AN: I kind of disappoint myself with the time it took to get another chapter out. Sorry for the long wait but as I've said I've been busy :(. Hope you all enjoy this one and as always reviews go a long way.
JohnMonty: Can't have action-heavy chapters all the time ;) although I'll admit they're fun to write, but once Fifth Year starts there will be a lot more.
JQAlsus: Chapter 14 wise, Anya created a runic circle to counteract the null magic as soon as she saw it, though null magic is still something I'm trying to smooth the creases over. Also, not Russian, just relying on Google to aid me. Chinese is my mother tongue, though I'm rusty beyond measure and trust me when I say I've seen people whose parents divert from traditional Pinyin spelling for their names just so that it'll be unique.
Chapter 28 - Tailed
"There was some new intel one of our informants got from the Reds," Dimitri said nonchalantly, drawing another rune on the concrete floor with a piece of green chalk.
"How on earth do you keep nabbing intel you shouldn't be getting," said Jen who was opposite from the Russian, drawing runes of his own. "I know for a fact we don't receive intel on the Reds."
They had been working on it for fifteen minutes, a circle of runes with a twenty metre radius in the centre that was left empty.
"I'm a natural," Dimitri grinned.
"Natural idiot," Jen replied.
"Does it relate to the Black Mark shipment that the two British Aurors intercepted?" Anya asked from a corner, flipping through the document she had been reading for months.
They were lounging in the hanger of an old abandoned airbase. The place was dusty and dilapidated, but also secluded.
"Damn, you're perceptive," muttered Dimitri. "I guess the timing lines up, huh?"
"It was a wild guess," Anya shrugged, not taking her eyes from the document.
"So what's the intel," Jen prompted.
"Black Mark shipment wasn't just fodder for the British media. Someone was actually moving all those cargo, just using the Black Mark as a cover."
"Plausible deniability," Jen nodded, finishing the last of his runes and now waiting for Dimitri. "I thought that throwing a few thousand galleons was a bit too much to appease the Brits. Do we know who?"
"Nope," replied Dimitri, finally finishing his end. "But everything kind of lines up, people have been moving items around for some time. You remember that, Jen?"
"Shit, don't remind me," Jen groaned. "We still need to do a full recce on all the locations."
"This British operation is a shit show," Anya sighed. "Nobody knows what's going on, even the Spooks. And the Magical Law Enforcement personnel who aren't Spooks actually believe that we are here on a just cause."
"Ha! I know right!" Dimitri barked out in laughter. "If we weren't privy to the St Helensworth operation and involved in the subsequent setups, we would have actually thought the Black Mark to be a real thing."
"Everyone is only getting a fraction of the information," Jen commented. "Too many need-to-know dead ends. I swear, even Nathaniel doesn't know the full picture."
"Only old man Grey," Dimitri chuckled. A sentiment echoed by the other two.
"Then again, that's how you actually cover up a national level plot," Jen shrugged. "Crow, you ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Anya placed the document down.
She made her way to the large runic circle, stepping into the empty space. Dimitri and Jen drew their wands, chanting out long incantations as Anya saw strings of magic seep out from the runes, stitching together to form a hemisphere.
"Good to go," Jen gave her a thumbs up.
Recalling all she could from the document she had been reading, she mustered up every once of her willpower. Words spilled from her lips and from the tip of her wand came a small and steady stream of fire. It curled and twisted, taking the form of a serpent. The fiery snake wrestled about, as though it was fighting against something.
The fire fought against Anya's control and she redoubled her efforts. Finally, she felt as though an invisible cord snapped and she immediately leapt back, out of the circle. The fiery serpent lunged after her, only to be repulsed by an invisible wall when it reached the circle of runes. Sighing to herself, she waved her wand and muttered the counter curse. Slowly the fire ebbed away into nothingness, leaving behind scorch marks on the floor.
"First attempt, not bad," Jen nodded. "Got the counter curse down too."
"You have to respect the people who can properly cast a controlled Fiendfyre," Anya muttered. "Containment wards are still good?"
"Good for the whole day."
"Wouldn't be here for the whole day."
Fiendfyre had sparked her interest after her encounter with the impersonated Professor Moody. Cursed fire that could practically destroy almost anything and could spread over a vast area. If that was not useful, Anya didn't know what was.
"We know, just practice all you can."
Taking a deep breath, Anya entered the circle once more and raised her wand. Learning new spells felt better when Nathaniel was there to coach her, but then again, you can't have everything.
XXXXX
Anya rubbed the back of her head as she groaned almost silently. Magic always took a toll on the body and Fiendfyre was not an exception. The ache stretched from the crown of her head to her tailbone, she had suffered worse but it was still unpleasant.
"Rough day?" Astoria asked.
"Clearly," Anya sighed. "Pulled an all nighter doing the entire summer homework in a single session."
"One day's worth of pure suffering for a summer of relaxation," Astoria nodded.
The two girls were strolling down the streets of Muggle London. They had met up after lunch and Anya decided to sate Astoria's curiosity regarding Muggle cinematography. Both of them spent a great deal of time laughing over the Muggle portrayal of ghosts as they watched Casper, one of the blockbusters of the summer. At the moment, the two of them were making their way back to the magical side of London, the Leaky Cauldron was a few streets away.
As they passed by yet another cafe, Anya spotted something off. Three fine lines, twisting about in the distance at the end of the street. Red building, third floor, second window from the right. The subtlest of concealment spells.
She checked her surroundings surreptitiously. Her front and sides were clear. Glancing at all the reflective surfaces around her, she focused on her right eye and checked her rear.
It was as if someone flicked on a switch in the back of her brain. Her breathing became controlled, slow, steady. Her senses thrown into overdrive. The conditioned mind and body took control.
Two people, tailing her from a distance. Anya sighed, it felt just like Azerbaijan, at least this time Dimitri could not mess up with the equipment smuggling that left her with only a wand back then. She had a ballistic vest concealed under the jacket she was wearing, her pistol and various runic discs to cloak her underage magic among other things.
One group at her rear, a possible sniper team in the distant building ahead and Astoria to take care off. Then, she noticed Anti-Disapparition and Anti-Portkey wards going up. She grimaced, this was nothing like Azerbaijan, and gauging from the way her pursuers were dressed and the types of magic radiating off them, they were possibly Spooks as well. One in the front and one in the rear, a straight street with no turns, they were slowing boxing her in. If they were Spooks, it was a slight relief that there were only two teams. That meant they were only hunting her at half a standard ambush section, she did not fancy being surrounded by three teams with one on pursuit.
"Astoria, I want you to keep a straight face."
"Huh?" Astoria faced her, looking slightly confused.
"Do not panic. Not one bit. Just keep walking."
There was a cold edge to Anya's voice that Astoria picked up immediately and to her credit, she adapted swiftly and impeccably like a true student of Slytherin.
"Alright, no problem," Astoria chirped. "Want to talk about it?"
Anya cracked a slight grin, Astoria even kept her words and tone unassuming in an act of foresight.
"We can talk freely," Anya replied. "We're being followed."
"By who?"
"Bad people."
"Hmm..." Astoria glanced at Anya. "Black Mark members?"
"We can assume that I guess," said Anya.
"Daughter of the Greengrass family and niece of a high-ranking Russian Auror," Astoria sighed. "Kidnap and ransom?"
"I was thinking along the lines of abduct and interrogate."
"So... what do we do?" Astoria kept her voice cool but there was a slight tremor that could not be hidden.
Anya was still observing her surroundings discreetly, considering her options. There were several that sprang to mind but in the meantime, there was no golden opportunity, she had to bide her time.
"Keep calm and listen to my every instruction," Anya muttered, watching the afternoon traffic. A small idea came to her mind, just like Azerbaijan. "Do not hesitate when I tell you to do something."
"Okay, got it," Astoria nodded nervously, she was getting worried but still nowhere close to cracking. It frightened her to know that she was in danger but not how or why, humans always fear the unknown.
"Here's the situation," Anya knew she had to give Astoria information to calm her down. "Two of them are behind us, about fifty metres, in plain Muggle clothing. I saw something fishy in that red building ahead, worse case scenario, they have people up there with sniper rifles. Anti-Disapparition and Anti-Portkey wards are up."
Astoria bit her lip but gave no other indication of panicking. Anya reached into her jacket and grabbed a runic disc meant to cloak underage magic, she always carried a spare. The sniper in the red building was problematic, but an urban environment gave plenty of concealment. She waited for a blind spot, which came in the form of a bus stop that stood between them and the red building as they walked, and immediately passed the disc to Astoria. To Astoria's credit, she accepted it without hesitation and pocketed it swiftly.
"What's that?"
"You are now illegally allowed to cast magic without the repercussions that come with underage magic."
"Shouldn't we just go with a bang?" Astoria asked. "It'll bring the Ministry here, wouldn't it? We are in a dense Muggle environment after all, they have to send some Obliviators."
"Think St Helensworth incident among the many disadvantages of that option and you'll know why I don't trust that option," Anya replied. "The first responders wouldn't be Aurors anyway. If things don't change quickly, we're cornered, we need to act soon."
As Astoria waited patiently, Anya simply continued on.
"Do you know the Confundus Charm?"
"A bit," Astoria replied. "Not good enough to implant suggestions but enough to distract and confuse."
"Good enough. Freezing Charm?"
"That's a second year spell."
"The possible sniper is looking at us diagonally down the road from the end of the street, get out of his line of fire as quick as possible," said Anya. "So when I give you the signal, hit the tires of that bus there with a Freezing Charm and immediately break right for indoors. Tag any onlookers with a Confundus Charm and exit through the back door. Keep running in the direction towards our right, I'll catch up and guide you from there. Stay out of sight from the general direction of the possible sniper, especially from that red building."
Astoria nodded, putting her hands in her pockets, presumably to get a grip on her wand. Anya paid attention to the road, all the cars were at a stop, the traffic lights red. They were walking against the traffic of the cars. It had been red for some time, green would come any moment.
"Get ready," Anya murmured.
The lights turned green and the sound of revving engines reached Anya's ears, she focused on the large red double-decker bus as it began lumbering down the road. The hulk of red slowly began cutting off her line of sight with the red building, blocking the possible sniper's vision of them.
Three metres. Two metres. One metres.
Now.
Anya drew out her wand in a practiced snap and a swift flick to her left hit an unsuspecting driver of a Rolls-Royce with a Confundus Charm. The sound of the car speeding off filled her ears and she barked out her command.
"Now."
Astoria pulled her wand out, taking a swift aim at the bus.
"Immobulus."
The bus ground to halt. The Rolls-Royce sped past her. Astoria started running. Anya spun around. She could see the two men springing into action. She raised her wand and took aim.
"Fumos."
The Rolls-Royce swerved hard towards her pursuers at the same time the grey jet of light left her wand. Both pursuers disappeared from sight as the Rolls-Royce blocked them from Anya's view with a loud crash. Her spell engulfed the wreck in a cloud of thick smoke, obscuring her from the pursuers. If they were any good, they would have gotten off from the crash just fine.
Turning around, she dashed after Astoria, ignoring the screams that rose in the air. Astoria was easy to follow, she simply had to follow the traces of magic left behind as Astoria charmed her way to the backdoor of the building. Confunded people and magically unlocked doors were clear signs for Anya, as well as the pursuers when they came by.
Anya came out from the backdoor and into the alleyway, she looked around and spotted an open door with faint lines of magic emanating from the keyhole. She ran through the door, into the building and out from its front into the other street. Looking around, she saw Astoria dashing past a pedestrian crossing towards the opposite side of the street, slipping into an alleyway.
Making use of the present red traffic light and ignoring the distant pedestrian crossing, Anya cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself and ran straight across, sliding over and weaving around cars. In a few moments she had caught up with Astoria and dropped the charm.
"Left door at the end, enter it. Wait there."
Astoria looked back in surprise before complying. Anya stopped, accessing her situation before pulling out a piece of red chalk. Narrow alleys with sharp angles, any possible sniper was out of the picture. Lack of an opposing sniper was good, Anya needed every edge she could get. The tight pathway of the alley was also favourable, reducing the enemy's advantage in numbers. Anti-Disapparition and Anti-Portkey wards were problematic enough, but having to lug Astoria along was too much, she would have to fight. Hopefully, the clean trail that had been left behind had given the pursuers a false impression, because Anya needed another edge.
Drawing a set of runes on the wall, she pointed her wand at it and pumped in the magic required before hiding the runes by pushing a dumpster over it. As she ran back towards the door she had ordered Astoria to enter from, Anya froze. Red lines filled her vision and she immediately threw herself against the wall. The crack of a bullet that impacted the wall echoed in the alley, a bullet that just missed her. They were fast.
A second smokescreen went up from Anya's wand and she sprinted through the door where Astoria awaited her. The younger girl was panting hard, resting on her knees with one hand clenched tightly around her wand.
"A Divinator's Sonata," Astoria said immediately.
Anya paused for a second, before noticing Astoria's tense posture and coming to a realisation.
Smart girl.
"Chaconne in F minor."
Astoria deflated as she heard the reply, slumping onto the floor in relief.
"Are we safe-"
"Not yet. Get up."
Cursing under her breath, Astoria climbed back up, looking at Anya expectantly.
"We're fighting them here. Actually, I am."
"What!?"
"They're seconds away. Don't expose yourself. Only cast a spell if you must."
Anya headed back to the alleyway, flicking her wand before she exposed herself. A bright flash of light smothered the alleyway, giving her the precious moments to move across open ground. She looked at the two pursuers shielding their eyes, one of them was next to the dumpster.
"Confringo."
Her Blasting Curse flew straight at the two men, who replied with Shield Charms and pistol fire. A snap of her fingers and the runic trap was activated. The explosion from the pursuers' flank caught them by surprise, the dumpster shattered from the blast, peppering one of the pursuers with fragments of metal and plastic. Good spacing saved his partner from the same fate.
Anya ran around a corner, cracks of lead on concrete trailing her. Turning to face the remaining pursuer, she saw an eagle swooping at her, radiating out lines of transfiguration magic.
"Stupefy."
The jet of red smashed against the eagle; bright light engulfed her vision and an ear-splitting bang jarred her senses. Transfigured flashbang.
Red lines flickered into her sight and clawing through the disorientation, Anya dove to the side and lifted her wand, trying to get a Shield Charm out. The red lines tightened anyway and she felt a heavy impact smash against her chest before her spell left the wand. Her pursuer was coordinated, he timed the flashbang impeccably. She could only thank the fact that her ballistic vest saved her from a punctured lung.
Anya slashed her wand down as the impact threw her back, spewing out waves of fire as she rolled flush against the wall. It was not Fiendfyre - that would have been the crazy option - but it bought time. Huddling behind an alcove in the alley for cover, she drew out the Fairbairn-Sykes knife Jen had gifted her. She hissed at the pain blossoming from her chest as she drew the knife, there was definitely a cracked rib. A slit across her thumb and she drew out a few runes, using her blood as a cheap source of magical fuel. Though temporarily blinded, muscle memory did the work of correctly writing out the runes on the blade. A Disillusionment Charm on the knife and she was ready. She could hear her pursuer vanishing the flames away.
Taking a deep breath as her vision recovered well enough, Anya burst out from her cover, the incantation of the Shield Charm already rolling off her lips. A wide swipe of her arm and the knife went spinning across the air as a transparent blur.
Bullets sledgehammered against her Shield Charm and she watched as her knife bounced off the preemptive Shield Charm of her opponent. A snap of her finger and the runes glowed white; a blinding flash and loud bang knocked the foe off balance. Tit for tat.
"DIFFINDO!"
The pursuer slashed his wand wildly, the spell enhanced and fueled by raw panic. The Severing Charm broke through Anya's shield and connected with her diaphragm. Her breath was knocked out from her as she was thrown onto the ground. Lying on the ground and gasping for air, she drew out her pistol and took aim at the disoriented foe.
"Reducto!"
Her spell went off a moment faster than the two rounds she fired. The curse broke the Shield Charm and two rounds slammed against the pursuer's chest, throwing him onto the ground. No blood, her pistol was not strong enough to get past the ballistic vest and warding trinkets the pursuer was wearing underneath.
Grimacing, Anya threw a quick glance at her torso. Her jacket had a large tear across but the lightweight ballistic vest made of dragonhide and kevlar underneath took the blow from the Severing Charm, as did one of the runic discs that provided a passive ward - which was now shattered from the stress of absorbing the spell. Without those aids, she would have been dead with her guts splayed on the alley.
Firing a Stunner at the dazed pursuer, she began walking back to where Astoria was. Her wand and pistol were raised, if the pursuer could take pistol bullets without dying, the first one she got with the runic trap was still alive.
Lines of violent magic emitted from around the corner and Anya got ready. The initial recovered pursuer came from around the corner and both cast their spells at the same time.
"Reducto!"
"Confringo!"
The spells met midair with an explosive reaction and both braced against the gushing pressure emitted.
"Stupefy!"
A familiar voice cried out as Anya saw Astoria cast a Stunning Spell from the back, the red jet of light ricocheted off the passive ward the man had, chipping the wall. Anya could see Astoria gasp in shock and fear as the younger girl threw herself out of sight, dodging a retaliatory curse that flew her way.
"Diffindo!"
"Protego!"
Anya's Severing Charm was met with a swift response from the pursuer. The Shield Charm was strong enough to rebound the magic back towards her, ripping out the wand from her hand. Scores of cuts sank into her hand, like a hundred razor blades biting into soft tendons, blood blossomed out in a fine spray. Astoria peeked out from her corner and shot a Trip Jinx at the pursuer. The jinx did not connect but it bought the pursuer's attention.
The distraction was enough for Anya, biting through the pain and drawing her backup wand. If this man's shields and wards were this good, it was time for Plan B. Or rather, a hasty semblance of a plan.
"Fumos."
Pumping in every ounce of energy into her actions, Anya dashed fast. She dropped the pistol in her hand and reached for the pouches in her ballistic vest.
Bursting out from the smokescreen, she was two feet away from the pursuer. Ducking under a purple curse that soared above her, she tucked her leg behind the pursuer's and tackled him hard, the pursuer gasped in surprise, his jaw dropping. Both went falling on the floor and the hand in her vest pulled out a tube of thermite paste, shoving it in the most convenient place - the pursuer's open mouth. Releasing her grip on the tube, she bought up her hand, closed her eyes and snapped her fingers.
Her face could feel the radiating heat as she rolled off the body. She glanced at Astoria who was staring at the body in shock. She looked back at Anya and gasped.
"Your hand!"
Anya looked at her left hand which was still bleeding, the rebounded cuts were messy but thankfully missed the more important blood vessels. Using her uninjured hand, she took out a vial of brown liquid from her vest, uncorking it and applying several drops. Rubbing the liquid around the injured hand, the wounds slowly closed themselves. Sighing, she faced Astoria.
"In the building, now."
Anya's words left no room for argument as Astoria nodded stiffly. Turning her attention to the dead pursuer, Anya vanished away the thermite before dispelling the fire. Moving to the stunned pursuer, she stripped him of all weapons before reviving him. The man did not have time to react before Anya placed him under an Imperius Curse.
"Get your other partners here," Anya ordered. "Don't let slip anything to them."
The man nodded blankly, before reaching to his enchanted necklace cleverly concealed by a few charms. He spoke in quick bursts of Russian and Anya listened as he gave the other team the all clear signal, instructing them to rendezvous in the alley. Anya made haste and cleaned up the mess left from the fight, transfiguring the corpse into a dead guinea pig and stowing it in a corner. She checked the runic discs her pursuers had. The design was similar to the ones she was issued, but there were differences. The differences were familiar, she saw them all too often back in 1991. Standard issue for Red Spooks. She grimaced, the Reds should have been wiped out by the spring of 1992.
Once done, she masked her presence with layers of concealment spells. The sound of boots on pavement echoing throughout the alley cued the arrival of company. Another pair of men in Muggle clothing walked down the alley, eyes sharp for threats. One of them had a marksman rifle slung on his shoulder, sniper team indeed. The other had a device in his hands, a familiar circular object that bore resemblance to a pocket watch.
Anya stood in their paths, waiting for them to close as her spells hid her from their notice. She had grabbed her pistol and she was waiting, one person to hold under the Imperius Curse and keep for interrogation was dead weight enough, she could already feel him fighting the curse. Their ballistic vest and wards might stop pistol bullets to the chest, but straight at the eye from point blank, that was a different story. Leveling her wand as well, she took aim.
"Wait."
"What?"
"There's still heavy magic around here, check the meter here, are you sure it's safe?"
"They were in a fight, of course there-"
"Reducto."
The Reductor Curse connected with one of the men's heads as she emptied two bullets through the eye of the other. Both fell back, toppling on the ground before receiving the same clean-up treatment as their partner who had thermite lodged in his mouth. Looking around, Anya saw that the Anti-Disapparition and Anti-Portkey wards were already removed. The sniper team must have taken them down to move here quickly, or they were opening a window for an extraction party. Anya sighed, she could not take any chances, she had to leave fast.
With the loose ends mostly tied up, she turned her attention to the bewitched pursuer who was staring at blank space. She ordered him through the open door where Astoria was waiting, her wand still held up.
"Is it safe now?"
"For the time being," Anya nodded.
"Him?" Astoria nodded at the man held under the Imperius Curse.
"Source of information. You best get going, the Anti-Disapparition and Anti-Portkey wards are down," Anya reached into her vest and threw out a coin at Astoria. "That'll take you to the Leaky Cauldron, I'll contact my uncle and get the Russian Aurors here."
Astoria avoided the coin, looking at the twenty pence clattering on the floor and back at Anya, noticing the ballistic vest under the torn jacket and the pistol in her hands. Anya could see the gears spinning in her head, the slight widening of her eye as she realised something.
"Something's not right," Astoria murmured.
Anya stared at her expectantly, observing her keenly.
"So... I'll just go home?"
"Yes."
Silence. It lasted for seconds before Astoria spoke her next words, her grip on her wand tightening.
"Something's not right," Astoria repeated, her voice much firmer. "Wouldn't the Aurors need me as a witness? The Black Mark is a big threat."
Anya groaned in her mind, this was not the side of Astoria she needed.
"I've known Russian Aurors long enough to know that they don't like foreigners meddling in their affairs despite them in foreign soil," Anya replied calmly. "You'll have less shit on your hands."
"Because these people chasing us aren't Black Mark at all, right?"
"Who else would they be?" Anya furrowed her eyebrows.
"The same kind of people as you."
Anya raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Muggle equipment isn't the modus operandi of the Black Mark," said Astoria. "The Aurors never found them using or possessing any. And this man here was using a pistol, with that Muggle armour."
Astoria's eyes flickered to the pistol in Anya's hand and to the vest under her jacket.
"Just like you."
Anya kept silent, watching where Astoria was going. The girl had been exasperatingly accurate so far, Anya was torn between frustration and respect.
"I've tried so long trying to figure this out," Astoria frowned. "But what are you, Anya?"
"What do you think?"
"A special Auror. Like the few in the British Ministry whose identities are kept secret, with special equipment and spells."
Not quite on the spot, not even close to be honest. But that would be the natural assumption.
"Unless, there's something more..."
Anya had half a mind to stun her and cast a Memory Charm on her. But she couldn't. This was her first friend outside of Russia, one she felt at ease with, like being with Jen and Dimitri. But much more than that, there was that expression on Astoria's face when the younger girl was thinking, that slight scrunching of her nose and the look in her eye that was just too familiar.
No. She couldn't. It would have felt like treason.
"There's something bigger going on, isn't it?" Astoria guessed shrewdly.
Anya's silence was like a cue for Astoria to continue.
"Why would special Aurors be hunting after special Aurors? I was never the target, wasn't it? You can't possibly be wanted by Aurors because your uncle is literally in the Russian Aurors and they can't be common criminals because common criminals don't use Muggle technology in tandem with magic like you do. And the ease in which he just repelled our spells, no normal wizard is good enough for that. My spells may not be good indicators but you hunted Krum and Diggory down in the Triwizard Tournament and this man here rebounded your spell with his Shield Charm. If it weren't for all the tricks up your sleeve, these men would have... is there infighting in the Russian Ministry?"
Anya stared at the girl, Astoria was saying all this in front of her. Had she been in her shoes, she would have seen that as a dangerous move. Astoria must have never considered that the wand and pistol in her hand could have been aimed on her. Or Astoria knew she would not. Or she did not care. Naïve, shrewd or reckless. Anya could not tell which was the case.
"There is, isn't there?" Astoria asked, biting her lips. "You're involved and something is going on... all this... special Aurors... those pursuers simply can't be criminals... no, not Black Mark members."
Astoria started pacing, Anya was slightly surprised. Astoria had never gone this far with her thinking, the presence of a real threat in front of her eyes must have done something.
"I just feel like there's something staring in my eyes and I'm not seeing it," Astoria groaned, trying to collect her thoughts. "Not Black Mark members... infighting... Black Mark members can't be this skilled, our Aurors and Hit Wizards are winning small fights left and right... has to be special Russian Aurors chasing us, not Black Mark. The Black Mark never won a fight, draws maybe, but no victories. Wait."
Astoria came to a stop, her eyes suddenly wide with fear.
"They did win one. Zero casualties and three dead British Aurors. Just one. The one fight that brought in the Russians."
Astoria turned to face Anya, taking a trembling step back as her face paled.
"St Helensworth."
Astoria dropped her wand and held her hands up in the air before Anya even raised her wand. Anya's heart might not bear having to stun and wipe Astoria's mind, but her mind knew when a line was crossed and an operation in potential jeopardy. Astoria had just guessed the true nature of something even not all Spooks were privy to.
"Anya, wait!" Astoria gasped. "I'm in."
"What?" Anya cocked her head in confusion.
"I'm saying that I'll be in with you on whatever this is."
Anya paused and stared at Astoria, who was - though trembling - staring at Anya with grit and determination.
"Why?"
"Russia is playing a game, isn't it? You basically confirmed the true nature of St Helensworth and with the effects of the St Helensworth Agreement in place, who knows what can happen."
Astoria took a brave step forward as she carried on.
"The British Ministry is too corrupt to stop this game and something big will change. And if it's going to change regardless, then I want to help make sure my family and I aren't jeopardised by this change. Only way to do this is to pick a side."
"And why choose my side?" Anya asked, still keeping her wand pointed between Astoria's eyes.
Astoria took another step forward and opened her arms wide.
"Cause I pick the side with a person who I trust my life with. You."
"You don't even know what you're getting into," Anya sighed softly.
"Bloodshed and clandestine dealings that would give Professor Moody a heart attack. I don't care."
"Awfully brave of you."
"This isn't bravery," Astoria snorted. "Bravery is trying to stop the game Russia is playing. This is playing along."
Anya glanced at the Imperised man and back at Astoria. Aleks did mention that having the Greengrass on their side was beneficial and Astoria handled herself very well. She did not allow panic to overwhelm her and followed instructions properly despite being thrown headfirst into this mess.
"Fine. You should still go home regardless."
"No use trying to shelter me, Anya," Astoria folded her arms and glared at Anya. "I'm already getting involved."
"That was not a request," Anya said softly.
Her cold stare sent a shiver down Astoria's spine. The younger girl backed off heading to the coin that still laid on the floor.
"You'll still meet up with me, right?" Astoria asked with uncertainty.
Anya sized her up before giving a curt nod.
"Naturally. Now get the portkey already."
Astoria obliged, disappearing as she touched the coin on the floor. Anya heaved a sign before a slight spasm went through her. She turned to the person with a grimace, he was fighting the Imperius Curse, just a few steps from throwing it off.
"Incarcerous. Locomotor Mortis. Accio weapons. Accio communication equipment. Protego."
She cast out various spells, taking no chances in securing her prisoner. To finish it up, she took out her chalk once more and drew a circle of runes around him.
Not a moment too soon as the pursuer jerked out of his daze, finally throwing off the Imperius Curse. He gave a futile struggle against the spells binding him. He stared at Anya and narrowed his eyes.
"I couldn't believe the rumours," he spat bitterly in Russian. "Greyhound's Demons are real. What do you want?"
"Fulgur."
Arcs of lightning snaked around the man, sending howls of pain rebounding around the walls. His body was racked with wild spasms as his eyes bulged from the pain. Swishing her wand about, Anya kept the spell up for a minute, waiting for the pain to fully sink in. When the man had run out of voice screaming, Anya finally dropped the spell.
"You bitch," the pursuer coughed out. "You'll have to try harder than-"
"Fulgur."
Another wave of screams came out, more hoarse than before.
"Patiently waiting," Anya muttered.
"Fuck you-"
"Fulgur."
"F-fuck you-"
"Fulgur."
"FUCK! STOP IT-"
"Fulgur."
"Whore!" the man yelled. "You're going to kill me at the end, so just DO IT!"
"Fulgur. Like I said, I'm waiting."
The man gasped in pain as he struggled to grab the air his lungs were craving. Fighting to compose himself, he stared into Anya's eyes and gave a crooked grin. Despite his smile, Anya could see the hollow look in his eyes, he had already committed himself to dying.
"I have all day, girl," the man spat. "But you don't."
Anya ceased her spell, staring deep into the eyes of the man. He had a point, she had to leave this place as soon as possible. The place was not safe and she had to admit that she was not confident in bringing the man back as a prisoner. Even shackled and tied down, Spooks were not safe. She gave the man a nod and lifted her wand once more.
"Diffindo."