prepared Harry a warm breakfast, he passed the rouge room to take a hot shower.

Hunter.

His stomach twisted in knots. Aurors mostly had to finish up the paperwork these days. They'd all worked hard to capture all the Death Eaters, and the Wizarding World had not seen anything eviler than a couple of common-thieves for over a year.

All that changes now, he thought, feeling apprehensive. Once he'd finished eating, he flopped onto the bed with Mrs Audalix's file. His parents' wedding day photograph sat right next to Ginny's and Teddy's photo frame on his bedside. He smiled as he looked at their beaming faces. Teddy had ridden his first toy-broomstick that day; Harry had taken a photograph immediately.

Aurora Audalix.

He sighed and opened the file. The Healers had written that she had been suffering from numerous organ problems due to excessive alcohol and potions. There were no last wishes to follow. All her property came under Barton's name.

He rubbed his face, the only thing he could think was a personal feud, they did not have much wealth- compared to other 'esteemed' Pureblood families- there was no evidence of murder, but why would she mention 'Hunter', was this only a set-up?

He put the file down when he noticed that he'd read the same line four times. A yawn escaped his mouth, reminding him of how exhausted he was; promising to wake up soon, he closed his eyes wearily, falling asleep immediately, dreaming of murders and broomsticks.

OoOoOoOo

He was rudely awoken by the sound of sharp tapping on his window. He tried to snuggle deeper into the blanket before realising that he'd slept over it.

"Go away," He said, whining.

The tapping did not obey him, and as if to mock him, grew louder. Forcing himself off the warm bed, he opened the curtains, and unlocked the window, a tawny owl flew in and sat on Hedwig's old perch- he'd insisted on using it to allow the frequent ministry owls, and to keep Hedwig's memory alive.

He stroked the owl and handed him a treat, "Hey, Apollo, Ginny sent something?"

Curious as to why Ginny hadn't merely used the Floo, he took the letter from Apollo- Ginny's eighteenth birthday gift from him.

Though short, the letter bought a smile to his face immediately, previous annoyance forgotten.

Harry,
Meet me at seven o'clock, our favourite dinner spot.
Ginny x


He looked out of the window at the magnificent red sky and realised he'd slept well past through the alarm, and lunch. He checked the clock, six-fifteen.

OoOo

She was leaning against the lamp-post and looking stunning in her Navy sweater- with a G in gold on it- and black leggings. He grinned as he checked his battered wristwatch, he was ten minutes early.

"My lady," He said, offering Ginny his hand.

"My good sir, it has been so long since I've seen you, I must say, love does grow stronger with time," Ginny fanned herself in a sophisticated manner, but the effort was ruined by the grin that crept up her face.

"Why, I believe I agree wholeheartedly. Twenty-four hours is indeed quite a long time," He said with a grin of his own.

OoOo

"So I tried to come by Floo, but you didn't answer me, I figured you were probably out," Ginny said, as she ate the chocolate fondue for dessert.

He took a sip of water before answering, "Yeah, I was asleep, I was supposed to be up by lunch, looks like I over-slept,"

Ginny shook her head, "You work too much, and those new techniques you're trying are, well, draining,"

Harry bowed his head as she mentioned work, "The new techniques are bringing me a step closer to wandless magic! They aren't all that draining, Gin," He finished with a small smile.

She didn't look satisfied, eyeing him in a way much like her mother, but she didn't say anything.

"Fancy a walk?" Harry asked.

Ginny raised an eyebrow and gestured at the snowflakes which he swore weren't there moments ago, "In this weather?"

"Good point."

Ginny smiled at him, "How about a cosy evening with hot chocolate at your flat?"

"You're making the hot-chocolate," He said decidedly, folding his hands.

His stubborn face melted at her laughter; they paid the bill and decided to walk to the nearest empty spot. Shivering, he realised that he should've dressed better.

"It is cold!" Harry said, brushing off the snow from his jacket. Ginny nodded sympathetically.

"Shall we go through the Leaky's? It's not far from here," Ginny said, rubbing her hands together.

He stopped, Ginny stopped with him and looked at him inquiringly, "No. We don't need to go to Leaky's. We can Apparate from the next alley,"

His tone must have conveyed that something was wrong, because the next moment, Ginny had pulled his chin up, "Everything alright?"

"I'll tell you at home," He said shortly, leaving a surprised Ginny behind.

They passed the rest of the short trip hand-in-hand, while Ginny told him about her practice session and how Maren was almost knocked off the broom by Gwenog's Bludger. He offered his inputs wholeheartedly.

He wrapped her arms around her as they Apparated to the alley not far from his flat.

OoOo

"So what's that about Leaky's?" Ginny asked, setting their hot chocolate mugs on the table. Harry sat in the maroon armchair opposite to Ginny. He and Ron had tried their best to make his drawing-room similar to the Gryffindor Common Room. They had lived together until three months ago, when Ron had decided to help George with the shop in his free-time, shifting to the Diagon Alley flat. Harry decided he needed some more time and Grimmauld Place some more renovation before he would move out of this flat.

"There's been a murder at the Leaky Cauldron," Harry began.

They'd moved well past the 'confidentiality rule'. Unless it was something which was sworn to be private or something very critical, Ginny usually got the information out of him, at least the general picture. Besides, he knew that Hannah would tell Ginny anyway, they'd become quite good friends.

"A murder?" Ginny said. Her face paled considerably.

He ran a hand through his hair, "Well, I shouldn't classify it as murder, because the evidence suggests that it's self-inflicted, but I don't think it is, I could be wrong though,"

Ginny frowned. "There's a difference between suicide and murder, Harry,"

"I know, I don't have much information right now, but we'll find out tomorrow, I don't know Gin- I feel as if there's more to it," He said, gripping his mug tighter.

Ginny acknowledged him with a nod while staring at the fire. Her hair reflected the fire's glow; they lapsed into a comfortable silence until Ginny's watch beeped.

"I have to go," Ginny began with a regretful sigh.

Harry nodded and smiled thinly, "I'll see you soon?"

Ginny placed her hands on his shoulder and kissed him passionately, "Just four more days,"

"Mmmm," He was still dazed from the kiss, blinking owlishly for a second, he threw her a lopsided grin, "Train well, don't let Gwenog scare you, you're Ginny Weasley- Harpy's star Chaser,"

She smirked, "Don't you worry, Gwenog uses me as one of her scary tools,"

She took some Floo Powder in her fist, "Be careful, don't over-exert yourself, and if you need me, you can drop in anytime- Gwenog knows you have quite the habit of rule-breaking, and you understand Quidditch, so you're not a total bore, oh- and keep me updated!"

He nodded, "I'll write to you,"

The flames turned green as she threw the Powder and with a last smile, said in a clear voice, "Holyhead Cottage," She disappeared in an instant and Harry could feel his good mood evaporate with her. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing.

He could do the paperwork, or he could read and practice from the books on wandless magic he found at the Black Library. There was no point on working on the murder- the case- until he had more information.

Feeling guilty, he decided to spend an hour on paperwork and the rest of the time for his practice.

OoOo

He cracked his knuckles as he signed the last file- for today. Summoned his book, and sat cross-legged on the rug. Though he did not need the book- he'd already read it twice- he kept in around for confidence.

He exhaled deeply and focused on emptying his mind. He had finally learned Occulumency- it was necessary as an Auror. Next, he focused on the book which he had placed it on the table and raised his hand gently, the book gave a small shake but stayed unmoving.
That was alright; he had realised by now that his first tries never worked.

Relaxing deeper; he closed his eyes and tried to listen, or rather, feel, the ever-present hum of magic. He raised his hand again, pointing it directly at the book and felt a tug in his gut- causing him to peek an eye open, the book was hovering over the table.

He probably shouldn't have cheered, for his concentration was broken, and the book fell with a resounding crash.

He spent the next few hours Summoning objects wandlessly and performing basic spells such as Lumos and Alohomora.

Though drained, he was satisfied by the time he pulled the covers, the room's lamps dimmed softly, the sole source of light was the moon which glimmered from behind the clouds. Hunter.

OoOoOoOo

Author's note: I hope you liked it! This one is longer than most because I think I had to put it all out there. Your reviews are so encouraging and they really do inspire me to write something which would keep you interested! They're my only way of knowing your opinions, and I always reply!

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Chapter 3: III.

It had been a week since the two Audalixes died. After many interviews, with the heir to properties and associates, it was clear that Audalix's wife who'd been at a month-long visit to her family in France had nothing to do with the man's death. All properties and wealth were bequeathed to her.

"Potter!"

He took a step back to look at his freshly made mind map.

"Proudfoot?" He tied the red ribbon around another pin he'd stuck on his board.

"There's been another death," Proudfoot said in an urgent tone.

A cold feeling washed over Harry. He turned around to look at Proudfoot, whose eyes were wide in alarm, and his tie was only half-way done.

"Another death?" said Harry, voice barely above a whisper.

They had handed the case to Harry. Mainly because he was the only one, backed by Ron, Cassandra and a few others, who argued that it was a murder.

Shaking himself out of the reverie, he flicked his hand to Summon the scarlet robe, "Let's go,"

Proudfoot nodded sharply and locked his hand with Harry's. They mostly ignored the familiar sense of getting squeezed as scenarios ran through their heads.

It was a beautiful street, lamps adorned the place, and local stones radiated their importance readily. No attention was paid to the two Aurors, just as they wanted.

The magnificent Fawley Mansion loomed into the view. The windows were much like vacant eyes, and though the place looked well-kept, it radiated gloom and solitude. Harry looked at Proudfoot as if to signal 'shall we go in?' Proudfoot shrugged and half-nodded.

"Mr Potter!" A wail stopped him; he looked to the corridor on the right to see a small house-elf running towards him, he crouched down to its level.

"Hello," He said politely. The elf burst into a fresh wave of tears.

"Please don't cry. We need your help, please," Harry awkwardly patted the elf on the back.

It shook its head and wiped its nose on the cloth; Harry noted that it was much more beautiful than Dobby's old pillowcase.

"I is Dilly, Harry Potter, sir, I is taking care of mistress with the young mistress, I found mistress lying on the bed. Mistress never sleeps late, sir, so I go and check, she was not responding." Dilly's tears did not seem to stop pouring as she tried to wipe them.

Harry stood up, frowning, "Dilly, can you please take us to the other mistress?" He asked kindly.

Dilly tried to fix herself and nodded and quietly lead the way, an occasional sniff echoed loudly in the silent corridors.

The room was too dark, an old gramophone's voice floated gently. Harry had to squint very hard to make out things which barely reflected the soft light coming from the window painted with purple flowers, lush green bushes, and intricate golden threads.

"Mistress, the Aurors," Dilly said, sniffing. The classical music which was both sweet and it that setting, somewhat eerie stopped abruptly.

"Tell them to give me some time," A raspy voice answered from one of the corners of the room.

"This way," Dilly said, bowing. He nodded and stepped out into the ancient corridor.

"This place gives me the chills, where is the damn body?" Proudfoot said, leaning against the wall.

His pallid nature made him look much older, the subtle wrinkles and the grey hair on the side of his head stood out.

Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes from under his glasses.

"Have patience, Proudfoot," He said, though he mostly agreed with Proudfoot.

A lady in a black velvet dress stepped out of the room; a black veil artfully covered her face.

"This way, gentlemen," She said, and her voice, though sounding extremely sophisticated, gave the impression of great suffering and burden.

They silently followed her. Harry raised an eyebrow at Proudfoot and tilted his head in the lady's direction, Proudfoot shook his head and shrugged.

"My aunt is in this room," She said, pointing a gloved hand at a wooden door which Harry assumed was the crime scene, preparing himself, he turned the knob.

The room was pitch black, worse than the previous one.

Harry and Proudfoot lit their wands, illuminating the room softly.

"Is there any light in here?" Harry asked, ignoring the smell.

"Yes," said the lady, and she lit multiple small lamps in an instant.

A sob escaped the lady, but when she spoke, her voice wavered only slightly, "I will be waiting in the drawing-room, please do what you must."

Harry nodded sympathetically and shut the door behind him. The room showed no signs of violence, but the white sheets seemed to have been painted red.

"Merlin," Proudfoot whispered. Merlin indeed, all the glass in the chamber were broken, the bed's curtains were pierced.

It was chilling, and Harry cautiously walked to the body as Proudfoot did the same. He had to keep the bile inside as he looked at the pale body, her face was peaceful, as if killed in sleep.

"We need to get the blood checked, it can tell us how long she survived before dying," Proudfoot said, gruffly.

Harry backed away slowly and pinched his nose.

He flinched violently when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Alright?" Proudfoot asked, not unkindly.

Harry nodded, "Sorry,"

He put on the gloves to avoid tampering with evidence and picked up the wand that once belonged to Madam Fowley.

"Prior Incantento."

"A slicing charm," He told Proudfoot, confirming his suspicions.

"There's nothing else here, I've cut out a piece of the sheets for analysis," Proudfoot said, shaking his head.

Harry nodded and turned away from the body, "Maybe 'mistress' could tell us what happened, I'm calling Emily to send her team," He said, turning to his wristband-communicator beside Fabian Prewett's watch.

He was just about to leave the room when he noticed something sparkling in his peripheral vision. He walked over cautiously and sighed when he saw it was just another mirror- until he noticed a ripped parchment buried below it.

He put on his gloves once again to pick and read it,

When everything has fallen back- the sides will reverse- they will understand their crimes.

"Strange," He murmured, flipping it over to see anything on the back. The neat cursive seemed to mock him.

"Coming?" Proudfoot asked from the hallway, he pocketed the note (sealed of course) and followed Dilly.

OoOo

She sat in an armchair in the great drawing-room, the thick curtains were drawn, and the fire was almost out.

"When did you find out?" Harry asked. "Miss," He added.

"Please be seated," The lady said gesturing to the sofa parallel to her.

"Bring tea for the guests, please, Dilly," Dilly bobbled her neck and exited the room.

"I am Amelie Fawley. I came here to visit Tante from Germany; I am her only family. I have only been here for two weeks, and I found Tante in the pool of blood this morning. Nobody can enter or exit the house.

I do not know how she died, but you must find out, please,"

"We're so sorry for your loss, miss Fawley, but did you see anything irregular in your aunt's behaviour in the past days? Has anyone visited you?" He asked.

"Nee, she was perfect yesterday, we were going to visit the park today, then Dilly woke me up and told me what had happened-" She stopped abruptly as if to gain her composure.

"I have to handle her papers and properties. And arrange for a funeral, but you must find out who did this to her. She has never done anything bad for anyone!" She spoke in a frantic tone.

He flinched as Proudfoot nudged him, breaking his chain of thoughts.

"Please calm yourself, miss, we will find out what happened to your aunt," Proudfoot said in his low, in this case, calming, voice.

The lady gripped the head of the armchair and nodded, "Be sure that you do,"

"We'll send a team shortly, please answer all their questions and let them examine your aunt's body, we will take your leave now," Harry said, nodding sharply.

"When can I expect them?" She said bravely.

"Soon," Proudfoot said, already walking towards the door.

She turned away from them, signalling that the conversation was over.

He followed Proudfoot out of the mansion.

"This just got a whole lot complicated, didn't it?" Proudfoot said gruffly, kicking the pebble.

Harry nodded and turned around, "This would be the room, right?" He said, pointing at the farthest room on the second floor, the curtains reminded Harry of some Muggle horror show he had, accidentally, seen his uncle watch.

Proudfoot scratched his chin, "I think so, it should be,"

"How do you think someone could've gotten up there? A ladder?" Harry asked, hoping that something would make sense.

"We're going to have to come back, I've got a feeling that this is far from over," Proudfoot replied. His tone had a peculiar heaviness to it.

With that said, the two men apparated away.


OoOoOoOo

Author's note: Let me know if you liked it, things are going to happen faster now! Your reviews allow me to connect with you and to understand your views, and your latest theories. You all motivate me to give my best, and I always reply!

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Chapter 4: IV.

The web of red strings only grew bigger as Harry put different notes on it. The lack of direct sunlight meant that the loose lamp was the only source, making things seem rather gloomy.

"Imperius Curse," Harry said, or rather exclaimed, after pinning the crime scene photographs on the wall.

"Huh?" Ron asked, clearly perplexed as he sat on the edge of Harry's table.

"Remember Hepzibah Smith's elf? Or forgetfulness potions or charms!"

Ron shook his head, "Mate, you're not making much sense here,"

But Harry's gears were already turning, if somebody would've Imperiused Dilly- and then used a Memory Charm.

"No," Ron said, startling him out of his thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, annoyed at Ron's stark 'no'.

"I can see where you're going with it, but if anyone used an Unforgivable, we would have detected it," Ron said.

"I suppose," Harry muttered.

"I mean there's no doubt that it's the same person, this 'Hunter'," He said, making quotation marks with his hands.

Ron made a sound of approval, "It's not like he's after money," He said, sounding deep in thought.

"I don't know about family feuds either, as far as I know, Fawley were always peaceful, and then her niece who's the only family left," Harry added.

"So what could it be-" Harry made a big red question mark in the centre of the strings.

"What was the note again?" Ron asked.

"When everything has fallen back- the sides will reverse- they will understand their crimes." Harry read from the note.

"It seems like a riddle- but then, it's pretty straightforward too," Ron said, crossing his arms.

"The sides will reverse- what's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked frowning.

"I don't know mate. It doesn't make sense," Ron answered.

Harry rubbed his face; this was getting ridiculous.

Agatha Fawley was a respected citizen who was adored by everyone. Yet she was murdered, and in the same way as Audalix. Emily's investigations again showed that it was Fawley's wand which had performed the Slicing Charm, and it had no fingerprints except for the lady's.

The glass was the only link, besides the victim, between the two cases.

"We just have to wait for more information," Ron hopped off the table.

"Three deaths, Ron, that's a lot," Harry said gravely.

"I'm going to hold a meeting, soon," Harry added, staring desperately at the jumbled chart with red yarn holding all the pictured together. He sighed and stepped back finally, settling his arms around his waist as he searched for some obvious clue.

"Hermione was calling us for lunch," Ron said, halfway to the door.

"I'll join you guys in a minute," Harry said, nodding.

"See you in a bit,"

The Audalix and the Fawley had nothing in common, no war connections, and funnily enough, Harry couldn't find any family connections except very early marriages.

Harry slapped his head. They were both Purebloods! But as far as Harry knew, the Fawley, though in the Sacred twenty-eight, never boasted or flashed their 'purity'.

Eager to tell Ron, he made a quick note before locking the room.

Hermione and Ron were in a quiet conversation in the booth when he dropped by.

"Harry!" Hermione said as Harry casually put her documents on his chair aside.

"Afternoon Hermione,
What were you guys talking about?" He smiled.

"Nothing, except Ron notifying me of the Cannons," Hermione replied, looking exasperated.

"He does that all the time, you should've gotten used to it by now," He said, smirking.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Ron asked as he took another large bite of sandwich.

"Not hungry," Harry replied, waving his hand. "What have you been up to, Hermione?"

"We're a step closer to presenting the evidence of the usage of using derogatory terms for House-elves, lesser-known species, and even Muggleborns in situations and text, to the Wizengamot. This should make it illegal or at least much tougher for someone to use them." Hermione replied, her passion evident.

"Let us know if you need any help," Harry said, pointing towards Ron who nodded as well.

They talked about mundane topics, weekend plans until the topic settled on their case.

"They're all Purebloods?" Ron asked, immediately furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"That's very strange. Purebloods are mostly left alone." Hermione said, glancing at Ron, he shrugged.

"Harry," Ron began.

"Yeah," Harry asked, Ron had a very thoughtful look on his face.

Ron looked around and shook his head, "We need to talk, later,"

Harry shrugged, raising an eyebrow.

"Look at the time! I have a meeting in fifteen minutes," Hermione said hurriedly as she stood up. Harry and Ron offered to drop her to her office, and the three friends walked to the second floor. Two of them calming the third before her meeting.

OoOo

Ron's office was just as untidy as Harry's. Various Quidditch magazines were stacked on the stool beside the bookshelf. Surprisingly enough, Ron's pile of paperwork was much smaller than Harry's, reminding Harry that musing about work was not the same as doing it.

On the desk was an antique chess set, he could tell that the game was halfway through, by judging the board. Ron claimed by playing against the pieces themselves helped him better understand techniques.

"I was thinking," Ron started, gesturing at Harry to take a seat.

"When you mentioned how the only common thing between them is that they're both Purebloods," Ron said, clearing his desk of the bits of parchment. "Could it be something like an act of revenge? From the Insignificant Death-Eaters?"

Harry stroked his chin, Insignificant-Death-Eaters or IDE was a category for those followers of Voldemort who didn't commit crimes necessarily, and thus were not sentenced, but helped Voldemort. That included a few Snatchers and certain Pureblood families.

"Something like Karkaroff!" Harry murmured, jumping from the chair.

"Yes, because Audalix didn't help them the second time, and Fawley.."

Harry continued Ron's chain of thoughts, "Fawley was neutral, she allowed Death-Eaters and Muggleborns to take shelter there, but never to harm each other,"

"She was a remarkable woman, funny they didn't call her a blood traitor," Ron finished sourly.

"They wouldn't have done anything then, because Voldemort needed bases. But now, they could've easily done it- gotten rid of her. They probably didn't do anything on Voldemort's orders, but perhaps they did think she's a blood traitor," Harry said, the thing falling into place.

"Looks like we're going to have to pay a visit to Azkaban," Ron said, sighing.

Harry pinched his nose at the sudden headache that was starting to form, "And to look through files,"

"I'll hold the meeting tomorrow," Harry said, decidedly.

"Who're we involving?" Ron asked, casually popping Honeyduke's Fizzing Whizzbees into his mouth and offering Harry, to which he shook his head distractedly.

"Proudfoot, Cassie, Emily- maybe, Sebastian," Harry said, counting the names on his fingers. Ron nodded.

"Does that make you a target?" Harry murmured, the realisation hitting him. Suddenly the idea of Ginny being all alone at Holyhead didn't sound so good.

Ron had stilled behind him; he thumped Harry's back, "Don't worry mate, it's going to take more than a bunch of amateurs to hurt the Weasleys,"

He forced a smile and shrugged. "I'll send them all a memo, and get working and sign off the last of the files, maybe we can ask a trainee to look at the Snatcher files,"

Ron waved at him as he crossed the lobby and entered his cubicle, opposite to Ron's, and locked the door. The headache was growing more pronounced; he rubbed his temples tiredly as he sat on his chair.

Scolding himself for putting the work off until the last minute, he started to sort the files and try finishing his paperwork. Of course, as all minds do, Harry's mind wandered to the case as he reviewed a bunch of files that were written by second-year trainees, annotating it at places where he thought the information was not enough.

All the three had died without a trace of any external force, curses from their own wands. The only links they had were the social status and the Slicing Charm. He quickly scribbled a memo to the Aurors he wanted on the case and duplicated it for each. Next, he wrote a short note for the timings he wanted to go to Azkaban. The uneven paper-plane zoomed around the room before landing into the 'out' tray and vanishing.

OoOo

Author's note: I promise next one will be longer! Do leave a review letting me know your theories and feedback, they never fail to make my day, and I always reply! I'm not too happy with how this turns out, but better chapters await!

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Chapter 5: V.


Harry looked around at the team he had gathered. Proudfoot, studying a file, sat on the farther side of the oval table. Cassandra seemed to be teaching Sebastian something from a book. Ron was drumming his fingers on the table, looking at the wall with a dreamy expression. No doubt thinking about Hermione- or Chudley Cannons. Emily was sucking on a Sugar-Quill with her boots on the table, reading through a file.

"Alright, everyone, focus," Harry said. Instantly the room went quiet, as everyone sat straighter and looked at Harry expectedly.

"This is what we know about the three murders: They were both Purebloods. Both died in the same way. We can hypothesise that a person or a group by the name 'Hunter' may have something to do with it." Taking a sip from his glass, he looked at everyone's face. Some had furrowed eyebrows; some looked uncertain and troubled.

"Any ideas?" Harry asked.

"One perplexing thing is the curses. Self-inflicted. Why would that happen?" Emily asked, looking over the files she had brought.

"I think it's quite a classic scene," Sebastian said, as all heads turned towards him.

Rubbing his neck nervously, he continued, "So the 'Hunter' coerces the victim to- well, perform the Severing Charm on themselves. Threats could include killing a family member, threats to properties, and those sorts of things."

Harry nodded encouragingly, "I see where you're going with it. That's a good reason to start with, but we need to improve it, Cassie?"

Cassie scribbled the explanation under 'reason' on the file.

"They're not after properties, because Audalixes and Fawley still have the properties under their name. We're hypothesising that it's the I.D.E. who're doing this, any other points of view?" Harry said, looking at those who hadn't spoken yet.

Ron shrugged and shook his head. Cassie bit her lip thoughtfully, Proudfoot rubbed his chin.

"Alright, that's fine for now."

"Now we have to determine what next, how can we track their activity?" Harry said, idly writing 'I.D.E.' on the blackboard.

"Ron and I were thinking about paying Azkaban a visit," Harry added.

"We're going to have to look through Snatcher files," Cassie said.

"Would you do the honours?" Harry asked, the corner of his mouth quirking up momentarily. She sighed and nodded. He heard her mutter something along the lines 'I just got done,' and grinned wider.

"We need to look for a pattern," Proudfoot said, "So far, we know two people, Baron Audalix and Agatha Fawley, add Aurora Audalix if you please, is there any order to it?"

"Well, this may sound absurd, but A-A-B, the first name pattern?" Ron said, ending on a questioning tone.

"What?" Ron said, the tip of his ears turning red as everyone stared at him.

"That's a great connection." Emily scribbled something down.

"It is, it also gives us possible future victims. We have to look through any Pureblood Muggle-born supporters, or Death-Eaters or benefactors, who for some reason stopped helping Voldemort at some point. Names in alphabetical order." Proudfoot summarised.

"Harry and I will increase the security at Azkaban, just to prevent breakouts or things." Ron stated, clasping his hands together on the table.

"But the question about the note remains," Harry quickly scrawled the note on the blackboard, reading it so many times had fixed it in his head.

"When everything has fallen back-" Sebastian read. "Can it mean when everything's fallen back to normal?"

"Yeah, it's possible," Cassie said, shrugging.

"the sides will reverse-" Emily said. "Is it something like the Ministry being under their control again?"

"Maybe," Ron said.

"They will understand their crimes." Proudfoot read. "Maybe it's their twisted mentality about fair laws being a crime."

Harry rubbed his temples, "Yeah, you're right."

"Alright then, now our next job should be protecting those who are next in line, I want to interview the roughest of those Snatchers, so if you could take help from Sebastian and mark those up quickly, Cassie."

She gave a sharp nod.

"Emily and Proudfoot, if you could look at the Purebloods, you both are more aware of those things than me, and maybe just let us know who could be the next, we can then decide on how to protect them. Emily, the files, could you deliver them to me again, please."

"Of course." Emily answered, starting to gather all the papers across the table.

"Ron and I will go to Azkaban tomorrow, and see if we can find any information- whether this was an old plan, or if we should increase the security. I'll brief in Robards to relieve you of any other tasks. This case is turning out to be quite bigger than we initially imagined."

"We'll meet up next Thursday, which gives us a week. Should there be any updates, let us know." Harry said as he pushed the blackboard back to the corner of the room.

He heard a chorus of 'See ya," and "See you later," as everybody except Ron left the room.

"That was pretty productive," Ron said as he stretched his arms.

"Yeah, it was," Harry said, and then added ominously, "Now, we wait."

OoOo

The cold wind stung his cheeks. The mist made it hard to see anything, except the bow of the boat as they got closer to the tower that stood alone in the dark water. Harry rubbed his hands together in a futile effort to warm them.

Ron's red hair seemed to be glowing against his pale face.

Harry decided that he detested this place. Though he couldn't get the dementors off, yet, he was grateful that he had asked Kingsley and the rest of the Heads to change their mind and build a prison which was handled by Hit-Wizards. The Prison was a much better place, in terms of the ambience. Low-risk prisoners were held there, unlike Azkaban, where only the most dangerous convicts were kept.

"There's your destination, Potter, Weasley." A gruff man said as the boat touched the island's shore. They thanked their waterman and stepped off the unsteady boat, careful to avoid the chilling water.

A silver Prongs galloped around him promptly as Ron's Jack Russell Terrier did the same.

"Auror Potter, Auror Weasley." The Hit-Wizard on duty saluted them. Harry nodded and returned the salute. It felt odd; people in their department were very casual about things like those.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he saw the first of the Dementors, held away by Prongs.

The damp walls radiated sorrow and loss. His skin crawled as he looked at the inhabitants of the jail, some of their faces all too familiar.

"Here he is- I'll be outside." The Hit-Wizard said, pointing at the solitary cell at the end of a dark hallway. Two Dementors guarded it.

Shivering, he opened the cell, the dull thud of anger ascending upon his conscience.

"Lestrange." Harry said, keeping his voice steady.

"What do you want? Potter, aren't you?" Rodolphus Lestrange sounded weak but defiant.

"I want to know whether you had any plans with... the lower ranks of Death Eaters, should Voldemort have been defeated." He did not want to be there for a second longer, and Rodolphus was not someone he wanted to have a small talk with.

"Do not say his name." He snarled, leaping up to attack him. Harry's wand was in the middle of his eyes in the flash of a second. He muttered something indistinctly and collapsed onto his cot.

"My lord was never to die; he assured us that he was immortal. His plan was uncertain, but we never doubted his intelligence." Rodulphus rasped out, speaking in a bitter tone.

"Keep talking," Ron said, looking outside the small window, Dementors swarmed the place. He was leaning against the wall, staring at his Deluminator.

"We were to live in a pure world; we were to protect our magic. But you came along," He growled.

"Those lower ranks, that old werewolf Greyback, and Snatchers were not significant enough to talk to me! I, Rodolphus Lestrange, one of the best in the Dark Lord's army, talking to those over-excited teenagers? Preposterous." He spat on the floor and banged his hand on the cot, the metal clang violently.

It was the maddened nature of Rodolphus that concerned, almost scared, Harry, but he didn't show it.

"Give us the answer, Lestrange," Ron said, pointing his wand at Lestrange. Harry waved it off. It seemed wrong to train their wands on a helpless, pitiful human.

"You brats don't understand? There was no plan. Lord Voldemort was not going to leave us. He assured us of his immortality." He turned his hateful eyes towards Harry, who stared back with a levelled gaze.

"He fell. And you stupid Aurors took us and left us to rot. History won't forgive you."

Rodulphus went back to pathetically rocking himself.

Harry sighed and stepped back; this was all they were going to get. Rodolpus knew nothing- either he was faking it, or he had no idea what they were asking. Given the instability of his mind, it was probably the latter.

He tried shaking the odd feeling out of his mind as they left the cell, but the motion of talking to the constable seemed almost robotic. Distant screams of his mother mingled with those of his friends were starting to invade his head. He ran his hand through his hair.

Prongs was dimmer now, but he didn't have the strength to recast it, Ron cast his Patronus once again, he smiled weakly.

"Here," Ron said, handing him a Chocolate Frog. The warmth was relieving, but relatively short-lived in front of so many Dementors.

The visit wouldn't have lasted more than a few hours, interviewing some other 'high-rank' Death Eaters, but Harry felt knackered.

Something about Rodolphus Lestrange unsettled him. He couldn't help but remember the first time he'd seen over a hundred Dementors, how Sirius had offered him a proper home, how he'd seen Prongs for the first time. Twelve years in that rotten place which affected Harry so severely in mere hours. He felt sick, and he had a strong urge to see Teddy soon.

OoOo

"We're taking the rest of day off." Ron said when they finally made it to their office.

"Most certainly," Proudfoot said, stopping to observe them outside his cubicle. He switched his head between Harry and Ron, both very pale. He smiled kindly and patted them on the back, most people in the Auror Department knew that the younger Aurors, and especially Harry, took the Azkaban shift the worst. What they didn't realise was that every shift Harry faced his deepest fear.

"We found nothing particularly helpful; none of the Death Eaters showed any recognition of the case; it seems like something IDE planned on their own," Harry added quietly, as he dropped their Azkaban entrance-batch in the tray.

"We'll see it soon. Go home for now." Proudfoot replied.

Signing his 'out' sheet off, Harry bid Ron and Proudfoot a goodbye.


Author's note: Things are starting to heat up, I would love to hear your amazing (and exciting) theories on what's next, and if you liked the chapter! Your reviews always make my day, and they let me know your opinion, and as always, I'll try my best to reply to them as soon as possible.

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Chapter 6: VI.

Harry apparated to the Burrow with his two-year-old godson. Ginny apparated behind him. He grinned, Sunday dinners were one of his favourite things in the week.

Teddy gurgled happily in Harry's hands, he smiled and pinched Teddy's button nose gently.

"Harry! Ginny!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, hugging both of them in her loving, bone-crushing manner, and kissing Teddy's head.

"You both eat way too less. Look at you, Ginny, and Harry, I'm glad Kreacher is feeding you, but it's still less!" Mrs Weasley said, ushering them into the kitchen.

"Teddy!" George exclaimed, taking him from Harry and walking away. Teddy didn't seem to mind, though. He was too busy trying to make his hair match George's, which, incidentally, was neon green.

Harry grinned, "What's with the hair?" he shouted at George, who promptly ignored him.

"A little gift, he needed to stop pranking me every Sunday," Bill said smirking, pointing at the empty glass on the kitchen slab.

"Who would've known that he would accept a lemonade so easily," Ginny said, kissing Bill on both cheeks.

Teddy gurgled happily as he got passed around the table.

"Where's Vic?" he asked Bill, who pointed at Ginny's old room, indicating that she was sleeping.

Percy had come to the dinner with Audrey, his new girlfriend, who did seem to have a better sense of humour than Percy.

Audrey was a bright young woman, while she did appear a bit starstruck to be in the presence of so many 'war heroes', she got over it quickly enough. Harry was convinced that everyone warmed up to her.

"Alright everybody, we have a Quidditch match before we leave at night," Ron announced.

Hermione seemed to be talking to Mr Weasley about a new colleague; another Muggleborn. "He's going to help me from now on; having an extra hand will certainly reduce the workload a bit!"

Harry grinned as he wiped Teddy's curd off his mouth, winking at Andromeda when he noticed her looking over him fondly.

"Treacle Tart!" Mrs Weasley declared as the sweet aroma went around the table.

"Save it from Harry! We're not getting any if he gets to it first!" Bill exclaimed, leading to a fresh wave of laughter; Ron tried to get to it first.

"Oh, hush, Bill! He barely eats anything, Harry dear I'll pack some for you to take home." Mrs Weasley said as she set the dessert in the centre of the table, waving her wand to serve everyone equal sizes.

"Mmm. Mrs Weasley, you make the best Treacle Tarts in the whole world." Harry said as he took a bite of his favourite dessert, helping Teddy take his own.

"Tis is yummy," Teddy said, nodding wisely.

Harry felt his heart swell as he looked around the table; all the people he loved surrounded him.

"Alright?" Ginny asked, leaning towards him. He was going to say 'yes' when he noticed that Ginny had taken a bite of his tart; he narrowed his eyes. She just laughed and pinched his nose, "You're cute when you act childish."

He rolled his eyes and took his second serving, sticking his tongue out at Ginny.

OoOo

The Quidditch match was full of fun and laughter, and some not so nice words, he lifted the Snitch higher for everyone to see- leading to loud cheers from his team, and a chorus of 'boos' from Ginny's team.

He chuckled at Ginny's pout as they landed.

"Hawwy!" Teddy said, running towards him as fast as his tiny feet could, his ruffled hair from sleep resembled Harry's messy mop. He opened his arms to allow Teddy to jump into them.

"HARRY!" George shouted at the top of his lungs. An escaped Bludger was heading towards Teddy at full speed.

He ran as fast as he could, heart hammering in his chest, reaching just in time to shield Teddy with his own body, Protego , but the predicted impact did not come.

"Hawwyy," Teddy's voice came a second later, muffled by Harry's clothes, he gently lowered him to the ground again.

Peeking an eye open and looked behind; the Bludger was in George's hands now, a transparent blue shield stood in front of him. He felt light-headed suddenly, the shield flickered before disappearing, he lowered himself to the ground. Ginny was by his side in an instant.

"Harry?" she asked, concerned. She tried smoothing his hair, previous annoyance at losing forgotten.

"I'm fine." He said, shaking his head and exhaling deeply.

He beamed, "That was wandless magic! I've never been able to do that before."

"Harry Potter! You gave me a heart attack. I've not run this fast since I was seventeen!" Hermione said in between of deep breaths, as she walked towards him after checking Teddy.

"You alright mate?" Ron asked, pulling him to his feet.

"Yeah, just got a bit dizzy for a second," he said, brushing grass off his trousers.

"Of course you did, You just performed a potent spell, wandlessly!" Hermione exclaimed, torn between wanting to look angry at his recklessness, or proud.

"I'm fine, really," he reassured as the rest made their way, a chained Quidditch case in their hands.

"We need new Bludgers," George said, looking with uncommon concern at Harry and Teddy, who had conveniently hidden his face in the crook of Hermione's neck.

"Yes, we do," Bill said, wiping sweat off his brow, taking Teddy from Hermione and soothing him.

"Good quick thinking there, Harry." Bill patted Harry's back before walking towards the Burrow as he bounced Teddy, eliciting shrieks of laughter.

"Was that all really wandless magic?" Ron asked Hermione as he saw Harry's retreating back; Ginny looked over curiously.

Hermione smiled, "Yes, but it was more of an accidental magic event; mixed with wandless. But he doesn't need to know that."

The rest of the day was much smoother.

OoOo

"Sebastian, you are monitoring the Malfoys." Harry said as he wrote a capital 'D' from Malfoy.

"Cassie?"

"At the Greengrass'," she replied.

"Rodolphus didn't know anything about the IDE; we must conclude that it's a brand new scheme." Harry addressed everyone as they took their seats.

"Well, that's brilliant, we have to work with our hypothesis then," Proudfoot said as he dropped into his chair.

"We've assigned all prospective targets a monitor," Harry said, scratching his cheek.

"I've questioned a few Snatchers, either they are clueless, or they're pretending to be clueless, not helpful in either case," Cassie said, examining her nails.

"Well. Use force then." Emily said.

"Nothing at all?" Harry gripped the table tightly, leaning forward. Cassie looked at him and shook her head.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Okay, maybe we can go together again."

"We can't do anything other than protect the people that we know," Proudfoot said.

"Yes, but- we're Aurors, we can't just wait for something else to happen," Sebastian said.

"We know who we are, kid, but we need to find evidence to stop it, and we are getting a lead, patience is the best policy here." Emily said, pursing her lips.

"We'll meet again on Sunday," Harry said, not wanting to display his annoyance.

He left before anyone had the chance of saying anything.

OoOoOo

Author's note: This chapter is short, so I will, be posting next week as well, and stick with me a little longer! Action is about to start! Do review to let me know how you feel. They're my only way of knowing whether you liked it or not and of motivating me!

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Chapter 7: VII.


Harry shivered as the cold wind bit his cheeks, Ginny's hand squeezed his, probably for warmth than anything else. Muggle London was jostling with people, and Harry was always grateful for the anonymity it gave him- and Ginny, because these days either of them being out was calling a horde of the press. It was the perfect place to buy Mr Weasley a birthday gift. And this time, Harry was buying it extra early to avoid the gift-hunting he had to do last year.

"Here?" He pointed at a muggle store, Ikea.

"Well, what about it? You know that I'm completely lost when it comes to Muggle stores," Ginny replied, shaking her head exasperatedly.

"It's a furniture store, you can buy an item, and then you have to assemble it yourself. So, we could buy Mr Weasley something which he can build later on," Harry tightened his scarf.

"Hmm, yeah dad does love to tinker. Should we finalise it here?" Ginny asked, stamping her boots in the snow for warmth.

"Let's look for something." They grinned at each other through their exhaustion.

It was an hour later that they found the right things, a cosy armchair that could be built for Mrs Weasley, a plastic shelf which could be attached to the shed, and a table which had 'solar' lights on the edges.

"Good?" Harry asked, picking a catalogue from the pile for future reference.

"Yeah, perfect," Ginny said she seemed to be just as excited as Mr Weasley would be.

Harry paid the bill and later shrunk their purchase in a lonely alley.

"Shall we get something warm to drink?" Ginny asked, pointing at the café. The breath vapour from her mouth reminded of his childhood 'dragon' pretence. Harry nodded.

"One latte and one extra-strong black coffee please," Harry ordered as they settled.

"Having trouble sleeping?
Because you only take extra strong then." Ginny answered his raised eyebrow. Harry smiled reassuringly; it always surprised him when Ginny picked up his habits without him realising them.

"Not much, just a few nights here and there," He said, rubbing the nape of his neck.

She scrunched her eyes as she tried his drink, thanking the waitress, "I don't know how you tolerate that much bitterness,"

"That's because I, unlike you, did not grow with a major sweet tooth, and also probably because I like drinking real coffee." He took the cup from her, shaking his head.

"How's training?" Harry asked as he took a sip.

"Great! We're going strong. Our opponents won't know what hit them when the league starts," She smiled broadly. Harry couldn't help but fall more in love with her as he saw the determination on her face. Her flushed cheeks, her hair, her-.

Ginny snapped her fingers in front of him and looked at him enquiringly. A smirk appeared on her face as he blushed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'll be right there cheering for you." He intoned solemnly, before chuckling.

They maintained a playful, light-hearted chat.

OoOo

Harry felt lighter than he had in days as he entered his flat, Ginny in tow. He let Ginny explore the house as he put the groceries they'd bought on the way, in the fridge Harry had insisted on buying while humming off-tune.

Ginny, as she went around the flat, saw some light creeping out of Harry's office and peered in. The door was usually off-limits when Teddy was here, but she knew that Harry wouldn't mind it as long as she didn't touch anything. She pushed it open.

What she saw took her breath away; papers were littered around the room, there was red-tape on one wall, behind it were things written in Harry's messy scrawl. One wall had a roll of paper as big as the curtain beside it, different inks adorned it, drawings- doodles, curses.

She didn't see the Auror side of her boyfriend often, but here, she couldn't help but appreciate it. The opposite wall had a picture of his parents with Harry as an infant between them. A picture of herself in her uniform beamed back at her, Teddy at various stages of growth; Ron and Hermione; The latest Christmas Weasley photo.

She jumped when Harry touched her back.

"How do you make sense of this all?" Ginny asked, not bothering to keep the mild awe out of her voice.

"It makes sense if you're making it; otherwise it's gibberish. The pictures and the paper are a new edition," Harry said, rubbing circles on her back.

"Harry," she said as she gazed at him. Harry's pose was tense as he looked at the mindmap.

"The pictures remind me of what's worth above everything else," he said, smiling at her. She poured all her love and appreciation into a soft kiss on his lips.

The perfect idea struck her. "Come," She pulled a perplexed Harry's sleeve into the drawing-room.

"Now, where's your radio?" She surveyed the room with her hands on her hips in an uncanny resemblance to her mother.

Harry fished it from under the couch, grinning sheepishly.

She shook her head before touching the radio with her wand and muttering something. Soft music, an old waltz floated serenely from the box. Harry turned a confused face at her.

Ginny took Harry's hands and placed them on her waist and locked her arms behind Harry's neck before he could refuse. She closed her eyes and swayed with the music's beat. It took Harry longer to relax, but ultimately, they danced around the room without any care of the world. The evening passed in twirls and laughter.

OoOo

Harry nodded at the people leaving the building; his evening shift was about to start. It had been two weeks since they had assigned the Aurors, and till now, everything seemed to be going smoothly. He did not want to get his hopes high, but just maybe, they'd cracked the formula. Though there were no clues to 'Hunter', investigations of the bodies had told him one thing: the victims hadn't been under the Imperius Curse when performing the Slicing Charm.

And Harry's wandless abilities were slightly better, he didn't feel so drained anymore, and he'd started doing simple spells like Accio and sometimes if he was lucky, Stupefy without the aid of his wand. Protego stayed stubbornly out of reach since that day.

"Ah, Harry!" He heard an unmistakable shriek, sighing and putting up his best-forced smile.

"Vane." He said politely.

"How are you today, handsome?" Romilda said, through hooded eyes.

"Quite fine, and you?" He said, shifting to make space as another Wizard tried to squeeze into the overflowing lift.

"Spectacular!" She said, shifting closer to him. He looked away, trying to keep the urge of turning his back to her inside.

"By the way, is Weasley still annoying you?" She said nasally. Merlin, she was worse than Skeeter.

"Ginny is alright, thanks for asking." the only one who's annoying is you, he glared at the short Wizard who squeezed in at the third floor. One would think, going down to the DMLE won't be so hard. But the lifts were notorious for being slow, and he would've taken the stairs like always, had it not been out of service because they were testing 'new' spells.

"Bye!" He said, almost tumbling out in a hurry.

"Visit me at Madam Malkins!" Romilda shouted, "I'll be waiting!"

"Woah, easy mate!" Greenwater said, as Harry almost collided into him.

"Sorry," he muttered, moving swiftly to his office.

He raised his hand to wave at Ron but stopped when he saw the expression on Ron's face. Something had happened.

"What happened?" Harry asked as he got closer.

Ron jerked his head towards his cubicle, ushering Harry in.

"I was just waiting for you, let's go." He said, sounding grave.

"What? Where?" Harry asked, setting the coffee on the table forcefully.

"Holyhead."

A chill ran down his spine. Ginny. Feeling sick, he Apparated out.

Author's note: Things are starting to get more serious now, any theories? I hope you liked the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, leave a review to let me know! I'll try my best to reply at the earliest. The next chapter would be up in two weeks; I hope I'll see you then!










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Chapter 8: VIII.


Ginny was exhausted but satisfied with the practice session they'd had. She was drying her hair when she heard a blood-curdling scream coming from the pitch.

The next few moments were a blur. She could remember running to the field; seeing her teammates running in the same direction- something glowing- a lump. A body was glistening in the moonlight: Kiera Sterna, the Beater.

Next moment someone was pulling her back. "Kiera!" She shouted.

"Gin." Harry's low voice reverberated through her. She tried to wrestle out of his hands, but his firm grip made the task very difficult.

Forcing calmness, she took a deep breath and fought the emotions. "Please let me go," she said quietly.

He released her, she turned to look at him; but he was already staring ahead. Frowning, he bent his head to meet her eyes- and she saw panic, courage and something else.

"I'm going to go there, but you can't come with me- okay? I want you to please go with Auror Willows. I'll see you soon." he murmured with a voice of steel, gently touching his forehead to hers.

She swallowed. Though her heart told her to argue, she knew that the man in front of her was Auror Potter; not her Harry. She nodded numbly.

As someone led her away from the scene, she couldn't help but think about her teammate's packed luggage to take home for vacation.

OoOo

Harry strode towards her purposefully, Ron in tow. Her shirt was damp because of the hair.

"What's going on?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady as she stood.

Harry wrapped his hands around her tight enough to challenge her mum. She noticed the lack of reaction from Ron, who was also watching her with concern.

"Did you get hurt anywhere?" Ron asked.

"No." She replied hollowly as Harry eyed her with a hawk's eye.

"You're staying at my flat until we clear this up," Harry announced. It was not the first time they would live together; just the first time in such dire consequences.

"But how- everything was fine," It was not that she had never seen a dead body before, but their training grounds and all premises were heavily guarded, and for someone to get in was a serious threat.

"It's the same culprit, Hunter," Harry replied. One could have mistaken the slight tremble in his voice for fear rather than anger.

"Potter!" Gwenog Jones moved swiftly towards him. "Those bloody Aurors aren't telling me anything. You better do something about it; my partner's dead body requires an explanation." Her eyes flashed.

"I'm sorry, Gwenog, but we don't have enough information. My team is working their hardest. Please regroup all your team members and any other people present on the location for the time being. If possible, I want everyone in one place; my team will want to question them." Harry said soothingly, in a tone which left no room for questions. Ginny marvelled through her confusion at how much her boyfriend had changed from the shy and quiet child to a confident young man.

"Gwenog, the only way we can know how this happened and how to prevent any further complications, is cooperation," Ron added quietly.

Gwenog did not look satisfied but obliged. She glanced at Ginny.

"Ginny will be with you in a few minutes," Harry answered her unspoken question.

Ginny saw the stress lines around Gwenog's eyes. Gwenog gave a stiff nod and strode off.

"Harry?" Someone called from the entry. The caller had brown hair and boyish features; Harry and Ron turned to discuss the findings with him.

And then all of a sudden it hit her. Her teammate was lying dead on the pitch they were laughing and joking. She tried to blink back tears and calm herself, deep breaths Ginny, deep breaths, she shot up as if avoiding a Bludger.

"I need to go to my teammates," Her voice was oddly steady, but Harry frowned as he looked at her eyes. Ron squeezed Harry's shoulder.

"Sebastian here will escort you; we'll be with you guys in a few minutes," Ron said, nodding at the man.

Ginny nodded and walked out without a backward glance, too caught up in herself.

OoOo

Harry collapsed onto the bench as soon as Ginny left, his hands and feet felt cold and numb.

He heard Ron's thump beside him and realised that Ron was in the same position, if not worse.

He closed his eyes and practised deep breaths; slowly making his emotions materialistic and packing them away at the back of his mind.

"It wasn't Ginny." Ron said, not bothering to hide his relief. Harry nodded, feeling horrible for being secretly thankful as well.

"This is getting out of hand, I-" Harry was cut off by the clanking of heels on the floor.

"Slicing Charm, abdomen, and a new location, hand- the hand had a faded Dark Mark." Emily's voice was strictly business and precisely what he needed.

"Dark Mark?" Ron asked.

"Kiera Sterna, daughter of Austin Sternate, Azkaban cell four-three-six."

"I want to see it," Harry said. Emily nodded and led them to the scene.

The figure was pale and drawn. Emily crouched and held the woman's arm with a gloved hand.

"Here, this was the mark," she held the skin together by squeezing it on both sides. "And here is the cut." She removed her hand to allow the skin to return to the original position.

Harry nodded possibilities firing in his head. "Ticking them off one by one, all the Voldemort assistors. I wonder if it really is the IDE," he murmured.

"I'm taking the body to the mortuary. You handle the relations." Emily nodded then spoke something into her earpiece.

"Sir," A trainees voice rang in his earset.

"Yes?"

"The Head Auror wants to speak with you," he said, sounding nervous.

"Give the line to him then,"

Harry mouthed 'Robards' as Ron looked at him enquiringly.

"Potter. I want updates on what is happening right now." Robards said.

Harry sighed, "We think it's the same person that we're after, sir. We know that the victim was in direct relations with the Death Eaters since she has the Dark Mark."

Ron pointed his head towards the corridor off the pitch. Harry nodded and followed him to where the witnesses were.

"I've avoided that till now, but you may have to release a press statement soon. The murder of a Quidditch team player, much less that of Holyhead Harpies cannot go unnoticed. She was new to the team; we cannot let those editors at Daily Prophet cook a story out of it." Robards' voice carried a seriousness to it, and Harry understood what that implied.

"I'll take the witness statements and come back to you sir, I think it'll be better if I talk to you in person," Harry pressed his earpiece tightly into his ear.

"Alright, Potter. I will see right after this,"

"Yes, sir."

They spent an hour interviewing witnesses. Incidentally, there were no visual ones.

Most of the teammates had already gone or were in the process of going back to their cottages. Ginny, Gwenog and Maren. After the exhausting questioning, which placed the time of death to be half-past seven; everyone, except Ginny, was allowed to leave.

They'd taken ten minutes to arrive; it had taken approximately five to seven minutes for Ginny to arrive at the scene. Something was not adding up, Harry thought. He stored the information away.

"I'll take you home before I go to the meeting," Harry told Ginny, feeling awful that he was not more sympathetic. She was one of the bravest women he knew, but something like that could shake anyone up.

"Sure," she replied tonelessly.

"Ron?" he asked, looking at him writing something down.

"Yeah, I'll be waiting for you in the office." Ron replied, before hugging Ginny tightly and dropping a kiss on her forehead. "You're okay," he said, stepping back.

Harry wrapped his hands around Ginny and only let go when they reached his living room.

"There's some food in the kitchen," he said apologetically.

"That's fine. I'll just take some tea, I'm full." Ginny said. Harry saw a blankness in her eyes.

He was searching desperately for something to say when Ron spoke in his earpiece, "Mate, could you get here, please?"

"Yeah, in a minute." He replied.

"So, I'll back late at night. Do you want me to bring anything?" He asked Ginny softly.

"Maybe some more clothes from my cottage," she replied, still looking at the shelves.

He crossed the room and turned her around to see tears in her eyes. He wiped them with his thumb and kissed her gently.

"I'll be back soon, please don't go anywhere, I am blocking Floo access from anywhere as soon as I reach the Ministry. You can still Apparate out in case of an emergency, okay?" Harry rubbed her cheek with his thumb; Ginny nodded through closed eyes.

Stepping back and closing his eyes, he focused on the magic in the room. He waved his wand to strengthen the wards and felt his core react to it. Satisfied, he took some Floo powder and with one last glance; he was gone.

OoOo

"You're going to have an interview with a journalist. I know you hate that part, but you're in charge of this case, Potter. Winsel and Proudfoot will be with you." Robards said, looking out of his window which, today, was overlooking the Thames.

"Yes, sir," Harry replied, rubbing his eyes from under the glasses.

"Do you have a lead?" Robards strode to his chair and dropped into it; Harry remained standing.

"Sir, the case is getting more and more complicated. We think it's the I.D.E., but after tonight, I am somewhat unsure. So far, their common motive is to hunt Purebloods who had an alliance with Voldemort but were not sentenced. My team suggested that this could be due to a feeling of betrayal." Harry finished, flexing his hands.

"And what measures are you taking to prove this hypothesis?" Robards asked.

"Interviewing the old Snatchers, and I've told you about the trainee guards at the families who could potentially be in the list of whoever seems to be doing this. We're working on it, sir," Harry added, looking at the drawn face of their Head Auror.

"Alright, Potter. You're a good chap, but I want you to broaden your scope of potential victims. We cannot have high-profile deaths, the public will go wild with rumours, and then they will not take Aurors seriously," Robards said before adding, "I know I'm adding pressure on you, and I know that your team is working their hardest, but I must remind of the consequences."

Harry signalled a nod in acknowledgement.

"Any questions?" He asked, finally.

"No, sir."

"Alright. You're dismissed," Robards waved his hand at him and returning to his work.

"Good night, sir," Harry said.

"You too." Robards spoke without looking up from the parchment; both knowing how false the greeting was.

Harry turned sharply and strolled out of the room.

OoOo

Ginny must've fallen asleep. She looked at the clock which read two in the morning. Kiera's face haunted her. She shuffled to the kitchen for water when she saw the light in Harry's office. Swallowing, she griped her wand and crept to the place.

She was shocked for the second time at how much the room could change in the matter of a week. Muggle quills, 'pens', were strewn across the table. Bits of paper acted as a carpet on the floor and the neat mindmap she'd seen the last time was now messier, with the red wool stretching itself to cover the scope. It seemed as if a tornado had hit the room. Harry was writing something on the paper wall, a bunch of more pens were hovering beside him. He was still in his Auror robes.

"Harry?" She said quietly. Harry didn't seem to hear her, causing her to repeat herself loudly.

Harry flinched as his hand flew to his wand; it took a tremendous amount of self-control not to draw it out.

His eyes were darker than usual, as they were when he'd had too much coffee and was deep in his mind. She stood at the doorstep, afraid of disturbing anything in the room, and indeed him if she walked.

"Gin," Harry did not seem to have the same doubts; he carelessly cleaned his path and came to stand in front of her. "I thought you were asleep, did my Silencing Charm break?"

She shook her head. She could not believe all that had happened this evening, and suddenly, the need for closure was too strong. She did not want to pull Harry away from work.

"Do you want to sit in the drawing-room for a while?" Harry asked as if reading her thoughts.

She looked at his office, questioningly.

Harry shook his head, "I could use some time away, sometimes that helps," he gently led her to the comfortable sofa, and started the fire.

"Talk." Though his voice was commanding, it was gentle and kind. Ginny leaned into him, smelling his scent which gave her some comfort.

"I don't know what happened, Kiera, she's only been with us since the past month. Yes, she had the Dark Mark, but she's been open about her mistakes and tried her hardest to repent. She didn't deserve to die, Harry,"

She knew that this was her Harry. Hot tears welt up in her eyes again, and she had to wipe them angrily.

"Shh, it's okay. Kiera's in a better place now," Harry rubbed her back, she placed her head on his chest, closing her eyes to hear the steady heartbeat. "I promise I'll find out who did this, Gin. And I won't let anything happen to you." Harry murmured.

Harry rocked her while speaking softly, and despite her emotions, she felt exhaustion creep in as she was lulled back to sleep.

OoOoOo

Author's note: I hope the chapter was worth the wait! I did enjoy writing this one, the longest in this story so far. Do leave a review if possible, they're my only way of knowing if you like/dislike the writing style, and I always reply, Thanks for sticking by!

Back to index


Chapter 9: IX.

The cafeteria was buzzing with voices when Harry dropped beside Ron in their private compartment. A stranger with blonde hair and a peculiar scar on the cheek sat beside Hermione. Being aware of how uncomfortable it was when someone stared at his scar, he quickly averted his eyes.

"Harry! You're always late." Hermione admonished him. Harry shrugged and managed to smile. Ron shook his head in exasperation and offered him the food tray he'd kept beside him.

"This is Derek Williams. He's new to our department," Derek smiled politely.

"And Derek, this is- well, nevermind. Harry doesn't need an introduction," Derek let out a low chuckle and extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you. Do forgive me if it takes a while before I stop hero-worshipping you and Ron." Derek beamed.

Harry grinned tiredly, "Yeah, I'm afraid, I'm not nearly as cool."

"Nonsense, from what Hermione has told me, you guys are a bit of a legend," he replied.

"So, I called you both to tell you that," Hermione began, and Harry saw her bounce in excitement.

"The wizengamot is reviewing our proposal!" She burst out.

Harry smiled genuinely, "Congratulations, Hermione!" he exclaimed.

"That's my girl!" Ron said proudly.

"Thanks, Derek helped too," she said, to which Derek blushed.

"Only a bit," he added.

They directed the conversation pleasantly, in which Derek revealed that he was two years older than them and that he lived alone.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but I recently heard about the incident related to Holyhead Harpies. I hope your sister is alright?" Derek asked Ron.

The three seemed to freeze for a minute before recovering. Ron smiled tightly, "Ginny is doing just fine,"

"That's good. I did hope no one else was hurt; the press release wasn't very clear." Derek said.

"Sorry?" Harry asked, pulling himself from his thoughts for a moment.

"Isn't it horrible enough that something like that happened to an acclaimed Beater? I would hate for other players to be hurt." Derek's voice held a note of sadness.

Hermione nudged Derek, "Harry's working on the case."

Derek's eyes widened. "Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that-, I was just concerned,"

"No, it's alright," Harry said, "don't worry."

Harry nodded at Ron, who stuffed the last bit of desert in his mouth.

Harry stood up as Ron said "Messhing-bow. Coming?"

Harry smirked at his antics. If Hermione hadn't been so skilled, as displayed by the confusion on Derek's face, she wouldn't have interpreted the "meeting now".

Hermione waved her wand to transport the paper plates into the bin. "Let's go."

The four walked at a normal pace, talking about Hermione's proposal until they reached DMLE.

"Don't stress too much," Hermione whispered in his ears as he hugged her.

Harry hummed, pulling back, "You know I'll try my best."

Hermione just shook her head before accepting a kiss from Ron. Harry looked at his battered watch, and at Ron, who was mumbling something in Hermione's ear. He did not want to know the reason behind that smile.

"Ron, mate?" He called.

"Are they always like that?" Derek asked he was smirking.

"Yeah, pretty much, you should see them on holidays." Harry shook his head. "Oi, lovebirds." He snapped his fingers to get their attention.

"Sorry, Harry," Hermione said blushing. She gave Ron a quick peck before stepping back.

"Shall we leave them now, Derek?" Hermione asked as Ron moved to stand beside Harry.

Harry shook hands with Derek. "Pleasure meeting you, Derek. Bye, Hermione."

"The pleasure was all mine," Derek said, smiling, before leaving for the lift with Hermione. The two Aurors made their way to the meeting room.

OoOo

"Are we getting on anywhere?" Harry asked as soon as he entered.

"This keeps getting more complicated, Harry. Do you want to interview suspects, because I'm getting nowhere," Cassie said, as she rubbed her temples tiredly.

"We know that there is a direct Death-Eater contact going on here, and someone out there is not happy with those who aren't in Azkaban." Sebastian summarised.

"I think we need to look for more people than the Insignificant Death-Eaters. Maybe, our vision has narrowed so much that we're missing other clues." Harry said, staring at the chalk dust under the blackboard.

"Something big is coming; we have to stop it before it does," Proudfoot said, and at that moment, Harry couldn't help but feel dejected.

"I will come with you, Cassie, to try and get something out of those Snatchers. Others- please carry on. We'll meet soon." Harry said. He saw the frustration reflected off the faces of his companions as they murmured goodbyes.

He thought about how it was funny that people expected them to be solving cases more smartly, with the murderer behind bars in an hour- like the muggle films he watched these days.

Harry, Cassie and Ron and headed to the interrogation cells.

OoOo

He saw pointed staring as he exited the office that evening. Sighing and ignoring them, he wondered what the Prophet had said now, or were they all like Derek? Thinking that the Auror's were lost.

"How was your day?" Ginny asked when he, yet again, stumbled out of the Floo, coughing.

"Alright," Harry said, dropping his robes on the armchair.

"Yours?"

"Normal, I went to the Burrow to help mum," Ginny said, giving him a peck.

He flopped on the chair and curled his legs as Ginny went to get the tea.

"Harry. You're making the vase float, and the plates!" Ginny's voice rang from the kitchen, jolting Harry out. He heard a resounding crash come from somewhere behind him.

"Ginny! Are you alright? Oh, Merlin, I'm so sorry, I don't know how," Harry whispered, slapping his palm on his forehead.

"I'm fine," Ginny said soothingly, repairing the objects with a wave of her wand "You don't look like you could say the same about yourself."

His sudden panic calmed somewhat, as he reminded himself that magic could fix broken things. He was not a nine-year-old about to get a punishment.

"I'm sorry, Ginny, I didn't notice," Harry rubbed the back of his neck and crouched to pick the flowers off the ground.

Ginny shushed him and led them back to the sofa. Briefly, Harry remembered a similar scene happening a few days ago; only with switched positions.

"Busy day?" Ginny asked softly, handing him his cup.

He inhaled the warm aroma and shrugged. "I'm just tired," he muttered.

"Harry, there's more to it than that. You don't need to give me details, love. But I'm here to hear you out, okay?" Ginny said, brushing the hair out of his eyes.

He looked at the tea and sighed. "I don't understand why this is happening, we don't know what to do, and people are dying everywhere."

"It's not your fault, Harry," Ginny said, scraping her nails against his head gently.

"I'm responsible for this team, Gin. And this is not a single murder mystery, these are consecutive cases one after the other, and I have no idea which direction I should go in," Harry set his cup on the coffee table and leaned back into the sofa.

"Harry, you're twenty-years-old, you've only begun your career as an Auror, it's okay to be confused. And you have people like Proudfoot, who've been in this since we were children. They're just as stuck, aren't they?" Ginny turned Harry's head towards her.

"You knew that it won't always be easy, that this is different from all those mystery novels. It'll take time, but I know you'll figure it out, it may take you days- months even. But I know the kind of person you are, and I know that you'll be alright." She continued.

Harry lowered his head.

"Harry, listen to me, alright? You're not at fault. You're trying your best. And you'll continue to do so, and that's all that you can give."

"Yeah," Harry said, closing his eyes and leaning into her touch.

"How do you always know what to say?" He murmured into her neck.

"Oh, the walls aren't very thick here, and you talk in your sleep," Ginny said, laughter evident in her voice.

Harry felt some lightness return to his body as he heard Ginny sound better than she had in the past few days. He peeked an eye open to see her staring right at him.

"Then maybe I should place a Silencing Charm before the neighbours hear my fingers bothering you!" Harry said, and began his merciless tickling.

Ginny gasped before trying to twist away as peals of laughter erupted from her mouth. "Harry! You'll pay for this!" She said between breaths that he allowed her.

OoOoOo

Author's note: Here's the next chapter. I have some very important events coming up- I do apologise for how short it is! Coming chapters may start being more intense. I wanted to thank all the reviewers for their lovely reviews; they mean so much to me as they're the only way I know how I'm doing! Until next time, thanks for reading and reviewing! (P.S. here's a random question: do you like one-shots more, or stories or do they hold equal places?)









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Chapter 10: X.

Harry peeled the chart off. The sound of the paper peering off did nothing to soothe him.

Ginny had heard the scream at least three minutes after the death. He had looked up everywhere in the library; there was no spell specifically of that sort- unless it was an invention. And then there was the matter of the chain, and their name hypothesis had been completely off.

The wandless magic did make his magic go awry. Needles prickling his head didn't exactly make it easy.

He stared at the blank wall now and chose to re-order the pictures and notes. They were missing one link, just one- to find out what was causing this.

"Okay. Harry, think," Harry said, shutting his eyes. But thinking was hard when one felt utterly disoriented.

It was remarkable what Silencing Charms could do; otherwise, his neighbours would surely have complained about late-night pacing by now.

Keira was the first of their victims to have the Dark Mark. The party clearly did not approve of it- or what it that they believed she was not worth it?

Or could there be another reason for the change in the alphabet list?

Harry must've spent at least three hours in that room before the sun rose magnificently, covering the room in a soft glow. He sighed and shut the door of the Office as the Pain Potion did its work. The plan for the day was to spend the day with Teddy. He could only hope that a little distance would help his next session be more constructive.

OoOo

"Harry! Ginny!" Andromeda Tonks exclaimed brightly as she opened the door.

"Andy!" He said, in the same tone, feeling a smile come up to his lips. Andy gave both of them a kiss of each of their cheeks as she ushered them in.

"Where's Teddy?" Harry asked, looking around. Teddy was not the one to wait when Harry was around.

"He's out in the garden. We were clearing the snow," Andromeda said, "though, I'm not sure if Teddy's still doing that."

Harry tiptoed to the garden and smiled at the little boy, sneaking up to him.

"Boo!" Harry whispered, causing Teddy to squeal.

"Hawwy!" Teddy screamed, half in surprise, half in happiness.

"Hey, buddy, what're you doing here? It's so cold!" Harry said, adjusting Teddy's cap and applying a wandless warming charm on him.

"Snowman! snowman!" Teddy said, rubbing his gloved hands together.

"You want to make a snowman?" Harry asked, looking at Andromeda, who laughed and nodded.

"Yeah! Us make a big snowman!" He said, waving his hands around to depict the size.

"Okay bud, let's do this! Ginny!" Harry called, as she too applied a warming charm on herself and stomped the snow as she reached them.

"Teddy! Come here," Ginny said, dropping a kiss on Teddy's cheek.

"We're going to make the best snowman together!" Ginny said, grinning and raising her eyebrows at Harry.

"Let's do this." He said, rubbing his hands.

And so they built, paying attention to details. The snowman had a huge bottom, a tiny and slightly out of symmetry abdomen, and a tiny chest.

Harry lifted Teddy to help him put the twigs as eyebrows of the snowman.
Ginny attached two dead branches as the hands. Andromeda conjured buttons and let them use a very old and worn scarf. The finishing touch was the carrot that Teddy had run in and brought from the kitchen.

"Hello, Mr Snowman!" Teddy said delightfully. He waved at the snowman.

Harry wiped the sweat, which had surprisingly settled on his face. Ginny's face was completely red as she clapped and played along with Teddy.

"Now we must go inside the house, Teddy. Don't you want some good coco?" Andromeda asked as Teddy played around the snowman.

At the sound of 'coco' though, Teddy nodded and ran to the house, dutifully removing his boots at the back door. The adults laughed at his antics and moved more slowly towards the house.

"How're things going, here? I'm sorry for not showing up frequently this month, Andy, but everything's a bit of a mess right now," Harry said, taking a sip of his hot tea.

"Oh, don't worry about us, Harry. We're both doing great, Teddy's friends give him enough company, as for me, I've got some excellent books to get through!" Andromeda said, smiling at him.

"I, for one, am visiting both of you more often from now. I need to build a snowman every day. Harry's apartment doesn't quite have enough snow for that," Ginny said, chuckling.

Then a thought came to his mind that left his insides freezing. Andromeda was directly related to Bellatrix. Merlin forbid, she was not safe, and neither was Teddy.

"Harry? You've gone very pale suddenly," Andromeda asked, concerned.

He cleared his throat and forced a smile. "I'm alright. It's probably just the cold." He said, scooting closer to the fire, thinking of all the enchantments he could place here. Neither of the two women looked convinced, but almost everyone knew that further prodding would result in nothing.

"Tell me about the book you're reading, Andy. You give the best recommendations!" He heard Ginny say, as he half-heartedly helped Teddy build a castle with the toy blocks.

"This one is the third in the series. It's about an old-time when goblins and wizards fought. Obviously, it's fiction, but the basis starts from the actual war that we had. There's a little boy, who grew up during the war and lost his father to it. Bothered by the destruction it caused, the boy trained long and hard to become a fighter. He wanted to take revenge against the goblins, who've established themselves as the government, the rulers." Andromeda said as Ginny listened with interest.

"The storyline is that though the Goblins claimed that they prosecuted the 'offenders', they ruled cruelly on the wizards. And how the boy, through his training, and wit, helps the magical society overthrow the goblins. It's a fascinating read; you could borrow the first book." A book floated towards Ginny, which she caught and placed on the table beside her.

The blocks tumbled down, and Teddy squealed with delight. "Woosh! Woosh!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands.

Harry chuckled and put them aside, realising that the time for blocks was over.

"Come here, bud." He said, scooting Teddy onto his lap and wiping the chocolate off his face with a napkin. He pinched Teddy's nose fondly. It was well after dinner that Harry put Teddy to bed and wished Andromeda a 'goodnight'.

Then, Harry and Ginny walked around the cosy setting for a while before Apparating back to Harry's flat.

Ginny pecked him on the lips before mumbling "Good night, do go to sleep on time. You have work tomorrow."

"Hmm, I'm knackered, good night." He said, feeling burnt out, setting wards took energy, lots of it. But his mind could not stop working, and he changed his mind last minute to instead visit the office.

Something was building up in his mind, the past evening's story wove through his thoughts–established government, punishing offenders. Defence?

He looked at the big white wall which had 'theories' written in bold.

Death-Eaters, victims.

Overthrowing the government, Harry bit his quill. Could that be the reason? Could it all be an act of-

He pulled his hair.

Loss of family. Revenge.

His eyes widened. It could be, it could be all that. It fit in, but was that the wrong path?

The world was swimming around him. And, though he walked towards his bed, sleep did not come easily.

OoOoOoOo
Author's note: There's something to think about (I can almost hear you sigh 'finally,'! I hope you liked this chapter, I did try to use a different writing style. Please leave a review- they're my only way of knowing how you found it! This is the first time I'm writing something like this, any and all feedback is welcomed with open arms, and thanks for reading.

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Chapter 11: XI.


There was something off; he could feel it as soon as he woke up.

"Morning," Ginny wished him through her stretch.

"Morning," Harry said, heading to the kitchen for a glass of juice.

"Will you be back in time for dinner?" she asked, now in cobra pose.

He rubbed his neck. "I'm not really sure. I might be late," he said.

Ginny sighed as she got up and took her glass.

"Alright," she said, "just be safe."

"I will," Harry said, kissing her softly before he took the Floo powder.

"See you later," he said, as he took the Floo.


If it was revenge, they had to secure Azkaban as soon as possible; patrolling had to increase; Dementors were flaky- he had to request more people there.

The Auror Office was a mess; people ran around, and shouts and orders filled the air. He frowned and tried to find a familiar face.

"Cassie!" He shouted when he saw her- hair sticking out, her usual calm persona gone.

"Harry! Get here. We need to go now." Cassandra said, shouting orders at some terrified third years.

"What's with the ruckus?" He said and had to repeat himself over the pandemonium.

"Azkaban. Proudfoot and Ron are there already," she said, throwing the 'Auror' badge at him.

"I just came and found out," she spoke something into the earpiece.

His eyes widened, that theory was right then. Catching and pinning the badge, he asked for any updates as he followed her to the Azkaban Apparition Point.

"Deaths-three," she said, "I don't know who, the others left a few minutes before you arrived, and something is happening there right now. Catch!" she said, throwing his earpiece at him, and Apparating away.

"Hello?" He said into it.

"Harry? Hurry up, mate. We are in a tight spot here," Ron said, his voice sounding cracked.

Harry swallowed hard, "Coming," and Apparated to the destination.

Cassandra was already walking towards the boat when he arrived. The dead and decaying nature around him seemed to be ominous. Keeping his wand out, he did a quick Homenum Revelio, to find just Cassandra's presence. He'd probably see more on the Island itself. The boat was on the shore; however, the boatman was absent. He stepped into it lightly. The boat moved jerkily through the water.

The fog did not ease his anticipation. It was the worst way of hindering sight.

"I was just about to reinforce the security here, the people who're doing this are trying to get revenge." He said, pulling his hair.

"Do you think they came here to break their companions away?" Cassandra said, her voice sounded muffled.

"It could be, I don't know," he felt a gnawing fear as squinted his eyes to try and make something out.

He gasped when he saw the building. The ghostly place had sparks flying everywhere; dementors were flying around, seemingly unguided.

"Expecto Patronum," he shouted, thrice in quick succession. Cassandra did the same, and a silver tiger erupted from her wand.

He produced a strong jet of water to quicken their journey. Running as fast as he could when the boat touched the shore, he tried to search for a spot of ginger.

"Ron? Where are you?" Harry said, panting and deflecting the spells around him.

"I'm here, in the building. We're sending all the prisoners to the other Prison via Portkeys. Cover!" Harry heard Ron shout and swiftly ran to the building.

His heart was in his mouth. He sent Stupefy, more times than he could count.

"Over here!" He heard a familiar voice and saw Umbridge- of the people, vanishing as Ron waved at him and called him up. He rushed through the stairs. A poorly prepared trainee seemed to assist him.

"Who's dead? Protego," Harry asked, protecting them from a large stone that fell.

"Lestrange, Silverring, Sternate," Ron grunted as the prisoner struggled against him.

"Would you shut the bloody hell up?" Ron said, clipping the Portkey handcuffs on. He did the same thing to the person in the next cell.

Harry's earpiece crackled, "We need another division, Healers, quick. All Auror trainees to the main opening. You are urgently needed." Proudfoot said.

Harry waved at the trainee who was assisting him, and she ran to the ground floor. Something peculiar caught his eye, a shadow not in scarlet robes.


"Ron, I'm going after it," Harry said, pointing it the direction, already moving towards it.

"Merlin's sake, does no one know how to work here? Where are the Anti-Apparation wards?" Cassie said, and Harry groaned.

He muttered the needed spells quickly, as Ron did the same. He ran behind the shadow. Prongs guided him through the broken, twisted staircase. A pile of stones rained down on him- he threw up a shield just in time.

"Stop!" He shouted to no avail. He felt a strong gust of wind, no doubt a spell from below smashing into him as his shoulder grazed against the stone. He kept running, but the shadow seemed to have a purpose.

"They deserved to die, Potter. Stop chasing me, and punish those who deserve it!" A voice shrieked, and it reminded Harry of the warrior and the goblins.

"What do you want? Why're you doing this?" Harry said as he panted, throwing a Stunner at the voice.

"Justice." The voice replied. The winds were pricking Harry's face, and the fog made it hard to see the speaker.

"What sort of justice do you get by murder?" He shouted, in attempts to divert the speaker, as he crept slowly towards the source.

When he heard no reply, he repeated his question. His heart was hammering; the sounds of the conflict seemed far away as a thick white curtain enveloped him.

"It's not murder." The speaker said, but there was hesitancy in it. Seeing his opening, Harry sent a silent but powerful Impedimenta.

Mentally slapping himself, he realised that the fog around him was different from what he had just left.

"Finite Incantentum." He whispered. A man dressed in all black stood not far from him.

"You're making a mistake, Potter. You're running after the wrong people," It was the laugh that chilled Harry; confident, assertive.

"What do you want, by murdering innocents?" Harry repeated, trying to recall if he had seen anything fishy on the way. He circled the un-named character.

"Innocents? Innocents, ah, Potter. I would have thought that you, of all people, would know what innocent meant. Is Lestrange innocent? Is he?" There was fury in the man's voice. And though Harry agreed with him, that did not help.

"Stop with your flimsy spells," The man dodged his carefully aimed spell with ease. Not many people could do that and in such environments.

"You dare call a Death-Eater innocent; you're just like them. You're a lost cause." The man's voice reverberated in the silence.

Harry took the support of the wall as he moved back slowly. No point in fighting until they were on flatter ground. But, were they not allied with the Death-Eaters? His brain wracked for any other explanations. Was there not a clear motive, to free their friends? And yet, this man trembled at the mere mention of them.

"You are so stupid; I expected better." The voice said, and Harry realised that his voice was distracting him.

"Stupefy!," he shouted, as he reached the bottom of the stairs; the first floor.

"Protego."

"Deprimo!"

The brilliant flash of light reminded him of another battle, where he had lost his beloved owl. The Dementors' presence was messing with his head.

"Expelliarmus." He shouted and was glad to hit the mark. But the man produced a second wand. The fight was starting to frustrate him.

"Ron, I need you here, now," Harry said in his earpiece. He shielded himself with the wall.

"Mate, I'm with Cassie, some of the prisoners have acquired fallen wands. Is there imminent danger?" Ron asked, and Harry dodged another jinx.

"No, nothing. Just don't let the prisoners escape," He said, gritting his teeth as something hit his leg. He ducked as the boulder came zooming past him. What was he doing?

He draped the Invisibility Cloak around him. His senses were starting to leave him. Walking as quietly as the wind, he closed onto the speaker who evidently looked confused. He knocked the speaker off.

"Argh," The speaker groaned before shooting spells blindly, which Harry dodged easily, albeit with searing pain in his right leg.

He tied the speaker up and pulled his cloak off his head. "You're going to come with us."

"You think you can tie me up so easily? Fool!" Harry's ropes came off as a knife glinted menacingly at him.

He resisted the urge to groan as he tried to disarm the man. But an unfortunate miss-step sent him crashing into the ground as his wand flew out of his hand. His head hit a rock, sending shock waves through his body.

"You need to learn a lot more, Potter. Magic is not everything." The man's voice was echoing through his head. Pushing himself up, he stared at the blurry outline of the man until he came into focus.

"But for now, I have to go. Maybe if you learnt anything from my words, you could become a better person. Bye-bye!" The man jumped off the side of the building. Harry rushed to the side to see a black figure fly on a Broomstick, away from the building.

"Catch that figure, Ron, Cassie, anyone!" Harry shouted into his earpiece. A sudden rumble distracted him until he saw big pieces of rocks from the second floor raining down straight to the ground floor. Still empty-handed though he was, he could not stop the shout emitting from his mouth.

"Protego!" he shut his eyes and, perhaps for the second time ever, produced a magnificent blue shield wandlessly. He felt as if the sky was crashing upon him as his knees buckled under the pressure.

"GET OUT!" He shouted to the trainees on the ground floor. And the opponents also seemed to have enough sense to move.

His head was exploding as he felt a fire course through his body. This was worse than the Cruciatis Curse. This was hell.

"HARRY!" Ron's voice came through his earpiece.

"Is. Everyone. Out?" Harry gasped, his feet getting pushed into the ground.

"Yes, we're coming, hang in there," Ron said, and his worry was plain as day.

Ron's voice became muffled as the pressure became unbearable. He felt a sharp jerk in his gut, and the sound of something falling–distant screams. And then, the darkness welcomed him.

OoOo
Author's note: I hope you liked this chapter, it was definitely one of my better ones! The ambush was fun and tricky to write, and I wish it lived up to the expectations. Please consider reviewing, they're my only ways of knowing how you felt, and they always inspire me to work harder, and I do enjoy replying to each one. There were a few errors regarding update days, so it is every fortnight that the next chapter should be up on the twenty-third!


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Chapter 12: XII.

Harry's body felt like someone had crushed it. He was walking through a dark forest. Something was glittering in the distance; he walked faster. The light kept moving farther, the twinkling of stars. He ran after it, but his feet were so heavy, it felt like he was trying to run through the mud, but they still made so much sound. The light became more prominent, a gap through the thick dark. Harry smiled as he finally reached the end of the path, and the light shone just a few metres away from him; it seemed as if he was on a cliff. That was when the pleasantness of the brightness turned sinister. As he looked off the cliff, he saw white fields running as far as his eye could see. He looked closer and realised with horror that the gravestones, thousands of gravestones, gave the area its bizarre colour.

Harry ran back into the dark, but voices taunted him, and he could not run, he could not run. A faint beeping sound was hindering his thoughts, but it was getting louder and louder. It felt like it was coming from within him. Screeches, the beeping sound all rushed through him- it was an uproar, everything was happening too fast-

He opened his eyes.

The lamps lighted the room dimly; the beep was only his heartbeat. He was at St. Mungo's. The pounding in his head did not stop; he tried to look around for someone when he saw Ginny sleeping on the couch.

"Gin." He said as loudly as he could. Which was not very much, but Ginny seemed to jolt awake immediately.

"Harry. Oh Merlin, if you didn't have so many injuries already, I would've added one in myself," Ginny said as she walked to the bed, but her voice betrayed her relief.

"Let me call Joseph," Ginny said softly, referring to the Healer who had overlooked Harry's procedures since he was a trainee. She went outside the door before Harry could beckon her closer.

He tried to sit up, but the sharp pain throughout his body advised him otherwise. He hissed.

"Easy, Mr Potter. My, you do test our capabilities here. The only thing that scares me more than losing you is your family- and indeed the Wizarding World's wrath if we did so. Particularly, Miss Weasley here," Joseph was the Head of Special Auror Unit Management. A kind man with greying hair and kind brown eyes, he was more of a friend than a healer now.

"Sorry, Joseph," Harry said, scrunching his eyes as Joseph pulled the curtains back to reveal the shining sun.

"Yeah, right. Now, I'm going to lift the bed; tell me when it's alright," Joseph said, a half-grin flickering on his face.

When he was at a proper level, Joseph handed him three bottles of potions.

"These don't get any better," Harry said, scrunching his eyes as he downed the last one.

"Oh, these are only the beginning. Did you think I'd give you a Butterbeer?" The Healer said, taking a seat beside his bed. Ginny sat on the other side; her lips curled into a small smile.

"I wish we had tablets," Harry grumbled. Joseph laughed, for he knew exactly what Harry was talking about; Ginny had no idea.

"Now, on to business. Harry, your luck shone once again; most people would not have survived. Ron has a better idea of what happened, but I'm telling you this much, you're lucky that you're not a Squib now. Your core had depleted to an unimaginable level, and with multiple fractures and torn muscles." Joseph's tone was more serious now. Harry bowed his head, not wanting to look at either of them.

"We worked our butts off on you for three whole days, and then you took four more to recover. You'll have a few scars on your shoulders- those couldn't be helped. You cannot, and I will not allow any exceptions, use magic for at least a few days. As for leaving the hospital, I'm not permitting it. So, don't think about scaring the staff."

Harry made a move to speak but was silenced.

"Uh-uh. I need to monitor your body levels constantly. Being crushed under a truckload of boulders isn't too kind, you know?" He said, and Harry nodded meekly at the scolding.

Joseph clapped his hands, "Great then! I'll send a nurse in with the next round of potions when it's time. For now, you're allowed visitors, but remember, rest is the quickest way to recovery."

"Thanks, Joseph," Harry said sincerely.

"Thanks, Joseph. I'll call you if we need anything," Ginny said, smiling and leading him out of the room.

"Now, can you come here? I'm sure giving a kiss isn't against the rules," Harry said, reaching his heavily bandaged hand out.

Ginny walked and kissed him softly, but it was enough to cause fireworks. "You're a prat, you know that, right?" she murmured.

"Ron has been going in and out. I'll give him a call," Ginny said, moving away from him.

"Hmm, Ron can wait, come here," Harry said, missing the flowery scent. Ginny sat beside him and held his hand.

"Out for a week. I have a lot of making up to do," Harry said, and Ginny rolled her eyes but leaned in eagerly anyway.

OoOo

"Do you like giving me a heart-attack, mate?" Ron said as he walked to see him later that evening. He conjured a chair and sat beside the bed, his chin resting on the headrest. Harry gave him a weary grin; his abdomen was starting to throb dully.

"If it hadn't been your sorry arse, I would have started preparing a funeral speech in my head," Ron grumbled, and Harry chuckled.

"What can I do? You're stuck with me," Harry said, running a hand through his hair.

Ron's face softened, "You have a death wish," he said, shaking his head.

"Where's Ginny?"

"I've sent her home. She needs to sleep. And I needed to talk to all of you. Did you find my wand? Ginny said that it's with you," Harry asked anxiously, paying no attention to the comment.

"It's at home, in my drawer. The Healer said not to give it to you for a week," Ron said.

Harry sighed relaxing. "But it's still intact?" He asked pointlessly.

"No, I have a hobby of collecting broken wands," Ron said cheerfully.

Harry rolled his eyes, "And what happened after I lost consciousness? You need to update me on everything,"

Ron sighed and stared at the ceiling.

"You were probably duelling with their Head or something. Once he flew off, most of the opponents did as well. We couldn't stop one," Ron said dejectedly, before continuing.

"We were trying to find you under all that rubble, Merlin. I've not had such a terrible shock since the Battle. So when we did- I don't know how but your magic had carved the stones around you, you were still intact. If only a bit, then I Apparated here, of course.

"By the time I went back, the Island was silent, and Cassie was assisting trainees and sending them off to the hospital or asking them to collect any evidence. We did, actually. Sebastian says that it looked like a Muggle Bomb controller, but I don't know." Ron said, trailing off.

Harry sat a little straighter, ignoring the pain that shot through. "A bomb?"

"Yeah,"

"Can you call in the rest of the team here? I think I know what's going on," Harry said, his brain already piecing everything together.

"Here? Now? While you're still hospitalised?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Yeah, it's essential to be quick, mate. We don't want any more deaths." Harry said, rubbing his other hand, wincing as his finger touched a wound.

Ron shook his head, "You're barmy," but he conjured a Patronus anyway.

"Tell Cassandra, Proudfoot, Sebastian and Emily to come to Harry's room," Ron told the Russell-terrier who circled him happily before disappearing.

"How're you, though?" Ron asked, looking at the potions on Harry's side table with concern.

"I'm fine, really. Joseph says that most of my bones are fixed now." Harry said, observing Ron's own haggard face.

"You don't look so good," He said, and Ron laughed.

"Yeah, I'd like to see you try sleeping when your best mate is half-dead. And when there are unusual pieces of evidence everywhere." Ron muttered.

A knock on the door prevented Harry from answering.

"Come in," he said.

Cassandra poked her head through, "Harry! You dolt, are you feeling better?" she said, opening the door wider.

"Hey Cassie, I'm fine, don't worry," Harry repeated, smiling.

"Sebastian and Proudfoot are coming. Emily will be a bit late; she's doing something," she took a seat.

As if on cue, Sebastian and Proudfoot entered the room, both looking worried.

"I'm much better," Harry answered the question before they could ask. Nodding, Proudfoot too conjured a chair, Sebastian decided to stand the foot of the bed.

"I know who we're behind. And the bomb controller just confirms it," Harry said, not wasting any time. He was growing weary, but he had to finish this before the next round of potions.

The comfort in the room seemed to vanish as everyone sat straighter and looked at him tensely.

"The person I was behind said the oddest things. We were completely off with the IDE because this person detested the Death-Eaters. Then again, killing Lestrange is very strange because he was one of the most loyal Death-eaters.

He claimed that I was just like 'them'," Harry said, making quotation marks in the air. "I'm assuming that 'them' means the Ministry or us. He said that we were after the wrong people- Hunter. This isn't going anywhere with Voldemort; this is revenge." he said, and Cassandra gasped. Harry saw the realisation cloud her eyes, but he continued for others' sake.

"They hate the Death-Eaters. Everyone that has been murdered was at some point aiding Death-Eaters. I think we're dealing with Muggle-borns. There's no one else." Harry said, shutting his eyes as he remembered the riddle.

"The sides will reverse. They will understand their crimes," Harry said, and though it was only a murmur, the silence amplified it. A more profound silence followed as each of them sat in a mild shock.

"We've been so stupid," Proudfoot said, putting his hand on his eyes. Ron's face had a calculative look as if deciding his next move. Sebastian's mouth was hanging open.

"It has to be them. Those rocks- they didn't fall because of any spells. That's why I didn't realise how many of them would fall. Muggle technique allows it, and they must know it very well." Harry said, rubbing his chest.

"Merlin," Sebastian whispered.

"But what I'm most worried about now is how he was able to dodge all my spells so easily," Harry said, thinking about the side comments.

He looked around, but none of them seemed to have an answer.

"I know I'm not the best when it comes to duelling in Azkaban-" he began but was cut off by Proudfoot.

"Shut up, Potter. You won the Inter-Auror duelling competition when you were eighteen." To which the rest of the people except Sebastian grinned.

Shaking his head, he continued, "Yeah, but it must have been someone who's used to Azkaban or Dementors. Because that place seemed to have no effect on the man,"

"Are you suggesting that someone is playing double roles?" Sebastian asked tersely.

"Maybe, it can't be an Auror because we only go there on shifts. It could be a Hit-Wizard or an ex-Hit-Wizard." Harry replied.

"But a quarter of the Wizarding World's population is Muggleborn. We can't just round up all of them," Cassandra said, standing up.

"No, we only need to look for clues, fingerprints. Any suspicious behaviour, any records." Harry said, feeling desperate.

Cassandra sighed. "I'm going to check if I can find where such a bomb is sold, see if there's a relation, Seb, you're coming with me," she said, the two of them being the most familiar with Muggle London.

Harry nodded, "That's good. Proudfoot, can you check the records, please?" The two men nodded.

"Ron, inform Emily of the plan, and I need your help in digging up old records of Azkaban guards," Harry said.

"Reading old records is not considered tiring or stress-inducing, so Joseph can't stop me," he added, seeing Ron's face.

"Fine, fine," Ron said, raising his hands in defeat. They all lapsed into silence.

"Merlin, we were so far off," Cassandra said, echoing everyone's thoughts.

Harry sighed and nodded, "We have to end this soon."

He felt someone squeeze his shoulder. "We will," Ron said.

Another silence followed the brief interaction until Cassandra clapped her hands.

"Right, I'm going and doing my part. No use wasting time. Harry, I know you're invested in this, but you better not overwork yourself or do anything that's been forbidden. I'd rather like to see you up and walking in a week than three," she said, tousling his hair, careful of the bandage around it.

"We should head out as well, take rest, Potter. And only do as much as you can without risking anything," Proudfoot said, gesturing Sebastian to get up.

"See you later, Harry. Get well soon," Sebastian said, following Proudfoot out.

"Thanks for having so much faith in me, guys," Harry grumbled lightheartedly. They only laughed as they shut the door.
The sky outside was golden and red.

Ron stayed behind. "Hermione said that she'd come soon," he said.

Harry nodded. A knock on the door disturbed their thoughts; Ginny entered with Teddy and Andromeda.

"Hawwy!" Teddy said and trodded as fast as he could to the tall bed.

"Teddy! I'm sorry I can't list you right now, bud." Harry said, looking at Ginny.

"Harry, dear. Oh, Merlin, I cannot take so much tension in my old age!" Andromeda said, rushing to the bed. Ginny lifted the eager toddler up. Harry patted on the bed beside him. Teddy clung to him tightly.

"Sorry, Andy," he said sheepishly. To which she only shook her head exasperatedly.

"Hey, Teddy, what's the matter?" Harry asked, brushing Teddy's hair.

"You sleeped for so long! 'Inny said that you taked rest, but I miss you!" Teddy said, hugging Harry tighter.

Harry shook his head as Ginny stared at him in concern. He took a deep breath and removed Teddy's hand from the injury.

"I'm so sorry, buddy. I think I was just so tired, but you don't need to worry. I'm right here," Harry said soothingly, smiling as the toddler peeked an eye through.

"You won't go?" Teddy asked in a small voice.

Harry sighed. "I will need to go to work again, but I promise I'll be more careful," he said, and Teddy twisted himself and stood up, using Harry's shoulders as support.

At that moment, no one would have doubted Teddy to be Harry's son. Harry laughed as he looked into the shocking green eyes.

"Hey Teddy, if I am taking a long time to wake up, it's probably just because I'm on a long sleep, yeah? Nothing to be scared off," Harry said encouragingly, and Teddy nodded.

"Okay, but next time, tell me first," Teddy pouted and sat down. Harry sighed in relief, Andromeda laughed and Ron clapped Teddy on his back.

"Same, Harry, next time you plan a bl-, I mean a silly time to sleep, tell me beforehand." He said, mirth evident in his voice.

Harry rolled his eyes, "I'll give you three weeks' notice, Ron."

Ron only grinned and started playing with Teddy.

"Andy, I want you and Teddy to live somewhere safer, please. I can't risk anything right now," Harry said, rubbing his eyes.

"We're safe, Harry. You need to take care of yourself," Andromeda said gently. "I know that you're in a lot of pain, and you just don't want to show us. One doesn't lose consciousness for a week and wake up feeling perfect," she added, and Ginny nodded.

Harry only sighed, "Fine, but Ginny, I want you to live with them for a while, please. Things have only gotten more dangerous," he said.

"And leave you while you would probably faint before reaching the kitchen? Why don't we all live there?" Ginny asked seriously.

"She's right, you know? Besides, I have studied more about Magical Injuries, and Teddy will not trouble you much because of school." Andromeda said, drawing her lips in a thin line.

"I- well- I-" he sputtered.

"Words, Harry," Andromeda said, raising her eyebrow in a starkly similar fashion as her dead sister.

He put his head in his hands, trying to keep a groan from escaping his lips.

"Harry, oh Merlin, you're awake! I came as fast as I could, and we were just tidying things up, and Ron sent a Patronus; how are you?" Hermione burst through the door and spoke in rapid succession, seemingly without breathing.

"Hermione, breathe! I'm alright, don't worry," Harry said glad to be excused. But even as he did, he could feel himself weakening, almost as if a Dementor was whispering in his ears.

Hermione crossed the room, hugging Ginny and Andromeda and kissing Teddy on his dark head. Indeed, her hair flew out on the sides, and she looked flustered.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Ron asked, staring at his girlfriend with concern.

"Yes, yes. I just rushed really fast through the Floo and the floors," she said, taking a deep breath as she dropped in the chair next to Ginny.

"I tried researching about Magical Core Weakening during the week, but there wasn't much that I could find. I just hope the Healers are right in saying that it will be fine soon," she said, jumping into the topic straight away.

Harry smiled weakly, knowing Hermione's nature well enough. They continued to talk of all mundane things until Harry grew weary and Andromeda took Teddy to the canteen. Harry's eyes flickered as the sky turned completely dark. He was starting to feel relatively weak.

A sharp rapping against the door jolted him out of the dreamlike stage.

"Sorry, sir. This letter has been addressed to Miss Granger," a young lady, whom Harry assumed to be a fellow nurse, said.

Harry only nodded, and Hermione frowned, taking the letter from her.

"This is strange. It says, 'Addressed to Hermione Granger, from the Muggle-born Society," Hermione murmured, turning it on the other side.

Harry and Ron looked at each other in shock.

"No! Don't open it," cried Ron, snatching the letter away from her.

"Ronald Weasley, what do you mean?" Hermione asked, crossing her hands.

"There's a Muggle-born Society?" Harry asked, his words slurring.

Hermione looked at him, "Yes, of course. It's not a society-society, but it's just a fun group," she said.

"You're very pale, Harry, and Ron, you too, is something wrong?" Ginny asked, standing and checking Harry's temperature.

"You're burning! We need to give you the potions," she exclaimed, hurrying to the side table.

"No, wait. Ron, this might just be-"

"-the Muggle-born Society." Ron finished, his mouth hanging open.

Harry tried to sit up, "We need to examine it," he said, shutting his eyes as the world took a weird shape.

Ron pushed him back, "I need to test it for enchantments. I won't open it without you, I'm going to check if they know who delivered this," he said soothingly. "Go to bed."

"What's happening?" Hermione asked, and Ron only gestured at the door.

"Take these, Harry," Ginny said anxiously, handing him many bottles. Harry drank from each of them until his body relaxed, and he felt himself slip away.

The voices seemed far away as Ron and Hermione bid him an apprehensive good-night and left. Ginny held his hand and sat back down.

OoOoOo

Author's note: I tried really hard on this one, and I hope you liked it. It's more than twice the length of my usual chapters and hence is the longest chapter in the story so far! I did like the flow of it; let me know if you did too. You guys are my motivation, and your reviews are the only form of indication of how I'm doing! If you like hospital scenes, you might enjoy reading my "Bedside Talks" as well. Thanks a lot to all the wonderful reviewers, and I'll reply to your review as soon as I see them!








Back to index


Chapter 13: XIII.

Harry placed his feet gently on the hospital floor and looked at Joseph, who nodded his head, frowning.

He closed his eyes and willed to stand up. He gripped the side table tightly as his head swam but raised his hand when he felt Ginny come closer. Harry ambled around the room, stopping a few times briefly to recover from the exhaustion. He had to be able to walk properly by Mr Weasley's birthday party in two days.

"Okay, that's good for today," Joseph said, as Harry completed five rounds around the room.

"Where's the focus today?" Joseph asked. Harry sat back on the bed as Ginny rubbed his back.

"It's just nauseating after walking for a few minutes, but it's not because of my legs or my body," Harry said.

"Hmm, that might be because of your magic then. But since you passed that, I think you can hold your wand–nothing more strenuous than basic spells, Harry. Or you'll be here for longer," Joseph said strictly, as he allowed Ginny to hand Harry his wand.

Red sparks flew out of the wand, and Harry felt some warmth return to him. "Lumos" he murmured, sighing in relief as it lit up.

"Don't forget to take your potions. I'll see your other reports and see if you can be discharged," Joseph said, walking out the door before Harry could request an early leave.


"You're such a tosser, getting hurt all the time," Ginny said affectionately, running her fingers through his hair. "But you're my tosser, so I can't help but love you," she said. He grinned, recollecting their admittance of love a few months ago.

Harry leaned back into her touch; the past few days had been burdensome, and Ron was yet to get the envelope back from Curse-investigation.

"I'm tired, Gin." He mumbled, closing his eyes.

"Do you want to sleep? Or eat something?" she asked, peering over his shoulders to see the face.

"No, not that way. I want to get to the bottom of this case. There've been too many casualties." he said, then chuckled hollowly at his own words.

"Don't stress, for one. Second, again, you will get to the end, Harry. You're not one of those quitters. And didn't you say Ron might have something important, which could help you?" She moved from behind Harry to come and sit in the front.

He sighed and rubbed his face. "Yeah."

"Harry! They've cleared the letter!" Ron crashed into the room. Harry straightened and directed Ron to the coffee table in the room. Getting up and resisting the urge to get support, he walked to Ron and demanded the letter.

"Ginny?" Ron asked, handing Harry the letter but placing a hand on it.

She hesitated but nodded. "I'll be back later, Harry. I'll go to Gwenog to get an update. Don't worry; I'll take an Auror with me," she said in a rush, leaving before Harry could object.

"Do you want to read it?" Ron asked, sitting on the couch. Harry nodded and sat down, clearing his throat.

" Dear Hermione Granger,

We write to express our gratitude for your interest in the welfare of Muggleborns and their position in our society. As you may know, most of us still live in fear of rejection and violence, and many, instead of proudly acknowledging their heritage, hide it. This is why we at the Muggleborn Welfare Society invite you to give us a talk on your thoughts and meet fellow Muggleborns who were affected by the war. Please come alone, as we allow limited people- due to the chances of betrayal and wrong education to our group's children.

We hope to see you soon at five pm on the fifteenth of February. The address will be sent to you at a closer time, via the same post.

We thank you for your engagement,
MWS.
"


Ron was looking at him with wide eyes.

"Check." He said, rubbing his hands excitedly.

Harry stared at the parchment long and hard, "It could be what we want. They want her to come alone. That's suspicious. What's this rubbish about wrong exposure to children, anyway?" he said, tossing the letter to Ron, who read through it.

"We have a lead, Harry. I can't believe they'd be so obvious," Ron said as he looked at Harry eagerly.

"We have to give them the benefit of the doubt, Ron. Nonetheless, I'm going to this 'meeting'," Harry said.

"No, you're not if Joseph does not allow it. Harry, you're still recovering," Ron said, looking very strict about it too.

"We'll see," Harry replied. He was thinking about the words of that man. "We need to tell Hermione," he added.

"Yeah," Ron sighed, faltering. "I'll update everyone," he said. Harry nodded, staring at the table.

Ron clapped Harry on the back. "But how're you?"

"I'm alright, doing better," Harry replied. He took a deep breath and stretched his arms. "Almost completely healed from the outside,"

"Well, that's a good thing," Ron said. "Has Joseph allowed you to come to the party? I've already sent the invites,"

"Yeah, I'm still trying. He is melting, though," Harry said.

Ron grinned, "Please stay out of trouble, and I'll see you soon, hopefully."

"See you soon, Ron," Harry said, sighing and giving him a tired smile.

OoOo

The Burrow was lit up beautifully; fairy lights decorated the trees. The atmosphere was joyous, and even the occasional gnome running into the bushes was ignored.

Harry surveyed the scene with a genuine smile on his face. Though he had to lean on a walking cane, he was grateful that he could come. Mr Weasley sat at the head of the table, greeting the guests and laughing at something Ginny was saying. She looked glamorous as she sat with her father; she caught his eye and winked.

"Are you better, Harry?" A voice came from behind. He almost jumped as he looked at his old Transfiguration professor.

"Professor, yes, I'm alright," Harry said, smiling.

"And your magic? It's Minerva, Mr Potter," she asked primly.

"Err, I don't really know. There's not much we can do about it except not use it very much for a while, but I think I'm somewhere in the middle of recovering," he answered.

"Maybe, you should come to the Office and talk to Albus's portrait. Though he was much more knowledgeable in the flesh, the picture does take some of his wisdom and qualities." McGonagall said, and she gazed at the scene with her right hand over the left.

"That's a brilliant idea, Professor!" Harry exclaimed, "Can I visit tomorrow?"

"Yes, of course. You are always welcome at Hogwarts," she answered and then patted his back before leaving him to talk to Andromeda.

The night was long and old when the party ended. And everyone said their goodbyes to the happy, most senior Mr and Mrs Weasley, and made their way home.

OoOo

McGonagall's Office was clean and pristine the following day when Harry visited. And the portrait of Albus Dumbledore smiled down on him with twinkling eyes.

"So, Professor, you're telling me that you've experienced this?" Harry asked after he had told him his side.

"Yes, when I was learning wandless magic, one day I realised that I had a period where without some wandless magic, I felt unwell. I believe you have reached the point which we call the 'Awakening', Harry. It is when your body has entirely accepted the magic, and you would find that your abilities and magical awareness have heightened. I'm proud of you, Harry. Most people cannot achieve this level; to do it when you have multiple other injuries is almost unheard of, but you have always bent the rules," Dumbledore's portrait said, and he had a sparkle on his face.

Harry stood stunned in front of the wall for a long time.

"An Awakening? So what do I do now? Do I have to use wandless magic all the time?" he asked when he found his voice back.

The figure laughed, "Oh no, Harry. It would help if you practised it in small amounts, but not too much because you've yet to recover. And soon, you will feel fresher, more alert. Your wand is still your best asset in duels, though."

Harry looked quizzical. "Professor, are there any other books that I could borrow?"

"But of course! Ask Minerva; my collection should have some to help you. But for now, tell me about Hagrid's new friends." Dumbledore's portrait replied.

They moved on to discuss day-to-day things, and Harry felt guided again; he knew what to do.

OoOoOo

Author's note: I sincerely apologise for the delay, the length and the quality of this chapter. The past few weeks have been really rotten, and now I'm somewhat out of the mess. The next chapter should be up soon as well, and please let me know your thoughts in the reviews; they keep me going even when things are a bit hard. Thanks to all the guests who I cannot answer privately; your reviews mean a lot! (If you'd like to read how Harry and Ginny said "I love you", you could read my 'The first time!)





Back to index


Chapter 14: XIV.

He sharpened his dagger and chuckled. 'Hunter' they'd labelled him; it was amusing, very amusing. The scratchy sound echoed in the circular room, as the grey walls reflected it importantly.

"Sir, our scouts are back," a cloaked man said, nodding at him.

"Can you send Richard in, please?" He asked, sheathing the knife. He hummed a tune his mother had sung when she was alive.

"You called, Hunter?" asked a man in entire black; his face was pale, and occasionally, it contorted in pain.

"Sorry, Richard, you can get yourself treated after a brief report," Hunter asked.

"The Aurors showed up, but we got the prized possessions," Richard said, scorn laced his voice as he named the victims. "Potter was there as well, and I was disappointed by his reaction. He's turned to the other side; I'm telling you, Hunter."

Hunter tsked, "Pity. But I hear you did him damage?" His voice was dangerously low.

Richard paled even further. "I- I did, but he's still alive."

He shook his head, "Richard, if you were not so dear to me, you would have joined Potter in the hospital. We do not harm those who have not harmed us, and Potter, whatever he is doing, has helped us before."

Richard's jaw tightened, but he said nothing and nodded.

"Could you please ask John if the letters for sending to recruits ready? I do want to send them before our next meeting," he asked, sheathing the dagger.

Richard nodded, "I'll send you a Patronus."

He smiled, "Yes, please, go tend to yourself now."

Richard got up and scrunched his face for a split-second before sighing and walking out, not before saluting him. He brought out his pistol and polished it.

"Foolish, you foolish, foolish man." He muttered, wiping his brow.

"Why are you doing this?" A voice spoke from behind him. He turned around and sighed at the lady who stood there. She had a soft glow that made her skin look translucent, and her simple jeans and T-shirt only made her look more beautiful.

"Why am I doing what?" He murmured, his voice gentle for the first time in the evening.

"Polishing your gun, teaching innocent people how to kill, why?" She asked, stepping forward.

"Because you deserve it, and they deserve death- worse than death. They must feel that fear of being hunted, of death slowly walking towards them." He said sharply. He put his pistol in the case and took a different gun out.

"You don't mean to do this, love," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged her off.

"In fact, I do." He said.

"Hey, listen. It's okay. You're not thinking straight. Please, just listen to yourself for once."

"I hear myself every day; it's probably the only thing I hear." He was starting to get annoyed; they'd had this conversation many times.

She sat on his chair and whispered, "Where have you hidden the boy that was so noble, so brave, so kind?"

His hands shook as he tested the quality. "He's dead, okay? He died when he found out what happened." He said, feeling empty and alone. So alone.

"He's dead, and there is no one but me. Me, the Hunter. The Revenger. The Helper. And I will make sure the Hunted will know that," he laughed, a disconcerting sound he'd never heard. It took him time to realise it was his mouth making that sound. The laughter turned to moans, and the gun fell to the floor.

He gripped his head and shook it violently, "Stop messing with me. I know what to do, I know where to go, before I come to you, go. Please, go."

But when he opened his eyes, he found the chair empty, and the vision of his lover was gone, wasted on argument rather than love. He picked himself up as the emptiness returned and robotically loaded the gun. And with her, was gone the little boy who had hoped to help people in his future, who had been awarded his community's badge of honour, wasted.


OoOo

Few days after Arthur Weasley's birthday.

The Auror conference room was once again filled with various occupants.

"I want the exact details. The letter is to arrive soon," Harry said on his first day back at the office. His injuries were mostly healed, and save for more frequent headaches and a few dizzy spells, he was almost back to normal.

"The bomb is local, not imported. But it's been designed on order; you cannot find such manufactured unless you're a part of the army." Cassandra said.

"And where was it designed?" Ron asked, leaning forward on the table.

"A small town in the north, not designed there, but the materials were brought from a local shop. I went with Proudfoot to conduct a check, but I don't think the shopkeeper or anyone locally had any idea. Legillimency didn't give any different results." She said, Proudfoot, nodding in confirmation.

"Emily? Sebastian? Any news of this society?" Harry asked next.

"Yes, so this committee has existed for a long time, ever since the First Wizarding War. But recently, they got a new leader, although we could not find the name of this individual. The people only know him as 'The Helper', and most are very happy with him." Emily said.

Harry sighed, "At least we have some news. I have an inkling that 'The Helper and 'The Hunter' are not two different people. Why would a committee head hide their name?" He mused.

"Right, and helper of what? It's been three years since the war, and the Ministry has worked tirelessly under Kings-Shaklebolt to atone for the damage caused by the previous Minister." Ron said.

"Whatever it is, I think we should go in. But under disguise," Sebastian said. Harry nodded.

"Sebastian, you're a Muggleborn. Did you ever hear anything about this? And Harry, you're pacing again, sit down." Cassandra said, leaning back in her chair.

Harry looked at all of them sheepishly before taking his seat. The constant drumming on the table which followed did not stop. Sebastian shook his head.

"I didn't even know this existed. I think there're certain criteria you need to meet to join this committee." Sebastian said, shrugging.

"Then why did Hermione get selected?" Ron said, bitting the end of a quill.

"It says in the letter, Ron. For her work towards destigmatising the Muggleborns." Harry said.

There was a knock on the door. Sebastian, being the closest to the door, opened it.

Hermione walked in with a letter clutched in her hand.

"Harry," She faltered and handed him the letter. He did a quick Jinx-scan before opening it and reading it out loud.

Dear Miss Granger,

Since you did not respond to our previous letter stating a 'no', we assume that you are interested in joining us. Our next meeting is very soon, in a day or two, and this letter is a Portkey which will activate in due time. We do not have a fixed base, as we believe in accomodating the needs of all our members.
We once again advise you to not bring anyone who has not been invited, since we do not want disturbances in our working. Attached are also some documents you would need to sign to become a member. However, we give you the special case of signing them 'at' our meeting rather than before.

If you do not wish to join, you may still say so. Please send a letter back if you cannot come to the meeting. Otherwise, we sincerely hope to see you there.

Hoping you're well,
MWS


He looked up to see everyone's faces, either pale or concentrated. At some point, he had stood up again.

Proudfoot grunted in annoyance. "They couldn't even come up with a convincing letter."

"We should go," Harry said, and Hermione stood there confused. "Hermione..." Harry began, but Ron completed his sentence.

"She should stay. After all, we cannot go without her. And she's directly involved." Ron said.

Harry raised his hands in defence, "If everyone else is fine with it?"

"You're the boss, Harry. What you say goes," Cassandra said, a small smile on her lips.

Harry sighed, "Fine, you can stay, Hermione." he said, smiling at his old friend, who nodded and sat on the chair Ron had conjured.

Harry rubbed his hands, "So, we have to form teams. This served as the last evidence, there is something off. Who knows how many innocent Muggleborns or otherwise are there, we have to act fast."

"I suggest Ron, Cassandra, and I take the fieldwork. Sebastian as backup, and Emily and Proudfoot as controls. And I want constant monitoring of this letter. Is that okay with everyone?" Harry said. A general round of nods met him, Hermione looked somewhat confused but determined.

"Alright, let's crack this case." Harry said, clapping his hands.


OoOoOo
Author's note: I know I promised a longer chapter, and I'm so sorry I couldn't deliver it, but we're nearly at the end, so please keep a lookout for the next one! Only a few chapters remain for this story. A huge thank you to everyone who's been here since the start, or joined in, and supported me in my first ever long fanfic. Your constructive criticism and support really mean a lot, and it helps me stay consistent and devoted to writing. I hope that you'll be here till the end of this story and future ones, and once again, don't forget to leave a review!















Back to index


Chapter 15: XV.

Harry fastened his holster to the dragon hide suit. Today was the day of the meeting. There had been no deaths, no notes, no indication of anything being wrong in the days following Azkaban's consumption, but to the Aurors, it felt like the quiet before a storm.

"Be back in time for dinner?" Ginny asked, repeating the lines she had said on his first mission.

"Keep a treacle tart ready," Harry said, grinning before turning to kiss her.

Ginny snorted as she handed him his Invisibility Cloak. "You know I can't bake."

"That, I do." He said simply. Chuckling, he ducked as a pillow flew past where his head had been a few seconds ago.

He summoned and threw it back at her, but Ginny had nothing to worry about; the pillow landed several feet away.

"Tsk. Tsk. Boyfriend of a professional Chaser, and that's your aim? You need to work on it a lot, Harry." Ginny said, picking the pillow and throwing it on the bed.

Harry stuck his tongue out and tied his belt.

"Try not to die, okay?" Ginny's voice came from behind him, soft, serious.

Harry looked at her back and smiled. "No promises. But, I'll try my best. I rather like you."

Ginny shrugged, but Harry saw her tense.

OoOo

The alley was dark and more than a little ominous. The Aurors crept silently in the shadows as Hermione walked ahead confidently, her shoes clacking on the pavement. Harry was wrapped in his Invisibility Cloak.

This was it, Ron thought. He took a deep breath as Cassandra moved beside him; the Disillusionment Charm made it hard to notice her movements. He was in an old Auror Invisibility Cloak, nowhere as comfortable as Harry's, but it did its job.

A lone door stood at the location they were meant to wait. It looked as if a simple gust of wind could break it stood. Hermione knocked gently, and the sound echoed in the silent alley.

"State your name and business, please," A man's voice called.

"Hermione Granger. I was invited to a meeting for the Muggleborn Welfare Society?" Hermione said, her voice betrayed anxiousness.

The door opened with a creak, and a man stood there, smiling. Harry sucked in a sharp but silent breath; it was the man from Azkaban.

"Welcome, Miss Granger, please this way," the man said, gesturing to the well-lit hallway. Harry and Ron slipped in silently, Cassandra and Sebastian were to wait outside. The man checked the alley on both sides before shutting the door.

"I apologise for the questioning outside, but these are still not safe times for Muggleborns, and we offer limited access to outsiders." He led her to a central room where many men and women were seated on a round table. The chair at the head of the table and the two on either side were empty. Hermione was made to sit on the left of the main chair while the man sat on the right. Harry and Ron stood on either side of the doorway. The only communication between them was by hand movements wearing an Auror glove which transmitted motion.

"The Helper will arrive shortly. He is just prepping a few things," the man said, at ease.

Hermione smiled and nodded, looking around at the people who all seemed rather friendly and not much like the scary people she imagined.

"But you haven't introduced yourself yet!" Hermione said as she turned her gaze back to the man.

"Oh, where are my manners. For now, you can call me Wiz- obviously short for Wizard. We cannot reveal our names until after the first meeting. It's a tradition that started to allow all the members to feel comfortable without revealing their identity. If anybody who joined was not interested in our community, they could simply declare it after the meeting and leave; however, this prevents them from spreading private information." The man said, and Hermione nodded.

"Pleasure to meet you, Wiz," she said and glanced at the doorway where her friends stood.

Harry waited patiently for 'The Helper' to arrive, he had a hunch of who it could be, but it was too early to conclude. He could hear what Hermione was saying. They had fitted a listening device in her earring. He motioned to Cassandra for updates.

And just as Cassandra had told him that everything outside was quiet, he heard someone walking down the corridor.

He looked very different from the last time Harry had seen the man. Dressed in a casual grey hoodie and dark jeans was Derek Williams. Harry clutched his motion sensor as Ron sent him a signal. He could also be one of the people invited. But something in his manner radiated authority, and Harry flattened himself against the wall as Derek passed in front of him.

"Hermione!" Derek's cheerful voice came, and for a moment, it sounded innocent again.

"Derek! Hello, are you invited to their meeting as well?" Hermione said, sounding relieved.

"Ah, you see, actually," Derek said, and Harry heard movement and a chair being scraped back.

"I kind of run it." He said, his voice smooth, playful. Harry peered into the room. Hermione's face had lost its colour.

"Oh, so you're 'The Helper'?" She asked, her voice unsure, but she sounded normal to people who didn't know her.

"Yeah, it's just what they like to call me," Derek said, shrugging.

"But I called you here, Hermione, to genuinely thank you for the work you're doing. I wanted you to meet these people and see just how much of an impact you will have when our Acts pass."

"So, here are a few people who'd like to talk to you," Derek said, and Harry heard him sit back down.

"Miss Granger, thank you so much for your help. I hope that if not me, coming generations grow in a safe environment. That they feel protected," Harry heard a woman's voice. She sounded old and weary.

He was starting to wonder whether he truly had overthought the situation. The club mentioned many things completely unrelated to the Auror's interest, and he knew that his team was getting impatient.

"Now, Hermione, you know just why I work so hard at the office. These people are scared but determined, and they need our help. I'm glad that I got to work alongside you. But I have something else to ask you as well, a favour." Derek's voice came, smooth.

"Of course, I would help in any way I can," Hermione said, who had relaxed considerably.

"I'd want you to swear your allegiance to our cause." Derek's voice came, and Harry stiffened; his voice felt cold, hard.

"I- I cannot do that, Derek, unless I know what the cause exactly is," Hermione stuttered.

"Very well, then I would like you to at least promise to not tell anyone what happens here today, and if you do, you would not only break our trust, but you might also anger some of the fellows here. And, that could perhaps put people you love or yourself in danger." The voice was one of authority, power.

"You can leave now if you want," he continues, more gentle.

"No, I'll stay. I want to help you," Hermione said, and Harry knew that it was only because the Aurors were here.

"I always knew you had a good heart," Derek said.

"We will train you, Hermione. We have people with many skills in this Society. But your job would primarily be communication. That includes talking to the ministry, which you already do, but also talking to the Aurors. You see, something we do, are better if not noticed by them, but they can be quite nosy."

"I- I don't understand," Hermione said, a quiver in her voice.

"We'll teach you, Hermione. You're a great person, and I'm certain that you would fight for justice. But, before we do that, we want you to pledge your allegiance." Derek said.

Harry motioned at Ron. His glove buzzed as Ron sent an agreement; they slipped into the room. The oval table was made of white marble, various 'normal'- looking people, women and men. At the centre stood Derek, confident, laid back. Hermione was sitting on the right side stiffly.

"Derek, I need to know what things you do that shouldn't be noticed by the Aurors. They mustn't be good things!" Hermione exclaimed.

Derek threw his head back and laughed, "Always been a law kind of person, haven't you, Hermione?"

"Well, I'm sorry now, but it seems that even if you understand our cause, you might not understand our actions. You're a great addition to the club, Hermione, but maybe it's better if we rewind your memory a bit." Derek said and pointed his wand at Hermione.

But the spell deflected, Ron and Harry's combined shield had saved Hermione. She stood up and gasped.

Derek looked around the room confused, and acting much faster this time, tied Hermione's hands behind her back.

"Which one of you did that? I'm not hurting her; she must not remember this!" Derek said, scanning everyone's faces. Unsatisfied, he looked around, at Hermione's stricken face, before stopping by the door.

"Ah," his face twisted into a sneer. The door shut with a bang, and Derek looked around the room once more.

"We have some guests, folks. Hermione, for someone who loves the rules, you sure broke ours." He said, sounding grave.

Harry swallowed; Hermione's eyes were wide as she tried in vain to search for them.

"Hmm, I wonder if they're in this room or outside," Derek said, twirling his wand.

"Homenum Revelio." Derek said, loud and clear.

"One more person, interesting. Who is it, Hermione? A friend? An Auror?" Derek's voice was unnaturally playful. Harry marvelled at his Cloak; it must have saved him from the charm.

He pointed his wand at Hermione and narrowed his eyes. As swift as a flash, he had a knife on Hermione's throat, the people in the room gasped.

"I mean no harm to Hermione, but if whoever is hidden does not reveal themselves, now, then I might have to erase more than just today's meeting's memory from her brain," Derek said, and his posture was stiff, and Harry had a flashback to Malfoy Manor.

"I am here." Ron said and removed his cloak. Harry tensed but stayed hidden. Derek looked surprised but smiled.

OoOoOoOo

Author's note: Two more chapters should do it! Once again, thank you to all the reviewers; you've always motivated me. Even when times are a little tough, a simple task can really make someone's day better. I apologise for the delay, but I hope you liked the latest chapter and that you would review it. I always try to reply as soon as I see one!

Back to index


Chapter 16: XVI.

"Ah, Ron! Welcome! Oh dear, you should have just asked me whether you could come; I would have invited you myself." Derek smiled and released Hermione.

"Now, you are a Pureblood. But we can make an exception; you have supported Muggleborns in our fight. You can be an honorary member," Derek said, completely at ease. "Oh and, please, don't finger your wand. You're safe here," he added.

"What are you doing, Williams?" Ron's voice was harsh, and Harry shuffled silently to get closer to the door.

"I am seeking justice, Weasley. And it would be nice of you to understand before jumping to conclusions." Derek said cooly.

"You can still leave, if you want, with a memory charm. If you want, we can do it to one of you first, so you know that we do not mean harm." Derek nodded at Wiz.

"You currently have many members of this club pointing their wands at you, any moves, anything at all will lead to serious consequences. However, if you calmly sit in these chairs, you will be very safe. I give you my word, and my word I do not break." Derek said. Harry felt desperation swell inside him.

Ron and Hermione had no option but to sit in the chairs. Harry had no option but to remain hidden and watch in shock as gleaming metal cuffs protruded from the chair, looking very similar to the Magic Cancelling Handcuffs they had in the Office. Harry felt his glove grow cold as the cuffs had broken the communication line between him and Ron.

"What is happening, Derek?" Hermione asked; she sounded weak. Beads of sweat shone on Ron's face, who had turned pale under the effect of the handcuffs.

"Just the restriction of any unnecessary violence. Now, I will give you thirty seconds. Either you get your memory wiped, now, or you listen to our plan, and then you get your memory wiped if you don't support us." Derek was in his element, casually sitting on the table and looking at his watch. Harry frowned, but any movement was risky.

"What has gotten into all of you? Why're you blindly listening to him?" Ron asked, staring around the table. Hermione was extremely pale and remained silent.

"We don't blindly follow him, Mr Weasley, but we do support his actions." A woman said eagerly. "He helped us when there was no one else around." The round of nods across the table confused Harry.

"Five."

Hermione's head snapped to Derek's face. She seemed to be making a hard decision.

"Four."

Harry's hand gripped the wand tighter.

"Three."

Ron clenched his jaw.

"Two."

"Fine! Tell us your plans, and if we don't agree, then you can erase our memory." Hermione said boldly.

"One." Derek finished, smiling.

"I knew you had the sense, Hermione. Ron, if you cooperate, we will not hurt either of you."

"Richard, you can sit back at your seat," Derek said, and Wiz, now Richard, sat in his chair.

Harry inched closer to Ron and Hermione as Derek breathed a heavy sigh.

"Let's start with the first Wizarding War, where countless Muggleborns were slaughtered. Panic everywhere, and fear, so much fear. There was a group then, which is not mentioned much in the books–the Aid Group. They helped Muggleborns move across the country; they set up checkpoints. But it was too late, and too many families had been broken apart.

But it was worse in the second war. We had no support, and Hermione, not all of us could go missing so easily. We had to run, hide. But there were so many children, women, all brutally murdered."

There was a sniffle from the end of the table, and Harry saw a lady clutching her heart as tears rolled through her eyelids. Derek's voice was smooth, plain, emotionless.

Derek continued, "You should know some about it though, were you not on the run yourself? And friends, and families, all hidden. Some existed today, only to be torn apart tomorrow. It was a horror show, Hermione, Ron. And we tried to group up, but they were smarter, better. And the Ministry hearings meant that many foolish Muggleborns who thought they could fight for their rights were sent to Azkaban. I loathe that place, where my friends had become empty shells by the time we won the war.

But you know what's worse?" Derek's voice took a turn, no longer calm but full of scorn.

"They were allowed to return home, outright supporters of Voldemort, pleading mercy for being under the Imperious Curse. Yet each was responsible for the death of those innocents. How? How was it so easy for the Ministry to simply allow them to walk away with not an ounce of guilt flowing through their veins?" Derek slammed a hand on the table, and Harry jumped.

"There are still many, Hermione, who sit in the chair of judgement but cast a blind eye. And I will avenge the death of my people, and everyone in this room supports me. Yes, I am the Hunter, the Helper. And I do not regret a single death on me because death is a mercy for those who killed without thought." Derek's smile was confident, and his posture relaxed, though his voice was hard.

Ron and Hermione stared at him with wide eyes as Harry took a deep breath to focus. Harry thought he saw the boy who was trying to fight against the Goblins.

"But before you label me a murderer, you should know that each of those who died had faced no consequences from the Ministry while openly supporting those Death Eater beliefs." Derek paused to take a breath and seemed to deflate as he looked away from the table and at the opposite wall.

He covered his eyes with his hand as he spoke the next few lines, "Can you imagine having your mother murdered right in front of you? Can you imagine seeing your other half, the love of your life, being tortured to death as she pleads for you to run? They died, and I could do nothing to help them, powerless, reduced to screaming. Those bastards deserve everything that they got." The scar on Derek's cheek stood out starkly, taunting the listeners.

Harry looked at the man in front of him, looking like an old and wilted tree. Had Harry himself not seen how his mother was killed? Was he not haunted by the nightmares of Ginny dying in front of him? Could Harry have done the same if he was in Derek's place? And for the first time, his own judgement was clouded. Harry swallowed and shook his head lightly; he would never murder anyone. Or would he?

"So! You see, I'm not the only one with a troubled past. All the people present here have either seen it happen or experienced it, and we, the Muggleborn Society, choose revenge. Will you join us?" Derek extended his hand to Hermione, who looked shocked. Ron was looking around, no doubt searching for Harry.

"Will you join us?" Derek repeated more loudly.

Time seemed to stand still as Harry signalled Cassandra and Sebastian outside; he knew that the risk was unavoidable, they had to try their best. He whispered Lumos Maxima, momentarily blinding the room as he removed the handcuffs on Ron's and Hermione's hands, and he took off his Invisibility Cloak. He fired the Disarming Spell at Derek.

Confused voices filled the room, and spells flew around. Ron threw his invisibility cloak over Hermione and shouted. "Run!"

Though Harry benefitted from the confusion, he did not want anybody in the room to get hurt.

"Finite Incantatem!" Derek shouted, and his eyes widened when he saw Harry standing in the room.

Harry dodged the multiple spells that were shot at him in an instant.

"STOP." Harry said, with so much authority that everything in the room seemed to pause. Ron had conveniently snuck up to Richard's chair and had his wand aimed at Richard's neck.

"Derek. Let these people go; I don't want to hurt anyone. And don't move if you want Richard safe." Harry said, and he aimed his wand directly at Derek, who, in turn, had his wand aimed at Harry. He could feel sweat form on his forehead as he used his left hand to conjure an invisible shield around him and Ron.

"YOU are the one attacking. Stop this nonsense, and state your business." Derek said, but Harry saw his eyes dart around the room.

"You know my business Derek; we can do this the easy way. You need to be taken to the Office; we need to interview you." Harry said, and he felt Cassandra motioning her presence at the door.

"You walk into my meeting without my permission and have the audacity to threaten my people? Harry Potter, I had so many expectations. Why can you not see my point?"

"I'm sorry, Derek, but we must do this. Please, I don't want to hurt you." Harry said, carefully inching towards Derek. He didn't have enough time to react when a spell collided with his shield. But the distraction was enough for Derek to walk close enough to punch Harry in the face. Richard tackled Ron, and the two had to now engage in a duel.

Harry saw stars as his eyes refocused; he hadn't been punched since his pre-Hogwarts days. He side-stepped the next one; it was mayhem. Somewhere, he heard Cassandra shouting orders, calling for him and Ron's confused shouting for Hermione.

"Why are you doing this, Harry? You have lost your family; you know the pain of being an orphan." Derek asked as he lunged for Harry again. Harry put up a wandless shield, throwing Derek a few feet away.

"I know the pain Derek, but this is not the way," Harry shouted over the noise. He felt another spell hit his leg as pain seared through his knee.

"Richard was right. You have been brainwashed, and you are one of them now. You deserve nothing better." Derek said, and Harry avoided the next spell by centimetres.

The next shield was stronger, giving Harry time to look around the room. There were no signs of Hermione, and most of the people in the meeting were down, stunned or otherwise. Harry felt bile rise to his throat; he would be no better if anyone died here. Cassandra and Sebastian were duelling two each, and Ron was stuck with Richard.

"Derek, please, can't you see what's happening? You're acting no better than Voldemort. Revenge is not the way. It will leave you feeling crippled." Harry said, desperate to end this.

"NO! You will not spoil this for me. You will not get in the way. Join me, Harry, and with your skills, we can avenge all those who died. Refuse, and I will make sure you don't get in our way again." And then, Harry heard a gunshot. Derek had a Muggle-gun in hand, and it looked just like the ones the police had in the cartoons and posters Harry had seen when he was young.

Harry took a deep breath. He had to get this right. Putting his wand and left palm together, he focused on creating a globe around them. He had seen how dangerous guns could be, and he was not taking any chances.

A white ball emitted around him, expanding, clearing the space. The noisy room fell back as Harry focused on the energy. He had never tried this before, on such a big scale, but he hoped that studying it for long enough was enough.

"What have you done?" Derek said, and his voice had a tinge of panic. Harry opened his eyes.

"I just want to talk," Harry said, stepping aside as another of Derek's spell flew by.

"Yeah? You didn't let me talk. Why do you think you stand a chance?" Derek said, trying to inch away.

"Derek, I can't imagine what it is like, to have lost the one you love. But this is not the way. You're turning into Voldemort, you are tearing families apart. Kiera Sterna was someone's daughter, and she had repented. Audalix was someone's husband and somebody's loved one." Harry said, and Derek's face twisted. It was working.

"They deserved it! And don't you dare compare me to that monster. I don't want power; I just want to help. I AM NOT LIKE HIM." Derek shouted, firing a bullet at him.

"No, Derek, they did not deserve death. Punishment, yes, but not death." Harry said. Yet, he could not help but question why the Audalixes were not punished.

"Derek, murder won't get you anywhere. Please, see beyond this." Harry said, trying to get closer to Derek, who now looked confused.

"No, this is who I am now. You can't do anything about it." Derek said, but his voice was faint and eyes unclear.

"I know what it feels like to see someone you care about die, right there. But killing others will not help anyone. I want to help you, Derek, if only you would let me." Harry said, and he was close enough to capture Derek if he lunged for him.

But he stayed put, as Derek's eyes got a far-away look. "No! You can't just waltz in and change my views. There's so much to do, so many deaths..." Derek shouted, but Harry knew that he was close.

Harry brought his left hand up to easily deflect Derek's next spell, which was only cast half-heartedly. And then, Derek turned away from Harry and clutched his head. He seemed to be talking to himself now, and Harry only caught snippets of the conversation.

Derek was murmuring harshly. "...No!...Your death, so much pain..."

Harry kept his eyes trained onto him, letting him fight the internal battle. When he had stilled, Harry gently put his hand on Derek's shoulder, who collapsed. Harry breathed out a sigh of relief and removed the globe around them.

He disarmed Derek of the gun and the wand and unwillingly put regular handcuffs on his hands. "I'm so sorry, Derek," he murmured to the defeated man, who still seemed to be trapped in his own mind.

He fired a quick Stunner at Richard, who had been duelling Cassandra and Sebastian together from across the room. Ron was not in the room. Richard toppled to the ground; Cassandra waved at him, and Harry saw that she had a bleeding cut on her face. Harry sighed at the mess in the room. It would take weeks to interview each member. He was sure that the only reason they had won was because of the element of surprise, and not many members seemed to have attended the meeting today.

"Harry!" He heard Ron's voice and turned to see him supporting Hermione onto a chair. "She's a bit dizzy but fine altogether," Ron said as he walked up to Harry.

Ron gestured at Derek, and Harry shook his head.

He crouched down and looked into Derek's eyes. "Time to go, Derek," Harry said and helped him up.

"Will you clear the mess here, Ron, Sebastian? Cassie needs to go to the nurse, and I'm taking Derek to the Office cell now." Harry asked, and they nodded.

Cassandra walked to Harry, and the three Apparated to the Office together. A lot of work needed to be done.


OoOo
Author's note: There it is, the finale! I do apologise for the late update, there's just a lot of things happening right now. I'm really eager to hear your views on this one, a lot of thinking went into getting this right! As always, reviews are my only way of hearing from you, and I'll try to reply as soon as possible. Thanks a lot for reading!
(P.S. You're all amazing, and don't forget that!)

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Chapter 17: XVII.

The weather was getting warmer. Harry walked in Green Park, mulling over the past few days. Derek had admitted to each of the crimes and then promptly broken down; the man talked nonsensically to himself, to an imaginary person. Harry could not help but pity him.

"Harry!" He heard a familiar voice and turned around with a smile. Ginny was rushing towards him with two vanilla ice-cream cups in her hand. She handed him one. "I didn't even mess up the Muggle money this time. You should be proud." She said, sitting down on the grass and patting the space next to her.

Harry grinned, "Of course, I'm so proud. My girlfriend paid using Muggle money, without any problems- that's a huge achievement!"

Ginny swatted his arm and poked her tongue out. Harry smiled before twirling the ice cream in his hand and sighing. "Yeah yeah, you couldn't use your Knuts and Sickles properly when you were first introduced to them either." She said before noticing that Harry had not been paying attention.

"What's wrong, Harry? You've been really quiet the past few days." Ginny said, trying to bend and look into his eyes.

Harry looked up, "We had Derek's interview yesterday, after everyone else's. He confessed so easily. It- it was like he was reciting someone else's crimes."

He switched his position so that he now faced Ginny and sat cross-legged. "I can't help but think, if I'd have lost you, Gin, would I have turned into him too? I can't imagine losing you and not losing my mind." He said, whirling the melting ice cream with his spoon.

Ginny sighed and leaned back. "I don't know Harry, and I don't know what I would have done either. And there's no way to predict what we could have done. I just pray that I will never have to be in that situation."

Harry nodded and spoke quietly, "He will go to the Prison and think about it his whole life. It just shows how much the war affected us. He didn't realise he was doing something bad, Gin, and in a twisted way, I don't think he was entirely wrong for raising those questions. His actions, yes. But to be in so much pain that your actions ignore all thoughts- I don't know,"

Harry sighed, "Why did we not put some sort of ban in place against past Death Eaters?"

Ginny placed a hand on his shoulder, "There's no right or wrong in this, Harry. Some people were genuinely under the Imperius Curse, and they did not deserve any punishment. It just goes on to show how good people can be driven to extreme measures, how innocence can be robbed so easily."

"What about the other people in his group?" Ginny asked.

"They're all being questioned. Some of them didn't know about this side of the community; others were active participants. Some have similar stories, and others were there in search of 'The Helper'." Harry said, sighing.

"You'll figure it out," Ginny said, "eventually."

"Eventually." Harry echoed.


"If you're not eating that, hand it to me, don't waste food," Ginny said, looking at his now milkshake ice cream. Harry handed the cup to her.

"War can twist people, even the best ones. I mean- look at us, we're not the same people we were. When I thought that I'd lost you, Harry- I can't begin to describe that moment. I could have killed Harry, and Bellatrix was the perfect target; I didn't care about anything happening to me, as long as I could bring down the Death Eaters." Ginny continued inaudibly, and Harry wrapped a hand around her.

"He was one of the smartest students in school. He developed spells, one of them was sound delaying- the one he used on Kiera. His records show so much potential." Harry said.

They lapsed into silence; the gentle wind tickled their faces, signalling changing weather.

"I think we really should try establishing a help centre of some sort. Maybe you could ask Hermione's help for it." Ginny said after a while.

"I should ask her, a help group- I'm sure some already exist in St. Mungo's, but we should make them more public," Harry said, and Ginny nodded.

Harry closed his eyes and laid down, thinking of Derek's hallucinations. Would he have hallucinated Ginny's presence too? He could not help but think about how the whole situation was a desperate plea, a revenge plan with a broken man at the centre.

He inched closer to Ginny, wrapping his hand around hers.

He would prefer villains like Voldemort any day, those who had killed the good inside them, those who wanted power. Those who had a reason to be hated.

"We're going to start training again," Ginny said. Harry nodded, "You should be safe." he said.

"Harry, you are going to provide him with help- right? If you leave him to rot, he will want vengeance." Ginny said, sitting up, bringing both of them from their thoughts.

"The plan is to check through his 'community' first, separate the innocent from the guilty, and then send a counsellor to Derek's cell. He shouldn't deserve the Prison, but his actions require proper treatment." Harry said.

"Makes sense," Ginny said, shrugging.

"Same place next Saturday?" Ginny asked, referring to their restaurant.

"You bet," Harry said, smiling slightly. "And I promise to not be too late," he added, rubbing the back of his neck.

The midday sun shone brilliantly from behind the clouds. And Harry understood the only way he could honour the memory of the fallen was to make sure that more innocents did not fall; more families were not torn apart, which is what made him different from Derek Williams.

After all, revenge never eased the pain; it only spread it farther- and planted more hate in the community.

Author's note: That is the story wrapped up! I just want to thank each and every one of my reviewers for supporting this story, giving me suggestions and improvements where needed, helping me learn. The number of reviews definitely exceeded my expectations, and I really appreciate the time you took to write them! I will be back with some more one-shots in the future, and I hope to hear from you again! Thanks for reading.

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