Chapter 5 – Catastrophe

Harry sat behind a hawthorn bush, trying to keep himself hidden, dry and warm, but he was failing miserably at the last two. The problem was the old manse they were running surveillance on had some very precise detectors and any magic was banned within 30 meters of place. Unfortunately, to keep a good eye on the inhabitants, the three Auror teams needed to be no further than 20 meters away. The bush he was behind was keeping him hidden, but he was sorely tempted to cast drying and warming charms. When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed of being an Auror, living a life of intrigue and adventure. Of course, the truth was much different. A realistic advertisement for the job would list 20% adventure (of which half the time you were trying to not shit your pants) and the other 80% split equally between being absolutely bored senseless (usually while cold and wet) or working through mounds of paperwork. And why did wizards call it paperwork when they still used parchment? And why do we use parchment? Harry yawned. He was definitely bored if he was arguing the pros and cons between paper and parchment with himself. He switched off the useless internal discussion and focused a minute on Ron, finding him equally bored, cold and wet.

Ron was on the east corner of the house, near where a door led out into the garden. That door saw the most traffic and also led straight into dense woods that would be ideal to hide in if anyone tried to run for it. Harry was with the second team, watching the side door. A third team was stationed at the front door, which usually had the least traffic. The three groups were part of a final watch that was culminating two years of investigations by the Auror department. Evan Flint was the owner of the manse and the primary focus of the Auror teams. He was the top of a pyramid of illegal potions smugglers who peddled strong potions to those with either nefarious goals or those with addictions. The group also peddled controlled potions ingredients that they farmed through illegal means. Items like bowtruckle hair and pixie teeth had strong potions potential, but the legally procured quantities were minimal and proper handling of the ingredients required great skill. The Aurors had started at the bottom of the pyramid with a couple small time crooks and worked their way up the layers of the organization. Two months previous, Marcus Flint, Evan's cousin, was captured in Greece and found with over 1200 kilos of illegal goods on him. Greece had happily extradited him and the Aurors spent several weeks negotiating with Marcus. Since his days at Hogwarts, Marcus had honed his liking for the finer things in life and had also developed an addiction to delirium potions. When confronted with a guarantee of life in Azkaban, Marcus had quickly turned over all the information on his cousin. He was now serving five years and the information he had yielded provided the evidence to finally tighten the noose on Evan, which is what led to three groups of ten Aurors each crouched in the cold, wet darkness outside his manse.

Tonight Evan Flint and his girlfriend Rosa Bulstrode were hosting what appeared to be another swanky party for over-indulged purebloods. In actuality, the gathering was a business meeting of the top business wizards and witches within Evan's organization. The Aurors were holding out, waiting for any late arrivals to show and allowing the alcohol to flow and hopefully dull the senses of those inside. At eleven they would move in together, first taking down the wards and shields in a single combined effort and then subduing and arresting all within. Tonight provided a unique opportunity since some of those in attendance were notoriously flighty and rarely seen in public. By the Aurors' count, there were eighteen known in the building. Evan potentially had a couple additional family members inside, but the odds were still good for the thirty Aurors.

Shortly before eleven, Harry began his stationary stretching exercises that allowed him to move his muscles without actually moving his body. As his blood began to flow again, Harry noticed the cold a bit less and his anticipation grew. A few minutes later, Harry's watch glowed to show the hour had been reached. Harry raised his hand and gave the signal to his team as they raised their wands and began the spells to take down the manse's wards. As their spells hit, the air around the manse crackled from all sides. It took less than two minutes for the wards to fall and Harry moved his team forward in the pattern they had drilled on. Harry took center position, heading straight for the side door with three others immediately behind him. The other six members of his team fanned out down the side of the house, ready to cover the windows. When Harry reached the door, he and two others bypassed the lengthy process to unlock the magically fortified door and instead just ripped the entire door frame out with the door. Then the four of them quickly entered the interior. The teams had studied building plans that the Ministry held for the manse and had an idea of the interior layout. Or at least they thought. The plans at the Ministry showed a maze of small, divided rooms that was common at the time the building had been built 150 years previous. Unfortunately, the manse had undergone significant renovations and Harry was greeted with a large open sun room rather than a hallway with doors leading off to the left. Harry took the change in stride, it was a possibility that they had discussed. He quickly cast several probes to circle the immediate vicinity. The probes would detect additional wards and spells, as well as map the area. When nothing in the area lit up to indicate additional wardings, Harry and his team moved forward at four minutes after eleven.

Harry heard a loud commotion ahead and to their left, in the area of the front entrance. It sounded like team three had entered the building. With a quick check to both sides, Harry saw other team members coming toward him from two side rooms. The windows appeared to have been breached and those rooms were clear. Harry gave the signals and moved them toward the east corner of the house and the dining room where they expected all the guests to be. Halfway through the house, teams two and three joined and moved toward their target. Suddenly a door burst open and three wizards and a witch barreled out at them. There was noise from behind the foursome and Harry assumed that was Ron's team, team 1. They had been given the entry point where it was expected they would encounter the first resistance. Ron was the senior, most experienced Auror in the department and usually took the most difficult areas. In the six years since he and Harry had joined the department, Ron had realized the potential of his power that had blossomed at Malfoy Manor. When he entered a battle, Ron was a force of destruction to behold. Harry's team fired off a barrage of spells and took down the four fleeing individuals before moving forward. Team 3 fanned out and covered side rooms, as had been planned. As Harry approached the dining hall with his team, he didn't notice the small door set in the wood paneling to his right. Team 3 had yet to reach it when the door opened and a wizard came running out of the bathroom, firing a range of spells in all directions. One of Harry's team turned and took him down, but not before Harry received 3 spells to his back, leg and head. Harry was knocked unconscious immediately as blood poured from his leg and back.

The chaos in the manse continued for another five minutes. Evan Flint was down, but some of his guests were doing their best to hold off the Aurors. Finally, at fourteen minutes after eleven, a total of sixteen suspects were detained while another three lay dead. Four Aurors were injured, two severely. When Harry went down, he was within ten meters of Ron's position and Ron felt the momentary burst of pain followed by a loss of touch with his soulmate. Enraged and terrified, Ron pushed aside everyone and felt his way to where he knew Harry must be. The last of the suspects were still being captured, when Ron threw his body across Harry with a strangled howl. Ron's second on team 1, Kevin Wright, made the announcement that the manse was clear and Ron stood, gathering Harry in his arms. Without a word, he was gone as he apparated to St. Mungo's.

Ron arrived at the hospital's apparition point with Harry in his arms and took off running through the lobby, knocking people aside without noticing. Reaching the front desk, Ron slammed his wand down so that the assistant healer could see the Auror band on the handle as he began bellowing for help. Moments later, a healer and three assistants rushed forward and took Harry from him. They tried to push Ron back toward the waiting area, but Ron refused as he followed them up a floor to the critical care unit. Ron stood in a corner, as a large group of healers worked all over Harry. He continued watching as he sent a patronus to Ginny and Hermione. The entire time he waited, Ron's soul and emotions sought out the faint touch that barely assured him that Harry was still with them.

Ginny arrived about twenty minutes later, a fiery and indignant dervish. The healers had tried to make her wait for the initial work up to complete, but had underestimated the need of Ginny Potter to see her husband. When she arrived in the room, she looked first at Harry and then turned to Ron.

"I still feel him Gin. I'm hanging onto him."

Ginny nodded and collapsed into her brother's arms. A few minutes later, Hermione entered the room, surrounded by a force bubble and trailing two shouting assistants. When she reached the room, she grabbed hold of Ron and Ginny. She could feel Ron and his enforced linkage to Harry and immediately joined them. Behind her, one of the assistants was insisting that the wife could stay, but other relatives needed to exit. Everyone ignored the officious young man until he summoned hospital security. Ron's anger boiled and he pushed Ginny and Hermione back as he raised his wand. The security guard was forced to his knees as Ron towered over him.

"Do you know who that is on the bed? That's Harry Potter!"

"Do you know who I am? I am Ron Weasley, senior Auror and the strongest wizard you have ever laid eyes on. Do you really want to stand against me?"

With the last statement, Ron flicked his wand and pushed the cowering security guard out of the room. Then he turned back to Ginny and Hermione. Ginny trembled a bit. The man she saw in front of her was someone new. She had heard rumors of Ron's ferocity and skill in the field, but seeing what he had just done left her gobsmacked. The power that poured out of him had caused two of the healers at Harry's bed to turn around.

"Um, Mr. Weasley, we won't object if you remain, but we'd appreciate if you could calm your emotions. Your magic is disturbing our readings."

Hermione reached out to Ron, physically and emotionally. He pulled her to him and he gradually settled as he and Hermione once again enforced their link to Harry and urged him to stay with them. Almost an hour after Ron arrived at the hospital, the healers around Harry began to disperse, leaving one standing at the bedside monitoring him. Another with senior healer tabs on her collar crossed the room to the three waiting family members.

"Mr. Weasley, and um..?"

"Healer, this is my wife, Hermione and Ginny, Harry's wife and my sister."

"Ah yes, Hermione. The golden trio. And Mrs. Potter. Now, Mr. Potter's injuries are quite grave. It appears he received two direct strikes and a glancing blow. One of the direct strikes was from the cruscido spell. It's quite an old spell, one I haven't heard of since school. It was a precursor to the crucio spell. A number of his internal organs were crushed by it. He also received a frustumi curse which caused a deep slice across his thigh. The cut went through everything and halfway through the bone. If it had hit the lower limb or an arm, it would have caused amputation, but the thigh is much thicker. The curse is another old one and linked to dark magic. We've repaired what we can, but the healing will take a long time and I can't guarantee it will ever heal completely. We've got him on a continual potion infusion to repair the internal damage, but his body needs rest and time. The glancing strike was an infligo and it hit him in the side of the head, causing a bad concussion. I have to say, whoever hit him must have been studying some very old books. I'd be interested in what comes from his or her questioning. Now, Mr. Potter has a lot of healing to do. I've got him under an impedimentum spell. That will slow down his body, minimizing the work it needs to do. A side effect is that he will seem quite cold. We've got a warming spell over him to counteract that some. The next couple of days will be critical. I know Mr. Potter's history of course, but I have to say that this may be his biggest battle yet. He is going to have to work hard to come back. You all are willing to stay, I'll tell security. Right now Mr. Potter needs all the encouragement he can get. He won't hear you, but we aren't sure just exactly how much someone in his condition can feel. There will be a healer in here at all times and I will check on him every couple of hours. Do you have any questions?"

Ron shook his head and looked at Ginny and Hermione.

"No, nothing right now Healer. Maybe after we think on it all a bit."

"Very good. I'll be around if you think of anything. And I'll have some additional chairs brought in."

Ginny approached the bed and grasped Harry's hand. Ron and Hermione came around the other side of the bed and continued to send waves of comfort and love to Harry, as well as a feeling of his need to return to his family. The three said nothing to each other and stood in silence until a half hour later when their concentration was broken by the arrival of William Robards, head of the Auror department. He briefly spoke to the attending healer and then turned to Ron.

"Weasley. Can we talk? Outside."

"Yes Bill, but not outside. Harry needs to know I'm here. You can trust Hermione and Ginny, they know when not to speak out of turn."

Bill contemplated for a moment and then nodded before he allowed Ron to lead him to a couple of chairs on the side of the room.

"So Bill, did you get the fucker who did this? I hope he's rotting in Azkaban already."

"Yes, we got him. Indian bloke by the name Pragesh Davidson. Father was an English wizard working overseas when he met up with a local girl with seer abilities. He was trained at the infamous Bali Singh school. After he came out of the bathroom firing and Harry went down, everyone turned on him. He took twenty two direct hits, of which we think at least half hit him after he was already dead."

"Good riddance. I suppose questioning him would have been helpful, but right now I don't bloody care."

"Yes, I understand Weasley. We're all quite upset about Potter. That said, I need to talk to you about your actions during the operation. I've collected all the Auror testimonies from the scene and it seems that as soon as Potter was down you broke formation and left the rest of your team behind to find him. They aren't even sure how you knew he went down. Then you broke all the rules and apparated straight here without calling for help or transport. Weasley, I understand the two of you are like brothers and you've been through a lot, but you are one of my four senior Aurors and I cannot have you behaving in the manner you displayed."

Ron's blood began to boil again and Hermione crossed the room to reach his side. She grabbed Ron and pulled his head down so that their foreheads touched. They breathed in each other's breaths and she gradually calmed him. Robards watched the display with great interest. He had been about to throw up a shield when he saw the look come across Weasley's face. The young Auror's abilities were renowned and Robards had no desire of getting on his bad side, but he did need to reprimand him. Now he wasn't sure what was happening between Weasley and his wife. Then he looked over at Mrs. Potter and saw her looking at him with a smirk. After a few minutes Ron had gained control and turned to look at his boss. The calm, intense look in his eyes did little to calm Robards.

"Bill, I understand what I did was unconventional, but I saved Harry's life. There was no time to delay. I cannot apologize for that. Reprimand me if you must. If needed, I will have no trouble finding consulting work in the private sector."

"What? No Weasley, that is not what I mean. Bloody hell, you're the best damn Auror the department has ever recorded. And that's just in the training exercises. I do have to be concerned about the welfare of the other Aurors. You left your team behind to find Potter."

"Yes, I left them behind because we were already clear in our area. I did not jeopardize anyone. Do you know of a single injury that occurred due to what I did?"

"No, but…"

"Well then, I need to get back to Harry. We're doing our best to ensure he pulls through. I won't be returning to the office until he is better."

"What? I appreciate your support of him, but isn't that a bit much Weasley?"

Ron was about to speak again when Hermione put her hand on his arm.

"Ron my love, perhaps we should be truthful with Bill and explain everything?"

Robards' eyebrows went up and Ron gave his wife a small nod before turning back to his boss.

"Bill, there is more we need to tell you, but it goes back to the war. The information is in sealed records in Kingsley's vault, but we will tell you if you take a privacy vow."

Bill Robards just nodded his head and extended his hand. Ron first cast a privacy shield around the corner where they stood, then he turned his wand toward Bill and traced a line across Bill's palm. A line of blood gradually seeped out and Ron dipped his wand into the blood as he cast the pignus charm and recited the age old words.

"Do you, William Angus Robards swear to never reveal the information that Ronald Bilius Weasley will impart to you, on pain of death?"

"So do I swear."

Ron nodded and lowered his wand. He then proceeded to concisely detail the events at Malfoy manor and their impact on himself, Hermione and Harry for Bill. As he explained, a sudden look of understanding crossed Bill's face. When Ron's testimony ended, he drew his wand again and Bill extended his still bleeding hand. Ron dipped is wand in the blood and cast adjuro. A quick flash over Bill's palm indicated that the privacy vow was complete. With that done, Bill looked at Ron and Hermione both as he spoke.

"Alright, I have to say I never expected what I just learned. Honestly, if anyone else told me what you did I might not believe it. Bloody hell, I'm not sure I fully believe it still. I suppose it explains a few things though. Like how you knew when Potter went down. You are obviously needed here. Take as much time off as Potterneeds. I'll be checking in regularly."

Ron thanked Bill and watched his boss exit the room. Then he and Hermione moved back to Harry's bedside and re-established their link to him, sending him waves of encouragement and love.