Harry and Teddy appeared in a dirty alleyway, scaring a stray cat sitting on a dustbin. They both pulled their hoods over their black hair before entering the crowded, overcast street. Just as in London, the streets of Aberdeen were crowded with people going to work or running errands. Instead of pushing through the crowds, the two Aurors walked slowly along the crowd, blending in.
Soon Harry and Teddy reached the marketplace by the harbor with dozens of stalls set up selling produce, meat, supplies, and other items. Harry pretended to browse the market as they passed through. After an hour or so of perusing, they were leaning against a building, resting.
"See anything?" Harry asked quietly, eyes squinting in the bright, cloudy gloom of the port.
"No, I don't think so, Boss," Teddy replied, casually looking through the crowds. "What's that over there?" Teddy asked, jutting his chin toward a building with a larger glass window in its storefront.
Harry smiled as he stood straight and walked away from the building. "Those are Muggle electronic devices. They're for communication. They were rather new and a whole lot bigger when I was a kid."
Teddy followed Harry as he walked past a stall hung with pheasants and chickens. They kept walking through the market until they reached the edge, near the shore. Teddy approached a cart full of cabbages where an old man with white hair and beard stood, looking protective as the hooded man approached. Teddy picked up a cabbage and smelled it.
"Wow, these are nice –" Teddy was cut off when the cart of cabbages exploded, raining cabbage pieces on them. Harry whirled around, his wand out, to see Goyle on the roof of a building, his wand outstretched.
"My cabbages!" the old man cried, as Teddy pushed him down as he narrowly missed another curse from Goyle. Teddy jumped over the man and he and Harry ran for it around the corner. Harry turned and cried, "Desendio!" and a large stack of crates they passed toppled over just in time for Goyle to run right into the wreckage. Harry kept running but heard a huge "crash!" and looked over his shoulder to see Goyle blast through.
Harry followed Teddy through the harbor, knocking over crates and sailors as they ran. Ahead, Harry saw Blaise standing on a boat. "Ted, watch out!" Harry yelled as Blaise shot a spell at his godson. Harry jumped forward, "Protego!" and barely blocked the spell meant for Teddy. They looked back and saw Goyle gaining on them, and Blaise catching up with Goyle. Breathing heavily, Harry and Teddy pushed on, turning corners here and there until they were running parallel to the seashore.
Suddenly, something caught Harry's eye; Two tall columns of rock peeking out over the ocean – the Pillars of McHercules. The two men cut across the beach and noticed that there were no Muggles to be seen on the beach, probably because of the gloom. He and Teddy were struggling across the sand, but looking back; so were Goyle and Zabini. Suddenly Harry and Teddy simultaneously Disapparated, stopping Goyle and Zabini in their tracks, leaving them dumbfounded. But with a flicker of movement, they spotted the Aurors atop one of the pillars, cloaks flapping in the ocean breeze. The two pursuers began launching curses at the pair, none finding their mark, the two trained Aurors systematically blocking and shooting counter-curses.
Harry and Teddy were driving back Blaise and Goyle, but, all of a sudden, out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw the billowing of a cloak and Kalem Lestrange appeared on the pillar ten feet away, shooting a killing curse at Teddy. Horror in Harry's eyes, he barely pushed Teddy aside as the curse flew by, Ted sprawled on the rock. The duel momentarily ceased as he spoke.
"I've got you now, Potter, and I won't make the mistake of letting my miserable oafs of servants 'take care of you'. But before I do so, I will show you the power I possess," he said, his voice just as icy ten feet away, as he pointed to his "oafs". Suddenly, Mulciber and Avery appeared alongside Goyle and Blaise, and then one by one more appeared. Some Harry recognized as former Death Eaters who should be in Azkaban, some were Slytherins he recognized from Hogwarts, but most were strangers to him. One even looked like a Durmstrang Harry saw at Hogwarts in his fourth year.
"These are my Equalists, and you have fallen into yet another trap of mine." He paused before laughing, "No one ever suspects the old man."
Harry's eyes widened, but he wasn't surprised, "So, is Dawlish helping you on his own accord, or is he under the Imperius curse, Lestrange?"
Kalem's eyes narrowed, "I see you've done your homework, Potter, and yes, he is under the Imperius curse."
"Now, this is all cute," Harry smiled and gestured to the crowd on the shore, "but it is you who has fallen into my trap," Harry's voice rising. All he had to do is say one word.
With merely a hint of a blue flash, on the shore appeared a small group of people in a circle facing inward, each with their hand on the shoulder in front of them, with Ron Weasley in the center.
As soon as the group oriented themselves, the circle dispersed and the fighting commenced. All of their allies Harry knew, some better than others. There was young Jonah Diggle, Hannah Longbottom alongside Neville who was still wearing his dragonhide gloves as he disarmed an oncoming Equalist. Also present was Luna Lovegood, her hair in a bun and wearing an apron as she dueled a savage looking woman. To Harry's surprise, there was Zacharias Smith looking a little out of place in his business suit, and, of course, Harry saw Kingsley Shacklebolt break off from the middle of the circle and was already dueling two Equalists. Many of the other allies were members of the Order of the Phoenix, even though it had been inactive for years, or the former Dumbledore's Army.
As the fighting erupted, Kalem whipped around to face Harry and Teddy, his eyes still narrowed, full of hate and desperation. Teddy jumped down from the rock and landed on the shore so lightly, it was like magic. Harry prepared himself for a duel, but it didn't seem to be coming. Harry took his moment, "We were prepared for you, Lestrange, back down now and it might be better for you." Harry wasn't sure this would work, and his suspicions were confirmed as Kalem looked up from the battle, appearing senile as his hand shot into his pocket and fumbled for a moment.
As he stopped fumbling, he muttered, "No. I can't stop now." And then a little louder he said, his voice shaking, "I didn't want to play this card, Mr. Potter, but you've given me no choice. I must show you how serious my intentions are." Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see that his forces were pushing the Equalists back.
Finally, Kalem's hand was slowly pulling out of his pocket, fist clenched around something small. His trembling fist met his hand and he dropped the object into it, still obscuring its identity. He turned his hands over and repeated the motion. And once more. Harry didn't know what to make of it, but after his third turn something stirred behind him. A figure appeared behind Kalem; it was hard to see in the late sunlight, but Harry could just make out the semi-transparent figure.
The figure was pale and facing away from Harry, so all he could see was the dark hair and a still cloak trailing down its feet while Harry and Kalem's flowed in the ocean breeze. The figure turned slowly, and as it faced Harry, he noticed how blurred its face was, as if it were once beautiful, but now distorted. Its eyes were closed, but as it turned, its hands reached up to its head, and it began to change under its hands. As the hands slid across the head, the hair vanished, leaving its head bald and even paler, and its nose became mere slits. Then the snake-like face was fully facing Harry, and Harry took in a sharp breath, and the red, snake-like eyes opened to look at him.
"Harry Potter," said the voice, cold and high-pitched. "We meet again."