Chapter 17 – Rescue operation
Leo cursed Viper in his mind as he clutched two unconscious squirrels in his arms and ran.
The plan had gone well… until it hadn't.
They'd gone in without trouble, heading to the basement in groups of 6-7. When everyone was there, no alarm had been set off and they swiftly got to work.
Everyone made a half-circle in the back of the room, using their flames to slowly vanish the ice.
Just when they'd reached Xanxus though, there'd been a vortex followed by a flash of light and they'd been thrown back against the wall.
Luckily, there was no explosion or similar to alert their enemies to their presence.
But when their vision had restored itself, not only Xanxus, but another white-haired person lay before them on the ground.
They hadn't had time to worry about it, so they swiftly placed the fake body into the ice, into the same position Xanxus had been frozen in, and again used their flames, this time to feed the ice and restore it to a similar state as they'd found it in.
Luckily, any energy that touched it could be absorbed by it to strengthen itself, as long as there wasn't too much of it.
The trouble came afterward.
The replacement guards for the basement had come early, taken one look into the room, and promptly triggered the alarm.
Chaos ensued as Squallo and the others dove into the fray without hesitation. With one last glance at Mammon, he left only himself and his friend hidden by the ice to guard the two unconscious bodies. Soon after, they couldn't see him anymore, only hearing his frustrated cry of 'VOIII', every now and then. Seemed like he trusted the miser to deal with the situation.
"Mou, it seems the plan to hide it is a bust."
"Not necessarily… Do you trust me?"
"Yes. What did you cook up this time?"
"I'll transfigure them and smuggle them out. You need to cover me. I don't want to be involved with the Mafia unless I have no choice. You know that. Please disguise us as best as you can.", he'd said. "I can do this", he'd said. "Don't worry", he'd said.
Why ever did he think he could do this!?
Here he was, sprinting at full speed around explosions and trying to avoid the people fighting everywhere without drawing attention to himself…
He failed.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!", someone yelled next to him before he heard someone running behind him.
Dammit! If he kept running, he'd only draw more of them now.
So, Leo did the stupid thing, carefully slid the squirrels into his pockets, and turned to face his adversary.
"I'm retreating, can't you leave me alone?"
"Coward!", his opponent merely sneered, speeding up his pursuit.
Leo wasn't the best cloud user out there, but no one had ever accused him of not being able to hold his own. So, to save the plan, he stopped at the most secluded place he could find with a quick surveying glance and quietly drew his gun before whirling back to his adversary and promptly shooting a Cloud-enhanced tranquilizer bullet at his chest.
The flame did its job and propagated the speed of the bullet, but the man still managed to nearly evade. Nearly, but not quite.
Instead of his stomach, the man's evasion caused the bullet to hit his chest right over his heart… What kind of bad luck do you need to have…
The man crumbled.
Not letting his guard down, Leo checked his surroundings for any more would-be attackers, before quietly holstering his gun and slipping away. Luckily, the single shot hadn't drawn notice in the chaos of explosions and other shots in the area.
Deciding not to wait for the others – Mammon would call him once they could – Leo promptly hid in an alley, threw up some redirection spells, and picked up a stone by the wayside. With a gentle tap of the finger holding his focus ring, he turned the stone into a piece of string.
Then he carefully retrieved the two squirrels from his pocket and returned them to human form. He tied all 3 of them together with the string, then, with a quietly mumbled "Portus", he turned the string into a portkey, supported both of his charges with one arm, spoke the activation phrase, and whisked them away.
With a quiet "oomph", his knees buckled under the weight of the unconscious men as they arrived, causing the two to fall on him in a heap of limbs.
Carefully, he extracted himself and for the first time, took a good look at his charges.
Xanxus was a tall man at a bit more than 190 cm – 192 or 193, despite his young age at 17, he guessed and had tanned skin and short black hair that barely covered his ears.
The ice had caused something similar to frostbite and angry red spots were visible all over his face and handy – the only visible skin thanks to his white shirt and black suit.
They'd have to address those soon or they'd likely scar.
A quick diagnostic revealed that except for a high strain on his flames, thanks to the ice constantly leeching on them he would be alright otherwise. Though it was questionable when he would wake up.
The other man's state was more serious.
He had short white hair and some red lines tattooed on his face. Two on his cheeks and one on his chin. He seemed to be in his mid-20s and was a whole 10cm or so smaller than Xanxus but a little taller than himself. Around 3 cm he'd say. He was wearing a fur-lined black jacket, which contrasted strongly with the white fur and his hair, along with black pants and open-toed boots. There were bloody bandages wrapped around his shins that held the pants in place.
The diagnostic he cast on him revealed a grim picture.
Several of the mysteriously appeared man's bones were broken, some of his organs were hurt and bleeding internally and he had several open wounds that were still quietly oozing blood as well. And there was an awful amount of bruising. Luckily, his condition wasn't immediately life-threatening, though the portkey travel had caused some of the injuries to worsen.
Quickly, he got up and sprinted outside to alert his employees to their guests and fetch two medical beds.
He carefully spelled off their clothing and disinfected their wounds as he waited for Bob and the guys to get a move on, then disinfected both of their wounds before taking the chance before Lussuria stormed in to close their wounds with a swift healing spell, followed by general recovery magic.
He'd have to feed the white-haired man some SkeleGro later, after realigning his bones.
Yes, he'd decided to treat the man first, before questioning him to his abrupt appearance once he woke up.
The timing of it was suspicious to say the least but he'd not let a potentially innocent person suffer just in case he wasn't.
Quickly and skilfully, he dressed his two charges in white hospital robes and floated them onto the recently provided beds.
He left Xanxus with Lussuria for now, sharing his condition in a few hurried sentences, then had the two hurriedly move to another room.
"If you want help healing the ice damage without scarring, give me some time to tend to the second one first!"
Ignoring the confused sun, he then pushed them out of the room.
Finally, he gave his full attention to the heavily injured white-haired man.
He took a deep breath, made sure his ring still sat properly on his finger, and then got casting.
First of all, he gave his patient a blood-replenishing potion, spelled into his stomach slowly, sip by sip. Not the most healthy option, but the patient was unconscious, and waking him wouldn't be doing the man a kindness. It was better to endure the small discomfort this way of administering medicine would bring later and take a mild stomach soother than the alternative.
Afterward, he got to work on his organs.
Sweat was gathering on his forehead and getting caught in his bangs 15 minutes into the treatment and by the time half an hour had passed he likely looked as if he'd just gotten out of the shower. But Leo didn't care.
Realigning bones and stitching up organs with magic required high amounts of concentration and precise control. Otherwise, the patient could be crippled or even die.
If he managed to realign the bones properly, only a thinned dosage of SkeleGro was necessary, which was better for the patient, as it required less energy and nutrients to merely fix bones than to regrow them from scratch. The strain regrowing any body part caused the patient was immense, especially something as large as a thigh bone or similar.
Finally, 2 hours later, he was ready to administer the medicine. Everything had been prepared.
He carefully measured out the right amount and mixed it with water, before once more spelling it into the patient's stomach, careful not to do it too quickly as to induce cramping.
Finally finished for now, he stumbled outside and instructed one of his assistants to keep an eye on the mystery guest's vitals, with strict instructions to keep their distance and immediately alert him should the man wake up.
With a tired sigh, Leo then sank down onto the floor next to the door and allowed himself to relax for a few moments.
He accepted the towel Bob handed him with a thankful smile and quickly rubbed his hair and face dry.
Then, he headed for the room next door.
He knocked and was quickly asked to enter. What he saw when he came in, was a still unconscious Xanxus being fussed over by a worried Lussuria.
She hadn't touched any of the frostbite-like damage yet, as he'd said but he could feel her flames working on strengthening his overall condition from the inside, activating atrophied muscles and organs and gently strengthening ligaments and bones.
He smiled at her and approached the older man.
"How is it?"
"From what I can tell, apart from the 'frostbite' covering about 80% of his skin, he is fine. His muscles and organs atrophied a bit from disuse, despite the preserving effect of the ice but my flames can fix that easily. If I heal the frostbite though, it will definitely scar, if not much. You said you could do something about it?"
"Yea, I can use my Cloud to propagate the old skin tissue, so it'll look like before while you use your sun to heal him. We'll work in tandem. Does that work for you?"
She nodded gratefully.
"Let's get started then."
.
"Do you really think I'll get accepted? I mean it's the Association, not a particular Master…", Hermione asked her boyfriend nervously as she clutched her application to her chest.
It was her last year at Hogwarts, and she was looking to be apprenticed to a Runemaster to eventually get her own Mastery in the subject. Since Hogwarts didn't have a Runemaster though, she had to apply through the Association of Runemasters, the institution that accredited the Masteries, and hope someone was looking for an apprentice… and then was satisfied with her resume.
Since Masters from all over the world were part of the Association, she could end up having a master in Australia for all she knew and would have to move there then, leaving her boyfriend behind to finish his own Mastery in Potions with Professor Snape.
"You will, Hermione. You're the most brilliant witch I know, especially in Ancient Runes. They'll fight over who gets to teach you."
Fred, for once, didn't crack a joke to lighten the atmosphere but seriously tried to convince her. He and his twin brother George were both currently apprenticed to Severus Snape, the youngest Potion master in history and teacher at their former school.
They were two years out of school and at least one year away from their Mastery Exams. At first, they'd wanted to open a Joke Shop right out of school, but Hermione had successfully convinced them that getting a Mastery in either Enchanting or Potions would only be beneficial to that career choice in the long term. Thus, they'd relented and somehow managed to convince the grumpy Potion teacher to take them on as apprentices.
The fact that this allowed them to stay close to their respective girlfriends was a nice bonus.
Hermione Granger couldn't have told you why and when she'd fallen for the prankster that was Fred Weasley. Maybe it was the fact he distracted her only when she overdid it but respected her want to study when necessary. Maybe it was his hidden genius, inventing potions and enchantments with various useful effects. Maybe it was the laughter and smiles the twins always brought wherever they went, their own being the brightest and warmest of all.
She didn't know but at some point, the previous annoyance with the trickster had turned into fond exasperation, then indulgence, and finally, she was laughing right alongside them.
She couldn't have told anyone what the man saw in her though.
He had asked her out two years ago and she'd happily accepted. They had been together ever since and if things went their way, they'd stay together for many more years to come.
"Do you really think so?", she asked hopefully for the umpteenth time.
"Undoubtedly", he answered for the umpteenth time, "Now go send that off already."
Hermione beamed and did so.
.
Tom Riddle wore a thunderous expression as he read the letter he'd received from Leo for the 2nd time.
He'd kept to his word and went to gain power politically only this time but that took time. He was still far away from being able to even pressure Dumbledore in any way.
Yet, the man had shown no scruples in attacking and even killing one of his rivals, safe in the knowledge of the unshakeable reputation and power he'd amassed over the years.
He felt helpless and he did not like it.
Only recently he'd managed to cleanse and then reabsorb the 'main' part of his soul. He'd felt accomplished and confident that he'd be able to strike down his foe eventually, yet… he hadn't been fast enough to spare his young friend more pain.
Hell, it wasn't even out of the question he'd be so slow even his friend himself would get killed, if worse came to worst.
No, he'd have to do something.
This couldn't continue as it was.
Tom would somehow have to speed up his plans. As it was currently, he may win the battle and kill Dumbledore eventually, but the war would be lost, as the damage the man would've done by then was too great.
Maybe, even if he was reluctant to do so, rekindling the war was the only hope they'd have of stopping him in time.
He had no idea what Dumbledore's goal even was. There wasn't much more power the man could gain in Britain, and he didn't put much effort in expanding his influence abroad. Most of Britain ate out of his hand and if asked to turn left, very few would dare turn right.
What then, did the man want? To secure his own power? Unnecessary. At this point, nothing could shake his position in people's hearts. Should he die, he'd die a hero, martyr, or national idol.
No, Dumbledore's aim must be something else. He didn't know what it was but the price the man was willing to let everyone pay was too steep. Too much life and knowledge lost, too much pain and suffering for those who saw clearly, and maybe even the discovery of their very existence by the muggles.
And that was a can of worms no one really wanted to open.
So, Tom had to step up his game.
Dumbledore must be stopped. One way or another. Tom had to succeed.
.
Severus Snape sent off the last class of the day, sat down with a heavy sigh, and leaned back in his comfortable leather chair to relax.
He was… exhausted.
For once weighing on his psyche weren't the students and the idiots hiding in their population, nor were it the two menaces he'd taken on as apprentices. He'd reluctantly agreed to give them a chance and they had surprised him with the brilliant mind hiding behind their prankster facades.
While Snape hated pranks and those performing them with a passion, he could agree that the twins' ones weren't humiliating or degrading like the ones performed in his youth but ones even the victims could laugh at. That was the only reason he'd agreed to take them on.
But no, the twin menaces weren't what was occupying his mind this day.
It was his employer.
Snape was starting to think that Dumbledore was losing it.
Let's not talk about the fact the man had left Harry, the son of his old friend, with abusive muggle relatives (and didn't that ring awfully familiar)… Albus Dumbledore had caused an international incident by openly murdering Lily's father and was seemingly getting away with it.
He couldn't believe it.
Wasn't the man always preaching about forgiveness? Then why do such an act that was openly showing the world the way he really thought?
Did he think Britain was an almighty Nation that could and would protect him from anything? Just because he was the great Albus Dumbledore?
What had the man been thinking?
And while that wasn't enough, the current minister of Magic wasn't self-assured of his own position of power and had taken this opportunity to smear Dumbledore in the paper as a lunatic. Didn't the man know how much the public revered him?
But Dumbledore took the threat to his power seriously. He'd seemingly abandoned all effort to look for the child he thought may still be alive and dedicated everything to the political field once more.
Just what had he killed the Evans for? To get rid of an enemy? The man had hardly cared about what happened in Britain from what Snape had managed to research.
No, it was plain murder.
Snape hated it.
He hated the fact he was still forced to work for such a man. But even if the vow to protect Lily's son was no longer valid, the fact was his employment was the only thing keeping him out of prison. After all, Snape had at one point worked for Voldemort, and that fact was public record.
Just one word from Dumbledore was enough to have him thrown into Azkaban.
At one time, he'd thought he had done the right thing by switching sides during the war. Now, he wasn't so sure anymore.