Warning: Mild Language. English is not my first language and not beta'd. Full credit to JKR and WB. Final chapter will post shortly.
First Kill
Chapter 5 Public Safety
By WittchWay
Dumbledore looked back to Harry lying on the floor. His left hand jerked and spasmed once again and Harry sat up looking straight into Dumbledore's eyes and smiled.
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Dumbledore gave a full body shiver as the smile on Harry Potter's face grew. It made his skin crawl the way the boy was looking at him, it was not the same boy who had grown up before his eyes. The change in him was now obvious he was slowly becoming a death eater, that fierceness that changed all of Lord Voldemorts following from men to monsters was slowly changing the boy who lived.
Dumbledore looked back through the window and Harry Potter was gone from the bed.
"You okay Albus," Doctor Kinnon asked.
Dumbledore pressed his face against the cool glass looking into the room scanning for Harry. "I'm fine" he whispered leaning into the window more to see where Harry had gone to. He saw nothing except a small shadow crawl beneath the window, the top of the mask barely visible. He had his nose pressed against the door trying to see what the boy was doing beneath the window he was standing at, but he was to high up on a wrong angle to see the boy properly.
The headmaster only caught small fragments of the gibberish the boy murmuring. Mutters about returning to Voldemort, death eaters, attacks, revenge, loyalty reached the old wizards ears. The first traces of doubt crosses Dumbledore's mind, just maybe St. Mungo's hadn't been the best option.
He could see traces of the black mask, the boy leaned forward and then with all the force he could muster slammed his body back into the door. Dumbledore jumped back as the boy on the other side banged against the door, again and then again.
Dumbledore rubbed at his nose as the door banged back at him once more. He was sure the glass would have shattered if it weren't charmed to stay in place. Harry jumped up and peaked out the window. His green eyes had darkened and were wild looking but strangely he appeared to be smiling.
The mask had darkened and pulled tighter around his face melding into his skin. You could see the outline of the muscles in his neck, the crease around his eyes.
Harry rushed the door again causing the halls of the hospital shake. He kicked at the door again, growling, snarling like a rabid dog. Other patients shrieked and cried out egged on by the commotion. Doctors and medi witches and wizards stuck their heads out of their respected patients rooms and offices into the hallway to see what was happening.
Sirius pulled himself away from the men who had carried him from his godson's room. "Why is he like?" Sirius looked through the window.
"He wasn't like this before." Sirius brushed back his black hair from his face.
"Sirius, we knocked him out last time. We don't know how long this would have gone on." Dumbledore turned and looked toward the medi witch and wizard that were slinking by to get a look at the boy who lived, "Is Severus still in the building?"
"I'm here Albus," Snape strolled forward, Lupin and Flitwick trailing behind him.
"Severus how long since the dark mark burned."
"About 15 minutes now."
"...And how long do the meeting usually last?"
Snape shrugged his shoulders, "sometimes just a few minutes...other times hours. Depends on what he has planed. Sometimes..." he trailed off. "...Sometimes the chosen..." he pointed toward Harry Potter,"...are never off duty. They are always there if it's something big."
Dumbledore looked back into the room, the doctor and long time friend closed in behind him. "Albus" he whispered.
"Don't Kinnon..."
"Albus...he's not going to get better. The longer he wears that mask the longer it is becoming part of him."
"You don't know that." Dumbledore snapped.
Kinnon looked through the window again, "...it would be best if we..."
"If we what?" Dumbledore barked narrowing his eyes. While he never put much trust in St. Mungo's, he did usually have faith in Kinnon, he was a brilliant man, creative with the solutions and spells to get the unfortunate witch or wizard out of trouble. But obviously this hadn't been the best choice.
"Albus, we have to put him down." Kinnon pressed
Lupin tackled Sirius as he leapt toward the throat of the doctor, "he's not a dog, he's a boy" Sirius growled. (Snape just smirked at the irony).
Flitwick pulled his wand ready to hex everyone to hell and back, Albus Dumbledore held up his hand to stop the outcry that had roared through the people in the hallway.
"Open the door Kinnon, we will be taking him back to the castle with us." Albus straightened his robes, "Severus go ahead and go to the meeting, find out what you can about these masks and how long they will be called to service today. Professor Flitwick please return to the castle and prepare a secure room for young mister Potter."
Kinnon looked through the little portal of a window, the boy looked back at him, growling, drooling, deranged. The mask had taken on a sleek look, seemingly it looked like it was gleaming at him. The boy paced the room like many caged animals did.
Kinnon looked back to Dumbledore, "As a matter of public safety, Albus I'm afraid that I will be unable to release him." Kinnon backed away from the door gesturing for the guards to stand before the it. They looked uneasy but did as they were told. Both fingering their wands.
Dumbledore troupe went silent, Snape and Flitwick watched from halfway down the hall, what was sure to be a good show. They watched as the old man didn't even try and sneak his wand out of his pocket he produced it with all the flourish of experience. Kinnon cringed at the sight of it and pulled his own wand trying to maintain an authoritative air about him.
Dumbledore looked over the rim of spectacles at the potion master and charms professors, "I told you to go...both of you." they nodded the less witness the better. The guards at the door shifted feet nervously in anticipation. They were use to having hexes and spells hurled at them, it was part of the job. But a battle with Albus Dumbledore, mind you a wizard even Voldemort feared was not a good thing. Both just half hoped that Kinnon just let the boy go. They didn't need another useless soul sucking the energy from the place there was already plenty of that.
"Mr. Lupin will you please go find a object as a suitable portkey for Mister Potter. Sirius you will assist him."
Sirius flex his knuckles ready to pounce, Remus Lupin grabbed a hand full of Sirius robes hurrying them both down the hall into one of the offices. Both began looking for something that didn't have any charms already on it so that they could make it a portkey.
Any object would usually do but they got the hint from Albus the fewer eyes on him the better. He plucked himself down on the office sofa and prepared to wait, Sirius paced muttering to himself transforming from dog to human and back again as he did so. All they could do now was simply waited.
Kinnon attempted to remain calm, Dumbledore was certainly winding him up. Dumbledore looked down the hall in both ways, "go in your rooms and shut your doors," he suggested to the few faculity members and patients still having a look, eyes glassed over followed closely by a series of doors clicking and shutting down that hall.
Kinnon felt a tightening to his chest as the magic cracked through the air back towards the wizard who had cast the suggestion spell. He had never duel his friend Albus before outside of dueling club when they were students in school and that was well over one hundred years ago.
Dumbledore motioned for the guards to move aside both looked to Kinnon for approval.
"Move gentlemen," Albus suggested to the men. Both looked to Kinnon again for approval, the one on the left struggled to stand his ground, the one on the right feet seemed to be carrying him down that hall. He looked to Dumbledore and Kinnon confused.
Kinnon looked furiously at Dumbledore, "You can't do this. You can't come in here and demand the release of a patient after you admit him."
"...I never admitted the boy. We simply came here for your assistance as a friend to me. That didn't pan out and now I will return Harry back to his home at the school. Now I suggest you step aside as well"
Kinnon felt his feet tingle and he had to fight the sudden urge to take a walk down the hall, it was almost as powerful as Imperio curse. "If he… was to get a hold of a wand..." the medi wizard stopped, it would be disastrous he didn't have to say it, they both knew it.
"He won't get a wand. Now release him. Sirius Black is the boys godfather and we are asking that you release him into his godfather's custody. He prefers to deal with Harry own his own and I as Sirius Godfather will assist him."
"Albus...be reasonable. You see what this child is capable of. What if he fell into the hands of You know who? If that mad man was to get his hands on him that would be the end of the wizard world as we know it. The best thing for him is to be here."
"Kinnon as I wish to return to Hogwarts before nightfall I will not even go into all that Harry Potter is capable of nor will I dignify your lack of trust in the security of Hogwarts with a response. I will simply tell you to release the boy or else. "
Dumbledore raised his wand. Kinnon flinched.
"Albus..."
"Stupefy" Dumbledore muttered. Kinnon eyes glazed over, half startled, dazed he stumbled back into the wall slumping to the floor. The remaining guard whimpered and jogged down the hall giving quick glances over his shoulder wearily at old man.
"Remus..." the Headmaster called down the hall.
The werewolf stuck his head out of the office he and Sirius had been waiting in.
"Obviate." Remus yelled at the guard the mans stopped dazed eyes rolling back in his head. Remus winked as the mans memory of this moment seemed to disappear from his mind. Sirius held a feathery quill in his hand peaking out at the scene.
Lupin guided the man into the office and sat him down. "You'll stay here for 1 hour no more no less"
By the time Lupin and Black made their way down the hall Dumbledore had the Hospital door open, Harry stupefied, bind, levitating and in general out cold and ready to go.
Dumbledore looked to Lupin and Sirius, "Take him up to the school. Professor Flitwick will be waiting for you at the gate." He touched his wand to the quill Sirius had in his hand, Remus grabbed Sirius sleeve and Harry's floating ankle. "I'll join you in a moment, do not reawaken him." he nodded sternly in a Dumbledore sort of way.
"We already erased the memory of the guard."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, "I'm sure you did a admiral job Mr. Lupin"
Sirius blanched, Dumbledore was probably going to erase their existence from there memories. Clever man. Wand to quill and the three disappeared.
Of course nothing is really that easy. Now is it?
Dumbledore moved quickly through St. Mungo's making sure no trace of them being here was recognizable. Kinnon was back in his office humming merrily to himself the guards were off on break and today was nothing more then a slow day, the same old same ole.
Dumbledore quite pleased with himself, humming his merry little tune, bluish gleam back in his eyes, apparated back to the gates of Hogwarts to find three stunned teachers, a burning stretcher and Flitwick missing his wand.
TBC
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