Henry and John, together with the royal families of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were huddled together in the grand dining room of Ravenclaw Castle. The mood was solemn and everyone was disheartened after the capture of Jean Granger. The king and queen of Ravenclaw were inconsolable despite numerous attempts by Sirius to cheer them up. Sirius wanted to utilize some of his prank kit but Remus Lupin felt it would be inappropriate.
Everyone was at a loss of what to do. Fortunately, for the time being, the war seemed to be in a kind of stalemate, with neither side gaining on each other.
After a few more minutes, Henry and John excused themselves from the hall and proceeded to the royal gardens for some fresh air.
For a moment, Henry and John sat in comfortable silence, trying to ponder on the best course of actions.
Then, Henry said, "I just hope that wherever Harry is, he is safe and not having as much problems as we did."
"Me too. I hope Ron and Hermione are safe as well."
Different magical plants dotted the garden, each with special properties. Their smells combined into a wonderful aroma, giving John a sense of deep relaxation. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes. This was the life he enjoyed, appreciated. Breathing deeply, he relished it: the air was refreshing, and the night was silent.
His brows furrowed for a second—then, his head shot up.
Too silent.
Boom!
Immediately, alarms were set off from the loud blast. He stumbled up, eyes stretching wide. His heart thundered in her ears and he looked around wildly, feeling the ground rumble beneath his feet. He could vaguely feel Henry getting up to stand beside him and unsheathe his sword (the mighty sword of Gryffindor) He struggled to keep his balance, hearing scuffling sounds behind him. Whirling around, he whipped his wand out, only to see a wizard hurrying over to them.
'Your Highnesses, we must get you two to safety at once,' the guard said, veins popping on his forehead. He nodded, his gaze going glassy as he kept his wand again, then let himself be led away.
Henry and John sped past the streets, seeing guards duelling with cloaked figures on the rooftops in the corner of their eyes, who seemed to be able to dance around all of the guard's attacks. A huge host charged the palace's guards, throwing curses left and right. Figures swept through clusters of defenders, trying to organise themselves. The sounds of explosions and screams filled the air, making John's face drain of its colour. This had never happened before. Sure, they had seen fighting, but not on this scale . . .
"The palace hasn't ever been attacked before! But it appears that somehow, Ravenclaw's capital has been invaded by the Slytherin invaders," John thought frantically as they hurried through secret passages and into the grand hall.
'Come, John, quick, and wands in the air!' his father shouted to him. The royal families of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, along with a few guards, raced through secret passages leading out of the palace and to the docks.
Whoosh!
A jet of black fire narrowly missed their group and hit one of the boats. At once, the boat exploded, precious cargo flying off of it and landing with a thunk nearby. John ignored them even though they were close enough for him to kick it.
"Black fire?" John thought, and his heart sank in his chest. That was very dark magic. Very few delved into the arts of dark magic for fear of corruption, and those who did had to learn to control it. Not only that, to study the dark arts, one had to apply for a permit. So many had betrayed the royals? That was impossible . . .
Then he saw him.
What he assumed to be the person leading the invasion was standing on a mast of a ship. The ship's sail had the crest of a giant emerald-green snake and the leader himself had platinum blond hair, piercing grey eyes and looked to be about his age: eighteen. In normal circumstances, John would have thought him quite handsome, but right then, he was unable to think about anything other than how he was blasting out piercing beams of green. One hit the guard next to her and he crumpled; he saw the light disappear from his eyes, faster than a snap. The Killing Curse.
"Henry! John! Quick! Get on board the ship!" Sirius exclaimed as he, together with every other able bodied adult on board, slashed their wands in mid air, erecting a powerful shield around their ship.
"What about the Ravenclaw people?" Henry enquired worriedly.
"We have announced for them to evacuate immediately. The military will accompany them." King Granger said.
Getting on board the ship, Henry looked back at Ravenclaw. All he could see was fires and overwhelming destruction. Black fires left a trailing column of smoke in their wake, blending into the inky background of the night, leaving Ravenclaw in darkness and gloom.
Suddenly, King Granger's eyes widened. His hand shot up subtly, a small jab, and Henry, John and the rest of people on board the ship felt like icy goo was oozing all over their body, sprouting from their heads. Henry stumbled back, the floorboards of the boat creaking under his weight.
The Disillusionment Charm.
King Granger turned, facing away from them.
'You . . .' King Granger murmured; his voice clouded with rage. Henry followed his gaze, looking up to the front on the boat, only to see a dark figure perched on top of it like a black crow.
'Me,' replied a husky, deep voice. The figure on the mast had spoken. Henry tensed up. This was the leader that he had seen just moments earlier.
King Granger's wand lurched forward, and a bright beam of light erupted from its tip without a single incantation, but the figure simply sidestepped it, swivelling on the mast, flying through the air as he raised his own wand.
'Expelliarmus!'
A cracking sound filled the air as the wand in King Granger's hand slipped out of his grasp, skidding across the rickety floor of the boat until it tipped over the curb and fell into the murky depths of the ocean below. King Granger cursed under his breath, but stood his ground, looking directly at the attacker, who was standing before him, his face still half obscured by shadows cast by the iridescent moon.
'Good evening,' he continued. 'Wonderful weather, isn't it?'
'What do you want?' King Granger growled through gritted teeth, his gaze fixed on the attacker.
'What I want is none of your business, or mine for that matter. After all, I'm a mere steward of the Dark Lord' the figure drawled, a tinge of annoyance in his voice.
'You don't understand,' the figure snapped. 'I assume your great guardian of Hogwarts Castle, Dumbledore hasn't told you the full prophecy?'
'Prophecy? If this is about Harry's prophesied future to defeat the Dark Lord, then I'm not telling you anything'
The attacker replied, "of course not. That prophecy is quite old. There's a new prophecy. And you guys will be too dead to hear it."
Henry gulped as the boat met with a large wave, shuddering visibly. Sirius was pushed on top of him, and both struggled to get up.
'Stay here, Henry, I must aid King Granger,' Sirius murmured.
Water droplets sprayed onto the Henry as the boat slammed against the wave. King Granger didn't move, and neither did the figure. They only stared at each other, like a silent battle of wills.
Until, finally, King Granger inclined his head towards the boat, at Henry's direction. His eyes searched his location until they landed on him knowingly, and chills erupted on his skin. How could he know where he was? Was he not under his very own Disillusionment Charm?
The attacker mistook King Granger's gaze, assuming he was trying to find an escape path. He inclined his head to the door of the cabin. 'You can't escape. The second you lunge for that plank, you'll be dead on the floor. If you scream, I'll kill you before the sound even comes out of your mouth. The rain,' he gestured to the sudden downpour above them 'masks the sounds up here anyway. Your guards downstairs will hear nothing. I've got you trapped.' The attacker obviously did not notice Sirius under the disillusionment charm heading directly for him.
'Indeed, I am,' King Granger said coolly. He straightened, standing before the ship's railing, more composed than he should have been, almost as if he was exchanging pleasantries with the assailant.
'What's wrong with you?' the figure asked suddenly, and this time Henry could clearly see the annoyance in his tone. 'Aren't you afraid? Old man, don't you realize that you're going to die tonight?'
'I know. I just have the courage to accept that death is not as you make it out to be.' King Granger said simply. He spread his arms. 'Do it, then.'
What is he . . .?
Henry grunted as he shifted his position but the boat met with another wave, sending water rushing over him. He rolled downwards, his back hitting the southern railing of the ship, and he lost sight of King Granger. No! He desperately clung on, grabbing the railing as rain attacked his body, following with a ground-shaking thunderclap.
His eyes searched his surroundings, blurred by the water, and then they found the two figures amidst the darkness. One raised his wand
'Fine!' the attacker snapped, infuriated.
'Avada Kedavra!'
A jet of bright green light shot out of the attacker's wand the attacker's wand and hit King Granger squarely in the chest. King Granger's eyes widened, and Henry could see them pale as the light sapped from them. He was blasted into the air, over the curb, over the waves, over everything: for a split second he seemed to hang suspended amidst the cascading rain, and then he fell slowly backwards, like a giant rag doll, over the tidal wave and out of sight.
A gasp of horror could be heard from Queen Granger and it took the combined effort of Molly and Arthur to prevent her from foolishly and recklessly going after the attacker. A scream of horror burst out from Henry's mouth and he scrambled up, emotions clawing at him and filling up his chest, as if they were screaming spirits demanded to be let out. Just at that moment, Sirius appeared and shot a beam of bright blue light, forcing the attacker to conjure a glowing silver shield. A deep sound revebrated from there, and that made the hair on his hands stand on end.
'CRUCIO!' The attacker screamed. The curse whizzed from his wand, and Sirius vanished, reappearing a distance away. Thunder struck the sky again, illuminating him, and Henry caught a glimpse of the figure's true features: pale, blonde-haired, platinum-eyed . . .
'Periculem,' Sirius said, and glowing red sparks fizzed from her wand. Immediately, guards dressed in blue and bronze armour sped towards the the group. Sirius ducked around the guards and sped up the gangplank. A curse blasted the plank apart, but Henry waved his wand and Sirius was lifted back up onto the boat.
The figure whipped his head towards the guards and started to engage with them. Henry could see he was clearly skilled, but he was outnumbered. He slashed his wand upwards and flew up, signalling to something in the distance. Amongst the waves, he could see another ship: the one with the giant, green snake.
'NO! STOP!' Queen Granger managed to wrench her lips apart, pointing her wand at him once more, and their eyes met for a brief second before he turned and disappeared into the night, almost as if he had never been there at all. As rain poured on her, her arm fell to her sides limply as she stared at the now empty air.
"My love... my sweetheart . . ."
Henry could almost feel the rage bubbling in Queen Granger, boiling and burning like an inferno. Her brain registered every single feature of the hooded figure, making sure she would recognize him the next time she ever laid her eyes on him.
She would get her revenge. She was sure of it.
Author's Notes
So, how was it? Comment and give me some feedback.
Also, who do you think the attacker was? Kudos to those who guess the person right. :)
Hint: You have already met the character in the story.