A/N: This Chapter is a Mess.
Chapter 17: Cliffhanger
Present
There were shouts, yells, and flashes of multicolored lights lighting the night sky. Snaps, bangs, and explosions echoed in the air as four young men ran through the streets of a small village. They blindly aimed behind their backs to shoot spells and jinxes as they ran for their lives. They sped past buildings, turning into streets or alleyways to get away from a large group of dark wizards. The four wizards ran into an alley, breaking into a backyard, and hiding in a small shack. They breathed as quiet as the could, listening as the death eaters yelled to which way their enemies have gone. The four men let out breaths of relief once they heard the yelling and shouting sound farther and farther away.
"Shite, what are you going to do?" One of the men asked. "Our Operations lead is dead as well as half the team. You can't tell me we weren't ambushed!"
"Of course we were ambushed!" A second man growled through his teeth. "We were set up from the beginning. We were told there were only a handful of death eaters. We show up and there is a whole damn army waiting for us!"
A third man looked over at the fourth man who was looking out a small window of the shack they were in, keeping a lookout. "Josh, do you see anything?" the man asked.
"No one," Josh answered without looking back. "I say we wait for a few minutes before heading back out there." He turned around and sat on a crate.
"I don't see why we can't apparate," The second man said.
"Because I've already tried," The first man said, "They put up wards in this place. We have much chance out of here as we do making a portkey."
"It can't be too hard to make a portkey," the third man said.
"And end up splinched with your choppy magic, I don't think so," The second man said. "I only trust my own magic and I already know I can't make no portkey, especially not some tart like you or that seventeen year old."
"Black knows more magic than some wizard from the back woods," the first man scoffed.
"Oi, I'ma Thadric!" The second man barked. "We are a strong magically family."
"Yeah, and I'm a Stewart and a muggleborn," the first man responded. "It's only a name, doesn't mean anything."
Josh turned to the last young wizard yet still older than him. "We will get out of this, Ronan," he assured. "I promise." The man named Ronan nodded but he was still worried about the predicament he was in.
"What can a seventeen year old promise, life?" Thadric scoffed. "You have much of a chance of saving our lives than Auror Craven did. I knew he was an idiot from the first day we set eyes on him."
A few weeks ago...
Josh looked at the paper that was given to him back at the Ministry just before he arrived at camp, parting ways from Draco and Tracey who had been assigned to other teams. On the paper, had the assigned placement at camp written on it and the name of the Auror who would be training him and others on how to be Aurors or most likely soldiers. He looked around the camp that was bustling with Aurors and trainees alike. There were a few witches and wizards who pointed and whispered at him, no doubt knowing who he was. He made his way over to his new placement area for the next couple of weeks. He stopped at a tent that had a small sign which said Team Q. No doubt the tent was magicked on the inside to make it bigger to hold about ten men and women.
Josh sighed heavily when someone suddenly bumped into him, who fell and lost their bag to the mud. "Oh, sorry," the man apologized. "I'm a little nervous." He said as he regained himself and grabbed his bag. He finally looked at Josh. "Oh... You're...you're Black, aren't you?"
Josh looked at the man with hazel eyes behind clear rimmed glasses and sandy blonde hair. He was clean and shaven, and also looked as if he belonged in a book store. "Josh," Josh greeted holding out his hand.
"Oh hello," he said, shaking Josh's hand. "Ronan Shad, nice to meet a young fellow such as yourself." Josh raised a curious brow. His speech was definitely proper meaning he could really be from a book store or was some historian of some kind. "I guess we should enter," Ronan said and then entered the tent. Josh followed after him.
The tent was big enough for twelve men to live inside. It was a barracks with many cots that had portable closest and lamps next to them. The tent was occupied and all beds taken except for two beds at the end of the tent. Josh and Ronan walked down to the two beds, claiming them separately. Josh laid his bag on the cot he had chosen and turned to look at the others. There was one woman and the rest were men ranging ages from twenty five to sixty. Josh looked to be the youngest in the tent as Ronan looked to be the second youngest. Only a few looked like they could be Aurors but chose other professions. A couple of men looked gruff and a couple looked nervous and afraid. The woman looked stoic and calm, staring straight at the floor, leaning on her knees. Josh then noticed an older gentleman sitting on his cot. His eyes were old and wise, older than his face had looked as if he had been through not just the first war, but one before that as well.
"Welcome Trainees!"
Everyone's heads turned forward to the Auror entering the tent with a clipboard. "Morning." He greeted as everyone stood or sat next to their cots. "I am Auror Craven, and not only am I your Operations Lead, I am your training officer. Over the next couple of weeks, you will be trained on advanced magics, combat training, and team strategy." Craven looked at each of his trainees, leering over at Josh longer than the others. "Now, I'm gonna take roll. You're all adults so I assume you know what to do when I call your name." Craven called everyone in attendance. "Now, in your closest, you'll find a generic uniform. Put it on and meet me outside. Training begins in twenty."
The group of new recruits did as they were told, put away their things, and dressed in their uniforms. They soon made their way outside of the tent and lined up in front of their operations lead.
"Let's get one thing straight," Craven began with his hands behind his back. "From now on, your are Aurors in training. You will be full Aurors once the training is over! It's not going to be easy, oh no. We will be doing our best to train three years of Auror training into two weeks." Some of the new recruits winced and scrunched their faces in confusion. "You think its impossible? It is." Craven began to pace. "When I look at you, I don't see warriors. I see a farmer, a tailor, a privileged son from an important family, a researcher's assistant - " Craven stopped in front of Josh. "And a schoolboy." He continued to walk back. "To which the none of you have seen battle - "
"Black was in an attack last Christmas," Someone spoke while others nodded. "It was in the paper. He's seen battle."
Craven scoffed. "That was a direct attack," he said, "It wasn't a large scale battle. That's what this training and you being brought to us is all about. The Dark Lord's army grows bigger and stronger everyday. So does ours. And we will train you lot to become the best within a short period of time. We are going to push you past your limits and we will make you suffer. In the end, you will be the best version of yourself. A version that is an obedient soldier." He finished with a look towards Josh.
Present Day
Craven's voice echoed in Josh's mind as he was looking out the window. He was keeping an eye out while everyone took a nap or rested without worry. He looked over to what was left of his team. They were all older than them, but they didn't belong here. They weren't Aurors or soldiers. He was fighting with a privileged, rich pure-blood, a researcher of magical artifacts, and a country muggleborn who was a house husband. From the start, they couldn't work together, or even had trouble with the advanced magic they learned. Once Craven brought the team into a ambush trap, most of the team got themselves killed because they did their own thing. The only reason, Josh, Ronan, and Stewart made it this far, was because they were working together. Thadric just happened to tag along when he knew he was about to lose.
There was a thump.
Josh turned back to look out the window, but it was too dark. The only light there was, was from the crescent moon, yet it wasn't enough. Josh squinted through the darkness, when he saw some movement. He looked over to the others who were asleep. He tightened the grip on his wand, hoping that it was nothing. It was nothing once he heard the hisses of two cats fighting, knocking over a couple of trash cans.
"What is it?" Stewart asked. Josh turned to see the man was sat up, wide eyed. Ronan's tired eyes were open as well. Thadric was still sleeping.
"Nothing," Josh answered, "Just a couple of cats. Go back to sleep." Josh turned back to the window.
Stewart stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm awake," he said, "Let me take first watch. You've been through hell today for a teenager."
"I've had worse," Josh commented as Thadric snorted in his sleep.
"I'm sure, but still," Stewart replied, "You're going to need your rest." He walked over to Josh and waved. "Alright, go on, then." Josh rolled his eyes, suddenly feeling how tired he actually was. He moved away from the window and sat over in the corner of the shed next some shelves. He pulled his knees up to his chest and set his wand next to his feet. He crossed his arms and leaned his head onto the wall, closing his eyes. He didn't fall asleep just yet as he let his mind wander, thinking about everyone he missed. He thought about Daphne fist, remembering when she kissed him before he left school. He could remember feeling her lips on his, like it was yesterday. He thought about his friends Hermione, Ron, Harry, Neville, Shaun, and he thought about Rina. He wondered how he was going to find some clue about her or where she could be. Maybe he could kidnap a death eater or something and beat it out of him. He then wondered about Draco and Tracey who were also drafted into this Auror program. They were put onto a separate teams. Though Tracey was put on a teamwith Charlie Weasley who volunteered to keep Bill, Ron, the twins, and his parents from being drafted into the program. He heard this from a letter he had received from Draco who was surprised to see the Weasley on his crew. He knew Draco, Tracey, and Charlie were going to do alright because they were each skilled fighters in their own. And before Josh knew it, he was asleep, his mind shutting off as he dreamt of nothing.
A week and a Half ago...
It had been a long grueling week an a half at Auror training. All new recruits were pushed to their limits, forced to learn and preform magic at an alarming rate, but to no use for more than half of these recruits. Some of them were not strong enough to preform magic under a lot of pressure. Others were capable such as Josh who practiced as much as he could back when he was in school through the years. During a training course, Josh noticed a few of his teammates having trouble casting advanced spells and charms. Ronan and Stewart, who were dirtied up and beaten by the the magical creatures they were forced to train with, were having hard troubles with the advanced defensive and offensive spells. It was Josh who coached them and helped them through their misunderstandings. They were able to cast the spells after thirty minutes from talking with Josh.
"Wow, you're a great teacher for a seventeen year old," Stewart replied, having success with his last spell. "I don't even think my last Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher comes close to you."
Josh smiled in thanks. "I have a little experience in teaching," he replied, thinking back to his Dumbledore Army days, when things were easy and all he had to worry about was a sadistic Professor who would teach a Defense class how it was supposed to.
"He's also good under pressure," Ronan said, sending a spell at a log, imploding it. "I remember reading about you in the Prophet when you faced against that Hungarian Horntail." Josh smiled fondly at that moment. "Using a fire shield is impressive. As well as summoning roots to trap the crazy animal."
"I tell you a little secret," Josh smirked, flicking his wand, sending a log flying into the air. He flicked his wand again, banishing it into the sky. "I had some prep time. Hagrid showed me the dragons a few weeks before the task."
"Even so, it's still very impressive magic," Ronan said.
There was a scoff. Josh, Ronan, and Stewart turned to see Thadric, who was lounging on a stool, a few scratches on his face. "What?" Ronan said. "Is that not impressive for you?"
Thadric shook his head. "No it's not," he answered. "When my grandfather was thirteen, he was able to keep a Manticore a bay with only his wand and the levitation charm."
"Is that it?" Stewart said.
"All I'm saying is that you don't need any fancy magic to protect yourself," Thadric said. "Sometimes all it takes is something simple."
"He's right," Josh spoke up, banishing another log. "Ron Weasley took out a troll with the levitation charm." He turned to the others. "Magic isn't as complicated as people think it is. It only sounds complicated, but everyone knows once they get a hold on a spell, charm, jinx, curse, or whatever, It's easy to use. Even with advanced or nonverbal magic. It's not necessarily how strong your magical core is. For example, I think everyone is capable of producing a corporeal Patronus. They just need focus, feeling, and the right memory."
Stewart turned to Thadric. "Thadric, can you produce a whisp of the Patronus charm?" he smugly asked. Thadric sneered at Stewart, but didn't answer the question.
"What's with all the chit chat," Craven growled, appearing out of nowhere. No one said a word. "Clean yourselves up!" he ordered, "Dinner in ten!"
Minutes later, Josh was gathering some stew, bread, and water at the the food table and walked over to sit in front of a camp fire. A figure sat next to him. "How's your training going?" Tracey asked, taking a spoonful stew in her mouth, grimacing a second later. "Could have added some seasoning to this."
"Grady's head chef tonight," Josh replied. "Of course his food is gonna taste bland." He ate his stew, tasting the bland gravy and meat. "I don't think this is beef. I think it's horse." Tracey snorted. "As for training, no offense to the Aurors. But it feels a little easy."
"I know right," Tracey whispered in agreement. "Does it feel easy because of everything we've been through and because of all the advanced magic we've taught ourselves?"
"I believe so," Josh said. "Our experience through the years has prepared us more than they know. Most of these witches and wizards have no experience which is why its harder of them to learn the magic they're trying to shove down our throats."
Tracey nodded, taking another spoonful of stew, looking around. "Where's Draco?" she asked.
"Probably with his new girlfriend," Josh said.
Tracey's eyes lit up. "Oh, that's right," she said. "What was her name again? Roper?"
"Sophie Roper," Josh nodded. "I think he fell in love with her when she knocked him on his arse during a practice duel."
"Oh I would have love to have been there," Tracey laughed. "It would have been a sight to see." Josh smiled and nodded in agreement. Even though training was not at all how he expected, He loved these little moments with Tracey, sometimes with Draco, and Charlie Weasley. It made him feel like they were all back at Hogwarts, hanging around in the Great Hall and having a good time. Though he knew Tracey was trying to push through because she was excited to get out there and fight, maybe a little too excited.
Present time...
"I am so bored," Tracey sighed heavily, leaning away from a window from a darkened room on the second floor of a building somewhere in London. Charlie Weasley was sitting on the opposite side of the window, leaning on his arms and staring out said window.
"We're on a stakeout," Charlie drawled out. "It supposed to be boring."
"You know, when I volunteered for this thing," Tracey began, "I was hoping we'd be more on the front lines of this thing. In the light of battle. I wanted to take out some death eaters, maybe hoping we'd run into Walden McNair!" She finished with venom in her voice.
Charlie looked over at Tracey who was now glaring into the darkened streets of London. He never heard Tracey say the name of her family's killer, but he knew it was Walden McNair. He learned from her when they talked about random things and death eaters during training. She said she knew it was him because she remembered him from their third year when McNair came to behead Buckbeak before he mysteriously disappeared. It was also the reason she had been training so hard. She had a vendetta. To avenge her parents and kill the man who took them away. Charlie read about it in the paper. Her parents deaths were brutal because McNair was a brutal killer. Not only did he use magic to kill people slowly but he was also known to use knives or his beloved axe.
"There haven't been any news on attacks," someone said, appearing out of the shadows, wiping his eyes. It was Eric Everheart who had been resting. "Otherwise, if there was an attack, that's where we would be." He walked over to the two teens and sat with them, leaning against the wall. "Remember we're looking for a death eater named Mendelson along with his buddies. They like to stalk and attack muggles who walk alone at night and leave them for dead. This just happens to be his favorite area to attack."
"I guess he'll do," Tracey grumbled.
"Have you heard from Josh?" Charlie curiously asked.
Tracey shrugged, "Last letter he sent said he and his team were being sent on a mission to ambush some death eaters in East London," he answered. "He said it was supposed to be an easy job and would be done hours ago. Hopefully he's back at camp."
"Hopefully," Charlie repeated as Tracey leaned closer to the window. "D'you see something, Davis?"
"Yeah, here comes a lonely woman," Tracey answered. "But I could of sworn I saw something glittery and wavy behind her."
"Disillusionment charm," Eric said, moving to look out the window. "There," he gasped, pointing behind the woman who passed under a light post where it illuminated a camofluaged figure making it look glittery and wavy. It also showed there was more than one. "Got 'em! Let's go!" he ordered, turning and quickly leaving the room. Charlie and Tracey grabbed their wands and followed after Eric. The trio of fighters made their way down to the front door as Eric held out his arm for them to stop. "Stay close," he ordered. "Silence your feet and follow at a close distance. We don't attack, until they attack, got it?" Tracey and Charlie nodded.
Eric opened the door as Charlie and Tracey magicked their feet to stay silent. Charlie did the same to Eric's feet. Eric stepped out first, watching the woman and the glittering figures walk down the street. He left the house followed by Charlie and Tracey. The Aurors slowly followed the disillusioned figures and the walking muggle in the next street where a hooded figure was standing and blocking the path.
"Good evening," the figure said. "Nice night, isn't it?"
"It is," the woman said slowly. "But if you'll excuse me, I have to get home to the children." The woman tried to move past the hooded figure but was stopped by his arm blocking her way.
"Not so fast," He said, "I just want to have a little chat, do something fun."
"I've got no time for fun," the woman said, pushing the figures arm away from her. "If you'll excuse me - Oi! What do you think you're doing?!"
The figure violently grabbed the woman by the arm. "Looks like your plans are changing," he growled. "And there's nothing you can do about it! You're just a useless, defenseless mudblood!"
The woman glared at the hooded figure. "What makes you think I'm defenseless?" she said, confusing the figure. With swift motion, the woman pulled herself way from the man, spinning around where a wand appeared out of her sleeve, pointing it towards the hooded man. She smiled innocently. "Stupefy!" The red spell shot out of the wand and struck the man, knocking him back into the ground, unconscious. "Ha!" she celebrated, too suddenly as two light blue cutting hexes grazed her arm and leg from behind. The woman screeched in pain, and quickly dropped down, ducking behind a cemented pillar.
"It was a set up!" someone shouted as the disillusioned death eaters appeared and started attacking the witch. There was six of them. One of the death eaters was about to send a exploding curse, but he was stunned from behind. Another death eater turned around. "Mendelson! Aurors!" he hissed.
The death eater name Mendelson turned to see Eric, Charlie, and Tracey taking cover and send spells their way. Mendelson waved his wand widely and produce a shield wall to block their attacks. "Kill that mudblood witch!" he ordered a couple of his death eaters who nodded and moved towards the woman taking cover.
"We have to get to Penelope!" Tracey said as their spells hit the shield and were deflected away. "They hit her with a cutting hex!"
"We have break this shield first!" Charlie said.
"I can break it," Eric spoke up, "Charlie, you and I will distract Mendelson and the others, providing cover for Davis to get to Clearwater!" Tracey and Charlie nodded. Eric stepped forward and back to wave his warm around, producing a lot of orange magical energy. He then jabbed his wand forward sending the energy towards the shield wall creating a loud low thundering sound until the shield exploded, knocking back the death eaters.
"Holy Shite," Charlie said in awe.
"Where can I learn that?" Tracey asked.
"Davis, go!" Eric ordered. She nodded and ran before the knocked down death eaters got back to their feet. She ran over and turned into a yard to find Penelope sitting on the ground. She aimed her wand at Tracey. "It's only me!" Tracey spoke, holding up her hands.
"Oh, thank merlin," Penelope sighed, "I heard a loud explosion. Did that mean it's over?"
"Unfortunately no," Tracey said, magicking a bandage around Penelope's wand. "But we have them right where we want them. Anti-apparation shield is up, so they're not going anywhere." Tracey put her arm around Penelope, both getting to their feet. They looked over the hedge and watched as Charlie and Eric fighting the death eaters, neither of them noticing a few other death eaters sneaking from behind. "Call for back up!" Tracey ordered, running out to help the other. Penelope raised her wand, sending out blue sparks which was the signal for the rest of the team to come and help.
"Behind you!" Tracey shouted, stunning one death eater, and then sent a spell that whizzed past Eric and Charlie, striking a death eater. Charlie turned around to see the death eaters and began to send stunner their way. Tracey stood next to Eric and began to send lethal spells towards some of the death eaters. She struck one of them in the chest. It was a bone breaking curse.
"Non lethals only!" Eric shouted at Tracey.
Tracey huffed in annoyance and began to send more stunners, though every once in a while she would trade with a cruse or a jinx.
Meanwhile, Charlie twirled his wand, ducking and dodging spells. He tied one of the death eaters with ropes when he was suddenly struck in the leg with a numbing curse. He fell to the ground, his wand falling out of his hand. "Is that all you got Weasley?" said a voice as two Death Eaters walked up to him.
Charlie recognized that voice. "Is that you, Harrington?" he said, reaching into his coat pocket for a vial of something.
"I see you recognize my voice," Harrington said, removing his mask. "After all these years, I've finally bested you." He walked closer to Charlie who drank the vial from his coat.
"I don't think so," Charlie replied, feeling a tingling sensation in his throat. He opened his mouth where Harrington and his buddy were shocked to see fire spew out of Charlie's mouth, engulfing them in fire. The fire finished spewing as Charlie coughed up some smoke as Harrington and his buddy ran around, on fire, like chickens with their heads cut off. Their screams suddenly stopped as did their running, falling to the ground, unmoving. Charlie turned around to see Eric and Tracey tying up the rest of the death eaters, including Mendelson who was on his knees, shouting obscenities at Tracey.
Tracey ignored the man as she and Eric walked over to Charlie. "I ordered you two not to kill anyone," Eric said, glaring at Charlie. "And you disobeyed my direct order."
"Like they wouldn't have killed us given the chance," Charlie said as Tracey helped him to his feet. "This is war, Everheart. People die. We got who you wanted, isn't that enough?"
Eric sighed angrily. "I don't think you two understand where I'm coming from." he replied, "You two will head back to the camp with Penelope when the others get here."
Tracey gawked. "But I'm not injured - "
"That is an order!" Eric barked, turning away and walking towards Mendelson.
Half an hour later, Tracey was helping Charlie into a cot in the Healer's tent, next to Penelope. "I'm going to go check on Josh," she said. "He should be back by now." Charlie nodded as Tracey left the tent. She walked through camp, soon coming across the one for Josh and his team. She entered it, but it was empty. No one was inside, nor was there any sign anyone had come back. Confused, Tracey exited the tent and made her way over to the operations tent. "Excuse me," she said to the Auror in charge of it.
"What do you want?" She asked.
"Has Auror Craven's not made it back yet?" Tracey asked.
The Operations Auror looked through a stack of papers, pulling out one of them. "That's odd," she said, "They should have been back by now. It was a simple operation that would have lasted about a few hours at the most." She stood to her feet. "This cannot be a good sign."
"No it can't," Tracey said, suddenly feeling a knot in her stomach as worried filled her entire body.
KAPLOW!
Josh's eyes snapped open and instinctively covered his head as wood and debris flew and struck him. He heard shouts and yells from his teammates and death eaters, but he couldn't see anything. He grabbed his wand and jabbed it upward to lift and stop any debris that was heading his way. He jumped to his feet to see what was going on. There were four Death Eaters shooting spells their way, though Ronan had put up a shield with him and Thadric behind it. Stewart was sprawled on the floor with wood embedded into his body, seemingly dead and unmoving.
"Get your arse over here, Black!" Thadric yelled.
Josh jumped forward waving his wand over his head. "Everte Statum!" His spell knocked back one of the death eaters. He spun around to the unbroken shed. "Bombarda!" He exploded out the wall and fence from the back side of the shed. "This way!" Josh shouted. "I'll hold them off!" Thadric was the first one to run through. Ronan ran through next as Josh pointed his wand forward the other death eaters. "Multa Fulgur!" A white lightning bolt shot out of his wand that suddenly split into three bolts striking the death eaters and electrocuting them enough for Josh to escape. He ran into the small alley to find Ronan had been waiting for him. "Where's Thadric?"
"He ran ahead," Ronan answered. Josh nodded and waved at the older man. The two ran the path and saw Thadric at the end of the alley who was just standing there, causing Josh to stop who reached out to stop Ronan. "What?" he said.
Josh pointed ahead as he and Ronan watched as Thadric was pierced by a magical arrow and then a second one. Suddenly, the sickly green bolt of magic struck him, knocking the older man into the street and out of view. Josh and Ronan shared a glance, knowing it was the Killing Curse. "This way," Josh said, running into a random backyard with Ronan following. The two ran through the yard, through the side of the house, and across the front yard.
"There they are!" Josh heard the shout from a death eater. Josh waved at Ronan and ran into the street, but stopped when six death eaters magically revealed themselves. "There ya are, Black!" one of the Death Eaters spoke. "No where to go. Just give up and we'll only torture ya only a little bit. We promise to make you friend's death quick!"
"Don't you know me?" Josh said, stepping ahead of Ronan, wand raised. He slashed and whirled his wand, sending a flurry of spells toward the Death Eaters. One of them was sent back and stunned while others through up defensive shields. Josh pointed his wand up in the sky where energy was absorbed into a ball of light. He then brought down the wand and jabbing it into the ground where the ball of energy struck the ground, shhoting out and creating a huge wave of magical energy around him and Ronan, knocking down all the Death Eaters that surrounded them. Josh heaved and fell to his knees.
"Joshua!" Ronan cried, running to Josh's aide. "Are you alright?"
Josh gave a weak nod, his stomach was doing somersaults as he was now feeling heavy nausea. "The spell takes a lot out of me," he breathed out. "Last time I preformed it, I vomited - " Suddenly, Josh heaved and gagged, vomiting into the street. "Okay, I guess that's just a permanent side effect," he gurgled, wiping his mouth and standing to his feet. "Let's keep going." Ronan nodded and the two young men continued to run down the neighborhood.
"Merlin, how wide is the anti-apparation ward," Ronan said after a few blocks of running.
"There must be some over lapping wards," Josh huffed, looking around, wondering why the neighborhood seemed deserted. "Where are all the muggles?" he asked aloud. "I'm sure some would have run out from the loud noises and bright flashes."
"Let's keep moving," Ronan pleaded, looking around for any death eaters. "Let's just follow the streets and make our way towards the Leaky Cauldron."
"Sounds good enough," Josh nodded in agreement.
The two young men continued to run down the streets of the neighborhoods of London, looking for any familiar streets or pathways that could lead them further into the city towards the Leaky Cauldron. Josh and Ronan entered a wide street which was heavily deserted, making their way over to a corner with a tree. "You're right," Ronan said after a while. "It is way too quiet. Where are all the muggles?"
"Its possible they were all put in a deep sleep somehow," Josh informed, leaning against a tree to catch his breath. "I read about it. It's old magic and a powerful ward created so Wizards could do whatever they wanted without the witnesses of muggles. They would be put in a deep sleep, or everything would be muted or blinded to them." Josh held out his hand, trying to feel out the wards they were inside. He couldn't feel anything which meant they weren't at the edge.
"If we can't find a way out of these wards," Ronan said, "What is our best plan of action?"
Josh eyed a car in a driveway. "Maybe we could drive out of here," he suggested.
"Bad idea," Ronan said. "I don't know how to drive, and I'm sure you don't either." Josh nodded in agreement. "And have you seen those things explode. It's a big and easy target. We'll be incinerated like that!" Ronan finished with a snap of his fingers.
"Then I'm all out of ideas," Josh breathed out.
"I have an idea," spoke a voice in a heavily thick Romanian accent. Josh and Ronan stood up straight and snapped around to see a lone Death Eater dressed in a sharp, black suit, standing in the middle of the street. "How about you stop running and face your death like honorable men."
"I like the honorable part, the death, not so much," Josh replied, tightening the grip on his wand.
The Romanian man tilted his head. "You are familiar," he said to Josh. "Have we met?"
Josh shook his head. "Don't think so. I'm pretty sure I'd remember a handsome man-built woman from Romania," he mocked.
The Romanian man lightly snorted with the shake of his head. "Yes, I see the resemblance," he said. "Sirius Black - " Josh blinked as his heart skipped a beat. " - A relative of yours?" Josh didn't say anything. "Perhaps, you're father? Which makes you the infamous Heir of Slytherin - " Ronan looked surprised as this new information on Josh. " - Joshua Black." Josh furrowed his eyes towards this man. "Has your father mentioned me? Of course not. Why would he? Let me introduce myself. I am Lucian Donovan of Romania," he introduced with a bow. Josh didn't know what it was, but his gut was definitely telling him that this man was very dangerous. "And your friend?" Lucian asked. "Let me guess, Ronan Shad, if I'm not mistaken."
Ronan shared a fearful glance with Josh.
Lucian nodded and then began to pace. "Alright Mister Shad. Mister Black," he said. "I will give you one time offer, same as I did for your father." Josh and Ronan shared a glance. "A duel. If you win, you and your friend will go free. I win, you die. What say you?"
"This may be our way out of here," Ronan whispered to Josh who looked uncertain. "I know you can take him. Just be clever about it. Trip him up or use a powerful charm." Josh nodded though he didn't feel so confident about it. "Agreed," Ronan said a nod. Josh nodded too, taking a step forward.
"Alright then," Lucian smiled. "Let's duel... Mister Shad."
"Wait, what?" Ronan sputtered out. He shook his head. "No...I - We - "
"I'll duel you, Donovan," Josh spoke up.
"Ah but it was Ronan who agreed," Lucian smirked, his eyes gleaming. Josh turned to Ronan who was looking very fearful. "Well? What will it be, Mister Ronan," Lucian asked, his eyes full of hunger. Ronan's eyes were now pleading with Josh as they both knew there was no way Ronan could win this duel. He knew he was going to die in an instant.
Josh gave a tiny nod, and with a swift motion, fell to one knew, aiming his wand towards Lucian, and shooting out a bone breaking curse towards the death eater. Lucian waved his wand, deflecting the curse away. "How dishonorable," Lucian said, swiftly sending his own curse. Josh thought it was coming his way, so he put up a shield. The curse never hit his shield. Instead, there was a scream. Josh turned to see Ronan with wide eyes, holding onto his stomach which was now spewing blood. Ronan fell to his knees. "Looks like I win."
Josh waved his wand in a line, in front of him and Ronan. "Murus Incendis!" A line of fire was created which then grew into a fire wall, blocking Lucian from Josh and Ronan. Josh turned and put it arm around Ronan's shoulders. "Come on, let's get out of here!" He said, lifting the man to his feet, leading him away. Josh turned and looked back. His eyes widened when he saw Lucian walk right through the fire, calmly watching them run away.
As the Allies were in a fight for their lives, Sirius had set up a gathering of a few heads of some important families in a room of the Leaky cauldron. Sirius was staring out the window, looking down at the non-busy street of Diagon Alley. Many people seemed to not trek the Alley during these times because of how dangerous it was with all the unsavory characters walking around, especially at night. He looked at his watch. Josh had told him that he was on an easy assignment tonight and would be back at camp within house. Considering the time, Josh should already be back at camp. Draco too was on assignment, trailing a few low level death eaters with his team. His mission too should be cake. He was hoping they were alright. He'd make sure after this meeting, and check on them at Camp. He was leaving early in the morning to travel to France and ask for their aid in this war.
The door opened. Sirius turned to see a handful of men and women to enter the room. He recognized Leif and his wife first, followed by Octavia Gambol, Reginald Bagnold, Archer Sayre, Isaac Underhill, Bilbo Tuft, and siblings Kirley and Meaghan Duke. Some of these witches and wizards were descendants of Ministers of magic and were notable, yet they kept to themselves. Kirley and Meaghan were children of the famous quidditch player Catriona McCormack. Isaac Underhill was a classmate of Sirius who also kept to himself, but was one the cleverest people he ever knew besides Lily Potter. Everyone gathered in the room, taking a vacant seat around a fireplace.
"Thank you all for joining me," Sirius said, "I'm sure you all know why you're here."
"Sirius,' Bilbo said, "There's a reason why some of us are neutral. We like our peace, and getting involved in this war, interrupts our peace."
"Do you think you will have your peace in Voldemort takes over?" Sirius asked, noticing a few of the people shiver at the sound of the Dark Lord's name. "If he wins, there will be no doubt he will come knocking at your front door, either coming to force you to join him, or to kill you on the spot. There is no peace in Voldemort's world."
"Be that as it may," Bilbo continued, "We, or I've adapted to this world since his first war as did my father and grandfather during Grindelwad's reign. We've adapted to survive. So believe me when I say that I will adapt to Voldemort's reign whether he wins this war or not."
"You can't be serious?" Meaghan Duke spoke up. "You think you will be able to adapt to this war or to Dark Lord's way of life? That man is a monster. He wants to rule over all and take the muggles as slaves. We wouldn't be dealing with fair law, but dictatorship."
"She's right," Octavia Gambol agreed, "And with the rate of the battles going, It is possible the UK is lost. That is why I plan on leaving the country."
"And once Voldemort has the UK," Sirius began, "What makes you think he'll stop there. What makes you think he won't continue to spread outward to conquer more countries."
"He no doubt will," Archer Sayre said, "But we are losing Aurors and good people left and right. What do you propose we do?"
"We try to recruit more to our cause," Sirius said. A few of the people scoffed. "And I'm not talking about some forced law recruiting that makes Hogwarts students fight. I'm talking about find more witches and wizards who were trained to fight other dark wizards. Those who were trained as pro duelists, basically any fighter who is willing to fight for freedom."
"And where do you suggest we recruit these other witches and wizards?" Leif asked.
"I was hoping we could reach other to other countries to help us out," Sirius answered, pointedly looking at Leif. "Like from Denmark?" He turned to Octavia and Bilbo. "France." He looked at Reginold. "Germany." He looked over at Kirley and Meaghan. "Iceland." And then turned to Isaac. "Or Spain." He turned to Archer. "And maybe we can give America one more try."
Bilbo snorted. "America is a selfish country," he said. "They also think of themselves as glorified saviors, meaning the only reasons the would help us if is the Dark Lord attacked them or if the UK was at it's lowest point that somehow would affect them."
"The Sayre Family have a lot of influence in America, do they not?" Sirius asked Archer.
"They do," Archer said, "But Mister Tuft is right. America will not interfere, no matter how many times we ask." Sirius sighed. "However, I'm sure I could talk to my family. I can convince them, and we may be able to gather some allies to help our cause."
"Excellent!" Sirius exclaimed. He turned to the others. "Octavia? Bilbo?"
Bilbo stood to his feet. "I don't think there's any point to asking them," he said. "I know their answer. After what the UK has done to them, why would the help us?" He turned to leave, but then turned back. "This is a lost cause. If your sons are prophesied to be who they're supposed to be. I'm sure we'll come out on top, otherwise, it's his world now." Bilbo turned back and left the room.
"Don't listen to him," Octavia spoke after Bilbo was gone. "I will go to France, and I will do my best to convince them for help."
"I am with Bilbo," Reginold said, also standing to his feet. "But this is also our war. Let it us deal with it. If we let others help, they're going to want something in return." And with that, Reginold turned on his heel and left the room.
"He has a point," Kirley agreed. "If we get France's or Iceland's help, they're going to want something in return for their help."
"I'm sure we can negotiate something," Sirius said, hoping that it wasn't true but he knew it wasn't. Maybe he could convince them to help these other governments without having to give them something. "As long as it wouldn't be anything major or important." Sirius turned to Kirley and Meaghan. "Do I have your aide to convince Iceland to help us?"
Kirley and Meaghan nodded. "We will do our best," Meaghan said.
"Isaac?" Sirius asked with a raised brow. "You've barely said a word."
Isaac exhaled through his nose, glancing around everyone in the room. "I wasn't in the last war because my father wanted to stay neutral, to keep our blood line from ending. He wanted the Underhill name to keep going." Everyone stared at Isaac. "I was in love with a classmate of mine from Hogwarts. Viola Rochelle. She was a transfer from Beauxabatons. She died a week before the war ended, before I could get involved. I was late in my decision to join the fight. I haven't felt so much regret in my life. I still regret it to this day. We've lost three villages to the Dark Lord as well as many witches, wizards, and muggles already. I will not be late to deciding this time." Isaac looked into Sirius's eyes. Sirius could see the fire in his brown, golden eyes. "To hell with the Underhill bloodline. I am joining this fight and I will help you convince any and everyone we can to help us in this oncoming war."
Sirius smiled and gave a nod towards Isaac. He turned to Leif. "Well, Ambassador?" he said.
Leif looked pensive but then shook his head. "No, I will not help," he replied calmly.
"What? Why not?" Sirius asked.
"First, I do not trust the Black family," Leif replied, "They have put my family in danger. I will not tolerate it. I will not put any more of my family in any more danger. As soon as I can, I will take my son and my wife, back to Denmark."
Isaac softly scoffed. "You can't be serious," He said. "You're just going to run away? Just like that? Like some sort of coward?"
"Watch it, røvhul!" Leif hissed. He would have jumped to his feet had his wife not grabbed his arm. "We are not running. We are surviving!"
"How long do you think you can survive when Voldemort reaches Denmark?" Sirius asked. "Your son involved himself in these dangers because he chose to. Because he has a good heart. He did what is right." Sirius looked at everyone in turn. "I understand what I'm asking of you. It also puts targets on your backs, but I know each and very one of you is capable and strong. My son is out there, fighting because the Ministry told him too. Because they passed a law that says he has to or else. I would rather him be in school finishing his studies as well as the rest of the kids at Hogwarts because that's where they belong right now. But you know as well as I do, this war is going to affect their future. We need fighters, experienced fights, from where ever we can find them. To save our children's future. To ensure that their future and their children's future will be safe enough to have actual lives." Sirius eyes scanned over his guests. "Running away, being neutral and standing by, being given broken promises from the dark side - that is the easy way to live. But what I'm asking, is to take the risk, live the hard life for our children and for the future. Let's do what is right as opposed to what is easy."
Sirius finished with his eyes landing on Leif's eyes. His expression blank, though Sirius hoped his words got through the this man.
Josh held onto the injured Ronan as the two made their way into a small warehouse, barely having escaped from a strange and powerful death eater. He carried Ronan through the warehouse, passing stacks of crates and then led him into a small office. The two entered and Josh laid the young man onto a nearby worn couch. Ronan groaned in pain as he felt into the couch, blood still pouring from his body. He muttered something, but Josh's didn't understand.
"Don't worry," Josh assured. 'I'll get us out of here."
"Kill...me," Ronan struggled out. "Please."
Josh's stomach dropped yet he shook his head. "I won't," he said, "I'm going to get us out of here. You're going to live. You're going to find that ancient magical church and you're going to become the most famous wizard ever." Tears rolled down Ronan's eyes as he smiled weakly.
"I appreciate what you're trying to do," He spoke, "But this is my end. I know it is. But it is not your end, Joshua."
"It is not our end, Ronan," Josh corrected, he pointed his wand at Ronan's abdomen, magicking bandages around him. Josh then turned and began carving runes out with his wand into the walls of room they were in. Once he was done, the area around them gave off a light blue hue.
"Shield runes," Ronan groaned out.
Josh nodded. "Yes, but I've only been in Ancient Runes for a little while, so I don't know how long they'll last. It should keep them out long enough to find out what to do next." Josh sat on a small stool and leaned on his knees. He was getting exhausted, barely without a scratch on him. He was curious about that. Surely he seen some curses or jinxes graze him. His clothing was torn in some areas.
"That death eater," Ronan spoke up, staring at the ceiling, face as pale as a ghost. "The one from Romania. He knew my name. He knew our whole team's name."
"Yeah, he did," Josh said.
"I think we were set up." Ronan said. Josh looked over to Ronan in confusion. "We were ambushed as soon as we got to our ambush spot. The Death Eaters knew we were going to be there, but more importantly, that you were there. That's why there are so many death eaters attacking us. Which is why our team didn't last." Josh's brow furrowed in suspicion as he thought back though the night. Everything seemed to happened so fast as of the Death Eaters knew they were coming. "Someone wanted us dead."
"Or just me," Josh spoke, "And you all just got caught in the crossfire."
Earlier That Night...
Craven walked through the entrance of the tent his team were staying in, wearing dark colored clothes. "Hurry it up, recruits," he commanded as everyone else was getting dressed in dark robes and dark cloaks with a small maroon M embroidered on the cloaks.
Josh was sitting on the edge of his bed, dressed and ready to head out for their first mission. Training was complete in the eyes of the Ministry and now, it was time for them to be sent out on missions. Josh looked around his teammates. All twelve of them, including Craven were being sent out on a simple mission to which he didn't understand. There were going to ambush a meeting of a few Death Eaters, arrest them, and take them to Azkaban. It sounded easy and simple. Of course it did, but if this was an Ambush, Josh figure only half the team was needed. Craven told them they were all going to be needed for this particular mission. It didn't make much sense though Josh just shrugged it off. Deciding to let the others take the lead and he would bring up the rear.
The new set of Aurors were ready and all lined up by their cots. "What is it we're doing tonight, Thadric?" Craven asked.
"Ambushing a Death Eater meet and greet." Thadric answered.
"What is our adjective, Shad?"
"To apprehend the Death Eaters and take them to Azkaban," Ronan answered, "Where they are to be interrogated and put into cells, never to wreak havoc in the streets of London."
"Good," Craven said with a nod. "A simple and easy mission for you new Aurors. Shouldn't take more than a couple of hours or so. The key here, is patience and moving in at the right moment. Hold your ground until my order. There's no need to kill. Stunning, incarcerating, and disarming only. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" The team spoke in unison.
"Alright, let's head out. We're going to Deep East London, to the neighborhoods." Craven informed, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a rope and an old glove. "Alight, you lot, gather round!" He ordered. His team gathered around. He handed the Glove to the Auror he thought was best on the team and held onto the other. "These will take us to opposite sides of the drop point. Team A will head in first, and then Team B will follow after the signal.
Josh was on the B team along with Stewart, Thadric, Ronan, Theresa Sevenfold, and Craven's second in command, Hadley. He grabbed the glove along with the others, and within ten seconds, Josh found himself landing on concrete, his left knee hitting the ground. He grounded his teeth to keep himself from cursing out in pain. He and the others looked around their surroundings. They were in the familiar streets of London, in the neighborhoods, where the Death Eaters were supposed to be meeting in an unoccupied house a block away. There was going to be a handful who were to be planning something. It was an easy capture mission.
"Let's take our position," Hadley commanded. The others nodded as Hadley led them across the street, and walked half a block down the road, taking a position in a yard with some hedges. They ducked behind them, peaking over and seeing the house diagonally two houses down. Josh noticed how the house was dark though it could have been magicked that way. Team B silently waited for Team A to make their move.
Josh silently watched and waited. "There they are," he heard someone whisper, and Josh saw them too. Coming from up the road, hidden in the shadows was Team A. The slowly made their way up to the house, to a side door. Josh squinted, making out Craven who had been up at the head of the line. Craven waved his arm, magicked the door open, and led his group into the house. It was silent at first, but then, things took a turn for the worst. There were shouts and yells as the windows of the target house lit up with red and blue, ending with lights of green.
Suddenly, there were pops and sounds of winds. Josh, Hadley, and the others turned around to find ten Death Eaters appearing right behind them. "Death Eaters!" Hadley yelled, but was then thrown back into the streets by a killing curse. Josh instantly threw up a wall of water to block the killing curses the death eaters.
"Run!" Josh shouted. The others turned and began to run into the streets. Josh followed and watched as more death eaters ran out of the target's house, towards them. Josh pointed his wand towards them, sending blinding flashes of lights towards them, to blind the death eaters so he and the others could get away as fast as they could.
Present Time...
Suddenly, the building shook, but it held steady. Josh glanced around, mostly hearing Ronan's raspy breathing. More and more the building shook and the walls began to crack. "I don't think its going to hold," Ronan groaned out as he sat up. He looked over to see Josh sitting in the center of the room as if he were in a meditation state. "What are you doing?" Ronan asked.
"Concentrating," Josh simply answered, "Regaining my composure, resting and building up my magic. I read about how meditating could help re-energize your magical core in perfect conditions. However, we are not in a perfect place to do this."
"How long do we have till they get in?" Ronan asked as he stood up and moved over to a stool, wincing in pain.
"Not long," Josh answered, opening his eyes, seeing the cracks in the wall. "Maybe half an hour, maybe less."
"Do you have a plan?" Ronan groaned.
"I'm going to break the wards around us," Josh answered.
"You can't be serious," Ronan said, "You need a powerful spell to break these wards, or more than one person. Me and you alone won't be able to break them. I know you're a strong wizard, but these wards are stronger. It takes two handful of wizards to break them or at least the Elder wand."
"What was that?" Josh asked.
"Nothing, just a fairy tale," Ronan said, "Look, if you can even break these wards, what is the next step in your plan?"
"I'm going to call Blaise," Josh replied, "My phoenix. He'll get us out of here."
"You have a phoenix?!" Ronan said with surprised brows. "Now I have to stay alive to see it."
The building shook once more, this time more violently as the wall to their right began to severely crack in many places. Drywall and wood falling to the floor. Ronan turned towards said wall and held out his wand, getting ready. Josh continued to sit and concentrate. He kept his mind as empty as he could, but he couldn't help but think of this man named Lucian or who it was that could have given him inside information. Who could it have been to have stemmed to gain something from this. The building shook again, and the wall cracked even more and suddenly, the cracks reached Josh's run. Once the Runes were cracked, the wall instantly crumbled, creating a large opening. Many Death eaters were revealed with Lucian standing in front next to a hooded death eater.
"Very Impressive, Mister Black," Lucian spoke. "I see your reputation proceeds you, but just like your father, still not strong enough." Josh slowly stood to his feet and faced the death eaters. "But full of courage, just like your father," Lucian laughed, "Don't you think, Craven?"
The Death Eater next to Lucian lowered his hood to reveal the Auror that had trained them, Auror Craven. He smiled. "Black, Shad."
"It could only be you," Josh spoke. "Considering you never really put any effort into our training."
"Of course not," Craven snorted. "I was given a mission by Cyrus. Lure his younger and naive cousin into trap. And it looks like I succeeded."
"You led innocent people to slaughter," Ronan groaned out. "You're a monster!"
Craven shrugged. "It's all about purity and enslavement," he said, looking to Josh. "And the eliminating of those who stand in our way."
"So you do think I'm a threat," Josh smirked. "I thought so."
Craven scoffed. "You're just a boy, Black," he snapped. "I came up with all this. All the planning and the execution. I was the one who led you here."
"To kill me?"
"To capture you," Craven corrected. "Cyrus wouldn't allow us to kill you, unless we want to find ourselves at the end of Cyrus's killing curse. He wants to be the one to take your life away." Craven looked at Ronan. "As for the rest of your team, unfortunate spare casualties. As is he." Craven raised his wand towards Ronan.
"Don't," Josh said.
"Or what?" Craven laughed. "Like I said before, you'e just a boy. What amount of power could you have to the greatest army the Dark Lord has ever amassed."
Josh tried to step towards Ronan, but a cutting curse struck his leg, causing him to fall to his knees. "Nice try, Mister Black," Lucian spoke, "But you won't be able to save your friend." Josh glared up at the death eaters, the palm of his hand on the ground, leaning on his wand that was pointed into the stone floor.
"We're only going to tell you this once, Black," Craven said, stepping towards Josh. "Just give up. Surrender to us and maybe we'll think about letting Shad live." Josh didn't say anything but glanced over at Ronan who was struggling to hold his wand up against the death eaters, his breathing had becoming staggering and he looked like he was going to faint. "What, you don't have anything to say?"
Josh turned his eye back on Craven. "Two words," he smirked. "Vocanos Vineas." The ground suddenly shook underneath the ground. Everyone was shocked when thick green vines exploded out of the ground and began to wrap around the death eaters. A vine erupted out from underneath Craven, wrapping around his leg and lifted him into the air. Josh turned and ran over to Ronan. "I know you're tired," he said to the older man. "But i need you to produce a shield."
Ronan nodded and lifted his wand. "Protego Maxima," he groaned, producing a cracked shield.
Josh raised his wand into the air, pointing it straight up. "Finite Maxima Bombarda!" he shouted. Silver, cackling, and zigzagging energy shot out of Josh's wand, flowing through the ceiling of the building, exploding outward into the sky. Ronan watched in amazement as Josh's beam of energy soared and struck the wards over the city, leading to a loud explosion that could have been heard throughout the area. Josh gritted his teeth as the beam of energy was immensely too strong for him. He growled in pain as small lightning bolts shot out and struck his wand arm, singing away his sleeves and burning his arm.
"Don't be stupid, Mister Black!" Lucian shouted over the thundering noise. "You can't handle the power! Let it go or we'll all die!"
"Then we'll all die," Josh struggled to shout through his teeth. "I would have taken out a fraction of Voldemort's power even if that means my death!" Josh's entire sleeve of his uniform had entirely burned away, his arm turning red and blistering. He fought through the pain. He had to do this, even if it did mean his death.
"What are you trying to prove!?" Lucian shouted as a few of the death eaters who weren't tied up were trying to break Ronan's shield.
"That I can, and that I will!" Josh shouted back and then began to scream out. The pain soon became tiring as he could feel himself weakening. The wards above had begun to crack, but Josh knew it wasn't enough. He had to keep trying. "Ronan! Get out of here!" Josh shouted.
"I'm not going anywhere!" Ronan shouted back. "I'm already a dead man. If we die, we die together." Ronan struggled to stand up straight and began to send stunners towards the Death Eaters.
Lucian quickly ran out of the building from the wall that had collapsed. "Retreat! Now!" He ordered the Death Eaters, slicing away at the vines that had them tied up. Most of the death eaters including Craven quickly left the building that was now shaking and cracking away. When he and his regime were outside, they all looked up in awe at the raw power they have only witnesses a few wizards and witches preform, but not by a seventeen year old. The wards began to crack and waver more and more, though Lucian knew it was going to cost Josh's life. Lucian was suddenly shoved out of the way as Craven stepped past him with a raised wand.
"No!" Lucian growled, "Don't!"
But it was too late, Craven sent a powerful blasting hex towards the building with a few death eaters, Josh, and Ronan still inside. The blasting hex struck the building which suddenly and entirely exploded and collapsing the entire building. The beam of magic that was protruding from Josh had suddenly disappeared when the building feel. The wards were cracked but they were still intact. the thundering noise had stopped and everything was once more silent and eerie.
Lucian and his team of death eaters looked at the crumbled building in front of them. "What have you done?" he said to Craven.
"What I had to," He replied, glancing at Lucian, turning, and walking away.
Daphne suddenly woke up in a sweat. Feeling something in the pit of her stomach, something that had gone terribly wrong.
A/N: Messy chapter, interesting ending. But the action is only beginning. Let me know if you'd like to see some of you favorite characters in action, because I plan on some of them getting right into the action and showing off what they can do.