Chapter Seven- Vanguard

"Well, well. What have we here?" Drawled Lucius Malfoy.

The minute widening of the eyes was the only outward sign Harry showed of his shock. While he appeared stoic, his stomach seemed to him a ball of lead, and he felt desperate to run. His flight or fight response was set for escape, but he wouldn't allow himself. It was no matter that seeing the platinum hair and stony grey eyes drew memories he had long since thought to have dealt with. No matter every image of his captivity those years ago swarmed his mind, in so many of which the man before him had played part. He would not back down, though his soul begged it of him.

His thoughts showed not on his face, even as the known Death Eater moved towards them, eyes narrowing at the lack of response from his quarry.

"No greeting to an old friend? Tsk, I would have thought better of such vaunted warriors of the light." A smile of ice turned Malfoy's lips, rendering the others' blood cold.

Neither Sirius nor Remus had managed to produce their wands in the startled spinning to face their opponent, and they attempted to reach for them now. Lucius stilled their hands with a slight change of aim towards them, away from the younger wizard. He knew it was no folly- no matter where the boy had been for so long, his rectitude was born and breed in him. Potter would not risk the others being injured by Lucius's wand, even if he might allow threat to himself. The eldest of their little standstill had always counted on that type of thing in his opposition, it had gained him such victory in his battles. Lucius's smile modified to a smirk.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Sirius hissed angrily. He didn't like being held at wandpoint, and judging by the increase of the smirk on Malfoy's face, he knew it.

"Oh, Black, how kind of you to ask." The brows rose slightly on the three before Lucius, but he just continued. "I just wanted to welcome Mr. Potter home, properly. Its only fair for such a celebrity as he." Keeping his wand aimed at the older two of his foes, Lucius turned his gaze to the last. "And it has been so long since last we met, has it not, Harry?"

Sirius bristled in rage and Remus narrowed his eyes dangerously. Malfoy's expression only gained in venom as he eyed Harry for reaction and found none.

"Come now, Harry, have you nothing to say to me? We had gotten so . . . close, before your daring disappearance." The inflection of Lucius's voice turned taunting, and his smirk seemed to gain a leering quality. "Surely you didn't forget our familiarity whilst you've been away?"

Though the mockery and memories were struggling to both crush and enrage him, for his part, Harry forced himself to focus. Rash action, once such a skill of his, had been burned from him in the past two years, and he knew any action he took had to be calculated.

"Although, your time gone has certainly done wonders for you. You had been looking quite peaked when I last . . . saw you. And now, well . . ."

As Malfoy ran his eyes up and down him in appraisement, Harry felt ire surge through him, making his blood boil in its veined paths. Using that anger to quicken his thought process, Harry made his own appraisal. Not willing to risk his secret of abilities until it became inescapable, he knew he would have to move swiftly and surely. Fortunately, he was well trained in that respect.

Before Malfoy could continue with his barbed words, and before Sirius recklessly attacked the man bare handed, which he seemed very near to doing in his fury, Harry twitched his wand in a slight flick that was meant for all of the men around him.

"Legerdemius!" Harry hissed out through clenched teeth. Used to confuse those it was case upon, the sleight of hand curse caused them not to register what next one did. Not well known, it therefore wouldn't be picked up by his compatriots that he had used it on them as well.

This time waving his free hand, he cast a quick binding curse, blocking Malfoy's access to his magical core for a moment, guaranteeing the others' safety. Noticeably Dark, it was also very draining, and as the first curse faded, Harry exclaimed, "Expelliarmus!"

The Death Eater's wand flew into Harry's hand and he abruptly dropped the bind. Lucius collapsed to his knees, his breath hitching as he was overwhelmed. The stunned look on his face showed he had not a clue what had just occurred, allowing Harry to calm slightly. Having regained their cognitive facilities, both Remus and Sirius pulled free their wands and spelled Malfoy unconscious and bound.

Turning to Harry, Sirius rushed up to him and grabbed him by a shoulder. "Harry, are you all right?"

Before he could respond, the sharp crack of apparation alerted him of someone appearing behind him. Pulling his arm free of Sirius's grasp, Harry spun to confront the newest arrival, instincts telling him it was not an ally. They were proven right when a dagger flashed above as it was stabbed towards him. Harry jerked back, forcing Sirius away as well. As the dagger missed its target the cloaked figure moved forward to try again. In the close proximity and with his wand arm pushing back on his godfather, Harry couldn't cast a spell, even wandless, as it would risk deflection.

Ducking another swipe of the blade and knocking Sirius to the ground with surprising strength, Harry pulled out a dagger hidden in a leg sheath under the spartan robes he wore. Raising up under the trajectory of his opponent's swing, Harry thrust his blade towards him. Caught by momentum, the unknown assailant couldn't dodge the sharp steel, and Harry felt as it carried true on its path, cleanly piercing through tissue of the figure. The man stiffened then went limp, forcing Harry to push him away with his other arm, which had since sheathed his wand to his hip. The Death Eater, as identified by his costume, fell to the ground, pulling free of the dagger Harry still held tightly.

The thump of the body was overshadowed by another crack, as yet another swarthy figure appeared, this time near Remus who had been mercifully clear of the other battle, but hadn't been able to cast any spells, not wanting to hit his companions. The man lunged for him, but Remus was ready, having some perks in his lycanthropy. He grabbed the figure under the arm, which was carrying a similar weapon to his late fellow's, and knocked him sideways. The preternatural force sent the man into the dull wall with a sickening crunch, and he lay still where he landed.

"Come on!" Remus grasped his partner's arm, yanking him fully upright as he was rising. He then clenched Harry's arm in a steadfast grip and pulled him towards the still far entrance onto Diagon Alley. "We need to get out of here, quick!"

Both of them suddenly dodged sideways as their heightened senses realized another apparation. The newest figure that had suddenly appeared turned as Harry and Remus moved away, unfortunately trapping them against the wall and each other. As the man raised his own dagger, he made to cut, but found his arm held and twisted back. Sirius jerked him from behind away from his friend and godson, continuing to wrench the man's arm.

"My turn." Sirius claimed, with another wrench that caused a sounding snap of bone. As the Death Eater yelled out, Sirius forced him to his knees, and picking up a discarded dagger, brought the hilt in contact with the back of the man's head. The figure slumped to the ground, but before the three could again attempt a run, the familiar crack sounded.

Reaching to his compatriots who had moved toward him, Sirius dropped the dagger and grabbed both of the men. Pulling them back, he ground out, "Damn! Why the bloody hell do they keep coming?!"

Remus shook his head, continuing to move backwards with them. Both he and Sirius had lost their wands, and he was trying to figure out what to do. He knew they were too far from the private Floo and the Death Eater was blocking the other escape route, holding his own dagger, a match to the others'. Harry reached for his own wand, which gave more power than wandless magic, but before he could grasp it, the cloaked man charged at them.

Harry waved out his free arm, the one not being pulled and strangled by his godfather, and sent a burst of power at the attacker. At this point, even the risk of everyone finding out what he could do was worth it to stay alive. The man was thrown several feet in the air, his robes whipping in the wind and his mask wresting off. Harry didn't recognize the man, but soon couldn't see his face as he hit the wall of the alleyway and collapsed face down on the ground.

Suddenly, Sirius's hand was wrenched off of Harry's arm and turning, he saw that a new Death Eater had a dagger pressed tight to his godfather's throat. Apparently the other sounds had covered his arrival. Both he and Remus tensed as the figure dragged Sirius backwards slightly, causing him to wince as the man yanked his hair back to reveal his throat more to the knife. Remus's foot hit a wand as he shifted, but the harder press of the knife to his partner's neck, drawing a line of blood, kept him from reaching for it. Meanwhile, Harry knew without doubt that his godfather was moments from death and looked for some way to stop it.

Spotting a glinting blade in the still dim light of the alleyway, laying a short distance behind the Death Eater and his hostage, Harry focused on it. Working to keep the extremely difficult wandless magic steady, Harry floated the dagger up from the ground and turned the blade to point at the hooded figure. When the man again pressed harder on the knife on Sirius's throat, Harry swiftly forced the dagger directly behind the Death Eater and called it forward. As the blade collided and sunk into his back with a indeterminate sound, the man stiffened, pulling harder on the knife he held for a moment, before dropping his arm and staggering back and down.

Harry jumped forward and grabbed hold of his godfather, pulling him towards him and Remus. All of them tensed, glancing around for the next adversary. At the distinctive lack of another crack, the three of the them moved cautiously, looking at the fallen Death Eaters. Remus reached down and picked up the wand he had seen, handing it to Sirius once identified, and scanned for his own. Listening and with other senses on high alert, he released his grip on his partner and walked over and picked up his wand when he found it. "We need to go . . ."

Remus was effectively cut off as a loud yell was heard from behind them. Pivoting to face danger once more, Harry realized their attacker was the one he had downed to save Sirius. He was very close, having been thought dead and not a danger, a fact which Harry had no time to berate himself about. The man rushed toward Sirius and him, too close and quickly for their spells. Just as the Death Eater raised his arm to strike down his godfather who was nearest, Harry pulled Sirius back behind him. In doing so, he allowed himself to be at risk, and before he could duck, his foe took advantage of that.

With a sharp pain, Harry felt the dagger slash across his chest, at first shallow, but slicing deeper in the downward stroke. As it found its sheath against his ribs and plunged further, Harry let out a gasp and jerked backwards against Sirius. The Death Eater staggered in to him, hitting the hilt of the dagger, causing a white hot spike of agony to lance through Harry's chest. The pain surged through him, but like it did other times, it gave him energy. Using the adrenaline, Harry grasped the man's head, and with a sharp push towards him, snapped his neck. Letting the body fall, Harry staggered himself, collapsing into his godfather's arms as darkness washed over him.