[a/n]www fanfiction net s 7694163 13 Scar-Bones/ I delighted in this story of the WBWL, just thought he let OotP off too easy. Underlined portions are quotes from original story
Harry Does Different CCCXDVI
Scar-Bones by phantomace13
Snape sat down and various members of the Order became to talk amongst themselves. Many of them sounded worried. Dumbledore himself was one of them. Every day Voldemort's army grew while the Order and Ministry took more and more losses. Even just this month the Order had lost six members. They needed more people. "I now ask the group to consider any who would be willing to join us, we need more people. I ask our friends from the Auror's Office if any promising recruits have shown themselves."
"There is one Albus," said Alastor Moody. The retired Auror returned to active duty following the return of Voldemort. His experience in the last war had kept the Corps and Order strong. "I recently came across the most promising recruit I have ever seen, even more promising than you Nymphadora."
"Don't call me that Alastor!" said the pink-hair Auror.
"Who Alastor, who is this promising student?"
"I'm actually surprised you didn't recruit him straight out of Hogwarts Albus, he'd be very valuable to our cause. I'm talking about Harry Potter of course."
"HIM?" yelled John Potter. "My brother? He's nothing but useless."
"He's better than you think boy. I've seen him at work and I believe the boy could go toe-to-toe with some of Voldemort's best Death Eaters. Maybe even come out on top. Why didn't you recruit him Nymphadora?"
Tonks blushed at everyone focused on her. "He didn't seem interested, that's all."
"I can't believe you're considering allowing that idiot to be a part of this group," said Ron Weasley, best friend of the Boy-Who-Lived. He was there despite his mother's protests. "I mean, John is way better at dueling than him, I bet he doesn't even have half of his skills."
"Ronald" came the reply of the boy's girlfriend, "Harry beat John in the Tournament. He's highly skilled and an Auror, I'm sure he'd be a great addition to the Order."
"He only beat John because he cheated, I saw it. Nobody can beat John, he's the Boy-Who-Lived, remember?"
"No one is unbeatable Ron, and I didn't see any cheating. You and John need to get over the loss and learn from it, it makes you a better dueler and person."
"He actually made it in?" Dumbledore asked, thinking back to when the Auror Office contacted him about Harry. He told the Office that Harry was an unremarkable student with below average skill. The boy didn't possess the temperament or skill necessary to pass the background checks. He would have to look over Harry's file one more time.
"Of course he made it in Albus, has some of the highest marks we've seen in a raw recruit in a long time. Nearly straight O's for both O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s and even his E scores were high. He duels with the skill of a Senior Auror and its growing every day. Once he finishes basic training he'll cut down Death Eaters left, right, and center, just you wait."
"Headmaster, I too must admit Potter's skills." The whole Order went quiet. Snape praising a Potter, the world must be coming to an end. "Young Mr. Malfoy had told the Dark Lord of the boy's skills and he's become very interested. Given his hatred of his brother I believe he'll be approached very soon."
"We cannot allow that to happen. Kingsley, Alastor, we need to prevent young Mr. Potter from joining Voldemort."
Harry stood in his flat looking in the mirror. He was very nervous. Tonight was a very important date with Susan and he wanted everything to go perfectly. It was her birthday and Harry wanted to take their relationship to the next level, so he had planned everything out weeks in advance.
His job as an Auror was keeping him busy, just like Susan's job. He had started her Healer training a couple weeks after Harry started his Auror training. Unlike his training, Susan's was more hands-on due to the war. Everyday more people were brought in from Death Eater attacks or failed attempts to ward their houses. This was the first night they both had off together and it was lucky that it was for Susan's birthday. Harry slipped his wand in a holster on his wrist under his jacket sleeve and made to leave when he saw someone standing across the street. Normally Harry wouldn't pay any attention to it but Moody's lessons were starting to get to him.
Walking to the window, Harry looked out. It was too dark to make the person out but there was no mistaking it, he or she was wearing robes. Harry turned off the light to his bedroom and drew his wand. Whether Death Eater or not, Harry wanted to be ready for whatever ambush they had planned. Harry's caution paid off, the moment he stepped out of his bedroom he ducked as a spell flew over him. A half-dozen figures stood before him, wands drawn. It was too dark to see who they were but Harry was sure that they were Death Eaters. He didn't know how they got past the security wards he set up around his flat without him detecting but he promised to keep at least one alive to find out. They would not be breaking into his flat again.
"Stun him quickly and let's get out of here before the Ministry arrives!" said the deep voice of whom Harry assumed was the leader.
As an Auror, even as a Trainee, Harry had special detectors in his flat that detected extra bouts of magic. If a certain level was breached an alarm would go off in the Ministry, alerting someone that he was under attack. If Harry couldn't beat them back, he only had to hold off long enough for someone to get the alert and send back-up. So they wanted him alive, Harry didn't know if that was good or bad but it did mean one thing, he didn't have to worry about Killing Curses. It also meant Harry had the advantage as he was under no restrictions to not kill. When one of his attackers from behind thought he had an opening, he fired. Harry ducked and killed that attacker before he could blink. One of his partners fell to the friendly fire so that was two attackers down. Not wanting to keep his back exposed to the leader, Harry moved and turned, firing as he went. A third attacker went down, shield overpowered by Harry's spell.
One of the attackers brought Harry's furniture to life to attack him. He responded with a Cutting Curse. The attacker dodged but the wrong way, the spell almost decapitated, spraying blood everywhere from a long cut. The couch flew at him, attempting to pin him to the wall. Harry jumped and leapt off the back to slam into the leader. The leader's wand went flying and Harry pointed his wand to finish him when another attacker sent a series of unknown spells at him which caused Harry to flee.
Harry cut down the table that was sent his way and sent the knives and forks back to the person who banished them towards Harry. The attacker with the unusual spells didn't let up and kept Harry on the defensive. He moved continuously as he didn't know what would happen if one of those spells hit his shield. He kept the attacker moving as well until just the right moment. When that moment came, Harry summoned the remain of the table just behind his leg. The attacker fell and crack told Harry he hit his head. He wouldn't be getting back up. Ever.
The leader was next. Out of them all, he was the most skilled. Harry knew that the leader's skill was possible higher than his own and that he stood a good chance of being beaten by him. Harry remembered another of Moody's lessons, 'If you go down, make sure you take as many of them as you can with you'. If need be, Harry intended to do just that.
Harry did his best to force the leader back while getting as close as he could to him. When he passed by a lamp, he kicked it towards him while also banishing a chair at him. The leader cut them both down and blocked a spell only to see Harry running straight at him. He moved but Harry wouldn't let him get away and punched him hard in the face. He heard something break and felt liquid cover his hand.
The leader staggered backwards, clutching his bloody face and Harry attacked again. He was expecting Harry's fist and blocked it with his palm but didn't see Harry bring his foot up. His left foot smashed between the man's legs while the right followed up with a heavy kick. The force of the kick sent the leader straight into the living room window and out it. With his flat several floors up he believed the man dead but it wouldn't hurt to make sure. Harry looked out the broken window and nodded grimly at the body on the ground.
Harry turned back and examined his quiet flat. None of the attackers were moving so Harry assumed they were down. He examined the damage and sighed. It was going to take some work to fix most of it and what couldn't be fixed would cost a lot to replace. Harry took one look at the four attackers' bodies and… wait a minute… Harry looked around carefully, he thought there were six attackers. He counted one, two, three, four bodies. Where was the sixth? Did the last one escape or was he still here, hidden? Harry felt the spell coming towards him. He ducked under a red light, it wasn't a spell he recognized, so he assumed the last of the gloves had come off. Ignoring the sharp pain in his leg, he fired "Avada Kedavra!"
Outside, the figure Harry observed from his bedroom window watched the fight with interest. He briefly considered joining the Trainee Auror but shot that down quickly, he might think him a threat and attack. Besides, the young man was doing fine on his own. He watched as the Auror defeated the group one by one. He considered the Trainee victorious until a red flash seemed to prove otherwise, then a green one. The Killing Curse had definitively ended the fight. Harry Potter won. He now approached as if rendering aid to an endangered colleague. "Easy, Potter, I'm on your side."
"Mad-Eye" the teen cautiously lowered his wand. He immediately realized this was the same as the figure at his window earlier, but just filed away that fact for later "Death Eaters I guess. Three dead, two hurt, one unaccounted for.
The Master Auror grunted approvingly "Couldn't've done better myself. Floo in while I get identities. Amelia is going to want to know all about this."
"Aw! Shit Moody!" Harry cursed. In the middle of his all-but-completely-wrecked living room, his major concern was "Sue's gonna KILL me for missing our date!"
Gruff laughter briefly filled the room then the fireplace flashed several times, last through was the aunt of the young woman he'd just mentioned. Harry's apartment immediately became Amelia Bones' crime scene "I want the intruders identified, confiscate the wands, Priori Incantatum on all of them, spell analysis throughout the room. Harry, Alastair, with me. Report."
"I was just getting ready to meet Susan …err, I'll need to- -" he started his story, interrupted himself, then blushing quickly got back to it "- - I felt my wards go down, barely had time to draw my wand as I was walking into my living room when the assault started…" And he concluded without, for now, mentioning knowledge of the Master Auror's prior arrival.
She allowed a moment of compassion "Killing is never easy, Harry. Well, more the aftereffects, which there will be. You'll need to put all that on paper. Do it immediately. Best to, while it's fresh in your mind. After that, you're on leave until Healer approval. Not as punishment, if it were I wouldn't be telling you to see my niece."
"Ma'am, I'm not sure which is more impressive, the fight or the magic used to pull down the wards. That had to be one impressive Cursebreaker." It was Gawain Roberts, Harry's immediate superior in DMLE. At her cold look he cringed then "Right, the bad news. The captives are Nymphadora Tonks, a Junior Auror, and Mundungus Fletcher, petty thief."
Harry cringed "They hang out with my relatives."
"The dead, Kingsley Shacklebolt went out the window, fell to his death we assume." The Senior Auror was quite aware that reports like this ended careers, and depending on which country, lives. But he wouldn't pawn it off on underlings "Emmeline Vance and …Harry… I'm very sorry, your father."
Harry lunged at the door, having to be bodily checked by his superiors. He ignored the fact they both held fistfuls of his finest robes, the fight ruined them anyway. He growled "Which one was he? Which one?!"
"You cannot go in there!" Amelia snarled as, between the trio, pushed him back "You know that! Charge in there before they finish up and you'll contaminate the scene!"
He struggled for a bit then slumped onto his bed, defeated "Where was he? The body? Tell me that Roberts."
"Ignoring the insubordination, Potter" the Senior Auror snapped, though a look from BOTH his superiors changed his tone "Yes ma'am. The body was up against your breakfront. There was an Invisibility Cloak beside him. We're guessing as the last attacker to reveal himself, James must've brought down the wards."
Harry gave an angry shake of his head "My biological father is a lot of things, like a master of Transfiguration, but Cursebreaking is not one of his talents. There was definitely a sixth participant, even if they never showed their face. Bloody coward. Must be some residual magic you can trace?"
"Don't tell me my job, Potter." Growled Roberts, he nodded his head respectfully to his superiors and left.
**2be continued**
