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The Hunter | ||||||
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Category: Post-DH/AB Characters:All, Harry/Ginny Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Fluff, Romance Warnings: Death, Violence Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 53 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? Hitcount: Story Total: 20278; Chapter Total: 905 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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"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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