In The Darkness
Chapter Twelve: The Enemy
With spells flying all around them Neville, Sirius, Arabella, Mundungus and the others retreated from the Death Eater forces only hoping they had given Harry and Draco enough time. Running past a building Neville turned and held his wand steady, aiming into the dust cloud for the approaching mob of Dark Wizards, the rest of the wizards with him followed suit until they stood in a line, waiting for the storm to break on them.
* * *
Tom had no idea what was going on and intended to do nothing to find out as more people filed into the Leaky Cauldron, no longer bloodied and dust covered but none of whom were willing to tell him anything, most just seemed anxious to leave, and the newest group were going to do so when the door from the Muggle street outside exploded inwards. With terrible yells and amid screaming a group of Death Eaters entered holding guns and wands at the ready, a cloaked figure similarly armed walked among them.
Raising their wand they released a Stunning Jinx that spread wide and cut down all the adults in the room sending them flying to the floor and Tom crashing into his bar, amid the wails of the children they strolled forwards, leading the Death Eaters behind them. Coming across two children a harsh voice emitted towards the nearest Dark Wizard, 'bring these two, leave the others for their parents to wake to, that will teach them that I can be merciful if I choose.' Nodding beneath his mask, Malfoy called two of his men forwards and they took the struggling children, then with dark eyes glittering the forces marched out the back of the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley.
* * *
'Hold!' wands held steady the fragile line of wizards waited for Neville's command as the Death Eaters charged forwards out of the mist, 'HOLD!' the Dark Wizards were now only feet away, opening his mouth to give the order to fire, Neville never had the chance as four beams of golden light shot out from a shop in the alley and blew up the ground in front of the advancing Dark Wizards. Climbing out of the shattered frame came Harry, Draco, Ron and Hermione all wearing grim faces, turning back Neville fired off a Stunning Jinx that felled one of the few standing Death Eaters who had not been sent flying by the miniature earthquake the quartet had unleashed at their feet. 'Thanks, it was all or nothing then,' he said as they approached, Harry still rubbing his forehead, 'what's wrong?'
'Whoever is doing this is here,' Draco, who was nervously scratching his arm, replied for Harry, 'and they've unleashed a bloody hell somewhere.'
'The Ministry,' Sirius said quietly, interrupting the conversation, 'that explains the large explosion I heard earlier, I thought it was just here.'
'Well, lets get to the Ministry then,' Ron said, and with their small force of wizards they turned and walked straight into a hail of bullets. Several wizards were cut down with cries of pain as the hot lead projectiles passed through them, diving to the side Sirius pushed both Harry and Draco into cover while Neville threw the Weasleys to the ground, with quick transformations Mundungus took to the air and Arabella sprinted into a nearby shop. Shaking himself out of it as he landed, Harry rose and extended his arms above his head forming a blue sphere, with a throwing gesture he sent it flying into the dust cloud from which the firing had come, to his satisfaction he heard several cries from the hidden enemies.
'Harry!' Sirius's voice was whispered and fast, looking around Harry saw the blood leaking between his fingers that covered his chest, 'oh god, Harry.'
'Sirius! No!' Harry cried and moved swiftly to the ground beside his godfather, putting his hands over the wound he concentrated but no light came that would heal the injured wizard. Reaching up Sirius took Harry's head in his hand.
'Now…you listen to me boy, I have…I have to tell you about the…' he gasped and his hand tightened over the wound.
'Don't talk Sirius,' Draco said, 'Harry, don't let him talk.'
'No!' Sirius's voice was injected with haste now, 'must tell you about the translation…Burzum-Ishi.' He paused again then with a rattling breath continued, this time reciting rather than speaking, 'In the Darkness, the Enemy of Dumbledore and Riddle…waits for a time of Darkness. The five that are Dumbledore's Light must vanquish them…or our world will end… Remember…it will…help…' closing his eyes, Sirius breathed deeply once more, 'You…made…me very…proud…' and then with his other hand he clutched on Harry's arm as his last breath faded away from his body.
Sobbing silently Harry lifted his head away from his godfather's body, tears streamed silently down his cheeks, but when Draco looked into his eyes he saw only rage and pain, before he could stop Harry he had risen from their hiding place and was marching away into the dust cloud. Swearing Draco rose and followed him, the dust swallowing them up in an instant. From the ground Neville saw Harry rise and move forwards into the cloud with Draco following him swiftly, lifting himself up he helped up Ron and Hermione as Mundungus landed beside them, the few wizards who had not been cut down by the gunfire also stood up, clutching their wands and looking warily into the dust cloud.
Wordlessly Neville also moved forwards into the dust cloud, but unlike Harry he moved against the walls signalling the others to do the same, moving swiftly he soon saw the figures of Harry and Draco in the dust but then they both disappeared in a blaze of colour that swept over the alley. Holding a hand up against the glare Neville saw they had all stopped only metres away from the Death Eater forces and a mysterious cloaked whose wand was smoking, all the dust had disappeared now leaving only a pale luminescence in the air. 'Harry Potter,' came a sneering voice, 'at last.'
'You!' but it was not Harry who replied, it was Ron.
'Yes,' the figure said, the sneering voice filled with a vindictive pleasure, 'me, at least one person recognises me.'
'The enemy of Dumbledore and Riddle,' Draco muttered, staring into the face before him.
'Yes. I betrayed Riddle when I knew he was heading into defeat, Voldemort commanded no respect near the end, that of course is why I have such a powerful following. And Dumbledore, well that old fool was just begging to be killed, I took a chance and used it, and to think even then it was blamed on someone else–' any further words were punched out of the figure when a golden ball of energy launched from Harry's wand sent them flying into a wall.
'STOP!' screeched Lucius Malfoy's voice, and from the group of Death Eaters he pushed forwards Minerva and Philip, holding his gun near to their heads, 'I will kill them Potter, don't try me.'
'No!' Ron shouted and made to run forwards but Neville and Mundungus held him back.
'Don't kill yourself,' Mundungus muttered, 'that won't help them at all.'
Rising from the wall that had broken their fall, the figure rose laughing and sniggering, 'A good idea of mine to grab the children, and with that hair how could they not be Weasleys? But now the time for fun is at an end, and I can offer you two ideas as to what must happen next, neither of which you will like, one of which you must accept. One, you surrender to me and the children live, I take over and you all behave yourselves. Two, you fight, I kill you all, I take over and…well I take over and you behave yourselves…because…you're…dead. Options you see, that's what it's all about.'
'And you opted for the Darkness?' Hermione asked, her eyes not leaving the figure's face, hoping to see some recognition within, she found none.
'Yes Ms. Granger – or should that be Mrs. Weasley? I never did keep track of time, but I recognise this one's teeth,' at this point the figure tapped Philip's larger front teeth, despite the fact Hermione had shrunk hers, the trait had been passed on down the family. 'Options, which do you choose?'
'Very well,' Harry said, speaking for the first time, but Draco did not catch a hint of the rage or hate he had seen in Harry's eyes, 'I cannot speak for everyone, so I will not speak unless they have.'
'Brave words Potter,' the figure spat, 'but first, let me see, I choose…the Weasleys.'
'YOU BASTARD!' Ron shouted, oblivious to the fact that his children were nearby, 'you hold a gun…to my children's heads…AND YOU BLOODY ASK ME THAT?' pulling himself free of Mundungus and Neville he raised his wand, then threw it to his feet. Hermione removed her wand and placed it at her feet, standing silently she looked into the face again, then switched her gaze to the children, both of whom were now crying as they watched their father.
'Longbottom?' the figure asked, lips curling in contempt but all they got in return was a spit from Neville and the placing of his wand on the ground, then with a gesture to his wizards they also placed theirs at their feet, none would risk the children being harmed. 'Mundungus you old fool, need I ask?' and with that the elderly wizard also placed his wand down at his feet. 'Leaving Draco and Harry, well Lucius – which way will your beloved son go?'
'The only way he knows Master, the coward's way, he'll not fight.' As if in response Draco placed his wand on the ground, gazing into the cold, glittering eyes behind his father's mask.
'And that leaves you, Harry Potter.'
'Yes, and you know what,' Harry replied to the cruelly asked question, 'you win,' in one fluid motion he threw his wand to the figure's feet, 'just let the children go before you kill me.'
'So perceptive Mr. Potter, and so true,' the figure said raising his wand, 'time for you to,' switching hands quickly he raised the gun, 'bite the bullet, so the Muggles say.'
A\N: Well, hopefully I've given you all enough clues to work out who the dark lord really is, and if you figured that out than you can figure out who took the blame for the death of Dumbledore. And that was meant to happen years earlier, so it's not an integral part of the story, which is why I didn't make a big deal of it, but it did give me the traitor I needed. Will the mystery of In The Darkness finally be resolved in chapter 13: the duel [As 13 is unlucky, this may have to go to 14 chapters!].