The pace of war
The glimmering semi shine from the half hidden moon lit up a short narrow street consisting of neatly trimmed gardens and street lamps so old, the orange lights lit up the rust trickling all over it. The moon slowly rose, illuminating more of the street where a small man stood staring up blankly at the darkened sky.
Behind him however, out of the thin night air, three people appeared. "Harry" the redheaded man called accompanied by two women. One had shoulder length mousey hair while the other had the same coloured hair he did. "What you three doing here?" Harry pondered smiling broadly. "Well, myself and Hermione wanted to help" Ron smiled. "Then Ginny here" he looked at the shortest girl with red hair. "You don't expect you to do this by yourselves do you?" she approached Harry and kissed his cheek. "We're all here to help in anyway we can Harry".
"Very well, I have tracked some of his followers to two regions, Wales and France" Harry breathed now taking out a piece of parchment and his wand. "You wanna split?" Ron asked Harry. "No" Harry added tapping the parchment with one firm tap. Harry then went into a whisper. "We're being followed" said Harry. "What? Deatheaters?" Hermione quickly jumped in. "No, Aurors" he laughed. "Redski! Conner! Lewis! Jacobs!" Harry called, then each became visible. "I warned the minister once already, i told him i'll handle it now go" Harry demanded. Shock sprung over each of their faces where Harry remained firm with his decision. "Tell him im with friends instead, sure he'll understand, please leave us".
At the mention of this, each of them disappeared. "I'm coming too Potter". At the mention of this, Harry and the group jumped, with Ron letting out a small scream. Standing behind Harry was someone he least expected. This man was tall and slender, with sleek, silverfish blonde hair and cold grey eyes. "Draco?" Harry was surprised as was the group. "Put your wand down Potter, i'm coming with you to...to try and take down the dark lord" Draco swallowed. "Your a deatheater" Harry continued pointing the wand at him. "He's destroying my family" Malfoy began rubbing the dark mark on his arm.
"Harry, you can't trust Malfoy" Ron bellowed. The anger was swirling within Malfoys eyes, not because of Ron's comment, but the fact that he knows that he, himself, cannot take down voldemort by himself, thus needing Harry's help. "Weasley shut that trap" Malfoy blasted. "What is it potter?" Harry paused looking at Ginny shaking her head. "How do I know you won't hex me when my back is turned?" Harry eyed him. "As much as I hate you Potter, he needs to be stopped. It's drawing my mum-" Malfoy stopped wiping a small trickle from his watery eye. "We going or what?" his voice was lower than normal. "yes" Harry sighed with a shocked expression from the group. "You guys will go to Wales" Harry looked at Ron, Hermione and Ginny. "Come on Malfoy, we're off to France" Harry finshed. "You'll tell me everything i need to know Draco" finished Harry.
"Portus" Hermione shouted at a football and Ron's shoe. "See you soon Harry" Hermione glanced at Malfoy. "Yeah, in one piece" Ginny gave him an angry smile as well as Draco. Nevertheless, she held onto the shoe with Hermione until lastly Ron did the same. The three of them disappeared at once. "Ready?" Harry glimpsed over at Draco to which he hesitated then proceeded. They both held onto the football and they disappeared at once.
*
After the horrible sensation was flowing through their bodies, feeling as if every inch of their body were being twisted they all landed with a thud onto a patch of fresh clean grass panting as they got to their feet. "You think Harry would be ok with Draco?" a concerned Ginny began to speak. "Course he is" Hermione immediately replied. "Harry gave me the location of a deatheater, Rimski". As they all climbed from the field and onto a stretch of a path until they glimpsed up at where the Millennium Stadium stood. "He's in there?" Ginny gasped. "But there's a game on of..." Ron began. "Rugby Ron" Hermione helped. "How we gonna find him in there?" Both Ginny and Hermione exchanged nervous glances. "Well we can't wait here, let's go" Hermione sighed. As the trio approached the gates, they were asked to leave by the guard. "Move over" Ron attempted to push through. "Sleep" Hermione smiled, taking a simple wave of her wand to which the man fell, snoring loud and rapidly. The group clambered over him and into the stadium.
"Hermione?" a voice yelled from behind. "Oh my god" her hands clasped over her mouth. "Adams?" she walked to him throwing him into a hug much to Ron's dismay. "How are you?" she smiled. "Great! Except you put one of my dad's workers to sleep" he continued. "Didn't know you were a witch" Adams added clearly, not showing any shock. "You know about witches?" Ginny now peered over Hermiones shoulder. "Let me guess...Hogwarts?" Adams smiled. "How you know about Hogwarts?" Ron surprisingly stated. "I had a letter. But like all men in my bloodline, I went to Durmstrang". "What you doing in Wales?" he glimpsed at all three of them. "Looking for someone" Ron squinted. Hermione gave a small glare at Ron and then returned to face Adams. "So, Chris? What you doing here?" she smiled. But as they all chatted one man emerged from the south set of steps and past their position.
"I'm here for him" Chris spoke looking at the man entering the bathroom. "Sakalev Rimski" Chris spat out. "What he done wrong?" Ginny pondered. "Deatheater, killed my headmaster, Igor Karkaroff" said Chris. "We were sent here to find a deatheater as well" Hermione smiled. "That must be him then" Ron began moving. "Stop" Chris' arm swung out. "Karkaroff was a deatheater, to which he trained certain Durmstrang students to follow You-Know-Who" he gulped "but the ministry found out and they took chase after him but as it turned out so was the deatheaters". "i've remained here as a certain wizard, Harry Potter, told me to await his friends who has experience in this field of work". "That's us dopey" Hermione laughed. "Why you keep flirting?" he whispered to Hermione who pushed him away. "Why she flirting?" he then turned to Ginny.
Suddenly the four split up, Ron and Ginny would attack from behind and Chris and Hermione in front. The bathroom door opened and the man paused. "Sakalev Rimski, by order of the ministry of magic, I am asking you to come quietly" Chris held up his wand. "YOU WISH" the man shouted taking out his wand. "AVADA KEDAVRA" the man bellowed and a shot of green light shot towards Chris who just in time jumped out of the way. Instead the beam of energy continued and a man ran to see what the commotion was about. "Lookout" Chris shouted but the energy hit the man killing him instantly.
"Duro" Chris quietly spoke illuminating his tip with a brownish red colouring. Then from the tip, in an almost straight path, the spell released from the path and straight at the deatheater, turning him to stone. "What you doing?" Hermione gasped. "Wingardium Leviosa" Chris muttered at the statue now moving into the boys bathroom where the group followed. He placed his wand into his hand and spoke quietly "Orud". The man slowly began turning back to normal. "Orud? I never heard of Orud" Hermione questioned him. "It's a spell i created, couldn't think of the counter spell so I said duro backwards to cancel the spell". Hermione took out her wand and aimed it at Sakalev. "Ok, let me think of that spell..." she closed her eyes. "CRUCIO". Hermione opened her eyes in horror when she saw the deatheater panting. Horror struck Ron and Ginny's face also. "Where's Voldemort" Chris stopped the spell. "Fiery temper, you should join us" the deatheater laughed. "He killed Karkaroff" an angry expression flew on Chris's face.
"You think the Dark Lord killed Karkaroff?" Sakalev spoke at once. "The Dark Lord never tends to a waste of space like that man, plus he has people like us to tend his deeds while he returned to power". "Yes i worked that out a long time ago, but You-Know-Who, your leader, deserves what will be coming to him after I've killed every one of you scum". Chris's face reddened. "May I just ask? Do your friends know that you have a Dark Mark of your own?" the deatheater asked as he saw the faces on Hermione, Ron and Ginny. "Tell me where Voldemort is" Chris began once more. "CRUCIO" he blasted and the man fell into pain once more screaming. "In Paris" the man revealed. "Paris? Thats where Harry and Draco are heading" Ginny looked horrified as did Ron. "Is it true? About the Dark Mark?" Hermione changed subject taking a few steps backwards from him. He slowly lifted up his left sleeve revealing the place where the Dark Mark laid.
"It's not what you think Hermione" Chris quickly added. "I was blackmailed. I went home on Christmas in my third year where a crazy black frizzy haired deatheater was holding a wand to my mum. They told me, in order to save her life; I had to be branded with the mark because i'm a pure-blood wizard. I then found out that months later, a part of him went into my body" Chris looked to the ground. "What a bunch of-" Ron stopped as Hermione glared at him for one moment. "You seriously aren't considering that he is telling the truth? You-know-who only gives out the Dark Mark to people who he trusts". Ginny stood next to Ron agreeing what is being said but Hermione paced closer to Chris who tried putting on a happy face but it seemed to difficult. "Him" Chris pointed to Sakalev. "Was one of the ones who...attacked me" Chris gulped. Taking advantage of the emotional speech, Sakalev arose. "Stupify" the deatheater exploded throwing Chris backwards into one of the toilet stall doors. Hermione at once ran over to him. "Expelliarm-" but before Ginny had a chance, the deatheater disappeared surrounded by thick black smoke.
"Damn it" Ron clutched his fist hitting the wall. "We need to go to St Mungo's now" Hermione looked at Ron and Ginny. "But nothing is broken" Ron surveyed his hand. "Not you, him" Hermione looked down at Chris. "He's sporting the dark mark, Hermione."Ron argued his case but Hermione got angry. "Just go Ron" Hermione began filling up. "But Hermione" he began. "GO" she yelled. "I just hope you know what your doing" Ron turned and stormed off followed by Ginny. "I cant believe-" Ron began bursting. "Errr Ron" Ginny tugged on his jumper. As Ron turned, there standing next to a close bridge was Sakalev. "Incarcerous" the deatheater screamed and ropes flew around Ginny. "Get off her" Ron bellowed trying to free Ginny. "Immobilus". Ron felt a sharp pain then slowly his body was stiffening coming to a halt. The deatheater paced in arms reach of Ron smiling and then down at Ginny. "Come with me now witch or this boy here dies" the deatheater chuckled. "No" she squirmed. "Ok fine. AVADA KEDAV". "FINE" she cried. She could see Rons eyes following her with tears beginning to fall. Then all of a sudden, they both disappeared and the spell immediately stopped.
*
"So where to now, Potter?" Draco scanned the area scratching his Dark Mark. "What you doing?" Harry looked on. "Nothing. You sure it's here?" Draco glared at him. They both began walking down a never ending road until Harry reached into is pocket. He then pulled out his wand and with a flick, acted like a compass. "Ok. We keep going North". Harry sighed catching something in the corner of his eye. Harry then suddenly felt that he was being watched which was confirmed by a squirming Draco. "I think we're being followed". At the sound of this, Harry grabbed Draco's robes and immediately set into a fast pace of running where the pair spun around and saw what looked like dogs chasing them. "I think they're werewolves" Draco panted. "I can't die here, not with Potter" Draco began shouting. "You wont die" Harry reassured him. Then suddenly as they turned left, they were met by a lake. "We have to jump in" said Harry. "What?" Draco gulped. "Jump" Harry smiled. He then pushed in Draco where he fell in a few meters and then he followed. Beneath the water, Harry saw Draco looking at him with an angry experession on his face which now was surrounded by a bubble.
Harry muttered a small spell which made a bubble also appear around his head allowing him to breathe. "That way" Harry began, swimming down into the lower depths of the lake which Draco followed. "Voldemort was in league with werewolves?" Harry slowed so Draco came alongside."Course he did, father always had them come and go in the mansion but always locked them up in the basement". After an hour, Harry pointed upwards where he slowly swam to the surface, as did Draco.
"There" Harry pointed, looking up at a century old half worn castle and then to a horrified Draco. Harry looked around his surroundings where buildings stood around the castle possibly once used as a lookout point. "What's wrong?" Harry glimpsed over. "That's where i had the mark" Draco gulped. "The Dark Lord has people higher up than deatheaters, and they dwell in that castle" Draco looked on. "look-" Harry paused when he noticed a man dragging a red headed woman across the grounds. "Ginny" Harry gasped, turning around where Malfoy once stood.
"You" a deep voice roared startling Harry. At once, Harry slowly flattened his hair hiding the scar and then he turned. "Potter?" the man laughed "What would the Dark Lord say when I hand him Harry Potter?" the man spoke happily. "I'll be the one who'll hand him over, Greyback. Since i was the one who brought Potter here" Draco emerged behind one of the buildings holding up his wand. Harry slowly took out his wand once more shouting. "Stupify". As the jet of red burst towards Greyback, he flicked his wand to which the spell reflected, missing Harry by centimetres. "Mr Potter trying to take me out?" Greyback roared with laughter. "It's not me who will take you down" Harry looked at Draco who released a burst of emerald energy, hitting Greyback square in the back. "Thanks for that" Harry smiled. "I didn't do it for you, I need you Potter" Draco paced on. "Hold on a minute" Harry held out his arm, stopping Draco. At that moment, three dementors glided up into the air from the centre of the castle where they began flying towards the pair.
"I think they know we're here" Harry looked at Draco who looked back in horror. "We're in for a fight" and Harry looked on.