Continuation of the Story "What Happened Next?" By the user Hagger10. I read the story when I was about 12 a few months after I had finished Deathly Hallows and followed it for a few years, but fell off. I found it recently after all these years and noticed He/She had written 171 chapters and hadn't finished, and I had rather liked the story and characters, more so than the "canon cursed child" so I decided to use the foreshadowing and plot and continue and finish the story to the best of my ability. My writing style differs a little to that of Hagger10's but I think it will still be very enjoyable. So here it goes! Disclaiming Harry Potter and what happened next? up until this point!
Chapter 172: James
Chapter 172 James
I was walking amongst the crowd that was celebrating with drinks and good laughs. I was disguised, along with Ray, Teddy, Uncle Charlie, Todd, Freddie, Stewart Ackerly, Mr Thomas ( who had joined after the birth of his grandson and realizing the danger his family was in, as well as having an abscido son) and Albus, in muggle clothing, All wearing shirts with some form of green on them. It was St Patrick's Day , and we were in a suburban muggle square outside of London, waiting, watching, all while simultaneously blending in and acting like we were partaking in the celebration along with the muggles.
Nothing serious has happened since the attack on grandum Molly, bedsides a void in the family and the order that couldn't be filled despite everyone's efforts to stay positive and focus on the task at hand, taking down this dark, monstrous group that seemed to be slowly strengthening their grip on the wizard of and muggle world alike. Christmas that year was held at Mum and Dads house, having it at the burrow would have been entirely too painful. The food and forced cheerfulness in conversation couldn't fill the void of not having Molly Weasley in attendance either.
One good thing that came of this was that all members of the order and their family and friends were now living together, I was in Grimmauld place, the ancestral home of my other namesake namesake, Sirius, with a bunch of other members. Although privacy was at a minimum, the feeling of safety and being around friends and family with the same goal was slightly uplifting. Along with this, the younger members of the order, most of our friends and cousins, were being taught by my father, Uncle Bill, and Kingsley more advanced spells and dueling skills to be more prepared for the ongoing war. All of us never felt more ready, still scared, but ready, and frankly after grandmums death, almost eager to show the abscidos our newfound skills.
Back to the subject at hand. We were circling whilst blending in with the crowd, looking for any known abscidos or suspicious activity, Zach had tipped us off this attack was basically a sure thing. We had all distorted our features to not give ourselves away and kept buying drinks to not draw attention and have people ask us why we weren't celebrating the right way. We all would buy a drink and silently transfigure the alcohol to water. We all wore a different pin that only we could see to distinguish each other, Aunt hermione had made us look almost unrecognizable.
I saw a man with long dirty blonde hair and a goatee, wearing a leprechaun pin that seemed to be moving on it's own. I alone recognized this as my brother, Albus Severus Potter. He saw me, looked as if he was trying to figure out who the hell i was for a second, and then realization dawned on him. He mouthed to me "see anything yet? " I shook my head confirming I hadn't. He gave me a look that confirmed he was in the same boat, we nodded and continued to roam, eyes peeled, hand itching to grab my wand from my sleeve at a moments notice.
It had been two hours since the start of our recognizance, and I continued walking for another half hour. I let out a chuckle as I passed by a man I recognized as Freddie cheering on a group of what looked like muggle college students chugging beer as quick as they could. He saw me and winked. How I wished we didn't have to pretend to drink, we should be with these kids our age, not caring about the consequences of chugging alcohol entirely too quick, being with our friends and loved ones without a worry...
And that's when I noticed something, or someone, with a look as if waiting for the right time, or a signal. It took me a moment to recognize the ex boyfriend of my little sister, Tad Ellerby, known abscido, in the midst of the crowd, he was looking to a window in a nearby building and I saw the shadow of a figure hold up his or her hand as if to say not yet, and the figure disappeared. He looked forward with a determined look and began to move through the crowd.
I went to grab my fake galleon we had been using to relay messages, but if i had sent the message I would have lost him. As stealthily as I could, I followed, making sure to keep my distance. He was careful not to draw attention to himself, smoothly gliding amongst the crowd, giving the occasional cheers if he had to, blending in as seamlessly as we had, looking nothing like the shy, stuttering boy Lily had dated those few years ago. What had driven him to fake it amongst these muggles knowing, if the plan was executed to perfection, they'd all be dead with him and those other monster abscidos standing over them, being the cause?
Those thoughts left my head when I saw him stop again after about fifteen minutes of silently marking him, he looked, to another building, and there was the dark figure again, masked. With a stomach wrenching feeling I realized he hadn't given him the hold off gesture at this point, but curtly and unmistakably gave a small nod. Tads emotionless face split into a small, wicked grin. I went to draw my wand when I felt something poke me in the back. "Oh no you don't, order scum, hope you're not the only one they sent, we'll be glad to include you in the body pile."
I slackened the grip on my wand knowing if i made even a millimeter of a move, I was finished. The unmistakable voice of my old school rival, Barry Theodore, whispered those words in my ear with his wand poking my back so hard I knew it would bruise. I knew he didn't know who I was or he most likely would've silently killed me on the spot, but I think he intended to make me watch the first muggle go down, or maybe the first several. Tad looked over at Barry confused as to why he was so close to this random man, but Barry must've mouthed or signaled to let him know why, and his grin grew wider. He drew his wand and my heart was beating, my brain about to shut down as I was planning how in the world I could dispatch these two murderers with none of my family/order members in sight. "Fuck it if I die I die and hopefully get remembered " I thought. With no other option in sight I yelled as loudly as I could "OI! HES GOT A GUN!"
That did the trick. People started running in every direction. "Avada Kedav-" I heard Barry begin as I threw my elbow back as hard as I could. I felt Barry's nose crunch under the force of my elbow and i drew my wand, "Stupefy!" I yelled as I wheeled around towards Barry, he was holding his nose and then knocked out cold. "Incarcerous!" Ropes bound themselves around him as I quickly turned back the original way to face Tad. To my hearts relief he was locked in combat with another order member, who I recognized as Freddie.
Muggles were running in every direction. I saw flashes of red and green, and the unmistakable sound of multiple shield charms being hastily made around the running muggles. I was trying to direct them to what we had planned as the quickest way to escape. A flash of green shot by my ear and caused a beer stand to explode to my right. I wheeled around to find a masked abscido sprinting towards me, firing spell after spell. I ducked and then hastily shouted "protego!" The shield charm caused the spell to bounce back at the vile man. "Nonverbal James nonverbal, it gives you a split second advantage" I heard my dads voice in my head.
I engaged the abscido in combat. We shot spell after spell at eachother, Full body bind by me, blocked, some sort of hex by him, I dodged it, killing curse by him, narrowly dodged again, leg locker by me, Yes! I had shot it right as i dodged the killer he sent and it was too quick for him. He stumbled around and i disarmed him. His wand went flying along with his mask, or should I say her...Albus's ex-girlfriend, Baina stood in front of me barely keeping her balance. "What the bloody hell...Baina, why?" She looked at me with a mixture of fear and hatred, her lip quivering she screamed "Scum! You're all filth who need to be eradicated, and you will!" I body blinded her and roped her quickly i couldn't bare to hear my former classmates voice any longer.
I ran back into the fray. Every unrecognizable order member was locked in combat. A few muggle bodies were lying on the ground, some seemed to be alive and writhing, others nauseatingly still. One of us was down. My heart sank, it was Ray. I ran and quickly checked his pulse, slow, but there. We still had the numbers advantage with me there, but no one was gaining an upper hand. I shot a stunner at one locked in combat with uncle Charlie which narrowly missed. This caught the attention of the other abscidos. "These scum won't let up!" I heard a mans voice bark. "Scum?!" Uncle Charlie roared mockingly, "That's rich coming from you murderous lot!" He then sent a neat spell right into the mans chest and turned to help a struggling Todd with another abscido. "James! Send a message! Tell them to recover the wounded!" Dean shouted. I fumbled for my coin and quickly sent a message. My father, Lily, Rose, Uncle Percy, and Rod were on standby as the first unit to come in and help in battle or recover casualties or injured members/ muggles.
I got the message out and ran to my Freddie's aid. He was being slightly pushed back by his abscido. I jumped in. "Impedimenta!" I shouted as Freddie was knocked off balance when his shield charm was shattered. The masked wizard blocked my attack but that gave Freddie enough time to hit him with a full body bind. I looked up and noticed half the muggles and ray were gone, and saw Aunt hermione quickly apparate next to another downed muggle and quickly dissaparate. Finally something was going our way. We had four abscidos down. All of us were standing except ray who was thankfully alive. Freddie had jumped to help Albus who was fiercely locked in combat with a masked abscido who's mask seemed to stand out to me...then i remembered the description Al had given me and it hit me. It was our grandfathers murderer, Aro Rollin.
"Two of you and you can't even scratch me?! Pathetic! I thought Potter would've had you more prepared than this! Pathetic!" A red spell hit Freddie in the chest and he was knocked out cold. "NO! YOU WONT TAKE ANYMORE FROM ME!" Roared Albus "Is that you little Potter? Ah yes clever disguise, they eyes are still the same though" Aro said with a evil playfulness in his voice. Albus started sending silent spells with a ferocity I, in our 21 years of being brothers, had never seen even in our biggest blowouts. He was dueling to kill. He shot a spell that caused the mans mask to be blown off when he shattered Aro's shield charm. His thin, shaven face had long dark hair falling on it with a mad grin. His eyes looked soulless and evil. Any other wizard at the age of 20 would have ran, Albus's face just grew angrier.
I jumped in and shot a stunner at Aro. "Could this be dearest brother? Two Potters for One! I'll be a hero! A legend!" "You'll be Thestral food once we're through with you, abscido scum!" I roared, anger for what he had done to my grandfather, nonetheless in front of my little brother, rose in me such as it never had "AVADA KEDAVRA!" It left my mouth without me realizing it. The jet of green light narrowly missed him and Albus shot another one in turn. I never thought we'd be here, the Potter Brothers dueling to kill.
Aro was concentrating too hard to keep taunting us. I quickly looked to see Teddy starting to overpower Tad, Todd had been knocked out and Uncle Charlie was still fighting the abscido he started helping him with, ackerly was fighting a masked one, and Dean was standing over his who's mask had came off. With incredulity on his face, he looked down on a body bound drake lay at his feet. "JAMES!" Albus screams and shoved me whilst jumping aside himself. A killing curse had almost hit me while I was searching my surroundings . As I fell I took my best aim and yelled "Expelliarmus!" At the same time Al sent a stunner. Aro blocked the stunner but my spell was true. His wand flew out of his hand. Albus shot a stunner again, Aro dodged it and as he did he dove for his wand. "Reducto!" I shouted as he dove for the stick. The ground where the wand had laid was cratered, the wand smashed into pieces, Aro was some feet away, wind knocked out of him clutching his stomach on the ground.
Albus advanced before I could make a move. "Now", Albus said in a rage filled, shaky voice "you pay." He raised his wand and advanced more. That's where things went bad. A thin, masked man had apparated in front of Aro. "I can't let you do that young man." With a flick of his wand and a swift "Crucio" a taken aback Albus was sent flying back, disguise gone on the floor yelling in pain. Dean had abandoned drake and started engaging the man that had appeared. With one flick he was out cold. Teddy had gone to help Al, Uncle Charlie still locked in combat. Ackerly had taken down his abscido and charged the man as well, shooting spell after spell. The thin man blocked them with ease, and before I knew it Ackerly was disarmed. The man smiled in amusement and barely whispered "Crucio" Ackerly writhed in pain for a moment and then it stopped, he had barely came to before he looked at the thin man who's smile grew ever wider. "Avada Kedavra" a flash of green, Ackerly was dead. My limbs found function again and I yelled "Stupefy!" "Impedementa!" "Levicorpus!" Im not sure why I hadn't helped Ackerly or Dean. I had froze, the man oozed power, it was paralyzing. It was my fault.Ackerly. "Avada Kedavra!" I said a second time. This time the man had to move out of the way. I didn't let up. "Stupefy!" Teddy had joined me and sent his own stunner.
A smile spread across the mans face. The words barely escaped his lips before I felt like a thousand hot knives were stabbing me, every inch of my body screaming in protest asking the pain to stop. There was a flash of silver light and the pain stopped. I opened my eyes to a man standing over me. I thought it was over, this is how it ends. "James, get up! Please!" My fathers voice rang out. I got up and had to focus to see what was going on. My dad was over me." Get Al and get out of here!" I looked up to see the thin man dueling Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, no smile on his face this time. My dad ran to help and for the first time I realized how fearsome this trio was. As powerful as the man was, his smile was faltering at the weight of facing the three of them.
"Ah the Golden Trio!" The thin man yelled, "The most powerful wizards in the world" the thin man said in a mocking tone. "You surrender now and we won't have to kill you" my father said with a tone i had never heard before. He was frightening. The thin man sneered "I don't answer to you Potter! I will become more powerful than the Dark lord ever dreamed! There's no prophecy for you here, every man for himself! and i promise you I will kill you and all your lot! Yaxley, come! This is a fight for another day! Tad, ( he had come to) grab drake and come!" He pointed his wand towards the floor and there was a loud bang as a crater formed and Dad, uncle Ron and Aunt hermione cast a shield charm around us.
When the debris cleared, the thin man, Aro Yaxley, Tad, and Drake had gone. The five other abscidos, including Barry and Baina, were still down. The one Ackerly had taken down was too close to the thin mans blast. He was dead.
I looked around and saw that Albus, Uncle Charlie and I were the only ones still there, other order members must have came and grabbed the unconscious. My dad approached me and helped me off the ground "James, you did better than I had ever hoped, I should've been here.." his voice trailed away. I did something i solemnly do. I grabbed my father into the biggest hug I think I had ever given anyone, partly to console him, and partly because in that moment I had never been so grateful to be there with him, alive at all.