Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter


Seek and Destroy

"Why do that when I can simply kill you and do the world a favor?"

A week into July Harry got some of the best news of his life. He had been informed by Mad-Eye that the Order would be coming to escort him to the Burrow in a week's time, a statement later confirmed by Tonks. It compared with only three other things: learning that he would be going to Hogwarts and finally being able to escape from the Dursleys for most of the year, finding out that Sirius was his godfather, and being in a relationship with Hermione. He wasted no time in telling the Dursleys the news, pleased that he would finally be rid of them for good. Oddly enough, the Dursleys were completely emotionless when he told him; he was expecting them to be ecstatic that they finally wouldn't have to put up with him anymore.

The teen had no time to contemplate this however. It was actually probably more accurate to say that he wasn't taking time to contemplate this as he was no longer concerned with the Dursleys. Even if they weren't happy that he was leaving he saw no reason that he shouldn't be. He refused to let them control his life anymore, an attitude that had started when he returned home for the summer and had only grown in the following weeks. After the death of Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter decided that no one was going to push him around ever again, something that the Dursleys and to a lesser extent the Order of the Phoenix were learning.

Upon receiving this news, the glorious news that he would never have to see his miserable excuse for a family again, both Harry and Hermione decided that it was a cause for celebration. Despite being together for almost a month, the two of them hadn't been on an actual date yet and they both saw this as the perfect opportunity for just such an event. They astonished each other with their state of dress; both had seen the other dressed up at the Yule Ball, but they hadn't seen each other in casual dress clothes. Hermione was wearing a plain summer dress, something that no one who knew her ever expected to see her in. Harry had on a collared shirt similar to the one he wore when he ate with her family and khakis, a sight that was unexpected for him. They looked exactly the part of two Muggle teenagers going on a date; no one would ever suspect that they were anything otherwise.

"Are you coming?" Harry asked Ron as he and Hermione were walking for the door.

"Hmm?" Ron asked absentmindedly. "Oh, no, that's alright." He looked up from the book he had his nose buried in. "You two go on and have a great time." He grinned at them before delving back into his book. Harry and Hermione were shocked; neither of them had known Ron Weasley to pass up a chance to eat just so he could read a book.

"Um, Ron, are you okay?" Hermione inquired as she edged closer to him.

"Yes Hermione I'm fine." Ron told her, slightly chuckling. "I just think that you two deserve to go on an actual date, alone. Besides, this is really interesting stuff. I never knew that Dark magic ran so deep and was so extensive. I always thought it was simply attacking other people."

Hermione looked back at Harry who shrugged and motioned for her to come with him, leaving Ron to his book. They walked to the edge of the driveway before Disapparating with a barely noticeable pop. From the house, Ron watched them until he was sure that they were definitely gone. A stony look settled over Ron's face as he closed the blinds and began stalking through he house looking for the Dursleys. Despite what he might have told Harry and Hermione, Ron was still angry with the way that the Muggles had treated Harry, not just a few weeks ago but for his entire life. Not only Harry Potter lost his parents because of a sociopathic killer who he was now trying to fight, he was the redhead's best mate and it was time he started acting like it. It took more than a little persuasion-mentally, physically, and magically-but Ron eventually had all three of the other occupants of the house sitting on the couch in front of him.

"You know, at the end of every year Harry always hoped that he wouldn't have to come back here. He never said anything to us, I assume he was either too embarrassed or too strong, but I could see it in his eyes and how he acted. He was the only one I knew who would have preferred to stay at Hogwarts. Bloody hell even Hermione was always ready to go back home to her parents and she loves learning more than any one person should. I should've realized how terrible Harry really had it here five years ago when we came to rescue him but at the time I just assumed he was being punished for something that he probably didn't do.

"Harry's faced all manner of dark things at the castle. He came face to face with V-Voldemort three times, he's nearly died multiple times, just a few months ago he watched our headmaster die, and he'd have to put up with Snape a lot more if he stayed there. Yet despite what he went through, he always wanted to stay there whenever summer came and he would either come to my house or stay at Hogwarts for Christmas. I never understood what could be so bad here that he would willingly rather be almost anywhere else. Then I found out what you did to him less than a month ago and I understand now."

"We had a freak like him dumped on us when he was just a year old and he's the victim?" Vernon demanded as he rose to his feet. "Our entire world was changed and we didn't even have a say in it! What makes you think he didn't deserve everything he got over the years?" Ron pointed his wand in front of him, causing the large man's eyes to immediately snap to the piece of wood.

"If I were you I'd sit down and shut my mouth, while you still can on your own," Ron responded, his voice low and menacing. Vernon sank back down on the sofa, defeat and fear obvious in his face. "You say your lives were changed that night without your consent but have you ever stopped to think about what Harry's been through? His parents were murdered when he was a baby by the same man who's tried multiple times since then to kill him, his godfather was killed and he blames himself for it, he saw a man we all looked up to and another student both murdered before his eyes, and he's been shunned several times at school. He should've been able to come to you for comfort and support but you instead chose to treat him as you did."

"Why does it matter to you?" Petunia asked, her voice almost pleading. "This isn't any of your business."

"You're right it isn't my business but Harry's my best mate and I've realized lately that I haven't exactly been the best friend to him over the years. It angers me that you treated him like you did and someone needs to make you pay for it. From what I understand you've only laid your hands on him once but the years of emotional and mental abuse you put him through over the years is something that no one should have to endure from their so-called family. It's a shame I don't have a Dementor here to force you lot to relieve your worst memories or better yet to suck out your soul but I have a better idea. Why do that when I can simply kill you and do the world a favor?"

"You wouldn't dare boy," Vernon said with a sneer, a look of false bravado on his face.

"Oh wouldn't I?" Ron questioned as he raised his wand again. "Stupefy!" The Muggle family huddled together and cried out as the red spell barely flew over Vernon's head and dissipated against the wall. "No I'm not like you and at any rate I've learned that there are so many things worse than death. I've discovered a spell that can make you experience everything you've put Harry through over the years and I promise you I'll use it if you ever do anything to him or Hermione.

"Is that another flicker of fear I see Vernon? Do you know that what you did to Harry was wrong or are you just afraid of the thought of me using magic on you? Either way I promise you that it'll be the worst thing any of you have ever been through." Ron started to walk out of the room but stopped when he smelled something very unpleasant. "You might want to change your underpants too." The Dursleys were too terrified to look embarrassed.


For the next week the Dursleys didn't even acknowledge the existence of the three teens, a change that Harry especially found very satisfying. None of them were really the same after their "talk" with Ron. Of course neither of them had said anything about it, willing to pretend that it didn't happen so they wouldn't have to relive the shame of being threatened and humiliated by a freak. Secretly they all longed for revenge against the redhead but they didn't know him well enough to know if his threat was genuine or not. Truthfully none of them could wait to be rid of all three of the freaks for good, something they knew was going to happen very soon. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were on the same wavelength as the Dursleys; they were spending a lot of their time lately packing and repacking, wanting to make sure that they didn't leave anything behind.

A couple of days before they left Hermione got some excellent news in the form of her first letter from her family. It wasn't very long, informing her that they had arrived safely and that someone had helped them with their belongings, but it assured her that they were safe. The happiness she felt knowing that she didn't have to worry about her family anymore shone off her, and Harry and Ron couldn't help but share that same happiness. To celebrate the three of them had a small party at the expense of the Dursleys, something that didn't sit well with the Muggles. However, despite their anger at this, they of course did nothing about it, still much too terrified to even attempt to stand up to the three teens.

The festivities didn't last very long however before the three friends were interrupted. In the middle of eating the cake that they had made, Harry and Hermione were alerted to multiple people breaching the wards they had put up. Without a seconds hesitation, the party was immediately forgotten and the teens were all sprinting to the door, prepared to do whatever was necessary to ensure their survival. Their caution was proven unfounded however as Tonks and Mad-Eye walked through the door, followed quickly by the twins, Arthur Weasley, Remus Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Bill Weasley, Fleur Delacour, Hagrid, and Mundungus Fletcher, though most had forgotten where they were and why they were there.

"What did you ask me for the first time you were here and why?" Harry asked Mad-Eye, keeping his wand trained on the ex-Auror.

"I wanted a glass of water to soak my eye in because it had been sticking after that damned imposter used it," the older Wizard responded after a pause. "That was a good question Potter. It was such a minor detail that even I had to think about it. I see you still have your ingenious wards up, which means that we'll have to wait until everyone else comes back to their senses."

"If you had let us know you were coming we could've removed them," Harry responded, making little effort to hide his irritation.

"Constant vigilance," Mad-Eye responded, earning an eye roll from Tonks. "If we sent a message by owl it might've been intercepted."

"So why not use your Patronus to send us a message?" Ron questioned, a grumpy look on his face.

"Constant vigilance," Hermione whispered in his ear, causing Harry to grin. "So what's the plan for getting Harry out of here Mad-Eye?" The grizzled warrior quickly explained the plan to have six of them take Polyjuice Potion to turn into Harry and be accompanied by a guard to a different safe house where they would be transported by Portkey to the Burrow. Mad-Eye, Remus, and Kingsley all expected Harry to viciously deny this plan, saying that he didn't want anyone to put themselves in harm's way for him. Tonks was the only one who knew that he could use magic and was therefore able to defend himself without drawing the Ministry's attention but even she didn't expect Harry's calm response.

"Thanks but I don't really need that. I'm able to do magic whenever I want now, as decreed by the Minister himself, and I'm able to Disapparate quite well. Plus the three of us have been practicing magic all summer and we're able to defend ourselves well enough from the Death Eaters. I am thankful for you all coming here to help me though. It really does mean a lot knowing that you all are that concerned for my safety. There is one more thing I need to do before we leave though and it should be enough time for everyone else to recover from the wards." Harry turned and called for the other three inhabitants of the house to come into the sitting room. Though they were obviously very reluctant, the Dursleys did as the teen requested and situated themselves on the sofa.

"I honestly don't know why I'm even bothering with this but I still feel like I should tell you thanks. I know that your lives changed when Professor Dumbledore left me with you and you didn't have any say in it. You still took me, fed and clothed me, put a roof over my head, and raised me when you didn't really have to. I'm not thankful for any of that though. This place has been more like a prison than a home to me over the years. You emotionally and mentally abused me over the years, fed me the bare minimum you could get away with, gave me Dudley's old clothes and toys, and spent most of my life ordering me around.

"What I'm thankful for is that you showed me how much better I am than not only you three but Voldemort as well. You spent all of my life intimidating and bullying me because I couldn't do anything about it. Now I'm able to do something that you can't, and I could very easily repay you for what I've endured over the years, but I'm not going to because I'm not like you. And unlike Voldemort, I don't hate you because you're Muggles, I hate you because, despite all outward appearances, you're three of the foulest people I've ever met. And that, that's what makes me better than all of you." The last word had barely left Harry's mouth when he was alerted again to someone breaching the wards. He exchanged a significant look with Hermione, gave a nod to Ron, and started walking out of the house with the other two on his heels.

"Someone's here," he told the Order in an attempt to explain their abruptness. "I know you don't take orders from me but I'm asking you lot to stay in here." Tonks opened her mouth to object but Harry stopped her before she even started. "Please Dora. They should've forgotten why they're here, and where here is for that matter, so we should be able to deal with them ourselves. If something goes wrong though I want to be able to retreat instead of turning this into a full-scale battle." Mad-Eye nodded, apparently accepting the teen's logic, and the three left the house.

They had barely stepped outside when a streak of orange flew past Ron's ear. Ron heard someone yell something about "the redhead" before a green light that was all too familiar was sent towards him. It hit a trashcan that was sent into its path by Hermione, which promptly exploded in a shower of sparks. A second later two of the Death Eaters were incapacitated, one by a blue light from Harry that sent him forcefully flying backwards and one by a purple light from Ron that caused his own Killing Curse to backfire on him. This was quickly followed by a spell from Hermione which incapacitated yet another Death Eater, making the two sides even. What followed in the next few minutes was a heated battle between the Trio and the three remaining Death Eaters. The Death Eaters had already realized that the three teens weren't to be taken lightly and had quickly ducked behind various trees and bushes, while the Trio used objects around the house for cover.

"Apparently they didn't forget anything," Hermione yelled over the cacophony of noise. The unnecessary statement was meant to be a sarcastic joke and Harry found himself smiling despite the situation. It wasn't long ago that Hermione would be too overwhelmed right now to think of anything other than the battle and now she was joking about it.

"Seems that way. I wonder what happened."

"Maybe you didn't do the bloody spell right!" Ron exclaimed from his spot by the garage.

"Shut up Ronald!" Hermione replied. She stood up from her kneeling position and threw a spell at a Death Eater that apparently found its mark judging by the howl of pain. Harry smirked at the exchange between his girlfriend and best mate and used the opportunity to incapacitate another Death Eater, leaving them with only two to fight.

"Do you think we should go see if they need help?" Tonks asked from inside the house. She and the others were listening intently to the battle.

"No," Mad-Eye responded without hesitation. "Potter told us to stay in here and that's what we're going to do. He'll be our leader soon and this is a good test of his leadership skills. It's an unusual order but a sensible one so I'm going to follow it for the time being. Besides it sounds like it's over now." As soon as he mentioned it, the silence became obvious and the group, including those who had temporarily lost and now regained their memory, went outside to see the result.

"What the bloody fucking hell could cause the wards to fail like that?" Ron asked. The question was meant for Harry and Hermione but the redhead realized after he asked that they weren't with him. He looked around to see them walking through the lawn and started to go after them before the members of the Order joined him.

"Blimey I suppose you're not useless after all Ronniekins," George teased. Before Fred could add to his brother's joking, Arthur cut them both off.

"What happened Ron?"

"I honestly don't know Dad. The wards that were supposed to make them forgetful didn't work. I tried to ask Harry and Hermione but they're over there." The redhead pointed behind him where Harry was kneeling down beside one of the fallen Death Eaters with two fingers pressed against the man's neck.

"Is he?" Hermione began.

"Dead," Harry confirmed, rising to his feet. "I didn't think that the spell would completely backfire like that. I thought it would just hurt him at most. Apparently we've found something that can counter the Killing Curse but that's not the most important thing right now. Mione what happened to the wards?"

"I'm not sure. The only reason they wouldn't work would be if the Death Eaters knew about them but I don't see how they could. The only ones who know that we put them up are us, Ron, and the Dursleys and I don't think-no!" The teens looked at each other with similar expressions of disbelief. "Do you really think they let Voldemort know?"

"Vernon had plenty of opportunities when he went to work and they're stupid enough to believe that telling him that will save them. We need to leave."

"You don't care what happens to them?"

"After all they've done, especially this, no I don't." Hermione shrugged and followed her boyfriend back to where the others were gathered.

"How are yeh Harry?" Hagrid asked, pulling the teen into a bone crushing hug.

"Bloody brilliant Hagrid, Harry answered when the half-giant released him. "We need to get the fuck out of here, now," he continued to everyone else. "I'll explain everything later but just know that this place isn't safe anymore." He motioned to Ron and the Trio went back inside to grab their belongings. They came back outside and one by one, everyone Disapparated to the Burrow. The last one to leave was Mad-Eye, who gave the Dursleys a final glare before disappearing. A figure silently watched from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to go forward with their plan.


Lord Voldemort was sitting on his throne, watching Draco Malfoy continue with his training, when two of his loyal Death Eaters came into the room. The first one he noticed was Yaxley, who he actually rather liked. The other one was a new addition to the Death Eaters, brought in to replace the three they had lost in the recent battle at Hogwarts. Voldemort didn't remember the man's name, it was something like Sadin or Suldur, but thus far the Dark Lord was less than thrilled by this new recruit. He showed a severe lack of promise, something that Lord Voldemort would not accept. All of his Death Eaters had to prove that they had the capability of being able to fight at his side without being a burden to him. So far this Sadin or Suldur or whoever he was wasn't proving that he could do that. Lost in his own thoughts, Voldemort barely noticed the Death Eaters bowing before him. Quickly shaking his head to get himself back on track, he recognized their presence.

"Speak, Yaxley. How did the mission go? I trust that they were able to kill at least one of Potter's friends." Yaxley took a deep breath before addressing his master.

"My Lord, I regret to tell you that, not only did they fail to kill neither the Mudblood nor the Blood Traitor, all six of them were defeated. We also lost Wilkes when that Weasley Blood Traitor used a spell that caused Wilkes' own Killing Curse to backfire on him. My Lord, the three of them used spells that they had never seen before and were not in any way prepared for." Voldemort's eyes flashed red when he heard this news, a sure sign that someone in the room was likely to die. As angry as he was for Yaxley telling him this, he couldn't kill him. He couldn't afford to lose any more of his veteran Death Eaters, especially now that Harry Potter and his friends were getting much more powerful. Besides, Yaxley was only the messenger; he himself wasn't at the battle. Fortunately for the Dark Lord, a target was about to present itself for him to kill.

"If you really were as powerful as everyone claims to be then you'd be out there yourself trying to kill Potter, not having us doing your dirty work for you. I almost died in that attack because you're too scared to face Potter yourself." Yaxley's head quickly snapped to his left while Voldemort slowly turned to look at this corpse that didn't know he was dead. The look he was giving this young man made him cringe and shrink away, instantly regretting his words.

"You think that Lord Voldemort is a coward? I fear no one. There are none still alive who can equal my strength. I have pushed the limits of magic farther than anyone else ever has and I will not be called a coward!" The young man had no time to blink before Voldemort had drawn his wand and uttered two of the most dangerous words a Witch or Wizard could hear: Avada Kevadra. One of Voldemort's newest Death Eaters lay dead on the floor, his former master standing over him with absolutely no remorse.

"Draco, continue your training," Voldemort told the blonde teen as he stepped over the body at his feet. "There are matters I must discuss with Yaxley." Leaving his protégé to his training, Voldemort and Rookwood began walking out the room. "So the Muggles either tried to set us up or didn't know everything."

"I think it was the latter my lord. The information they gave us about the wards was true but Potter and his friends knew we were there as soon as we arrived so I think there was some other spell they used that the Muggles didn't know about, I don't think they were aware of the boy's powers either gym lord. It was something that he kept hidden from almost everyone; I don't think he wanted to chance it getting back to you. You have to admit that he is rather intelligent for his age." Voldemort glared at his follower.

"I admit nothing, Yaxley. He is nothing but a boy who is exceedingly lucky. He may be extremely powerful but he has yet to realize what true power is." Not wanting to further anger his master, Yaxley quickly changed the subject.

"So what would you have us do with the Muggles then, my lord?"

"Kill them. Like all Muggles, they need to be exterminated. Besides, they betrayed their own flesh and blood. Even if it was Potter that they betrayed, I will not allow someone who sold out their own family go unpunished." No matter what he might tell himself or others, Voldemort could never forget that his father abandoned him and his mother before he was even born. He wouldn't let anyone else do that without severely punishing them, if only to satisfy his own need for vengeance. "Send one of the new recruits or go yourself. I don't care either way as long as those Muggles are dead in an hour." Yaxley nodded his understanding before walking outside the Malfoys' mansion and Disapparating to Number 4 Privet Drive.


Safely hidden in the shadows of Privet Drive, a dark figure watched the Dursleys. It seemed that the three Muggles couldn't believe that Harry Potter and his freak friends had finally left their life for good. The figure was sure that if they knew how much danger they were in they wouldn't be so quick to celebrate the fact that they were now, in their own words, "freak-free." It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that Lord Voldemort might try to take them hostage in an attempt to lure Harry to him. In most cases that would be true anyway; in this case the danger arose not from Voldemort but from the very person watching them.

The person had known for quite some time that the Dursleys had been feeding information concerning Harry to Voldemort. They were quite sure that this information would be of little to no use to the Dark Lord, since the Dursleys had no idea what they were talking about, but the fact that they were willing to betray a member of their own family made this person sick to their stomach. They were fully intending to make the Dursleys pay for their betrayal when a Death Eater appeared out of nowhere in front of them. The figure quickly identified the follower of Voldemort as Yaxley due to his long blonde hair. Before he could take one step though, the figure had Stunned the Death Eater and placed him in a sitting position at the truck of a nearby tree. They didn't want to kill anyone, that job was reserved for those who were actively involved in the war, but they couldn't let the man rob them of their chance to finally give the Dursleys all that they deserved. The figure made their way to the Dursleys' household and blew open the door, making all three Muggles jump. Vernon Dursley rushed to the door and came face to face with a hooded robed figure.

"Who-who are you?!" Vernon asked as Dudley came waddling into the hallway. "I demand that you leave this house at once!" Neither of them could do or say anything more before they were forced into the sitting room and onto the couch with Petunia. The figure conjured ropes from nothing and bound the three Muggles. "Who are you?" Vernon asked again, trying to sound as menacing as he could. In response, the figure pulled off their hood and dropped their robes to the floor.

In front of the Dursleys stood a man who was quite tall. He had unruly black hair that fell past his shoulders. His emerald green eyes were set behind a pair of glasses. He wore all black and had several tattoos covering his arms. His ears were pierced and looked like they had been multiple times. It wasn't a stretch to say that this man looked like an older version of Harry Potter.

"You look like Potter but even with all the freaky things he can do I know he couldn't change that much so quickly. I don't know why anyone would want to look like that freak but I want you out of my house all the same. Whoever you are you don't belong among us normal, decent folk." The man started laughing, a deep and full noise that would have sounded warm were it not for the situation, and addressed the Muggle.

"You're apparently not as stupid as you look Vernon. I'm definitely not Harry Potter. My name isn't important, since you won't remember it after I leave here, but you can call me Shadow. The only thing you really need to know is that it's been my job since the end of June to watch over Mr. Potter and to intervene if I felt he needed it. I've watched all that you've done to him in these past six weeks and I know all that you've done to him over the years. I would've helped him out sooner if I didn't think he could take care of himself. Instead I promised myself that I'd make sure to pay you back one day and that it seems that that day is now.

"You see, the wizarding world is on the brink of destruction because of Lord Voldemort. Now that Albus Dumbledore is dead their best hope is Harry Potter, the very boy you've been mistreating all these years. If they lose him then they've lost everything; there's no hope for anyone anymore, Muggles and magic folk alike. The funny thing is that the boy you've been mistreating is the same boy who's basically saving your life. If he wasn't here then it's likely the three of you would have been killed by the Dark Lord a long time ago.

"So Harry Potter is the reason that the three of you are still alive and how do you repay him? You sell information to the very person who's tried to kill him since he was a baby. Yes, I know what you've been doing; I've been keeping tabs on you since young Mr. Potter has returned home. It astounded me that you're willing to do that to your family. You may not like each other but you don't sell out people who share the same blood that you do. The ironic thing is that, even though you helped him out, Lord Voldemort hates anyone who sold their family. It reminds him of what his father did to his mother. You thought that you were saving yourself and yet all it did was ensure your deaths. In fact, I'm the only reason that you're not dead yet; just before I came in, I knocked out one of Voldemort's followers who had come to kill you.

"Even though you deserve death, I'm not here to kill you. There are things that are worse than death, as I've learned over the years. Being tortured into insanity is one of those things. Even worse than that is watching your loved ones suffer the same fate before you finally succumb to your own insanity. I've done this many times before and I'll probably have to do it again. My reason for being put on this Earth is to protect others and I will kill if need be. But it's not your time to go yet, so I can't kill you no matter how much I may want to. Be that as it may, there's no reason I can't cause the three of you to lose your minds, starting with your precious son."

Without giving them any time to protest or plead, Shadow pointed his wand at Dudley and wordlessly began using the Cruciatus Curse on him. Vernon and Petunia could only watch on helplessly as their only son screamed out for help, begging this person to let him go. They looked on in horror as Dudley was quickly tortured into insanity. Without any respite, Petunia and then Vernon were soon in the same state as their son; in a matter of a few short moments all three Dursleys lay in a heap on the floor, not comprehending any of their surroundings. With a quick wave of his wand Shadow released the three Muggles of their bindings. Pleased with his work, he put on his robe and Disapparated to the Burrow.


Yaxley groaned as he regained consciousness. Collapsing onto the ground was never painless, despite the current mental state of the person. His entire right side was in pain and he bit his tongue to keep quiet as he made his way to his feet. He had no way of knowing who it was that hit him with the Stunning Spell but it seemed that whoever it was wasn't an enemy. He reasoned that if they were they most likely would have done much more than just Stun him. At the very least he thought that they would take him with them instead of just leaving him propped up against a tree. Still, he was curious as to why he had been on the receiving end of the spell, but it was highly likely that he would never know.

Undeterred, and pushing the thought out of his head for the time being, he made his way to the house of the Muggle scum that the Dark Lord wanted dead. As he approached he realized that something wasn't quite right. Just minutes ago the house had been lit up and locked up tight. Now there was only one light coming from the sitting room and the front door was wide open, almost as if someone was waiting for him. He drew his wand and crept cautiously inside, poised to defend himself from an attack.

Upon reaching the sitting room he realized why the door was open and the lights were off: there was no need for either anymore. The three Muggles lay on the ground, staring blankly at the wall. They didn't even acknowledge his presence as he walked into the room. He had seen this once before, when Frank and Alice Longbottom had been tortured into insanity. The only logical conclusion was that these three had met the same fate as the two former Aurors. Yaxley knew that there was no reason to kill them now, a thought that made him angry at being denied this pleasure, but there was absolutely no way that he was going to let his master down. With three movements of his wand and six words, the world was finally rid of the family of the three Muggles known as the Dursleys. He walked outside and, pointing his wand at the sky, yelled out "Morsmordre!" before turning on the spot and Disapparating with a pop.