Diadem

Obligatory warning: Note the rating. There will be dark and adult themes, language, and violence in this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 1

Trip

"Not sure I can say no with my freedom on the table like this."

"So you accept?"

"Yeah. I accept."

"Excellent, then let us proceed..."

Department of Mysteries - Chamber 137

Day of Departure

Harry shivered as the cool smoothness of the Elder Wand slid into his hand. A nearly overwhelming rush of magic washed through him and he embraced it with everything that he was, his new mahogany robes billowing dramatically as he once again felt the power flowing freely through his veins.

It had been three long years since he'd last experienced this.

Slowly regaining himself, he next picked up his trusty Cloak. The silk caressed his hands ever so lightly, as it always had since the day he'd received it during his first year at Hogwarts. This was no fake, he confirmed, this was his Invisibility Cloak. The Invisibility Cloak. He couldn't stop himself from grinning as he stuffed the Cloak into a pocket. Being reunited with two old friends within a matter of minutes of each other...it seemed Magic was indeed smiling upon him.

And now for the third.

The ring floated into his hand even as he reached for it, a testament of it's loyalty to him. He slipped on the silver band, admiring the unmarred Resurrection Stone set into its top for a mere instant before rotating the Stone with a click. He closed his green eyes against the familiar tingling warmth shooting up his arm. As it passed, he opened his eyes expectantly.

"Ron," he greeted his old friend with a small smile. "Looks like I'm finally free."

The image of his best friend gave him an amused look. "Not quite, Harry," Ron reminded. "What you have to do...well, I reckon your chances aren't great."

"He's right, Harry," another voice added, it's bushy-haired owner appearing next to him. "We won't be able to follow you where you're going. None of us will."

"Hermione," he greeted warmly, his expression turning serious. "I wondered if that's how it might be. Other dimension and all. Thought I'd say my goodbyes now if I'm not able to return, you know?"

His two friends smiled sadly. "We know," they both said.

"I'll miss our chats," Harry told the teenage replicas, his own youthful face now carefully blank. "I know we haven't had them for awhile now, but I've missed them."

"We have too, Harry," Hermione agreed softly, pausing to look him over. "You're certain about this? If you don't come back, we'll never see each other again."

Harry swallowed almost imperceptibly. "I am."

She did not reply, intent on waiting for more of a response. Harry could only glance to Ron for help.

"You heard him, 'Mione," Ron finally spoke up after an uncomfortable moment of silence. Not that it helped much, as she didn't let up one bit in typical stubborn Hermione fashion.

Harry brushed a hand through his hair with a sigh, briefly considering the thought of losing them forever. He didn't exactly have many options at this point. "Look. This is my best chance to get out, alright? Another one may not come along for awhile, and an eternity of sitting locked in a box is a rather bleak future I'd like to avoid."

Hermione relented, albeit unhappily. "If you're sure, Harry."

"This is goodbye then," he repeated, after yet another painful silence. "I'd stay and tell everyone, but I don't have much time. Could you...?"

"We'll tell them for you, mate," Ron assured, glancing to Hermione. "Not much else to occupy our time, now is there?"

"Thanks, you guys."

Harry looked away as he turned the Stone back into place with a click. And just like that, they were gone.

"Potter, time's up!" Pucey called out from his position on the opposite side of the chamber. "Abbott, start the channeling...now!"

From his position in the center of the spiraling array of runes, Harry tensed as soon as he felt the energy building up. The spacious underground chamber suddenly seemed so very small, and it was no wonder why. His gaze fell upon the group of Unspeakables on the other side of the translucent barrier that had been erected around him. Merlin, he hoped they knew what they were doing.

Six of them were chanting. One was meditating. The stragglers just stood back and watched, monitoring their progress. The amount of magic he sensed seeping into the runes at his feet was enormous, and it kept climbing until the runes became so saturated that even he couldn't stop himself from flinching. And then suddenly it all stopped. All of the magical energy completely disappeared in the next second.

He gulped as he realized it was about to happ-

OOOOO

He would have screamed if he could have. Black energy sizzled, its unnatural force compressing him on all sides. He'd almost compare it to Apparating into a stone wall, but his awareness was rather limited as every cell in his body was being ripped and torn at simultaneously. It was over as soon as it started, its effects dissipating the following instant. Then there was a rupturing CRACK.

He woke to the feeling of hard ground beneath him and the faint noises of hysteria he was no doubt the cause of. His eyes blinked open with a grimace. Lifting his head, he let out a groan and struggled to pull himself up onto his knees.

He'd made it.

All in all, despite his initial skepticism it looked like Hannah and her team had managed to do what they'd said they could. His entire body ached like nothing else though. Quickly checking his person, Harry let out a sigh of relief when he found nothing physically wrong or debilitating. He'd at least managed to stay intact, thank Merlin, and so had everything else. The Wand, the Cloak, the Stone, and the locket hanging around his neck. They were all fine, only his robes would need a good cleaning.

The sudden pang from within jolted him. Clearly, his magical reserves were also hurting, his core all but depleted. That wasn't really a surprise - he'd been told that was going to happen. The Trip apparently depended heavily on the use of his own magical energy, so he wasn't too concerned. In fact, his reserves were already starting their recovery. A full night's sleep and he'd be good as new.

Ignoring his pounding head, he looked around in an attempt to take stock of his surroundings. It didn't take long. The familiar white-tiled hall and the train car sitting nearby told him exactly where he was.

King's Cross...

The crowd of Muggles in the nearest terminal staring at him confirmed that he wasn't at Platform Nine and Three Quarters, although he didn't know whether that was a blessing or a curse. It seemed as if he'd landed in the middle of one of the station's waiting areas. The main evidence of his arrival was glaring, in the form of a rippling crater of broken up tile and rock. He was of course at its center. A broken pipe spraying water in several narrow geysers and two collapsed columns were also certainly side effects of his rough trip.

They'd definitely know something was up. Hopefully they wouldn't be able to connect the dots though.

He gathered himself, realizing time was of the essence. He needed to move. The magical intensity of his arrival would have no doubt tripped all sorts of sensor alarms at the Ministry. They'd be here to check it out within minutes. He decided getting out of this crater should be his first order of business.

Crawling over the broken slabs of rock, a delayed wave of nausea assaulted his senses like an overpowered Bombarda. In the next moment he wretched violently, again and again until he was a shaking mess, unsteadily holding himself up on his hands and knees.

"Ahem...sir?" a voice drew his gaze away from the sizzling, chunky liquid he'd just expelled from his stomach. Two security guards were cautiously standing on the edge of the crater, their stun guns held out at the ready. "I'm afraid you'll need to come with us."

Harry wiped his mouth, the burning taste of vomit making him want to be sick again. He resisted the urge with effort, standing up to face the guards. The layer of cold sweat covering his body made him scowl.

"No thanks," he snapped back, glaring at the two fat Muggles as his wand appeared in his hand. He pushed out a wave of pure magic in their direction for satisfaction's sake, admittedly taking out some of his own discomfort on them and blowing them into the wall on the other side of the terminal.

They didn't get up.

Wasting no more time, Harry turned the Elder Wand on himself and cast a strong Notice-Me-Not. Sure enough, as if on cue, the Muggles in the station all turned their attention elsewhere. Most were looking quite confused, but their focus never returned to him. Next, he'd also need some sort of disguise. Showing his true appearance would not be wise, at least until he knew more about this place. As had been explained to him, if someone should recognize his face and figure out that he didn't belong...well, it would be quite detrimental to his objective.

Stealth was his game here, he reminded himself. Not reckless combat.

After studying an average-looking blonde Muggle businessman for a few moments, Harry carefully put a Glamour Charm on himself. That would get him past all but the shrewdest magicals. Feeling those two simple spells were enough for now, he clumsily stepped out of the shallow crater with the disgusting aftertaste still heavy on his tongue.

That was when he heard the sharp cracks that could only be apparition. Bloody hell, he'd stayed too long. The Aurors were already there! And that meant-

Feeling Anti-Apparition wards in the process of being erected over the train station, he instantly twisted in the hopes of slipping through before they were fully set, but instead ended up stumbling as his attempt to apparate backfired.

Too late. Fuck. And at present he had nowhere near enough power to rip through them. Bringing those wards down by conventional means was also out of the question - there was just no way he'd accomplish it before they found him. Another way out then. Swiveling toward the nearest double doors, Harry began walking briskly in that direction.

He quickly ducked into the stream of Muggles bustling toward the exit just in the nick of time, as two Aurors swept through the doors in front of him only seconds later. Both of them looked around with narrowed eyes, their wands casually concealed at their sides. Lowering his head, Harry kept pace with the other Muggles as they too moved toward the doors, coming within arm's reach of the alert Auror pair at one point without incident. He let out an imperceptible breath of relief as soon as he'd passed them by, and sped up slightly a few steps from the double doors, thinking he was home free.

That turned out to be a mistake.

"There!" a rather familiar voice barked from off in the distance somewhere. Harry inwardly swore as he recognized it. "Higgs, Brown! Glamour, behind you! Blonde Muggle!"

Mad-eye. Bloody hell, of course he had to run into the one wizard with the magical eye to see through his Glamour. Harry didn't take the time to glance back and see the two Aurors turn around, instead jerking forward. Pushing past several startled Muggles, he lunged through the open doors just as a Stunner knocked the Muggle behind him off his feet and another impacted against the door frame.

Stumbling to his feet, he had a split second to gain his bearings before he was forced to jump to the side of another spell, this time shot from his left. On pure reflex, he whipped his wand in that direction, blowing up chunks of the tiled floor and using the distraction to take off running the opposite way. The loud cursing he heard behind him told him he'd been somewhat successful in temporarily holding up the pursuit.

Chaos erupted in the train station. Muggles screamed at the sudden explosions and fled, running for the nearest exits. Harry maneuvered through the stampede, fighting to gain ground and doing his best to lose his pursuers. Making it through a large gateway without incident, he turned a corner only to slam into a burly Muggle man moving in the other direction, painfully knocking them both to the ground. Scrambling back up, Harry brusquely stepped over the groaning Muggle and dashed on.

He sprinted out into the main hall area of the station, doors to the outside finally in sight. He could see the daylight through the glass - that was his destination. Once he reached the edge of the wards out there he'd be able to Apparate away. Not slowing down, Harry dug into his robe pocket until his hand wrapped around the bundled Cloak. He was in the process of pulling it out when his senses suddenly tingled in warning, making him abort that action in favor of twisting out of range of the red spell meant for him.

He veered right as he saw a new group of four Aurors on a course to intercept him from up ahead, but stopped short once again when three more appeared in his way. Swerving back the way he came proved to be futile also, as his previous pursuers had managed to catch up.

Damn.

He slowly looked around himself, holding his wand steady as he watched the Ministry wizards warily move to surround him in a wide, arching circle.

"Drop your wand, son," that same gravely voice he'd recognized before demanded from behind him. It was one he hadn't heard in over fifty years, its owner being dead and all.

Harry pivoted around to face the man, his expression twitching as the ugly bastard stood a few paces away beside the other Aurors. His eyes confirmed it - Moody was still alive in this place. Like a lot of other people he used to know would be. Harry had been forewarned, of course, but that was something he'd still have to get accustomed to.

The scarred wizard's magical eye twirled as Harry returned his stare. It was bad that Moody could see through his Glamour, bad as in could-put his-entire-mission-here-in-jeopardy bad, but there was nothing Harry could do for it now. The man had seen him - could see him - with that bloody eye of his. At least the Auror didn't seem to know who he was, or worse, where he came from. He wouldn't be able to leave him alive if it came to that.

"I'd rather not, Mad-eye," Harry finally stated, his senses alert in case one of the Aurors out of his sight tried anything funny.

Moody blinked his one good eye, the corner of his gnarled lips curving upward. "Heard of me, have you? Good."

Yes, the man clearly didn't recognize him through the Glamour, which he took as a good sign. It would be less complicated this way. Harry shrugged then, something else occurring to him. "Shouldn't you be retired by now?"

Moody narrowed his eye, "And why would I be retired?"

He ignored Moody's question. The man had no idea what he was talking about. Still an Auror though, that was different. Where he came from Moody had retired long before this time.

"Can I ask why a whole squad of Aurors is chasing me?" Harry eventually asked, his tone level. "I haven't done anything wrong, surely there are more important things they could be doing."

"Oh, I think we both know that's not true," Mad-eye grimly replied. "The level of magical energy we picked up was alarmingly high, not to mention the questionable nature of the magic itself. That there is one thing, but the breach of the Statute of Secrecy puts yeh in a rough spot. What do yeh think you were trying to do here?"

Harry's jaw tightened, he definitely wasn't off to the best start here. They already knew he'd been the cause of all that magical energy, and they were being overly cautious because of it.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said anyway, knowing it was futile but lacking anything better to say.

Moody scowled at the denial. "You're making it worse for yerself by attempting to evade arrest, and lying will get you nowhere. Best thing yeh can do now is surrender yer wand and let us take you in for questioning."

"And if I'd rather not?"

The Auror's face contorted into an ugly grin, "There'll be a cozy cell waiting for yeh in Azkaban. How does that sound?"

They'd wanted him to stay under the radar, get in and out with as little attention as possible. Stealth over everything...it seemed like it wasn't going to be that easy.

He shouldn't have been surprised, it always was harder than it should be when it came to his life. But what could he do? The Fates had spoken. Besides, to be completely honest, stealth never had been his strong suit. He would, however, have to minimize his magic use. Already he could feel the fatigue that came with magical exhaustion, no doubt due to the Trip, but he'd manage. He'd been in worse situations than this one.

"Not all that appealing," Harry admitted aloud after a brief pause, suddenly dropping his wand. It clattered audibly against the linoleum flooring. "Okay, fair enough. I surrender."

"Wise move, son," Moody answered, the entire gathering of Aurors relaxing their stances at that. "Wise move. Auror Tonks?"

"Sir?" a female voice returned from Harry's right, drawing his surprised gaze. With her hood up, he hadn't realized she was there. He cut off his musings before any thoughts of the Tonks he'd known back then could sprout up. He needed to harden himself for this, not open old wounds and do the opposite. Tonks lifted her wand arm slightly and gripped her wand tighter. She already suspected what her mentor wanted her to do then, he could tell.

"Take his wand and bring him in for processing. You other lot, you're d-"

Harry acted the moment this Tonks began swishing her wand, pivoting left as the Elder wand jumped back into his hand and swept it horizontally at the string of Aurors on that side of him. Caught entirely off guard, the five wizards only had time to hear Moody's enraged shout before they were violently blasted away by some invisible force. Their bodies crashed to the ground and rolled to an awkward stop on the other side of the tracks. They wouldn't be back on active duty anytime soon.

The remaining Aurors, five including Moody and Tonks, all reacted viciously to the sudden attack on their comrades, sending their own deadly spells at his back. The entire feeling of the encounter changed right then. Now that he'd attacked, Harry could tell they weren't just looking to capture anymore either. No, they wanted his blood. They wanted revenge.

Good, it was easier like this. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Harry turned and sidestepped the first volley of colored lights with ease, as well as twisting through the second and slinging a Bludgeoning curse at the wizard standing in between Moody and Tonks. His hastily erected shield stood no chance, shattering a millisecond before his skull did the same.

One down, four to g-

Protego.

The translucent shield shimmered into place in front of him just as several blue and orange spells battered into it, courtesy of Mad-eye and one of the Aurors he didn't recognize. It held strong through the worst of the onslaught, but Harry dropped it as soon as he saw an opening in favor of sliding to the right of a particularly dangerous looking purple curse, whipping his wand in Moody's direction to let off a quick Cutting hex.

The man moved out of the spell's path without any trouble, but that at least temporarily cut off his constant chain of spells. Mad-eye was by far the biggest threat there. The one-eyed man clearly overpowered Tonks and the other two when it came to spellcasting, and he was much faster despite his age.

Before Moody could really get started again, Harry waved his wand at two nearby garbage cans and flung them at the man for another distraction. Transitioning quickly, he batted away one of the other Auror's hexes and dodged a sickly-yellow spell from Tonks before aiming downward to blast up the floor into another shower of rocks for them to deal with.

Hogwarts Four, time to play.

He wasted no time in weaving his wand into one of his favorite tricks, pointing it at the open space in front of him as three lights jumped out. Forming into a massive lion, a raven, and a badger once they hit the ground, the three conjurations leapt forward just as Harry ducked, barely missing Moody's bludgeoner. Springing back to his feet and diving away from another bludgeoner-reducto combo, Harry rolled up and flicked his wand back at Mad-eye. A serpent shot out of its tip like a bullet, its jaw unhinged and fangs gleaming as it flew straight at the ugly Auror.

To Moody's credit, he evaded rather gracefully, but with the other three Hogwarts animals joining the fray the man had to turn his full attention to neutralizing them. This left Tonks and the other two Aurors at Harry's mercy for a short time.

He smirked.

One of the Aurors attempted to help Mad-eye, while Tonks and the other one fired at him. He spun left, easily avoiding their curses and letting off a cutter meant for Tonks. She blocked it with a shield of her own, but Harry shot off another cutter in quick succession to keep her busy, followed by a blasting hex for the other Auror.

The man was forced to dive away from the destructive spell, leaving him wide open.

Sectumsempra.

The Auror gasped as the curse hit him, blood spurting out of the numerous slashes. He crumpled to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

"Higgs!" Tonks cried out, her expression turning angrier.

She stepped forward, sending a string of furious spells at him in retaliation. He dodged all but the last of them, instead catching the violet colored curse with the tip of his wand. That hue was unique to one spell, the Disembowelment Curse, and that was something he could use.

The purple light crackled in front of him, frozen in mid air. He saw the surprise flash across Tonk's face as he admired it.

"Now this isn't a nice spell to send at me," he commented lightly, his eyes focusing on her's. "Why don't we see how your friend feels about it?"

The female Metamorphmagus balked as he flung the Disemboweler at the Auror near Moody, who had a triumphant look on his face as he and Mad-eye fired simultaneous spells at Harry's conjured badger. Tonks made to defend her fellow Auror by erecting a shield in the curse's path, but Harry blocked any such attempt by throwing a couple of rapid jinxes her way and forcing her to dodge.

The man, caught unawares, was hit full on with the purple curse and gave a tortured scream as he fell.

"No!" Tonks shouted desperately.

At the same time, Moody managed to decapitate the roaring lion, the last of Harry's four conjurations. As always, they had done well for him in distracting the enemy just long enough. Call him superstitious, but he fancied the thought that the symbolic nature of the conjurations gave them an edge every time he cast them together.

The short battle stalled then, a standoff of sorts settling in. By this point, the station had long been emptied of everyone but the magical combatants, all the Muggles having fled to safety. Mad-eye and Tonks stood a few arm lengths apart, their wands aimed at him as he peered back. All three of them were virtually untouched, merely breathing a bit heavily from earlier exertions.

"Who are you?" Moody snarled, his expression deadly.

Harry could see the man's reputation as a dark wizard hunter wasn't made up. Truthfully, he had never really witnessed the legendary Auror in a fight before now, having been far too preoccupied with his own troubles when he was younger, during the few battles they'd fought in together prior to the man's death. He especially had never been on this side of the man's wand before.

Tonks glanced at her mentor, "Sir, I d-"

"Quiet, Tonks!" the man barked, more of his frustration at the situation seeping into his tone. "Who are you?" he repeated fervently.

Harry shrugged. "Nobody."

Moody slammed his wooden leg on the ground, his wand visibly crackling. "Answer me!" he bellowed. "Killing Aurors is a serious offense, boy. One I won't let you get away with."

Harry watched the man, an image of his fat Uncle Vernon flashing through his mind's shook his head, he had always hated that word. "Could a boy do all of this?" he wondered aloud, gesturing around to all of the bodies. "Besides, who says they are dead? At least the good ones anyway. Try again, Mad-eye."

"That bother you, does it? Being called a boy?" Moody responded icily, picking up on that fact well. "Well, boy, tell me your name and I won't need to."

"Call me what you want," Harry simply replied, outwardly showing no more of the distaste he felt over hearing that word directed at him again after so long. No one called him anything like that back home despite his youthful appearance, for good reason.

Mad-eye grunted in annoyance. "Well, what does your master call you?"

"Master?"

"Yes, the Dark Lord. What does he call you?"

Harry sent him an amused look. The man assumed he was a Death Eater? That was rather offensive.

Moody's eye spun impatiently. "Only askin' so I know what name to put down when I send you to Azkaban."

Harry's brow rose. "Getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we? You're so certain you'll be sending me there?"

"I am," Moody bit back, his glare hardening. "That's what I do, boy, I capture criminals like you. You should know that much if you've heard of me."

"Azkaban can't hold me," Harry stated, readying the Elder Wand. Moody too seemed to realize the time for conversation was coming to a close and did the same. "You're out of your league here, Mad-eye."

"We'll see about that," the man gruffly responded. Without taking his eyes off of Harry, he addressed his protege. "Tonks, stand back and send for help while I keep him busy."

Tonks spluttered, "But sir, I c-"

"Just do it!" he ordered, making it clear there would be no debate. "Get everyone. I want this Auror-killing scum off the streets."

She reluctantly acquiesced, cautiously stepping away. Harry let her for the sole reason that he knew he'd be gone by the time their backup arrived. Still, he followed her movements with his eyes. Moody decided to take advantage of that.

"Shouldn't let your attention wander in a fight," Mad-eye barked out as he sent a powerful bone-breaker speeding toward him in an attempt to catch him off guard.

Harry wordlessly slapped the spell away with his wand, most of his concentration having never left the man. Moody cast another, followed by two bludgeoners and a fiery curse in quick succession. The Auror was very fast, he would give him that, but Harry was faster. He slid around each of them, snapping off a spell or two of his own through the narrow openings. Moody dealt with those counters accordingly, casting himself a shield for the worst of them.

It was here that Harry realized he could no longer deny he was in trouble - his magical reserves were dangerously low. There was no way he'd be able to last through a full magical duel like this. Even casting only basic combat spells as he'd been doing up until now would soon become a task. It seemed he would need to end this much more quickly than he'd initially thought, yet he couldn't just run. While he'd probably succeed in his escape, of course he would, that wasn't the issue. No, Moody had seen through the Glamour. The man had seen his real face.

At minimum, Mad-eye would need to be incapacitated in some way. If he let the man go unharmed, his real face would be plastered on wanted posters all over the place. No, he'd rather avoid that. Killing an Auror he'd fought alongside in the past was also something he'd prefer to avoid, however. And obliviation was out of the question. Both Dumbledore and Snape would likely be able to break through any memory alterations he set up. He couldn't risk that happening.

That meant that in order to prevent causing problems, Mad-eye would have be out of the way until the mission was accomplished and he left this place.

Taking Moody prisoner and stashing him somewhere would have been a possibility if his magical reserves weren't so severely drained. To do that with so little power and Auror reinforcements on the way would be tough, if not impossible. Not to mention the presence of Tonks. The Metamorphmagus was positioned not far away, sending off Patronus charms one after the other. She would definitely jump in to help Moody if necessary. Could he take on both of them in this condition and then make off with the older man? He wasn't so sure.

No, he'd have better luck going a different route. That really left only one viable option then...

Moody dispelled his shield, swishing and slashing his wand. "Bombarda Maxima!"

Harry jumped backward as the curse exploded against the ground in front of him, flinging debris and dust all over in a more large-scale effect than Harry's own similar tactic. He swiftly erected a costly magical barrier to shield himself against physical injury, but it collapsed soon after due to his fatigue, forcing Harry to throw himself out of the way of the extra blasting curse Mad-eye sent into the smoky haze surrounding them both.

His magic tank nearly dried up, Harry had no choice now but to bide his time and wait for the opening he would need to end this satisfactorily.

Even as the dust settled and normal visibility was restored, Moody didn't let up. Able to see clearly thanks to his magical eye, he threw spell after spell in a torrent of efficient wandwork that would awe anyone, ranging all the way from stunners to organ liquifiers. But it wasn't enough. Nothing connected, to the Auror's disgruntlement. The unnamed stranger managed to either parry or in most cases dodge and twist away from everything! Even when he snapped off a series of widespread spells, the brat still slipped through them unscathed.

It was irritating is what it was.

The kid looked exhausted, nonetheless, much more so than he had moments ago. He wasn't returning any spells either, just standing there ready to avoid anything else Mad-eye sent at him. Moody narrowed his eye. Something definitely wasn't right...what was he planning? Was he trying to get him to wear himself out, maybe? Possible, but Moody could see the boy himself looked like he was about to pass out, and he'd kept his magical eye trained on him this entire time. There had to be more to this though, he decided.

"Already tired out?" Moody taunted. "Where's all that confidence from before, eh? Not even gonna try sending something my way?"

His opponent didn't answer, outright ignoring him. If there was one thing Mad-eye Moody couldn't stand, it was young upstarts acting like this.

"Well? I asked you a question. Or are you already giving up? This duel hasn't even started yet!"

There was no immediate response, but then the kid revealed a tight smile. "Only because you keep opening your mouth."

"You talk big for a youngster," Moody growled in return. "But I've yet to see you back it up. So you took my Aurors off-guard, is that all you can do?"

The boy's smile grew at the barb, obviously aware of his attempt to elicit a reaction. "Maybe, maybe n-"

Moody didn't let him finish, instead cutting him off with a sharp thrust of his wand to send a blue spell whistling that direction. The Death Eater scum hastily side-stepped it. The boy's subtle annoyance at the interruption had the reinstated Auror contorting his scarred face into another gnarled grin. He swung his wand again and slashed it as he released a Impedimenta-Expelliamus combo at his arrogant opponent. While those two spells weren't the deadliest by far, they were proven to be the quickest combo any wizard could cast together and therefore his best chance at catching the slippery brat flat-footed.

He immediately tensed, however, not missing the sudden sharpening of the boy's eyes as his spells left the tip of his wand. Not good. It was as if whatever he was waiting for was h-

An instant before getting hit by the Impedimenta, the first of the two spells, the Death Eater whipped his wand away from the approaching lights. Moody only had a split-second to realize where the boy's wand was now pointing, or rather at whom, but by then it was too late. Even his magical eye had trouble following what happened. One moment his opponent was staring down his Impedimenta-Expelliamus duo with a glint in his eye, and the next Tonks appeared in his place to take the full - albeit relatively tame - brunt of his spells unawares.

"It's over."

Moody spun at the boy's mutter, only to see a glimpse of the black curse that captured him in the ribs halfway through his turn. Pain. That was all there was as he was knocked to the ground. Vision blurry, he gasped against the burning agony. His body was shutting down, he could feel it.

That was where Tonks had been standing...how...

Pain, and it all went dark.

Harry ripped off the Cloak and stumbled into the subway tram, just as the doors slid closed.

He weakly slouched into the nearest open seat, ignoring the odd stares he was attracting from the assorted Muggles in the half-full compartment. He swept a hand through his drenched locks, glad to be out of the downpour he'd had to fight on the way there. Looking over his shoulder and out the rain-spattered window, Harry relaxed and let out a breath as the tram began moving.

Good, no one had followed.

This certainly wasn't how he'd planned on spending his first hour here. Running into Mad-eye had been very unlucky, to put it mildly. It had nearly ruined everything. He'd managed to take care of that hiccup, fortunately, so things would hopefully run smoother from here on out. The man should live if the medics knew what they were doing, but he'd definitely be out of commission for awhile. Enough time that Harry should be back and free in his own dimension by the time the old Auror would be able to cause any more trouble.

It had been close though. Closer than anything had been for him in quite a long time.

He didn't like it. His drained core had almost been the death of him. And after that substitution spell followed by the dark Viera curse, he'd had next to nothing left. It was so bad that as he'd exited the station, he couldn't hold up either of his disguise charms, nor could he Apparate away like he'd originally wanted.

Which was why he now found himself on the Muggle subway. He'd have to travel this way until he had enough strength to Apparate, it seemed. Disgusted with his weakness, Harry glanced around the tram car bitterly. The Muggles had stopped staring, he noted, having by this time lost interest in the strange young man. One thing he could at least rely on here in the Muggle world was that he wouldn't be recognized. That was something good, he supposed.

"Happy birthday to me," he bitterly grumbled to himself.

For the moment, it appeared as if he were safe. Realizing he should take advantage of this while he still could, Harry closed his eyes and shifted uncomfortably beneath his damp robes as the fatigue finally overwhelmed him.

Tonks unsteadily picked herself up from the ground, pushing the Healer away as she stumbled forward. She froze next to her mentor's body and stared, being checked by another couple of Healers from the group that had just arrived at King's Cross.

"Miss, please," the medi-wizard trying to examine her pleaded impatiently. "Let me take a look at those cuts for you."

Tonks sent him a dirty glance, "I'll be fine. Scrapes and bruises is all they are. Go help someone that needs it."

She took a shaky breath as the man huffed and walked away. Of the squad of Aurors that had fought that day, it looked as if most would survive. Seven out of the ten were still alive despite their grievous injuries. The medics had already transported Gordon and Tract to St. Mungo's, the two in the worst condition. Thankfully, it looked as if they'd make it. Three of them were gone forever though, including her mentor.

Moody...

The scene flashed in front of her once again. The dark curse slicing into his side as he turned too late, the shadowy energy bubbling angrily before the site even started bleeding, multiplying the effect to brutally rip further into her mentor's torso as he collapsed to the ground not twenty yards from her. His magical eye had popped out, rolling off the landing and into the train tracks nearby.

Mad-eye hadn't gotten up to fetch his fake eye, not even when she'd shouted for him, demanding he get up. That strange man had done this. Or boy, as Moody had kept saying. She seethed, her fists clenching. He'd used some sort of switching spell to trade places with her, in order to maneuver behind Moody and attack before his magical eye could catch it.

And it was her fault! If she'd been more on guard, more on her toes, maybe she could have dodged it or blocked it or...no. No, who was she kidding? There was no way she would have seen something like that coming. Moody clearly hadn't either, otherwise he would have been ready to deal with it.

Then she'd been disarmed as Moody had fallen, her brief lapse of concentration costing her her wand. Knowing she stood no chance at that point, she jumped in front of her mentor's body in case there was some possibility of his survival, but that move had only allowed the Death Eater an easier, closer target. He'd had her frozen down the sights of both his wand and hers before she had the chance to follow up with so much as a cry of bloody murder.

But even if she would have had more time to do something, with no wand she was practically helpless. From there she couldn't have done anything else against that powerful foe. She'd lost. Pathetically.

The Glamoured man had paused as he'd held her at wandpoint. In that moment, Tonks seriously thought she had been about to die. Except, here she was. Not dead. That confused her. She just didn't understand it...

"What's your name?" The man asked, both his and her wand directed at her sagging stature. She'd given up, and he knew it.

She didn't answer immediately, finding it rather pointless. He looked at her expectantly. It was unnerving enough that she changed her mind. "Tonks."

"Ah," he responded, with something odd in his tone she couldn't quite place.

"You're gonna kill me like you did him, aren't you?" She spat in reply, glaring at his fake image.

He ignored her, walking closer. She tensed up as he neared, shutting her eyes against the inevitable. It looked like this was it. How was he going to do it? Was it going to be fast, or slow? Would it be painful?

"Goodbye, Tonks."

She opened her eyes in shock, hearing a light whoosh and the sound of a fluttering cloak as she did. And he was gone. Just...gone.

Her wand lay innocently at her feet. Collapsing to her knees in disbelief, she stared at the space where the Death Eater had been standing. Finally, she glanced up, numbly taking in the cruel devastation that blanketed the train station.

Why hadn't he killed her? It didn't make any sense, especially when he hadn't had any qualms with annihilating everyone else. She shook her head, coming out of her thoughts to hear the conversation between the two Healers looking over Moody.

"-ell. No pulse," one, a brunette woman, declared as she pocketed her wand. "Pronouncing him dead at the scene, time is-"

"Hold on," the other interrupted, raising his hand up. The older wizard hurriedly waved his wand over Moody's body, clearly having noticed something the other medi-witch had not.

Interpreting the readings from his wand, the older man gasped. "This man may yet be saved!"