Dumbledore arrived in the Entrance Chamber to witness what could only be described as chaos. Spell marks pockmarked the walls and floor of the room and in certain places, the smooth black stone appeared scorched and melted by intense heat. No less than five Aurors lay on the floor in various states of incapacitation. Most looked to have been Stunned, but one was moaning from the painful looking boils that had erupted on his skin. A quick wave of Dumbledore's wand set the unfortunate Auror right and the old wizard moved past him.
One of the twelve doors had been blasted off its hinges, and Dumbledore could hear shouted spell incantations and pained grunts within. He followed the noises into a dark room filled with model planets spinning in circles around a miniature sun. Beneath the revolving celestial bodies, three Aurors dueled a man in brown and tan robes.
Astonishingly, the intruder wielded not a wand but a strange blade of blue light that deflected all of the Aurors' spells, sending the multicolored jets in all directions. Dumbledore nimbly sidestepped a hissing yellow spark, and continued to move towards the fight.
As Dumbledore drew closer, the man in brown robes reflected a Stunning Spell back at its caster, then made a gesture with his hand, bringing Mars crashing down on the remaining Aurors in an astoundingly powerful display of wandless magic. The spectacle seemed to confirm what Dumbledore suspected, that whoever this man was, he was likely connected to what had happened with the Goblet of Fire.
Now came the potentially difficult task of capturing the man. Dumbledore cast his first spell silently, hoping to catch the intruder by surprise. However, the man reflected Dumbledore's Stunning Spell back at him without even looking up, and only quick reflexes saved the Headmaster of Hogwarts from being laid low like the Aurors.
Clearly, straightforward spells would not prevail, and this man seemed to have magically enhanced awareness. A less direct approach, then. Dumbledore subtly adjusted his grip on the Elder Wand, grasping the base more tightly while extending his pointer finger down the length of the wand's shaft.
"I don't suppose we can talk this out like civilized beings?" The brown-robed man took up an odd stance, pointing his blade at Dumbledore while holding his other hand out. His accent was unfamiliar, and definitely not from anywhere in the British Isles.
"If you surrender and come quietly, I believe that can be arranged." Dumbledore held his wand at the ready as he approached but refrained from casting any more spells.
"I was afraid that might be the condition." The man sighed. Without waiting for any more of a response, he leapt clear over Dumbledore's head, flipping once as he did so.
The sudden acrobatics took Dumbledore by surprise, but he reacted swiftly. With a twist of his wand, he Transfigured the remnants of Mars into water, which he swept around him in a smooth motion, bringing it crashing down on the brown-robed man in a mighty wave. A final flourish, and the water instantly froze solid, trapping the mysterious intruder while leaving just his head free. His blade of light had vanished.
Wand outstretched, Dumbledore approached the ice slowly. A few tense seconds passed, then the man coughed. "If I surrender, will you let me out of here before I freeze to death?"
Dumbledore blinked. He hadn't expected the man to give in so easily.
A/N: So I'm sure some of you are disappointed by the brevity of this fight, and the fact that the last two chapters are shorter than usual. As entertaining as it would have been to see Ben take out multiple Aurors with his own spells and hold his own against Dumbledore, I didn't feel like having a long fight scene this early in the story. I promise, Ben will have his moment to shine later on.
Thanks to everyone who's been following and reviewing, the positive feedback is much appreciated and a great motivator for me to keep working on this fic.
