Betrayal
Harry cursed and threw a shield charm between himself and the invisible opponent, before he fended off another stunner, rolled to the side and headed towards the forest.
"STUPEFY!", a voice roared right in front of him and Harry hastily ripped his head to the side, so that the stunner narrowly missed him, but at least he now knew where the attacker was. His non-verbal Full-Body Bind had to have hit its target, as he heard the dull sound of a body colliding with the ground. He approached and the silent disarming spell from behind hit him completely unprepared, so that his wand flew away and disappeared somewhere in the darkness.
"Lumos," said a deep voice, and Harry was dazzled for a moment when the light of a wand fell on him before he recognized the second attacker.
"You!" he wailed, stunned.
"Me," Dawlish said calmly, pointing the wand at Harry's chest. "But you should know that it is Lord Selwyn who has spoken your death sentence, Potter."
There was nothing Harry could do, he had no chance to pull the blackthorn stick out of his right sleeve in time.
"Avada-"
Two red flashes of light shot at Dawlish, forcing the ex-Auror to break off the killing curse and summon a shield instead to fend off the stunners. Harry took the opportunity and hastily pulled his spare wand out of his sleeve.
"Do something, Harry!", Ron yelled as he dodged a green flash of light.
Harry shouted the strongest spell that came to him and directed it to the edge of Dawlish's shield spell with all his anger about the betrayal.
"Bombarda Maxima!"
Dawlish's shield splintered like a raw egg, and a moment later Dawlish himself flew helplessly through the air like a puppet in the middle of earth and stones, before hitting the ground and lying motionless. Hermione stunned him to make sure he didn't get up again.
"Take a look at Neville!", he shouted to her as he ran over to Dawlish. "Ron, there's someone else up there!"
Dawlish appeared to have broken his leg in the fall, otherwise he was unharmed, apart from being covered in earth and unconscious. Harry took his wand and then summoned a rail for Dawlish's leg before tying it up.
"Accio wand," he said, catching the phoenix stick before going over to the others. Neville was already back on his feet and very miserable because he had been such easy prey.
"You're lucky he only stunned you", Hermione exhaled.
Ron had tied up the second attacker who stared up at him with hatred.
"Any idea who that is?"
"We'll find out soon enough," Harry growled, pulling out the two-way mirror.
"Kingsley Shacklebolt," he said loudly and clearly, hoping that the minister had not yet gone to bed. It took a moment for Kingsley's tired but alarmed face to appear in the mirror.
"Harry! What happened?"
- "Dawlish and an accomplice attacked me-"
- "WHAT?!"
- "- we have caught them and would like to question them. Can you send someone?"
"I'm coming myself," Kingsley growled. "Where are you?"
"Still outside," Harry said, pondering briefly. "Can we meet in the entrance hall?"
"Of course," the minister said. "Send someone to open the gate for us."
With that, his face disappeared.
"We bring them to the entrance hall. Ron, notify McGonagall to let Kingsley in."
They went back to the castle, causing Dawlish and the other attacker to float in front of them. Arriving in the entrance hall, Harry summoned the Marauder's Map, which flew down the stairs a little later, closely followed by Professor McGonagall.
"Potter!", she barked as she approached in a squished bathrobe. "What does this mean again? Did Professor Dawlish really attack you?"
"Yes, Professor," Harry sighed. "And no, I don't know more than you until the Aurors question him."
McGonagall muttered something to herself and then went out to the lands. Harry activated the map and briefly checked to see if there were any other attackers out there, but all he saw were the paired points of those who had been at Hagrid's party. Susan and Ernie were apparently on their way back to the castle.
"Who the hell is Eldritch Appleby?", Hermione asked, who also stared at the map and then looked at the man who was still stuck in the full-body bind.
"No idea," Harry said. "But this one is definitely Dawlish and no one else."
"He could be under the Imperius," Neville said.
Hermione groaned quietly and slapped her hand against her forehead. "Of course! Do you remember the lesson on Patronuses? That's why he had Harry show the spell instead of doing it himself! You can't create a Patronus if you are under the Imperius!"
That was true, Harry thought. And also...
"Zabini," he said slowly. "When Zabini attacked me and Ginny... he sent Terry and Ernie off to get McGonagall and Flitwick, but he could have just sent his Patronus..."
The arrival of Susan and Ernie interrupted his deliberations. Both turned bright red and then pale when they saw Dawlish and Appleby on the ground.
"What happened?" asked Ernie, confused.
"They attacked Harry and me," Neville said succinctly.
"You should call the Aurors," Susan said.
"They're already here, Miss Bones," said a calm voice.
Kingsley walked through the door with McGonagall, followed by Proudfoot, Jameson and Johnson.
"Minerva, could we have a classroom to question him?"
"Of course, minister," McGonagall said. "Follow me."
She led them to the room next the Great Hall, the others followed. Susan seemed to want to come along, but Ernie took her hand and pulled her over to the dungeons. Arriving in the room, Proudfoot proceeded, as with Zabini, summoned chairs for himself and the two prisoners and gave both veritaserum before loosening the full-body bind and the stunner.
"What's your name?"
- "John Dawlish."
- "Do you know where Arius Selwyn is?"
- "In my apartment in Hogsmeade."
Everyone stared at him in surprise.
"What is the address?"
- "Exen Alley Number Four. Upstairs."
"That's next to the Hog's Head," Hayden Johnson growled.
"Is Selwyn alone?"
"Yes," Dawlish said with an empty look. "He had Appleby with him, but he sent him here to help me kill Potter."
"Keep questioning him, Piers," Kingsley said sharply. "Johnson, Jameson, you come with me. It's time to get the bastard."
"We'll come along," Harry said hastily.
"Don't be silly, Potter," Proudfoot and McGonagall growled at the same time. Harry didn't pay attention to them and turned to Kingsley instead. "You will need us."
"A few more wands might be welcome, sir," Johnson said.
"Well," Kingsley said slowly. "But you'll all do as I say, understood?"
" Minister," McGonagall said, "I think that's far too dangerous."
- "Professor," Ron groaned. "We can take good care of ourselves."
"We should go now," Harry said loudly and decisively, before anyone else could say anything else. "We've already wasted enough time. Selwyn will certainly get nervous if these two don't contact him soon."
"I'll bring them back to you healthy, Minerva," Kingsley calmly assured her. "So let's go, let's go."
As they left the lands, Kingsley looked at everyone. "We will proceed with extreme caution. Jameson, Johnson, as soon as we apparate, apply anti-apparition spells. No one is allowed to go in or out of Hogsmeade anymore."
- "Yes, sir."
- "After that, we disillusion ourselves and surround the house in question. You both go in with me, the others wait outside and make sure he doesn't escape. Is that clear, Harry?"
- "Crystal clear," he muttered.
"Where do we go?"
"In front of the Three Broomsticks," Kingsley said. " That's out of earshot. Forward!"
With this, the Minister of Magic disappeared with a loud bang, closely followed by the others.
They gathered in front of the pub, disillusioned themselves and then hurriedly continued towards the Hog's Head. Harry felt a slightly tingling sensation in the air as Jameson and Johnson summoned the anti-apparition shields. Exen Alley number four turned out to be a rather run-down, two-store building. A staircase on the side led up to the upper floor. Harry and the others posed around the house, while Kingsley and the two Aurors sneaked up the stairs. Harry heard a quiet click as Johnson opened the door and then a penetrating howl. The Aurors stormed into the house without hesitation, so as not to lose the moment of surprise, but they were already expected.
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!", Harry heard a hoarse male voice shout and then the whole house exploded. Harry threw himself into cover behind the garden wall of the neighboring house, while stones smashed around him and dust clouded the view. He felt that the anti-apparition shields had been broken and came out again behind the wall with a quiet curse. Several flashes of light flew over him at the place where the upper floor had been before, and then a dark figure jumped a step in front of him into the alley and hastily turned on the spot - he stretched out his arm without thinking - and disappeared along with the dark figure with a loud bang.