Dedalus Diggle

Abaddon Nott was in position, he glanced across at his son. Theo looked nervous. He was pale, his wand was out and he kept glancing around as if he expected a team of Aurors to show up at any moment. He was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet ever so slightly.

"Take a deep breath and relax," Abaddon said. "Diggle isn't a threat."

"I'm not scared," Theo said, quickly.

"I know you're not, but you're still jumpy ..."

"Excited," Theo said and smiled.

Abaddon let out a short laugh. "I felt the same when I carried out my first mission for the Dark Lord, during the first War. He wanted a pair of muggles killing and their bodies dropped off outside the Hogwarts gates."

"That was your first kill?" Theo asked.

"It was," confirmed Abaddon. "Myself and Lucius."

"I want Diggle," Theo said softly. "I want to know what is like."

Abaddon looked at his son for a few long seconds. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes," answered Theo.

"Do not hesitate," said Abaddon. "Once he is helpless, do not hesitate and do not drag it out. No crucio—we are better than the Lestranges."

Theo nodded.

"Bellatrix and her family may like to toy with their food, but we are always business—never pleasure. I don't want you to enjoy killing, Theo—you ... we, are better than the Lestranges. Treat killing as business that needs to do done rather than something you do for fun. Quick and clean, Theo. Quick and clean. We subdue Diggle, then, you execute him. Do not hesitate."

"I won't," said Theo.

"Good boy."

Abaddon gasped as a sharp, searing pain shot through the Dark Mark on his arm. It was time.

"Stick close," Abaddon said. "Diggle is a fool, but he is still a member of the Order of the Phoenix."

He pulled out his wand as he strode towards the house. "Cover the door," he ordered. "Hex anybody who leaves-incendio!"

Incendio was a specialty of Abaddon's. The spell hit the thatched roof of Diggle's cottage and set it ablaze. The naive idiot had barely set any defences at all. This would be easy.

There came a cry from inside the house. Diggle had realised his house was ablaze. The light turned on and inside through the window, Abaddon could see two figures panicking and throwing on dressing gowns.

"Get ready, Theo!" Abaddon said.

The door shot open and an elderly woman wearing a white dressing gown burst out of it. Diggle's muggle wife.

"Avada Kedavra!" Abaddon shouted. The spell hit the woman in the chest, knocking her backwards into the rose bushes.

"Violet!" Diggle cried. "Stupefy!" a stunner shot aimlessly out of the house, missing by miles.

"Cover me!" Abaddon ordered Theo.

Theo immediately fired off a volley of stunners towards the house as Abaddon charged. He would go through the window.

"Reducto!" he cried. The window imploded inwards and Abaddon leapt inside. He cried out as Diggle's bludgeoning hex slammed into him, knocking him into the television set.

His body hurt. Diggle's hex had packed quite a bunch.

"You ..." Diggle snarled. He looked quite sinister- a short man with wild white hair and a furious expression on his face. He was silhouetted by smoke and his wand was raised.

"Stupefy!"

Abaddon rolled to the right, avoiding the spell and fired a stunner of his own that Diggle blocked.

"Impedimenta!" Abaddon dived over the table to avoid the spell and pulled the table over as he went, using it to block Diggle's followup hex. Before he could counter, Diggle's blasting spell exploded the table into a thousand pieces. Abaddon cried out as shards of splintered wood peppered his body.

"Crucio!"

Diggle screamed.

Abaddon raised his head to see his son stood by the shattered window, aiming his wand at the twitching, screaming form of Dedalus Diggle.

"Stop, Theo!" Abaddon said, wincing as he got to his feet. Diggle had surprisingly been quite the opponent.

Theo lifted the spell and looked questioningly at his father.

"The muggle police will be here soon," he said. "Finish it—now, then we apparate."

Theo gave a small nod and lowered his gaze to the panting, sobbing form of Dedalus Diggle. He raised his wand and leveled it at the old man.

"Don't hesitate!" Abaddon said.

Theo didn't hesitate. "Avada Kedavra!" he said.

The Longbottom House

"There's no one here!" Rodolphus shouted from downstairs, outraged.

"Keep searching!" Bellatrix snarled. "reducto!" she blasted open a room and entered a teenagers bedroom. There were photos of various magical plants on the walls, a photo of the English Quidditch Team and photos of a witch and wizard she immediately recognized as Frank and Alice Longbottom.

This could only be Neville Longbottom's room. Touching, that his grandmother had left it as is. She smiled slightly. Even if Augusta and Algernon Longbottom weren't here, that didn't mean she couldn't have some fun!

"Incendio!" she cried, setting Neville's bed ablaze. "Incendio!" she set fire to the curtains. "Incendio!" the posters on the walls. "Incendio!" the photos of his parents.

"What are you doing Bella? You'll bring the whole place down!" Rabastan said, appearing at her shoulder.

"So what?" Bellatrix snapped. "If we can't kill Granny Longbottom, we can at least leave her homeless! Incendio!" she set fire to the carpet.

"Idiot!" Rabastan snarled. "We're still inside! Rodolphus is still downstairs!"

"Then let's get out!" Bellatrix giggled as she ran down the stairs. "Incendio! Incendio!" Incendio!" she set fire to everything she could. She could hear Rabastan running behind her.

They fled the house as it filled up with smoke. Already the blaze was growing. A few seconds later, a window shattered and Rodolphus Lestrange hurled himself out. He was coughing and his robes were singed.

"What are you playing at!" he snarled, angrily.

"Fun!" said Bellatrix. "Incendio!" she set fire to an apple tree.

Rodolphus stared at her for a few seconds and laughed. "Incendio!" he fired a spell at a flower bed.

Rabastan laughed and walked towards a row of greenhouses. "Incendio!" he shouted, sending a blast of flame into the first one.

Bellatrix laughed and leveled her wand at the house. Her eyes caught something moving and she could scarcely believe it as a toad hopped out of the front door. She laughed suddenly. It was quite bizarre, the toad hopping out of the house in a desperate attempt to flee the fire. He must be Granny Longbottom's pet.

"Ever see a toad burn?" she said to her husband, Rodolphus. She leveled her wand at Trevor the Toad. "Incendio!"

Emmeline Vance

"Crucio! Crucio! Crucio!"

Maximillian Mulciber stood watching the scene as his son duelled the Order of the Phoenix member called Emmeline Vance. He arched an eyebrow. His son had quite good speed, but wasn't accurate. Emmeline Vance had blocked one of his stunners, ducked another and the other had missed.

"Stupefy!"

His son, Magnus Mulciber blocked the spell easily.

Maximillian shook his head. The Order of the Phoenix were pathetic. They stood no chance of winning by aiming to stun rather than kill. Didn't they realize by now that they needed to match violence with violence? The Death Eaters always had the advantage because they were utterly ruthless.

"Don't just use crucio, think!" Maximillian said.

His son switched tactics. He ducked Emmeline's impedimenta and fired a bone-breaking hex. The elderly witch cried out as it hit her legs, shattering her kneecaps. She fell to the floor in a heap and her wand shot out of her hand.

Quickly, she reached out for it, but Maximillian was too quick. "Accio!" he said, catching the wand as it flew towards him.

Maximillian's son was smiling. He looked like he did in his youth, shoulder length black hair that was already receding, a thin face and thick eyebrows that were almost a unibrow. He even had a small wart at the side of his nose.

Emmeline was sobbing and that pleased Maximillian.

"Do you want to do it?" he asked his son.

"Yes," said Magnus Mulciber.

"There are more ways to kill someone than the Killing Curse," said Maximillian, turning it into a lesson. "The Killing Curse is illegal."

"Why does that matter?" Magnus said.

"Because it guarantees a life sentence in Azkaban. If you can kill without it, it is better—now, tell me, how else can you kill someone?"

"Fire? Cutting? Drowning? Strangulation?" Magnus said.

"Good," said Maximillian. "All slower, of course, but all effective. Now, try strangulation—incarcerous. Aim for the neck.

Emmeline was sobbing openly now. Her kneecaps broken, she was utterly helpless.

"Incarcerous!" cried Magnus. Thick ropes shot out of his wand and wound their way around Emmeline Vance's neck.

Hestia Jones

Julian Avery II cried out as the bludgeoning spell hit him in the jaw. It felt like he had been punched. He and his father had tried stealth, planning to murder Hestia Jones while she slept but they had triggered her sensing charm. Now, the house was full of wailing, the pots and plans were clattering and hurling themselves everywhere, the grandfather clock was hurling cogs at anybody who approached, the curtains had already tried to strangle him and now, Hestia Jones was awake and fighting for her life.

His father was on the floor, using a healing spell on his arm which was badly cut. An enchanted sword had tried to cut him to ribbons.

Julian Avery II tried to get to his feet, but before he could do so, a chest of drawers opened and a scarf started to wrap around his neck. This woman was insane! Everything in the house was a weapon.

"Here!" his father, Avery I said and yanked the scarf off of him.

"Bombarda!" Hestia shouted. The exploding charm hit the wall behind them which exploded, showering them with debris.

"Avada Kedavra!" Avery I shouted, sending a killing curse down the hall.

There was a sudden barking—a trio of ceramic dogs came scampering out of a nearby room yapping and snapping at their ankles.

"Reducto!" Avery II shattered one, but he fell over as he got a sharp nip by another and fell backwards down the stairs.

His father soon followed, a rug wrapped tightly around his body as it tried to crush the life out of him.

"Dad!" Julian Avery II used a severing charm to cut through the fabric, freeing his father. Just then, a drawer shot out from a nearby chest like a ball from a cannon and hit him direct in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"Ahhhhh!" his dad yelled with pain, too, as a row of five or six steak knives flew at him, cutting and slashing at his arms.

"Out of it!" His dad yelled, running from the house with his arms held above his head for protection—the knives cutting at every bit of exposed skin.

Julian Avery II hesitated for a moment, just as a bunch of hot ingots of coal started bursting out of the fire and followed.

"Back to Grimmauld Place!" his father ordered.

"And don't come back!" he heard Hestia Jones scream just before he apparated for safety.

Shell Cottage

Amycus Carrow swore. Nobody was home. He and Alecto had broken through the magical defences guarding Shell Cottage, reducto cursed the front door to smithereens only to find the small home empty.

"I wanted to kill him," he said,

"Me too," said Alecto

He glanced around the cottage, looking for anything to kill—even a dog or a cat, but there was nothing living there. He looked at his sister, she was rummaging through Bill's drawers and loading the pockets of her robes up with items.

"Anything good?" he asked.

"Some nice quills, and a bracelet," she said.

Amycus let out a giggle. "And I'll take this painting," he said, unhooking a picture from the wall of a hippogriff. He opened a cupboard. "Might as well take some of his robes too, they're nicer than mine."

Fleur Delacour

Fleur Delacour was fighting for her life. The Death Eaters had ambushed her during her evening jog around Hyde Park. She hadn't been expecting and attack and was kicking herself for letting her guard down. Now, two Death Eaters had ambushed her. One was down—she had felled him by transfiguring his head into a pumpkin. He had fallen. The second was proving to be a tough opponent.

He blocked every spell that she fired at him and returned with even more powerful ones in kind. She had had to rely on her speed, dodging and diving behind benches and trees to avoid being hit, moving constantly to find an opening to fire back.

He had tore his mask off to see better, revealing the pale, twisted face of Antonin Dolohov.

She popped up and fired a bludgeoning hex at the man but he blocked it with a casual wave of his wand and, in the same movement, fired off a killing curse which narrowly missed.

"Fumos!" Fleur shouted, creating a cloud of thick, black, choking smoke. She turned and ran, lowering her head as she trie to find cover. She ran behind a tree and pressed her back against it, trying to still her breathing and compose herself.

All was silent and she listened hard for any sign of Dolohov. He seemed to be waiting for her to make the first move, too. Time was on her side, she could wait until the Aurors would get here, as they surely would at any moment.

Suddenly, she screamed, the branches of the tree had wrapped around her arms, lifting her upwards in the air. She kicked and struggled. She had't been expecting Dolohov to be such a master of transfiguration.

"You fight well," he said, giving a small nod of his head as he stepped out of the darkness towards her.

Fleur gritted her teeth and strained against the branches binding her. If she could only get her arm free.

"But it is all in vain," he said. He head a heavily accented voice. "Your pathetic Order will fall tonight. We have won."

Fleur's eyes widened. She knew this was it. She was going to die, but at least she had injured, if not killed the other Death Eater. She just wished she could have defeated Antonin Dolohov, too.

He smiled wickedly and made a slashing motion with his wand. She saw a streak of purple flame flying towards her and she knew no more.

Alastor Moody

"They'll regret coming here," Moody said smugly. Outside, there was chaos. His trashcans were bouncing around and firing litter at everything. His door knocked had turned into a snarling face that tried to bite the hands of anyone who approached. Crabbe was fighting with her robes half-singed off as a result of one of his protective charms.

In his house, Sturgis Podmore was firing hexes and curses out of the window at Goyle while Arabella Figg waited with a broom in her hand, ready to hit any who entered through the door.

Mood waited, his wand raised, ready for action. He had his orders. He knew what to do.

There was a sudden shout and Sturgis Podmore was blasted off his feet. He fell straight through Moody's coffee table and swore, blood pouring from a wound on his head.

"Take that!" Arabella Figg shouted. Her broomstick broke across Crabbe's thick skull and he fell to his knees, his hands covering his bald head.

Goyle was climbing through the shattered window, his wand raised. He aimed at Arabella Figg just as the old lady raised her broom to give Crabbe a clout.

Moody raised his wand and pointed it at Goyle. He waited. He had his orders.

"Avada Kedavra!" Goyle shouted.

The killing curse struck Arabella Figg in the chest, but not before she slammed the remains of her broom down once more on Crabbe's skull, knocking the man unconcious.

The curse blasted Arabella backwards into the wall and she dropped to the floor in a lifeless heap.

"Stupefy!" Moody growled. The spell struck Goyle in the chest and he toppled forward.

"You got him?" Podmore asked.

Moody started to turn, his wand raised slightly when a figure appeared on the lawn outside. It was Albus Dumbledore.

"Alastor, is everyone ok?" Dumbledore asked, hurrying forward.

Moody lowered his wand. "Figg didn't make it," he growled. "Put up one heck of a fight though."

Dumbledore looked saddened and glanced around at the scene. "We expected this," he said, softly. "It's why I requested that Arabella and Sturgis join you tonight. Is Sturgis ..."

"I'm fine," Podmore said, coming to the window. His head was covered in blood and he was limping."

"The others?" Moody growled.

"Luckily we had word in advance that You-Know-Who was going to strike," said Dumbledore.

Moody arched an eyebrow, but Dumbledore didn't elaborate.

"So we had time to prepare," Dumbledore continued.

"We've lost people though?" Moody asked.

Dumbledore nodded softly, looking sad. "We have lost people," he said.

"Minerva has gone to relieve Hestia and Severus to relieve Emmeline,"

"They were attacked too?" Moody asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "Diggle, too. He's dead."

Podmore swore and fell to his knees.

Moody gritted his teeth in anger at what he had just heard.

"What in the bloody hell is going on?" an indignant voice called. Vernon Dursley, wearing a dressing gown over pajamas had come waddling out of his house, a hammer clasped in his meaty fist.

"Take care of Sturgis," Dumbledore said. "I will handle this."

The Dursleys

"Stay down Petunia! It's like bloody Beirut out there!" Vernon shouted, his nose pressed against the window.

"Vernon! Come back!" Petunia cried from behind the bed.

"Where's my bloody hammer? They try and get in here I'll knock 'em into next week!" Vernon growled.

Below, there was chaos. Jets of light were firing at the Moody house. There was explosions, balls of fire, yells and screams. Two masked men were trying to break in and Alastor Moody was repelling them.

"Is it ... him?" Petunia cried.

"I don't ruddy know what he looks like, there's two of 'em! Stay back Petunia!" Vernon rummaged in his drawers and pulled out the hammer that he kept for protection. Tightening his dressing gown, he ran down the stairs and took up position behind the door, hammer raised ready to clobber anybody who approached.

Voldemort

Voldemort watched dispassionately as Malfoy tortured the Averys. They had failed. They had been defeated by Hestia Jones and had fled. She survived because of their incompetence and so, they would pay.

He was disappointed. He had hoped tonight would be a great victory. Instead, while it was still a victory, it was just a minor one.

Dedalus Diggle, Arabella Figg, Fleur Delacour and Emmeline Vance were dead. But Hestia Jones survived thanks to the Averys incomptence. The Longbottoms—Augusta and Algernon had been assigned guard duty at the Ministry. Minerva McGonagall had been called to Hogwarts. Bill had been at The Burrow.

This could have been a blow that crippled the Order of the Phoenix, but instead it had just wounded them.

The door was thrown open and Percival Pyrites ran into the room, breathing heavily. Voldemort narrowed his eyes, his long fingers flicking towards his wand. He didn't like the interruption

"My lord ... I received word from Yaxley," he said, breathlessly.

Voldemort hesitated.

"The Ministry have raided our homes—Malfoy Manor, the Nott residence, the Selwyn Family have all been hit! All been arrested."

The Averys stopped screaming as Lucius lifted the curse, his face was pale and his eyes wide with shock.

Dudley

"I can't believe it," Hermione said, tears in her eyes. "All those people-dead."

"We knew some of them-they came here quite a lot," said Ginny. She wasn't crying and she had a determined look on her face. Dudley could tell she was on the verge.

"I knew Dedalus Diggle quite well," said Luna. "He and my dad were good friends. He was a guest at our house many times."

"How could Dumbledore just let this happen?" Dean said, fiercely. "Isn't Snape meant to be his spy? Surely he knew what You-Know-Who was planning? Surely he could have moved everybody here or put protections in place or ... or something."

"how's Bill?" Dudley asked, Ron. He knew Bill and Fleur had been dating.

"Furious," said Ron. "And sad. Sad about what happened, but Fred and George say he had a right go at Dumbledore for what happened-blaming him."

"Surely now the Order is going to strike back?" said Dudley. "They can't just sit around gathering intelligence and spying and guarding the Prophecy-not now Voldemort has murdered four people."

"And tried to murder more," said Ron. "It seems like pure luck that Bill was here and the Longbottoms on guard duty."

"Lucky that Podmore was with Moody too," said Hermione. "If they caught him alone ..."

"At least some of his followers were caught," Ginny said, quietly. It had been announced that Crabbe and Goyle had both been apprehended and, that the Aurors had carried out a raid on a number of houses.

Hermione looked doubtful. "Is Mrs. Malfoy really a Death Eater though?"

"She's vile enough to be," Ron muttered. "That whole family is no good."

"Yes, but being a horrible person isn't illegal. I really hope Professor Lockhart is throwing the right people behind bars ..." she said.

Dumbledore

"You need to remain here, indefinitely," Dumbledore said, firmly.

"But, Albus, surely ..." Fleur Delacour began.

"I'm sorry, Fleur, but Lord Voldemort believes you to be dead and we need him to continue believing that if he is to truly fall," said Dumbledore, staring at the woman across from him.

Dedalus Diggle and Fleur Delacour had all been apparated to a safe house with the Delacour family in France. It had taken a last minute scramble to get this organised, but Dumbledore felt they would be safe here. Lord Voldemort's reach didn't extend this far yet.

"Nobody, other than myself, Severus, Minerva, Minister Lockhart and the Delacour family know that you survived. To all intents and purposes, you three are dead.

Fleur gave a small nod of her head, though she didn't look happy. "I trust you, Albus," she said.

"And so you should!" Dedalus Diggle announced. "Albus has never steered us wrong before. If he says You-Know-Who needs to think us dead, then there is a perfectly sound reason for it! We'll do as you ask, Albus. No fear."

"Thank you, Dedalus," Dumbledore said, fondly. He had always had a soft spot for Dedalus Diggle. "You will all be safe here, I realise it is inconvenient for you all, busd this is the only way."

Tonight could have been worse, he thought. Emmeline, sadly, had died before they arrived. But they had managed to save both Dedalus Diggle and Fleur Delacour. Hestia Jones had fought of her attackers. Meanwhile, Moody had helped protect Podmore, but, unfortunately, Arabella Figg had died in the attempt. Moody had explained the circumstances. Her death had been unavoidable.