Harry Potter
and the
Daughter of Darkness
Chapter 2
A Battle in the Park
by Ri-kun
All through the next day, Harry caught himself jumping at odd noises, and flinching at shadows that moved ever so slightly in the wind. He'd woken up that morning with a pounding headache, and the feeling that something was very wrong. It took several minutes for him to remember what had happened. When he finally did, a blush crept up his face from way down below his neck. Remembering the pain there, Harry had leaped up out of bed to check himself in the mirror.
His skin had been perfect and smooth, and totally devoid of any blemish whatsoever. There wasn't a mark on him anywhere that he could see, except for the scar, naturally. And it didn't even so much as tingle. His wand rested in the exact spot he recalled putting it before going to sleep. He had, it seems, fallen asleep at some point. His clothes were very much wrinkled, in a state Ron's mother would have had a fit over.
A noise behind him had made him jump. Hedwig was watching him with a reproachful look in her eye, almost as though he'd been caught doing something wrong. Harry was reluctant to approach her, but when she beat her wings angrily, he complied. Harry felt rather silly a few minutes later as he refilled her water and put fresh owl treats in her dish. He also cleaned out her newspapers while he was at it, just for good measure. A laugh echoed in the back of his mind as he imagined Ron and the Weasley twins' reaction.
Harry had gone out to the garden immediately, forgoing breakfast. His mind felt as if it were clouded the whole time, though, and it was hard to stay focused. More than once, he found several minutes had gone by, with him staring aimlessly at a tool as if it contained vast hidden secrets! Around noon, he gave up and went inside. His stomach was growling forcefully by this point, demanding food. Aunt Petunia had, of course, neglected to feel him anything, so Harry made himself a late breakfast with toast and bacon. The house felt strangely quiet today. It seemed that the eerie silence that was steadily smothering Privet Drive had made it's way into the Dursley home. Hopefully, he wouldn't be here for too much longer.
Harry considered heading upstairs for a bit. It'd been a couple of days since he'd written to everybody, and they'd made it clear that they wanted him to send Hedwig with word on how he was doing daily. He'd given his owl a couple of days off to herself so she could recouperate. Delivering to so many people over the course of the week had left her harried, and she'd been snippy with him because of it.
Harry finished up his meal quickly, and raced upstairs before he could change his mind. Hedwig was snoozing in her cage, a wing pulled up over her head to blot out the intrusive sun. He moved quietly around the room to retrieve the parchment and ink needed, then sat down carefully so as not to disturb her. He wouldn't ask her to deliver them just yet. The ink could have time to dry until she awoke later.
Dear Ron and Hermione,
I hope things are going well for your dad. Nice to hear he finally got promoted! I read all about it in the paper the other day. I also saw the advertisement Fred and George have for their joke shop. It sounds pretty amazing! I hope we can go see it in Diagon Alley. Do you think your parents will let us go get our books this year? I hear the Ministry has been patrolling there a lot, so maybe it will be okay.
A really weird thing happened to me yesterday...
Harry immediately crossed that part out. It left a nasty smudge on his parchment, and the ink looked as if it'd soaked all the way through to the desk underneath. He hadn't meant to bring it up. It'd just popped into his mind as he wrote things down. Ron was the last person he wanted to talk to about...
Well, about what MIGHT have happened to him! Harry wasn't convinced it hadn't been just a dream at this point. Everything had been just as it should when he awoke. Even Hedwig had been in her cage, sleeping as she was now. His wand hadn't been moved, and there wasn't a mark on his skin.
Something told him it'd been real, though. He couldn't put his finger on what, or how, but it'd been far too vivid. Harry's dreams had never been so... real to him before! Ron wouldn't know who she was in either case. And the only help the Weasley twins could give was roll around on the floor laughing their heads off at his expense.
Harry didn't even want to think how Mrs. Weasley or Hermione might react.
No, it was best to keep it to himself for the time being! Perhaps when he was finally able to visit the Weasleys before school began, he could find a moment alone with Professor Lupin or Arthur Weasley. Professor Lupin had been Sirius' friend at Hogwarts, as well as Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, so he probably knew loads about Death Eaters. And Mr. Weasley now had a team of investigators working under him, searching for artifacts of dark power that might be used for nefarious purposes. He might have heard something at some point about...
Harry's face was growing red again, so he finished his letter quickly.
If Hermione isn't there, please tell her and everyone else that I said hello. I would have written letters to everyone, but Hedwig has been acting very tired for the past couple of days. I think flying so much delivering mail has worn her out, so I'm trying to keep my mail to a minimum. I hope everyone is safe.
See you soon!
Harry
Satisfied, Harry rolled up his letter and placed it carefully next to Hedwig's cage. She could sleep a little while longer while he worked out in the garden some more. Harry felt a little better now. His mind no longer seemed quite as foggy as before. Getting up, he closed the door behind him and headed downstairs. The house felt empty to him. Aunt Petunia had apparently taken Dudley out with her. The Dursleys were usually so paranoid about leaving him alone, thinking he'd set fire to the place, or blast everything in sight with magic. The knowledge that he could do whatever he wanted for a little while was thrilling.
Harry wound up in front of the couch for a bit, watching tv. An old show that Dudley once loved, The Great Humberto, was playing. Harry watched it for a bit, then channel surfed from one station to another. Pretty soon, he was getting bored with it. Dudley had always hogged the television as a child, never allowing Harry to see what he wanted to. Some of the shows were pretty good, but much of it was dull stuff. After a while, Harry got up and went outside.
As he was bringing the tools back into the yard, Aunt Petunia pulled up in the second company car Uncle Vernon had purchased for her with the Gruntings credit line. Dudley was indeed with her, and kept a close eye on Harry the whole time his mother unloaded bag after bag from the back seat. Harry saw a number of the things she carried with her looked like party decorations. There were balloons and streamers, as well as polka-dotted hats. Harry tried to imagine the look on Dudley's face when his gang showed up to find the whole house decorated for a six year old's birthday party.
For Dudley's sixth birthday party, the Dursleys had rented a pony for him to ride around on in the backyard. Harry had been forced to hold onto the leading rope while his cousin paraded in front of his gang in a cowboy hat. He'd never been given a turn.
If Dudley was worried about what his gang would say when they were forced to all wear silly hats and play Pin the Tail, which Aunt Petunia had also picked up, he didn't let on. All his cousin did as Harry went to work was stand in the driveway and watch him. Harry, for the most part, pretended to ignore him and began digging up the weeds in the bed of lillacs. After a while, Dudley went inside and didn't come back out. Harry worked for the rest of the day, stopping only for water breaks, and to admire what he'd accomplished so far.
By the time he'd stopped, it was getting close to sundown. Harry put everything away and went inside to clean himself up. He was filthy, and needed to get clean before his aunt found him and threw a fit. Upon entering his room, he found a neatly folded letter on the bed. It was an invitation, he saw, to Dudley's party. Harry flipped through it only half-interested, then threw the whole thing in the trash. He wasn't sure what sort of odd game the Dursleys were playing, but he wasn't about to fall for it.
Once he was clean, Harry woke Hedwig up and tied the letter to Ron around her leg. She seemed rather annoyed with him, but dutifully gave his finger a gentle nip when he was done, before flying out the window. Now that was taken care of, Harry had nothing left to do. His room could use a good cleaning, of course, but he found himself putting it off. It seemed like a waste of time, in any case, since he'd be leaving here soon. Surely Dumbledore didn't plan on him staying here for the whole of summer vacation. Not until the start of term! He'd always been allowed to leave before then. Even last year, when Voldemort had first returned!
Sighing, Harry sat down on the edge of his bed, letting his feet bump up against the trunk. He kept all of his school supplies and books in there, as well as several magical devices he'd collected over the years. Inside was also the Invisibilty Cloak he'd inherited from his father. Harry considered opening it up to take the Cloak out, just so he could feel the shimmering fabric in his hands. It would be nice to hold something of his dad's right now. Something that his father had worn at some point, before passing on to Harry. He wondered for a moment if James Potter would've given the Cloak to him by now, if he'd lived. Would his mother have even allowed it?
Probably not. At least, not without a fight!
Of course, he would never know. Harry's knowledge of his parents was limited, at best. Sirius had very few opportunities to share with Harry his experiences growing up with James. And Remus rarely spoke of his time at Hogwarts, beyond the night they'd all discovered Wormtail was still alive. He considered for a brief moment writing to Professor Lupin. He wasn't sure where the former Dark Arts teacher was these days. Most likely working for the Order, but Harry was sure Hedwig could find him. Of course, he'd just sent Hedwig out to deliver a letter to Ron, which made the whole idea pretty pointless!
Harry jumped slightly at the sound of something beating at the window. Getting up, he looked out to find a light fog had laid itself over Privet Drive. It wasn't the time of year for it, which meant dementors might be nearby. Harry could remember how cold the air felt whenever they came close, and there was a definite chill coming through into his room now. He wasn't feeling particularly depressed. At least, no more than usual. He couldn't hear the voices of his parents as they died, which was usually the first thing to run through his mind during a dementor attack. Harry thought he saw a shadow flicker nearby out the corner of his eye. Something had definitely been there, but when he looked closely, it was gone.
He had a sneaky suspicion of what was going on, but needed to be sure. Going to his truck, he removed the Invisibility Cloak and threw it over himself without hesitation. At the bottom stuffed in a pair of socks was the Sneakoscope that Ron had gotten Harry for his birthday. Harry pulled it free and stuffed it in his pocket underneath the Cloak, grabbed his wand, and headed out the door. Dementors were said to be able to sense people hiding underneath Invisibility Cloaks, but that wasn't the reason Harry was wearing it. He had the Patronus Charm to keep him safe. The Cloak was in case it was something else out there, and the Sneakascope would tell him if they were close by. He had everything he needed as he snuck out the front door, but that didn't stop the lump from forming in his throat!
Harry searched the front yard as best he could through the thickening fog for any signs of life. Nothing moved, save for a stray cat sitting up on the fence that dashed away abruptly. Harry watched it leave with his wand at the ready, but nothing else so much as twitched. When he was sure the coast was clear, Harry continued onward down the road.
Sounds could be heard from a distance. Harry listened for any sign of someone, but the whole neighborhood was deathly quiet. Even the lights coming from the houses appeared dimmer. No one was standing out on their porches, sipping tea and shooting reproachful looks his way. Harry had grown used to the stares and resentment people in Little Whinging sent his way. Uncle Vernon had done a good job of convincing people that he was a no-account delinquent in desperate need of being locked away for good. But even the people who loved to stare long and hard in his direction until he moved along were absent. They wouldn't have been able to see him underneath his Cloak in any case, but Harry knew he was being watched.
It had started from the moment he stepped off the front lawn into the street. Someone was following him, slowly and steadily. Harry felt their eyes watch his every step as he continued down the road. In the fog, it might have been difficult to spot him, but whoever was doing it could see his every step clearly. He had gone from looking for who was watching him to being the watched! What was funny was the Sneakoscope hadn't so much as quivered once. They weren't a threat, it seemed, which meant it was probably just a member of the Order keeping watch on Dumbledore's orders.
If it was a member of the Order, then Harry could rest at ease. Still, the eyes following him didn't feel remotely friendly. And the Sneakoscope was suppose to light up and spin if there was anyone untrustworthy around. And the list of people who he knew could see through Invisibility Cloaks was short! There were only two, really. Professor Dumbledore was surely too busy to spy on him this way. That left Mad-Eye Moody, the retired Auror and Order member that'd been impersonated by a Voldemort supporter in Harry's fourth year. Mad-Eye had always made Harry a little uneasy, which could theoretically account for the bad feeling he was getting. If it was Moody, however, he was safe.
One of the things Mad-Eye had tried to drill into Harry and his friends, however, was constant vigilance. If it was an Order member, with a magical eye or not, they should identify themselves. Harry was probably safer under the Invisibility Cloak. Members of the Order of the Phoenix wouldn't attack him. If it was something else, then...
Then this was most likely a trap, and Harry had walked right into it!
Harry stopped and tried to think carefully. The best strategy was to head back towards Privet Drive and get help. The moment Hedwig returned, he would send a letter for help, informing the Weasleys of what had happened. The fastest route was to just turn around, but Harry didn't like the idea of walking right back towards whoever had trailed him here. The park was just up ahead, though, and if he walked through it, he could get back to Number Four by doubling around. Plus, the park was full of trees and bushes to get lost in, so it would be harder for someone to follow him. Very few people knew Little Whinging as well as he did, so the advantage was his for the moment.
Harry ducked into the park the moment he found the gateway. Someone had already closed it, but they'd neglected to padlock the iron gates. Iron, he remembered, could keep out certain types of magical creatures, too. Harry took enough time to push the padlock in before moving on. He could still feel the same eyes watching him, but they were farther away now. Up ahead was the swings that Dudley's gang had destroyed last summer. The city still hadn't repaired it yet. Harry kept his wand in hand at the ready as he moved past towards the thicket of trees not far away.
He was moving through them now, slowly but surely. His cloak didn't drag the ground nearly as much as it used to, but the edges still got caught in branches and twigs. More than once, Harry almost tripped over a limb stretched out in front of him. The wood was silent now. Not even birds sang overhead! It made him very uncomfortable. He needed to get out of here quickly.
Harry's foot caught on something that felt like an oak tree root, sending him sprawling out in the dirt. His cloak fell off in the process, leaving him exposed to the night air. Harry fumbled around in the dark for several minutes, first looking for his glasses, which were now smudged. Next, he searched for his wand, which lit up the moment his fingers closed around it without him uttering so much as a word. Now armed, he picked his cloak up up and dusted it off. The light from his wand flickered against something crouched against the tree trunk, causing him to spin around.
A pair of shining dark eyes surrounded by a pale oval face looked up at him, fearfully. For a moment, Harry thought it was a house-elf. As he looked more closely, however, he saw it was a young girl! Her straight dark hair framed her face, and she was giving him a wairy expression. He wasn't certain in the darkness, but it looked as though she might be Japanese. Harry realized with a jolt that this was undoubtedly what he'd tripped over!
"I'm sorry," he said, crouching down next to her. "I didn't mean to trip over you! Are you alright?"
He then saw that her eyes were very puffy, and almost seemed to be getting puffier by the minute. "Have you been... crying?" he asked.
The girl looked at him for a moment, then nodded. She couldn't have been more than ten or eleven years old.
"Is everything alright?" he asked, feeling foolish.
"I'm lost," she suddenly spoke, very quietly.
"You got lost," he repeated, wondering for all the world why.
"I was playing in the park, but then it got dark all of a sudden," she explained, still speaking in a soft, slow voice. "I tried to get back home, but it was so dark, and I was afraid."
"Did you come here with your mom?"
The girl shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't have a mom," she whispered, barely audible. "She died a long time ago."
"Oh," Harry whispered. "I see. My mom died a long time ago, too."
The girl looked at him. "Really?"
"Yeah," he said. "She was killed by... someone. They said she died trying to save my life."
Harry had no idea what made him say that, but the girl suddenly seemed to cheer up. "She must have loved you very much, then!"
He smiled, in spite of himself. "I'd like to think so."
There was a moment of silence. "Would you like for me to take you home?" he asked, abruptly.
The girl smiled at him and nodded. "I live back that way," she said, pointing deeper through the grove of trees. "There's an alley that leads to the road where my house is on. That's why I was trying to go through here. And then it got dark..."
"I understand," he said, offering her his hand. She smiled at him, but didn't take it.
"This way!"
Harry watched as the little girl lead him down through the nest of trees deeper into the park. It was slow going, made all the more difficult by how dense everything seemed to get. Harry was somehow reminded of the Forbidden Forest just outside the Hogwarts grounds. The ground wad ladden with roots, yet somehow the girl was able to skip through everything with ease. Eventually, Harry caught up with her.
"By the way," he asked, trying not to sound winded. "What's your name?"
The girl just smiled. "My mom always told me not to give my name to strangers."
"Oh," he replied, not knowing what else to say. "Well, my name's Harry!"
"Nice to meet you!" she said. She definitely looked more cheerful now. "This way," she pointed. "The alleyway is just beyond those trees."
Harry followed after her, and sure enough, there was a small entrance in the fence of the back wall. Harry thought it looked like someone had torn one or two planks away, just to make a way in. It sounded like something Dudley and his gang would have done. The girl slipped through easily, then motioned for him to follow her. Harry did, and found himself standing in a much wider alley. It looked as though the passage was never meant to connect to the park. Harry didn't have time to think much on it, though, because the girl brushed her hand up against his to get his attention.
A sharp, icy chill ran though him as he looked down. She'd given him the barest of touches, yet her skin felt ice cold.
"Come on," she pointed back down to their left. "My house is that way!"
Harry was getting a very bad feeling now. The hairs on the back of his neck kept waving wildly, and he had the distinct feeling someone was watching him. Again! Eyes almost seemed to appear from over the top of the fence, but then would vanish the moment he looked directly at where they should have been. His mind must have been playing tricks on him. Once he had taken her home, however, he was going back to Privet Drive.
Suddenly, Harry realized the girl was no longer next to him. Looking around, he saw she was standing several feet behind. There was an odd look about her, as though she was suddenly immobilized. He knew then that something was wrong. There was no way anyone could stand as perfectly still as she was. The girl looked almost like a corpse, only right sided. As he approached her, she gave no notice that she was even aware of him. It wasn't just her, either! The air around them had gone deathy quiet, like the night was holding it's breath, waiting for something to happen.
"Be careful!" she spoke suddenly.
Harry actually jumped slightly at the sound of her voice. She was looking at him now with deadly serious eyes.
"I don't know how many of them there are."
"How many of what...?" She had gone back to being deathly still again.
"How many of what are there?" he asked again. "Who are they?"
The answer was right behind him. Even before Harry turned around, he knew someone was there. It was as though their very presence made the air around them tingle and hiss. He looked, and there dressed in a long black cloak was a strange, male figure. He was standing a few feet away, closer to the mouth of the alley. There was almost something unassuming about his pose. As though he'd gone for a night stroll, and had just taken a wrong turn down their alleyway. Harry knew better than to believe that, however. There was a confidence about this person. Clearly, he had know they were behind him because they had wanted him to know.
"So, this is where you where, after all?"
The voice he didn't recognize. It didn't sound like any of the Death Eaters Harry had previously met. "Who are you?" he asked.
"Valerius," the stranger answered. His voice was thick, almost like smoke, but warmer. It still gave Harry the chills, though. There was something about him that just felt wrong.
"I've been waiting for you," he added, almost as an afterthough.
"Really?" Harry asked, trying to sound calm. He was at a severe disadvantage now. "Did he send you after me?"
"He?"
"Stay behind me!" Harry muttered over his shoulder. "Voldemort," he then said louder. "Did Voldemort send you?"
"Oh," Valerius said, sounding unimpressed. "Him! No, the so-called Dark Lord didn't send me here to find you. My lady did!"
As wary as he was, Harry couldn't help but be intrigued. Other than Dumbledore, Harry had never met anyone who could speak of Voldemort so flippantly. Just who was this guy, anyway?
"I must admit," he said, walking closer. "I wasn't expecting the boy who defeated Him to be so... young!"
Harry immediately backed up, looking around for the girl as he did so. Strangely enough, he didn't se her. Before he could look behind him, however, Valerius was speaking again.
"You look nothing like the way people say you do. I suppose that is simply the price of fame, no?"
"I wouldn't know," Harry said. "Listen, whatever this is about, let the girl go first."
He could see what was up underneath the cloak now, and the knowledge did little to settle his stomach. A pair of slit irises parted golden eyes that were eying him as though he were something good to eat. Skin like marble shined against the black fabric of his cloak. He couldn't see the ears, though he knew they must be slightly pointed. He had never met an actual vampire before. There were plenty of pictures in his Defense Against the Dark Arts books, though. Now, one was staring him down, wearing an expression of utter curiosity.
"Girl?" he asked, sounding confused. "What girl?"
Harry looked around before he could stop himself. The alley behind him lay open and barren, without a soul in sight.
The girl was gone!
"How..." he began, then stopped himself. Valerius the vampire was giving him a suspicious look now. This quickly melted away like wax, revealing a calm and easy smile.
"Maybe I should try this again," he said, sighing. "I have obviously startled you, and that wasn't my intention. My... master, for lack of a better term, told me I might find the Boy Who Lived somewhere in this area. It's embarassing for me to admit this, but I'm actually a big fan of yours. The Dark Lord killed a number of my brethern some years ago during his first rise to power, all because we wouldn't support his cause. You leading him to his downfall meant that my brothers and sisters were avenged. I have always wanted to say thank you for that."
Valerius paused, then started again. Harry, meanwhile, didn't know what to make of this. This had to be without a doubt one of the strangest things he'd ever had happen to him! And that, unfortunately, was saying a lot! It almost sounded like Valerius was asking for his...
"Could I have your autograph?"
Harry blinked. "My... what?"
"I know this isn't really a good time for you, what with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and all returning. You must be very busy these days, and I don't mean to intrude. It's just that... Well, tomorrow I must leave the country for a bit, and this was my only real chance to see you up close. You must hear this all the time, I know."
"Not... really," he interrupted.
"Well, I promise I won't keep you. I really need to be going myself, but if you could just spare a moment... You know, it really would mean a lot to me!"
Harry was completely baffled. A vampire wanting his autograph?
"I don't have anything to write with," he said, finally. "And I'm... not allowed to do magic outside of school."
"Oh... right!" Valerius exclaimed, reaching in his robes to pull out a quill and parchment. Both were thrust right at Harry, who took them with great reluctance. All he could think about as he signed his name was how Ron would laugh himself stupid over this. He could even see his friend's face as he finished signing his name, rollin around on the floor at the Burrow with glee.
"Thank you!" Valerius said exuberantly. It looked as though he might start skipping in a moment. "This really does mean so much to me!"
"Well, your welcome," he replied, uneasily, backing away.
"Thank you again! I hope you find that girl you were talking about!"
Harry had actually forgotten about her for a moment. He looked around, but the alley wasn't big enough for anyone to really hide in. Where could she have gone? Before he had a chance to think about it, there was a booming voice that filled the whole night sky.
"Novas Solarium!"
Something plunged down out of the sky like a comet. Valerius hissed in pain as it approached, doubling over with the autograph clutched tightly in his hand. With a jolt, Harry realized too late that it was going to hit in the spot between where they stood. He didn't have time to move, didn't even have time to think! The glowing ball of gold light struck the dirt, and there was a brilliant flash.
To his shock, there was no pain. Only an incredible warmth, like he was sitting by a warm fire in the common room. It was too bright for him to open his eyes, but the screams from the vampire not far away reached him all the same. As the light died, Harry opened them to find Valerius' robes were on fire. Not just his robes, either! His very flesh seemed to be burning, though the flames hadn't spread very far just yet. Reaching for his wand, Harry prepared to cast a water spell. But the flames spread too quickly!
"Curse you, woman!" Valerius howled at the sky. "What have I ever done to you?"
Harry didn't have to ask who he was shouting at. The answer came drifting down almost ethereally to the ground just a few feet away. Harry felt his throat go completely dry. It was her!
The beautiful stranger looked over at Valerius with a cold, neutral expression.
"You know better than to ask that, Val," she spoke in an deep, almost musical voice. "Two dead wizards in two months. Did you really think for a second the families of those people you fed off of would let you walk away?"
"I'm under Ministry protection!" he declared, though not sounding entirely convinced.
"You were under Ministry protection," she corrected. "Until you decided to let your appetite get the better of you! Two hundred and forty years old, and you still behave like a child!"
"My mistress will not like this!" he warned. "She has oftered me sanctuary..."
"Oh, so you've got another master? Again?" The woman, whoever she was, looked almost amused. "That's how many in the past ten years?"
"Shut up!" Valerius suddenly howled, lunging forward at her. "Rayne!"
"Too easy!" she countered, and with that, had taken him down with a kick to his mid-section. The vampire staggered, then raised up to attack again. The woman... (Rain, was that her name?) suddenly whipped out two wands from somewhere up underneath the sleeves of her leather jacket. There was a bright flash, and Valerius went flying. She didn't give him time to recover, however, and with a few more spells, he was on the ground at her feet.
"You've gotten rusty," she noted. "Ten years is too long of a rest for you!"
"I've learned a few things since then," he countered, raising up slightly. She had her wand at the ready, though, and was pointing it at his throat.
"Oh, really?" she asked. "Like what?"
"Like how to bring along backup!"
Harry saw them leaping over the fence before she did. She was still ready for them, though. Harry watched as she cartwheeled over to where two had just hit the dirt, and fired two seperate spells into each of their chests without uttering so much as a word. Both of them (Harry assumed they too were vampires) went down hard. The others quickly closed in on her. She then did some sort of complex wave with each wand, and a circle of pure fire erupted around her, encasing each of them in flame. All the vampires howled in pain and backed away. Harry, meanwhile, couldn't help but be impressed. He'd heard about non-verbal magic before. They were supposed to start practicing it this year, in fact, yet he'd never seen anyone use it this way. It was like she was fighting and casting all at once, without making a sound!
"Order your blockheads to pull back, Valerius!" she barked. Her voice carried a distinct, yet muddled accent. "The only one I came here to get is you!"
"You'll never take me alive!" he swore, getting to his feet finally. Harry wanted to go over and help him, but thought better of it. He really didn't know what was going on yet, and it looked as though Valerius was losing. Still, he couldn't just stand back and do nothing!
...Could he?
"I never said I was going to," she countered, gravely. "But, if this is how we gotta play it..."
She gave her wand a flick, and suddenly a whip made of pure fiery energy spat out of it. Several of the vampires closest to her panicked, and immediately tried to get away. With another flick, she had him by the neck with the fire whip. There was a jerk, the vampire gave a scream, and suddenly it was gone. Something that looked like a head was torn away, but quickly dissolved into dust along with the rest of the body. She then whipped it around and caught another vampire the same way. It didn't even have time to scream before it's body was corroded. The other vampires looked at one another, then turned and quickly fled. One gave Harry a piercing look as it passed him by.
Looking back, he saw Valerius down on his knees again, begging for mercy. Her arms were spread out like wings, with each wand raised up and outward, glowing against the night. Valerius had a look of pure fear about him. Harry tried to run forward, but for some reason his feet wouldn't move.
"Combustus Inflamera!"
There was the smell of something foul burning, a bright burst of pure magical fire, and then...
Nothing.
Only the charred remains of his cloak was left. Harry felt his legs finally move, and he ran forward. She was picking up his cloak now and examining it.
"...can remember when he stole this," she was muttering. "The bastard who owned it wanted his head on a platter."
"What... did you do that for?" Harry blurted out. He hadn't really meant to say that. The woman didn't look at him, but rather reached down for something on the ground. Harry saw to his own shock it was a piece of parchment. The parchment he'd signed just moments ago for Valerius.
"That's mine!" he reached, but was stopped short as her wand pointed his way. Harry saw her read what was written there, then turn to stare a him in surprise. Recognition dawned on the mystery girl's face. In the light, he could see she was even more beautiful than he thought. It really was the girl from his dream, or whatever had happened last night!
"You..." she whispered. Her eyes flickered to his forehead. Before Harry could flatten his banges, however, she had turned away. An awkward silence filled the air, then. Harry was now completely lost. He had the sudden feeling he had done something to offend her, which was utterly stupid since he was, for once, just an innocent bystander! And anyway, she was the one who'd shown up and blasted three vampires out of existence.
"He was a murderer," she said, suddenly.
Harry blinked. "What?"
"Valerius," she answered by way of explaination. "He murdered two grown children of two wizarding families. They asked me to step in and take care of the situation, since the Ministry is a little tied up these days." She then turned back to look at him. "That's why I killed him."
Harry saw she was looking at him as though waiting for him to react. Wondering why, he didn't say anything at first. She seemed to take his silence for something else, however, and looked away.
"I need to go. The families will want the cloak as proof."
"Right..."
She looked at him again, and this time she was wearing a sad smile. Her long, silky black hair hung down, concealing part of her face.
"It was nice to finally meet you... Harry!"
"You too," he replied, though he wasn't sure why. For some bizarre reason, his stomach felt like it had about a million butterflies in it. "Ummmm..."
"Rayne," she finished for him. "Just... Rayne!"
And with that, she was gone.
