Chapter Twenty Eight – Second Strike
"We go tonight," Major Chisholm addressed his team. "Let's review one more time. Our target is this man," Major Chisholm held up a picture. "Sirius Black. You all know, he betrayed and allowed his best friend to be murdered. He then killed thirteen innocent people one of whom was another of his best friends. Five wants him alive for questioning. Given how dangerous he is, we take no chances. If the tasers don't work and Black resists, we are authorized to use lethal force."
Major Chisholm looked his men over. "We're going to have some new people going in with us. You've all met Faye Haughton and you all know what a Slayer can do. She'll take point entering the house. Her Watcher, Eric Travers, along with Agents Grayden and Sinclair will be coming in with the second team. Talerie will stay in the truck to monitor the wards. Our current estimate says there are two to five other people in the house. We can't be certain because monitoring floo activity is unreliable. Our preference is to take anyone else in the house alive. But again, take no chances," Major Chisholm held up a stick. "This is a loaded gun. Treat anyone carrying one of these accordingly."
He continued. "Remember, communications won't work in the enclaves. So keep visual contact with your partner at all times. This is a fast hit a run. We get Black, we get out. Everyone clear."
"Yes Sir," came the shouted reply.
"Very well," Major Chisholm said. "Weapons and equipment check in ten minutes. We leave for the staging area in twenty."
Jennifer was watching Talerie and Grayden work. They had pulled the truck up as close to the house as they dared. The three of them were sitting in the back in the center of a mystical circle. Four SAS troops were stationed with them for security. They had been working for nearly two hours sorting through the protective magic around the house and preparing to bring it down.
It was a delicate process. Technically, they could just crash the magical protections with one large hit and force their way through. But that would alert everyone inside and set off the protective triggers built into the spells. Most likely summoning the other Death Eaters. Surprise was their primary advantage, so they needed to take the spells apart carefully.
Major Chisholm's A team was stationed in two vans parked around the block from 12 Grimmauld Place. A back up team had taken over one of the houses across the street from the Black residence and was ready to move if more wizards showed up.
Grayden nodded his head. "Ok, that takes care of the concealment charms. I sense only three people in the house. Two downstairs and one upstairs. Can't localize them much better than that. And there might be more that I'm not sensing. Too much magic around the house. "
One of the SAS men radioed the information to Major Chisholm.
"Ok, that's all we can do until we're ready to move in," Talerie said. "We have to wait until we isolate the enclave before we bring down any of the protective spells."
"We wait for Willow's signal," Jennifer said.
They didn't have to wait very long. Eric's cell phone beeped. "Major," he said. "We're a go."
"All units to position one," Chisholm said into his radio. "I wasn't expecting to go until after midnight. It's a good thing we decided to set up early to give Talerie's team longer to work on the spells."
The vans slowly pulled out and began moving down the street towards 12 Grimmauld Place.
Inside the truck, Talerie nodded to one the SAS team. "Tell your man he's a go."
A man left the house across the street. He was dressed casually and had made this walk several times over the last few days. He crossed the street and walked past the point where 12 Grimmauld was supposed to be. He dropped a crystal on the ground and kept walking.
Talerie spoke a few words in the truck. "The enclave is isolated," he said. "Sinclair, go."
Jennifer pulled out her wand and began speaking a complex series of spells she had spent the past few days memorizing. Next to her Talerie was doing the same. Grayden closed his eyes and monitored the magic around the house. Sensing as the protective charms slowly dissipating.
There were a couple of charms that by their nature could not be removed. The Fidelius was keyed to a specific piece of information. But it only protected knowledge, not the house, so it was irrelevant. A couple of others were designed to protect against specific magical creatures or spells. None of which applied to the SAS team so they could be left alone. Some were keyed to specific parts of the house. They would deal with those inside if necessary.
The last protective charm dropped. Grayden shouted, "Go!!!"
"Go!" Major Chisholm shouted into his radio. The vans accelerated and pulled off the road into the front yard of 12 Gimmauld Place. From the perspective of anyone who might have watched it seemed they pulled off the road and disappeared.
Faye was out the door before the van stopped and was moving at top speed towards the house. Behind her the SAS team spread out and moved towards the house. Two men pulled up short and began shooting tear gas through the upstairs' windows. Distraction and surprise. Don't give the people inside time to coordinate a defense.
Faye reached the front door and kicked it in. The door was charmed to prevent someone from knocking it down. But the charm hadn't been created with Slayer strength and speed in mind. The door burst off its hinges and went flying into the house. Faye headed straight for the stairs. Her job was to cover the SAS team on the first floor. She would deal the wizard upstairs.
Sirius Black was sitting comfortably in the living room. As comfortably as he could after being cooped up for weeks. Seeing Harry off at King's Cross Station had been an impulsive move. And Dumbledore was making him pay for it. He was strictly limited to staying in the house. If it wasn't for Lupin keeping him company, Sirius was fairly certain he would go insane. He craved a little action. Some excitement. Mostly he wanted to talk to Harry. But he wanted something to happen.
People should be more careful what they wish for.
The first indication Sirius had that something was odd was the sudden silence from the pictures around the house. Their semi alive nature meant that images in Wizarding pictures were always moving, always making a little noise. It was background noise to wizards. Like traffic to muggles. One only really noticed it when it was gone.
Sirius looked up from his chair and saw that none of the people in the pictures were moving. They looked like muggle portraits. That was odd; Sirius had never seen such a phenomenon. He got up from his chair to examine one of the pictures more closely. That's when he heard the door being smashed down. He spun around in time to see the door go flying through the main hall and a blur of motion that might have been a person go flying towards the stairs.
Sirius reached for his wand as he heard crashing sounds from the upstairs windows. Death Eaters. Voldermort had discovered the headquarters. Sirius didn't have time to wonder how that was even possible. Four men dressed in black and wearing odd masks entered the living room at a run. They weren't Death Eaters. They carried odd devices that Sirius didn't recognize. He was startled. He raised his wand and suddenly felt something like a stupefying curse go through him.
Major Chisholm was in the first group to enter house after the Slayer. He led his team through the first door off the main entrance. He saw a man just turning to face them and raising his wand. It was Black. He saw a look of surprise cross his face. Wasn't expecting muggles, Major Chisholm thought.
The soldier next to him fired his taser. The wires shot out and caught Black in the chest. He watched Black spasm and fall the ground. He moved forward covering Black with his gun. He got up close and kicked the wand out of Black's hand. The other two members of his team quickly rolled Black over unto his stomach and tied his hands behind his back. They also stuffed a gag in mouth and put a bag over his head.
Chisholm had to hand it to the man. He fought every step of the way. He was finally forced to give Black a good whack across the back of the head. That quieted the murder down.
Remus Lupin was in the kitchen getting something to eat. Molly Weasley had made certain the pantry was well stocked with leftovers for the boys. The woman was convinced neither Sirius nor Remus could take care of themselves. Never mind that he had managed to do so for many years. Of course he had to admit, Molly was a better cook than he was.
Remus spun around when he heard the crash from the front door. He had his wand out in a second. He tried to apparate to the living room to join Sirius and was shocked to discover he couldn't. He tried again. Nothing happened. No one can set up an anti-apparition spell around a house that fast he thought.
Then he saw them. Two men entering the kitchen.
"Stupefy!" the beam shot out from the wand and struck the first man, he went down. The second man was pointing an odd device at him. Remus didn't know what it was. Suddenly he stiffened. He didn't know what was happening but fortunately he was already diving behind the table when he was struck. The wires from the taser were knocked loose. He was still feeling the effects and was slow to react. He heard more men coming into the room. Then he heard the sound of firecrackers going off.
Lt. Cranston was the third man into the kitchen. He saw Corporal Hobbs go down to a red beam of light. He saw the taser hit the wizard and then he saw the wires get knocked loose. There was an armed wizard trying to take cover behind the table. The taser hadn't work and one man was down. Lt. Cranston and his men did exactly what they were trained to do. They opened fire.
The SAS had loaded their weapons with armor piercing rounds. The table didn't last more than a couple of seconds. Lupin had never faced men with guns before. He didn't know any counter spells to stop bullets. Even if he had, he was still slow from the effects of the taser. Five rounds caught him in the chest and two through the head.
Cranston moved quickly around the table. He saw the blood. The man behind the table wasn't moving. A second soldier moved around the other side of table. Cranston moved cautiously. He been in Special Projects long enough to know that being on the ground and bleeding didn't necessarily mean out of action. He kicked the wand away first. Then knelt down to check for a pulse. Nothing. One dead Death Eater, he thought.
He motioned for his men to secure the room and then continue their sweep.
Faye reached the top of the stairs in a couple of seconds after knocking down the front door. There was a lot of magic in the house. She took a calming breath and reached out with her senses. According to Grayden there was supposed to a wizard up here. Faye felt the presence of the two wizards downstairs. She thought she could feel the presence of a third. All the magic in the house was making it harder to localize the feeling. Everything radiated magic.
Well given all the excitement downstairs, she figured the wizard up here would most likely come to her.
Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody was sleeping in one the bedrooms upstairs. He had been spending the last two days trying to track a Death Eater for Dumbledore. Moody didn't know why Dumbledore was so interested in this particular Death Eater's movements. But Dumbledore had always played things close to his chest.
He shot out of bed when he heard the crash from downstairs. Then a crash came from the window in his room. A small tubular device landed on the floor and began spewing smoke. Moody began coughing and his eye started tearing up. He quickly cast a spell to cover his head with a bowl of fresh air.
His magical eye began spinning. He saw what appeared to be muggle vehicles in the lawn in front of the house. He saw the men around them. Moody had tracked enough wizards through muggle areas to recognize that they carried guns. He shifted his vision to inside the house. Several men were moving through the first floor. They were moving quickly and efficiently. Clearly professionals.
None of them were dressed, as Death Eaters and Voldemort would never hire muggles to do a job. What the hell was going on?
He saw a woman at the head of the stairs. He saw Sirius go down. He tried to apparate to the living room. Nothing happened. There were too many men in the house. He needed to get help. He reached for the emergency portkey. He braced himself when he grabbed it. Nothing happened. Someone had set up a spell to block anyone from being able to apparate or use portkeys. He grabbed his invisibility cloak and moved slowly out of the room. He had to do something. Then he saw Lupin go down in the kitchen.
Faye heard the shots from downstairs. She had hoped they could get everyone in the house without having to use lethal force. She winced. She felt death. The Slayer stirred. A human death, regardless of circumstances always drew out the Slayer. Faye continued to reach out with her senses trying to find the wizard she knew was on this floor. Something made her senses twitch and she began moving down the hall.
Moody needed a plan. Both Lupin and Black were down. The muggles had control of the first floor. He had no way out. He moved very slowly down the hall towards the young woman he saw at the head of the stairs. He was wearing his invisibility cloak and had cast a silencing charm. There was no way she should be able to sense him coming. But Moody hadn't lived as long as he had by taking unnecessary risks.
Moody blinked. The woman had seemed strange from the first moment he saw her. More like a predator than a person. Moody knew despite her appearance she was dangerous. But suddenly something about her changed. Moody had rarely felt fear in life. But something about her made him afraid. He tensed and shook off the feeling. If he could take her, he might be able to force his way outside the house and get out from underneath the whatever spell had been cast to keep from him apparating. He had to get to Dumbledore.
The feeling of death had brought the Slayer fully to the fore. Faye's senses became even sharper. Every detail around her came into focus. She heard every sound, regardless of how small it was. She felt the air moving around her.
There. It was one of those feelings that only a Slayer has. The kind she just can't explain to someone her doesn't share her gift. Suddenly she knew where her target was. She attacked.
Moody had never seen any human move so fast. It was a blur. His wand was raised and he shouted a spell. The woman had already moved and spell missed her by a wide margin. She covered the distance between them in a second. Her fist hit him in the head. The fresh air spell he had cast blunted the force. But not by that much. She continued to press the attack. Moody was dazed and didn't have time to react. Somehow she grabbed his wand arm and twisted. He felt the arm break and he dropped his wand.
It had been a couple of years since Faye last fought an invisible opponent. But she knew the moves. The Council's training program grilled them into her. Don't let up. Keep them in arms reach. She felt some kind of fabric and tore it away. She saw her opponent for the first time. He was battered man who'd clearly seen one too many battles. Faye wasn't distracted by appearance. She fought demons that looked worse.
Her elbow shot out and caught him on the chin. His head smashed against the wall and he collapsed into unconsciousness. Faye kept scanning the area. She didn't feel the presence of more wizards. She heard the next team entering the house and Grayden's voice, "Only three wizards in the house. One upstairs. Faye got him."
It was over. Faye didn't relax though. Four of the SAS team came up the stairs. They moved quickly and efficiently. Each man covering the others. Two of them grabbed the wizard she had subdued. They tied his arms behind his back, gagged him and put a bag over his head. They then began moving him back downstairs.
Eric came into the house with agents Sinclair and Grayden. They were accompanied and protected by the several SAS soldiers. Grayden closed his eyes when they came through the door. Being inside the house made it easier for his senses to sort though all the magic.
"Only three wizards in the house. One upstairs. Faye got him," He said.
Eric nodded as he watched four soldiers move quickly up the stairs. Another soldier came out a passage on the side off the hallway and motioned for them to follow him. They entered the living room where a group of soldiers was guarding a man tied down on his stomach on the floor. Major Chisholm had pulled off his gas mask and looked over at the group.
"We got Black," he said. "Alive."
Lt. Cranston and another man came into the living room. "One in the kitchen. We had to kill him. Tasers didn't take him down. Hobbs got hit by some kind of stunning spell. We're moving him to vans now."
Chisholm nodded, "We take the body with us. I want everyone out of the house in two minutes."
Black was dragged out of the house followed by the group dragging a man down the stairs. Faye followed closely behind them.
Eric looked over at Jennifer who had stopped in the living room and was staring at the pictures.
"They aren't moving," she said. "I don't understand. The pictures should be moving."
"Sinclair," Major Chisholm said. "We don't have time for science experiments. We are leaving."
A frustrated look crossed her face but she complied, following Eric out of the house and back to the vans parked outside.
Finally only Major Chisholm, Lt Cranston and Faye were left in the house.
"Shame we can't leave any bugs behind," Lt. Cranston said.
"No signal," Major Chisholm replied. "And I'm not risking sending people in to retrieve them. Let's move."
The three moved out of the house. One van had already pulled away carrying the prisoners. The group got into the second van and it pulled out of the enclave. The truck pulled away next. A surveillance van stayed behind parked a couple of houses down.
One minute after Major Chisholm's van pulled away a man in casual clothes walked in front of the enclave. He leaned down to tie his shoe and scooped up the warding crystal as he stood up. He then just continued casually down the road.
The entire operation had taken eleven minutes from when the vans first breached the enclave.
A/N – I know killing Remus is going make a lot of people angry. But I just could not think of a way to get out of the house without some price. Making it clean would have cheapened the story. I need Sirius for story reasons and none of the other Order members would have had the impact Remus does. I love the character. But the story demanded a sacrifice.