Chapter 4: White Light
A/N: So, this chapter has been really fun to write. I hope you don't find all the Muggle things uhm…kind of odd? I think a lot of it's quite useful. Thanks to my beta as always! Anyways here's Chapter 4, cheers!
"Reducto!" Harry screamed in rage. The dummy in front of him was instantly replaced with a pile of dust that covered the leaves and branches littering the woods. He jumped backwards as a Stinging Hex flew in front of his face, streaking through the air where he had been a moment before. A loud crack issued from his gun as he pulled the trigger at the offending dummy. He had taken off the silencing charm, wanting to hear everything that happened.
The bullet pierced the dummy's head directly between its would-be eyes, and it dropped to the ground like a rock. He fired off a quick round of Blasting Curses at another to his left as he ducked and rolled out of the way of a volley of Stinging Hexes. He Apparated behind a dummy and launched a roundhouse kick to the side of its head with his left leg, while jumping up using his right leg to deliver a second roundhouse kick a split second later. He landed crouched as the dummy crumpled. He dropped to the cold ground to avoid a Stinging Hex from a dummy behind him, then rolled onto his back and fired three rounds at it; they pierced its head in less than an inch spread.
He proceeded to decimate the rest of the dummies in the woods in the same manner, ducking and weaving his way out of the Stinging Hexes as if they were Killing Curses, all the while shattering the dummies. His seething rage still had not let up, but it had receded a bit. Panting from all the exertion, he gazed at the damage he had done to the conjured training dummies before Vanishing their remains and giving himself a quick look over.
'Damn,' he thought as he spotted a sting mark on his left forearm. He had not felt it earlier, but he had been so pumped full of adrenaline that he would not have felt anything short of a bone breaking. He quickly reloaded his gun, and replaced it into his holster.
It felt good to let loose his anger for once, even though it had not totally dissipated like he had hoped it would. After catching his breath he walked over to the tree he and Ginny had 'talked' under two nights earlier. Two days…it seemed like a lifetime to him now. When he had Disapparated the night she was kidnapped to go looking for her, he'd only one thought in mind: Find her and make Voldemort pay.
The problem was that he had no idea where to begin looking. He had spent the night combing Knockturn Alley in hopes of finding a Death Eater he could 'coax' the information out of, but it had been to no avail. He had returned dejectedly to the Burrow that morning to find all the Weasleys gathered in the living room, sitting around forlornly. They had looked at him hopefully when he had entered, but he could not meet their eyes so he had just shaken his head to answer their unspoken question. He had trudged upstairs to try to get some sleep after the exhausting night, but sleep had not come to him. He'd rolled restlessly in the covers trying to will himself to sleep. After an hour or two he had finally fallen into a fitful sleep.
He'd been plagued with the same nightmare he'd had at the Dursleys', which was odd considering that he'd not had a nightmare in a very long time. He had woken up in a cold sweat early the next morning, still exhausted, the long sleep having done him little good. When he had made his way downstairs, he'd found the Weasleys getting ready to leave for Headquarters. Hermione would be meeting them there, one could never be too sure that Voldemort would not go for her too. It was not safe to be at the Burrow at the present. Harry had opted to stay while the Weasleys went to Grimmauld Place. Mrs. Weasley had been adamant about him coming with them, but Harry had argued that someone needed to stay at the Burrow in case Ginny somehow escaped and made her way back. It had taken a while, but Mrs. Weasley had finally given in.
When Dumbledore had arrived he had tried to make Harry leave also, saying that the ward he had just placed around the house would let him know if anyone showed up. Harry told him to fuck off and keep out of things after having royally screwed up with Ginny in the first place. He no longer trusted the Headmaster any more than was absolutely necessary. Dumbledore had tried to force him to leave, but that had proven to be even worse of an idea when Harry Disapparated away leaving the man alone with the rest of the Weasleys as they finished the last of the preparations for the move.
Harry had not actually gone far. He had just gone back up to Ron's room and lain down on his camp bed, trying to figure out what to do now. He missed Ginny, and could not bear to think what was happening to her. He had stayed in the room for the rest of the day and the proceeding night. The next day had found him angrier than he had ever been at Voldemort, and now in his current position, having just destroyed roughly forty dummies. He was still not sweating; yes, he had to catch his breath, but he had not broken a sweat. Wanting to do something to keep his mind off how he had failed Ginny, he stood up and broke into a run. He jogged around the paddock for an hour before going inside to get something to eat. Mrs. Weasley had left him plenty of food to eat.
He ended up making a few sandwiches and grabbing a glass of pumpkin juice to wash it all down. After finishing his lunch he ran upstairs to find something to read. He searched through his books for something he had not read yet, and he realized he needed to learn about wards. A quick trip to Diagon Alley later, he had five different books on wards, varying from ward construction to the different types and functions of wards. He had to place a special order for a book on the Fidelius Charm as it was a hard to come by book. The owner said he would have it for him within a month.
He had just settled down on a couch in the living room ready to start his new book "Everything You Need to Know About Wards" when there was a knock at the door. Harry jumped, startled at the noise, but his surprise was quickly replaced with hope, hope that it was Ginny knocking on the door, having escaped Voldemort's Death Eaters. When he opened the door, however, it was not Ginny, but it was nearly as good of a surprise.
"Remus!" Harry exclaimed, surprised to see the man, but happy at the same time. He was also a little suspicious. "What did you show me third year when you invited me to tea because I couldn't go to Hogsmeade?" he asked quickly, one hand at the ready just in case.
Remus looked surprised for a moment, before he became thoughtful and answered, "A grindylow."
Harry's shoulders sagged in relief that it was really Remus. "Good, it is you," he said.
"How are you Harry?" Remus asked with a smile as he engulfed Harry in a hug.
"Could be better, how about yourself?" Harry answered, hugging him back. They walked into the living room as Remus answered.
"Busy with all the Order stuff," he replied vaguely.
"Any word on Ginny?" Harry asked hopefully.
"No, I'm sorry Harry, but no one has heard or seen anything," Remus answered sorrowfully. Harry put his face in his hands and groaned. He could not stand thinking about what she was going through at the moment.
"You'll let me know though if you hear anything, right?" Harry asked, turning his gaze from the ground back to Remus.
"Of course, but I don't want you to go off running after her," Remus responded.
"Sorry, but if I know where she is no one will stop me from going," he said fiercely. I don't trust Dumbledore, he'll probably end up getting her hurt or even killed," Harry added disgustedly.
"Dumbledore would never let her be hurt," Remus defended the old man.
"Did you know Dumbledore is the reason Ginny is missing?" Harry asked angrily.
"What?" Remus asked sharply, Dumbledore would never let someone get hurt or kidnapped.
"He put off casting the Fidelius Charm the night she was taken. He was supposed to cast it earlier that day, but he felt that she would be fine for one more day, so he went off with," Harry paused before spitting out, "Snape." Remus looked at him wide-eyed.
"No, he didn't," Remus refused to believe.
"He did," Harry said, narrowing his eyes at the though of his Headmaster.
"Damn it!" Remus cursed. "I'll tell you immediately if I hear anything. I'm sorry Harry," he said sincerely.
"It's not your fault Remus; everyone follows him around like a god damn lap dog," Harry said. He knew he would not do what Dumbledore said anymore; he had his own plans for his life and he would not be the man's pawn. Although he had already come to most of that decision earlier, he now decided it was more than necessary.
Harry finally took in Remus' full appearance. The man looked haggard and tired now that he truly him over.
"Remus, are you sure you're okay? You look exhausted," Harry stated, concerned for him.
"I'm a bit tired," he conceded. 'More like I haven't slept in the past thirty six hours,' he thought to himself.
"You can crash here, I'll wake you up if someone comes," Harry offered.
"Thanks, but I think I'll go back to Headquarters," he replied. He stifled a yawn a moment later, causing Harry to chuckle.
"I insist. There's plenty of room. I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Weasley won't mind, in fact they'd probably be happy that an adult was here with me," Harry said.
"Oh, alright," Remus gave in. "I'll sleep here."
"Go up to Ron's room, you can use one of the beds there," Harry told him. "Let me know if you're hungry. I can make a mean sandwich." He winked, causing Remus to laugh before he made his way upstairs. Harry went back to read the book on wards. Even though the book was quite long, he finished it in a few hours. Ever since he had mastered Occlumency he could read much faster than he had previously been able to do. Occlumency allowed him to clear his mind and focus on only the book, thus enabling him to read it quickly and remember it word for word.
Harry made his way outside to attempt to create a simple ward around the house. He was going to attempt to cast an animal ward. One could cast a ward that would keep a specific animal from entering any grounds that were guarded by it; however, any that were already inside it would not be able to leave the warded area. There were two forms for every ward. The first form was the Square Formation. It was the easier of the two. In order to make the Square Formation, one must mark four points in which the ward will connect itself. These four points marked the perimeter of the specific ward. When cast, the ward would instantly be attached to the nearest two corners, thus preventing it from going to the corner across it diagonally. The beauty of the spell that marked it was that it had a self measuring system built in. Once one had made two marks the rest could only be cast in specific spots that made the lengths equal and the each mark straight across from the others, creating a perfect square.
The second form was the Circular Formation. It was the harder of the two because it did not have points marking the perimeter. One had to envision exactly where it would be when it was cast, thus making it more magically draining. However, the Circular Formation was generally stronger than the Square Formation because it had no corners, which could be used as a weak point in the ward. Harry would be trying the Square Formation first, and once he could cast it successfully he would move on to the Circular one.
He quickly marked four equal lengths around The Burrow before moving to the north east mark where he would cast the spell. In actuality it did not matter which one he was at, but that was the last mark he made, so he would cast it from there. Harry pulled out his wand, something he had not done in a long time, and pointed it down at the markings.
"Mus Parietis," he spoke the incantation forcefully. Magic poured from his wand as it created a wall that connected with each of the four markings surrounding the Burrow. He conjured a mouse and placed it front of the ward. With a quick stomp of his boot behind the mouse, it scurried forward in fear, but bounced off an invisible barrier.
'It works!' he thought ecstatically. The book had said it took quite a while to learn how to cast even the most basic of wards due to the amount of magic needed.
He quickly removed the ward and walked around the house to figure out how far he wanted the Circular Formation to reach. Once he had it mapped it out, he called up a mental image of it as he attempted to cast it again. Once again he conjured a mouse to test the wards, but when the mouse walked through them without a problem, he sighed and took another walk around the house to get a better image. It took him three tries to get it right, but once he did it became easier as he progressed through varying difficulties of wards.
By the time he walked back into the house he was exhausted. Creating wards was draining, and Harry had done quite a few. He had mastered the intermediate ones such as Anti-Disapparation and Muggle Repelling. He had decided to leave the Anti-Disapparation ward up just in case. Ginny could not Apparate, so it would not affect her entering the house. He had spent over two hours working on the wards and it was getting late, so he went to find something to eat in the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley had left him some leftovers that he could eat, or he could make more sandwiches. Going with the leftovers, he quickly placed a warming charm on the food before going upstairs to see if Remus wanted any, but one quick look at Remus told Harry that he needed all the sleep he could get at the moment. He turned around and went back downstairs.
Harry was just settling down to eat when he heard a peck at the window. He looked up and saw an eagle owl hovering in front of the window with a letter tied to its leg. Harry knew he'd seen the owl before, but he could not remember whose it was. He opened the window and watched as the owl soared in. It made a graceful landing that looked almost arrogant. He remembered it all too well from Hogwarts. It was Malfoy's owl.
'What the hell?' he thought as he moved towards the owl.
Gazing at it suspiciously, he pulled off the letter from the owl's leg. It was more of a piece of parchment than a letter.
Riddle graveyard, midnight. Come alone or she dies.
It was not signed, but Harry knew who it was from. 'Shit,' he cursed as he thought about the repercussions. 'I knew I should have looked there a few days ago!' he sighed at his ignorance. He was trying to figure out what he should do when a sudden thought occurred that made him frown.
'Why would Voldemort bring her where I could theoretically rescue her? He knows the prophecy, and he's not that dumb,' Harry thought, furrowing his brow. He had an idea that might work, but he'd need help. He quickly ran upstairs to wake Remus. He did not want to, but he needed him at the moment and it was really important.
"Remus," Harry said, shaking him slightly.
"Hmmm?" he said as he opened his eyes slowly.
"Wake up. It's important," Harry said urgency evident in his voice.
"What's the matter?" Remus asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and sitting up. Harry handed him the note.
"It's from Voldemort," he said.
"We need to tell the Order," Remus said, jumping out of bed.
"Wait, I have an idea on what to do, but I'll need some help. Let me run it by you first," Harry said. Remus nodded and sat down on the bed as Harry related his plan.
"I'll talk to some people in the Order and tell them the plan," Remus said, standing up.
"Thanks, floo me when everything is ready and we'll go from there," Harry said as they walked downstairs to the living room.
"I'll see you in a bit Harry. Wait for my floo," he replied as he tossed floo powder into the fireplace. A shout of "Grimmauld Place" and he was gone.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
"Tomorrow we'll be stepping up your training Harry. So far we've dealt mainly with dueling, spellwork, and your wandless abilities. This is war we're dealing with. You need to have every advantage available to you. That is why you will be training with the British SAS from tomorrow onwards," Jem said. He and Harry were sitting at a large two person table, with lunch set out before them: sandwiches, crisps and butterbeer. Jem reached for a sandwich while he continued. "You know who the SAS are, Harry?"
"Erm…It sounds familiar, but I can't place it," Harry said, frowning slightly.
"Special Air Service Regiment, the Special Forces for Britain, like the Navy Seals in America and such, but better in my opinion, and I'm American, so that's saying something."
"They're part of the army then?" Harry asked, gulping at the thought of training with them. He reached forward to grab a butterbeer and popped off the cap before he took a swig. Shortly after taking a drink, he remembered Dudley always watched those war programs on the telly. He had heard a brief segment about the SAS as being one the world's premier Special Forces. If he was going to be training with them, it would definitely be hard.
"On paperwork they are, but they really aren't. Very few people know this, but the SAS were founded by wizards in the eighteenth century. They were a secret organization made by the Queen to go on special operations. Everyone believes they were founded during the Muggles' Second Great War. These wizards were a force to be reckoned with. However, fewer and fewer wizards joined the SAS, and by the time Grindelwald came to power, their numbers were dwindling. So they decided to have it go public for the Muggles to join. No one except those in it would know wizards were behind the whole thing. Now there is roughly one wizard per squad. You will be working with a squad from the Counter-Terrorism Division. These four men are the best ofthe best. I had to call in some favors, but they'll be training with you from now on," Jem said, then proceeded to take a bite of his sandwich.
"I'm not going to tell you what they'll be teaching you. They can tell you that when you meet them tomorrow. But they are much better than any Auror can dream of," he explained. Harry nodded in understanding, completely agreeing with the inadequate Auror force. Very few were up to par with the Death Eaters, and most of those that were, were already in the Order.
"But you must treat these men with respect. They have already proven it in multiple ways, and are more dangerous than any Death Eater when it comes to doing their duty."
The next day…
"Harry, wake up," Abe said, shaking Harry slightly from his slumber.
The boy groaned slightly as he opened his eyes slowly.
"Whaa time iss it?" Harry asked, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Six, you need to get a bit of a head start today, so get to your routine," Abe answered as he left the room.
Harry waited another minute to let his body awaken before he got up. He quickly changed into his workout clothes. He closed his eyes and concentrated on a Quidditch pitch. Opening his eyes again, he was standing in the middle of the pitch with the sun shining down brightly on him.
After completing his workout, he changed the room back into the same bedroom he had been in early. He grabbed a fresh change of clothes and headed to the shower. Fifteen minutes later, he left the room and went to meet up with Abe and Jem. They were sitting around a table with breakfast already laid out. Harry helped himself to some food and quickly ate.
He was halfway through eating when Jem left the room. He returned ten minutes later with four men following him. They varied in height and build, but all looked like they had seen their fair share of fighting. They were dressed in the same black uniform, with various pouches and pockets throughout. Every one of them had a pin on their left shoulder of the standard sword with wings emblem of the SAS, along with the words "Who Dares Wins". Each had a pistol holstered on their right hip, and a knife on their left forearm.
"Harry, I'd like you to meet your new friends," Jem said, smirking at Harry's wide-eyed look. They all looked like they could rip Harry's head off without so much as a hint of a struggle. However, none of them looked overly muscular.
He introduced the one on the left as Alex. Alex was about six feet tall, lightly tanned skin, and had sandy brown hair. He was staring at Harry with his brown eyes, almost studying him. The man to Alex's right was John. He was about two inches shorter, and had dark brown hair. He was slightly larger than Alex, but it was probably due to his being a little bit shorter. He too was watching Harry, but he did not seem to be studying him. It seemed to be more of a look of contempt. Harry did not know what to make of it. He had not said anything yet, and it was as if the man already took a disliking to him.
The one on the right introduced himself as Trevor. Harry thought Trevor seemed nice enough, slightly overexcited. The man was about the same height as John, but he did not seem to have the same look of contempt. With dirty blond hair and brown eyes, Trevor was the exact opposite of John. He had been honored to meet the "famous Harry Potter" as he so put it.
It turned out that he was the wizard of the squad, or as the SAS called them a 'Field Mage'. Harry asked how they kept their involvement secret from the Ministry. His answer had been, "Who runs the country, the Queen or the Ministry?"
The last person to be introduced was Chris. He turned about to be the squad leader. Standing at five foot nine he was the shortest, but exuded the most power and authority out of the four. He also turned out to be the friendliest of them, actually shaking Harry's hand. He had black hair similar to Harry's, but not quite so messy. Perhaps the most interesting, yet strikingly odd detail about him were his eyes. They were a similar green to Harry's, but not as bright and powerful. That's not to say that they did not hold power themselves, just Harry's were a bit different. They could almost pass off as siblings. There were enough differences in their facial features to not be mistaken as the same person. Harry took an instant liking to Chris; however, it was odd to meet someone that looked so similar to himself.
After the introductions were made, Jem offered the four veterans some breakfast, which they all readily agreed to. Harry, who had lately been eating enough to rival Ron, had not finished and was right along with them with the idea. They exchanged polite conversation over the meal, mainly giving details about themselves. Harry learned that John was wary of all wizards, except for Trevor. His parents had been murdered by them during Voldemort's first reign of terror, which explained why he had been looking strangely at Harry. He quickly warmed up to him, and all of the previous iciness was gone.
Once breakfast was finished, Chris asked if he could speak with Harry alone for a little bit about the training and such. They made their way into the living room where they pulled up chairs across from a small table.
"Jem told you about the SAS, correct?" he asked. Harry nodded affirmatively.
"Alright then, before I start my spiel about training you and all that good stuff, I want to tell you a little bit about myself," he said. Harry nodded; he was not sure why he needed to know about his life, but shrugged it off as a conversation starter.
"Out of the four of us I'm the only one that's not full blooded Brit. I was born in America; my mum's British while my dad's American. So I kind of have a mix between American English and British English, so if you don't understand something just let me know. A little background, I lived in America 'til I was twelve, then moved to Britain for three years, and then back to America. When I was eighteen I enlisted in the Navy, and eventually made my way into the Navy Seals. I worked with them for a few years. By then I was twenty-five and pretty pissed off with the American government," at Harry's look of confusion he clarified, "Pissed off in America means angry, frustrated, that similar meaning, not drunk. Anyways, most of the American government officials are bloody idiots if you ask me. So I moved back to Britain. I was able to transfer into the SAS. Had to pull a few strings, and prove that I was capable with only the best intentions for the country, but it was worth it. I've been there ever since, and now I'm twenty-nine," he continued. Harry was having trouble understanding what he was talking about related to the U.S., and did not know how it was all relevant, but found it interesting nonetheless.
"Anyways, what I'm trying to get at is that I've been around the bush so to speak, no pun intended. I've fought wizards and the like, specifically Death Eaters, so I know what you're up against. Those Death Eaters are some pretty fucked up fellows. My wife and I were out one night, we were just leaving a restaurant when I realized I had left my wallet at the table. I told my wife I'd be right back, and left her right next to the restaurant door thinking everything would be fine. I was halfway to my wallet when I heard a commotion at the front of the restaurant. I completely forgot about my wallet, and training took over. I hurried back to the front to see what was going on. The windows had been shattered and there were two men with cloaks and masks on pushing my wife down the street," Chris said. His voice held no emotion as he knew the outcome already and had long since gotten over it. Harry knew this was nothing new for Death Eaters, but could not help the fact that he was appalled.
"At that point I was ready to hurt somebody. The one thing I will not stand for is someone threatening my family. So, I drew my pistol, I keep it with me at all times, and moved out of the restaurant, following the Death Eaters. They were headed towards the alleyway. It was pretty close to the restaurant. I knew they were wizards already, and wanted to get closer before I did anything. When they turned down the alley, I was just behind them. I rounded the corner to see one of them pointing their wand at my wife. That's when I lost it. I leveled my gun and fired two quick rounds at each. They were dead before they hit the ground. Right now you're probably trying to figure out why I'm telling you this," he said, grinning slightly. "What I really want you to know is that you're going to have to do the same thing sometime. You will have to kill someone. It's almost guaranteed if what Jem and Trevor have told me is true. You need to realize the difference, though, in killing someone and murdering someone. They are completely different. Death Eaters murder, they enjoy it, they're sick and inhuman. I may have killed people, but I have never enjoyed it. I have done it because it needed to be done to make the world a better place," he explained while Harry listened in rapt attention. The idea of killing someone was evil to Harry, however, Chris' explanation gave a whole new light and meaning to it. It almost justified it, but it would never be easy if he had to take a life. He knew in the end that he would have to take Voldemort's or die trying, but Voldemort was pure evil. It was different…or was it?
"What I'm about to say may scare you a little," Chris warned him. "You want to end the war going on, right?" Harry answered with a nod. "And you don't want it to happen again, right?" Another nod. "Then you're going to need to make this something that will keep people in line. It needs to have a lasting effect that everyonewill remember and hopefully deter them from becoming evil. The only way to do that is to show them that you will not tolerate it. Putting them in jail is not enough. They need to know that their life was over the moment they embraced evil and the lust for power," Harry's eyes were wide at the last statement. 'Is he suggesting we kill them all?'
"Yes, I mean kill them. Do not let them go free," Chris said fiercely. Harry was startled that he knew exactly what he had been thinking. "The more that live, the less effect it will have on generations to come. Do you understand? I know it won't be easy, but that's why we're here."
"Yeah, it makes sense, but that doesn't mean I like it," Harry replied after a moment's thought.
"Good. Now, before we go over your training, I have a proposition for you…"
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Harry quickly sprinted outside past the Anti-Disapparation ward before he turned around. A moment later the ward was taken down, and he was sprinting back into the house. He ran up to his room to prepare. He was already in his dragon hide body suit, having worn it since he had left to find Ginny. After gathering his Invisibility Cloak, he ran over to the fireplace. He threw in some floo powder, and yelled "Mathison Manor". He stuck his head in the swirling green flames, a quick spinning sensation later, and he was looking at the entrance hall to Jem Mathison's home.
"Do you need something, sir?" a house elf asked, having just come into the room to see who flooed.
"I need to speak to Jem, quickly," Harry told the elf.
"Right away, sir!" the elf squeaked. The elf quickly left the room to get Jem. A tall, lean man of thirty-five came in a moment later. He had short brown hair that went well with his blue eyes, an odd combination, but it fit him well. He almost looked like one of those GI-Joes Harry had seen when he was younger. He was even built like one; his broad shoulders stood out, making him look like a formidable man. His arms were rather large, but they fit his body well. If Harry had not known him, he would have been fearful of the man.
"Harry ya bastard, what are ya doin' here?" Jem asked good-naturedly.
"I need some help," Harry said urgently. Jem's demeanor quickly changed from joking to serious.
"What's wrong?" he asked quickly.
"It'll take too long to explain, but I need a few things," Harry replied, hoping he would be able to get everything he needed, and Jem would not ask too many questions.
"What d'ya need?" he asked.
"Well, I need a few stun grenades, and maybe some C4. Could be useful for getting out…alive," Harry said, having already come prepared with the items he wanted. They would be useful if his theory behind Voldemort's plan proved to be true.
"Probably, I'll see what I have, come over while I look," he said. Harry pulled his head out of the fire and quickly came out of the fireplace at Mathison Manor. It was a beautiful entrance hall with rich cream colored walls and mahogany tables. The crystal chandelier lit the room brightly. There were pictures along the wall of a black haired woman, whom Harry guessed to be Jem's wife, with Jem and a child with brown hair.
"This way Harry," Jem said, leading him out of the room and into a long hallway. Various doors were along the hall, but Jem did not go in any until the last door on the left. However, before he entered, he placed his hand on a pad next to the door which scanned his hand. "A piece of Muggle technology I picked up," he explained, winking at Harry. Harry was not sure how it would keep out a simple Unlocking Charm, but then again Jem had probably used some sort of magic for that. He opened the door and motioned for Harry to enter. He followed in behind Harry while he flicked on the lights. Harry's eyes widened as he looked around the room. It held various weapons from swords and throwing knives to all sorts of guns, dating back to the first Great War. He saw a few that he recognized such as the H&K MP5N and the Colt M4A1 Carbine. Both were fun to shoot since they were automatics, but not ideal for a wizard as they required two hands to be able to use them properly.
"Got quite the arsenal here, don't you?" Harry asked with a grin, knowing just how much Jem loved to collect different weapons.
"Oh, shut up," he said, smirking at Harry before moving past him.
Jem went over to a corner and shifted a few boxes of different items, muttering to himself as he looked for what Harry listed.
"You know, a few fragmentation grenades might be a little fun too," Harry said thoughtfully, grinning with at the thought of wreaking more havoc for Voldemort.
"I really hope you're not planning on blowing up Dumbledore. Though scaring him shitless might be funny," Jem joked. "Ah ha!" he muttered, "I knew they were over here."
He pulled out a crate labeled "C4 & Detonators". 'Merlin, I would hate to piss him off,' Harry thought as he looked at all the explosives and weapons in the room. He could easily form and equip a small army.
Harry grabbed seven sticks of C4, each weighing two kilograms, and a detonating cord for each along with a remote detonator. He conjured a shoulder bag and placed the explosives and detonator inside before slinging it over his neck so it hung on his left side. He cast a quick Weightless Charm to rid himself of the extra fourteen kilos.
"Here we are," Jem said, shaking Harry out of his thoughts. He pulled out another crate, and placed it on an empty table before going back to the same wall and grabbing a third one.
"Stun grenades and frag grenades," he said, pointing to the two boxes respectively. Harry conjured a belt that he could clip the grenades to, making it easy for him to access them. He quickly gathered four of each, clipping them onto the belt, frags on his left and stuns on his right. He placed a charm around them that would not allow them to blow up if a spell hit them. 'I need to get Fred and George to make something like this,' he thought.
"So, what do you need them for anyways?" Jem asked with an amused look on his face as he watched Harry clip on the grenades.
"The bastard took Ginny," Harry said angrily.
"You mean the redhead you've been drooling about forever?" Jem asked.
"Yes, her, and I'd thank you if you didn't remind me of that," Harry said, glaring at Jem for having brought up the time he had been caught drooling in his sleep with a goofy grin plastered on his face. Jem had woken him up and asked him what he had been dreaming about. Harry, not knowing what was going on at the time as he had just woken up and was still somewhat dazed, he had said "Ginny". He had come to regret it ever since.
"It's not my fault you were drooling," Jem grinned. "So, I take it you know where she is?"
"Sort of, I'm going on a whim, but I think it's going to pan out," Harry answered.
"Good, well you might want a couple extras for our pal's butt buddies," Jem said, always one to keep up the raunchy humor. He handed Harry two more of each grenade.
"I like the way you think," Harry grinned evilly as he added the four grenades to his arsenal.
"I need to go, I'm expecting Remus to floo me soon," Harry said, after looking at his watch.
"Alright, I'll walk you to the fireplace," Jem replied. Once in the entrance hall Harry turned to Jem and bid him goodbye.
"Give 'em hell, Harry," Jem said, grinning back at his young friend.
"They won't know what hit them," Harry said fiercely. His face held a determined look and his eyes held emerald flames that radiated power. Anyone that knew better would step out of the way if they saw him. It was a good thing Voldemort did not know better.
He took a pinch of floo powder and found himself spinning through the fireplaces back to the Burrow. He dusted the soot off himself that had collected from the various trips before he sat down on the couch to wait for Remus' okay. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was only seven, so he decided to read one of the other books on wards he had picked up earlier.
It was not until eleven thirty that Remus flooed. Harry had finished the book on different types of wards, and had started on a book about custom wards when the fire spurred to life and Remus' head was in the flames.
"Harry," the floating head said.
"Everything ready, Remus?" Harry asked, marking his place in the book and setting it down on the couch as he stood up.
"Yes, you'll have ten minutes before we follow," he informed Harry.
Harry was quiet for a moment deep in thought, "Ten minutes…I hope that's enough time," he mumbled to himself.
"That's all you've got before we come," Remus told him, even though Harry had not been speaking directly to him.
"Bugger it, I'll make do with what I can get," Harry said as he stretched his limbs. He had not moved much in over four hours and was somewhat stiff. "Give me a moment to loosen up and then I'll be gone."
"Alright, you've got 'til eleven fifty to leave; we will be there at midnight," Remus said, his head vanishing from the flames a moment later. Harry walked outside and began stretching; five minutes later he was ready to go. He quickly conjured a band, and pulled his hair back into a ponytail so it would not get in his face. He then covered himself with his Invisibility Cloak and Disapparated. 'Can't be late for my date!' he joked mournfully to himself.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Harry appeared a short distance from the graveyard. He had not seen the place since the end of his fourth year, and he had hoped he never would see it again. It still held the sense of foreboding and dread that he had felt in his Fourth Year when he had first arrived with Cedric via Portkey. A light mist hung in the air enhancing that sense of dread Harry felt.
Looking towards the graveyard, he could make out the faint shapes of people slowly moving around. It appeared as if they were taking their places to wait for someone, most likely him. 'So, Voldemort brought some friends to play,' he mused, taking note of each Death Eater's location in the graveyard. He glanced at his watch; eleven fifty-one he noted, nine more minutes.
He slowly made his way towards a break in the gates. He had to be careful not to make any noise. His boots may have a Silencing Charm on them, but that did not prevent leaves or branches from making any noise. All the while walking, he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of Ginny; he had very faint hope that she would be here. He was actually hoping that she would not be here, that he had been right.
As he was about to pass through the gates, he could feel the twinge of pain coming from his scar. 'Well, now Voldemort knows I'm here,' Harry mentally sighed.
"Harry, aren't you going to come out and save your girlfriend?" Voldemort taunted mockingly. Harry took note that all of the Death Eaters were fairly well hidden behind headstones and various other objects throughout the graveyard. It was a fairly normal formation, they were surrounding the middle in which Voldemort stood.
Concentrating slightly, Harry pointed his hand to a spot behind Voldemort, and cast a spell so that when he spoke it would sound like it was coming from there.
"Tom, Tom, Tom, you really don't know me at all, do you?" Harry mocked. He knew Voldemort would become angry with Harry's 'insolence' at using his given name.
"Silence! Do not refer to be by that pathetic name," Voldemort spat angrily. He spun around, but could not find Harry. Harry was still searching for Ginny, though he knew she was not there. He had to wait for midnight.
"But, Tom, your mummy gave it to you. So it's only right if I call you by it. I mean you know my name, it's only fair, right?" Harry asked, continuing to mock the so-called 'Dark Lord'. He knew Voldemort was growing angry. That was good and bad in its own light.
Harry made his way up to one of the Death Eaters crouching behind a headstone. As silently as he could, he summoned the man's Portkey. It zoomed out of his robe pocket and into Harry's awaiting hand. If he was right, it would take him directly to Ginny. If he was wrong, well, he would have to contemplate that later.
"I am Lord Voldemort! You will bow before me!" he screamed in rage. He was blindly stalking around the graveyard trying to find Harry.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's not polite to shout, Tom?" Harry mocked. This was the final straw for Voldemort. He started flinging around Killing Curses as if they were candy. At first he focused on the spot where Harry's voice was coming from, but after realizing it must be a trick, he switched to throwing them around at random.
Harry sighed, he did not want Voldemort to start trying to kill everything in sight. Checking his watch he saw he had a minute left before he would need to make his leave. He counted down the time, at thirty seconds he conjured an exact copy of himself. Quickly placing a stun grenade in the copy's hand, he pulled the pin and placed it firmly in its grip, so it would not go off until he wanted it to. Concentrating slightly he focused on using his magic to make it appear as life-like as possible. He walked it towards the middle of the graveyard. When Voldemort saw it, he snarled and stalked towards it. Harry noticed various Death Eaters stand up and start to surround it.
"Ten seconds," Harry muttered as Voldemort got closer to the fake Harry. He started counting down to midnight. Once he reached five, he released his hold on the dummy; waiting two more seconds, he touched the Portkey with his hand and muttered, "Activate." He felt the familiar tug behind the navel. The last thing he heard were screams as the grenade went off, blinding and deafening Voldemort and his followers. Harry knew less than a second later there would be twenty Order members surrounding the graveyard. 'I'll be there soon, Ginny,' he promised fiercely as he disappeared from the graveyard. Little did he know that the very same girl, miles away in a dark, damp dungeon, woke up with a start when his voice echoed in her mind.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Harry landed in a dark room. He could not make much out at first as it was almost pitch black. There were no windows let the moonlight in. As his eyes adjusted to the abnormally dark room, he realized it was actually very large. It appeared to be a ballroom, quite grand in appearance, but with a grim feeling to it. Glancing around, Harry could only find one set of doors leading out of the ballroom. He looked up quickly and could make out the faint outlines of chandeliers spaced precisely throughout the room.
Walking towards the door, he noticed a faint metallic odor in the air that made his nose twitch. It seemed to be coming from the wall to his right. When Harry was close enough to make out the many blood stains that marred the wall, he almost jumped back. 'What the hell has been going on in here?' he questioned silently, unsure if he really wanted to know the answer.
He jogged over to the doors, deciding to get in and out as quickly as possible. Prepared to shield himself should an enemy be on the other side, Harry opened the door as quietly as possible and snuck inside. Looking around, he decided he must be in the antechamber. It was a bit lighter than the ballroom, as it had windows that let some of the moonlight in. He frowned when he only saw one door which led outside. Closing his eyes for a moment, he let his magic spread through out the room searching for hidden doors. He was really confused now, as there were no other doors.
'Must be a separate building,' he guessed after thinking for a moment. He made his way towards the lone door, and slipped outside.
Harry found himself in the garden. To his right and left were different snake shaped hedges that lined the perimeter of the garden. He made his way down the path, looking at the various plants that were growing. It was actually quite a respectable garden; none of the plants seemed dark like the ballroom had. All sorts of flowers lined the path with larger plants behind them.
He could see a large mansion to his left that loomed over the garden. Nearing the middle of the garden, Harry came upon a fork in the path. He went left and broke into a run, the only noise that came from him was the sound of his cloak brushing against the path. He passed the end of the garden and made it onto a long porch that lined the side of the house. He made his way inside the house and came into a large kitchen.
His heart almost stopped when he entered the kitchen. Five house elves turned to look at the opening door, but because Harry was still under his Invisibility Cloak none of them could see him. He took a slow, deep breath to calm himself before carefully sneaking to the other side of the kitchen. He slipped through the swinging double doors into the dining room. He did not hear the crack of the house elf leaving the kitchen.
Harry was reaching for the doorknob to leave the dining room when the door swung open suddenly and cracked Harry in the nose. He let out an involuntary groan of pain and jumped backwards.
"Who's there?" asked a voice. Harry tried to shuffle back further, but when the man came around the corner, Harry's eye's widened in surprise.
Standing in front of him was Lucius Malfoy with his wand drawn, looking around for the person he had hit with the door.
"Accio Invisibility Cloak!" Lucius said. Harry grabbed at his cloak as it flew off of him, but missed it by an inch.
'Damn it,' Harry swore as he tried to figure a way out of the situation.
"Well if it isn't Mr. Potter," Lucius sneered, his wand pointing at Harry's heart. Harry slowly backed up to put some distance between him and the blond haired Death Eater, but he was forced to stop when he felt the wall behind him.
"I'm not going to let you make a fool out of me this time," he said angrily, a malicious glint in his eyes.
"If I remember, you didn't even have a chance last time. You were pathetic," Harry taunted, slowly moving his hand to his holster.
However, the Death Eater appeared smarter than last time, yelling, "Crucio!". Harry was forced to roll to the side to avoid the curse. As he was rolling he fired off a quick succession of Blasting Curses and Bludgeoning Hexes. Lucius was able to block the first three spells with a well-placed Shield Charm, but the fourth spell, a Bludgeoning Hex, hit him in the left leg, throwing him off balance and onto the floor. He scrambled to his feet, favoring his left side and trying to aim properly at Harry, who was now moving around the dining hall as quickly as possible. He was putting a bit of distance between them along with a random pattern of movement to make it harder for Lucius to hit him. He was holding his shield up with his left hand, while he threw a Blinding Curse with his right hand. It was easily deflected, but Harry had not expected it to hit him in the first place. Lucius let off a string of hexes at Harry, who was forced to reinforce his shield while dodging as many as he could. He spun to his right to avoid a Severing Curse, but landed in the path of a Bludgeoning Hex that hit his left arm. He felt his arm roll out of its socket, and he bit his lip to keep himself from groaning in pain.
He cursed himself for his mistake, and slammed his left shoulder against the wall, forcing his left arm back into his shoulder socket. 'Oh that hurts like a bitch,' he winced after crudely fixing his arm. It would have to do until he could get it checked over later. He dodged a Cruciatus Curse and fired back with a quick succession of low powered Severing Curses, hoping to catch him off guard. Lucius quickly cast a Shield Charm, and the curses peppered it, weakening it, but not breaking through.
'He got better,' Harry grudgingly admitted. He pointed both of his hands at separate chairs, transfiguring each of them into lions. With a quick thought, they both turned towards Lucius, roaring loudly as they bounded towards him. Lucius hit one of them with a Reductor and turned to see the second one pounce on him, biting his right arm. He dropped his wand in pain and kicked at the lion, which only made it angrier. Harry moved quickly over to Lucius and changed the lion back into a chair while stunning the bloodied man. His right arm had large gashes in it and a few chunks missing.
Harry bent over and snapped the man's wand. He quickly bound him and woke him up. The Death Eater came to slowly, but once he realized Harry was standing in front of him, looking none the worse for wear, he awakened much quicker. If looks could kill, Harry would be a pile of dust.
"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked. His eyes blazed fiercely, causing Lucius to recoil in fear, but he quickly regained as much composure as he could, considering his position.
"Why would I tell you where the blood-traitor is?" Lucius spat.
"Because if you don't you'll be wishing for death," Harry said. The look of fear that played over Lucius' face was priceless.
"She's not here!" he said quickly, his lack of eye contact clearly told Harry he was lying.
"Wrong answer," Harry said coldly. He drew back a fist and slammed it into Lucius' face. He was slightly amazed at how good it felt to finally be able to do that. Lucius had caused too much pain in Harry's life, from the Chamber of Secrets to the Department of Mysteries last year. He was not going to let the man go freely.
"She's not here. I'm telling you!" Lucius said pathetically, tasting the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth.
"I think you're lying, and if I find out that you so much as touched her…well, you don't want to think about it," Harry said as he crouched down to stare Lucius in the eyes. The Death Eater spat in Harry's face, Harry for his part didn't even flinch. He just entered the man's mind and bypassed his weakened Occlumency shields, searching for the information he wanted. The man's shields were pathetic, but given his current state of pain, they were understandably weak. He sifted through all the disgusting memories the man had until he came across the one he was looking for. He watched and memorized the path Lucius took towards the dungeons where he saw Ginny, lying on the floor still in her nightdress from when she was taken. It was ripped in multiple places, and she had bruises all over her face and arms. Lucius' next memory made Harry pull back from his mind abruptly and gaze at the Death Eater with hatred and disgust. He thought back to Chris' words and made a decision that he knew could not be avoided without the cost of other innocent lives.
"You sick fucking bastard. I was even thinking about letting you live," Harry said enraged. He watched as Lucius' eyes widened and fear was written across his face, "but after that…you're going to pay for what you did to her."
"You don't have the balls to do it," Lucius spat failing to convince himself that Harry would not go through with it.
"Oh, I don't, do I?" Harry grinned maliciously. He drew his gun with his right hand, and removed the Silencing Charm. He wanted the last thing the man heard to be the report from the gun.
"What's that, some toy?" Lucius sneered, watching Harry level the gun at his forehead. Being ignorant really did not help him at the moment.
"You really should have learned more about Muggles," Harry said feigning disappointment as he pulled the hammer back on his gun.
"And why would I want to learn about those filthy animals?" Lucius asked, scowling at Harry.
"Just cause," Harry shrugged indifferently as he pulled the trigger. Lucius' head jerked backwards as blood sprayed the wall behind him. Harry holstered his gun and ran his hands through his hair. He had been having a hard time deciding what to do with the man up until he had used Legilimency, then the choice had been easy. However, it still had not been easy to actually go through with it, no matter how much Harry had hated him at that moment. But it had been was necessary. Lucius would have kept coming back, harming more people each time if he had not been dealt with. He took a moment to clear his head; he would deal with the guilt of his actions later.
He looked down at himself and Vanished the spots of blood on his dragon hide before turning back to the dining room. To say it had been destroyed was an understatement. There were gaping holes in the wall, the table had been destroyed, and many of the chairs were no longer chairs and just piles of wood chips. He moved over and cleared a small circle in the debris and pulled out a stick of C4. He attached the detonator cord to the blasting cap, and set it to active. When he pressed the remote detonator, any detonator cord set on active with the same frequency would ignite and cause the C4 to explode. He grabbed his Invisibility Cloak and held onto it in case he would need it later.
He hurried over to the kitchen to try and shoo the House Elves out of the house. They crowded around him, trying to offer him various foods. It appeared that anyone that came into the kitchen would be expecting food.
"You need to leave!" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs. "Your master is dead; you need to leave before Voldemort comes back," he added. Hearing this, the house elves looked at him wide-eyed as if he were crazy. They did not believe him when he said that their master was dead; they wanted to, but they did not.
"Go look in the dining room," Harry said, hoping they would leave when they saw Lucius dead. One of them disappeared with a crack to go see if he was right. A moment later he was back looking at Harry with awe and fear at the same time.
"But we cannot leave, sir! We is bound to the next master!" the house elf squeaked.
"Just leave and come back in an hour!" Harry yelled. He was starting to get impatient, he needed to find Ginny before Voldemort came back.
"We will be punished if we leave," the elf said.
Harry ran his hand through his hair, trying to think of something to say. "Why don't you go clean the ballroom?" he asked. "It's really dirty and could use some cleaning up. I don't think anyone will want any food for a while."
"Yes, sir!" the elf squeaked, and a moment later all of the elves had disappeared from the kitchen.
'Well, hopefully that will keep them out of any harm.'
He had searched the house, as he planted C4 throughout it, for other people, but it looked like no one else was currently there. In the end, he had placed two other sticks down stairs, near parts of the house that were needed to keep the structure intact. He had placed another two on the second floor, and two more on the third. Once they were all set up, he ran outside and headed into the garden again.
He followed the path back to the fountain, and was about to follow the one path he had skipped earlier when his blood ran cold.
"You have angered me for the last time, Potter!" Voldemort shouted with pure rage. He was walking towards Harry from the antechamber with his wand drawn.
"You did not think that I wouldn't notice when one of my most loyal servants calls me did you? Or the fact that I am also alerted when one of them dies?" he asked; his tone was cold and filled with anger at Harry.
'No! I need more time!' Harry cursed himself for letting Lucius touch his Dark Mark. Harry threw a volley of curses at Voldemort while he sprinted towards the dungeons. He was half way to the door that led downwards when he had to drop to the ground to avoid a Killing Curse. He rolled onto his back and fired four curses at once, two with each hand. All of them bounced off Voldemort's shield.
"Is that the best you can do? Pathetic, just like your father," Voldemort taunted coldly as he shot another Killing Curse at Harry.
Harry rolled to his right while plucking a frag grenade from his belt. He pulled the pin and magically propelled it across the ground to Voldemort's feet. It exploded in front of him; however, he had somehow managed to conjure a concrete wall to absorb most of the explosion. Harry did not dwell on this and used the distraction to run towards the door. He blasted it open with a burst of pure magic, not waiting to see if it was unlocked. He turned around and conjured a three foot thick iron wall in front of the door, and reinforced it with a bit of magic. He added two steel walls behind it before he turned and hurried down the stairs as fast as he could. He was half way down the stairs when he heard the first spell hit the iron wall. It clanked loudly, but it did not sound as if it had broken…yet.
He vaulted the last few steps and hit the ground running as he followed the path that he had seen in Lucius' memory. At an intersection he laid a Privacy Charm that would alert him when Voldemort passed that spot. He pulled off another two frag grenades and one stun grenade. He placed the two frag grenades roughly three feet across from each other, and the stun grenade about five feet in front. Using magic, he concentrated on having control of the safety lever on each. He used the magic to hold the lever in place; once that was set he pulled the pins for all three. Once the Privacy Charm was tripped he would release the magic holding the safety levers and, if all went well, Voldemort would be blind and hopefully slowed down quite a bit.
He went right at the intersection where he had laid the trap and headed down the dungeons still sprinting. 'At least all my exercise is paying off,' he grinned slightly to himself. He came to the last junction and took the left turn. He ran for another twenty feet before he came to a cell. She was huddled in the far corner of the cell, holding herself tightly.
"Ginny!" Harry said, relieved at having finally found her. She looked up when she heard his voice; her eyes widened and a small smile broke out on her face.
"Harry?" Ginny asked cautiously. The weak tone of her voice made Harry's heart break. She stayed in the corner, watching Harry warily. When Harry got closer he realized that the only thing she had on were her panties. Her nightgown was in complete tatters in the middle of the cell.
"It's really me, Gin," Harry said softly, making it the last few steps to the cell door. He looked down at the bars to check the lock. He was about to unlock the cell when his Privacy Charm went off. Closing his eyes, he removed the magic from the safety levers. A moment later a loud boom echoed down the hall.
"What was that?" Ginny asked, startled at the sound.
"Just a trap I set for dear old Tom," Harry answered. He quickly unlocked the door and started to move towards her. She stood up, slowly moving to him, not even bothering to try to cover herself up. Harry grew angrier when he noticed the bruises on her stomach, arms, breasts and face. When they reached each other, Harry wrapped her in a tight hug.
"I'm so sorry, Ginny. I shouldn't have left y—"
"It's not your fault, Harry," Ginny said quietly, cutting him off. She had regained some of her composure now that she knew she was safe. She knew everything would be all right now that Harry was there.
They pulled back a few seconds later, and he looked slightly down. He blushed lightly when his gaze lingered on her chest. He wanted to kill Lucius all over again for what he had done. Her eyes followed his and she colored too, though it was more from embarrassment at what had been done to her than her current attire, or lack thereof. He mentally chastised himself and conjured a set of robes for Ginny to wear while apologizing to her. She thanked him and slipped them on quickly.
"Right, we need to go," Harry said after Ginny had put the robes on. He drew his pistol and handed it to Ginny. "I don't have an extra wand on me, so use that for now. Shoot anything that moves," Harry said. "Well, except me," he added. "Tell me if you need a new mag; now let's get out of here."
He grabbed her left hand with his right and they started down the dungeons. They ran at a pace that Ginny could keep up with for a little while. They had just taken the first right turn back when Ginny lost her footing and tripped. At the same time that they rounded the corner, Voldemort came around also. His robes were tattered, and he had a slightly bloody arm and leg, but otherwise he was fine. Before Harry could do anything, Voldemort shot a Killing Curse at Harry and attempted to summon Ginny to him. She shrieked at the sudden involuntary movement and dropped the gun in surprise.
Harry spun to the left, dodging the Killing Curse, and shot a Gouging Hex at Voldemort that hit his already injured left arm, causing him to cancel the Summoning Charm and clutch his left arm in pain. A chunk of his bicep was missing and blood was running down his forearm.
Ginny was left in between the two of them at an angle, forming a triangle. Harry started to move, but Voldemort had already lifted his wand at Ginny.
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort yelled, the sickly green light left his wand towards Ginny.
"No!" Harry yelled as he placed both hands in front of him, and a large burst of magic came out of his hands. The two spells flew towards Ginny; Harry had angled his slightly to cross right in front of her. At the last second the spells collided and they crashed into a wall, causing a large explosion. In the explosion, no one noticed the white light that emitted from Harry and Ginny's chests, right over their hearts.
Ginny was pushed back towards Harry from the force of the explosion, but did not seem to be injured when Harry gave her quick once over. Voldemort was on the ground, slowly picking himself up.
Harry pulled Ginny around the corner and pulled off two stun grenades. He pulled one pin, and tossed the grenade around the corner with Voldemort, and then proceeded to do the second a moment later. After two loud bangs, and shrieks from Voldemort as he clutched his eyes and threw Killing Curses around randomly, Harry and Ginny ran past him as fast as they could, dodging the curses. Harry paused to throw a Blasting Curse at him before they sprinted down to the last intersection and back up the stairs. Harry looked at Ginny and grinned slightly in relief at almost being free of the place. He pulled the C4 remote detonator from his side bag as they climbed up the stairs.
They had taken three steps out of the doorway when they were surrounded by wands. Glancing around, Harry saw over thirty Death Eaters surrounding them.
"Shit!" he muttered under his breath. Doing the only thing that would surprise the Death Eaters, he pressed the detonator. A resounding boom shook the night sky as explosions took place throughout the house. All of the Death Eaters turned to look at what had caused the noise. The house started to fall apart as the fire spread. The roof fell in, and the walls collapsed.
Harry started casting Blasting Curses at the ground in front of the Death Eaters. He had managed to knock five to the ground before the first sign of retaliation came. He pulled Ginny to the ground as three Killing Curses flew over their heads, and he did the one thing he could think of. He closed his eyes and concentrated all of his magic. He heard a few more Death Eaters say "Avada Kedavra!" Just as he felt the curses near them, Harry and Ginny disappeared with a deafening crack and a reverberating earthquake that was felt in a fifteen kilometer radius.
A/N: Slightly shorter than usual, but I felt this was a great stopping point! I hope you liked it, I really enjoyed writing the action. I hope it was up to par, and that the explosions weren't a little much. You guys might be questioning some of Harry's actions, but I think most of them were explained. My yahoo group for this story and Origins is in my profile feel free to join up! Chapter 5 will be a bit longer wait, sorry. Leave a review please! Thanks
-Chris