Guardian Wand
Chapter 12
[11:52am, 29/07/1990, London Safehouse]
A notepad flopping down onto his table drew Magnus' attention to the boy standing in front of his desk in the barely modest study. Harry's self-assured smile indicating he'd finished his latest report, its subject matter concerning the differences between curses, jinxes, and hexes.
Narrowing his eyes at his charge's smile, he pulled the book closer, flipping through it. An accepting nod meeting Harry's mirth, he looked into his eyes.
"What's your request then?"
His body nearly seeming to vibrate, his smile grew into a grin.
"I want to go to Paris for my birthday."
Holding his eyes, Magnus smiled, "And who shall we invite?"
Seemingly contemplating this for barely a moment, Harry looked back to Magnus.
"After much thought, I've decided not to invite anybody. I mean, Aunt Amelia is probably going to arrange a large party, whether she has my input or not. So why not go to Paris for my birthday, and then just attend her party when it's held?"
Standing up, Magnus and Harry headed towards the kitchen.
"That seems reasonable enough. Anything specific you wanna do?"
Taking a seat, Harry replied to Magnus' back, the man preparing himself coffee. Harry's hand lifted to tick a mental list off, seemingly losing himself in thought, "Top of the Eiffel Tower, a stop at Dupont's Duelling Supplies, maybe flying at one of their pitches! Please! And I wanna have a look at as many shopping and living districts there as I can." A satisfied smirk pulling at his lips, Harry sat back on his stool, a chuckling Magnus turning around with a steaming cup.
"We can do the Eiffel Tower. Dupont's is pretty oversold, but we can go. And we've gone flying three times this week already...but I don't see why we can't try to arrange a round at one of their fields. And why 'as many as you can'?"
The boy's arms raised in success, Magnus gave him a pointed look.
"I've read their architecture is really nice, and that they have different magics than Britain ergo, so many books. I've been saving."
"Remember, we're going glamour-less, so you've got to be on your toes. How're your wand movements improving?"
Seemingly deflating rather quickly, Harry sunk into his stool.
"I remember most of the basics by now...bar the concussive blast though. I'm struggling to aim it properly, it's like it generates a weirdly proportioned field...and how exactly are you going to go glamour-less?"
Placing his mug down, Magnus stifled a laugh, "I've got a new trinket, disrupts people's memories of me, super advanced magic. We can try arranging a training room when we get back. Now go pack some clothes, we're leaving tonight. Why not spend a week there?"
Harry's face lighting up, he moved towards his room faster than Magnus remembered he could.
Taking another sip from his mug, Magnus contemplated the months preceding their current lives.
He'd sent Yaxley's mangled carcass to Lucius Malfoy a week after the duel, a note thanking them for letting him borrow Yaxley, and that they could have him back now...most of him anyway.
Narcissa seemed rather...elated when he saw her next, thanking him for 'Scaring the pants off that ponce.' It seemed his gift had intimidated Malfoy enough that Narcissa was reigning back control of the house, her husband barely able to use the bathroom without a wand and guards at the ready.
His now empty mug in their sink, Magnus headed towards his room, remembering having things to do before they left. Getting dressed in his standard uniform of black, he flicked his wand, his boot's laces tying themselves in a flurry of movement. Knocking on Harry's door, he informed him that they would be leaving later that afternoon, and that he was going out for work.
Standing in the living room, Magnus ensured all his holsters were fastened, and his hood with charms were up. With a slight twist, and a near silent pop, the man disappeared.
[12:35pm, Diagon Alley, Apparation Point 4]
A hushed pop welcoming Magnus' cloaked figure, he moved quickly towards one of Knockturn Alley's entrances, disappearing into the alley seconds before two aurors cleared the crowd and stopped at the entrance.
Moving swiftly, Magnus looked towards an informant's drop-spot, the Death Eaters' latest movements inscribed inside.
Now seated on the arranged bench, he glanced up and down the alley. Any people, hags and haggard-types alike, had cleared quickly; those not already having moved away from him, moved quickly from the two patrolling aurors.
He kept them in his peripheral vision as he muttered a finite under his breath, the agreed password reverbing in his head. A small thud sounding from under the bench, Magnus quietly levitated the now visible and unstuck parcel into his right jacket interior pocket.
Having stowed his wand and package, he opened a conjured newspaper, hoping to blend in and miss the aurors' ire. The aurors passed him without fault, until a bright red bolt nearly hit Magnus, his newspaper blocking the bolt as his wand erected a shield.
The aurors glanced at each other before practically snarling, red spells launched at Magnus. Their performance together barely compared to Artemis' in his recent duel, he looked at them questioningly, a smile pulling at his lips.
"You know who I am, right?"
Their barrage ended, both covered in sweat, nearly dripping from their brows. They glanced towards each other once more, a slight pallor forming on their faces. Looking towards Magnus again, the one seemed able to nod.
"Why are you attacking me?"
"W-we thought we could surprise you...and we have orders to apprehend and question one...Agent...Corvus." His voice barely a whisper at the end, a realisation seemed to dawn on him.
Chuckling, Magnus shot a red bolt from his wand, barely missing the one auror, his shield flickering into life seconds later.
"That was no mistake. I recommend you continue with your rounds. You never saw me, understand?"
Two heads rapidly nodding, they cautiously walked backwards, stowing their wands and jogging almost 20 metres away, soon disappearing around a bend in the alley.
The tension leaving his body, he missed the bombardment curse hitting the wall next to him, throwing him further into the alley. Standing up, he felt a sharp pain stab in his side. Hoping for the best, Magnus limped as fast as he could down a side alley, finding himself in a small courtyard, a few small shops enclosing it.
Casting a blocking ward on the entrance tunnel, Magnus eased himself against a nearby wall, out of the entrance's sight. Casting multiple healing charms, he hissed in pain before casting a numbing charm on his now healing side.
Hearing approaching footsteps, Magnus looked up, into the eyes of a young black boy. Another hiss escaping his lips as he felt a crack in his ribs mend, they boy's eyes widened.
"A-are you okay, sir?"
Looking up in astonishment, Magnus felt a ping from his ward, a spell having just hit it. Pushing himself up, he ushered the boy back to his origins. "Go get your parents, and get inside or something, there's a big fight coming." A concerned looking olive-skinned woman walked out of a shop, her face contorting into one of abject horror as she saw her son running away from a cloaked figure spattered in blood, a dark wand in his hand.
Reaching his mother, Blaise Zabini was almost breathless, his cries of "Inside! Inside!" drawing the attention of the nearby people. A wave of eyes met Magnus' retreating form, those experienced enough recognizing the purple-tinged field at the entrance, also understanding the flashes were curses meant to break it. A few cries of "Move!" had the crowd running for shops, Sofia Zabini dragging Blaise behind her. A thought passing her mind as she entered the nearby pâtisserie, she might just join Amelia at her next tea.
Satisfied that everybody was safe for now, he ensured he was at a minimum not going to die. Realising how limited in movement he would be, he opted to stay his ground, not wanting to hurl his body through the wards. That had hurt like a motherfucker every time, and he was not chancing it with his current injuries. A final tremor running through his core, his ward collapsed, allowing all the built-up dust to enter the courtyard; the cloud enshrouding his opponents approach.
Several cutting curses escaping the cloud, Magnus was barely able to block them, not wishing for any collateral. Sending three piercing curses towards their origins, he transfigured some walls from the cobblestone of the courtyard, hoping it would hold.
Receiving multiple incapacitating curses in turn, he misdirected them before moving forwards, casting stunners and cutting curses as he moved. A gurgle resounding from the dust-shrouded hole seemed to dissipate the flow of spells; he seemed to have taken at least one of three guys down.
Eyes widening as he heard a hissed Avada Kedavra, he rolled to the side, the curse blasting a hole in the wall behind him. He crouched from the roll and sent another cutting curse into the now clearing fog, his adversaries' silhouettes barely visible. A loud, wet thud met the spell, confirming his kill.
Standing up, he hissed and tried to ignore the pain in his side, a sharp sting following every heartbeat. A dark chuckle escaping the dust, it seemed to disappear as a strong wind whipped at it, another cutting curse barely missing Magnus' shoulder.
"You're good...very good. You'd do great things by my lord's side."
The last figure was now visible, a dark cloak with a bone white mask; a straight, dark wand pointed at Magnus, the tell-tale shimmer of a Protego emanating from the tip.
"Join the dark tosser? Please, there are more chances of Dumbledore joining that prick than me."
A piercing curse flung from his wand, his opponent deftly blocked it, seemingly surprised by the power of the curse, if his grunt was any indication.
"Do not insult my master!" Exchanging curses once more, Magnus was trying to come up with some way of disabling his opponent, maybe he'd have good info.
The trading continuing, Magnus unable to move quickly due to his injuries, and the opponent barely able to block and dodge all of his spells. A final concussive spell next to his opponent throwing him off his feet, Magnus stunned the man mid-air, his body hitting the ground with a loud thud.
A sigh of relief escaping Magnus' lips, he tied the man and stunned him again, before pulling off his mask.
A dual gasp of "MacNair!" had his wand trained on the two aurors from earlier, both of them straightening out really quickly. Their wands were shakily pointed back, neither seemingly knowing how to react.
"I was attacked. I defended myself."
"W-we believe you sir, we saw the...the blast throwing you. We messaged for backup and they're struggling to get through the crowds."
Nodding, Magnus crouched down to MacNair's still unconscious form, his wand still trained on the aurors. A quick dig through the man's pockets had a small chain in his hand, a portkey signature purveying every inch of it, a few galleons, a spare wand, and a piece of parchment; the parchment containing observations of him.
A frown crossing his brow, Magnus tossed the galleons towards the aurors.
"You saw nothing."
His transfigured walls collapsing before he and MacNair disappeared with a loud pop, the two aurors surveyed the scene, patting the galleons in their pockets.
"How do we sell this one?" A grunt and raised shoulders meeting his question, the first auror walked towards the appearing civilians, knowing he'd be stuck filing reports for hours, Moody breathing down his neck about vigilance and proper protocol.
[Location undisclosed]
A loud pop resounding had two figures appearing in a ten by ten metre room, the walls, floor, and ceiling covered in large, white tiles. Magnus pulled MacNair onto one of the two chairs in the room, no other items found anywhere, only a bright halogen light buzzing overhead.
Tying the man down, Magnus enervated him, standing before the seated man. The man looked around groggily, his eyes focusing on Magnus. Seemingly recognising the oil-fire he now found himself in, he struggled against his bindings, coming to the conclusion that they weren't going to move rather quickly.
"You've been tracking me for a while, Walden Macnair."
The man froze at the voice, straightening out and pasting a sneer on his lips.
"You're a reckless child, it was easy to track you." Spitting towards Magnus' feet, he stared where he assumed his captor's eyes would be. "You ain't getting nothing from me, boy. Better than you have tried, and they all failed."
The man's gritted scream reverbing through the room, his left leg now the host of a large gash.
"What information you carry is of little concern to your consent. I'm using you to send a message, it seems you tossers hadn't learnt your lesson with Yaxley, so now you're part of my plan to ensure delaying or killing this war."
A choked laugh escaping MacNair's lips, he leaned forward against his bonds.
"And how the fuck do you think you'll be accomplishing that, lad? Sending my body too?"
Moving towards one of the walls, an intercom appeared as Magnus neared it.
"I'm sending your body back, but not cut up, no, that'd be a faux-pas. I'm using your body to transport some muggle...inventions, if you will. You purebloods seem to doubt their intelligence in all regards, including warfare." Leaning forward, Magnus pressed the button on the intercom. "Agent Corvus, Room 4."
A few muttered words following this, he thought to himself. "Send me the files of Malfoy Manor, please."
Another mumbled reply, and a table with a file appeared next to him. Walking over to the file, he flipped through it, stopping at the house's assumed layout.
"You ever heard of plastic explosives, MacNair? This muggle chap, named Alfred Nobel, made chemicals that explode rather well in the 1860's, patents 'Dynamite' in 1867; later patents another explosive in 1876, called 'Gelignite'. Later on, one of our very own British scientists patented multiple other plastic explosives, and it seemed to work especially well for what it was meant to do. By now, we've gone through so many iterations that it just seems like the perfect tool for almost anything...luckily for me, you fall into that same category of being useful."
Looking at the hooded man in confusion, MacNair snarled.
"The muggles cannot defeat our master, you wretched child! You presume your precious mudblood inventions will scare the Dark Lord's forces?!"
A slap resounding in the room, MacNair blinked to clear the stars in his vision.
"Have you ever seen what a concussion curse does at point blank?" A defiant look boring into his hood, he grabbed the man's face, ensuring he was looking into his eyes. "Those 'mudbloods' have made ways to do that without even glancing at you. Flying behemoths that rain down dozens of explosives, ripping cities to shreds. And if you refer to me as a form of child one more time, I'm spending the next five hours teaching you the intricacies of Crucio your master forgets."
Releasing the man's face, Magnus walked back to the intercom, pressing the button as he stopped at the wall.
"Corvus again. I need fifty kilos of PE-4."
Releasing the button, a duffle bag appeared on the table carrying the file.
"As I'm sure you know, magic is near limitless. Muggles are restricted by distance and time, things we as wizards can easily overcome. That's why..." Placing an off-white brick down on the table. "You are taking these to Malfoy Manor for me."
"I'd never help you...boy."
"I know. Your body can probably store all this without any charms, once I've got your organs out."
Paling quickly, MacNair fought his bonds once more.
"No use in trying to fight anymore MacNair, your battles are over. Legilimens."
The man's gurgled scream silencing quickly as Magnus tore through his pitiful mental shield, quickly surveying the man's thoughts before delving deeper. MacNair's mind wouldn't fully survive Magnus' interrogation, but neither would his body.
As he reviewed memory upon memory, Magnus mentally noted to contact Amelia, he doubted she'd approve of Narcissa being vaporised in an explosion.
An hour later found a tired Magnus sitting across from a foaming, twitching MacNair, the man's brain now likely barely more than grey matter. Lifting the tip of his wand, a silvery mist flowed out of it, before coalescing into a large raven upon his knees.
"To Amelia Bones. I recommend you contact the Malfoy's and suggest a vacation. If their manor is still being used as a Death Eater hideout, ETA of ordnance is 3 hours, make sure at least Narcissa and her son are out."
The Raven nodded before disappearing, the silver mist accompanying it slowly fading as Magnus turned towards MacNair. "I'm sorry it had to turn out like this, you were probably an alright sort most of the time."
Two flicks of his wand had the man's body seizing before slumping in on itself, most of his internal organs seemingly ceasing existence. Noting down some reminders to sort, extract, and deposit the memories he took, he returned to the duffle bag. he started the arduous task of preparing the explosives for detonation, small blocks having wires inserted and placed next to their already done counterparts; wires jumbling up most of the table.
Another hour later he had received a patronus back, stating that the Malfoys have left the country on vacation to France, and that her intervention was not even necessary. She had, however, relayed that Narcissa nearly begged for 'Corvus' to send whatever he was preparing, to a different house; some safehouse in Wales.
He would apparently 'Kill less of the inner circles, but kill much more of the bulk forces', this had made him decide to bomb the safehouse...and partially because he was unsure if Narcissa would forgive 'Agent Corvus'. Having finished with his preparations, Magnus stuffed the explosives into MacNair's body, flicking his wand to stitch up the gaping hole in the corpse's stomach.
He was hoping to destroy the safe house with no collateral damage, but whether it destroyed the whole building, or killed some children, were up in the air at this point. He touched his wand to his injured side, a list forming in his mind of statuses of bones, organs, and blood. He hoped he was healed enough, another healing charm layering his side before a cleaning charm scrubbed the blood and grime from his clothes.
He couldn't actually get himself to just place a timed portkey on the corpse and hope for the best...what if it was right next to an orphanage? Or a baby clinic? Or another locale where many young innocents gathered? The decision made for him, he grabbed MacNair's mask off the floor where he threw it when they arrived. He was planning on being a convincing enough Death Eater to gain access to the safehouse, plan where he could pop the most.
"I hope Harry forgives me for being late." As he placed the mask inside his jacket, a sticking charm keeping it under his left arm, he twisted and disappeared.
[Time undisclosed]
Albus Dumbledore had not been having an 'ideal' two years, in retrospect. First, Harry Potter had gone missing, only to turn up again later with a 'Peter Burnwood'; a man Dumbledore had made far too many favours trying to obtain information about, to no avail. The man practically didn't exist, so he could only assume that it was a cover, but who was he then?
Rubbing his weary head, he contemplated candidates, not liking the consequences of any of them. An undercover Death Eater was very unlikely, to his relief, Amelia seemed to have befriended the man and child rather easily. A Waverly agent though? The idea had some plausibility, if not begging the question of why?
The thought of an undercover ally was quickly struck away, he would have known of them then...yet if they were an ally and he did not know them, then who was pulling the strings?
Maybe the man simply had his records erased? A snort escaping the wizened wizard, he smirked. He doubted anybody with the ability to have all of their records erased would be able to operate right under his nose.
His mind wandering to Harry's potential as he reviewed his latest batch of reports, his informants having been working overtime in attempts to nip whatever war was brewing in the bud. He hoped to Merlin that Harry would be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good.
A/N: Another one. Hope you enjoyed it. PM's and reviews welcome.
Have a good one!