Harry Potter The Master of Death
- Thread starter Ryuugi
- Start date
XxXXxX
Some of the vampires had struggled. Some had screamed, some had resorted to meaningless threats, and some had even simply collapsed in acceptance and despair.
In the end, it didnÆt matter. Regardless of what theyÆd done, it hadnÆt changed anything.
Harry sighed, Vanishing the last of the vampireÆs heads.
From start to finish, it had taken less than a minute to deal with all of them.
Which, sadly, still meant he was lagging behind.
ôAre you still here Justin?ö He asked, raising his voice. He glanced once at the neatly cut remains of his two transfigurations. TheyÆd be chopped to pieces and left scattered on the ground. ôOr did you did you just run?ö
He received no response, but he hadnÆt expected one, either. Howeveràhe was fairly sure that Justin was still here. HeÆd seen the manÆs mind and he knew full well what fateÆs awaited the man if he simply tried to runùwhether it was his MasterÆs who caught up with him first or this æWhite Council,Æ the result would be the same in the end.
Quietly looking around, he noted the small pile of slugs that the vampire heÆd cursed and vomited out before dying. He gestured at them silently and they immediately began to shift, each twisting into a different shape.
One grew a short covering of fur and sprouted a pair of wings before taking to the air as a bat. One swelled to massive size and grew a covering of feathers, before taking flight as a Buzzard. Another began to swell as strange bulges appeared along its body before it split into a squirming mass of cockroaches, even as a fourth exploded into a swarm of mosquitoes and a fifth into moths. The sixth widened and lengthened into the form of a viper and the seventh, the one that the vampire had coughed up an instant before Harry had taken its head, swelled and grew four legs, before shaking itself as it assumed the form of a dog.
Another gesture and they scattered.
ôIÆll just assume your here, then,ö Harry continued, not missing beat during his casting. ôSo letÆs play hide and seek. IÆll warn you, thoughàIÆm pretty damn good at hunting down wizards.ö
Moving to his side, the bloodhound began to sniff to earth, the pit viper rising to curl around it quietly. Settling on its companionÆs back, the viper began to slowly scan the area, its tongue flicking out to taste the air every once in awhile. The Bat and Buzzard circled above as the mosquitoes and moths swarmed through the air and the roaches scurried along the ground.
Harry stood quietly to the side, watching his team expectantly. This was the group that had successfully tracked down hundreds of wizards on the run. Most couldnÆt hide from them all for very long. There were always exceptions, though; maybe Justin would be one of them. Maybe he could hide from the buzzardÆs eyes and the batÆs hearing and from the cockroachÆs ability to detect movement. Perhaps he could conceal his temperature from the pit viper and his scent from the bloodhound. For all he knew, he could keep the mosquitoes from sensing his body odor, heat, humidity, and carbon dioxide, and hide his pheromones from the Moth.
Maybe. It was possible; it would require quite a bit of work and knowledge of all the things you were trying to conceal yourself from, but it was possible. And perhaps Justin was an amazing secret agent that could hide from everything all at once and had experience with concealing himself from these types of creatures.
But Harry doubted it.
There was a stirring amongst the creatures; a short, considering moment. And then they all took off at once. Harry watched for a moment before snorting out a breath and Apparating to the otherside of the train.
Of course, he was going for the kids.
Harry wasnÆt all that surprised to find that he couldnÆt see any sign of Justin, Dresden, or Elaine on the other side. He took a few steps, making a sound in the back of his throat, before drawing his Invisibility Cloak around him, also fading from sight, content to wait. In moments, the first of his team arrived, moths and mosquitoes filling the air around a specific section of space.
He gestured and they cleared a path for him.
ôHello, Justin.ö He said. ôIÆve found you.ö
After a moment, the air wavered, revealing a pair of circles clawed into the ground. Justin stood, expression focused, while Harry and Elaine were on their knees, hands outstretched. HarryÆs gaze flickered to them as ElaineÆs hands fell; he assumed sheÆd been the one in charge of the illusion.
ôItÆs over, Justin,ö He continued, moving to step forwardù
Only to suddenly stop.
Frowning, he reached out with one hand and pressed it against the air at the edge of the circle, as if it were solid. Stepping back, gestured at it, he sent a simple Stunner at it to test it.
It passed through the first circle as if it wasnÆt even there, only to splash against the edge of the second. Dresden flinched as if heÆd been hit, but didnÆt make a noisy.
ôInteresting,ö Harry admitted. ôThe outer circleÆs meant to stop physical matter, isnÆt it? And the second is meant to shield against purely magical attacks, then?ö
He pondered it for a moment before shaking his head.
ôIt wonÆt stop me,ö He declared, completely certain. ôItÆs taking energy to maintain both of these, isnÆt it? Mr. Dresden will run out of energy eventuallyùand IÆm willing to bet that itÆll take even less time if I continue to attack it.ö
ôProbably,ö Justin said, unworried. He glanced dispassionately down at his thrall. ôKeep that shield up, even if it kills you.ö
It took Harry a moment to realize Justin was being literal.
His eyes widened for a brief moment before narrowing in fury; the only reactions he would allow himself to have. He kept his face carefully blank and, after a moment, even the emotion in his eyes faded away. It wasnÆt as if he were hiding themùthey had simply been locked away somewhere deep and side where Harry couldnÆt even feel them anymore. Both righteous fury and rage had their place, but neither was worth a thing in a hostage situation, so he quietly sealed them away.
For a long moment, he stared at Justin with his eyes and face clear of any human feeling, emotion fading away into something simultaneously disinterested and attentive; a completely alien expression on a completely human face.
ôWhat do you intend to accomplish by doing this, Justin DuMorne?ö He asked, in a tone that contained nothing but that question. ôWhether I attack or not, that shield will fall eventually, and then you will die. Killing the boy just means I will make you suffer horribly before you die.ö
His tone could have been bored. It wouldnÆt have been any different if he was taking about the weather or the news.
Justin lifted his hand and with a gesture, a tear opened in space itself. Through that gap, Harry could see the darkness of a forest.
Justin ignored him completely.
ôElaine, weÆre leaving,ö He said.
ôYou need him, Justin,ö Harry pointed out absently. ôYour Masters will be most displeased if he dies.ö
Justin sighed, wearily, not even looking at him.
ôNo doubt,ö He agreed. ôI imagine I will be punished quite severely. But I should be able to survive as long as I have one. ItÆs a shame to sacrifice one, but I think itÆs better to cut my losses while I still can.ö
Harry looked at him, eyes distant and cold and empty.
ôThere is no need to worry about that that, Justin.ö He assured, tone factual. ôBecause I am going to kill you before that becomes an issue.ö
Justin shrugged.
ôPerhaps,ö He said, stepping through the gate.
Harry watched in silence as it closed.
Some of the vampires had struggled. Some had screamed, some had resorted to meaningless threats, and some had even simply collapsed in acceptance and despair.
In the end, it didnÆt matter. Regardless of what theyÆd done, it hadnÆt changed anything.
Harry sighed, Vanishing the last of the vampireÆs heads.
From start to finish, it had taken less than a minute to deal with all of them.
Which, sadly, still meant he was lagging behind.
ôAre you still here Justin?ö He asked, raising his voice. He glanced once at the neatly cut remains of his two transfigurations. TheyÆd be chopped to pieces and left scattered on the ground. ôOr did you did you just run?ö
He received no response, but he hadnÆt expected one, either. Howeveràhe was fairly sure that Justin was still here. HeÆd seen the manÆs mind and he knew full well what fateÆs awaited the man if he simply tried to runùwhether it was his MasterÆs who caught up with him first or this æWhite Council,Æ the result would be the same in the end.
Quietly looking around, he noted the small pile of slugs that the vampire heÆd cursed and vomited out before dying. He gestured at them silently and they immediately began to shift, each twisting into a different shape.
One grew a short covering of fur and sprouted a pair of wings before taking to the air as a bat. One swelled to massive size and grew a covering of feathers, before taking flight as a Buzzard. Another began to swell as strange bulges appeared along its body before it split into a squirming mass of cockroaches, even as a fourth exploded into a swarm of mosquitoes and a fifth into moths. The sixth widened and lengthened into the form of a viper and the seventh, the one that the vampire had coughed up an instant before Harry had taken its head, swelled and grew four legs, before shaking itself as it assumed the form of a dog.
Another gesture and they scattered.
ôIÆll just assume your here, then,ö Harry continued, not missing beat during his casting. ôSo letÆs play hide and seek. IÆll warn you, thoughàIÆm pretty damn good at hunting down wizards.ö
Moving to his side, the bloodhound began to sniff to earth, the pit viper rising to curl around it quietly. Settling on its companionÆs back, the viper began to slowly scan the area, its tongue flicking out to taste the air every once in awhile. The Bat and Buzzard circled above as the mosquitoes and moths swarmed through the air and the roaches scurried along the ground.
Harry stood quietly to the side, watching his team expectantly. This was the group that had successfully tracked down hundreds of wizards on the run. Most couldnÆt hide from them all for very long. There were always exceptions, though; maybe Justin would be one of them. Maybe he could hide from the buzzardÆs eyes and the batÆs hearing and from the cockroachÆs ability to detect movement. Perhaps he could conceal his temperature from the pit viper and his scent from the bloodhound. For all he knew, he could keep the mosquitoes from sensing his body odor, heat, humidity, and carbon dioxide, and hide his pheromones from the Moth.
Maybe. It was possible; it would require quite a bit of work and knowledge of all the things you were trying to conceal yourself from, but it was possible. And perhaps Justin was an amazing secret agent that could hide from everything all at once and had experience with concealing himself from these types of creatures.
But Harry doubted it.
There was a stirring amongst the creatures; a short, considering moment. And then they all took off at once. Harry watched for a moment before snorting out a breath and Apparating to the otherside of the train.
Of course, he was going for the kids.
Harry wasnÆt all that surprised to find that he couldnÆt see any sign of Justin, Dresden, or Elaine on the other side. He took a few steps, making a sound in the back of his throat, before drawing his Invisibility Cloak around him, also fading from sight, content to wait. In moments, the first of his team arrived, moths and mosquitoes filling the air around a specific section of space.
He gestured and they cleared a path for him.
ôHello, Justin.ö He said. ôIÆve found you.ö
After a moment, the air wavered, revealing a pair of circles clawed into the ground. Justin stood, expression focused, while Harry and Elaine were on their knees, hands outstretched. HarryÆs gaze flickered to them as ElaineÆs hands fell; he assumed sheÆd been the one in charge of the illusion.
ôItÆs over, Justin,ö He continued, moving to step forwardù
Only to suddenly stop.
Frowning, he reached out with one hand and pressed it against the air at the edge of the circle, as if it were solid. Stepping back, gestured at it, he sent a simple Stunner at it to test it.
It passed through the first circle as if it wasnÆt even there, only to splash against the edge of the second. Dresden flinched as if heÆd been hit, but didnÆt make a noisy.
ôInteresting,ö Harry admitted. ôThe outer circleÆs meant to stop physical matter, isnÆt it? And the second is meant to shield against purely magical attacks, then?ö
He pondered it for a moment before shaking his head.
ôIt wonÆt stop me,ö He declared, completely certain. ôItÆs taking energy to maintain both of these, isnÆt it? Mr. Dresden will run out of energy eventuallyùand IÆm willing to bet that itÆll take even less time if I continue to attack it.ö
ôProbably,ö Justin said, unworried. He glanced dispassionately down at his thrall. ôKeep that shield up, even if it kills you.ö
It took Harry a moment to realize Justin was being literal.
His eyes widened for a brief moment before narrowing in fury; the only reactions he would allow himself to have. He kept his face carefully blank and, after a moment, even the emotion in his eyes faded away. It wasnÆt as if he were hiding themùthey had simply been locked away somewhere deep and side where Harry couldnÆt even feel them anymore. Both righteous fury and rage had their place, but neither was worth a thing in a hostage situation, so he quietly sealed them away.
For a long moment, he stared at Justin with his eyes and face clear of any human feeling, emotion fading away into something simultaneously disinterested and attentive; a completely alien expression on a completely human face.
ôWhat do you intend to accomplish by doing this, Justin DuMorne?ö He asked, in a tone that contained nothing but that question. ôWhether I attack or not, that shield will fall eventually, and then you will die. Killing the boy just means I will make you suffer horribly before you die.ö
His tone could have been bored. It wouldnÆt have been any different if he was taking about the weather or the news.
Justin lifted his hand and with a gesture, a tear opened in space itself. Through that gap, Harry could see the darkness of a forest.
Justin ignored him completely.
ôElaine, weÆre leaving,ö He said.
ôYou need him, Justin,ö Harry pointed out absently. ôYour Masters will be most displeased if he dies.ö
Justin sighed, wearily, not even looking at him.
ôNo doubt,ö He agreed. ôI imagine I will be punished quite severely. But I should be able to survive as long as I have one. ItÆs a shame to sacrifice one, but I think itÆs better to cut my losses while I still can.ö
Harry looked at him, eyes distant and cold and empty.
ôThere is no need to worry about that that, Justin.ö He assured, tone factual. ôBecause I am going to kill you before that becomes an issue.ö
Justin shrugged.
ôPerhaps,ö He said, stepping through the gate.
Harry watched in silence as it closed.
Just putting a notice here that the next snippet will be delayed somewhat. I'm going back to rewrite the last few snippets to improve quality and remove mistakes; I was going to just do that later, but I can't really write the next scene unless everything makes sense and I know exactly how this scene went.
Okay, guys, tell me what you think. Is this any better?
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XxXXxX
Harry straightened, ignoring both Justin and the Vampires.
Now, the only things he was interested in were these two children.
He looked at the girl first, slowly touching her mind with his own. As gently as he could without slowing down, he entered it and quietly took account of what was inside and its general state of affairs, slowly navigating the many layers of her mind. It wasnÆt the first time he had used Legilimency to deduce a personÆs mental state, or to learn the truth of a situation.
As the Head of the Aurors, Legilimency had been one of his most subtle and useful skills. After all, which was scarier: a wizard that can kick down your door and shoot you with a spell or a wizard that can look at you and know every time you lie? Among the Aurors, there were some of both; or there had been when he was done, at least.
And there was a very important reason why heÆd spent over a hundred years in charge of every last one of them.
He withdrew from her mind silently, greatly displeased with what heÆd found, and was about to move on to the boy when he was interrupted.
ôWhat are you doing?ö Justin demanded, in a tone of voice that said he wasnÆt quite ready to initiate violence, but he was prepared to.
Harry drew away from the boyÆs mind before he could enter and turned to him.
ôThe real question,ö He said. ôIs what IÆm going to do, to which the answer is æleave and take both these children with me.Æö
It was quiet, certain statement of fact; no more, no less.
Justin tensed under his calm gaze. With his attention focused on the man, he could feel the thoughts skittering upon the surface of his mind, even through his defenses. He could probably penetrate deeper, if he tried, but did not feel any particular need to do so.
The surface thoughts of a nervous man often revealed enough by themselves.
He knew the Justin believed her would die if he let him do that. If he let one escape, heÆd be severely punished, but both would mean the death of him. He knew it was his Masters that he feared and that he feared them more than anyone else.
ôAnd if I refuse to let you?ö Justin said, lifting his staff. Around him, the vampireÆs, which was what JustinÆs thoughts revealed them to be, tensed, apparently deciding he was an enemy.
Harry closed his eyes and sighed quietly.
ôI do not consider myself someone who needs to make pointless threats,ö He said patiently. ôSo I shall not do so. I will, however, say that I shall do everything in my power to see these children away from here, safe, and far beyond your reach. And as I am someone who believes in the importance and sanctity of life and derives no pleasure by hurting others, I will also request, for my sake as much as yours, that you do not press me on this matter.ö
When he opened his eyes, they were as hard as any stone.
ôBut if you do, I will see these children safe regardless.ö He continued, completely serious. ôI view myself, first and foremost, as a man who at least has his priorities straightùand there are few things I can imagine being more important than the safety of an injured child, which is why, if you are wise and step aside, I will leave this place without issue, so as to see them well that much sooner. I urge you to take this chance, for it is truly a rare thing, for me to let someone like you go so easily. Let us leave quietly, flee this place before I return, and for the sake of these children, I will swallow my desire to see you brought to justice, at least for a time.ö
ôIÆm afraid that is impossible,ö Justin said. ôThere are a number of people that I fear far more then you.ö
Skimming his thoughts as he was, Harry already knew that, but it didnÆt stop him from trying.
ôThen surrender, Justin,ö He urged. ôI give you my word that if you do, I will see you safe until you can be judged fairly.ö
Justin smiled bitterly and Harry received an image of the fate that awaited him if he were caught.
ôDespite the kindness of your offer, IÆm afraid IÆll have to decline.ö
ôSurrender to me then,ö Harry tried one last time. ôTurn your back on the darkness and I shall give you a chance to repent. You were a good man, once, Justin DuMorne; I will believe you could be a good man again, even if no one else does, and protect you and guide you on your way back to being one.ö
For a long, lingering moment, Harry hoped he might say yes.
And then, without replying, Justin lifted his staff, ready.
Sadly, Harry looked around.
ôAnd you, Amara? I have no grudge with you yet, nor with any vampire. Leave this place and I will not pursue you.ö
ôAs distasteful as I find it,ö Amara said in a perfectly human voice. ôAn alliance is an alliance. ItÆs simply not worth risking it by abandoning the wizard here.ö
ôAnd the rest of you?ö He asked, looking at the rest of the crowd. ôI respect your loyalty, but I urge you to reconsider where itÆs placed. You do not know me, but please, believe me when I say itÆs not worth it to stay here; leave, if only to ease the burden upon your families.ö
He received a few scattered hisses, but otherwise no response. Amara glanced at the few that seemed to consider it and that was that.
Harry took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He looked at Justin, then Amara, and then each and every one of them, quiet and sad, seeming very much like a tired old man.
Part of being a Legilimens was knowing, no matter how bad your opponent was, exactly how and why they got to that point. Another part, one of the hardest, in fact, was knowing that they werenÆt always that way.
It didnÆt change anything. TheyÆre choices had still been their own, as had their crimes and mistakes.
Even so, he could not hate someone, for making mistakes. HeÆd made his own and would keep making mistakes as long as he continued to exist. And though he had, for a very long time, hated the criminals heÆd fought, he wasnÆt the type of man who could keep that hatred burning forever.
HeÆd seen good children make bad choices, or be forced into things, or feel as if they had no choice. HeÆd even watched a select, saddening few walk down the wrong path knowingly and willingly. And once, he may have hated them for those choices, back when he was a little younger and a little more ignorant, but eventually, theyÆd just come to make him very, very sad.
That didnÆt change anything, either.
He still had a job to do, regardless of whether he was an Auror or not, or even whether he was alive or died.
He stood firmly in front of the children and nodded once.
ôCome at me, then,ö He said, burying sadness under resolve. ôOne-by-one or all at once. I do have some experience with being a teacher; I shall teach you what fools you were, for not taking the chances that I gave you.ö
He had barely finished his sentence when he was attacked from three directions.
But, skimming JustinÆs mind as he was, he was also already in motion. He didnÆt even bother looking behind, relying completely on JustinÆs thoughts.
A gesture with his wand shifted the boyÆsùalso named Harry, according to JustinÆs thoughtsùstaff roughly to the side, a much simpler matter then trying to counter or block it. The sudden blast of fire he unleashed hit the first of the onrushing vampires, even as Harry stepped back to avoid the next spell. æElaineÆsÆ spell, which Justin had known would be one of the lightning spells she favored, was something that moved too fast for anyone to dodgeùunless they had reacted seconds before it had even been aimed.
As it was, he looped his left arm with her right and shifted it so that the wand in her hand was aimed at another vampire when the words of the spell left her lips. Releasing her arm, he brought his arm up to settle it gently around her shoulders, hand spread wide.
Recovering, the younger Harry brought his staff back around to aim at his face, apparently unconcerned for his proximity to the girl heÆd once loved. Harry had already lifted his wand to counter and a simple Disarming Charm tore the staff from the boyÆs hands and sent it neatly into his left.
With having even paused to see if his spell worked, his right hand had continued to rise, before settling around the young manÆs shoulders. He removed three fingers from his wand as he flicked it towards Elaine, tearing hers away and then clutching it in his free fingers.
Pulling them both towards him, he Apparated a fraction of a second before JustinÆs tightly controlled near-line of fire would have pierced through his heart, shifting the three of them to the opposite side of the train.
As he released them, both of the children fell to their knees and began to vomit. Harry wanted to help them, but as long as they were under JustinÆs control, they were enemies, if unwilling ones. Besides, as long as they were preoccupied here, they were out of danger.
Gesturing at them with a suppressed wince, he roughly cleared their throats with a spell so they wouldnÆt choke and then stunned them both. Tapping them each once, he made them fade quietly into invisibility beneath his Disillusionment charms. He considered conjuring guards, but decided that would be more likely to give them away. In this case, keeping them from being noticed at all was probably a better choice than letting things get to the point that people were fighting to the death over their unconscious bodies.
It was either this or Apparatingùand he just didnÆt have anywhere to Apparate too, in this new world. Hopefully, everyone would just think they were gone when they couldnÆt find them.
Still holding the stolen staff and wand, he Apparated again, this time outside the house, until he was behind Justin and the Vampires. In a second, he prioritized his opponents, located a safe place to move to, and Apparated again, reappearing all but back to back with Justin.
He immediately dropped both ElaineÆs wand and HarryÆs staff and transfigured them both before they even hit the ground. The hard wood of the staff expanded and stretched, growing into an enormous snakeùa Green Anaconda, the largest non-magical snake in the world. The wand filled out and then sprouted eight legs, growing into a Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantula, which was the same for normal spiders. A pair of Engorgement Charms led to them both swelling in size, until the snake was making the already limited space in the house seem really small and the tarantula was the size of a large dog. He sent a silent Oppugno at them, urging them to attack.
Neither was a particularly lethal member of their species, as these things go, but they werenÆt meant to be. They were simply there to distract Justin for awhile.
It had been RonÆs idea, originally. TheyÆd been in a bit of a tight spot and had needed a distraction to defeat a group of Dark Wizards that theyÆd gone in to fight under the misinformation that there were three of them, when there had actually been seventeen. HeÆd told Ron to distract them while he attacked from behind in the hopes of reducing their numbers a bit, to which Ron had conjured about three dozen of the spiders, engorged them, and sent them over to harass them.
Even if they werenÆt especially lethal, a hairy spider the size of a dog will get your attention, especially if it brought its friends. The wizards had focused on them completely and between the two of them theyÆd downed them all before they could react.
The horde of large, distracting animals had been a standard part of the Auror arsenal ever since.
True to form, Justin let out startled, somewhat strangled noise when he suddenly found himself half buried under a giant snake with a huge spider eagerly crawling towards him.
Deciding heÆd be free of the man for a time, Harry focused completely on the now rather nervous vampires. He did a quick head count, though he could tell just by looking that there were enough of them that if they managed to get over their surprise and fear and fight competently, things would get troublesome.
Best to keep that from happening then.
Fortunately, he was more then used to being outnumbered.
One of the vampires made a sudden movement, either to move forward or fall back, and the tip of his wand glowed as he picked his first target.
Whatever the vampire had been trying to do, it didnÆt matterùa simple Trip Jinx caught him by the ankles and tore the feet out from under him. The reaction was instantaneous and exactly as heÆd hoped, as the entire group scattered in every direction without even checking to see if the fallen vampire was harmed. Their own minds supplied a dozen images of what he could have done and those thoughts and fears completely swallowed the truth of the situation.
It hadnÆt harmed anyone and the spell was an extremely simple one, but any semblance of order had instantly been erased.
Which, Harry had known, would both make things easier and make them more difficult.
As the vampireÆs scattered in every direction and failed to use their numbers properly, he was at both an advantage and a disadvantage. Fighting with an unorganized group was easier then fighting with an organized one, of course, but it was also more complicated. In their sudden fear, the vampires all scattered randomly, trying to escape or, at least, get out of sight. They tried to head upstairs or down or even leave the house entirely. It was easier then dealing with a bunch of organized killers with super strength and speed, though, which was why heÆd done it.
Pursing his lips, he quickly prioritized, drew his cloak around himself as he cast a quick Silencing Charm, and apparated.
Appearing instantly in front of the vampires that had tried to escape to the other side of the train, he raised his wand, veiled from its sight.
Over the years, a number of his students and associates had commented on his æstyle;Æ particularly, the way that seemed so underwhelming for a wizard of his renown. At such comments, Harry could do nothing but shrug. It was true that he didnÆt make much use of the more violent curses that many favored, even though he knew more than his fair share of them, but that was simply because heÆd rarely seen any need for them. HeÆd been given permission a number of times to use restricted and sometimes even illegal spells in the course of his job, but had rarely seen a use for them, either.
The spells he usually made use of had seen him through more than a century of dark wizards and dueling competitions.
Besides, most of the questions fell silent after they saw him duel.
The vampire let out a startled squawk as its legs suddenly snapped together, resisting his control. Off-balance, it tumbled over and fell on its face, even as a sudden force grabbed it by the ankles and began to drag it back into the open.
Harry vanished and reappeared behind a vampire attempting to run upstairs. With a sharp gesture, the vampire was suddenly hoisted upside down by his ankles and just as quickly dropped on his head, sending him tumbling down the stairs.
Another fell over in mid run as it tried to smash its way through the door, finding its knees suddenly reverse, now bending frontwards instead of its usual backwards. As it tried to recover, a number of snakelike ropes appeared out of nowhere, binding him tightly.
Harry gestured upwards and a vampire fell from the ceiling, where it had been trying to escape to the upper floor through the gouges the trains arrival had caused. His limbs snapped together as he was caught in the Full-Body Bind and he found himself on the ground, unable to move.
Several vampires became violent instead of trying to run, suddenly attacking the train conductor, who was scurrying towards the doors of the train. Harry appeared in front of his companion, invisible but protective, and they found themselves vomiting slugs or with sardines squirming out of their noses, with knees suddenly bending the wrong direction or fingers mysteriously gone, or with their fangs suddenly grown past their chins and then tied into knots.
None of them were truly harmful; they were simply schoolyard hexes and jinxes. But nothing said that spells had to be harmful or complex to be dangerous and more than one dark wizard had found themselves on the way to trial after being taken down by a simple, efficient combination of the Jelly-Legs Jinx, Finger-Removing Jinx, and a Langlock, rendered unable to stand, speak, or even hold a wand. And more than one had learnt how hard it was to fight competently while vomiting slugs, having fish squirm out of their nose, or, worse, both.
He wasnÆt a saint. He never had been. HeÆd used Curses and Illegal Spells before and would again, if needed; but there was no point in even bothering to summon up Fiendfyre or break the law with an Unforgiveable when a few easy to cast spells could disable an opponent in seconds. A number of people had suggested that he did it because he didnÆt want to hurt anyone and, while there was some truth to that, he was an enforcer of the Law and most of the people he fought were criminals. If using curses made it easier to capture them, he would have used Curses without hesitation. In fact, the images people had formed of him sometimes surprised him; heÆd used every single Unforgivable at some point or another, even if heÆd been legally allowed to at the time.
He was just trying to be efficient.
ôOutsider!ö Amara shouted, jerking in every direction as if he might suddenly appear, her expression enraged, terrified, and frantic. With the claws of one of her hands, tore open the ropes binding one of the vampires and pulled him roughly to his feet. Twitching his wand towards him, Harry sent him back to his knees with a Jelly-Legs Jinx, which immediately made Amara leap away. ôShow yourself! How long do you intend to toy with us!?ö
Standing a mere five feet outside of her reach but far beyond her senses, Harry shook his head. Sweeping his gaze over the downed vampires, he made another swift head count before focusing on Amara again.
He waited patiently for several seconds as her darting motions slowed. After a minute had passed, sheÆd calmed slightly, or, at least, had regained enough control of herself to slowly scan the area, searching for threats.
And then, in the blink of an eye, he Apparated right next to her, grabbed her head in one hand, and Apparated back to his previous position.
Cancelling his Silencing Charm, he drew back the hood of his cloak and looked a bit sadly at AmaraÆs head, splinched completely from the rest of her body. Her expression was one of a surprise, but only for a moment, before gravity took effect, drawing her jaw open wide.
ôIÆm sorry,ö Harry said, glancing at the incapacitated vampires around him, struck speechless by their leaderÆs sudden death. ôIf IÆve given any of you the impression that I was toying with you, for that was not my intention. But as you can see, I am an old, old man, so it makes things easier on me if you canÆt run. This way, IÆm less likely to miss.ö
Whether people considered it kind or cruelàin the end, he was just trying to be efficient.
Immediately, the vampires began to struggle and scream, trying to crawl away from him.
The sight just made Harry feel bad. He didnÆt like killing and, in his own world, he would just tied them all up and taken them to a holding cell until they could be fairly tried. Howeveràit had become pretty obvious that this world was little like his own.
He wasnÆt an Auror anymore, or at least not one with any authority in this world. For all he knew, he didnÆt even exist in this reality. He had no actually authority to take them captive and where would he take them, if he did? Did the Ministry exist? He doubted it; the closest thing to a magical government that JustinÆs mind had revealed was the æCouncilÆ which seemed very different from the Ministry. And if the Ministry didnÆt exist, the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans probably didnÆt exist either, so he might not have any legal jurisdiction over vampires, even if he was an Aurorùor this worldÆs equivalent. For all he knew, assisting with the captivity of two young children wasnÆt something that he could actually arrest vampires for, even if he had authority.
Of course, heÆd known that the moment heÆd decided to fight. Taking action outside the law wasnÆt something new to him; heÆd done it both as a child and when he thought that it would help save lives. But even so, it wasàdisconcerting to have no authority or pull of any kind anywhere in the world, which meant that he had no place to take these vampires, no right to do so, and, really, no one in this entire world would even know who he was. Legally, he should probably just let them all go right now.
ùIt went without saying that he couldnÆt do that. He didnÆt really care what happened to him or if it put him in danger, but JustinÆs masters and, presumably, their vampiric allies wanted those two kids. If he let them go now, theyÆd report back to their superiors and theyÆd be hunted down. Maybe even before he managed to find a safe place. Though, even if that was true, if they had really accepted his offer to leave in peace, he would have let them go, even if it did make things harder. There was a line between being practical and being heartless and killing people who hadnÆt done anything is part of it.
And yetàwasnÆt that kind of what he was considering doing right now? All theyÆd done was side with someone they were officially allied withùcould he consider that a crime?
Perhaps. JustinÆs Masters hardly seemed like kind and upright people. He was pretty sure they werenÆt doing anything moral and he could probably say the same about the vampires that had willingly allied with them. But was that a good reason to kill these underlings that were just doing what they were told?
He could disable them without killing them. A Memory Charm probably wouldnÆt work, because someone was sure to eventually wonder where Harry and Elaine were, and probably fairly quickly, considering how important they apparently were, but there were other options. He could petrify them, leaving them still technically alive. He could remove their tongues so they could not speak, their hands so they could not write, and even their eyes so that reading their minds would be more difficultùthough even all that combined wouldnÆt make it impossible to conveying a message if they were determined, as Ron had proved before St. MungoÆs had patched him back up. He could transfigure them into some creature, reducing their minds to animal levels and insuring they would almost certainly never be found or transformed back; they could live out their lives that way, until something killed them or they otherwise died.
He could do all of that, easily.
But wouldnÆt it be kinder to just swallow his disgust, resign himself to being at least someone heartless, and kill them? He could live with that, if it meant saving two innocent childrenùheÆd done worse than that before, as much as he hadnÆt wanted to. That was okay, too; he didnÆt need to be happy about how low he could sink to save peopleÆs lives, as long as their lives were saved.
ôIÆm sorry,ö He told them. ôI know you have no reason to believe me, but I assure you, it wonÆt hurt a bit.ö
And indeed, it was pretty obvious they didnÆt believe him. With a choked scream, the vampire that had been on his knees vomiting slugs rose and tried to run. Harry followed him with his wand, quiet and patient. It tried to remain upright, it really did, but it didnÆt even manage to leave the house before its body bowed as it coughed up another slug.
Without saying a word, Harry cast a Vanishing Charm on the momentarily still vampireùand everything from the base of its neck up promptly disappeared.
ôIÆm sorry,ö Harry repeated meaninglessly, feeling even older then he was. ôBut as I promised, you didnÆt feel a thing.ö
The headless body fell, collapsing with a dull thud.
XxXXxX
Some of the vampires had struggled. Some had screamed, some had resorted to meaningless threats, and some had even simply collapsed in acceptance and despair.
In the end, it didnÆt matter. Regardless of what theyÆd done, it hadnÆt changed anything.
Harry sighed, vanishing the last of the vampireÆs heads.
From start to finish, it had taken less than a minute to deal with all of them.
Which, sadly, still meant he was lagging behind.
There was a strange garbled sound, which drew his attention. The massive head of his transfigured snake feel to the ground with a smashing sound.
ôFinally done, Justin?ö He asked. He glanced once at the neatly cut remains of his two transfigurations. TheyÆd be chopped to pieces and left scattered on the ground. He gestured at them and they began to change shape.
Justin swung his staff and they ignited in a sudden blaze of flame, which fell away just as quickly.
Harry tutted.
ôSurrender, Justin. Cut your losses; donÆt make this any harder than it needs to be.ö
Justin was breathing hard and his face was covered in sweat, but he still smiled and nodded.
ôMy thoughts exactly,ö He said, taking his staff in both hands, swinging it like a baseball bat, and spitting Harry didnÆt manage to hear, summoning a massive wave of flame into existence.
Harry gestured at himself and cast a Flame-Freezing Charm as the flames fell upon him, bathing him in fire. He stood there quietly for a moment as his eyes adapted to suddenly being in the middle of a raging inferno, which felt to him like no more than a warm summer breeze. Blinking quickly, he saw a shadowed blur through the flames and lifted his wand.
A sudden, bone-shakingly powerful gust of wind interrupted him before he could cast any spells, causing the flames to rise and brighten magnificently as it fanned them. Ignoring the heat, Harry was still knocked backwards by the force of the gale and nearly tripping as he stumbled. The increased brightness of the flames blinded him for a moment, by he snapped off a quick spell towards where he thought Justin had been, but didnÆt think he managed to hit anything.
Flicking his wand towards his face, he darkened the lenses to make it easier to see, though spots of light still flickered across his vision, impairing it.
They did not, however, keep him from seeing the flames parting suddenly, as if something huge and invisible had was barreling towards him at high-speed.
Harry had no idea what it was and was fairly certain he didnÆt want to find out, so he apparated outside the house without a second thoughtù
Only to widen his eyes in surprise as the wall of the house exploded outwards in an explosion of shrapnel.
He apparated again, this time to the top of the house, glancing down quietly as force of what he assumed has been JustinÆs spell carried the debris it had created until crashing into a tree with a deafening impact.
Suddenly feeling a little bit more weary, Harry waited a few cautious seconds before apparating back to the ground and peering back into the house. He was ready to apparate away again if another spell came hurtling at him, but he couldnÆt see anything through the sea of flames that was consuming the house. Entering carefully, he listened in silence, trying to hear Justin over the roaring of the fire, the sizzling of the burning corpses, and random popping and cracking of the heated wood.
For a moment, he thought he heard something, a scrambling sound as if Justin were moving through the rubble, but it suddenly fell silentùnot as if heÆd stopped moving, but as if the sound had literally been cut off abruptly halfway.
Taking a deep breath, he nearly choked at the smoke before casting a Bubblehead Charm on himself.
ôAre you still here, Justin?ö He asked, raising his voice. ôOr did you just run?ö
He received no response, but he hadnÆt expected one, either. Howeveràhe was fairly sure that Justin was still here. HeÆd seen the manÆs mind and he knew full well what fateÆs awaited the man if he simply tried to run without Dresden or Elaineùwhether it was his MasterÆs who caught up with him first or this æWhite Council,Æ the result would be the same in the end.
ùOf course.
Harry was on the other side of the train in an instant, nearly wincing as the sudden change in light rendered him blind again. He cleared up glasses, whose darkened lenses were now a hindrance, and gestured again, summoned a number of Bluebell Flames to cast some light instead of waiting until his eyes adjusted.
He didnÆt see anything, which wasnÆt necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps Justin really had just cut and run when he hadnÆt been able to find the children.
Then again, maybe he hadnÆt.
Harry pointed at the spot heÆd left the children and silently countered the spell, gritting his teeth when nothing appeared.
Quietly looking around, he noticed some of the debris that had been created by the violent entrance of the train. He gestured at them silently and they immediately began to shift, each twisting into a different shape.
One grew a short covering of fur and sprouted a pair of wings before taking to the air as a bat. One swelled to massive size and grew a covering of feathers, before taking flight as a Buzzard. Another began to swell as strange bulges appeared along its body before it split into a squirming mass of cockroaches, even as a fourth exploded into a swarm of mosquitoes and a fifth into moths. The sixth widened and lengthened into the form of a viper and the seventh, the one that the vampire had coughed up an instant before Harry had taken its head, swelled and grew four legs, before shaking itself as it assumed the form of a dog.
Another gesture and they scattered.
ôIÆll just assume youÆre here, then, Justin,ö Harry continued, not missing beat during his casting. ôAnd it seems you have the kids, too. So letÆs play hide and seek. IÆll warn you, thoughàIÆm pretty damn good at hunting down wizards.ö
Moving to his side, the bloodhound began to sniff to earth, the pit viper rising to curl around it quietly. Settling on its companionÆs back, the viper began to slowly scan the area, its tongue flicking out to taste the air every once in awhile. The Bat and Buzzard circled above as the mosquitoes and moths swarmed through the air and the roaches scurried along the ground.
Harry stood quietly to the side, watching his team expectantly. This was the group that had successfully tracked down hundreds of wizards on the run. Most couldnÆt hide from them all for very long. There were always exceptions, though; maybe Justin would be one of them. Maybe he could hide from the buzzardÆs eyes and the batÆs hearing and from the cockroachÆs ability to detect movement. Perhaps he could conceal his temperature from the pit viper and his scent from the bloodhound. For all he knew, he could keep the mosquitoes from sensing his body odor, heat, humidity, and carbon dioxide, and hide his pheromones from the Moth.
Maybe. It was possible; it would require quite a bit of work and knowledge of all the things you were trying to conceal yourself from, but it was possible. And perhaps Justin was an amazing secret agent that could hide from everything all at once and had experience with concealing himself from these types of creatures.
But Harry doubted it.
There was a stirring amongst the creatures; a short, considering moment. And then they began to swarm around an empty space. Harry watched for a moment before snorting out a breath and Apparating right outside the swarm, not bothering to remove his Invisibility Cloak.
ôHello, Justin.ö He said, lowering his hood. ôIÆve found you.ö
After a moment, the air wavered, revealing a trio of circles clawed into the ground. Justin stood, expression focused, while Harry and Elaine were on their knees, hands outstretched. HarryÆs gaze flickered to them as ElaineÆs hands fell; he assumed sheÆd been the one in charge of the illusion.
ôItÆs over, now, Justin; just let them go.ö He continued, moving to step forwardù
Only to suddenly stop.
Frowning, he reached out with one hand and pressed it against the air at the edge of the circle, as if it were solid. Stepping back, gestured at it, he sent a simple Stunner at it to test it.
It passed through the first circle as if it wasnÆt even there, only to splash against the edge of the second. Dresden flinched as if heÆd been hit, but didnÆt make a noisy.
ôInteresting,ö Harry admitted. ôThe outer circleÆs meant to stop physical matter, isnÆt it? And the second is meant to shield against purely magical attacks, then? What does the third do, then?ö
He pondered it for a moment before shaking his head.
ôIt doesnÆt matter. It wonÆt stop me,ö He declared, completely certain. ôItÆs taking energy to maintain both of these, isnÆt it? Mr. Dresden will run out of energy eventuallyùand IÆm willing to bet that itÆll take even less time if I continue to attack it.ö
ôProbably,ö Justin said, unworried. He glanced dispassionately down at his thrall. ôKeep that shield up, even if it kills you.ö
It took Harry a moment to realize Justin was being literal.
His eyes widened for a brief moment before narrowing in fury; the only reactions he would allow himself to have. He kept his face carefully blank and, after a moment, even the emotion in his eyes faded away. It wasnÆt as if he were hiding themùthey had simply been locked away somewhere deep and side where Harry couldnÆt even feel them anymore. Both righteous fury and rage had their place, but neither was worth a thing in a hostage situation, so he quietly sealed them away with Occlumency.
For a long moment, he stared at Justin with his eyes and face clear of any human feeling, emotion fading away into something simultaneously disinterested and attentive; a completely alien expression on a completely human face.
ôWhat do you intend to accomplish by doing this, DuMorne?ö He asked, in a tone that contained nothing but that question. ôWhether I attack or not, that shield will fall eventually, and then you will die. Killing the boy just means I will make you suffer horribly before you do.ö
His tone could have been bored. It wouldnÆt have been any different if he was taking about the weather or the news.
Justin lifted his hand and with a gesture, a tear opened in space itself. Through that gap, Harry could see the darkness of a forest. Harry didnÆt know what that portal was or where it was leading, which unnerved him, but he locked that away, too.
Justin, for his part, ignored the question completely.
ôElaine, weÆre leaving,ö He said. The blank-eyed girl rose without a word.
ôYou need him, Justin,ö Harry pointed out immediately. ôYour Masters will be most displeased if he dies.ö
Justin sighed, wearily, not even looking at him.
ôNo doubt,ö He agreed. ôI imagine I will be punished quite severely. But I should be able to survive as long as I have one. ItÆs a shame to sacrifice one, but I think itÆs better to cut my losses while I still can.ö
Harry looked at him, eyes distant and cold and empty.
ôThere is no need to worry about that that, Justin.ö He assured, tone factual. ôBecause I am going to kill you before that becomes an issue.ö
Justin shrugged.
ôPerhaps,ö He said, stepping through the gate.
Harry watched in silence as it closed.
_________________________________________________________________________
XxXXxX
Harry straightened, ignoring both Justin and the Vampires.
Now, the only things he was interested in were these two children.
He looked at the girl first, slowly touching her mind with his own. As gently as he could without slowing down, he entered it and quietly took account of what was inside and its general state of affairs, slowly navigating the many layers of her mind. It wasnÆt the first time he had used Legilimency to deduce a personÆs mental state, or to learn the truth of a situation.
As the Head of the Aurors, Legilimency had been one of his most subtle and useful skills. After all, which was scarier: a wizard that can kick down your door and shoot you with a spell or a wizard that can look at you and know every time you lie? Among the Aurors, there were some of both; or there had been when he was done, at least.
And there was a very important reason why heÆd spent over a hundred years in charge of every last one of them.
He withdrew from her mind silently, greatly displeased with what heÆd found, and was about to move on to the boy when he was interrupted.
ôWhat are you doing?ö Justin demanded, in a tone of voice that said he wasnÆt quite ready to initiate violence, but he was prepared to.
Harry drew away from the boyÆs mind before he could enter and turned to him.
ôThe real question,ö He said. ôIs what IÆm going to do, to which the answer is æleave and take both these children with me.Æö
It was quiet, certain statement of fact; no more, no less.
Justin tensed under his calm gaze. With his attention focused on the man, he could feel the thoughts skittering upon the surface of his mind, even through his defenses. He could probably penetrate deeper, if he tried, but did not feel any particular need to do so.
The surface thoughts of a nervous man often revealed enough by themselves.
He knew the Justin believed her would die if he let him do that. If he let one escape, heÆd be severely punished, but both would mean the death of him. He knew it was his Masters that he feared and that he feared them more than anyone else.
ôAnd if I refuse to let you?ö Justin said, lifting his staff. Around him, the vampireÆs, which was what JustinÆs thoughts revealed them to be, tensed, apparently deciding he was an enemy.
Harry closed his eyes and sighed quietly.
ôI do not consider myself someone who needs to make pointless threats,ö He said patiently. ôSo I shall not do so. I will, however, say that I shall do everything in my power to see these children away from here, safe, and far beyond your reach. And as I am someone who believes in the importance and sanctity of life and derives no pleasure by hurting others, I will also request, for my sake as much as yours, that you do not press me on this matter.ö
When he opened his eyes, they were as hard as any stone.
ôBut if you do, I will see these children safe regardless.ö He continued, completely serious. ôI view myself, first and foremost, as a man who at least has his priorities straightùand there are few things I can imagine being more important than the safety of an injured child, which is why, if you are wise and step aside, I will leave this place without issue, so as to see them well that much sooner. I urge you to take this chance, for it is truly a rare thing, for me to let someone like you go so easily. Let us leave quietly, flee this place before I return, and for the sake of these children, I will swallow my desire to see you brought to justice, at least for a time.ö
ôIÆm afraid that is impossible,ö Justin said. ôThere are a number of people that I fear far more then you.ö
Skimming his thoughts as he was, Harry already knew that, but it didnÆt stop him from trying.
ôThen surrender, Justin,ö He urged. ôI give you my word that if you do, I will see you safe until you can be judged fairly.ö
Justin smiled bitterly and Harry received an image of the fate that awaited him if he were caught.
ôDespite the kindness of your offer, IÆm afraid IÆll have to decline.ö
ôSurrender to me then,ö Harry tried one last time. ôTurn your back on the darkness and I shall give you a chance to repent. You were a good man, once, Justin DuMorne; I will believe you could be a good man again, even if no one else does, and protect you and guide you on your way back to being one.ö
For a long, lingering moment, Harry hoped he might say yes.
And then, without replying, Justin lifted his staff, ready.
Sadly, Harry looked around.
ôAnd you, Amara? I have no grudge with you yet, nor with any vampire. Leave this place and I will not pursue you.ö
ôAs distasteful as I find it,ö Amara said in a perfectly human voice. ôAn alliance is an alliance. ItÆs simply not worth risking it by abandoning the wizard here.ö
ôAnd the rest of you?ö He asked, looking at the rest of the crowd. ôI respect your loyalty, but I urge you to reconsider where itÆs placed. You do not know me, but please, believe me when I say itÆs not worth it to stay here; leave, if only to ease the burden upon your families.ö
He received a few scattered hisses, but otherwise no response. Amara glanced at the few that seemed to consider it and that was that.
Harry took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He looked at Justin, then Amara, and then each and every one of them, quiet and sad, seeming very much like a tired old man.
Part of being a Legilimens was knowing, no matter how bad your opponent was, exactly how and why they got to that point. Another part, one of the hardest, in fact, was knowing that they werenÆt always that way.
It didnÆt change anything. TheyÆre choices had still been their own, as had their crimes and mistakes.
Even so, he could not hate someone, for making mistakes. HeÆd made his own and would keep making mistakes as long as he continued to exist. And though he had, for a very long time, hated the criminals heÆd fought, he wasnÆt the type of man who could keep that hatred burning forever.
HeÆd seen good children make bad choices, or be forced into things, or feel as if they had no choice. HeÆd even watched a select, saddening few walk down the wrong path knowingly and willingly. And once, he may have hated them for those choices, back when he was a little younger and a little more ignorant, but eventually, theyÆd just come to make him very, very sad.
That didnÆt change anything, either.
He still had a job to do, regardless of whether he was an Auror or not, or even whether he was alive or died.
He stood firmly in front of the children and nodded once.
ôCome at me, then,ö He said, burying sadness under resolve. ôOne-by-one or all at once. I do have some experience with being a teacher; I shall teach you what fools you were, for not taking the chances that I gave you.ö
He had barely finished his sentence when he was attacked from three directions.
But, skimming JustinÆs mind as he was, he was also already in motion. He didnÆt even bother looking behind, relying completely on JustinÆs thoughts.
A gesture with his wand shifted the boyÆsùalso named Harry, according to JustinÆs thoughtsùstaff roughly to the side, a much simpler matter then trying to counter or block it. The sudden blast of fire he unleashed hit the first of the onrushing vampires, even as Harry stepped back to avoid the next spell. æElaineÆsÆ spell, which Justin had known would be one of the lightning spells she favored, was something that moved too fast for anyone to dodgeùunless they had reacted seconds before it had even been aimed.
As it was, he looped his left arm with her right and shifted it so that the wand in her hand was aimed at another vampire when the words of the spell left her lips. Releasing her arm, he brought his arm up to settle it gently around her shoulders, hand spread wide.
Recovering, the younger Harry brought his staff back around to aim at his face, apparently unconcerned for his proximity to the girl heÆd once loved. Harry had already lifted his wand to counter and a simple Disarming Charm tore the staff from the boyÆs hands and sent it neatly into his left.
With having even paused to see if his spell worked, his right hand had continued to rise, before settling around the young manÆs shoulders. He removed three fingers from his wand as he flicked it towards Elaine, tearing hers away and then clutching it in his free fingers.
Pulling them both towards him, he Apparated a fraction of a second before JustinÆs tightly controlled near-line of fire would have pierced through his heart, shifting the three of them to the opposite side of the train.
As he released them, both of the children fell to their knees and began to vomit. Harry wanted to help them, but as long as they were under JustinÆs control, they were enemies, if unwilling ones. Besides, as long as they were preoccupied here, they were out of danger.
Gesturing at them with a suppressed wince, he roughly cleared their throats with a spell so they wouldnÆt choke and then stunned them both. Tapping them each once, he made them fade quietly into invisibility beneath his Disillusionment charms. He considered conjuring guards, but decided that would be more likely to give them away. In this case, keeping them from being noticed at all was probably a better choice than letting things get to the point that people were fighting to the death over their unconscious bodies.
It was either this or Apparatingùand he just didnÆt have anywhere to Apparate too, in this new world. Hopefully, everyone would just think they were gone when they couldnÆt find them.
Still holding the stolen staff and wand, he Apparated again, this time outside the house, until he was behind Justin and the Vampires. In a second, he prioritized his opponents, located a safe place to move to, and Apparated again, reappearing all but back to back with Justin.
He immediately dropped both ElaineÆs wand and HarryÆs staff and transfigured them both before they even hit the ground. The hard wood of the staff expanded and stretched, growing into an enormous snakeùa Green Anaconda, the largest non-magical snake in the world. The wand filled out and then sprouted eight legs, growing into a Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantula, which was the same for normal spiders. A pair of Engorgement Charms led to them both swelling in size, until the snake was making the already limited space in the house seem really small and the tarantula was the size of a large dog. He sent a silent Oppugno at them, urging them to attack.
Neither was a particularly lethal member of their species, as these things go, but they werenÆt meant to be. They were simply there to distract Justin for awhile.
It had been RonÆs idea, originally. TheyÆd been in a bit of a tight spot and had needed a distraction to defeat a group of Dark Wizards that theyÆd gone in to fight under the misinformation that there were three of them, when there had actually been seventeen. HeÆd told Ron to distract them while he attacked from behind in the hopes of reducing their numbers a bit, to which Ron had conjured about three dozen of the spiders, engorged them, and sent them over to harass them.
Even if they werenÆt especially lethal, a hairy spider the size of a dog will get your attention, especially if it brought its friends. The wizards had focused on them completely and between the two of them theyÆd downed them all before they could react.
The horde of large, distracting animals had been a standard part of the Auror arsenal ever since.
True to form, Justin let out startled, somewhat strangled noise when he suddenly found himself half buried under a giant snake with a huge spider eagerly crawling towards him.
Deciding heÆd be free of the man for a time, Harry focused completely on the now rather nervous vampires. He did a quick head count, though he could tell just by looking that there were enough of them that if they managed to get over their surprise and fear and fight competently, things would get troublesome.
Best to keep that from happening then.
Fortunately, he was more then used to being outnumbered.
One of the vampires made a sudden movement, either to move forward or fall back, and the tip of his wand glowed as he picked his first target.
Whatever the vampire had been trying to do, it didnÆt matterùa simple Trip Jinx caught him by the ankles and tore the feet out from under him. The reaction was instantaneous and exactly as heÆd hoped, as the entire group scattered in every direction without even checking to see if the fallen vampire was harmed. Their own minds supplied a dozen images of what he could have done and those thoughts and fears completely swallowed the truth of the situation.
It hadnÆt harmed anyone and the spell was an extremely simple one, but any semblance of order had instantly been erased.
Which, Harry had known, would both make things easier and make them more difficult.
As the vampireÆs scattered in every direction and failed to use their numbers properly, he was at both an advantage and a disadvantage. Fighting with an unorganized group was easier then fighting with an organized one, of course, but it was also more complicated. In their sudden fear, the vampires all scattered randomly, trying to escape or, at least, get out of sight. They tried to head upstairs or down or even leave the house entirely. It was easier then dealing with a bunch of organized killers with super strength and speed, though, which was why heÆd done it.
Pursing his lips, he quickly prioritized, drew his cloak around himself as he cast a quick Silencing Charm, and apparated.
Appearing instantly in front of the vampires that had tried to escape to the other side of the train, he raised his wand, veiled from its sight.
Over the years, a number of his students and associates had commented on his æstyle;Æ particularly, the way that seemed so underwhelming for a wizard of his renown. At such comments, Harry could do nothing but shrug. It was true that he didnÆt make much use of the more violent curses that many favored, even though he knew more than his fair share of them, but that was simply because heÆd rarely seen any need for them. HeÆd been given permission a number of times to use restricted and sometimes even illegal spells in the course of his job, but had rarely seen a use for them, either.
The spells he usually made use of had seen him through more than a century of dark wizards and dueling competitions.
Besides, most of the questions fell silent after they saw him duel.
The vampire let out a startled squawk as its legs suddenly snapped together, resisting his control. Off-balance, it tumbled over and fell on its face, even as a sudden force grabbed it by the ankles and began to drag it back into the open.
Harry vanished and reappeared behind a vampire attempting to run upstairs. With a sharp gesture, the vampire was suddenly hoisted upside down by his ankles and just as quickly dropped on his head, sending him tumbling down the stairs.
Another fell over in mid run as it tried to smash its way through the door, finding its knees suddenly reverse, now bending frontwards instead of its usual backwards. As it tried to recover, a number of snakelike ropes appeared out of nowhere, binding him tightly.
Harry gestured upwards and a vampire fell from the ceiling, where it had been trying to escape to the upper floor through the gouges the trains arrival had caused. His limbs snapped together as he was caught in the Full-Body Bind and he found himself on the ground, unable to move.
Several vampires became violent instead of trying to run, suddenly attacking the train conductor, who was scurrying towards the doors of the train. Harry appeared in front of his companion, invisible but protective, and they found themselves vomiting slugs or with sardines squirming out of their noses, with knees suddenly bending the wrong direction or fingers mysteriously gone, or with their fangs suddenly grown past their chins and then tied into knots.
None of them were truly harmful; they were simply schoolyard hexes and jinxes. But nothing said that spells had to be harmful or complex to be dangerous and more than one dark wizard had found themselves on the way to trial after being taken down by a simple, efficient combination of the Jelly-Legs Jinx, Finger-Removing Jinx, and a Langlock, rendered unable to stand, speak, or even hold a wand. And more than one had learnt how hard it was to fight competently while vomiting slugs, having fish squirm out of their nose, or, worse, both.
He wasnÆt a saint. He never had been. HeÆd used Curses and Illegal Spells before and would again, if needed; but there was no point in even bothering to summon up Fiendfyre or break the law with an Unforgiveable when a few easy to cast spells could disable an opponent in seconds. A number of people had suggested that he did it because he didnÆt want to hurt anyone and, while there was some truth to that, he was an enforcer of the Law and most of the people he fought were criminals. If using curses made it easier to capture them, he would have used Curses without hesitation. In fact, the images people had formed of him sometimes surprised him; heÆd used every single Unforgivable at some point or another, even if heÆd been legally allowed to at the time.
He was just trying to be efficient.
ôOutsider!ö Amara shouted, jerking in every direction as if he might suddenly appear, her expression enraged, terrified, and frantic. With the claws of one of her hands, tore open the ropes binding one of the vampires and pulled him roughly to his feet. Twitching his wand towards him, Harry sent him back to his knees with a Jelly-Legs Jinx, which immediately made Amara leap away. ôShow yourself! How long do you intend to toy with us!?ö
Standing a mere five feet outside of her reach but far beyond her senses, Harry shook his head. Sweeping his gaze over the downed vampires, he made another swift head count before focusing on Amara again.
He waited patiently for several seconds as her darting motions slowed. After a minute had passed, sheÆd calmed slightly, or, at least, had regained enough control of herself to slowly scan the area, searching for threats.
And then, in the blink of an eye, he Apparated right next to her, grabbed her head in one hand, and Apparated back to his previous position.
Cancelling his Silencing Charm, he drew back the hood of his cloak and looked a bit sadly at AmaraÆs head, splinched completely from the rest of her body. Her expression was one of a surprise, but only for a moment, before gravity took effect, drawing her jaw open wide.
ôIÆm sorry,ö Harry said, glancing at the incapacitated vampires around him, struck speechless by their leaderÆs sudden death. ôIf IÆve given any of you the impression that I was toying with you, for that was not my intention. But as you can see, I am an old, old man, so it makes things easier on me if you canÆt run. This way, IÆm less likely to miss.ö
Whether people considered it kind or cruelàin the end, he was just trying to be efficient.
Immediately, the vampires began to struggle and scream, trying to crawl away from him.
The sight just made Harry feel bad. He didnÆt like killing and, in his own world, he would just tied them all up and taken them to a holding cell until they could be fairly tried. Howeveràit had become pretty obvious that this world was little like his own.
He wasnÆt an Auror anymore, or at least not one with any authority in this world. For all he knew, he didnÆt even exist in this reality. He had no actually authority to take them captive and where would he take them, if he did? Did the Ministry exist? He doubted it; the closest thing to a magical government that JustinÆs mind had revealed was the æCouncilÆ which seemed very different from the Ministry. And if the Ministry didnÆt exist, the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans probably didnÆt exist either, so he might not have any legal jurisdiction over vampires, even if he was an Aurorùor this worldÆs equivalent. For all he knew, assisting with the captivity of two young children wasnÆt something that he could actually arrest vampires for, even if he had authority.
Of course, heÆd known that the moment heÆd decided to fight. Taking action outside the law wasnÆt something new to him; heÆd done it both as a child and when he thought that it would help save lives. But even so, it wasàdisconcerting to have no authority or pull of any kind anywhere in the world, which meant that he had no place to take these vampires, no right to do so, and, really, no one in this entire world would even know who he was. Legally, he should probably just let them all go right now.
ùIt went without saying that he couldnÆt do that. He didnÆt really care what happened to him or if it put him in danger, but JustinÆs masters and, presumably, their vampiric allies wanted those two kids. If he let them go now, theyÆd report back to their superiors and theyÆd be hunted down. Maybe even before he managed to find a safe place. Though, even if that was true, if they had really accepted his offer to leave in peace, he would have let them go, even if it did make things harder. There was a line between being practical and being heartless and killing people who hadnÆt done anything is part of it.
And yetàwasnÆt that kind of what he was considering doing right now? All theyÆd done was side with someone they were officially allied withùcould he consider that a crime?
Perhaps. JustinÆs Masters hardly seemed like kind and upright people. He was pretty sure they werenÆt doing anything moral and he could probably say the same about the vampires that had willingly allied with them. But was that a good reason to kill these underlings that were just doing what they were told?
He could disable them without killing them. A Memory Charm probably wouldnÆt work, because someone was sure to eventually wonder where Harry and Elaine were, and probably fairly quickly, considering how important they apparently were, but there were other options. He could petrify them, leaving them still technically alive. He could remove their tongues so they could not speak, their hands so they could not write, and even their eyes so that reading their minds would be more difficultùthough even all that combined wouldnÆt make it impossible to conveying a message if they were determined, as Ron had proved before St. MungoÆs had patched him back up. He could transfigure them into some creature, reducing their minds to animal levels and insuring they would almost certainly never be found or transformed back; they could live out their lives that way, until something killed them or they otherwise died.
He could do all of that, easily.
But wouldnÆt it be kinder to just swallow his disgust, resign himself to being at least someone heartless, and kill them? He could live with that, if it meant saving two innocent childrenùheÆd done worse than that before, as much as he hadnÆt wanted to. That was okay, too; he didnÆt need to be happy about how low he could sink to save peopleÆs lives, as long as their lives were saved.
ôIÆm sorry,ö He told them. ôI know you have no reason to believe me, but I assure you, it wonÆt hurt a bit.ö
And indeed, it was pretty obvious they didnÆt believe him. With a choked scream, the vampire that had been on his knees vomiting slugs rose and tried to run. Harry followed him with his wand, quiet and patient. It tried to remain upright, it really did, but it didnÆt even manage to leave the house before its body bowed as it coughed up another slug.
Without saying a word, Harry cast a Vanishing Charm on the momentarily still vampireùand everything from the base of its neck up promptly disappeared.
ôIÆm sorry,ö Harry repeated meaninglessly, feeling even older then he was. ôBut as I promised, you didnÆt feel a thing.ö
The headless body fell, collapsing with a dull thud.
XxXXxX
Some of the vampires had struggled. Some had screamed, some had resorted to meaningless threats, and some had even simply collapsed in acceptance and despair.
In the end, it didnÆt matter. Regardless of what theyÆd done, it hadnÆt changed anything.
Harry sighed, vanishing the last of the vampireÆs heads.
From start to finish, it had taken less than a minute to deal with all of them.
Which, sadly, still meant he was lagging behind.
There was a strange garbled sound, which drew his attention. The massive head of his transfigured snake feel to the ground with a smashing sound.
ôFinally done, Justin?ö He asked. He glanced once at the neatly cut remains of his two transfigurations. TheyÆd be chopped to pieces and left scattered on the ground. He gestured at them and they began to change shape.
Justin swung his staff and they ignited in a sudden blaze of flame, which fell away just as quickly.
Harry tutted.
ôSurrender, Justin. Cut your losses; donÆt make this any harder than it needs to be.ö
Justin was breathing hard and his face was covered in sweat, but he still smiled and nodded.
ôMy thoughts exactly,ö He said, taking his staff in both hands, swinging it like a baseball bat, and spitting Harry didnÆt manage to hear, summoning a massive wave of flame into existence.
Harry gestured at himself and cast a Flame-Freezing Charm as the flames fell upon him, bathing him in fire. He stood there quietly for a moment as his eyes adapted to suddenly being in the middle of a raging inferno, which felt to him like no more than a warm summer breeze. Blinking quickly, he saw a shadowed blur through the flames and lifted his wand.
A sudden, bone-shakingly powerful gust of wind interrupted him before he could cast any spells, causing the flames to rise and brighten magnificently as it fanned them. Ignoring the heat, Harry was still knocked backwards by the force of the gale and nearly tripping as he stumbled. The increased brightness of the flames blinded him for a moment, by he snapped off a quick spell towards where he thought Justin had been, but didnÆt think he managed to hit anything.
Flicking his wand towards his face, he darkened the lenses to make it easier to see, though spots of light still flickered across his vision, impairing it.
They did not, however, keep him from seeing the flames parting suddenly, as if something huge and invisible had was barreling towards him at high-speed.
Harry had no idea what it was and was fairly certain he didnÆt want to find out, so he apparated outside the house without a second thoughtù
Only to widen his eyes in surprise as the wall of the house exploded outwards in an explosion of shrapnel.
He apparated again, this time to the top of the house, glancing down quietly as force of what he assumed has been JustinÆs spell carried the debris it had created until crashing into a tree with a deafening impact.
Suddenly feeling a little bit more weary, Harry waited a few cautious seconds before apparating back to the ground and peering back into the house. He was ready to apparate away again if another spell came hurtling at him, but he couldnÆt see anything through the sea of flames that was consuming the house. Entering carefully, he listened in silence, trying to hear Justin over the roaring of the fire, the sizzling of the burning corpses, and random popping and cracking of the heated wood.
For a moment, he thought he heard something, a scrambling sound as if Justin were moving through the rubble, but it suddenly fell silentùnot as if heÆd stopped moving, but as if the sound had literally been cut off abruptly halfway.
Taking a deep breath, he nearly choked at the smoke before casting a Bubblehead Charm on himself.
ôAre you still here, Justin?ö He asked, raising his voice. ôOr did you just run?ö
He received no response, but he hadnÆt expected one, either. Howeveràhe was fairly sure that Justin was still here. HeÆd seen the manÆs mind and he knew full well what fateÆs awaited the man if he simply tried to run without Dresden or Elaineùwhether it was his MasterÆs who caught up with him first or this æWhite Council,Æ the result would be the same in the end.
ùOf course.
Harry was on the other side of the train in an instant, nearly wincing as the sudden change in light rendered him blind again. He cleared up glasses, whose darkened lenses were now a hindrance, and gestured again, summoned a number of Bluebell Flames to cast some light instead of waiting until his eyes adjusted.
He didnÆt see anything, which wasnÆt necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps Justin really had just cut and run when he hadnÆt been able to find the children.
Then again, maybe he hadnÆt.
Harry pointed at the spot heÆd left the children and silently countered the spell, gritting his teeth when nothing appeared.
Quietly looking around, he noticed some of the debris that had been created by the violent entrance of the train. He gestured at them silently and they immediately began to shift, each twisting into a different shape.
One grew a short covering of fur and sprouted a pair of wings before taking to the air as a bat. One swelled to massive size and grew a covering of feathers, before taking flight as a Buzzard. Another began to swell as strange bulges appeared along its body before it split into a squirming mass of cockroaches, even as a fourth exploded into a swarm of mosquitoes and a fifth into moths. The sixth widened and lengthened into the form of a viper and the seventh, the one that the vampire had coughed up an instant before Harry had taken its head, swelled and grew four legs, before shaking itself as it assumed the form of a dog.
Another gesture and they scattered.
ôIÆll just assume youÆre here, then, Justin,ö Harry continued, not missing beat during his casting. ôAnd it seems you have the kids, too. So letÆs play hide and seek. IÆll warn you, thoughàIÆm pretty damn good at hunting down wizards.ö
Moving to his side, the bloodhound began to sniff to earth, the pit viper rising to curl around it quietly. Settling on its companionÆs back, the viper began to slowly scan the area, its tongue flicking out to taste the air every once in awhile. The Bat and Buzzard circled above as the mosquitoes and moths swarmed through the air and the roaches scurried along the ground.
Harry stood quietly to the side, watching his team expectantly. This was the group that had successfully tracked down hundreds of wizards on the run. Most couldnÆt hide from them all for very long. There were always exceptions, though; maybe Justin would be one of them. Maybe he could hide from the buzzardÆs eyes and the batÆs hearing and from the cockroachÆs ability to detect movement. Perhaps he could conceal his temperature from the pit viper and his scent from the bloodhound. For all he knew, he could keep the mosquitoes from sensing his body odor, heat, humidity, and carbon dioxide, and hide his pheromones from the Moth.
Maybe. It was possible; it would require quite a bit of work and knowledge of all the things you were trying to conceal yourself from, but it was possible. And perhaps Justin was an amazing secret agent that could hide from everything all at once and had experience with concealing himself from these types of creatures.
But Harry doubted it.
There was a stirring amongst the creatures; a short, considering moment. And then they began to swarm around an empty space. Harry watched for a moment before snorting out a breath and Apparating right outside the swarm, not bothering to remove his Invisibility Cloak.
ôHello, Justin.ö He said, lowering his hood. ôIÆve found you.ö
After a moment, the air wavered, revealing a trio of circles clawed into the ground. Justin stood, expression focused, while Harry and Elaine were on their knees, hands outstretched. HarryÆs gaze flickered to them as ElaineÆs hands fell; he assumed sheÆd been the one in charge of the illusion.
ôItÆs over, now, Justin; just let them go.ö He continued, moving to step forwardù
Only to suddenly stop.
Frowning, he reached out with one hand and pressed it against the air at the edge of the circle, as if it were solid. Stepping back, gestured at it, he sent a simple Stunner at it to test it.
It passed through the first circle as if it wasnÆt even there, only to splash against the edge of the second. Dresden flinched as if heÆd been hit, but didnÆt make a noisy.
ôInteresting,ö Harry admitted. ôThe outer circleÆs meant to stop physical matter, isnÆt it? And the second is meant to shield against purely magical attacks, then? What does the third do, then?ö
He pondered it for a moment before shaking his head.
ôIt doesnÆt matter. It wonÆt stop me,ö He declared, completely certain. ôItÆs taking energy to maintain both of these, isnÆt it? Mr. Dresden will run out of energy eventuallyùand IÆm willing to bet that itÆll take even less time if I continue to attack it.ö
ôProbably,ö Justin said, unworried. He glanced dispassionately down at his thrall. ôKeep that shield up, even if it kills you.ö
It took Harry a moment to realize Justin was being literal.
His eyes widened for a brief moment before narrowing in fury; the only reactions he would allow himself to have. He kept his face carefully blank and, after a moment, even the emotion in his eyes faded away. It wasnÆt as if he were hiding themùthey had simply been locked away somewhere deep and side where Harry couldnÆt even feel them anymore. Both righteous fury and rage had their place, but neither was worth a thing in a hostage situation, so he quietly sealed them away with Occlumency.
For a long moment, he stared at Justin with his eyes and face clear of any human feeling, emotion fading away into something simultaneously disinterested and attentive; a completely alien expression on a completely human face.
ôWhat do you intend to accomplish by doing this, DuMorne?ö He asked, in a tone that contained nothing but that question. ôWhether I attack or not, that shield will fall eventually, and then you will die. Killing the boy just means I will make you suffer horribly before you do.ö
His tone could have been bored. It wouldnÆt have been any different if he was taking about the weather or the news.
Justin lifted his hand and with a gesture, a tear opened in space itself. Through that gap, Harry could see the darkness of a forest. Harry didnÆt know what that portal was or where it was leading, which unnerved him, but he locked that away, too.
Justin, for his part, ignored the question completely.
ôElaine, weÆre leaving,ö He said. The blank-eyed girl rose without a word.
ôYou need him, Justin,ö Harry pointed out immediately. ôYour Masters will be most displeased if he dies.ö
Justin sighed, wearily, not even looking at him.
ôNo doubt,ö He agreed. ôI imagine I will be punished quite severely. But I should be able to survive as long as I have one. ItÆs a shame to sacrifice one, but I think itÆs better to cut my losses while I still can.ö
Harry looked at him, eyes distant and cold and empty.
ôThere is no need to worry about that that, Justin.ö He assured, tone factual. ôBecause I am going to kill you before that becomes an issue.ö
Justin shrugged.
ôPerhaps,ö He said, stepping through the gate.
Harry watched in silence as it closed.
XxXXxX
Harry gently prodded the æwallÆ created by the first circle, frowning. Touching it didnÆt hurt or anything, but it was quite solid; he probably wouldnÆt be able to break it down with pure, physical strength, even if he could do so without hurting the boy.
He needed to hurry, both to save the boy and to have any hope of saving the girl, but at the same time, he had to be careful. He wasnÆt familiar with how these æcirclesÆ worked and if he simply broke them, he might actually kill the boy.
He lowered his eyes to the circles that had apparently been burnt into the ground.
ôAre you focusing your magic through the circles, then?ö He wondered, speaking mostly to himself. ôThen itÆs just like a wandàor one of your staves, I suppose. In that case, will the shields go down if I break the circle?ö
He nudged the outermost circle with a toe. He couldnÆt do that physically, butà
With a twitch of his wand, a section of the outer circle vanished. Reaching out towards what had moments before felt like a wall of bricks, he felt nothing but empty air.
ôThere we go,ö He said, stepping forward. ôNowàthis one blocks magic, but what if I do this?ö
Sliding a foot forward to scuff it over the circle, he frowned slightly as the transfiguration unraveled where it crossed the circle, revealing his new form. But with a strange feeling like a sudden release of air, the second circle fell. He re-transfigured his foot with a gesture and looked at the third circle.
ôNow that I know what to do, this isnÆt so hard. Nowàone more.ö Harry frown at it. ôThe first blocked physical things and the second blocked magic. Then this one blocksàwhat?ö
Hesitating for a moment, he reached out to touch the boundary of the circle. For a moment, he thought his hand would pass cleanly through as his fingers felt nothingùbut then he was stopped by the wall. He did not feel the resistance with his skin, but in a deep seated place down in his bones. Regardless, it kept him out.
Ponder his hand for a moment, he let his control lapse slightly and the human guise peeled away from his hand, revealing what lied beneath. Touching it to the edge of the circle again, he felt his skin press against it.
ôHmàIÆm not sure what this circle was meant to block, but it certainly seems to block me.ö He frowned. He nodded to one of his transfigured creatures and the bloodhound rose from where it had been seated and strode forward, only to walk into the circle. It batted at it with one paw and made a series of doglike noises, before sitting down again and looking at him.
ôNot just me,ö He sighed. ôThenàö
Pointing his wand at the floor, the wood buckled suddenly, sending cracks throughout the wood. Stepping over the edge, he loomed over the boy, who looked at him with empty eyes and a blank face. Apparently, Justin hadnÆt given any order on what to do if he managed to get through the circles which, worryingly, the boy didnÆt seem able to figure out what to do without him.
Thatàwas not a good sign.
ôàI never checked what had been done to you, did I?ö Harry said, tapping him quietly on the head and seamlessly sliding into his mind.
It wasnÆt hard. If the mind was a house, then Harry DresdenÆs door had been kicked in. The windows had been broken and someone had taken a sledgehammer to the walls; the entire house looked like someone had gotten really pissed off inside of it. ElaineÆs mind had been injured horrible as a result of whatever Justin had done, but not this badly. When Justin had sought control of DresdenÆs mind, heÆd had to fight for it, though that may have just made things worse in the end.
Harry felt pained just looking at it. He did what he could while on a time limit, but there wasnÆt much he could do without having a lot of time to work. He shifted quietly through the boyÆs mind, tending to minor injuries and putting scattered thought and memories in their place. Though he would normally respect the privacy of anyone he was giving a æmental checkupÆ to, he looked to see if the boy had a family or home that he could take him too, or at least a safe place to put him.
He didnÆt. His parents were both dead; mother first and then his father years later. The only home heÆd had sense his father had died was currently burning down around him. HeÆd been sent to an orphanage, which he didnÆt have fond memories of and had gone to a public school; Harry noted the locations of both as places to apparate the boy to if needed, even if they were a bit to out in the open for him to consider them safe. The school was probably empty this time of night; he could put the boy in one of the classrooms for the night if he had too.
He checked to see if he knew where Justin had gone to; the Nevernever, some sort of spiritual dimension filled with monsters and strange places of every kind. He didnÆt know what area of it Justin had entered, however, nor did he know where he was going.
Though, even if he had, neither of them had any idea how to get there.
Getting frustrated, Harry continued to shift through the layers of his mind, trying to mind the source of all this damage. Justin had dominated his mind, he knew, but there wasnÆt a prolonged spell like the Imperius restraining his mind, or he would have sensed it by now. But there it was obvious that something had been done to him and if he could find it he could at least cure the disease, even if he could only tend to the symptoms.
It took him a while to notice it amidst the damage; the words like scar tissue in the depths of his mind. The message was simple: To Obey. But though it was simple, it had been planted deep in the mind and spread virulently throughout, until that was all that he thought about or dreamt of. It was a hissing roiling mass of obedience that grew like a tumor in a mind that wanted nothing but to be free.
Harry hissed out a breath at the sight of it.
Something like this wasàgoing to be tricky. To remove something like this painlessly and without causing any damage was almost impossible; it really was like a tumor. Removing it would take care and a gentle hand and a surgical knife.
The easiest way to get rid of it would be a simple Memory Charmùbut it would have to be applied to pretty much everything the invasive thought had touched, less it take root again. It would certainly work, but he wasnÆt sure how much would be left when he was done. It would all depend on what Justin had focused on, but it was possible heÆd have to cut out entire years or more, considering the damage.
That was the last resort, for obvious reasons. It was better than letting the damage continue to grow until it drove him insane, but it was hardly a desirable option.
But if he did want that to happen, he was going to have to do it the hard way. The idea Justin had put it his head was like a weed; if he wanted to get rid of itùand wanted it to stay goneùhe was going to have to take it out by the root. It would take time, but more than that, it was going to hurt.
Harry hesitated for a moment. He didnÆt know how to pursue Justin, so, for the moment, he couldnÆt rescue Elaine. His best bet at the moment was to find this æWhite Council,Æ who apparently hunted people like Justin and ask them for helpàbut he had no idea who they were or where he could find them. He didnÆt doubt his ability to find out, given time, but time was running out. Elaine wasnÆt as damaged as Dresden was, but he had no way of knowing how long that would last.
But for the moment, this was the only thing he could do.
Extracting himself from the boyÆs mind for a moment, Harry sighed and reached into his pocket.
ôIÆm afraid I must apologize, because this is going to hurt a great deal,ö He said gravely. ôI promise, however, that I will do all I can to minimize the pain and you will not be alone through this.ö
Taking out the Resurrection Stone, he turned it over three times.
ôMalcolm and Margaret Dresden, was it?ö
Harry gently prodded the æwallÆ created by the first circle, frowning. Touching it didnÆt hurt or anything, but it was quite solid; he probably wouldnÆt be able to break it down with pure, physical strength, even if he could do so without hurting the boy.
He needed to hurry, both to save the boy and to have any hope of saving the girl, but at the same time, he had to be careful. He wasnÆt familiar with how these æcirclesÆ worked and if he simply broke them, he might actually kill the boy.
He lowered his eyes to the circles that had apparently been burnt into the ground.
ôAre you focusing your magic through the circles, then?ö He wondered, speaking mostly to himself. ôThen itÆs just like a wandàor one of your staves, I suppose. In that case, will the shields go down if I break the circle?ö
He nudged the outermost circle with a toe. He couldnÆt do that physically, butà
With a twitch of his wand, a section of the outer circle vanished. Reaching out towards what had moments before felt like a wall of bricks, he felt nothing but empty air.
ôThere we go,ö He said, stepping forward. ôNowàthis one blocks magic, but what if I do this?ö
Sliding a foot forward to scuff it over the circle, he frowned slightly as the transfiguration unraveled where it crossed the circle, revealing his new form. But with a strange feeling like a sudden release of air, the second circle fell. He re-transfigured his foot with a gesture and looked at the third circle.
ôNow that I know what to do, this isnÆt so hard. Nowàone more.ö Harry frown at it. ôThe first blocked physical things and the second blocked magic. Then this one blocksàwhat?ö
Hesitating for a moment, he reached out to touch the boundary of the circle. For a moment, he thought his hand would pass cleanly through as his fingers felt nothingùbut then he was stopped by the wall. He did not feel the resistance with his skin, but in a deep seated place down in his bones. Regardless, it kept him out.
Ponder his hand for a moment, he let his control lapse slightly and the human guise peeled away from his hand, revealing what lied beneath. Touching it to the edge of the circle again, he felt his skin press against it.
ôHmàIÆm not sure what this circle was meant to block, but it certainly seems to block me.ö He frowned. He nodded to one of his transfigured creatures and the bloodhound rose from where it had been seated and strode forward, only to walk into the circle. It batted at it with one paw and made a series of doglike noises, before sitting down again and looking at him.
ôNot just me,ö He sighed. ôThenàö
Pointing his wand at the floor, the wood buckled suddenly, sending cracks throughout the wood. Stepping over the edge, he loomed over the boy, who looked at him with empty eyes and a blank face. Apparently, Justin hadnÆt given any order on what to do if he managed to get through the circles which, worryingly, the boy didnÆt seem able to figure out what to do without him.
Thatàwas not a good sign.
ôàI never checked what had been done to you, did I?ö Harry said, tapping him quietly on the head and seamlessly sliding into his mind.
It wasnÆt hard. If the mind was a house, then Harry DresdenÆs door had been kicked in. The windows had been broken and someone had taken a sledgehammer to the walls; the entire house looked like someone had gotten really pissed off inside of it. ElaineÆs mind had been injured horrible as a result of whatever Justin had done, but not this badly. When Justin had sought control of DresdenÆs mind, heÆd had to fight for it, though that may have just made things worse in the end.
Harry felt pained just looking at it. He did what he could while on a time limit, but there wasnÆt much he could do without having a lot of time to work. He shifted quietly through the boyÆs mind, tending to minor injuries and putting scattered thought and memories in their place. Though he would normally respect the privacy of anyone he was giving a æmental checkupÆ to, he looked to see if the boy had a family or home that he could take him too, or at least a safe place to put him.
He didnÆt. His parents were both dead; mother first and then his father years later. The only home heÆd had sense his father had died was currently burning down around him. HeÆd been sent to an orphanage, which he didnÆt have fond memories of and had gone to a public school; Harry noted the locations of both as places to apparate the boy to if needed, even if they were a bit to out in the open for him to consider them safe. The school was probably empty this time of night; he could put the boy in one of the classrooms for the night if he had too.
He checked to see if he knew where Justin had gone to; the Nevernever, some sort of spiritual dimension filled with monsters and strange places of every kind. He didnÆt know what area of it Justin had entered, however, nor did he know where he was going.
Though, even if he had, neither of them had any idea how to get there.
Getting frustrated, Harry continued to shift through the layers of his mind, trying to mind the source of all this damage. Justin had dominated his mind, he knew, but there wasnÆt a prolonged spell like the Imperius restraining his mind, or he would have sensed it by now. But there it was obvious that something had been done to him and if he could find it he could at least cure the disease, even if he could only tend to the symptoms.
It took him a while to notice it amidst the damage; the words like scar tissue in the depths of his mind. The message was simple: To Obey. But though it was simple, it had been planted deep in the mind and spread virulently throughout, until that was all that he thought about or dreamt of. It was a hissing roiling mass of obedience that grew like a tumor in a mind that wanted nothing but to be free.
Harry hissed out a breath at the sight of it.
Something like this wasàgoing to be tricky. To remove something like this painlessly and without causing any damage was almost impossible; it really was like a tumor. Removing it would take care and a gentle hand and a surgical knife.
The easiest way to get rid of it would be a simple Memory Charmùbut it would have to be applied to pretty much everything the invasive thought had touched, less it take root again. It would certainly work, but he wasnÆt sure how much would be left when he was done. It would all depend on what Justin had focused on, but it was possible heÆd have to cut out entire years or more, considering the damage.
That was the last resort, for obvious reasons. It was better than letting the damage continue to grow until it drove him insane, but it was hardly a desirable option.
But if he did want that to happen, he was going to have to do it the hard way. The idea Justin had put it his head was like a weed; if he wanted to get rid of itùand wanted it to stay goneùhe was going to have to take it out by the root. It would take time, but more than that, it was going to hurt.
Harry hesitated for a moment. He didnÆt know how to pursue Justin, so, for the moment, he couldnÆt rescue Elaine. His best bet at the moment was to find this æWhite Council,Æ who apparently hunted people like Justin and ask them for helpàbut he had no idea who they were or where he could find them. He didnÆt doubt his ability to find out, given time, but time was running out. Elaine wasnÆt as damaged as Dresden was, but he had no way of knowing how long that would last.
But for the moment, this was the only thing he could do.
Extracting himself from the boyÆs mind for a moment, Harry sighed and reached into his pocket.
ôIÆm afraid I must apologize, because this is going to hurt a great deal,ö He said gravely. ôI promise, however, that I will do all I can to minimize the pain and you will not be alone through this.ö
Taking out the Resurrection Stone, he turned it over three times.
ôMalcolm and Margaret Dresden, was it?ö
Humm. I do like the revised scene better. One comment is this - Harry seems to give up too easily on following Justin - shouldn't he attempt some sort of magic solution? I mean I would think there would be some way to check for magic residue, attempt tracking charms, etc. I know we don't see that much of magical analysis in canon, but there are other things he can do to get a hold of Justin. Hell, he can put a taboo on Dresden's name - we know that at least is possible. It's not so much that he should immediately set out after Justin, but more that he thinks that there isn't anything else he can do.
Figuring out the local situation is probably the most effective next step, but it's not his only option. Not to mention the train & it's conductor.
Figuring out the local situation is probably the most effective next step, but it's not his only option. Not to mention the train & it's conductor.
If Harry is still around by the time that Rowling starts writing the Harry Potter series, I have to wonder how many times the White Council and other powers that Harry might have encountered by that point are going to be sending agents to find out how Harry is influencing her to write what they probably view as a massive piece of propaganda.
He knew it worked instantly, just by the sound, as their frail bodies shifted on the debris scattered floor of the ruined house. He lifted his eyes to find them standing protectively on either side of the boy, neither ghost nor truly flesh. Less substantial then actual people but much more so then ghosts, they stood; souls nearly made solid.
The man, Malcolm, was a tall, thin man with dark hair and steady blue eyes. He was young, younger then he probably had been when heÆd died, wearing worn jeans and boots. He wore a jacket over his red and white flannel shirt. He lookedàvery ordinary.
The woman was not. She was a tall woman, around six feet, in a royal blue dress. Her hair was dark, as were her eyes, and her face was sharp. While he wouldnÆt say she was exactly pretty, she was definitely striking.
The manÆs eyes held a wealth of emotion for the boy at his feet and they swirled within his eyesùlove, pain, sorrow, and more. There was as much love and pain as any father could have in this situation, but he kept it controlled, in a way. Held back, for the boyÆs sake.
Or, perhaps, for the womanÆs.
The same emotions were in her eyesùthe same thoughts and the same feelings and all the love of a parent. He would not say it was any more or any less then the fatherÆs, even.
But it was not controlled in the slightest.
It blazed freely, a fire in her eyes, unconstrained and unhindered, to the point that Harry worried that it might burn her. If she was alive, she would have torn apart the ones whoÆd done this, or else die trying. She would have fallen into madness, if sheÆd had too, and to murder and torture and more. Her anger wouldnÆt be constrained by morals, laws, or danger and she would go to any lengths necessary to accomplish what she felt needed to be done.
Harry admired that, too a point. He respected that type of resolve and power; love at its most beautiful and most frightening. But he also thought that she might have been more than a bit crazy, to have eyes like that. Perhaps not the ranting, raving madness of the insane, but the dangerous madness that that could see what was wrong, understand what was wrong, and do it anyway, if it felt it had need too.
But then, heÆd been that way more than once himself, when dark wizards had tried to strike at him through the people he loved. He stared back at her calmly, un-intimidated.
ôI know you, Outsider,ö She said, surprising him.
ôDo you?ö He asked, blinking. ôIÆm afraid I cannot say the same, nor see how that is possible.ö
She narrowed her eyes at him angrily.
ôWe have met before,ö She said. ôDo not tell me you have forgotten what you did!ö
Harry narrowed his eyes at her considering that statement for a moment.
ôPerhaps not forgotten.ö He mused under his breath. ôMaybe I simply havenÆt gotten to that point in my futureùor your pastùyet.ö
He shook his head, quickly.
ôRegardless, say no more. If this is what I think it is, then telling me anything else could cause a time paradox. Instead of worrying about our potential pasts and futures, letÆs focus on our mutual present.ö
All expression fell from his face.
ôI take it you know what has happened to your son, then, Margaret Dresden?ö
ôWe know,ö Malcolm said, hand on his sonÆs face. ôWe saw it all and couldnÆt do a thing.ö
There was anger in his tone, but it wasnÆt directed at him.
Malcolm Dresden blamed himself.
MargaretÆs expression faltered as she reached out to place a hand on her husbandÆs shoulder, but she hesitated, looking at him uncertainly.
ôI can save him.ö Harry said, making both of their headÆs snap towards him. Malcolm opened his mouth, but Margaret touched his shoulder drawing his attention for a moment. She caught his eyes for a moment and apparently that was enough.
ôAt what cost?ö Margaret demanded, apparently taking to role of negotiator. The tone of her voice made it obvious that she was the one who would pay any debts.
ôFree of charge.ö Harry stated flatly.
ôNothing is ever free.ö
Harry looked at her, wondering what type of life sheÆd lived to say those words with such conviction.
ôIf that is what you believe,ö He began. ôThen should we meet again, we shall discuss the matter. But do you think now is the time?ö
MargaretÆs eyes widened in realization before she smiled bitterly.
ôVery well then,ö She said. ôShall we consider my debt to you already paid, then?ö
Harry wondered what that meant, but couldnÆt risk questioning it, because it may well be knowledge from his future that he wasnÆt meant to know.
God, he hated time travel. It was always like this.
ôVery well,ö He said, swallowing a sigh. ôMalcolm and Margaret Dresden, stay with your son while I repair his mind.ö
The pair of them nodded in unison and an effort of will was all it took to make them visible to others.
And then Harry fell into the depths of a broken boyÆs mind.
The man, Malcolm, was a tall, thin man with dark hair and steady blue eyes. He was young, younger then he probably had been when heÆd died, wearing worn jeans and boots. He wore a jacket over his red and white flannel shirt. He lookedàvery ordinary.
The woman was not. She was a tall woman, around six feet, in a royal blue dress. Her hair was dark, as were her eyes, and her face was sharp. While he wouldnÆt say she was exactly pretty, she was definitely striking.
The manÆs eyes held a wealth of emotion for the boy at his feet and they swirled within his eyesùlove, pain, sorrow, and more. There was as much love and pain as any father could have in this situation, but he kept it controlled, in a way. Held back, for the boyÆs sake.
Or, perhaps, for the womanÆs.
The same emotions were in her eyesùthe same thoughts and the same feelings and all the love of a parent. He would not say it was any more or any less then the fatherÆs, even.
But it was not controlled in the slightest.
It blazed freely, a fire in her eyes, unconstrained and unhindered, to the point that Harry worried that it might burn her. If she was alive, she would have torn apart the ones whoÆd done this, or else die trying. She would have fallen into madness, if sheÆd had too, and to murder and torture and more. Her anger wouldnÆt be constrained by morals, laws, or danger and she would go to any lengths necessary to accomplish what she felt needed to be done.
Harry admired that, too a point. He respected that type of resolve and power; love at its most beautiful and most frightening. But he also thought that she might have been more than a bit crazy, to have eyes like that. Perhaps not the ranting, raving madness of the insane, but the dangerous madness that that could see what was wrong, understand what was wrong, and do it anyway, if it felt it had need too.
But then, heÆd been that way more than once himself, when dark wizards had tried to strike at him through the people he loved. He stared back at her calmly, un-intimidated.
ôI know you, Outsider,ö She said, surprising him.
ôDo you?ö He asked, blinking. ôIÆm afraid I cannot say the same, nor see how that is possible.ö
She narrowed her eyes at him angrily.
ôWe have met before,ö She said. ôDo not tell me you have forgotten what you did!ö
Harry narrowed his eyes at her considering that statement for a moment.
ôPerhaps not forgotten.ö He mused under his breath. ôMaybe I simply havenÆt gotten to that point in my futureùor your pastùyet.ö
He shook his head, quickly.
ôRegardless, say no more. If this is what I think it is, then telling me anything else could cause a time paradox. Instead of worrying about our potential pasts and futures, letÆs focus on our mutual present.ö
All expression fell from his face.
ôI take it you know what has happened to your son, then, Margaret Dresden?ö
ôWe know,ö Malcolm said, hand on his sonÆs face. ôWe saw it all and couldnÆt do a thing.ö
There was anger in his tone, but it wasnÆt directed at him.
Malcolm Dresden blamed himself.
MargaretÆs expression faltered as she reached out to place a hand on her husbandÆs shoulder, but she hesitated, looking at him uncertainly.
ôI can save him.ö Harry said, making both of their headÆs snap towards him. Malcolm opened his mouth, but Margaret touched his shoulder drawing his attention for a moment. She caught his eyes for a moment and apparently that was enough.
ôAt what cost?ö Margaret demanded, apparently taking to role of negotiator. The tone of her voice made it obvious that she was the one who would pay any debts.
ôFree of charge.ö Harry stated flatly.
ôNothing is ever free.ö
Harry looked at her, wondering what type of life sheÆd lived to say those words with such conviction.
ôIf that is what you believe,ö He began. ôThen should we meet again, we shall discuss the matter. But do you think now is the time?ö
MargaretÆs eyes widened in realization before she smiled bitterly.
ôVery well then,ö She said. ôShall we consider my debt to you already paid, then?ö
Harry wondered what that meant, but couldnÆt risk questioning it, because it may well be knowledge from his future that he wasnÆt meant to know.
God, he hated time travel. It was always like this.
ôVery well,ö He said, swallowing a sigh. ôMalcolm and Margaret Dresden, stay with your son while I repair his mind.ö
The pair of them nodded in unison and an effort of will was all it took to make them visible to others.
And then Harry fell into the depths of a broken boyÆs mind.
Even if JustinÆs commands were like weeds, it wasnÆt as simple as pulling them out of the ground, because the ground in this case was a poor boyÆs mind. Tearing it out would cause even more damage and pain, even if it would remove the compulsion.
He had to be more careful then that. More precise. Causing damage was inevitable, but he had to choose exactly where to cut, what to remove.
Part of it was like cutting with a scalpel and part of it was like untangling knots. At times, it was like taking apart a wall piece by careful pieces, but sometimes it was like a battle between armies as he either tried to attack or defend certain positions. He had to keep it from spreading even as he pushed it back, even as he get the traps and fail-safes put in the boyÆs mind from harming either of them.
It wasnÆt easy, especially while he could still hear said boy screaming in the background. If this was a physical operation, he could have dulled the painùbut it wasnÆt the entire thing was literally all in his head. He wasnÆt doing anything that would actually affect his nervous system and there werenÆt any nerves in the brain in the first place.
Even he wasnÆt sure why it caused pain, then. There was a reason why the Mind had its own places in the Department of Mysteries; not even wizards could say for sure exactly how it worked, especially in regards to the soul, which they also didnÆt truly understand. Legilimency was a way to navigate and interpret it, but that didnÆt mean he knew everything about it.
All he knew is that it was hurting the boy. Worse, he couldnÆt let himself move faster, for fear of making a mistake in his haste.
All he could do was blot out the screams while he pried the foreign influences from the boyÆs mind. He finished one section and immediately moved on to the next, again and again.
Wrapped up in his work, he wasnÆt sure how long heÆd worked before he reached the endùprobably not all that long. He silently unraveled the last stain until it was something so basic and formless that it could not be used to create an idea, tended with wounds where he could, and quietly left.
He took a deep breath, for a moment enjoying being wholly within himself.
Then he gestured towards the ground, knowing without even looking what would be there. The boyÆs vomit faded from existence immediately and he knelt by his side, lifting his trembling face with one hand. A wave of his wand erased the tears from his face and he glanced up at the boyÆs parents.
ôThat went better than I expected,ö He admitted, rising.
ôBetter then you expected!?ö Margaret hissed. ôIt sounded like you were torturing him! What did you do!?ö
ôI removed JustinÆs compulsion from his mind and nothing more,ö He assured her. ôYou have my word on that.ö
She opened her mouth to say something scathing, but Malcolm put a hand on her shoulder, nodding at his son.
Harry Dresden looked up at the shades of his parents with barely seeing eyes, expression dizzied and almost drunken.
ôD-dadà?ö He asked, voice raw from screaming. ôYouÆreàö
ôIÆm here, son.ö Malcolm said, kneeling by his side. ôIÆm here.ö
ôAm Iàdeadà?ö
Malcolm flashed a sudden grin, touching the side of his sonÆs face.
ôNo, Harry. YouÆre still alive.ö
Harry watched quietly, several steps away, not willing to interrupt them.
ôIs there anything that belongs to him in this house?ö He murmured to Margaret. ôIf so, I can still fetch it. Otherwise, I intended to just let the house burn down.ö
ôThereÆs nothing,ö She whispered back. ôOr at least, nothing that wouldnÆt just cause pain.ö
But then she hesitated, drawing his attention away from the reunited father and son.
ôWhat is it?ö He asked.
ôDonÆt you intend to pursue Justin?ö She tried to change the subject.
ôOf course. But I have my own ways of finding people. He will return to this world eventually and I will hunt him down.ö Harry shrugged and opened a hand at her. ôItÆs what I do.ö
ôWhy not simply open a gate into the Nevernever?ö
ôThis is the first I have ever been in this world, from my perspective. I do not know how, if it is indeed possible for me.ö
Margaret hesitated again, debating with herself.
ôAs his mother, I canÆt very well let the girl he loves be dragged away,ö She muttered before raising her voice. ôVery well; there is one this DuMorne has that would be useful to my son; if I tell you where it is, will you bring it to him?ö
ôOf course,ö Harry replied, shrugging easily. ôJust tell me where it is. If you know somewhere safe, IÆll take the boy there, too.ö
ôIn the basement of this house, youÆll probably find a human skull. DuMorne had it, last time weÆd met, at least.ö
ôA skull?ö He asked, raising an eyebrow. ôIÆve seen stranger gifts then human skulls, but may I ask why this particular skull is important?ö
ôDoes it matter?ö Margaret demanded. Harry shrugged and shook his head, but silently decided to take a look at it when he found it. ôIf you find it and give it to my son, IÆll make a deal with you.ö
Harry silently let his eyebrow rise a bit higher.
ôI know how to get to the Nevernever,ö She said. ôAnd I can guide you through it as well. Give my son the skull and IÆll guide you to Justin DuMorne.ö
ôàö Harry looked at her for a silent second.
And then he was in the basement.
He had to be more careful then that. More precise. Causing damage was inevitable, but he had to choose exactly where to cut, what to remove.
Part of it was like cutting with a scalpel and part of it was like untangling knots. At times, it was like taking apart a wall piece by careful pieces, but sometimes it was like a battle between armies as he either tried to attack or defend certain positions. He had to keep it from spreading even as he pushed it back, even as he get the traps and fail-safes put in the boyÆs mind from harming either of them.
It wasnÆt easy, especially while he could still hear said boy screaming in the background. If this was a physical operation, he could have dulled the painùbut it wasnÆt the entire thing was literally all in his head. He wasnÆt doing anything that would actually affect his nervous system and there werenÆt any nerves in the brain in the first place.
Even he wasnÆt sure why it caused pain, then. There was a reason why the Mind had its own places in the Department of Mysteries; not even wizards could say for sure exactly how it worked, especially in regards to the soul, which they also didnÆt truly understand. Legilimency was a way to navigate and interpret it, but that didnÆt mean he knew everything about it.
All he knew is that it was hurting the boy. Worse, he couldnÆt let himself move faster, for fear of making a mistake in his haste.
All he could do was blot out the screams while he pried the foreign influences from the boyÆs mind. He finished one section and immediately moved on to the next, again and again.
Wrapped up in his work, he wasnÆt sure how long heÆd worked before he reached the endùprobably not all that long. He silently unraveled the last stain until it was something so basic and formless that it could not be used to create an idea, tended with wounds where he could, and quietly left.
He took a deep breath, for a moment enjoying being wholly within himself.
Then he gestured towards the ground, knowing without even looking what would be there. The boyÆs vomit faded from existence immediately and he knelt by his side, lifting his trembling face with one hand. A wave of his wand erased the tears from his face and he glanced up at the boyÆs parents.
ôThat went better than I expected,ö He admitted, rising.
ôBetter then you expected!?ö Margaret hissed. ôIt sounded like you were torturing him! What did you do!?ö
ôI removed JustinÆs compulsion from his mind and nothing more,ö He assured her. ôYou have my word on that.ö
She opened her mouth to say something scathing, but Malcolm put a hand on her shoulder, nodding at his son.
Harry Dresden looked up at the shades of his parents with barely seeing eyes, expression dizzied and almost drunken.
ôD-dadà?ö He asked, voice raw from screaming. ôYouÆreàö
ôIÆm here, son.ö Malcolm said, kneeling by his side. ôIÆm here.ö
ôAm Iàdeadà?ö
Malcolm flashed a sudden grin, touching the side of his sonÆs face.
ôNo, Harry. YouÆre still alive.ö
Harry watched quietly, several steps away, not willing to interrupt them.
ôIs there anything that belongs to him in this house?ö He murmured to Margaret. ôIf so, I can still fetch it. Otherwise, I intended to just let the house burn down.ö
ôThereÆs nothing,ö She whispered back. ôOr at least, nothing that wouldnÆt just cause pain.ö
But then she hesitated, drawing his attention away from the reunited father and son.
ôWhat is it?ö He asked.
ôDonÆt you intend to pursue Justin?ö She tried to change the subject.
ôOf course. But I have my own ways of finding people. He will return to this world eventually and I will hunt him down.ö Harry shrugged and opened a hand at her. ôItÆs what I do.ö
ôWhy not simply open a gate into the Nevernever?ö
ôThis is the first I have ever been in this world, from my perspective. I do not know how, if it is indeed possible for me.ö
Margaret hesitated again, debating with herself.
ôAs his mother, I canÆt very well let the girl he loves be dragged away,ö She muttered before raising her voice. ôVery well; there is one this DuMorne has that would be useful to my son; if I tell you where it is, will you bring it to him?ö
ôOf course,ö Harry replied, shrugging easily. ôJust tell me where it is. If you know somewhere safe, IÆll take the boy there, too.ö
ôIn the basement of this house, youÆll probably find a human skull. DuMorne had it, last time weÆd met, at least.ö
ôA skull?ö He asked, raising an eyebrow. ôIÆve seen stranger gifts then human skulls, but may I ask why this particular skull is important?ö
ôDoes it matter?ö Margaret demanded. Harry shrugged and shook his head, but silently decided to take a look at it when he found it. ôIf you find it and give it to my son, IÆll make a deal with you.ö
Harry silently let his eyebrow rise a bit higher.
ôI know how to get to the Nevernever,ö She said. ôAnd I can guide you through it as well. Give my son the skull and IÆll guide you to Justin DuMorne.ö
ôàö Harry looked at her for a silent second.
And then he was in the basement.
XxXXxX
The circle in the center of the room wasnÆt activated, but he made a point of scuffing his feet over it anyway, on general principal. The rest of the basement was fairly ordered, including a number of organized, well marked containers and recipes that Harry assumed were related to potions. He pondered taking them, but glanced over a few of the recipes, blinked, and shook his head at how strange they were, too him.
Maybe the results were similar, but the process was obviously fairly different in this world.
He did a minor glance around for clues, but naturally, there was no letters detailing all of his evil plans or any of his top secret hiding places with convenient notes detailing how to get there, but things like this were rarely ever that simple.
Then he looked at the skull that sat alone on its own shelf.
As he did before picking up any obviously creepy object, he cast a few spells, just to make sure it wouldnÆt kill him or something. On one hand, Margaret honestly seemed to have only her sonÆs wellbeing in mind. But at the same time, he wasnÆt quite sure how the boyÆs wellbeing and his wellbeing and it was pretty obvious they hadnÆt had a very good past/future relationship. Also, even if heÆd saved her son, heÆd done it in such a way that could misinterpreted as torture.
A suspicious woman and loving mother like Margaret might see the benefit of him picking up a lethally cursed object.
He didnÆt find anythingùwhich didnÆt necessarily mean nothing was thereùexcept traces of some type of magic. Slowly, he reached out to touch it.
Nothing happened.
Relieved and a little let down, he lifted it in one hand and observed it closely. Touching, he could say for sure that is was magical and hadnÆt simply been in close proximity to magic, but he still couldnÆt say for sure what it wasùand he certainly wasnÆt going to give a strange object unknown nature to a child, especially one that had unknown magical properties and had formerly belong to a dark wizard.
Stuff like that had tried to kill him with some frequency, after all.
ôWhat are you?ö He murmured, turning it in every direction in his hands, as if he could reveal all its mysteries by looking at it from different angles.
The skull quivered in his hands.
He frowned at it, considering.
ôCan you hear me?ö He asked, but received no reply.
He pondered it for a moment, before speaking.
ôJustinÆs gone,ö He said. ôAlso, the house is on fire.ö
After a moment, orange lights flickered to life in the skulls eye sockets.
ôYeah?ö It asked.
Harry walked over to the stairs, holding the skull so that it faced up the stairs and could see through open door at the top.
ôOuch,ö It said. ôJustinÆs gonna be pissed. Who are you?ö
ôThe reason he ran.ö
The skull whistled somehow, without having any lips.
ôSo youÆre fishing me out of the rubble? ThatÆs cool.ö It said.
ôDoes this happen to you a lot?ö Harry asked.
ôSorta. ItÆs how Justin got me, too. Soàyou my new boss, then?ö It asked.
ôIÆm afraid not,ö He replied. ôIÆm just fetching you for the boy upstairs.ö
ôHarry?ö It asked, and for a moment he thought it was referring to him, before remembering the boy.
He nodded.
ôYes; his mother asked me to get you for him.ö
The skullÆs candlelight eyes flickered to the left uncertainly.
ôHarryÆs mom is dead,ö It told him.
ôAs is his father,ö Harry said. ôNonetheless, both of them are upstairs right now.ö
ôAre you a Necromancer?ö The skull wondered, sounding kind of worried.
ôI suppose I am, in a way,ö Harry admitted.
It looked at him closely for a long minute.
ôWho are you?ö It asked. ôYou canÆt be with the White Council, but you obviously scared off Justinàbut you werenÆt here to take me. Why are you here, then?ö
Harry shrugged.
ôIÆm here because I was summoned,ö He said.
ôSummoned?ö The eyes of the skull looked at him in confusion, looking him over slowly. ôWhat do youùô
It looked at his shadow. Then back up at his face. Then down to the shadow again for a long moment before snapping up and focusing on his face.
ôOh.ö It said quietly. ôYeah, I can see why Justin would run if he botched your Summon.ö
Harry sighed.
ôAs for who I am,ö He continued. ôIÆmùô
ôThe Master of Death, right? Justin told me he was gonna try summoning you, but I told him not too. I heard about what you did the last time you were summoned. Nasty stuffùer, I mean, nice job with that.ö
ôPlease, donÆt elaborate; from my relative position in time, the chronological past is still my future and I have yet too personally experience is,ö Harry recited. ôTherefore, such knowledge may cause a time paradox, which nobody wants.ö
ôOops. Sorry,ö It said, seeming honestly scared of having angered him.
ôItÆs not a problem,ö He assured it. ôAnd yes, I am the Master of Death, though thatÆs hardly my favorite title. You can just call me Harry Potter, if you want.ö
ôYou got it, boss. Nice human form, by the wayùIÆve never seen one that human before.ö
Harry smiled at it, not sure what to say to that.
ôYou donÆt seem to be cursed or anything, so I suppose youÆre safe enough for a child to possess,ö He mused, preparing to apparate. ôHold on for a moment, please.ö
XxXXxX
The circle in the center of the room wasnÆt activated, but he made a point of scuffing his feet over it anyway, on general principal. The rest of the basement was fairly ordered, including a number of organized, well marked containers and recipes that Harry assumed were related to potions. He pondered taking them, but glanced over a few of the recipes, blinked, and shook his head at how strange they were, too him.
Maybe the results were similar, but the process was obviously fairly different in this world.
He did a minor glance around for clues, but naturally, there was no letters detailing all of his evil plans or any of his top secret hiding places with convenient notes detailing how to get there, but things like this were rarely ever that simple.
Then he looked at the skull that sat alone on its own shelf.
As he did before picking up any obviously creepy object, he cast a few spells, just to make sure it wouldnÆt kill him or something. On one hand, Margaret honestly seemed to have only her sonÆs wellbeing in mind. But at the same time, he wasnÆt quite sure how the boyÆs wellbeing and his wellbeing and it was pretty obvious they hadnÆt had a very good past/future relationship. Also, even if heÆd saved her son, heÆd done it in such a way that could misinterpreted as torture.
A suspicious woman and loving mother like Margaret might see the benefit of him picking up a lethally cursed object.
He didnÆt find anythingùwhich didnÆt necessarily mean nothing was thereùexcept traces of some type of magic. Slowly, he reached out to touch it.
Nothing happened.
Relieved and a little let down, he lifted it in one hand and observed it closely. Touching, he could say for sure that is was magical and hadnÆt simply been in close proximity to magic, but he still couldnÆt say for sure what it wasùand he certainly wasnÆt going to give a strange object unknown nature to a child, especially one that had unknown magical properties and had formerly belong to a dark wizard.
Stuff like that had tried to kill him with some frequency, after all.
ôWhat are you?ö He murmured, turning it in every direction in his hands, as if he could reveal all its mysteries by looking at it from different angles.
The skull quivered in his hands.
He frowned at it, considering.
ôCan you hear me?ö He asked, but received no reply.
He pondered it for a moment, before speaking.
ôJustinÆs gone,ö He said. ôAlso, the house is on fire.ö
After a moment, orange lights flickered to life in the skulls eye sockets.
ôYeah?ö It asked.
Harry walked over to the stairs, holding the skull so that it faced up the stairs and could see through open door at the top.
ôOuch,ö It said. ôJustinÆs gonna be pissed. Who are you?ö
ôThe reason he ran.ö
The skull whistled somehow, without having any lips.
ôSo youÆre fishing me out of the rubble? ThatÆs cool.ö It said.
ôDoes this happen to you a lot?ö Harry asked.
ôSorta. ItÆs how Justin got me, too. Soàyou my new boss, then?ö It asked.
ôIÆm afraid not,ö He replied. ôIÆm just fetching you for the boy upstairs.ö
ôHarry?ö It asked, and for a moment he thought it was referring to him, before remembering the boy.
He nodded.
ôYes; his mother asked me to get you for him.ö
The skullÆs candlelight eyes flickered to the left uncertainly.
ôHarryÆs mom is dead,ö It told him.
ôAs is his father,ö Harry said. ôNonetheless, both of them are upstairs right now.ö
ôAre you a Necromancer?ö The skull wondered, sounding kind of worried.
ôI suppose I am, in a way,ö Harry admitted.
It looked at him closely for a long minute.
ôWho are you?ö It asked. ôYou canÆt be with the White Council, but you obviously scared off Justinàbut you werenÆt here to take me. Why are you here, then?ö
Harry shrugged.
ôIÆm here because I was summoned,ö He said.
ôSummoned?ö The eyes of the skull looked at him in confusion, looking him over slowly. ôWhat do youùô
It looked at his shadow. Then back up at his face. Then down to the shadow again for a long moment before snapping up and focusing on his face.
ôOh.ö It said quietly. ôYeah, I can see why Justin would run if he botched your Summon.ö
Harry sighed.
ôAs for who I am,ö He continued. ôIÆmùô
ôThe Master of Death, right? Justin told me he was gonna try summoning you, but I told him not too. I heard about what you did the last time you were summoned. Nasty stuffùer, I mean, nice job with that.ö
ôPlease, donÆt elaborate; from my relative position in time, the chronological past is still my future and I have yet too personally experience is,ö Harry recited. ôTherefore, such knowledge may cause a time paradox, which nobody wants.ö
ôOops. Sorry,ö It said, seeming honestly scared of having angered him.
ôItÆs not a problem,ö He assured it. ôAnd yes, I am the Master of Death, though thatÆs hardly my favorite title. You can just call me Harry Potter, if you want.ö
ôYou got it, boss. Nice human form, by the wayùIÆve never seen one that human before.ö
Harry smiled at it, not sure what to say to that.
ôYou donÆt seem to be cursed or anything, so I suppose youÆre safe enough for a child to possess,ö He mused, preparing to apparate. ôHold on for a moment, please.ö
XxXXxX