Chapter 9 - Yule Part 2
December 1991
Chilling waves of Arctic waters pummelled the bulwarks of the Vladivostok coast, splashing into jets of ice-cold droplets as waves met concrete. Off into the city, the last rays of crimson sunlight were peeking through the gaps between the buildings, slowly being dragged down by time.
Anya and Jen did the last of their rounds about the waterfront of the city, searching for any wards that may indicate a hidden headquarters. The information from Xiamen had corroborated with other sources from Nathaniel, their man was in Vladivostok, and so was his headquarters. Aleks' had brought the kids to Vladivostok to join up with Nathaniel, Vlad and a few other adults she couldn't recognise. From there, they had split into pairs, combing the city for their man. Ignovich was his name and he was responsible - though seldom personally - for a third of all kidnapping cases in eastern Russia, Muggle and magical.
"乌鸦, 找得到吗(Crow, can you find it)?" Jen asked her as he checked their rear, keeping an eye out for ambushes. Despite being brought in by Nathaniel for five years, Mandarin never wore off the boy's speech. Anya had been the first and only other person to humour that trait of his.
"找不到(Can't find it)," Anya sighed, clutching her coat ever closer. "真想念厦门的天气(I really miss Xiamen's weather)."
"我也是(Me too)," Jen laughed dryly. "俄国太冷了(Russia's too cold)."
The two huddled together for warmth as they walked along the coastline, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. Or rather, Anya scanned while Jen watched her back. The lines her right eye saw twisted about, but none of them hinted any wards. Suddenly, dread filled her body as she saw blood-red lines creep about the fringes of her vision. She recognised them, a number of Nathaniel's and many of Vlad's training sessions had made her right eye sensitive to it.
She was directly in the line of danger.
There was an inherent fear in the sensation of knowing you are in danger but understanding how or why. Her body simply stiffened at the sensation, five senses thrown into overdrive as her body sought to figure out the source of her danger. However, she picked out no magic in the air, the threat was completely non-magical. The crimson lines seemed to tauten as the moments when by, similar to the white lines whenever she placed her finger on the trigger of her Dragunov.
Jen acted immediately, noticing his partner stiffening. He threw himself on her and instinctively cast a Shield Charm, covering the girl from any harm. Anya saw the red lines fade away as the two of them landed on the floor, Jen taking the brunt of the fall. Bright violet sparks showered onto the two of them in light scalding sensations as something fast impacted Jen's shields.
"Sniper, northwest," Jen spoke quickly as he took note of the direction the bullet came from, switching from Mandarin in favour of the English Nathaniel had enforced on them for missions. "Fumos."
Smoke erupted from the tip of Jen's wand into a thick blanket, denying their foe a clear target. He hauled Anya up to her feet and the two took off running under the cover of the smokescreen Jen had cast. Anya took a moment to notice the irony of it all, the lack of concealment spells was the reason she didn't see the sniper. Two Disillusionment Charms were cast, followed by a wide-area heating charm to mask their heat signatures. If their sniper did not use magic at all, thermal optics – a device easily disrupted by magic – would now be a possible option by the sniper. Anya and Jen both realised this and they were not taking chances, Disillusionment Charms did not hide their heat.
Jen called in for help through his earpiece while Anya drew her Dragunov from her knapsack and took aim, the smokescreen hampering her in no manner. The whirl and tautening of the white lines in her vision signalled the pull of her trigger. The spurt of blood registered by her right eye was the confirmation she needed.
"Are the both of you alright?" a crack of apparition brought Nathaniel and Vlad over to them, both holding on to wand and pistol.
"Shaken but fine," Anya reported, pointing at where the sniper was. "I took a shot, his rifle and right arm is disabled but he should be alive.
The adults spoke no words, they merely disapparated. The two kids waited for what seemed to be minutes before Nathaniel's voice crackled into their earpiece.
"Everyone, we got the location. Rendezvous at Pokrovsky Park, by the church."
Another crack of apparition had Nathaniel between the two kids. He grabbed their arms and spun around, bring the two along to the park. The Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God was a newly built Orthodox Church and one of the new religious sightseeing spots for tourists.
However, it now served as a location for an odd gathering of people. Anya saw Aleks and Dimitri lurking under a tree, shooting dirty glares at each other, maybe pairing them up together was a mistake. Vlad, a gaunt ashen man with matte black hair, was patrolling the area, fresh blood dripping from his hands. The others were flushed against the wall of the church, looking expectantly at Nathaniel.
"Listen up," Nathaniel said, pulling out a piece of paper. "Coordinates are on this piece of paper, put them in your GPS and take a look at the area. I'll give you guys three minutes to get a good look at the expected terrain before we move. We're going to need to be fast, because there's a chance they know we're coming."
A wave of his wand duplicated the paper and sent the copies to everyone. Anya caught her and placed the numbers on her GPS, watching as the screen showed an industrial complex on the outskirts of the city.
"Vlad and I will move first, we'll apparate to the place and lock it down with Anti-Disapparition and Anti-Portkey Jinxes. Entry point will be the eastern wall, the team going in will be me, Vlad, Igor and Zahir. Anya, you and Jen will follow us, I'll need your eye. The rest of you, surround the area and make sure no one gets out."
Whirling on the spot, the two man disapparated away, leaving the rest to familiarise themselves with the upcoming area. Anya could notice a couple of envious stares from some of the younger adults directed at her and Jen. Nathaniel seldom took on protégés and many had to claw their way to being able to take part in operations with him.
"Three minutes are up!" someone shouted, prompting everyone to begin their apparitions. One bronze-skinned Middle Eastern man grabbed Anya and Jen, bringing them to Nathaniel with a spin.
The site was large, metal fences and cinder block walls surrounded the compound in multiple layers, barbed wire sitting on top of them. Brown blocks of buildings laid in neat rows, some with tall black chimneys attached to their side and many with glass encompassed by dark metal grates adorning their walls. Thick pipes and wires crawled all over the buildings, sprawling over the area like the intestines of the compound.
Nathaniel and Vlad were standing by the street that ran down to the gates of the compound, using the alleyway for cover and waiting for company. Nathaniel caught sight of his reinforcements and nodded to Vlad. Vlad turned to the oncoming people and jerked his head to the gates of the compound, signalling them to follow.
"Anya," Nathaniel said curtly. "What do you see?"
"Wards, plenty of them," Anya observed, looking over the place. Far into the compound, blue lines flew out from various buildings at top speed, only to bounce off a mesh of red lines surrounding the compound. "Portkeys are being activated too, your jinxes are working though."
"Well, it looks like they already know we are coming," Nathaniel said, turning to Vlad. "Looks like we don't need to silently crack the wards, so much for bringing Jen. Vlad, you can use the ward-breaker."
Taking off with a light jog, Nathaniel made his way to the gate where two people were standing guard on high alert, their rifles held high and close to the chest. They were expecting trouble. Seeing the approaching man, the guards levelled their rifles at him.
"Kto ty?" one of the guards shouted, taking a step forward.
Nathaniel took no heed, continuing his path as he swiped his wand in the air, turning their rifles into rabid canines. The feral dogs leapt out of the guards' arms, turning on the spot as they landed and leaping back at their throats. The guards toppled onto the ground as the dogs clamped violently on their throats, fangs sinking through flesh. Their cries stifled as voices struggled to pass through sealed windpipes.
As Nathaniel reached the gates, he waved his wand a few times to no effect. He turned back to where Vlad and the others were standing, giving the ashen man a thumbs up. Then, he ran away from the gates, taking cover behind a parked car.
Reaching into his bag, Vlad pulled out a RPG-7D. Ruchnoy Protivotankoviy Granatomyot, a Russian-made rocket-propelled grenade launcher. It was the anti-armour weapon of choice for the Muggle irregular military. It was rugged, simple and cheap. More importantly, it got the job done.
From the bag, Vlad also took out a warhead for the launcher. The warhead was carved completely in runes built for destroying magical wards, a number of its lines were sequenced to convert the explosive power of the Muggle weapon into raw magical power to fuel the runes. However, its secret 'ingredient' was a technique devised by Nathaniel's grandfather to amplify the power of Muggle explosives, it was soaked in a Strengthening Solution for twenty four hours and left to dry.
Vlad loaded in the warhead and took aim. With a pull of the trigger, the warhead took off into the air in a swift 'whoosh', speeding into the compound gates and – more importantly – the wards. As the warhead impacted the gates, it exploded into a large black fireball, sending shockwaves into the air. Nobody needed a magical sight to see the wards fall as the air around the compound turned into a milky white, before bursting open like a popped bubble from where the warhead had struck.
Immediately, shouts sounded across the compound and an Intruder Charm went off, send ear-piercing shrieks into the air. The group started moving into the compound, the two unfamiliar faces – Igor and Zahir – taking the front with rifles raised while Anya and Jen stuck with Nathaniel at the centre, wands and pistols drawn. Vlad kept to the back covering their rear, stowing away the RPG.
"Anya, keep an eye out for where they cast new wards," Nathaniel told the girl. "That's where Ignovich will be, the coward likes being in the safest place possible."
"Got it."
As the group reached deeper into the compound, resistance started to show up, mix of gunfire and spells flying through the air at them. Everyone took cover as Nathaniel cast a Shield Charm, absorbing the first few blows to buy precious seconds for the slower ones to find cover. Soon, there was a firefight ongoing as both bullets and spells were exchanged. Anya and Jen kept close together, with Anya at the front firing deadly accurate shots with her Makarov while Jen stuck at her back with his wand, maintain his own Shield Charm as he covered what little blind spots Anya had with the suppressive fire of his own pistol. Another shot from Anya nicked a peeking foe who was sticking his head from behind a wall in the eye, a spurt off crimson gushing out from the socket. Though Ignovich's men tried to put up a stiff resistance, Nathaniel's men gained ground quickly, quality beating quantity to a pulp. In the end, the fight was decided when Nathaniel took heavy action.
"Accio grenade pins!"
A flick of his wand had multiple grenade pins flying from Ignovich's men to him, beckoned by the Summoning Charm. With a swift wave of his wand, the pins were transfigured into hornets which changed directions, darting high and low around the walls to Ignovich's men.
Supplemented with a Blasting Curse of his own, the synchronised explosion had Anya's ears ringing. Nathaniel calmly walked forward, transfiguring the rubbles made by his Blasting Curse into a pack of feral dogs, which began running down the opposing men. At this point, the slow retreat of Ignovich's men had crumbled into a full-fledged rout, men scrambling over one another to escape the transfigured dogs and hornets.
"Nathaniel, I see new wards," Anya called out as she was strands of magic burst out, surrounding a building in the distance. "Two o'clock. The building with the chimney beside it."
"Understood," Nathaniel replied, before rallying the group. "Everyone, on me. Move!"
The group followed Nathaniel's lead, running through the compound's alleyways and bypassing walls with Reductor Curses. They ended up at a small office building beside a warehouse, trucks still parked at its loading bay. A quick spell from Nathaniel and Anya's sight both confirmed the presence of wards, which gave Vlad the cue to bring forth his RPG-7D. One black fireball later and they were through the wards, Nathaniel casting sealing spells to ensure Ignovich stayed trapped in the building.
"Anya, check for last minute wards."
"Second floor, third window from the left, newly cast."
Nathaniel grunted in response, blasting the building door open with his wand. Everyone filtered into the building, guns and wands pointing at every corner, checking for enemies. When the first room was clear, they began moving up the stairs. The formation was the same as usual, guns on the front, wands on the rear. The first stairway door opened and the sound of two cracks filled the air, one each from Igor and Zahir's rifles. A body crumpled on to the floor as the bullets ripped into his chest, wand rolling away from his hand.
"Tripwire mine, at the door," Anya warned as the door to the second floor opened, her right eye picking out the near invisible cord stretched taut across the doorway. "No magical modifications, purely Muggle."
A Freezing Charm from Nathaniel disabled the trap and the group proceeded, keeping close to the walls of the corridor. Finally, they came across the warded room Anya had spotted, an invisible solid barrier halting their progress.
"Jen," Nathaniel said, ushering the Chinese boy forward.
Jen crept forward with his wand drawn and began prodding the ward, slowly deciphering its sequence and construct. Less than a minute and the hastily propped up ward that Ignovich or his men had cast was dismantled, the only obstruction left being the door.
"Twenty seconds, Jen," Nathaniel mused, allowing Jen a small grin of pride. "That's a new record."
"Ostavaytes' na meste(Stay where you are)!" a panicked scream came from behind the door. "Tseloye mesto zapolneno magicheskimi vzryvchatymi veshchestvami. Yesli ty voydesh', ya ikh vzorvu.(The whole place is filled with magical explosives. If you enter, I will blow them up.)"
Nathaniel cocked her head to Anya who shook her, literally seeing through the man's bluff. Nathaniel pointed his wand at the door and opened it, another spell at the cabinets lining the corridor transfigured them into feral dogs which rushed into the room. As the screams reached a high, Nathaniel burst into the room, everyone else at his back. A Shield Charm was Nathaniel's first spell as the front man, blocking bullets and curses from those not pinned down by the dogs. Sharp bursts of gunfire from Igor and Zahir riddled many of Ignovich's men with bullets, their bodies dancing like marionettes as the bullets entered their bodies. Severing Charms from Anya and Jen opened the necks of a few men, while a powerful Knockback Jinx from Vlad sent a tall, stooping man flying at the wall.
The sole survivor – the tall, stooping man Vlad had sent to the wall – slid onto the ground, his hands struggling to support himself. His feeble attempt to raise his wand was blocked by a Disarming Charm from Vlad. A Summoning Charm from Nathaniel had the man's other weapons flying out from his coat, knives, pistol and a lethal syringe.
"Ignovich," Nathaniel said pleasantly, looking down at the man. "Davno ne videlis'(Long time no see)."
"Borzaya," the man spat. "Chto ty khochesh' na etot raz(What do you want this time)?"
"Informatsiya(Information)," Nathaniel said with a grin. "Posmotri pravde v glaza, starik, igra okonchena(Face it, old man, the game is over)."
"Eto ne verno(It's not true)!" Ignovich screamed in detail, trying to claw up to his feet. "Sistema khoroshaya, sistema ideal'naya(The system is good, the system is perfect)!"
"Eto bolezn'(It's a disease)." Nathaniel said stoically as he planted his boot on the man's face, sending him back on the floor. "Menya udivlyayet, naskol'ko ty slep(It surprises me how blind you are)."
"Vy nazyvayete svoyego deda slepym? U nego bylo takoye zhe videniye.(Do you call your grandfather blind? He had the same vision.)"
The silver haired man pointed his wand at Ignovich.
"Crucio."
Ignovich writhed on the bloodstained floor as the curse worked it magic. It was a few minutes before Nathaniel finally lifted the curse.
"Imperio. Legilimens."
Ignovich's eyes glazed over for seconds before coming back to focus, forcing a look of surprise from Nathaniel.
"I didn't think you had it in you, coward," Nathaniel muttered under his breath. "Poskol'ku vy ne khotite govorit', my sdelayem eto tak(Since you do not want to talk, we will do it like this)."
"Veritaserum?" Ignovich suggested weakly.
Nathaniel shook his head and nodded to Vlad, who grabbed a suitcase from his magically expanded bag. The suitcase was opened to reveal an assortment of vials filled with potions and powders, two IV bags and a set of surgical tools.
"Pozhaluysta, prosto ispol'zuyte Veritaserum(Please just use Veritaserum)," the pale-faced man pleaded as he saw the suitcase.
"Veritaserum ogranichen tem, chto sprashivayut(Veritaserum is limited to what is asked)," Nathaniel said calmly as he pulled a chair for himself. "Pytki pobuzhdayut lyudey govorit' ne tol'ko o tom, chto ikh prosyat(Torture encourages people to talk not only about what they are being asked)."
Tears began to leak out of the man eyes as he croaked out in heavily accented English, "I'll speak."
"Speaking in English does not endear you to me in any form," Nathaniel said coldly, taking a sit in front of the man. "Vlad, shall we start with lysergic acid diethylamide and scalpel?"
The gaunt man nodded grabbed a vial, measuring its contents into an IV bag. When that was done, he reached for a scalpel with his other hand and approached a trembling Ignovich. Anya and Jen stood in a corner watching, Jen had his eyes partially averted but Anya had no such compulsions, though she did narrow her eyes in disgust.
Do not ignore. Do not back down. Stare death, pain, and gore in the eye until they are but motions in life.
She was itching for an Invigoration Draught.
"Frankly, I take no pleasure in this, maybe Vlad does," Nathaniel said, leaning back on his chair. "But I can be quite sure I'll be here for a long time. And since we are here in this festive time, allow me to say: Merry Yule."
XXXXX
December 1994
Preparations for the Yule Ball seemed to be in full swing, ice and snow fashionably adorned the Great Hall, giving it the appearance of a winter wonderland. There was also a great deal of excitement among the students from all three schools, their own last minute preparations going underway.
When the day came though, the level of ongoing preparations in the Slytherin girls' dorm exploded tenfold. Personally, Anya found all this frivolity unnecessary, but when Astoria and Davis tugged her sleeves with pleading looks in their eyes, she relented. After all, one of the reasons she agreed to come here was to relax from the routines that had become so ingrained in her life, what better way to relax than to join in the cheerful festivities? Nathaniel was probably right, she ought to take the opportunity to act like a girl her age.
"Come on, Anya!" Astoria squealed. "I wanna see what dress you're going to wear for the Ball."
"You're going to see it during the Ball regardless," Anya smiled as the second-year dragged her to the dorms where most of the girls had started preparing for the Ball.
"Tori, I see you've finally brought our champion to begin fulfilling her role," the elder Greengrass remarked, halfway through applying her makeup. Anya's friendship with the elder Greengrass' boyfriend and younger sister had paved the way for friendly relations.
"I thought my role as champion was to compete in the Tournament?" Anya quipped, digging into her trunk for the dress robes that Nathaniel had gotten her.
"No, your role as champion now is to look pretty for the Ball," Davis said excitedly.
"I think I preferred the original role," Anya said jokingly as she pulled out the packaging
"In society, it's the popular opinion that's more important," Astoria said, eyes alight with anticipation as she saw the wrapped packaging. "Hurry up, Anya, I want to see."
With an exasperated sigh, Anya gently opened the packaging, revealing the dress inside. There were days where Anya could swear that Nathaniel came from an upper class Pureblood family, this was one of them.
"Sweet Merlin," Astoria squealed. "That's beautiful."
It was an elegant white dress, made of radiant satin that seemed impossibly smooth. Around the dress, floral patterns were woven artfully into the cloth, it wasn't excessive, just enough for people to notice. The long sleeves and high cut design did a wonderful job of covering up her various scars. There were no frills or loose pieces, everything was meant to fit snugly on her body, both to accentuate her curves and allow ease of movement. Nathaniel never lost his sense of practicality.
There were glass shoes, diamond earrings and necklace to go along with the dress, though she did recognise the necklace as one that belonged to a corrupt Russian ministry official. Old man Grey probably restricted the budget on her dress, not that she minded. The silver cuffs that were part of the package also did a clever job of hiding the runic script on her wrist. The whole set was simple yet elegant, Nathaniel's style.
At the bottom of the package there was a small note, Anya picked it up and read through it.
Hope you are having fun, missing you. Send pictures.
-D & J
Anya smiled fondly making a mental note to do so, but the incessant chattering of Astoria and Davis forced her attention back on preparing for the Ball. Soon, Anya had to go through a three hour long preparation regime. She would rather spend her time doing something else, but she decided to take it in stride with a smile, she was supposed to relax after all.
"Yes! I get to do up your hair," Astoria chirped, holding onto a hairbrush. "You always wear your hair in that same old ponytail, it'll be nice to see your hair in another style."
"Simple is good."
"Not for a ball it isn't."
She looked at the mirror and saw a new sight. This was probably the first time she wore her hair in anything but her signature low ponytail. Her hair was twisted into an elegant braid and this was also probably the first time makeup had ever found its way to her face. The makeup had been light, she insisted on it – much to the annoyance of Astoria – but she couldn't deny that the mascara and lipstick did a good job enhancing her looks.
"Now for the dress!" Astoria clapped, reaching for the dress Nathaniel got for her, she leaned to Anya and whispered. "Where are you going to keep that pistol of yours in this dress?"
"I'm not, Professor Moody and that eye of his will be there," Anya whispered back.
"Alright, but remember, I want to try using it sometime soon."
When all was done, the girls examined Anya's bearing for any discrepancies.
"Absolutely striking," Astoria said enviously. "Too bad only fourth-years and above are allowed to the Yule Ball."
Anya made her way to the common room where Zabini, Nott and Daphne were waiting.
"Damn it, Seryy," Zabini said with a pout as see saw the raven-haired girl. "Why do you have to make me regret my choices."
Everyone laughed and began making their way to the Great Hall, Nott and Daphne in each other's arms. Zabini separated halfway to head to the Durmstrang ship to pick up his date.
When they reached the Entrance Hall, Anya's partner was there waiting for her. He was tall, average looking, but his confidence, grace and poise more than made up for that, he carried himself well. In his light-blue dress robes - school pride, Anya suspected - he strode over to Anya and bowed, taking her hand to his lips.
"Ms Seryy, a pleasure and an honour," he spoke with an accent.
"Likewise," Anya replied, hoping that she never had to say his name tonight, she really did forgot her partner's name.
"All the champions and their partners are here?" Professor McGonagall asked as she surveyed the group. "Very well, you may all proceed. Pair by pair into the Great Hall, everyone is waiting for the opening of the Ball."
Anya took a quick look at the champions. Krum was with Hermione, who really cleaned up well in Anya's opinion. Delacour went with a seventh-year who Anya guessed to be the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain. Cedric was with - to Zabini's prior disappointment - Cho Chang. The other Junior Champions, Poitiers and Dulovo, followed Jen's route and went with partners from different schools. Harry and Cedric were the only champions to take a partner from their own school, with Harry going out with one of the Patil twins.
As the champions entered the Great Hall, they stared in mesmerised awe at the decorations in place. It seem to be snowing and the chandeliers were carved from ice, the candles adorning it lighting the Hall in a warm glow.
Anya's partner turned to her with a smile.
"Merry Yule."
"Merry Yule," Anya replied.
AN: In line with Anya's last words, a (very early one though, because I'll definitely forget when it actually comes) Happy Holidays to all of you. And of course, a big thank you to those who have been sticking along this ride. Some fics do the pairings at the Yule Ball, but Anya's pairing (if any) still has a long way to come. I've already got the entire story, years 4-7+, 'sketched out' but pairing is still something that is undecided. Let me know your thoughts and reviews always help.