Chapter 32

When the team of aurors arrived in Essex they knew they would be walking into a fight, but what they didn't expect was the ambush. As soon as the auror team entered the restaurant they realized a battle had already begun in the fancy dining room.

At least half a dozen wands were trying to advance on Dean and Luna who were hiding behind a door that appeared to lead to the restaurant's kitchen. The rest of the patrons and staff seemed to have fled the scenes, which at the very least made it an easy target for the arriving aurors as Neville shouted through a wandless sonorus charm, "Aurors drop your wands!"

Naturally the attackers didn't comply with the command, and the group split off while more attackers from different areas in the room, and began to rain spellfire down on the arriving team. Without hesitation Neville began shielding and defending the group while he barked out, "Ron call Jones for backup now!"

The young man hardly even had time to see if the redhead had listened as he took on three at once. His wand was a blur as he blasted through one's shields, and began attempting to clear a path for Dean and Luna to link up with arriving support.

The Longbottom Lord had seen pictures of Camila and Pierre Nott before, and he was already disheartened by the fact that they were clearly not among the attackers currently present. More foreign mercenaries meant another wasted operation. Worse was that it also meant that the Notts knew the aurors were on to them.

"Daphne, Cho keep clearing a path so we can get to Luna and Dean. We need to pull everyone together before someone gets killed." Neville cried out as he took two down at once with a wide spread stunner.

Quickly the room was cleared, and with some teamwork the threat was neutralized with zero casualties. The restaurant on the other hand had suffered greatly. What had once been in a great ballroom style venue with a high class feel was now a scene of destruction.

Daphne Greengrass pulled up a chair as the last assailant was stunned a second time for good measure, and placed in magical suppression handcuffs. These handcuffs likely wouldn't stop a wizard of Harry or Neville's caliber, but to the average magic user it was just enough to stop them from apparating or using a portkey to get away. It was enough for now at least. Placing her hands in her face Daphne took a deep breath feeling the adrenaline begin to leave her body. She hadn't really traded spells outside of training since the battle of Hogwarts, and needless to say the fight had been a rush. From the moment the first killing curse came sailing towards Ron who had been next to her she knew she was in as much danger as she had ever been in her life.

She felt a firm hand land on her shoulder, "You alright Daphne? You weren't hit right?"

Looking up she saw Neville looking slightly red faced from the exertion of dueling, but still offering her a soft smile. She couldn't help but be reminded this was the man that many had feared and respected in the years following the final battle of the last war. She rose to her feet pulling strength from the man beside her and nodding, "Yeah. This was more intense than I expected considering it was our first mission seeing real combat."

Grinning the young man shook his head, "I hate to say it, but this wasn't much. You should've been there the night we brought Harry into your Emergency Room on a stretcher. That was a hell of a fight. Regardless, I am glad you are okay. I think Cho threw up as soon as it was over. Just shock from being in a fight for your life. The rest of us are a little more used to it. Now come on, let's get this lot ready for transport, and see if anyone will squeal for us. We have nearly a dozen in custody. One of them has to know something."

Daphne nodded as she followed the man, and he called out to Ron, "Where the hell is our back up? Jones should've been here with the rest of the on duty aurors at least five minutes ago."

Ron shrugged as he began walking beside Neville and Daphne who were heading towards the front doors, "I sent the patroni, but maybe it failed. I can honestly say it's been a while since I have used it as a messenger, but it took form, and I sent the message out."

Scowling Neville said nothing as he pushed open the front door. Daphne nearly ran into the man when he stopped in his tracks and stared at something ahead. Feeling a wave of panic hit her she immediately asked, "Neville what is it?"

Looking down the street she saw nothing, but it was clear Neville saw something she didn't, "Wards. Powerful wards. Anti-portkey, and anti apparition at the very least. They just went up."

"LONGBOTTOM. COME OUT TO PLAY YOU WORTHLESS FAT BASTARD."

The voice was deep and distorted. A lot like the one that Daphne had once heard on the recorder, and she felt a spike of fear hit her system. It wasn't like the voice she still heard in her nightmares, it was the voice. There was no mistaking it. Ron and Neville both had wands in their hands while Dean, Cho, and Luna were at their sides at a moment's notice.

It was a quiet night in Essex, and the streets had been mostly deserted. All the lights had been blown out, and the street in front of them was unnaturally dark. All except a lone street light over a 100 meters down the street. A lone figure stood in the light. This figure did not wear a Death Eater mask, but his hood covered the silhouette of his face to make him undistinguishable. Neville took a step forward, wand pointed forward aggressively shouting, "Let me see your hands."

The figure complied, raising both hands, "Very well Longbottom." The distorted voice said, "But I am afraid my friends will not allow you to take me in."

The verbal cue immediately became apparent. In the shadows of the open street wands became dully lit and dozens of masked Death Eaters lined the darkness. All held the standard black robes, and silver masks. All held the red spirals on their cheeks.

The aurors were in trouble, and they knew it. A deep seated fear began to take control of Daphne. Without Harry they stood no chance. The distorted voice called out to the aurors a wand now in his hand as he lowered them to a relaxed position, "I could kill you all here and now, but I think that would be a wasted opportunity. I want your fearless leader to play my game and I want him to lose my game. Every step of the way. Losing one person he loves at a time. I took that bitch Bones from him first, and now I intend to take his best friend. A man who was once just a fat little boy who didn't know which end of his wand is which. A pathetic excuse for a Pureblood. Come forth Longbottom, and let me show the people of this country that their faith in the power of the auror department is misplaced. It is time to play your game."

The man flicked his wrist and a dark black wand shot into his hand, and began sparking dangerously. Without hesitation Neville stepped forward to the surprise of all the aurors, "One on one? A fair fight?"

The cloaked figure merely bowed his head slightly in recognition, and Neville flicked his wrist making his own wand shoot into his hand. Stepping forward with a look of determination he turned his head slightly to lock eyes with Daphne, "Call for Harry. I will hold him off, or put him in the ground. One way or another this ends tonight."

Daphne took a moment to realize the severity of what was happening. Thankfully to her left Luna was already casting a patronus and sending it forward while Neville walked out towards his opponent. The others all had their hands tightly clutched around their own wands clearly prepared for interference that could come from the large crowd of spectators.

Neville stopped walking when the two were about twenty meters apart. The cloaked figure offered a sarcastic bow with a flourish of his black gloved hands. Neville stiffly offered his own, but when they both straightened up the Longbottom Lord waited no longer. Aiming his wand at the ground the area in front of him immediately began shaking, and the earth itself seemed to rise from the ground in a charging motion towards his enemy. With a lazy flourish however the ground erupted in an explosion like fashion, and rubble was transfigured into pointed rocks and launching back in the direction of Neville, but the young auror had not been idle as he summoned a light post from the ground nearby and thrusted it forward in a spear like motion, while at the same time blasting the rock shards with a blast of wind completely disarming the attack.

The fight continued for what felt like hours. Daphne had watched with baited breath as the level of magic seemed to escalate. Neville was now fighting off explosions of magic that seemed to be modified forms of exploding hexes, while he also tried to sneak in wandless blasters to disrupt his opponent with no success. The senior auror had also been ripping pieces of the building apart from behind the group, and hurling it at his opponent with speeds that most never could have dreamed of managing.

Daphne felt slightly weak in her knees knowing despite all her training she was still out matched. These were two duelists who could level a small town if they were allowed too, and if the fight continued the way it was they very well might. The surrounding Death Eaters had been forced to back up further and further as the fight raged on. In parts Daphne could tell that their attacker was flustered with how well of a fight Neville was throwing up. Ron who stood at her side whispered, "Not many have lived to tell the tale of just how powerful Neville is. He spent three years beside Harry training everyday, and he knows most of the Potter and Black Grimoire. Just like how Harry knows most of the Longbottom one. My only question now is where the hell is Harry, or the rest of our back up?"

Sharing family libraries was something so unheard of, but it hardly surprised Daphne at this point. She remembered when her friends had come together, and allowed her to pursue their libraries in search of a cure for her sister. Something she had not done as much as she would have liked too, but the fact that it happened at all was likely to be historically unprecedented.

Ron's second point was noted as Daphne watched the two men continue to duel. Harry and the others must have run into more trouble in Godric's Hollow than they expected. The other aurors though that was beyond her comprehension. Why had they not arrived?

A scream broke her thoughts as the cloaked figure whipped his wand around and a blur of black came surging towards Neville, who seemed to pause at the site of the curse for the slightest of moments before ripping up more of the Earth in front of him, but it was not completely blocked as he was thrown backwards by a layer of black goo that seemed to envelop him as he thudded across the ground. The screams that followed were haunting. Neville thrashed on the ground as the goo tried to completely encase him. Cho was on him in a second trying to vanish the goo, but it seemed almost life-like as it was creating some type of screeching noise. Daphne began to panic as she slid over to his side attempting to determine what was happening to the man. She briefly noted that Ron and Dean had stepped forward, and had begun fighting for their lives as the cloak figure engaged them with what looked like ease.

Trying to focus her efforts on Neville, Daphne was horrified as Neville continued to cry out in pain as if he were under the cruciatus. She had never seen magic like this before. When she attempted to cut the goo with some type of offensive magic it seemed to take a sentience as it screeched and thrashed out. A shield charm that came from Luna likely saved her from the same fate as what Neville was experiencing.

He was in trouble, and by the way Ron and Dean were holding up she knew they may all be in trouble. Desperately searching for an answer that anything in her medical training could give her she could only continue to come up blank, and desperate.

Neville eventually stopped screaming, and the goo seemed to completely encase him as hope seemed to be lost. Before Daphne could be swallowed by defeat however an explosion of massive proportions rocked the countryside town.

She heard the gasps, but couldn't see what had happened. The only recognition she did have was sparkling bits of what was left of a powerful shield falling from the sky. She remembered something like this intimately from the battle of Hogwarts when the wards had fallen at the hands of the Dark Lord. Someone had just shattered the wards keeping them all there.

Before anyone knew it Ron and Dean had been tossed backwards, and Daphne looked up in shock when she saw a lone man with a familiar wand in his hand. The man had wasted no time either from the time he had stared down his opponents to the time he began attacking. Pops quickly began following as blasts of powerful magic that made the hair on Daphne's neck stand up began pouring out of the new arrivals wand. It took not a moment longer for her to realize that Harry had arrived.

Hermione, Hannah, and dozens of aurors apparated in behind their leader wands drawn and prepared to fight. This created a temporary ceasefire where Harry cast the sonorous charm on himself, "Drop your wands and surrender…or refuse to submit and die."

Clearly the cloak figure had no interest in surrendering, because without hesitation he went to engage Harry. Immediately the aurors that had come in after Harry joined the fray as the other death eaters in the area attempted to engage the head of magical law enforcement in combat. Hannah and Hermione however ran straight backwards weaving through spell fire and shielding their backs until they made it towards the original group. Their sole attention went to Daphne who had tears in her eyes staring at a black blob of goo that was taking a more and more human shape as time passed. The look on Hannah's face made it clear she had immediately realized just who Daphne was trying to get too.

Hermione reached her first, "What is this?"

"Nothing I have ever seen before. I tried cutting it open, we tried vanishing it away, but it only gets angry, and becomes sentient in the defense of itself. Hermione, I have never seen magic like this before." Daphne said desperately hoping the girl had an answer.

Hermione immediately began waving her wand around the creature, and Hannah matched her attempts. Daphne took this moment to look at Harry who had just let loose a blast of fire that could only be the cursed flames fiendfyre. She could barely make out the final taunting words as the cloak figure apparated away, "Enjoy the next Funeral Potter. I will give you a chance for another soon."

Fire enveloped the area the man had been standing in moments before, and Harry roared out in rage, before sending the flames into the sky, and searching the area for more attackers while the rest of the aurors let out a battle cry of victory. Immediately the head auror began barking out commands to secure the downed enemies, and secure the scene while he whirled around towards his friends, and began running towards them. His eyes went straight to where Neville laid unmoving, and he glared at the offending black goo, while Hannah began to sob. With a snap Harry said, "He isn't dead. Not yet. We can still save him."

Hannah looked up choking back a sob, while Hermione grabbed him roughly by the arm, "Harry do you know what this is?"

Shaking his head immediately the young man replied, "Necromancy of some kind. I have been getting clues to our mystery man all night, and I don't like what it all adds up to, but what I do know is that this is a direct defiance of what my family stood for. They developed ways of combating dark magic they didn't understand, and it's our only shot at saving him. I am sorry to say that none of us are going to feel very good after this, but it's our only chance."

Hannah immediately shot to her feet, "What do we have to do?"

"We need seven people in a circle around this now." Harry commanded.

Without hesitation Ron, Hermione, Hannah, Dean, Luna, Cho, and Daphne followed his instructions as they surrounded the black goo that Harry seemed to have his complete focus on. His eyes were pulsing with anger that Daphne had never seen before. With a flick of his wrist the man conjured a silver dagger, and sliced his hand open causing blood to immediately began floating out of his hand. With a thrust of his hand the blood formed a solid stream that began floating over the black goo, and Harry handed the dagger off to Hannah, "Clean slice across your left hand I will do the rest. That goes for everyone. Hermione make sure we have some privacy."

Hannah didn't even hesitate as she followed Harry's instructions. To Hermione's credit she didn't either. Daphne understood immediately Harry's need for privacy. Blood magic was very looked down upon by the British Ministry, but if it meant she was avoiding her friend's funeral she wouldn't complain. In less than a minute seven streams of blood were floating above the demonic curse that had encased Neville and Harry spoke again, "I invoke the ancient magic of the Peverell family. This creation of dark magic has the intent to steal a person's right to death. The sacrifice of people in this circle demands Death's interference. Vanquish this abomination by command of your master."

At Harry's final word the blood that had streamed from the seven in the circle formed as one. In a matter of seconds the blood turned to a dark golden color that began to lower slowly onto the black goo that seemed to find its sentience once again. It screeched in defiance, but then panicked as the golden blood began to descend. Panic turned to anguish as it began to dissolve and attempt to escape. Harry however dropped the golden liquid over the black goo as it sizzled and steamed following off of Neville without further resistance. In a flash Harry was moving though and had summoned what was left of the black goo, and encased it in a glass jar of some type that he conjured in his free hand. The look on his face displayed his rage, but he calmly passed the jar off to Ron giving him a knowing look.

Without any further hesitation Daphne surged forward to Neville with Hannah taking his other side. Quickly the witches began casting diagnostics and began commanding Hermione to start going through their packs in search of certain medicine. Daphne was the first to speak, "He's alive, but barely. We need to get him to Saint-"

"To Potter Manor. This is what you are best at, and Potter Manor has everything you could possibly have access to at Saint Mungos. Take him now. Save him." Harry said, cutting her off in a commanding tone.

Hannah didn't even hesitate to comply with Harry's orders and she ripped a charm off her necklace, "Potter Manor, Phoenix Fire!"

In an instant she disappeared in an obvious activation of a portkey. Daphne watched in surprise that she had been disregarded so regularly. The rest of the group began activating their own emergency portkeys, while Harry's eyes fell on Daphne, "The magic I just used Daph…it could see me put in Azkaban for a long time. We can't risk others finding out about what my family is capable of. I promise you will have as much of a chance to save him at Potter Manor as you would at Saint Mungos. Just trust me, and go save our friend. I have to deal with the cleanup here."

Daphne for the first time realized what it may have been like to be Harry Potter. To just bounce from one life or death situation to the next. The horrifying thought that the young man had been dealing with this his whole life gave her some perspective on what it may have been like had they found each other years before. She could hardly understand how he took it all in stride. It hardly dawned on her that he had kissed her on the forehead, and turned to start pulling down the wards with ease that Hermione had brought up just moments before. It was all happening so quickly that her head was spinning. The realization that Neville needed her was the only thing that brought her back down. Taking the necklace Harry had gifted her after graduation she activated her portkey, and disappeared into the night leaving the head of Magical Law Enforcement a major mess to deal with on his own.

(A/N) Guys I think this chapter was unedited due to my own clerical errors so I apologize in advance. I also apologize for the one day delay. I was on the road over the last few days, and yesterday I was driving through the midwest Ice storms so I was dialed in on that. I am back home now though, and happy to share with you this update.

Now I have to apologize, because I am uncertain if this next update will come in 2 weeks. I am currently constructing 33, and I am struggling with it, because it is a BIG chapter. I have been working diligently though, and if it is done in time I will post it immediately. That is likely how the updates will come for this story going forward. I see it wrapping up in the next 7-8 chapters so I will likely just post as soon as I finish them as we run towards the Finish Line. Cheers everyone, and I will see you soon.

PSS. I would like to take a moment and offer my thoughts and prayers for everyone in these times of uncertainty and war. As the situation evolves in Ukraine, and across the European continent please remember we are only strong enough for victory if we stand together. Be safe my friends, and God Speed.