CHAPTER NINE
ENEMY REVEALED
The feast at Castelobruxo had been as magnificent as Harry had imagined it would. He was glad for it because Hermione and Luna came back with little to no information that they had uncovered. Harry had gotten some things that could possibly be of some use, if he understood the big picture, but he didn't understand any of it. So they made the most of a glorious feast and got home for the late evening, after a series of portkey trips back and a small walk.
Harry had commended Williamson on his part in the trip and asked him to file a report for the trip tomorrow. After Williamson headed off, Harry thanked Luna and Hermione for coming and apologised that he didn't have more use for them, but they didn't take to such an apology. Harry thanked them doubly and bid his goodbyes, apparating back to Grimmauld Place.
Harry fell asleep within minutes of arriving home. Ginny and Luna were already asleep and he had no qualms in joining them.
When he arose early the next morning—and after he had grumbled his way downstairs to make and consume his morning coffee—Harry pulled out all of his notes that he had written and received from Hermione and Luna, as well as those copied by Williamson from the books at Castelobruxo, and piled them all up on the dining room desk. He planned to shuffle through all of it and make sense of what he could, then head into the office after noon with a report and some actions going forward.
The first few papers were the notes he had copied from Guides to Purity, which had instructions on how to prevent soul curses from being sealed. Harry had found himself occasionally chanting to himself in his own head, like the instructions had said, but nothing had happened that Harry had noticed.
Underneath those few scraps were more scraps from Williamson. It was clear he had taken notes from several parts of a book and compiled them onto a couple of pages, so diagrams and paragraphs were crammed in odd places.
One such paragraph read:
Such is the severity of the power of these ancient sources of magic, that attempts to harness them—such as those attempts in the use of the branches of magic of the soul and purity—are strands of the original source twisted and manipulated for the user's means.
However, the aforementioned strands of the original source of magic, the ancient sources, can still be accessed in the most basic of manners by most magical folk, especially for means of self-defence. Magic of the soul and of purity are most potent when unfiltered and unchanged.
After this were a collection of small diagrams with notes above them. Williamson had scribed a note meant for Harry:
These "spells" have no incantation. I'm guessing the shape is how to move the wand? None of them remove curses, I checked. Sorry.
Harry glances at the collection of shapes and swirls.
The first one Harry saw was a spiral that went inside itself twice and then up into the air. Underneath, the note for the diagram read, "in the need of dispossession."
Dispossession? A disarming spell?
Harry frowned. It was possible that's what it meant, but if this was apparently ancient magic to defend against rare branches, he doubted it would be a simple disarming spell. But if not that, what?
Dispossession… like an exorcism?
The idea popped into Harry's head and it took him a few moments to realise he really liked that as an option.
Those muggles who were forced to use magic. It was like they were possessed.
That had to be it, right? A spell to dispossess anyone caught under the influence of soul magic. Harry remembered that splashing water in their face helped too, but the spell was useful to know… if it actually worked. Harry practised the wand movement to himself as he sat there, all the time knowing full well he had no incantation to cast, so nothing would happen.
Besides, there was no-one there who needed dispossessing.
Harry looked at the next few drawings. He stared at them, becoming more confused the more he consumed. The shapes didn't tell him anything useful and the captions next to the so-called spells wasn't much help either:
"...in the need of seal prevention… in the need of energy conservation…"
They sounded like useful defences; if he had any idea how to actually use them.
With frustration mounting, Harry used the excuse of Ginny and Luna waking up shortly after this and coming down for breakfast to give himself a break.
"How was your trip? Why didn't you wake me?" Ginny asked.
"You looked comfortable. I didn't want to wake you," Harry shrugged, "As for the trip, I got loads of information… but no more answers."
"You'll figure it out," Ginny said, rubbing his shoulder, then turning to make Lily and herself cereal.
"I hope so," Harry replied and took a sip of his coffee. The tired itchiness around his eyes faded a little.
"Don't hope," Ginny called over, "Just do."
"I would if I knew how to," Harry replied.
Ginny turned with a frown at the odd answer to the oft-spoken proverb.
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.
"I discovered spells from a whole new branch of magic - well, an old branch - but I have no idea how to use it," Harry complained.
Ginny finished her cereal preparation and brought the bowls over, handing Lily hers and sitting down with her own. The Golden Snitches swam around in a bowl of milk, occasionally trying to flex their wings and escape, but never quite managing it.
As she sat down, Harry slid a few of the papers across the table for her to get a better look.
"Where's the incantations?" Ginny asked.
"There are none," Harry replied.
"Didn't you ask the headmaster there?"
"I did," Harry replied, "But he couldn't explain to me how to get the magic to work."
Ginny studied the diagrams for a few moments, a frown slowly forming on her face.
"What?" Harry said, knowing she was thinking something interesting.
"It's just…" Ginny started, then paused and looked up at Harry, "These are just drawings, glyphs… but that doesn't necessarily mean they are wand movements."
Harry frowned, "But what else could they be?"
"I don't know… maybe they are codes that when translated give you real instructions. Maybe they are instructions for wandless magic. Maybe these are hand movements," Ginny shrugged.
A spark lit in Harry's brain. Wandless magic.
Harry stood up suddenly. He checked his watch. It was nearly half past eight.
"Ginny, my darling," Harry said, which earned an odd look from Ginny because he never called her darling, "You are a bloody genius, do you know that?"
Her expression turned into a genuine, cute smile. Harry's heart fluttered.
"I try," Ginny replied, "But I'm not sure what I did."
"You may have just given me an answer," Harry said.
He leaned over and kissed Ginny full on the lips.
"Harry, I'm eating," she complained, feigning annoyance despite the smile on her face.
Harry turned to Lily, leaned down and gave her a hug and a kiss.
"I'll see you later, Lily," Harry said.
Lily grunted. Harry had no doubt had she been allowed, she would have gone back to sleep into her bowl of cereal.
Harry reached the front door and held out his wand.
Can you meet me at my office in half an hour please? I don't want to distract you from your induction, but this is urgent. Thank you. Harry Potter. He thought of Ginny's smile. Expecto Patronum!
~:-)
Harry was in his office waiting fifteen minutes later. He had brought all of his notes with him. His appointment loomed as he looked over them again.
Then, a little earlier than Harry had expected, there was a knock on the door. Harry collected the notes into one neat pile and called for the visitor to come in.
Boka Shacklebolt opened and stepped through the door.
"Hello, Mr Potter," Boka said politely.
"Just Harry, please," Harry insisted.
"Harry," Boka repeated. He looked nervous, "You - wanted to see me?"
"Yes, I did," Harry said, "Thanks for coming on such short notice. Come, sit down."
Harry pointed his arm at the chair on the other side of his desk, and Boka took the proffered seat.
"How's the induction going?" Harry asked.
Boka smiled, "It's good. I like it. It's … a lot to take in."
Harry nodded, "You'll get used to it. Everyone does."
Harry grabbed the pile of notes and diagrams.
"I called you up here because I need your help on an investigation," Harry said.
Boka opened his eyes wide, "Already?"
Harry laughed.
"Not officially, don't worry. But something came up and I thought you might be the perfect person to help me."
"Me?" Boka asked, looking genuinely stunned.
"Yeah," Harry said, "I believe you told me that you practice wandless magic?"
"That's right," Boka nodded.
"Well, without going into too much detail; in the investigation I'm working on, there is some ancient magic at play. I have found instructions from what may be linked magic, but I have no idea how to decipher the instructions. Does this look like anything you might have seen in your wandless magic studies?"
Harry spread the diagrams out on the desk. Boka took one or two and glanced at them and nodded.
"Yes, these are glyphs for enchantments."
Harry's heart jumped into his throat, beating excitedly. He tried to remain calm.
"Do you use instructions like these? Can you explain them to me?"
"Well," Boka said, pointing at one of them, "This diagram is the movement you make with your hands. A little like wand movements."
"And do these glyphs give you the incantation somehow?" Harry asked.
"No, it doesn't really work like that," Boka said.
"So, how does it work?" Harry asked.
Boka's gaze was quite odd; half-nervous, half-bewildered that he was correcting the Head Auror of the Ministry of Magic. Harry had realised in his recent years that people often assumed he was smarter than he actually was. They always seemed to find it a little bizarre that Harry Potter needs to have something explained to him every now and then.
"Well," Boka said, "With wandless magic, there are no incantations. It's more of a spiritual experience. It is very difficult to master, which is why many choose to go for a wand. But in my culture, we are raised wandless… it's what we know. It is an ancient art that has died out in a lot of magical communities around the world. We see nothing wrong with using wands, but we believe wandless magic is the most precise and powerful method of casting spells."
"So, how would I, a wand-user, learn to use some of these spells wandlessly?" Harry asked.
"I - I'm not entirely sure. I'm not a teacher and I don't really know the details of wand magic. But I could tell you how I would use that magic. Maybe it would be useful," Boka replied.
Harry raised his arms in admittance, "Go ahead."
"So, if I were following these instructions, I would use the glyph as an instruction for my hand movements," Boka explained, mimicking one particular diagram, "And then I would focus mentally on what the magic is supposed to do. Sometimes I can do this with a chant inside my head, sometimes I just imagine it happening. The key aspect is that you are focusing mentally and channelling your spiritual energy."
"The problem is, Boka," Harry said, "I have no idea how to do that."
"Nonsense!" Boka exclaimed, with a bunch of confidence that was lacking moments ago.
"Sorry?" Harry asked.
"You sent me a message using a Patronus," Boka said, "And even though you used a wand, you still had to use your mental and spiritual energy to manifest it. It is almost the same thing."
Harry absorbed the explanation, trying to make sense of it.
"Alright, so how exactly do I channel my energy for this?" Harry pointed at the notes.
"Unfortunately, I cannot really tell you," Boka shrugged, "It comes from inside and it is different for everyone. It is not practical. Only theoretical, mental and spiritual."
"But if I tried, could I use it? Or is it pointless me even trying because it's so unlikely? Be brutally honest," Harry questioned.
Boka gave a sympathetic smile, "Unlikely, yes. Impossible, no. Anyone can do it. It just takes practice. And true faith in it. Imagine someone trying to use wand magic without truly believing it exists? I don't think it would be as effective, if it worked at all. I think the same logic applies here."
Harry nodded, "Alright, thank you Boka."
Harry collected the pages together.
"I'll give it a go then. I may call on you for advice," Harry said.
"I'll help if I'm able," Boka replied.
Harry nodded, "Alright. You can go back to your induction now. And I suppose we'll be seeing you up here very soon."
"Thank you," Boka replied, "I appreciate that."
Harry stood up and shook his hand. Boka stood up as he met Harry's hand, recognised the dismissal and left the office.
Harry cancelled all appointments for the next hour and locked his office door. He did everything he could think of to try and connect to his spiritual energy. He did breathing exercises, he closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. All he really succeeded in was making himself sleepy.
Nevertheless, he persevered. Harry spent half an hour going through all the hand movements, trying to commit them to memory, just in case.
Eventually, he gave up but told himself to practice doing it regularly. Maybe it was something he could learn over time…
And it was a week later where Harry would put the magic to the test for the first time. It was a Wednesday evening and the work day was just about to be over for Harry, when reports of Muggle riots reached them. On high alert, Harry took the team of Williamson, Dawlish and Wilkins with him since they were the only Aurors in the office. He sent Patronus messages to the rest of the Auror team and informed Kingsley of their mission.
When they arrived at the scene, a run-down urban borough in the heart of Cardiff, there were already Muggle riot police at the scene. Projectiles were being launched from the rioters, and Harry immediately noticed some of the Muggles carrying the whispering wands.
King had apparated in after receiving the Patronus message.
"It's them," Harry confirmed to his team, "You know the drill. Disarm them. Douse them. Obliviate them."
The team murmured in understanding and they set off.
Harry's nagging brain reminded him that his curse could make him vulnerable at any moment, but he didn't have time to think about that now.
He reached the closest Muggle he could get to. He was a short, slightly overweight man with thick sideburns and a hairline that was recoiling from his scalp. The man saw Harry and apparently didn't like the look of him as he lunged forward with a fist. Harry whipped up a shield charm and the punch deflected in the air. Harry then cast a disarming spell but nothing happened.
Harry frowned and distanced himself from the Muggle. He attempted to disarm him again and was successful the second time. Relieved, Harry turned to see a group of four or five Muggles all holding wands and using them to levitate a car ten feet into the air.
"Oh boy," Harry breathed to himself, then shouted over, "Dawlish, Wilkins, with me."
The two summoned Aurors approached Harry.
"We need to get that car out of the air, we can't douse them or we risk injuring people."
"So, we take the car out of their hands?" Wilkins asked.
"Exactly," Harry said, "and I think it's safer if the three of us work together on it."
Dawlish nodded, "When you're ready."
The three of them cast their own levitation spells at the blue sedan. Together, they managed to pry the car from the control of the Muggles and set it aside on an empty patch of pavement. It landed with a clank.
The Muggles who had control of the car turned to face the trio of Aurors and started unleashing stunning spells. Harry was quick to launch some shield charms up into the air as Wilkins and Dawlish unleashed water streams from the tips of their wands, washing down the Muggles and waking them from their possession.
The rest of the Muggles were collected in smaller clusters of two and three, all around the street and leading onto the next one.
Someone had caused the Muggles to act like this, so where were they? Were they close? Maybe they were watching from somewhere nearby?
Harry looked around for any signs of hidden crevices or ledges with a vantage point. He saw nothing that triggered his suspicion.
Harry travelled down the road, separating from Dawlish and Wilkins. There were some Muggles down here who were stragglers, not getting involved in the violence but not themselves either. Harry eyed them curiously.
Why were they not being aggressive like the others? Were they fighting back somehow?
Harry decided now was as good a time as any to try what he had been practising. He approached one of the Muggles, tucking his wand away. This man was tall, with wispy, blond hair that almost looked like clouds upon his head.
When he was around ten feet away, Harry waved his arms in front of him. He tried to imitate his memory of the diagram, with the swirling line that flicked up at the centre. And while he did so, he imagined the spell hitting the man like a gust of wind, like a breeze waking someone from a daydream.
Harry finished the movement and flicked his arm upwards.
The man stumbled.
Harry waited, holding his breath.
The man looked directly at Harry, "Who are you?"
It worked, Harry gaped, barely daring to believe it was true.
He was so stunned he didn't answer the man. Instead, he just walked away from him. Harry had to try again. He had to make sure this wasn't a fluke. He found another straggler, a young, pretty woman with curly black hair and brown skin.
He repeated the motions, like he did before. This time he didn't need to visualise the woman waking from her possession, because he had faith it would happen.
And it did.
It was like… magic, yeah, Harry finished his own thought sarcastically, amused by his own obtusity.
Harry was suddenly feeling very excited; if this dispossession spell was working, and he had seemed to unlock the method of casting them, what other spells could he use? He was annoyed to admit to himself that the only other one he remembered well was the spell that was labelled for when "in need of physical protection".
The enchantment included a hand movement in a circular anti-clockwise motion up to a high point and then a push forward in the air with that hand.
Harry mimicked the movements as best as he could remember them.
For a moment—-a split second—-the air in front of Harry glimmered as if protected by a shield charm... and then it was gone.
"This is amazing," Harry said to himself.
Over the next ten minutes, he went around to as many people as he could, using the wandless magic to dispossess Muggles while protecting himself from any projectiles. What Harry quickly realised was not a single spell from this ancient branch of magic seemed affected by the curse. Not one spell had failed, or not worked properly. The only thing he couldn't do with the new magic was modify memories, but he had instructed Dawlish and Wilkins to take care of that, since he didn't want to risk botching a memory job.
Twenty minutes after the Aurors had arrived, the situation was under control. The Muggle police had had their memories modified too and been calmed enough to leave. The Muggles wandered off one by one, as soon as the memory charms had been applied, acting like nothing strange had happened at any point in that day.
Harry tried to ask one or two of them if they remembered anything strange happening to them, before the other two had completed their memory modifications but none of them had anything to offer.
Here they were once again, reacting to terrorism rather than preventing it.
But at least now I have something to fight back with.
~:-s
Harry didn't tell anyone about the soul magic he had used; he knew they would only ask questions, and he didn't know any of the answers himself. He had lucked out on finding some useful but basic spells but that didn't make him some sort of ancient magic savant.
The Muggle riots were becoming more frequent again and in the next two weeks, there were three more. Harry used the soul magic to great success every time… but something kept him feeling uneasy and on edge.
Whoever was causing these riots were doing it more often than they ever had before; it was like they were building to some kind of crescendo and Harry, not having a clue who they were, had no idea how to prevent them from doing anything until they had already started doing it.
These thoughts weighed on his mind a week later, at the end of January. Harry had been sleeping, given that it was two am. The Aurors on duty would have been able to handle the situation of Muggle riots, but Harry had told them to at least inform him of any breakouts.
And they had.
The Patronus' light, just an orb without a corporeal form, woke him up before the voice did, which he recognised as Dawlish.
Muggle riots in Enfield. Biggest one yet. And that's not all, I'm at the scene and I've spotted Wizards among the Muggles. Could be trouble coming tonight.
Harry's heart skipped a beat; he was tired but he knew he had to go. Wizards among the Muggles? The person behind this could be one of them.
The crescendo, Harry thought, annoyed at his own cynicism.
He may not get a better chance to catch this bastard.
Decision made, he slipped out of the bedroom (Ginny had not woken) and headed downstairs to prepare. He had gathered his things and put on his robes when he heard movement coming from the hallway.
Looking up, he saw Ginny standing there, yawning sleepily.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.
"Another Muggle riot," Harry answered.
Ginny frowned, rubbing her eyes, "Can't they deal with it without you? Come back to bed."
"I can't, Gin - there's Wizards there this time," Harry replied.
Ginny opened her eyes sharply.
"Wizards?"
"Yeah," Harry replied, "Whoever is behind this… well, they could be showing their face for the first time."
Ginny moved into the room and covered the distance between them swiftly, wrapping her arms around Harry.
"Be careful," she told him.
It almost sounded like a threat, as if her scorn if he got injured would be worse than any injury he might incur.
He held her tight, "Of course, I always am. Gin, I have to go."
Ginny reluctantly let go of Harry and he headed to the door. Just before he opened it, he turned on the spot, pulled Ginny in and kissed her on the lips.
"I love you," he said.
"Love you too," Ginny replied.
Harry nodded, turned and pulled the door open. As he stepped out into the sharp bite of winter, he turned on the spot and apparated into the darkness.
Church Street was a long, straight road. Shops lined each side; electronic stores, late night takeaways, boutiques and post offices. Most of them were shut and most of them had received damage. The Indian takeaway's windows were smashed and Harry saw at least two cars on fire.
Projectiles flew through the air; the noise was horrendous. Crashes and thuds, screams and yells.
Down the road, Harry saw a line of shielded riot police trying to block an army of at least a hundred people. He looked up; in the distance, he saw news helicopters. He sighed in frustration; they would have to work discreetly.
Harry stepped aside as a glass bottle flew overhead. He scanned the area, looking for people he recognised. After a few moments, he came across Dawlish and King. They were underhandedly casting Aguamenti, using their robes to cover their wands.
"Report?" Harry called over to Dawlish.
"It's bad," Dawlish replied, not looking back. He disarmed a nearby Muggle and soaked him, "Bridger-Cookson, Williamson, Wilkins and Cavey are up ahead in the thick of it. They've gone up there to tackle the Wizards."
"How many?" Harry asked.
"At least six of them. And one of them has a big, old book."
"A book?" Harry's ears perked up.
"Massive one. She's using magic from it," Dawlish explained.
She? A big, magical book? The Grimoire of Dabria?
Harry's mind was racing. "I'm going in," he informed Dawlish and King.
Harry set off down the side of the street, trying to avoid any confrontation with the rioters or the police alike. He sneaked through the riot shields by taking a back alley detour. When he emerged on the other side, ahead of the sea of Muggles trying to get through the police shield, he saw a smaller but far more intense battle going on.
The Aurors were fighting valiantly; and there was no subtlety here. Flashes and lights illuminated the dark street as both sides exchanged blows. Harry glanced up and recognised a ripple in the air; one of the Aurors had been smart enough to set protective enchantments. Harry hoped they would be enough to stop the media getting footage of the battle.
Harry surged forward.
The terrorists were fighting hard and fighting fast. The leader, who seemed to be a woman, though it was hard to tell because she was hooded and her face was hidden, was waving her wand in complicated movements. In front of her, an ornate book floated in the air, glowing with an aura of its own.
But who was she? As crazy as it sounded, could he really be looking at the Dabria?
Harry realised what the owner of the grimoire was doing. All sorts of debris, from litter to shards of glass bottles and tyres were flying through the air, at the Aurors. Cavey and Bridger-Cookson had taken the flanks of their formation, focusing on shield charms and deflecting oncoming debris. Williamson and Wilkins stood in the middle, casting offensive charms at their opponents.
But they were outnumbered.
With Bridger-Cookson and Cavey on defensive duty, it was essentially six-on-two. Harry ran up to the scene, reaching for his wand. He hesitated.
If his magic failed him now, someone could get hurt… or worse.
He had hoped to keep it a secret; but he was left with no choice.
Moving his hand away from his wand, he sprinted past the Aurors.
He heard calls of shock and caution from his allies, but he did not heed them. Instead, he charged at the opposition. Stunned by this latest development, the enemies were momentarily frozen.
Harry rewarded their incompetence by crouching down and then lifting his arms up dramatically, climbing to his feet as he did so.
A blinding light poured from Harry's palms. The enemies shielded their eyes or recoiled to cover. Then, Harry took his opportunity. Whipping out his wand, he unleashed a flurry of disarming spells. Two of them hit their target and two wands flew out of the attackers hands, who scrambled backwards to find their wands in the dark.
A wave of nausea punched Harry right in the stomach. He stumbled, moving for cover behind a parked car, with the windscreen smashed through.
He looked back at the battlefield; the two he disarmed were still searching for their wands. The other three opponents, alongside their leader with the grimoire, were still on the offensive.
Harry put his wand away; in his current state, every time he used his wand he was meeting obstacles.
He had to be smart about this.
Harry headed back out into the open. Immediately, the four armed opponents turned to focus on him. Harry waved his arm up in an anti-clockwise motion and pushed forward. The stunning spell heading in his direction died as it hit his projected shield. More spells flew, Harry waved his arms in place to wherever he wanted to deflect.
With the firepower focused on Harry, the Aurors moved in. A stunning spell took out one of the enemies, who collapsed to the floor. Harry continued to deflect the brunt of the attacks with his shields, but one of the enemies had decided that Harry wasn't worth attacking anymore, and focused on the Aurors once again.
A beam of red light blasted from the short, hunched man and struck Cavey straight in the face. She went down with a surprised grunt. With Cavey no longer producing half of the protection, the enemies had turned the tide of the battle. Williamson ended up hitting a glass bottle away with his arm. When it was no longer viable to remain in formation, the Aurors separated.
Harry moved forward, continuing to use his shields to protect as many of the Aurors and himself as possible from projectiles.
A panic rose Harry's spine. His options were limited, unless he risked using his wand which could present a slew of new problems. Their defences were failing and the Aurors were getting hit by more projectiles. Williamson took a tumble when he tried to protect himself from a brick that flew in his direction.
And then just when Harry thought they might actually lose the battle, a series of cracks and pops broke the now monotonous sound of the rioting.
Harry recognised Ahmed and Kendrick from the Auror department, as well as Alexander Gumboil, the Head of the Hit Wizards. Alexander was a man of bulking nature, with thick legs, stocky arms and a beard that was perhaps thicker than anything else on him, intimidating black hair framed his entire head and half of his face.
And of course, wherever there was Gumboil, there were his forces. In this case, ten Hit Wizards, all dressed in identical night-blue robes. With backup forces in place, the Aurors and Hitwizards persisted.
The battle raged everywhere; now the enemies were faltering and losing momentum fast. But Harry had eyes for only one of them.
The woman had waved her wand, closing the book. With a quick spin, it vanished in the air. She was retreating.
Not on my watch, you don't.
The woman didn't even look at Harry. She simply spun on the spot and began sprinting.
"Damn it!" Harry cursed and broke into a sprint after her.
Harry pulled out his wand; in this situation he had no choice.
As Harry reached the end of Church Street, he saw the woman sprint across the road. One oncoming car slammed on their breaks and beeped angrily. She reached the other side and began to follow the border of the shopping centre.
Harry gave chase again.
Harry followed the woman all the way around the outside of the shopping centre, taking special care to check around corners before he turned them to make sure he didn't get sneak attacked.
But no attack came; whoever she was, she was fleeing now.
Harry was forced to slow down as he ran into a narrow alleyway.
"Lumos," he muttered, lighting his wand as he briskly jogged through the tight space.
The woman was still twenty feet or so ahead of him. He needed to hurry up.
As he reached the other end of the alleyway, he chased the woman across another road and then into an open, dark field.
With nothing but grass between them, Harry sped up as fast as he could, trying to close the distance. They reached the other side of the field and Harry was so close he could hear the woman's laboured gasps as she ran. She leapt over a low hedge that bordered the field. Harry copied her. He landed well, while she stumbled. They were both running at their maximum capacity, but Harry knew he was gaining on her. He could feel it. He stretched his arm out. She was so close he could almost touch her hood.
Just a little further.
Harry's fingers brushed the hood for half a second and he yanked it down. Dark, long hair flew in the wind as they ran. Harry re-positioned his wand; it was exceptionally difficult to aim while sprinting.
Harry tried to cast a wordless stunning spell, but the woman looked back and waved her wand with a flash.
Harry felt the shield charm repel him and he lost his footing, stumbling.
Lunging to stop himself from falling flat on his face, he recovered quickly enough to look up at the perpetrator. Dark hair, furrowed brows, dark, round eyes.
Harry felt a chill of recognition.
Then she was off again, and while Harry made an attempt to catch up, she had now gained enough distance to safely disapparate and she vanished with a twist.
"Shit!" Harry growled, kicking a box of fried chicken bones across the street he had just arrived on.
That was her. The girl behind it all.
And I've seen her before, Harry thought, Where the hell have I seen her before?
