The forest was dark. Many lit wands were casting a gloomy glow over the threshold, making shadows jump up at the wizards and witches.

"Nothing." Oliver whispered, but Adalia shook her head.

"Keep looking," she hissed back, placing her attention back on the front of the group. It was beginning to get dark outside, and no magic could fix the lighting from the dying sun. And so the Aurors worked in the dark.

"Zip it," Proudfoot snarled, giving them both a dirty stare. Oliver and Adalia shared a glance, both rolling their eyes simultaneously.

Harry ignored them all. The faithful Holly and Phoenix feather wand was held firmly in his hand as he scanned the vegetation, looking for a trace of magic.

"I haven't managed to get any hint of magic, Potter," Beatle, a dark, bald man in his late forties said, and Harry looked over.

"Neither have I, but someone's been here." Harry replied firmly, kicking a broken stick with his foot.

"Here, look!" Cried Silvia, pointing frantically at a huge dark footprint leading off onto a dense part of the woodland.

"I knew it," Harry muttered, beckoning the group over, and peering suspiciously into the forestry.

"I'll go," offered Silvia, and before anyone could stop her, she whipped out her wand, and cast a stunner into the path.

"What the hell?" roared Proudfoot, his voice ringing through the air, "Why would you ever think that would be a good idea?!"

Silvia looked sheepishly at the ground, "I'm sorry. I didn't think."

"Yeah, no shit you didn't." growled Proudfoot.

"Lay off her, would you?" Adalia said fiercely, and Proudfoot scowled.

"You're all amateurs." He said under his breath, making Adalia frown.

"You know for a fact I've been doing this for almost 6 years now, I-"

"I've been doing it for 36," Proudfoot spat back, "And I'm surrounded by people who've just graduated from Auror training."

"Ouch." Commented Kips, looking hurt.

"Shut up," Harry murmured, who had, until then, stayed silent.

"You're just as bad as the rest," Proudfoot shot back, but Harry wasn't in the mood for his snobbishness.

"There's magic near," Beatle stated, and Harry nodded

A branch snapped in the distance making the quarrelling wizards and witches instantly stop their dispute.

"Keep quiet," Harry said lowly, noxing out his wand.

All of a sudden, a giant wave of green light blasted through the trees, and Harry felt his heart stop.

"Avada Kedavra," whispered Oliver, catching Harry's eye. He nodded stiffly again, tightening his grip on the wand.

Someone in the distance screamed, and Harry quickened his pace into the dark depths of the forest. Another, brighter, blast of green light erupted, and several of the Aurors shielded their eyes from it.

Harry stopped, his colleagues instantly following suit, and waited. The sounds of the forest suddenly seemed that much clearer. The tweeting of a blackbird, the whistle of the slow wind, the uneven breathing of the people standing next to him…

"Nice try," a voice snarled, making even Harry jump.

And after that, destruction reigned.

Trees began to creak and sway ominously above the Auror's heads, and branches began to snap under their feet.

Red stunning spells began to shoot out of wands, causing the forest to glow a deep scarlet.

"By all means keep shooting," the voice said in a hugely unpleasant way, "You won't get anywhere."

Edward Titan sent out a killing curse in terror, but the voice just laughed as it soared through the trees.

"Careful that doesn't rebound," The voice snickered, "Or your little friends will end up dead too."

The third Avada Kedavra sent their way hit Titan straight in the chest. His last look was one of realisation, and horror, as he fell onto the ground with a hard 'thwack'.

The Aurors around him all yelled in confused alarm and outrage and doubled their attempts to stun whoever was speaking.

"What's happening?" cried Silvia, grabbing onto Adalia's arm.

"Toughen up, will you!" Adalia replied, wrenching her arm away from Silvia's grasp, and sending yet another 'stupefy' through the trees.

The landscape began to roll, and the group shouted out in unison as they were swept off the feet.

"You made it so easy after that first stunner announced your presence," growled the voice, echoing through everyone's ears. Silvia's eyes widened, and she began to sob.

Then the trees began to fall, ripping themselves out from the ground, burying all the Auror's deep underneath their trunks.


I looked over at Robert, who looked as dazed as I felt, then turned my attention back on the room.

"What happened?" I asked quietly, noting Mabel's weight lift as she wriggled off the sofa, and sat down next to Al.

"Teddy's Grandma just arrived to pick him up," Ginny answered, looking determinedly at her feet. Almost as if she was avoiding looking into my eyes.

"I don't remember that ever happening!" Robert grunted indignantly, glancing at me, "I would have remembered."

"It happened really quick," Ginny explained, finally looking up, "It was a grab and go situation."

I looked around the living room, and, indeed, Teddy was no longer here. It's weird because I honestly don't remember anything that had happened 5-10 minutes earlier. It's all that foggy white mist. I decided to shrug it off for now and squinted over at the clock.

It was half 6 already. Harry should have certainly been back by now.

James was still sitting by the fire, constantly pushing away Al's offerings of wooden blocks. I watched as Liam approached him, and asked him if he was ok.

"I miss Teddy," he answered sniffly, "And Daddy."

"I'm havin' a sleepover at your house now," Liam said, a small grin hooked on the edge of his lips, "We can have breakfist together."

"We can have Cheerios if you like," James suggested, "Or scrambled eggs. I like those."

Liam frowned. "There's no time in the mornings to make scambled eggs."

"It doesn't take too long," James shrugged, finally getting to his feet, "I wanna go get my Pyjamas on."

Liam's face fell, and he quickly turned his head in my direction.

"I don't have my Pj's!" He told me, "Or my toothbrush, or my toys!"

"James can lend you some Pyjamas," Ginny said, inclining her head towards James, "And Mabel you'll have to make do with some of James' old ones."

"What about Al's?" Robert asked, but Ginny grinned.

"He's younger, and probably smaller than her." She said simply, and Robert slowly nodded in agreement.

"Do you have any toys I can borrow?" Liam asked meekly, and James nodded enthusiastically.

"I got loads, well Al does, but I have some you can borrow."

"Thanks." Liam said, exhaling a breath, "Where am I sleeping again?"

"Look, let's all go upstairs so I can show you where you're all sleeping," Ginny suggested, getting to her feet at the confirming nod the people in the room gave, "I know I've already shown you, Katie, but I'm sure the others want to see it too."

She bent down, plucking up Al from the floor, and letting us follow her up the stairs. We turned right, as I had done before, and walked into our 'temporary room'. Since I had been in it about 4 hours ago, 2 blow up beds had been put on the floor next to the master, with two duvets, and a couple of matching pillows.

"I sleep here," Mabel decided happily, leaping down onto the bed nearest the window, and spreading all her toddler like limbs over the cover.

"Good," nodded Liam, "Because I wanna be near this wall."

"I hope it's ok, Robert?" Ginny said, and my husband nodded in satisfaction, "There's an en-suite there, so I wouldn't worry about waking up our family in the night."

"Nice," Robert said, "Thanks, by the way."

"No problem," Ginny smiled, putting Al on the floor, "Did you want a tour around the rest of the house, or are you-"

"Uh, yes, please," Robert said quickly, "I've been known to sleepwalk."

Ginny grinned.

"Follow me, then."

Everyone trailed her out the room, and down the corridor, passing the stairs. I only assumed this is where the Potter's had decided to put their bedrooms.

"Right," Ginny began, pushing open the first door, "This is James' room, but we're thinking of moving it to the one opposite ours, aren't we, James?"

"I like my room." James said stubbornly, folding his arms, and ducking under Ginny's arm. We all followed after him, and I vaguely remembered seeing it before. Yes. When we came round last, our visit ended with the adults thundering up the stairs after a glass breaking scream from Lily.

It hadn't changed, and I smiled when I saw all the childlike characteristics which my own son had in his room. The window let in the last rays of the melting sun, and made an orangey hue around the room. His bed lay neatly against the right wall, where a giant painting of a dragon hung.

I looked over, and saw that the whole right wall had been painted like a forest, where a stag, a wolf, and a huge black dog seemed to be conspiring together by a dark blue painted lake.

"Why the wolf, stag and dog?" Asked Robert, pointing over at the frieze.

"After his Grandfather, and his two friends," Ginny smiled softly, letting her hand run over the painting, "I remember when we had to get our painter to make an exact replica of it when we moved to this house."

"It's beautiful," I commented, and Ginny nodded.

"James loves it," she added, drawing her eyes away, and putting her attention back on her first born. I used this time to examine the rest of the room.

Shelves upon shelves adorned the highest points on the walls, claiming homes to all sorts of nick nacks, and things only 5-year-old boys would collect. I saw the swirl shaped stone next to a shiny penny coin, bringing me back to the day when we all went on that walk together.

"I wish Liam had this much space," Robert thought out loud, "And Mabel."

"Well," I said sadly, "We'll have to start looking for a new house, so maybe that'll be something we can take into account."

Robert looked down.

"My room!" announced Al, grabbing my hand, and attempting to pull me out of his brother's room.

"Lead the way, Al," I agreed, letting him lead me out into the corridor, and into the room adjacent to James'.

Because of the positioning, the sun also glinted through the glass panels, making the room glow like James'. It was about the same size, but seemed much fuller. On his bed, there lay a vast amount of soft toys. I noticed that almost all of said toys were mythical beasts of some sort. A copious amount of dragon's, a half-horse half-bird, a centaur, all sorts.

"My wall," Al smiled, pointing up at his own mural.

"We wanted a different style for Al," Ginny explained, appearing at my side, "He likes all sorts of creatures, so we decided to incorporate that into this."

"They're both amazing," I told her, "Who painted them?"

Ginny grinned, "My ex-"

"Wasn't that a bit awkward?" Robert interjected, making an appearance at the doorway.

Ginny shook her head, "He was Harry's class and dorm mate at school, so they're good friends. Me and him are good friends, still."

"Might hire him," Robert said, "Seems like he could do a good job on our new walls, since we'll need a new house entirely."

"I'll mention you to him, if you like," Ginny suggested, "I'm sure he'd be more than happy to help."

"That'd be nice," Robert smiled, "Reckon we'd get a discount because we're friends with you?"

"He'd be even more happy if he did it for free."

"Free?" Robert asked, failing to hide his surprise, "It usually costs a fortune."

"It's not his job," Ginny said, "More like a hobby."

"Ah," Robert nodded, "That'd be amazing."

We headed out of Al's room, and Ginny contemplated pushing open the door opposite. She eventually did, telling us that we'd need to be quiet, or else Lily would wake up.

"This is Harry's and my room," she explained in an undertone, "But Lily will sleep here until she's a bit older."

"Huge room," Robert noted, and Ginny nodded.

"Harry can work in here too, hence the size."

The curtains were drawn, and something was creating soft colourful patterns on the ceiling, obviously allowing Lily to settle, and keep her calm if she were to wake up. Said Lily was laying in a cradle, her arm resting soundly above her head, and her rose bud lips slightly parted as she slept.

"I hope Harry's home soon," Ginny said quietly, peeling back the curtains slightly.

It was the first time she had mentioned her husband since this morning, so I knew at this point, Ginny was starting to get worried too.

"Have you heard any news?" I whispered back, but Ginny shook her head.

"He told me 3 hours, but obviously things didn't go to plan," she replied, letting the curtains fall back into place.

Only the adults were left in the room, seeing as the children had been more than happy to stay and play in their rooms.

"I there no one you could call?" Robert asked, but again, Ginny shook her head.

"13 of them are actually on the field, and the ones who aren't, are doing all the work from inside their offices."

"Do you have any idea where they went?"

"I only assume they were looking in the surrounding areas." Ginny shrugged lightly, moving over to check on Lily.

"Can't we-" Robert started, but even I knew the answer to that one.

"Too dangerous."

"Ah." Robert said, looking down, "It's almost Mabel's bedtime, Katie." He added, changing the subject

"Al too," agreed Ginny, "And I don't want James going to bed too late either."

"I bet they're both exhausted." I smiled, pleased to see Ginny smiling too.

"How long will Lily sleep for?" I asked, and Ginny frowned.

"She should wake up at 9 for a feed, but she never seems to want to eat."

"Harry'll be back by then, surely?" Robert wondered aloud.

"We won't know until the time comes," Ginny sighed, "But I don't want another sleepless night tonight."


Harry groaned as he tried to dislodge his arm from in between 2 particularly wide branches.

"What kind of spell was that?" Oliver muttered, trying to push himself free, "Merlin knows what type of dark magic some wizards are creating now-a-days."

"Some sort of land scape spell," Beatle suggested, his voice muffled.

"Never in all my time as an Auror have I seen this." Proudfoot stated, his foot jammed in a hole in the tree trunk.

"If it was meant to crush and kill us," Harry panted, trying to kick himself out of the prison of trees, "It didn't do a great job."

"It's more annoying than painful," Oliver agreed, letting his hand fall back to his side, as the tree proved to me non-movable with sheer force.

"Who's still conscious?" Kips asked from a bit off, and the Aurors who could, said their names. Harry carefully listened for any names not called out, and grabbed Oliver's arm when he noticed who was missing.

"Are Adalia, Silvia or Isabella near you?" He said quietly, "I didn't hear their names."

"Isabella's over there, I see her," Oliver replied, "But I think she's out cold."

He gulped.

"You don't think Adalia got crushed, do you?" Oliver asked nervously, trying to look around for the dark-haired woman.

"Last I saw her, she was with Silvia," Harry answered, "But I'm sure they're both just over there, out of view."

"God, I hope so," Oliver said anxiously, continuing to try and break free.

"Potter!" Kips yelled, "She's here!"

"Who?" Harry called back.

"Falcov," Kips replied, "I think she's unconscious, though."

"Can you reach them, Noah?" Oliver asked.

"Uh, no," Kips said, "But- Oh! She's bleeding!"

"Get me out of here!" Oliver cried, wriggling around trying to escape, "Where's my wand?!"

Most of the Auror's wands had been blasted from their hands, so they were in the semi-dark, calling out for one another.

"We need to think strategically," Proudfoot growled, "Trying to force ourselves out isn't going to work."

"Got a better idea?" Oliver snarled back, and Harry groaned.

"There's no time for arguments," he sighed, closing his eyes, trying to logically get himself out of this situation.

"How far do you reckon we are from my house?" He said, after a few minutes of silent thinking.

"Probably about half a mile," Poole said instantly, "But surely you out of all people wouldn't want to get your family-"

"No, not Ginny," Harry interrupted, "My owls sleep in the surrounding trees, so I thought…"

"Could you try and call them or something?" Proudfoot asked, "I'm starting to feel very claustrophobic."

"Aren't we all?" Oliver shot back.

"Guys, please," Harry said hotly, "It needs to be quiet."

Silence fell over the flattened group, and Harry blinked, trying to focus.

"Nova! Moki!" he yelled, listening for the familiar screeches of his owls. But nothing came.

He tried again, this time, louder.

To his upmost relief, he heard the soft rush of air, and the low hoot of Moki.

The owl hooted again, before landing on the trunk with ease.

"No one happens to have a quill and parchment, do they?" Harry asked desperately, and to his dismay, he heard a flurry of 'no's' in amongst the Aurors.

Moki hooted once more, scraping her talons on the trunk, trying to find a way to get to Harry.

"Ask her to get someone!" Kips suggested.

"Who, though?" Oliver answered, and Kips muttered an inaudible response.

"Your wife?"

"I don't want her involved in this," Harry said firmly, "And I don't want her to worry, either."

"Just ask the owl to get a quill and parchment, and bring it over here," Proudfoot said, "Then we can think about this properly."

"That's a good plan," Harry agreed, before directing his voice up, "Right, Moki-" The owl hooted in response, "-go back home, and grab a quill and parchment, then come right back."

Moki screeched, and the sudden beat of silent wings told Harry that Moki was off on her way.

"Now we wait." Harry sighed, kicking the trunk in frustration.


I dressed Mabel up in some of James' old pyjamas, and closed the curtains to our room, making the darkness of the night present.

"Night night," I whispered, crouching down to her level, and tucking her in, "Try and sleep, okay? I'll be right here if you need me."

"When Liam sleeping?" Mabel asked sleepily, gripping harder onto the pink stained rabbit.

"He'll be up in about half an hour," I replied, kissing her forehead, and standing up straight, "I love you, Mabel J."

"Love you," Mabel murmured back, rolling over, and smiling at me.

"I'll see you in the morning," I smiled back, blowing her another kiss. I slowly backed out the room, and quietly shut the door behind me, making sure I wasn't too loud.

"Katie," Robert said, making me jump out of my skin.

"Geez," I muttered, clutching my heart, "Please don't do that to me!"

He grinned, and kissed me lightly.

"We'll get through this," he whispered, "I promise."

"I know," I replied, pulling him in for a hug.

A quiet tapping sound broke the calm, and I suddenly felt on edge again.

"What was that?" I hissed, and Robert shrugged. It sounded like it had come from the room we didn't go in when we had a 'tour' around the house.

Ginny appeared from Albus' room, and looked directly at me and Robert.

"I think it's just Nova." She said quietly, but if it was to herself, or to us, I will never know.

"I'm sorry, who?" Robert asked.

"Oh," Ginny said softly, "We have 2 owls, Nova and Moki, and the sounds coming from Harry's office sounds like ones trying to get in."

"Owls hey?" Robert said, looking awestruck, "That's pretty cool."

"I'm just going to check," Ginny said in an undertone, walking forwards, and gently pushing back the door.

"Yeah, it's Moki," Ginny said in relief, walking into the room, and out of view.

"We should get owls," Robert suggested, but I shook my head firmly.

"We couldn't look after a couple of fish, let alone an owl, Robert." I grinned slightly, remembering our 2 fish we got when we first moved in as a couple.

"What're you doing?" I heard Ginny mutter, and I heard the sounds of rustling feathers and the movement of things on a wooden surface.

Finally, Ginny re-emerged, looking thoroughly confused.

"Everything alright?" I asked in alarm, but Ginny nodded.

"She came in, took a qu – pencil – and some par – paper – and flew off." Ginny explained, looking back into the room.

"None of them have ever done that before," she added as an afterthought, "Unless-"

But something must have clicked inside of her, for she suddenly gaped, and hurried into the room next to the one she had just left. I glanced at Robert, and we quickly followed her.

She had opened the window, and was yelling 'Moki!' into the night.

"What's going on?" Robert asked me, but I shrugged in bewilderment.

"Moki! Get back here!" Ginny called, but to no success. The owl was long gone. She sighed, and called again, this time, using a different name.

"Nova!"

A hoot came from the distance, and Ginny stuck her arm out.

"So he only asked for your sister, eh?" Ginny muttered, as another owl landed on her arm. She brought him in, and strode out of the empty room, me and Robert hurrying after her.

We followed her to the living room, where she set Nova down on the back of the armchair, before quickly darting over to the window.

"No one," she said quietly, turning back to us.

"What just happened?" I asked, out of breath.

"I think Harry called for Moki, his own owl, and she gave him things to contact someone who could help him." Ginny said simply, "Why didn't he call for you, eh, Nova?"

Nova hooted indignantly.

"You think he's nearby then?" Robert asked.

"Yes," Ginny replied, "He had to be near enough to call her verbally, and so he can't be more than a mile away."

"Why call for the owl?" I asked in confusion, "Why not contact a person directly?"

"I reckon they're stuck." Ginny said, "I reckon they're stuck, and they can't get out."

"Stuck?" I asked in bewilderment, "Like, trapped?"

Ginny nodded, before extending her hand, and gently stroking the owl's feathers.

"He'll get out," She said, so calmly, I wondered if I should be worried for her, "He'll find a way."

"Couldn't that owl have just contacted you, or something?" Robert asked, but Ginny sighed.

"He could have," she said, "But he wouldn't."

"Why not?" Robert asked curiously, "You're here, obviously nearby, and could probably get help quicker than an owl."

"He wouldn't want to involve me or the children," Ginny explained, "And I trust his judgement. Moki'll listen to him, and do what he wants."

"How'd you train them?" Robert wondered.

"They just sort of… learn," Ginny said, "But Moki only listens to Harry."

The clock suddenly chimed 8, and we all gave a start.

"It's past Liam's bedtime," Robert said mildly, "I thought he was going in for an early night?"

"Ah, well," I said, shrugging, "Things get in the way."

Ginny grinned, and we went back up the stairs together.

When we reached the James' bedroom door, we could hear the hushed whispers of 5-year-old boys coming from within.

"When I'm older, I'll go to a real magic school, like Mummy and Daddy!" I heard James say in an excited whisper.

"Can't I come too?" Liam hissed in reply.

"No," James answered, just as quietly, "You'll have to get a special letter."

"Have you got your letter yet?"

"No, you get it when you turn 11."

Ginny frowned, and pushed open the door.

James squealed, and quickly hid something long and wooden behind his back.

"James," Ginny said seriously, "I hope you'll put that back in a minute."

James nodded furiously, shooting anxious glances to me and Robert.

"Good," Ginny nodded, "It's your bedtime."

James obviously didn't want to argue, for he quickly shot up, and dashed into bed, smiling innocently up at his Mum.

"Say night to Liam," Ginny smiled, walking over, and pulling the covers up over his Pyjama clad body.

"Night Liam," James parroted, "See ya tomorrow mornin'."

"Yeah," Liam replied, approaching me, and groping for my hand.

I backed out the room, and ambled back to our own. I silently pushed open the door, careful to not wake up my sleeping 3-year-old, and led Liam over to his little bed by the wall.

I bent down, and helped him get comfortable, before kissing him on his forehead.

"I miss our home," He said sadly, "I don't wanna be homeless."

"You're not homeless, Liam," I said quietly, "We're in James' home."

"But our-"

"I know, Liam," I sighed, "But I don't know how long it'll take for us to find a new house."

"Will we still leave here?" He asked fearfully.

"Of course," I said firmly, "I love living here too."

Liam smiled softly, and slowly but surely, his eyes began to droop, and I was left crouching alone next to his small mattress in a dark room.


The dark was really beginning to take its toll on the Aurors. Harry could no longer make out the outline of Oliver under the thick trunks of the trees, and everyone was starting to get cramp.

"My leg hurts really bad," Kips moaned, trying to stretch his leg.

"You're not the only fucking one," Proudfoot snapped in reply.

"Just saying," muttered Kips

"Titan's really dead, isn't he?" Said a small voice, and Harry identified it as Isabella Oulton, Edward's partner.

"There was nothing he could do," Beatle replied quietly, "He was trying his best, Isabella."

"Who am I going to work with?" She whispered, clearly in a state of panic.

"We'll put you with one of the new recruits, Oulton," Proudfoot said harshly, "And you won't be able to choose."

"Chill out, man," Oliver said, "Do you not have any respect?"

"What happened when Dawlish died eh?" Proudfoot retorted, "I got stuck with a trainee, who's only purpose is to bring me a coffee in the morning!"

"You two arguing won't help any of us get out of here," Rosewell said, "I wonder how long it will take for Starcoff to get the message?"

"Probably another 10 minutes at least," Harry sighed, "London's a pretty lengthy journey from here."

"Oh, so that's why your owls always take an age to arrive," Kips said, in a hope to lighten the mood. Harry chuckled.

"The boys always want to put in their messages too," He said, "That's why they take so long to send off."

"How old are they now?" Beatle asked.

"James just turned 5, Al's 2, and Lily's about 4 weeks." Harry said, smiling at the thought of his family.

"Ah, the times when I had young children," Kips replied, "My eldest started Hogwarts last year."

"Fiona?"

"Yes, that's right," said Kips, "And I'm seriously considering quitting being a front line Auror."

"What?" Interjected Beatle, startled by this news, "Since when?"

Kips sighed, "It's too stressful for the kids, and for my wife."

"The Auror department is getting thinner by the day," commented Rosewell, "But I-"

At that moment, a huge burst of movement and sound all happened at once.

The trees were suddenly lifted instantaneously, freeing the Aurors, but creating a ginormous creak and groan through the forest.

Harry instantly jumped to his feet, ignoring the protesting pops from his cramped muscles, and grabbing his wand from a nearby bush.

"Potter," a voice growled, and Harry looked round to see Arlen Starcoff standing in the clearing, the rest of the DMLE standing close in his wake.

"Thank god," Harry muttered, lighting his wand, igniting the faces of the people in front of him.

"Did they get away?" Starcoff asked carefully, watching as the Aurors all rose to their feet, and groped around for their wands.

"I-" began Harry, but Starcoff's brow furrowed.

"Don't tell me, after all this," he breathed, "That they got away."

"We couldn't do anything!" protested Harry, indicating his groaning team, "Some landscaping spell we'd never seen before!"

"And none of you had your wands?"

"They were flung from our hands as the floor moved."

"Who got hit?" he asked, suddenly very quiet.

Harry looked around, and saw Titan on the floor, his face bruised from being under the trees, and his cloak twisted around him like some terrible veil. His face was stark white, and he still had his hand gripped tight over his wand.

"Edward Titan," Harry muttered, crouching down next to the young Aurors still body, and placing his palm to his cheek.

"He's freezing," Harry commented, "It'd be better to move him now."

"What about that one?" Starcoff said, pointing to where Adalia lay, in a pool of blood.

"Adalia," Oliver whispered, rushing to the woman's side, and trying desperately to wake her up.

"Adalia, wake up, please," Oliver said helplessly, looking at Harry for help.

"What happened to them?" he cried quietly, "Help me, Harry!"

Harry came down to Oliver's side, and he too, inspected the damage the tree had done to Adalia's left arm.

"There's nothing-" Harry started, but Oliver stopped him, his eyes wet with the threat of tears.

"What would you be doing if this was Ginny, Harry," Oliver said hotly.

"I'd be helping, begging for her to wake up, of course," Harry replied in bewilderment, and Oliver looked at him fiercely.

"Help her." He said simply, but Harry shook his head.

"I'm not a healer, Oliver," he replied firmly, "I'd want Ginny to go to a healer. I wouldn't live with myself if I tried to magically heal her, and something went wrong."

"Norcross," Starcoff said from behind them, "I have 2 healers here, they can help her. For now, please accompany me and the other Aurors as we search the area."

"I can't leave her," Oliver choked, but Harry gently pulled his hand away.

"C'mon," Harry muttered, "She'll go to St Mungo's, and get good medical care from there."

"St Mungo's," Oliver murmured, "Ok."

"HE'S HERE!" someone yelled, and Harry quickly snapped back into Auror mode.

"No way!" he cried, sprinting up to where Beatle had yelled.

"That's not an Auror," Kips whispered, his voice shaking.

A masked figure with a long green cape was spread out across the floor, his wand a few metres away, and his limbs twisted in all directions.

"Move!" yelled Starcoff, his wand lifted, "Don't go off guard that easily!"

"They got hit with their own spell?" Harry asked astounded, glancing at Starcoff.

"That's a stunner, that is," Poole interpolated, "No trees did that."

"Who did it?" Starcoff asked, but all the Aurors shrugged.

"We were all sending stunners left right and centre," Rosewell explained, "It could have been any of us."

"No way was it that easy," hissed Starcoff, "This murderer had his methods thought out. He would've thought about getting hit by a stunner."

"He wasn't getting hit by any of our stunners, actually," Isabella said, "He was laughing about it."

"Take the body," Starcoff ordered, signalling to a couple of members of the DMLE, "Put it somewhere contained, and make sure he can't escape."

"Do you want his wand?" Oulton asked, reaching down for the magical stick, but both Harry and Arlen yelled "No!"

Isabella quickly pulled her hand back, and looked nervously at her superiors.

"Your magical footprint will leave an imprint on the wand's spell waves, and when we use priori incantatem, your trace would be found on it." Starcoff explained, getting another couple of the DMLE to carefully summon the wand into a deep black bag.

"I never learnt that in training," Kips said, and Beatle nodded in agreement.

"It's on the new training spectrum," Harry said, "Kingsley decided it would be better if Aurors knew about this stuff."

"Have you done a count, Potter?" Starcoff asked, but Harry shook his head.

He silently counted: Beatle, Poole, Norcross, Falcov, Proudfoot, Kips, Rosewell, Oulton, Fern, Matthews, Titan was dead, but-

"Silvia isn't here," He said quietly, and everyone started to look around.

"Has anyone seen her?" Rosewell asked, but everyone shook their heads.

"She was definitely with Falcov," insisted Kips, "I saw them before the world crashed over."

"I'm here," came a shaky voice from behind a dense part of the forest, and Silvia walked out, her hair plastered onto her cheeks, and her face almost as pale as the dead Edward Titan.

"What the-" mouthed Harry, staring in amazement.