1-07
"Homenum Revelio," I muttered under my breath and waited. It took a short second before the spell returned and my view of the world shifted. The normal realm of colour stripped away and I was left with an infrared view of everything around me.
I turned, scanning and saw the people I had to be on the lookout for. Dudley was in his room, moving through a series of graceful movements while he held something cold in his hands. That would no doubt be a transfigured sword. He would be training his muscles to be able to bear it.
Aunt Petunia was in her study, sitting from the looks of it. No doubt she would be writing her next novel or looking over a meeting with the Wizengamot. Apparently, in this timeline, my defeat of Voldemort—though there were questions around the event—had been enough to earn me an Order of Merlin First Class and along with that a seat in the Wizengamot. Since I was too young to take the seat, Aunt Petunia as my only living blood relative had been given authority to serve as my proxy.
Remus wasn't in the house. He'd told us that he would be working on some paperwork for a werewolf girl that would be attending Hogwarts with us.
I focused on the outside, scanning the skies and beyond to see if there was any of the Order's guards. There were none, which either meant that my spell wasn't up to part, that the Order trusted the wards around the property or that Mundungus Fletcher had been given guard duty.
Whatever the case this was my opportunity. I muttered a spell and disenchanted the barrier over my window. I pulled out my broom from the cupboard and after some angling I slipped out of the window and outside. I started flying in earnest when I was out, angling in the direction that would quickly take me out of the wards so I could Apparate to Little Hangleton.
I was fortunate enough that I got out of the property and appeared in Little Hangleton without much trouble. It was at this point too that I could use more magic without worrying, because even if they saw the magic I was casting it was highly likely that they would dismiss this as parents and their child traversing through a muggle town, or at least I hoped.
At any rate even if that wasn't the case the Improper Use of Magic Office was likely flooded daily with the spells that happened around an underage wizard to the point that they ignored most except for key targets. I had been one of those in my original timeline and no doubt Draco Malfoy was one since the death of his parents.
I hidden my broom under a Bedazzlement Hex before I set off for the Riddle Property on foot. It would have been faster to move on broom, but I didn't know the type of wards that surrounded this place nor the people it could have. I didn't think there would be any, but: Constant Vigilance.
In the dead of night I was one of the few people walking the streets and I kept an eye out to ensure that I wasn't too close to anyone who would enquire about a child on their own. The walk was long and I had to gulp down water a few times out of my flask and rest a total of two times before I reached the gate of the property. It was surprisingly well kept even though no one lived here.
A quick spell and I checked if there were any wards on the place. There were none, the only protection being the large hedge and the even larger deadbolt on the gate. I muttered the Unlocking charm and the deadbolt yielded under the spell.
I walked in, muttering the Human Revealing Charm at intervals to ensure I was still alone. I kept to the shadows, moving through the immense property until I was at its cemetery. I had to search through the entire thing before I found Tom Riddle Senior's tombstone and then I pointed my wand, muttered a spell that blew apart the dirt and summoned the bones.
I kept it raised in the air, focusing on that while running spells to see if there was magic on them. Again there was none. I let the bones dropped, moving my wand and conjuring a bag that I placed the bones within. I was about to start to leave when an idea hit. I summoned roots from the ground and transfigured them into bones that I placed back in the ground before returning everything to normal.
I was just starting to leave when I heard the tell-tale crack of Apparition. I quickly started turning on the spot but a flash of light was already moving towards the sky and exploding much like fireworks; I completed the turn but I wasn't sucked into the tube, instead I stumbled into a brick wall that caused me to stumble and fall backwards.
Not the most graceful way to be found and it was likely that I would be found because a moment later I felt a draft catch at my feet before running up the length of my body.
Enemy, my mind automatically catalogued. Untrained in simple Human Revealment Charm. Unlikely to be Auror. Most likely civilian.
I quickly got to my feet but stuck low. My heart was already beating fast against my chest, my jaws clenched and my eyes taking everything.
But cast a wide-ranged Anti-Disapparition Charm, my mind went on even as I muttered under my breath, casting my own revealment charm and getting an image of the people—there were three in total—that I was dealing with. This wasn't good at all.
Remember, a part of me said. Even when you're ahead, you're on the backfoot. Don't make this a frontal battle.
I nodded to myself before summoning pieces of rubble towards me and transfiguring them into half a dozen large rats, each given an aggressive nature that would exclude me in that estimate. I pointed a direction and rats took off at run.
I couldn't apparate out of here but that didn't mean I couldn't apparate within.
I checked with another Revealment Charm and saw that they were moving in my direction, but there was a wide enough distance between all of them that I got the sense they were trying to take me at all side.
At least a background in working together, my mind catalogued.
I turned on the spot and appeared on the other side of the graveyard nearer to house. I summoned more roots and this time I had over a dozen snakes slithering in the direction of the men and black birds that were flying in the same direction, all of them with the instinct to be vicious but not to kill. The birds even had the mental command to take away the wands of the people.
The spell around the property stopped Apparition and Disapparition, which spoke nothing about physically leaving the property, but now that I was here I was interested. These people weren't likely to be Aurors and I doubted that Dumbledore would send his less trained people to Voldemort's ancestral home. It was more likely that they were agents for someone else with a vested interest in Voldemort's return, something I was interested in finding out.
If it was another time traveller, then I needed to be able to know who my enemies were.
Leaving wasn't an option. I had to take these people down and get all I could about them.
I ran another Revealment Charm, seeing their position before turning on the spot. I appeared just as my first creation struck the group of three. There were surprised shouts before spells were said and lights flashed.
Verbal. Non-mastery of non-verbal magic in high stress situations.
I tapped myself, layering a Quieting Spell over myself before I moved closer, ever keeping to the shadows.
"…conjured beasts," I heard a voice say, male and filled with loathing. "Richards, run another Revealment Charm."
"Yes," Richards said, his voice coming out short and tight. "Homenum Revelio," he said and I felt the whoosh start. "He's—" I heard, but I was already on the other side, appearing with a muted pop.
I could see them now, three of them wearing dark robes. They were all taller than me, two men and woman. When I looked at her I had the strong feel that she shouldn't be here. She had a strong maternal look to her, an uncertainty in her step as she followed the two others towards where I'd been a moment before.
Clearly civilians, my mind provided. Imperius?
It was highly possible. Which meant I had to be more careful in how I did this. I kept changing position until the first of my snakes struck. There was a scream and a shouted spell, but just in that same moment my bird descended and took one of the men's wand from his grasp.
"It's got my wand," the man screamed as second before the woman shouted, "Accio Wand. Reducto. Reducto."
I crept closer and pointed my wand. Quietus, I thought, my wand moving to the appropriate pattern. The spell hissed through the air and struck the woman. She stumbled back, her and the men pointing their wands at me and already shooting out curses. Two curses hurtled in my direction but I was already leaving through the tube and appearing to their left.
A bird swooped low and was struck by a blue spell that broke it apart.
"Disenchant her!" one of the men screamed. He pointed his wand at the woman but I acted quicker, shooting a Disarming Charm at the man. The woman saw it coming, pushing the man out of the wand and being struck by the spell. Her wand flew through the air and in my direction. I wanted to catch it but spells were already moving in my direction.
I couldn't use the tube as my exit, too little time. I jumped to the side and landed in a roll, coming up and pointing away.
"Confringo," I whispering and the orange spell lit the night. The trio was prepared, already running to the side and out of the way of the spell. But then I hadn't been planning to hit the directly. The spell hit a tombstone and exploded, let out a small fireball that was accompanied by a shockwave I could feel even with the distance.
"Accio wand," I said, pointing in the direction the wand had landed. I caught it just as one of the man came to his feet and shot a green spell in my direction. I was already ducking to the side but a bird intercepted the curse, struck and bursting apart into rubble.
A Killing Curse.
There was nothing more I could do here. Even if they weren't paying attention using any of the Unforgivables was a red flag that would have Aurors here within moments.
I turned on the spot appearing at the edge of the property. I was out of the gate and running down the street that would take me towards town. When I was reasonably sure I was beyond the wards I turned on the spot and appeared where my broom was. I grabbed the thing, turned on the spot again and got on, making the long trip home.
Even if at least I didn't have the answers, they would be had by the Aurors and that would inform Dumbledore about what was going on. Hopefully Hermione had already sent the message to keep the man alert. Even so at least I'd succeeded in getting Riddle Senior's bones, that method of resurrection was unlikely to be used.
As I was nearing home thought a thought came to me and I felt like such an idiot for not having thought on it sooner: I should have grabbed the ring.
