Chapter 24: Rescuing Jessica
"Harry, I want you to go around to the back entrance. Take Smith and Phillips with you."
Harry nodded to Kingsley and motioned for Smith and Phillips to follow him. Harry crept through the dark night, staying hidden in the shadows. This was his first actual mission with the rest of the Aurors. After the two months of rigorous training with Kingsley, Harry was to spend the last month as an apprentice, following Kingsley and helping his instructor as he conducted raids and attacks. Today's mission should be a milk run. It was a simple go in, get the hostage, and get out as quickly as possible kind of mission; the kind in which things went perfectly or got bad really fast.
"Still, with the numbers we have and the element of surprise, there's not a whole lot that can go wrong."
The Auror strike team was comprised of Kingsley and Harry, each with their own team of two other Aurors. Standing by were Hestia, Hermione and a reserve team, ready to bring help if they needed it. Still, six of the best Aurors in the Ministry shouldn't have any difficulty with the five Death Eaters inside.
As Harry and his team got into position by the back entrance of the old farmhouse, Harry mentally reviewed the plan. Harry and his team were to enter from the South, clearing each room as they went. Kingsley and his men were going to levitate themselves to the roof and enter through the attic. The house had four levels, including the attic, and the hostage was located on the second floor. This put Harry one floor away from the young boy and Kingsley two. Still, Harry expected Kingsley to get there first. There would likely be much less defenders guarding the upper floors than the lower ones, the most obvious point of attack.
They were going in silent, trying to conceal their presence for as long as possible. Harry knew that these Death Eaters were ruthless; they'd already killed the bodyguards that had been protecting the young child when they had first abducted her and Harry didn't put it past them to kill the child too.
The child who had been abducted was Minister Fudge's niece. The Death Eater's were demanding one and a half million Galleons for her return, though Harry doubted that they had any intentions of ever returning the young girl alive. Fudge was beside himself with worry and had been trying to rake in as many funds as he possibly could to appease the Death Eaters. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough money that could be spared, especially for just one person, no matter how important they were. Harry couldn't believe that the Ministry, in the terrible state it was in right now, would actually consider giving such a large sum of money away when it could be used for so many things in the war. Harry didn't want anything to happen to the girl, but he was afraid that the loss of all of the valuable war materials that the money could buy would only result in the death of many others. Harry hated the idea of sacrificing one person for the good of everyone, but that's what happens in war whether Harry liked it or not. However, the Aurors weren't just going to give up on the girl and Kingsley, on very short notice, had quickly put together the strike force that was assembled today.
"Harry, are you in position?"
Harry jumped slightly as he heard Kingsley's voice in his ear. All of the Aurors had communication charms in place that allowed them to communicate with one another by just thinking of the person they wanted to talk to. Unfortunately, it still required you to speak out loud, which negated its usefulness after they got inside. Harry shook his head, clearing his thoughts and pushing his nervousness away before replying.
"Yes sir, Red team is good to go."
"Good, Blue team is heading to the roof now. Make your way to the door and wait for my signal to attack."
"Yes sir. Good luck Kingsley."
"The same to you Harry. See you inside."
Harry slowly crept to the door and crouched down. Smith and Phillips crouched on either side of him and looked to him for instructions. Harry pointed at Smith and motioned towards the door with a side sweeping motion of his hand. Smith nodded and got in position to break through any security the door had. Though it was very unlikely that the door had anything other than a simple locking charm placed on it, Smith was the best charm breaker the Aurors had. Smith cast a few revealing charms before turning around and shaking his head.
"They didn't even bother with simple security charms. They must be moving the girl soon. We need to get in there now."
Harry was about to open a communication channel with Kingsley when he heard a double click on the com channel.
"That's the signal, it's time to move. Don't worry Jessica, we're on our way."
Harry motioned at Phillips with an open palm and then gestured towards himself before thrusting his arm forward. Phillips and Smith both nodded, having already known that Harry would insist on going in first. Phillips positioned himself on the right side of the door and Smith reached out and grabbed the doorknob.
In one swift motion, Smith eased the door open as Phillips stuck his head around the corner. After seeing Phillips' all clear motion, Harry crept into the dark kitchen.
Harry saw two sleeping men draped across the kitchen table and snuck up behind them. Harry put each hand on the backs of the men and cast a wandless stunning spell. Both men jerked once before falling back into a state of motionlessness.
"Two down, just three more left, and I'm sure Kingsley will take care of at least two of those."
Harry motioned the other two Aurors inside and slowly made his way into the next room.
The three Aurors cleared the next two rooms with no trouble, and they quietly made their way up the staircase to the next floor. Things were going good, and Harry hoped that their luck held out.
"Just five more minutes and we'll be out of here. Come on Jessica. Where are you?"
The Ministry surveillance team had been able to pinpoint Jessica's location to the second floor, but was unable to identify what room she was in. There was too much interference with Death Eaters apparating in and out, as well as the multitude of spells that were being performed inside the small farmhouse. Harry was worried about what, or who, the spells were being cast on and was afraid of what he would find when they got to the young girl.
Harry grimaced as he heard a stair creak behind him and a quiet curse from Smith. Smith had never been very good at moving silently and Harry had hoped that his luck would continue to hold out. Harry heard a chair scrape against the ground up ahead and he quickly moved up the remaining stairs.
The door in front of him suddenly burst open and Harry was face to face with an angry Death Eater. Harry cast a wandless silencing charm before quickly grabbing the back of the Death Eater's neck with his hand. Before the Death Eater had a chance to respond, Harry sent a bone breaking curse down his arm and caught the dead Death Eater as his body went limp. Harry had hoped to avoid killing on this mission, but at least a severed spinal cord was relatively quick and painless.
"Three down and, aside from a stair creak, not a sound has been made. Pretty good for the first mission."
Harry carefully set the body on the ground before turning back to Smith and Phillips. Harry gave a grim smile as he registered their looks of surprise and respect. Kingsley had taught Harry well, and Harry's quick and effective attacks gave testimony to Kingsley's excellent teaching. Harry motioned Smith and Phillips forward and the three Aurors once again continued on their search for Jessica.
Kingsley quietly landed on the roof and motioned his team over. Sam and Vincent were two of his best Aurors, second only to Harry who easily held that spot without contest. Harry had learned quicker and more effectively than any other Auror Kingsley had ever met or had the honor of teaching, and Kingsley was pretty sure that Harry had actually become better than his teacher. The speed at which Harry moved was unbelievable, even without his unique ability to affect time. Harry had bested Kingsley seven out of every eight duels the pair performed each day near the end of his training, and Kingsley was certain that, while a few had been the result of his own excellent apprenticeship to Moody, most had been due to sheer luck as a stray spell grazed Harry and threw off his concentration. Kingsley seriously doubted that, after Harry finished his last month of apprenticeship, he would be able to beat Harry more than once out of a hundred duels.
Kingsley checked for any hidden traps or other security devices before using a vanishing spell to remove the glass of the window. Kingsley listened for any sign of their discovery before sliding into the attic. As Kingsley neared the staircase downstairs, he heard Sam and Vincent hit the floor behind them. Kingsley once again stopped to listen but heard nothing but his own rhythmical breathing.
Kingsley and his team made their way down the stairs before emerging in a long hallway. There were four doors in the hallway, each leading to different rooms, but Jessica wasn't on this floor. Kingsley didn't bother checking any of the rooms and was about to take the next staircase down when he heard a loud snore come from the door to his left. Kingsley bit back a smile as he heard the telltale sign of life.
Kingsley motioned Vincent over and pointed at the hinges of the door. Vincent nodded and summoned the hinges to him. Kingsley performed an impediment curse on the falling door and watched as the door slowed down and took forever to hit the ground. Kingsley quickly moved into the room and looked around confusedly, unable to find who had made the noise.
Kingsley stiffened as he felt a sharp pain on the side of his neck as a wand was thrust into it.
"Don't move; you or the other two Aurors in the hall."
The Death Eaters cruel voice echoed in the empty room and Kingsley felt a small trickle of fear enter his body.
"I'm not going to make it through this. He's going to curse me any time now."
Kingsley pushed the thought away as he saw he questioning looks that Vincent and Sam were giving him. Kingsley gave them an almost undetectable shake of his head, silently begging for them not to act rashly. The Death Eater still didn't know about Harry and Kingsley might actually be able to make it out of this after all.
"Good choice," the Death Eater said as he picked up Kingsley's movement. "You two, back up down the hall."
Sam and Vincent slowly backed up, their wands never leaving the Death Eater in front of them. The Death Eater carefully made his way out into the hall and started walking backwards down the corridor, still thrusting his wand against Kingsley's throat. Sam and Vincent continued to follow, careful not to get too close to Kingsley. As they reached the staircase, the Death Eater slowly made his way down the steps backwards and Kingsley saw his opportunity.
"Unless he knows exactly how many steps there are, after he steps off the last step he won't know it was the last one. His next step will be on level ground and the lack of downward movement when he expected it will leave him slightly unbalanced. As I don't know where Harry is, this might be my last chance."
Kingsley reversed his wand so that he held it upside down and prepared himself. The Death Eater was perfectly relaxed and knew that he was in charge here. Kingsley attuned himself to the Death Eaters sure movements and waited for any change in the Death Eater's disposition. Kingsley felt a slight tug as the Death Eater's right foot hit the ground twice in quick succession and Kingsley jolted into action.
Kingsley moved his head away from the wand as he left arm flew up to knock the wand away. As he felt the wand leave his neck, Kingsley shoved his wand backwards and yelled, "Perforatus!"
A gaping hole appeared in the Death Eater's chest where Kingsley's wand had been pointing. Kingsley had been standing on the step above the Death Eater which was why his wand had been pointing so high and why the Death Eater was now about to die.
The Death Eater opened his mouth to scream as blood started pouring from the wound, but Kingsley silenced the man before he had a chance. The Death Eater's face contorted in pain and Kingsley was forced to watch silently as the Death Eater died in agony. Kingsley stepped over the body and motioned Sam and Vincent over with a shaking hand.
Before Kingsley could take another step, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. Kingsley turned around to see Sam's concerned face and gave the man a slight smile. Kingsley was slightly unnerved by how close he had come to death back there. Kingsley suddenly noticed how cold he felt and worriedly wondered when death would finally catch up with him. Vincent stepped forward and muttered a spell whiled pointing his wand at Kingsley. Kingsley felt warmth flow through his body once again and found it difficult to think of any morbid thoughts when he felt so warm and alive. Kingsley cast a questioning eyebrow at Vincent.
"It's a spell my mother taught me when I was young. I found that it works well in situations like this," the Auror replied quietly.
Kingsley nodded his head in thanks and continued down the hallway, his hopes once again renewed.
This was it; Harry and his team had made their way through four other rooms before coming to this door. It was the last room on this floor and Harry had just heard a muffled cry come from behind the door. Harry nodded at Smith and Phillips and was about to blow the door open when he heard a noise come from around the corner.
Harry raised his wand and pointed it at the dark figure that rounded the corner. Harry was on the edge of shouting a curse when he recognized Kingsley's tall, dark form.
Kingsley made his way up to Harry and gave him a smile. Harry then put up two fingers and made a sideways gesture with an open hand. Harry followed that up with a single finger and a closed fist. Kingsley nodded and repeated the same gesture Harry had just made.
"Okay, two dead and two stunned. That leaves just the one who must be guarding Jessica inside."
Harry motioned to the door and hit his open left hand with his right that was clutched in a fist. Kingsley nodded once more and pointed his wand at the door.
"REDUCTO!"
The door shattered into tiny fragments of wood and Harry quickly ran into the room, just dodging the bright green spell that flew out towards him. Harry felt the familiar feeling of time slowing down and quickly moved to protect his friends. Harry turned and pointed his wand at a bench that was behind Kingsley and the rest of the Aurors.
"Accio bench!"
The bench slid forward, running into the back of the legs of all of the Aurors standing out in the hall. The Aurors' feet flew out from underneath them and they all fell backwards. Harry watched as the spell came within inches of hitting Smith's head before turning back to the Death Eater.
"Disrumpo!"
The Death Eater flew backwards and hit the back wall with a loud thud. Harry ran forward to check on the Death Eater and saw that his smashing hex had shattered several ribs, and that a fragment of bone had pierced the Death Eater's heart.
Harry bent down and silently closed the man's eyes before turning back to where Jessica was laying on the floor. The girl's eyes opened in fright as she surveyed Harry, afraid of what the unknown man might do to her.
Harry stared at the girl in disbelief unable to believe what the Death Eaters had done to her. Her clothes were in tatters and hundreds of cuts dotted the girl's face and arms. Dried blood was caked all over her body and Harry could only see fear in the young girl's eyes; eyes that were supposed to be innocent and carefree. Jessica was tied up with barbed wire that would cut her every time she attempted to move. She had a large sock stuffed in her mouth and Harry bent down to pull out the gag.
As soon as he had removed it, the Jessica screamed loudly, crying for her father and mother. Then Jessica started to squirm and Harry watched in horror as the barbed wire cut deeply into her skin. Blood poured from the numerous wounds on the Jessica's already worn body and Harry gave up trying to restrain her without magic.
"Petrificus Totalus."
The squirming stopped and Jessica fell silent. Kingsley and the rest of the Aurors were in the room now. Kingsley recited a few spells to dispense of the barbed wire and heal a few of Jessica's minor wounds while the other Aurors gaped at Harry. Harry knew they were wondering how he had moved so fast. Harry's brief battle with the last Death Eater seemed to take minutes for him while, in reality, it all happened in less than a second.
"You should have paid attention in school," Harry said with a smile. "You can learn some awfully handy things there."
The Aurors stared at Harry in disbelief as Kingsley let out a slight chuckle.
"Alright Harry, enough showing off. Let's get Jessica out of here."
Kingsley had already conjured a stretcher and had placed Jessica on it. Jessica still hadn't had the full body bind removed, but that was more for her protection than anything else. Harry didn't know what internal injuries Jessica might have, but, judging from her outward appearance, there were likely many of them.
"Smith, Phillips, you two take point. All of the Death Eaters have been neutralized, so let's get out of here fast," Harry said just as Kingsley ordered Sam and Vincent to guard the rear. Harry and Kingsley walked on either side of the stretcher, extremely thankful that that the mission was soon to be over and that it had gone so well.
The group got to the doorway when a loud crack was heard behind them.
"We're running behind schedule because of you fools. Where is the girl—"
Harry turned around to see Lucius Malfoy's cold eyes staring at him. Around Lucius were seven other Death Eaters, each looking fit to kill.
Harry took one last look at Kingsley and offered the man a grim smile before banishing the stretcher out into the hall as a torrent of spells suddenly erupted from all directions.
Author's Note: Well, I'm an official college student. Moved into the dorm today and I decided that you guys deserved a gift because of it. So there you have chapter 24 and hopefully 25 will be on the way pretty soon. I hate to say it but I'm not sure how busy I'm going to be this semester. Hopefully I'll still have plenty of time to dedicate to this fic but never, never give up on me. I have every intention of finishing this so just have patience if it takes a little bit for an update. Well I'm off to bed so, until next time, adios!