AN: Here's a riddle for you guys, I don't have 'J.K Rowling' anywhere in my name, I'm in university and I'm pressed for time. Who am I?
Answer: Not J.K Rowling, owner of Harry Potter.
I know this update is super late, and I apologize for it. I know it's not really an excuse, but I've been having major assessment after major assessment (not even mentioning the minor ones) every week in university for the past two months leaving me extremely pressed for time. Apparently studying in med school is not conducive to creative writing, who would have thought?
While I may update late again, know that this story isn't getting dropped or going on hiatus anytime soon. The next chapter will come out, on time or not.
Again, I apologize for the delay, and hope to see you all next month (From Daphne's perspective this time)!
Post-AN note: The first chapter (not the prologue) has been edited for the sake of plot consistency. It's a fairly minor edit to Kingsley's dialogue, but it was an important edit to make I think.
Chapter2: Forging Paths
"Good morning Astoria" Harry said, yawning as he moved to lean on the secretary's wooden table.
"Morning," She replied, her voice an unusual monotone. "What can I do for you?"
"I have to see the Minister, it's about the investigation he has me doing and it is a little bit urgent."
"Well," she said without looking up, "He's in and not busy for another hour or so. You can head right in."
Harry squinted at her, "Er… right. Thank you." He walked over to the door behind her, and just as he was about to knock, he turned back around. "Astoria," He began, his speech halting as he hesitated.
"Yes," she sighed, and Harry couldn't help but be reminded of a deflating tire.
"Are you alright?"
She finally looked up and met Harry's eyes. Her grey irises normally resembled crackling storm clouds, but now they simply looked… drab. Like a shirt that had been washed one time too many.
"Yeah," she replied, "I'm fine. It's just my sister-"
"Daphne, right?"
She nodded, "She's lost her job."
Harry's brows shot up. He couldn't imagine anyone firing someone who was as passionate about their profession as he remembered Daphne being. "Well that's a little stupid. She fixed me up right, didn't she?"
Astoria's lips curved slightly upwards, "She'll be glad to hear. I guess it's because she always toes the line. She never knew when to listen to others."
"Doesn't change the fact that she is a good healer," Harry responded.
Her smile grew even wider, "I'll tell her you said that. I'm sure she'll need to hear it." There was a pause in the conversation, and Astoria's eyes flashed with mischief. "Listen, I'm going to be taking her out for dinner and a drink over at the Leaky Cauldron tonight around eight. To cheer her up. You should be there."
"I might be busy with the investigation," Harry said, "But I'll drop by if I'm around."
Astoria shrugged, "All I can ask for I suppose." She shooed him off with her hand, "Go on in then, Mr. Busy."
Harry snorted as he knocked on the door and entered as soon as he heard the Minister telling him he could come in.
After making sure he had closed the door properly, he sat across Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Good morning, Minister."
Kingsley smiled tiredly in response, "I thought I said that in private you can call me-"
Harry produced a roll of wrinkled yellow parchment from his robe pocket and put it on the oaken table, "Unfortunately, Minister, I'm not here on a social call."
"Obviously," he grumbled as he took the paper, "It's so early I haven't even had my tea yet…" His eyes narrowed as he slowly read its contents, his frown intensifying with each word.
"How did you acquire this letter?" He asked as he slowly put it down.
"Phoenix, sir." Harry replied, "Scared a year off my life last night."
Resignation flooded into Kingsley's eyes, "And you're sure?"
Harry smiled without humor, "I still have the scorch marks on my floor to prove it."
"Was it Fawkes?"
"Obviously."
He gave a beleaguered sigh, "This is probably legitimate, then."
Harry nodded, "I gathered as much. Should we keep its contents a secret?"
There was a pregnant pause.
"Yes," Kingsley nodded as he finally responded, "No need to spread undue panic. Especially if the situation is as temporary as this letter implies." He held up a finger, "However, your mission is the priority. If you think that revealing the contents of this letter is required, you may do so. What's your next step?"
Harry got up and put the letter back into his pocket. "Hogwarts. Dumbledore's portrait may have some answers."
He nodded in response, "Keep me posted." Harry made his way to the door, and right as he turned the handle, Kingsley told him to wait.
"Yes, sir?"
"You know that the Auror department cannot spare anyone to assist you in your mission."
"Yes."
"Your mission's monthly budget is large enough that hiring one or two people would still leave you with enough money to cover any other operational costs. Something to think about," He said, fatigue roughening his already deep voice, "I have a feeling you're going to want someone watching your back."
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPPHPHPHPHHP
Harry closed his eyes as he felt it pulling on his soul. The power. The magic. The Elder Wand.
It called to its master from its resting place at the bottom of the lake, its promises of unmatched power as alluring as a siren's song.
And Harry wouldn't even need to dive in to claim it. All he would need to do was to call it. Pull it into his grasp.
But some men simply don't deserve power.
"'Arry!" came a booming voice, and Harry opened his eyes. The morning sun reflected off the Black lake, its rays glittering daintily on its surface.
A pair of thick arms wrapped around Harry, squeezing the life out of him. "Hagrid," he choked out, I can't breathe…"
His release came as sudden as his embrace, and Harry was left gulping down air as fast as he could. "Good morning. How are you?"
"Fine, Fine. Can't complain." He said, his large smile visible through his shaggy black beard, "Been studyin' lots"
"For the O.W.L.s yeah?" Harry said, his smile as big as Hagrid's.
"Yeah! Now that I've got that pardon and all, I can take 'em! And Headmistress McGonagall says that no professor of Hogwarts can be teachin' without 'em, so I got to."
Harry snorted, "At least you get to use a proper wand, right?"
Hagrid produced a stick as long and as thick as a short sword from his coat pocket, although in his large hands it looked like a regular wand. "Yeah!" The giant man exclaimed, "Good of the Minister to do that, innit?"
"Yeah," Harry said, his smile slowly fading, "Speaking of which, I'm actually here on Ministry business. I need to talk to McGonagall."
"I'll come with ye then. Don't got no classes now anyways."
As they made their way up to the castle, Hagrid excitedly told Harry about the lessons he was teaching his Care of Magical Creatures classes, oblivious to Harry's growing horror.
"Err, Hagrid." Harry said, his voice tinged with worry, "Don't you think Cereberi are a bit dangerous for third years?"
One of Hagrid's massive hands came up to scratch his beard. "Maybe," he said, "But ye and Ron and Hermione played with Fluffy in yer firs' year, didn't ye?"
"…Uh… Yeah? I mean play is a bit-"
Hagrid's eyes shone, like beetle shells in the sun. "So, I figured it'd be fine!"
Well, there really wasn't anything Harry could say to that.
Eventually they arrived at the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office. "Gamp's" Hagrid announced, and the statue moved out of the way, revealing the staircase that hid behind it.
"Well," he said as he pat Harry on the back, making him stumble forwards, "'Ere we are. Come by for tea sometime soon, ye hear. Haven't properly seen ye in a month!"
Harry grinned, "Will do. Keep out of trouble until then!"
He made his way up the stairs and knocked on the wooden door that was located at the top.
"You may enter," he heard a stern voice say.
The door opened with a creak, and Harry took a second to admire the room he found himself in.
It seemed a lot smaller than he remembered it being. The whirring silver tools that were a staple of Dumbledore's tenure were replaced by pictures, books, and miniature broomstick models. Animated portraits of previous headmasters lined the walls, although most of their painted residents seemed to be sleeping.
Harry eyed one in particular.
"Mr. Potter," The headmistress exclaimed, her voice a tad warmer than it was before, "What a pleasant surprise."
Harry's eyes drifted towards the center of the room, and he smiled when he saw McGonagall move to stand. The woman's hair had greyed even further, and her face was now lined with deeper wrinkles. As she walked over to greet Harry, he noted that while McGonagall had aged these past two years, she seemed just as agile and capable as ever.
She firmly shook his hand and pointed him to a seat right in front of her birch desk. "May I offer you a cup of tea?" she asked.
"Thank you, but I'm fine for now."
"Very well," she nodded. "How may I help you then? I assume this isn't a social call, considering you haven't come by to visit for the past two years," she said, the reprimand implicit in her tone.
"You're right, it's not. Although I wasn't aware my company was missed, I'm sorry."
McGonagall's thin lips twitched, "My doors are always open for you, Harry."
Except during his first, second, and fifth years. But that was beside the point.
"Professor, I'm actually here on behalf of the Ministry. For an investigation," he said as he showed her his newly acquired Auror badge.
"Ah," she said, the corners of her eyes wrinkling as he squinted. "Is this about the attack?"
Harry nodded, "How is the school faring, after that?"
"Fine, thankfully the wards kept those creatures away," she said, relief evident in her voice, "A few students were sent home to grieve lost relatives, but most are only upset that Honeydukes has been destroyed."
"That's good to hear," he said. "Speaking of the attack, I need to talk to Dumbledore's portrait. To see if he knows anything about the creatures."
"Right then," she said as she stood and made her way to the door, "I have a few professors I must speak to anyways. Take care, Mr. Potter."
Harry got up when the door closed and made his way to the portrait he had taken note of before. Next to the portrait of a sleeping Severus Snape, a painted version of Albus Dumbledore was looking at Harry with great interest.
"Hello, my boy! You seem to have grown quite a bit," he exclaimed, and Harry immediately noticed the differences… the flaws.
The real Dumbledore's eyes were a different shade of blue, and while he almost always had a twinkle in his eye, Harry didn't remember it being this obnoxious.
"Harry, my boy, are you well?"
Harry gritted his teeth. This caricature also seemed fond of referring to people as 'my boy'.
"I'm fine, headmaster, and I have an important question to ask. Did you ever write me a letter? One to be delivered after your death?"
Dumbledore stroked his long white beard with his wrinkled, but unblemished, right hand. "I don't remember doing such a thing, no. Would you terribly mind if you read it to me?"
Harry took the wrinkled piece of parchment out of his pocket and unfolded it. He took a moment to appreciate the elegance of the handwriting on it as a strange pain bloomed in his gut.
"Dear Harry," he read aloud after he took a deep breath.
"Before I elucidate you on the purpose of this letter, I must first offer my congratulations. The fact that this letter has been successfully delivered means that the war has ended, and that you have survived it, despite the overwhelming odds. I imagine that you have been through many harrowing trials, and I have no doubt that some of those trials were the result of my errors.
Although you may find it hard to believe, I did everything I could to make sure that the war would end, and that you would survive to see that end. However, I am aware that my methods were not ideal, and have probably caused you no small amount of pain.
And so, I must apologize. For keeping you ignorant and in the dark. For hurting you time and time again. For making you shoulder the greatest of responsibilities."
Harry ground his teeth together as he desperately fought to keep his composure. He inhaled shakily, and continued,
"And now I must apologize for doing the same to you again.
The last condition for the sending of this letter is that an attack of a very particular nature has been carried out on the world. An attack of demonic variety conducted by forces that come from realms of reality beyond this one.
But before I can go into more detail there, I must highlight the difference between a dark wizard and a dark lord.
A dark wizard, as you know, is someone who uses dark magic. Now dark magic can be used as a blanket term for illegal magic, but true dark wizards use a more sinister set of tools.
True dark magic is, in essence, tied to demons. It involves drawing and channeling this alien energy, and in doing so perverting your very essence. An example would be the Unforgivable Curses, which is entry level dark magic.
A dark lord, on the other hand, is a wizard that has made direct contact with these forces and has entered a pact with them (Such as Grindelwald), or has forced them into submission (Such as Voldemort).
That is one of the primary reasons why demon attacks have been so rare, dark lords have kept them subservient to their own goals and by doing so have suppressed their more destructive tendencies.
The other is the Order of the Phoenix. Contrary to common belief, I did not create the organization nor was it founded with the sole goal of combating Voldemort.
This ancient order has two goals, the first is to combat demonic forces. The second is to keep the knowledge of demonic entities away from the eye of the public, in order to limit the number of dark lords that may possibly arise.
The Order of the Phoenix does this by being an order of one, with the sole true member passing down the position to another that they have chosen.
I have chosen you to be my successor.
Your task, and test, is to find out about the origin of the Order of the Phoenix. I cannot give you more answers, for this is your initiation.
You will be doing battle with forces beyond life and death and will be facing eldritch creatures beyond mortal comprehension. The path will be long and perilous, yet I am sure I have made the right choice.
I am sorry, but there is no one else I can entrust this to.
With all my love and lemon drops,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore"
Harry's throat felt dry as he turned his gaze back upon the painting, "The symbol of the deathly hallows is on the bottom of the paper," he finished.
A tense silence flooded the room.
"So," Harry finally croaked out, "Do you really not remember any of this?"
The portrait gazed sadly upon Harry, "Nothing, my boy. Nothing at all…" he sighed as he averted his gaze downwards, "I am but a painting. I do not have even a fraction of the memories, or knowledge, or even the depth of personality of the original. But I do know this. He…" he choked out, "I am deeply sorry for all the pain I have put you through, and that I am doing so again. My original truly must have felt like he had no choice."
Harry felt like ramming his fist through the wall. He took a deep breath. Once. Twice. Thrice.
"Any hints?"
"None. Although I suppose you could research the order. Or maybe…"
"What?" Harry spat out; his patience rapidly depleting.
"Research about me and my life. Perhaps you will find a clue there."
Harry could hear his teeth grinding. He wanted to rage, scream, demand to know why he never just got a straight answer.
He didn't.
"Thank you," he said, hiding his emotions behind auror professionality and fledgling occlumency.
He left the room, making sure to close the door quietly behind him.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPPHPHPHPHHP
Harry spent the rest of the day in the ministry archives, researching everything he could about Albus Dumbledore.
There wasn't much really. While people first started really taking notice of him after his defeat of Grindelwald, there were a few records about him that predated his victory, like his research papers and NEWT records, but they didn't really help Harry.
There was one interesting article about him going to a remote location in order to serve as Flamel's apprentice, but that was all the noteworthy information he could find.
After spending what felt like an eternity poring through books and articles, and finding nothing to show for it, Harry gave up for the day.
He felt frustrated and tense and all he really wanted right now was a stiff drink to loosen up.
He flooed into the Leaky Cauldron and sat down on a stool in front of the bar. "Hey, Tom!"
The decrepit bartender walked out of the backroom. He approached Harry with a sleazy smile on his face, "Why if it isn't the Man-Who-Won. What can I get you today?"
"Firewhiskey," Harry said, looking around the pub. "Hey, how come it's so empty here?"
Tom slid a shot glass over to Harry, its amber contents sloshing over its rim. "No-one wants to be 'round here after the attack," he shrugged, "eh, they'll be back in a week. Seen worse this bar has!"
Harry scrounged around his pockets for a few sickles, but Tom stopped him, "Heard you're the one who saved the Alley. First one's free today."
Harry smiled, "Thanks."
A bell chimed as the Alley facing door of the bar opened. Two slightly similar looking blondes came in.
Astoria smiled at Harry and waved as she moved to join him, dragging her sister by the hand.
Daphne politely smiled at Harry, although he could tell it was rather strained. She sat next to the Auror as her sister plonked herself down next to her.
"Harry," she said, her voice a bit hoarse, "How are you feeling? Recovering well, I hope."
He nodded, "Yeah. Following my Healer's orders to the letter."
She raised a delicate brow, "Really? Because from what I remember, you were notorious for disregarding Pomfrey's advice back in Hogwarts."
"Well," he said as one of his hands reached up to scratch the nape of his neck, "seemed like a good idea to listen to the Healer I saw. She was terrifying."
Daphne scoffed but her lips arced upwards into a small, but genuine, smile. "Thanks."
Astoria clapped her hands from her seat behind Daphne, "See, I knew it was a good idea to invite you!"
Harry didn't have the heart to tell her he completely forgot about her invitation and that he only planned on drinking a bit before walking to his apartment and passing out.
She ordered a plate of fish and chips for herself and her sister, and Harry suddenly noticed the hunger gnawing on the inside of his belly.
"Actually Tom," he interrupted, "make that three plates."
They each drank a shot of Firewhiskey as they waited for their food, making light conversation.
"It's just kind of unexpected that Malfoy would end up working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," Harry said as Tom placed their plates in front of them, "I mean, it's Malfoy."
Astoria frowned, "Well it is a bit unexpected, but-"
"A bit?" Daphne snorted as she tossed a chip into her mouth "That's an understatement. We're talking about Draco 'Leave-all -the-work-to-the-elves' Malfoy," she said as she deepened her voice and adopted a haughty expression.
Harry laughed, "That is disturbingly accurate."
"That's not fair!" Astoria huffed.
Daphne grinned, her teeth glinting viciously, "Draco 'Need-my-father-to-wipe-my-arse' Malfoy."
"He's changed, he really has!" The younger Greengrass whined as she stomped her feet, causing Harry to laugh even harder.
"Okay, okay, enough!" Harry said, waving his arms around. "I think I'm going to get a hernia!"
This time it was Astoria's visage that turned feral, "Well if you do, I'm sure our resident Healer will nurse you back to health."
Harry blushed as Daphne looked down, "Yeah," she said, malaise dampening her voice, "Resident healer. Sure."
Astoria's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. "Oh Daph. You still are a healer; they didn't revoke your license."
"They almost did."
"Well they didn't because they couldn't," Harry said, "They'd be stupid to do that to such a talented healer anyways."
Daphne shot him an appreciative smile, "Thanks-"
"Hey!" Astoria exclaimed, "How come when I say it, you're about as receptive as a wall, but when he says it…"
Daphne snorted, "Maybe because he was my patient?" She sighed and shook her head, "It doesn't matter anyways, I won't get hired anywhere, and I can't open my own clinic without a specialist degree."
Astoria crossed her arms, "And just why wouldn't you get hired? Anyone would be lucky to have the youngest certified healer in Britain!"
"Yes bu-"
"And next time, you just won't focus so much on magic infusion therapies!"
Daphne glared at her, "I can't just give it up, and you know why." she snarled.
Astoria glared back, "Yes you can. Let. It. Go!"
Harry watched on, awkwardly looking between the two, "Err…"
Daphne looked at him and winced, "Sorry about that Harry. Long-standing argument."
"Right." Harry really didn't know what else to say.
Luckily, Daphne just continued where she had left off before, "As I was saying," she said, glowering at Astoria out of the corner of her eye, "no one would hire a healer fired from St. Mungo's. I mean, it's not exactly a common occurrence," she said, the words rushing out of her, "it's really hard to get fired from there, so it's a giant black mark on my name, therefore it's highly unlikely I'll get hired in Britain. Especially when so many other healers are available."
"Personally," Harry started, "I think anyone who doesn't hire you just because of that is stu-"
"Wait a minute!" Astoria said as she held up a hand, "Do you guys hear that?"
As they fell silent, Harry started hearing faint screams and the sound of spell-fire. He shot out of his seat like a cannon ball. "You two stay here," he barked out, his sudden tone shift causing both girls to flinch.
Astoria quickly stood up, "I'm coming with you."
Before Harry could respond Daphne jumped up and whirled to face her sister directly, "Not a chance! It's dangerous and you know you should refrain from casting unless strictly necessary."
"Bu-"
"And it is definitely not necessary now," Daphne bit out, a strange desperation lighting up her eyes.
"Yes, it is," Astoria replied meekly, her lower lip quivering, "Harry can't go there alone."
Harry interrupted before the conversation devolved any further, "No, you two definitely need to stay here."
"And," he added with a sudden flash of inspiration, "I need you to make sure nothing spills out into the muggle London from here, alright?"
While Astoria still looked a bit undecided, Daphne favored him with grateful look. "Ok," she said, sighing in relief, "I think Tori and I can handle that."
Harry nodded and turned back towards the door leading to Diagon Alley. "And make sure Tom stays in here!" he called out as he jogged towards the exit.
Harry followed the sounds of screams and shouted incantations all the way to the front of Gringotts's bank.
These buggers really seem to like this place, Harry thought with dark amusement. He spotted a team of Aurors fighting off what appeared to be short, emaciated men with horns atop their heads and furry goat haunches where their legs were supposed to be. Their faces similar to those of normal men, but there was something off about them. As if the proportions of each part were just slightly off. Must be the fauns.
"Reducto!" Harry cried, sending one of them flying into a wall. One of the Aurors ran over to Harry, flinging spells all the way. Her eyes lit up in recognition as she broke off from her team and approached, "Hey! Potter!"
Harry saw a brownish blur approach her from behind, causing Harry to instinctively erect a shield of pulsating blue light around her. There was a dull thunk as one of the goat men bounced off the arcane shield and onto the floor. It hissed at Harry through unnaturally long canines, a forked tongue flickering between its teeth. Its blood red eyes narrowed as it got up and lunged, a blur rushing towards Harry with killer intent.
"Diffindo!" he heard a cry from behind him, and crimson blood splattered over Harry as a silver crescent of light decapitated the faun.
Daphne panted as she approached, her breaths coming out as wheezing gasps. Harry rounded on her, "I thought I told you to stay with your sister?" he asked as he cast Kalypso's Refuge around them and the Auror who had just approached.
"Potter," the Auror said, the green light of Harry's shield spell reflecting off her blue eyes, "Captain McMahon, and you're a godsend. There is a total of 12 of these things around,"
Harry grunted as he raised his wand above his head, causing the light of the spell to flare brighter. "Two of them are attacking," he explained as a drop of sweat dripped down his face, "make it quick."
She nodded, the brown curls of her shoulder length hair bobbing. "3 of them broke off from the group earlier, heading towards Knockturn. You deal with them, my team can handle the ones here." "She turned towards Daphne, "Who are you? An Auror, or did Potter deputize you?"
"The latter," she responded before Harry could say anything about it.
"Good, go with Potter."
"Those two things are still attacking," Harry grunted out, "They'll get us the moment I bring the shield down."
"We'll time it," replied McMahon, her eyes narrowing as she strategized, "you drop it on my signal, and I'll cast a radiating banisher."
Daphne's brows scrunched up, "Won't that push Harry and I too?"
"That's why you'll be shielding the both of you. A simple Protego will do," the captain replied, "now remember that it's a concave, front facing spell, so stand between me and Potter," she said as she grabbed Daphne by the shoulders and placed her right in front of Harry, " And face me. Got it?"
Daphne nodded, although Harry could notice she hesitated a bit. She carefully went through the wand motions and muttered the incantation, causing an umbrella of faint blue light to sprout from her wand.
I hope that holds, Harry thought with no small amount of apprehension.
"Three," McMahon said, whipping her slender wand around her head in concentric circles.
"Two," she called out, and Harry could feel the energy that now swirled around the captain.
"One," she called out, and Harry's brought down his arms, shattering the surrounding green dome. The pair of goat-men cackled as they charged towards the trio.
"Depulso!" McMahon exclaimed and an invisible force pushed out away from her in every direction, sending the two goat-men flying into the walls with a sickening crunch.
Daphne's shield broke with the sound of fracturing glass, causing her and Harry to stumble backwards.
Harry, knowing it was only a matter of time before the other fauns took notice, quickly grabbed Daphne's hand and ran towards Knockturn.
"I thought I told you to stay with your sister," he grunted out.
"She was about to go after you. Made me go out in exchange for her staying in the pub."
He let go of her hand as they continued jogging towards the seedy underbelly of the wizarding world. "Stay alert," he told her, the order implicit in his voice.
As the pair approached the narrow entrance of Knockturn Alley, Harry saw a pair of abandoned leather briefcases lying on the floor. He flicked his wand towards them, and where there once was luggage there was now a pair of grey wolves. "We'll send them in first."
The wolf on the right slowly padded towards the narrow entrance, its nose pointed upwards as it sniffed the air. "I feel like we're being watched…" Daphne whispered.
"That's because we probably are being watched," Harry responded, equally quiet.
The wolf skidded across the ground as a faun raced out of the alley and violently collided with it, eliciting a high-pitched yelp from the canid.
With lightning fast reflexes, Harry turned towards the monster and fired a cutting curse at it, cleanly bisecting it and the wolf.
He noticed Daphne look a little green from the corner of his eye, "Look, alive," he warned her, "save your nausea for after the battle."
Before she could respond, Harry heard something resembling the galloping of horses coming from the narrow entrance into Knockturn. Without thinking twice, he flicked his wand and created a tidal wave of earth, sending it hurtling towards the entry.
Two more fauns sped out of the narrow passageway and tried to swerve out of the way of the earthen tide. Fortunately, they were going too fast to change directions so abruptly and collided with it, bouncing back into the alley.
"Stupefy," Daphne called out and a red jet of light rushed towards one of the creatures, knocking it out as it collided with its pale chest.
Harry's remaining wolf pounced on the remaining faun and kept it from immediately getting back up, giving Harry enough time to conjure an arrow and send it flying into its mouth and through the back of its head, killing it instantly.
"That directly went through its medulla..." Daphne said, her eyes wide with awe.
"Quickest way to kill a humanoid," Harry said as his eyes scanned their surroundings for more threats, "And don't use a stunner next time. They aren't a species recognized as sentient by the ministry, so you won't get in trouble for killing it."
Harry saw her blush out of the corner of his eye, "It was the first spell I thought of…" she said quietly.
Civilian, Harry reminded himself. Although a good one to have at your side, he thought, thankful that she didn't freeze up.
He cautiously approached the unconscious faun, his steps small and light. The faun let out a small cough and sluggishly started getting onto its feet, prompting Harry into casting a cutting curse towards its neck. Harry relaxed a smidge as he saw the spell hit its target.
Only to tense up again as the spell was absorbed into the creature's skin, giving it an ominous glow.
Harry stepped back and conjured a dagger made of silver, flicking his wand to banish it towards the rapidly waking creature. Harry felt the blood drain from his face as the dagger bounced off its chest.
Fuck!
The faun stumbled onto its hooves and shrieked, its shrill wail sounding like the cries of an agonized child.
Harry noticed a pale purple line that sprouted from the hollow between its protruding ribs, going upwards towards something that seemed to be directly above Harry and Daphne.
The faun took a step towards the pair, and Harry rushed through the motions of the strongest protective spell he knew. The hybrid took another step towards them, and a large smile appeared on its human-like visage, a deep fissure that split its face grotesquely in two. It ran towards the Harry and his companion, murderous intent flashing in its too-wide eyes.
A green dome quickly rose around the pair just as the creature drew nearer, sending it bouncing off the spell with a wooden thunk.
It squealed with impotent rage and started ramming into the shield, causing Harry's magic to flex painfully with every collision. Harry thought he heard a pained yelp. Probably the remaining wolf.
Daphne eyes widened with obvious fear, "Harry," she asked quietly, "Are we going to die?"
"No," Harry grunted out, "I'm thinking of a plan."
He knew that something had changed within the faun and considering that the only difference he could see on the faun was the purple thread, the likely impetus of that change was whatever that thread lead to. Unfortunately, the source of that thread seemed to be directly above them…
"I've got a plan," he said, shaking under the strain of maintaining Kalypso's Refuge. "Dome spells don't collapse all at once so long as you slowly end the spell, lessening the magic you feed it bit by bit. The collapse starts at the top and moves downward," Harry suddenly gasped as the faun slammed into the dome, I can't keep this up for much longer!
"I transfer spell to you," he panted out, his words disjointed as fatigue and pain engulfed his entire body, "Know how?"
Daphne gulped and nodded, "Common procedure in long operation-"
"You drop shield on my signal," he continued, cutting her off. "I propel up and stop the source of power above us. We do it in time, and there will be a moment where faun will bounce off shield and will be vulnerable, you kill it then."
Daphne nodded, her eyes glinting with determination. "Good," Harry said, the beginnings of hope infusing his body with energy. "Brace yourself, the spell is tiring, and you won't be able to move when as you power it."
"Now, take over the spell," he ordered. He felt her magic wrap around his own, flowing into the shape of the protective spell. He heard her wheeze as he withdrew his magic and saw her slightly hunch over at the strain of the spell.
He heard the faun smash into the shield and prepared his spell as he determined the rhythm at which it attacked.
As he crouched down, he traced the motions of a directional wind spell into the ground, allowing the spell to build up in strength before he finally cast it.
"Now!" Harry yelled just as the faun bounced off the green dome one last time. He leapt up and simultaneously released his spell, the magically conjured wind propelling upwards through a hole that appeared in the protective spell.
Harry saw a floating golden eye watching them as he approached, a string of purple magic protruding from its back and connecting it to the faun.
Instinctively knowing he barely had a second before he collided with it, he cast one of the only offensive spells he knew that didn't require a wand motion.
A blade of blue light sprouted from the tip of his wand just before he crashed into the eye, and Harry swung it with all of his remaining strength, cleanly bisecting it into equal parts.
Harry continued ascending as he watched the thing dissolve into black smoke, and although he had no reason to, Harry could swear that it examined him with an appraising look.
Harry focused his attention onto Daphne as he began his descent, relief course through his body as he saw the remaining faun bounce off the remnant of the falling dome. He watched Daphne cast her spell as he started slowing his fall, using his wand to trace concentric circles between his legs.
She missed.
Cold panic flushed through his entire being as he abandoned his slowing spell and took aim at the faun, knowing he wouldn't be able to cast fast enough to hit the creature before it got to Daphne.
It charged towards her, a speeding missile of death that would destroy all in its path.
The demon tackled her to the ground and raised a hand, the faint light of the moon glinting off its sharp nails.
A crescent of grey light cut through its neck, sending its head flying. Its headless body collapsed onto Daphne just as Harry crashed into the ground.
He landed on his left leg and heard a terrible snap as he rolled into a wall. He felt his body fill with what felt like static as his head went numb. Everything around him faded to the background as all he could concentrate was on the feeling of wrongness pervading his entire body.
"Harry!" he heard a male voice call out as he saw a familiar redhead approaching.
"George? What're you doing here?" he mumbled out.
"Saw you two leave the other aurors over in the main square, was at the Wheezes to check on the extent of the damage," He gasped out, "Thought you might need some help, but I lost you a little bit back. Just luck I managed to get here right now." His brows raised and eyes widened as his gaze landed on Harry's left leg, "Mother of Merlin…"
Harry heard light footsteps approaching as a strange throbbing pain manifested in his left leg. He saw Daphne bend down and examine his leg on the edge of his peripheral vision.
"We can't apparate him," she said in an emotionless voice, "His leg is too badly broken. Do you know anywhere we can go?"
"Harry's apartment is close by."
She nodded, "Alright then, I need you to levitate him," She turned towards Harry and looked at him in directly in the eyes, "Ok Mr. Potter, I know you're in shock right now and most of this isn't meaningful in any capacity, but I need you to do something important," she said, her voice stern but soothing. She has a nice voice.
"You're going to feel magic surround your body," she continued in the same tone of voice, "and your first instinct is going to be to fight against it. I need you to relax your magic to prevent that, ok?"
As Harry nodded, he felt an invisible force press closely around his entire body and lift him up, causing lava and pain and pure fire to rush up his leg. Harry grit his teeth in order to stop himself from screaming.
Eventually he was set down onto a stretcher, and Harry sighed in relief. It gently floated upwards as Daphne directed it with her wand, "Lead the way then Mr…."
"Weasley, George Weasley," George replied as they walked away from the Alley.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPPHPHPHPHHP
Harry woke up in his bed wearing nothing but his underwear. His entire body felt sore, his mouth felt like a scorpion decided to nest in it, and his left foreleg was incredibly itchy.
Throwing off the blankets covering him, he got out of bed only to wince as a twinge of pain shot up his leg. He found his glasses on top of his bedside drawer and put them on, looking around as the world snapped into focus. He saw Daphne Greengrass asleep in his study chair, her head resting upon his desk.
The last thing he remembered was being floated away by George and Daphne. Speaking of, where was George?
As Harry slowly got dressed, he suddenly remembered that he didn't undress last night, which meant that…
He glanced at Daphne and felt his face heat up; thankful she wasn't awake to see him go as red as a Weasley.
After drinking some water and washing his face, and finally feeling as if he were something close to human again, he decided to wake her up. He gently tapped her shoulder, "Daphne" he whispered, feeling silly as he did so, "Wake up."
She mumbled something in her sleep and turned her face towards Harry. How can someone look so appealing while drooling, Harry thought, amazed.
He shook his head, unwilling to be distracted by irrelevant thoughts. He tapped her again, this time using slightly more force.
Suddenly her head shot up and hit Harry in the mouth, sending him stumbling back. "What the-ow," she began, rubbing her head, "Watch where you put your fat head, Potter."
"Ah, yeah, sorr-" Harry suddenly stopped and furrowed his brows, "Wait a minute, why am I apologizing, you headbutted me!"
She raised an eyebrow, "I was sleeping, Potter," she said, sounding quite condescending as she said his last name, "How was I supposed to know your stupid head was there?"
She smirked as Harry stuttered, trying (and failing) to come up with an adequate response. Her brown eyes softened as she looked upon his leg, "How're you feeling? And why are you out of bed?" she said, her tone turning harsh as she asked the question.
Harry looked down guiltily, although he wasn't exactly sure what he should have felt guilty about. "I had to get dressed and speaking of which…." He trailed off, raising a brow as he looked pointedly at Daphne.
"Get back in bed," she said calmly and tonelessly, although her rapidly reddening countenance betrayed her feelings on the matter.
Harry obeyed and slipped back into bed, grinning all the while. There was just something so satisfying about getting a reaction out of her…
"Where is George? I didn't imagine his presence last night, did I?"
She rolled her eyes, "No, you didn't. He left as soon as I finished most of my work on your leg. It was better than it looked, I just had to set your tibia and fibula in place and give you the right potions. Barely had to cast any spells," she finished, looking quite pleased with her report.
"Err, George?" He asked, wondering if she actually forgot his question.
She turned slightly pink, "He went to tell the other Aurors that you completed your task but were too injured to report in, before he presumably went home."
She smirked teasingly at Harry "Made me promise to keep you safe though. How cute."
Harry sniffed in response, and her smirk grew even wider. "And, Harry, do you really think it's wise keeping keys under your doormat. Any old idiot could simply look there and get into your home, with you none the wiser."
"Clearly it was a good idea, considering we could only enter because of that key."
"Point," she replied with a shrug.
"And the key is warded so that only a few people can pick it up," he continued, squirming as he tried to get comfortable in bed.
She looked at him with approval shining clearly in her eyes, "Smart," she said, causing Harry to feel warm in his belly, as if he had just eaten a bowl of soup.
"Anyways," she said with a yawn, "I should probably leave and check back on Astoria."
Harry felt worry worm its way into his stomach, "Is she okay?"
"Yeah, she sent a Patronus message last night," she replied as she picked up her wand and put on her boots, "George will be here in about an hour, try to take care of yourself until then. Don't do anything strenuous until tomorrow, Healer's orders."
"Oh!" she exclaimed, whirling around to face Harry, "And you'll have to stock up on Skele-Gro. I… pretty much used all of it."
"Yeah," Harry said, rubbing his chin, "You know the only reason I had any to begin with is that Proudfoot, my auror instructor," he clarified at seeing her confused expression, "kept on 'accidently' breaking my fingers during training." Harry snorted, "Accidental my arse."
Daphne winced in sympathy, "Ouch. Err… At least it got you to keep some potions around here."
"Yeah…" Harry replied, "That's one way to look at it. By the way, good job last night."
Daphne looked down in response, "Thank you, but I know I didn't do all that great…"
Harry shook his head, "You did perfectly fine for a civilian, especially considering the last time you were in serious magical combat was the Battle of Hogwarts."
She grimaced, "Yeah, I came with all the other Slytherins Slughorn gathered up," her jaw tensed, "I still have nightmares about that night…"
"Same," Harry said. The room fell silent as dark thoughts passed through their minds.
"But seriously," Harry said, forcing a smile onto his face, "I would have died without you last night."
Daphne sharply looked up, and a haughty smile overtook her expression, "Yeah," she said as she puffed up like a pufferfish, "you would have."
A thought suddenly popped into Harry's mind as Kingsley's voice echoed in his head, your mission's monthly budget is large enough that hiring one or two people would still leave you with enough money to cover any other operational costs. Something to think about.
"Yes," Harry said decisively, "I would have. Listen, you're unemployed right now, right?"
Daphne nodded as she frowned at him, "Yes…"
"And," Harry continued, "You told me last night that you're afraid that no one will hire you because you got fired from St. Mungo's, right? That it's a black mark on your name?"
She glared at him, "Yes, what's your point?"
"Would a letter of recommendation from the 'Man-Who-Won' change that? Erase that black mark?"
Daphne's mouth fell open, "I mean, yes, probably," she said in a faint voice.
"So, come work for me. I'll give you the best letter of recommendation you've ever seen," he said, excitement sparkling in his eyes.
"WHAT?!"
"I'm working on a case, investigating these demons. And I need someone to watch my back, as clearly shown by yesterday's events," he continued as if he hadn't heard her, "And you've clearly shown that you're capable of doing so. You'll get paid eight hundred galleons per month."
"What," she repeated, her face paling and eyes widening.
"And," Harry added, feeling the need to sweeten the deal, "free food and a place to stay if you need it."
She narrowed her eyes at him, "This place only has one bed, Mr. Potter," she enunciated clearly, her brown eyes as hard as arctic ice.
"What," Harry said, face flushing, "No! I've got a big place that needs renovation," he said, the words rapidly spewing out of his mouth "It has multiple rooms, and a ward stone already in place that just needs activating."
He thought for a bit, "The way things are going, I'll move there anyways. It's probably safer to live away from magically dense areas."
"But why me? Wouldn't it be wiser to get someone with real combat experience?"
"But it's also quite wise to get someone who can heal me," he retorted, "And you've already proven your competence."
She narrowed her eyes at him, "I do not desire an early death, Potter, and your occupation is known to be quite hazardous."
"Yes," he said trying to think of a good response, "but all things of value come with risk."
There was a pause in the conversation as Daphne looked up at the ceiling, clearly thinking. "When do I get the letter," she asked.
"When my mission is done," he said. "Or," he added, seeing Daphne's face harden at his reply, "after a year and a half. Whichever comes first."
Only the sound of their breathing could be heard as another pause filled the room with silence.
"You drive a hard bargain, Potter," she said tonelessly.
Harry nodded, fighting off the victorious smile that threatened to appear on his face.
She sighed, "I agree."
Harry's lips twitched upwards, "Alright, apparate here nine am tomorrow."
Daphne rolled her eyes, "There are anti-apparition wards here, Potter."
Withdrawing his wand, Harry closed his eyes and concentrated on the warm, wet feeling of Daphne's magic and tied it to his wards. "You'll be able to apparate in and out of here now."
She nodded, "Nine am, tomorrow, see you then," she said right before she disappeared with a crack.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPPHPHPHPHHP
It wasn't long before George had apparated into Harry's apartment, a shit eating grin on his face. "Hey there Auror, see you've been promoted out of being a trainee," he put his fist under his chin and mimicked The Thinker, "Although getting your leg broken on your first job probably looks terrible on your record, eh?"
He ducked under the pillow Harry threw at him, "Prat," Harry laughed out. "Hey, thanks for telling the others that the job was done. How were they?"
George sat down heavily on the rickety chair in front of Harry's desk, "Don't mention it. They were fine, all alive, although a few were injured. Where's that bird that was with you, Daphne I think it was?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Shut up, it's not like that," Harry said, glaring at him.
"Oh, what's it like then?" he responded, a shit eating grin plastered onto his face.
"Shut up," Harry whined, "plus, she's my employee now, so, you know."
"Oh, is she?" George replied, the innuendo implicit in his voice, "A secretary perhaps," he said with a saucy wink.
"A second wand and personal healer," Harry continued, pretending he didn't understand what the Weasley was hinting at.
"Personal Healer, eh?" he chuckled, "to take care of all of your problems."
"What were you doing in the Alley yesterday?" Harry said, desperate to change the subject.
George's expression instantly darkened, "I was in the Wheezes, taking stock of all the damage…"
"Oh George, I'm so sorry…" Harry said weakly. I'm sorry. It was my fault, I should have been faster, better, stronger.
"It's just," he gritted out, his fist clenched beside him, "I feel like I let him down."
"Let who down?"
George's lower lip trembled as a lone tear made its way down his cheek, "Fred," he croaked out.
He continued before Harry could respond, "We started that shop together, it was our dream, and now it's completely destroyed!"
"Hey," Harry said as he got up to pat George on the back, "You'll renovate, it'll open up, and it'll be good as new."
"No, it won't," he bit out, "It'll change. It'll change into something else, into something he has never seen before. It won't be our shop anymore!" He cried out, gasping as he looked around in panic.
"George," Harry said, trying to emulate Daphne's tone from when he broke his leg the previous night, stern but soothing, "It'll always be his shop, just like it'll always be yours. You two started it together, and nothing can take that away."
George pulled back and turned away from Harry, "I just think," he growled out, "maybe, there's something more I could have done, a ward I could have cast…"
Me too, Harry thought as remorse filled his heart, there's a lot more I could have done, should have done…
"George," Harry continued, carefully making sure his thoughts were not reflected in his tone, "There's nothing you could have done."
"I mean," he said trying to think of something, anything, to make his friend feel better, "even Dumbledore said that these forces are beyond life and death!"
There was a silence, one loaded with tension, pain, and good intent.
"Dumbledore said that did he…?"
"Yes!" Harry responded, relief quickening his speech, "Right after the first attack his phoenix delivered a letter to me, and he said that. Verbatim almost! I can't show you the letter, I'm sorry, but he did!"
"And he was being… serious," George slowly said, pronouncing his words with such care that one would wonder if they were made of glass, ready to shatter at the slightest disturbance. "He wasn't…. exaggerating?"
"No," Harry said, grateful that George no longer seemed hysterical.
"Alright," George said as he turned back around to face Harry, his easy smile making the tear tracks on his cheeks all the more obvious, "if it's beyond life and death," he finished with a strange glint in his eyes.
"It is," Harry sighed, "do I need to repeat it again? Has your remaining ear stopped working mate?" He joked, thinking that George would probably feel better with some levity.
"Har, Har," he said, a small smile on his face, "But listen, if you're facing forces beyond life and death," he said seriously, "you'll probably need all the help you can get. Keep me informed, alright?"
"George," Harry said as he raised a single eyebrow, "I can handle it, and it isn't like I'll be alone. Just focus on staying safe, alright?"
"Fine, fine," he said, his tone light, "but that doesn't mean I can't make anything to help you, does it?"
Harry thought about it, "Fair enough."
George smiled victoriously in response, "Good," he said, as his ever-present spark of mischief slowly made its way back into his eyes, "Unfortunately, dear Harrykins, this little heart to heart hasn't saved you from talking about your bird," he laughed, high pitched and hyena-like.
"Tell me, what woes of yours does that Healer alleviate exactly?"
"GEORGE!"