Summary of last Chapter:
- In the press conference Harold Minchum expresses his disappointment that the Werewolf Containment Act of 1976 failed to pass while Albus and Arcturus explain their reasons for voting against the proposed law
- Pyrites family talks about various things, they plan to force Jonathan's great grandson and Jennifer's brother Adolphus to sign a magical contract that forbids him from acting against the house
- Adolphus is outside the Courthouse when he is found by Rockwood and Greyback, he gets pressured into becoming a death eater and to help them gain access to the property, he folds quickly and accepts
Chapter 23:
Reviews please?
To asphalt54: It is indeed planned that the Eisenhowers will have more appearences in the story. The next time should be around chapter... 26 maybe? It really depends on how detailed I am going to write the battle, it's aftermath and Voldemort's journey to Ireland and Spain as that will come first.
(Writing this as I am writing the last parts of chapter 28, I am still stuck in the battle lmao)
Oh and one will make a brief appearence in this chapter but probably not in a way you'll like so uhm yeah sorry about that.
Patch Notes:
Decided to change the name of Leo Eridanus in Chapter 5 to Leo Cygnus... I really hope I haven't missed any occasions where I have to change that aswell. If you remember anything please let me know :
4rd October 1976, England, Pyrites Courthouse:
„Well well well, have you finally decided to show yourself to your family? Come Adolphus, the others are waiting" Ida Pyrites, Adolphus' grandmother, said to him after she spotted him walking towards the courthouse.
'Grandfather Johnathan must have felt me passing through the wards' Adolphus thought with a silent laugh. His family had no idea what was in store for them. They entered the manor and were approaching the wardstone room, not that his family knew that Adolphus knew where the room was and how to enter it. Only one corner left to go around and he was at his goal.
„Hey uhm grandmother Ida?" he asked with purposeful hesitation. Adolphus had to focus on skills like manipulation since dueling was never his strength.
„What is it Adolphus? Can't whatever this is wait until after the meeting?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow and Adolphus just wanted to curse her in that moment. Here her grandson was asking for her with a vulnerable tone and she replied with something that might very well have been a dismissal.
He hesitated again, walked towards her and hugged her. She stiffened, not knowing what to do, her grandson hadn't shown affection towards her since the start of his 4th year. But she was a kind person and hugged him back not noticing the dagger he slowly drew a dagger whose blade was coated in poison. Adolphus always kept that dagger inside his robes knowing he'd need it someday. Today was that day. He moved suddenly and Ida had no time to react before the dagger was thrust inside her abdomen. She collapsed looking at her grandson with tears in her eyes forming. She turned to Adolphus with great difficulty but he only looked at her apathetically.
„Why Adolphus? Why? What have I ever done to you to deserve this?" she croaked not believing that her own grandson had decided to kill her.
The poison was working fast however and she soon fell unconscious but by that time Adolphus had already entered the wardstoneroom.
Johnathan was tapping his foot on the floor slowly losing his patience over the fact that his great grandson had still not appeared in front of him.
'Seriously how long is this gonna take? I still have stuff to do. We really need additional security here' Johnathan thought to himself glancing at Archibald Derrick, Malcom Wonka and Miriam Scrimgeour. They were only 3 out of his security team that was stationed throughout the courthouse and the weakest amongst the 7 which is why they were with him. When Miriam Scrimgeour initially had been hired by his grandson Johnathan had been ecstatic, she was the younger sister of Auror Rufus Scrimgeour after all and Johnathan always welcomes capable hands into his courthouse. Well his joy quickly turned to exasperation, that girl couldn't survive if her life depended on it. Nethertheless she showed some potential and by now was almost an adequate security guard. Archibald Derrick was actually not that bad, he was an experienced curse breaker after all and knew a thing or two about dueling. He was retired and only doing this to get a little additional income and had become very clumsy in his age. The same couldn't be said about Malcom Wonka however, he wasn't clumsy and only in his 30s but absolutely horrible. The only reason Johnathan hadn't fired him yet was his intimidating appearence and the fact that the Wonkas weren't in the best position currently financially speaking. Johnathan's security team was more for show than for anything else anyway so it wasn't that big of a deal. What? It really wasn't they were only hear so he could honestly say that he had a large security team protecting the Pyrites Courthouse. It would hopefully stop anyone from even trying to attack.
'Well it has been working so far.. wait what is happening?' Johnathan thought to himself, he could feel the wards telling him that something was happening to his daughter in law. He spun around to his assistant, Harvey Lloyd.
„Mr. Lloyd the wards tell me that something has happened to my daughter in law. She is on the second floor go see what has happened immediately. Ms. Scrimgeour and Mr. Derrick follow him and make sure to secure the floor. Also find Adolphus I want to know where he is and what the hell he has been doing all of this time. Mr. Wonka I want you to call St. Mungos to send a healer immediately." he ordered and the four nodded and went into motion.
Adolphus looked at the glowing stones spread out through the room. It was time, he knew that but he hesitated.
„I am dooming my entire family to die, aren't I? Well except Jennifer of course... eh atleast I will have her to keep me entertained" he muttered „If only I didn't have to destroy the wardstones, they are quite the piece of art after all and it will cost me a lot of time and money to replace them"
Harvey, Archibald and Miriam were running down the staircase to the second floor when Archibald noticed something. They had arrived at the second floor and stopped after Archibald stopped.
„Wait, why can't I no longer feel the security wards around us?" he asked himself making Miriam curse. They noticed someone coming up the stairs, it was their fellow security guard Roberto Sanchez
„Mr. Derrick, Mr. Lloyd and Mr. Sanchez something is horribly wrong let's go." she said and hurried down the corridor, her fellow security guards following her. They never noticed Roberto going last and grinning.
Johnathan cursed. The wards had come down, how the hell did that happen?
„What is wrong Johnny?" asked his wife.
„Blossom the wards have come down" he said making his wife gasp knowing that they were now pretty much defenseless. Johnathan rushed to the window and looked into the front garden. He could make out atleast 2 dozens of robed and masked man rushing towards the Courthouse.
„Blossom alert the aurors, we are under attack" he shouted and rushed out of the room.
Greyback and Rockwood noticed one of the windows on the second floor exploding. The signal for the attack had been given.
The group ran around a corner when they noticed young Adolphus seemingly coming out of the side of the wall.
„Mr. Pyrites what are you doing there? Where did you come from?" Harvey asked the young man with anger. Then Miriam saw something at the end of the hallway.
„Is.. is that Mrs. Pyrites lying there? What happened?" she asked with worry but the young man only laughed.
„She was in the way but don't you worry too much you don't have to do anything. It's to late to help her anyway."
„.. you are responsible for the deactivation of the wards" Archibald said accusingly.
„You're absolutely right Mr. Derrick. Mr. Lloyd and Ms. Scrimgeour are lost but you Mr. Derrick are a proper pureblood. Come with me and join the cause of the Dark Lord or die with the rest of them. It shouldn't take too long until my allies are here hahaha"
„I will have to decline Mr. Pyrites, I am not a traitor" Archibald said gritting his teeth.
„Surrender Mr. Pyrites you stand no chance against the four of us" demanded Miriam but Adolphus only laughed and Harvey gasped suddenly as he was struck with a killing curse from behind. Harvey fell lifelessly to the ground as Archibald spun around and saved Miriam's life with a conjured barrier.
„Mr. Sanchez, how disappointing" Archibald said but he didn't have time to further mock his ally turned enemy. Then the fight began with Archibald fighting Roberto and with Miriam fighting Adolphus. Archibald and Miriam were back to back each fighting an opponent that was around their skill level which made this fight very equal, too equal if you asked Adolphus. He knew that his great grandparents were most likely on their way down and it was uncertain where his parents and grandfather were.
„Ida! NO!" someone shouted and Adolphus hurled around dodging a yellow curse from Miriam in the meantime on pure luck. Adolphus saw his grandfather's eyes narrow with hate as Hermes saw a dagger in his wife's abdomen, a dagger he knew she had gifted to Adolphus a few years ago. Adolphus had no time to keep watch on his grandfather however as he shielded against another spell courtesy of Miriam. She threw spell after spell at him which he shielded against but he knew that his magical reserves were slowly being drained and he'd lose a battle of attrition. His attention was now fully on Miriam again but just when he got an idea how to defeat her he was thrown across the hallway by a bombarda sent by Hermes. The fight between Archibald and Roberto stopped as they looked at the furious Hermes but Adolphus didn't notice that as he groaned in pain and struggled to get up again.
„Adolphus, you may be my grandson but you'll wish you'd have been killed by Ms. Scrimgeour once I am through with you" said Hermes and sent a killing curse at Roberto who was too surprised at the sudden action to put up more of a defense than a standart shield. Of course that shield was useless against the killing curse and so the curse went right through the shield, hitting and killing Roberto. Archibald, Miriam and Hermes now turned their attention back to Adolphus.
„Now who and where is this possible patient of mine, Mr. Wonka?" Healer Annabeth Eisenhower asked security guard Wonka. Malcom Wonka looked way too nervous to be a security guard but eh what did she know? She was 'only' a healer. But what a damn good healer she was. She only had been in St. Mungos for about half a year but had quickly become known for her medical knowledge that was better than anyone else in the hospital. She had already been offered and accepted the position as head healer once the current one retired at the end of the year. With her were novice healers Wesley Crusher and Pippa Filmor who she'd be showing the ropes today aswell as Senior Auror Orsulus Umbridge and Junior Auror Henry Riker because the nervous Wonka insisted on having 2 aurors come with him as he had 'a bad feeling about this'. Since Ida Pyrites was a pureblood from a noble family that request had been accepted, don't think for a moment a muggleborn would have been given the same courtesy. Not in Britain. Well whatever it wasn't her home country so Annabeth didn't really care too much.
„Uhh Mrs. Pyrites is on the second floor Healer Eisenhower" the twitching security guard replied.
„Well then let's go there, please lead the way Mr. Wonka" she said and the man seemed unsure before saying „Uhm yeah sure".
They started walking through the entrance hall and Annabeth could feel the tension between the two aurors.
'Well no wonder, whoever thought pairing an Umbridge with a muggleborn was an idiot' Annabeth thought and continued walking.
Her group didn't get far however as robed and masked men suddenly stormed the entrance hall and one of them shouted „Come on guys we need to disable the floo entrance" before the group saw Annabeth and the others. Both groups came to a halt and looked at eachother not knowing how to react to the situation.
„I knew it! Fuck the pay I'm out!" said security guard Wonka, ran back to the floo, took some powder and yelled out „Wonka Residence" before vanishing in a burst of fire.
„Damn coward how the hell are we gonna find Mrs. Pyrites now?" Wesley spat angrily.
„Wesley I think we have more pressing matters" Pippa replied cautiously.
„Agreed, Auror Riker please floo back to the Ministry and call for immediate assistance" Orsulus said to Henry who nodded, vanishing in flames aswell seconds later. This left Annabeth with 2 novice healers and a Senior Auror as assistance.
'Great, well I hope Auror Umbridge is a competent one or this might just be my last day on Earth. Wait... let's not throw Crusher and Filmor to the dogs, atleast they should survive' she thought.
„Crusher, Filmor. I want you to go back to St. Mungos and tell everyone to prepare for a lot of incoming patients, tell that the Pyrites family home is under attack and wait for further instructions by Head Healer Prewett" she told them and they aswell went through the floo network within the minute.
Orsulus then stepped forward, slowly walking to the death eaters. Why the hell was he so calm?
„Well gentlemen you know the drill, there is no need for this to escalate into violence. Should you disagree with this, I will of course have to place you under arrest" the man said getting a killing curse thrown at him in response but he just stepped aside and let the green light fly past him.
„That certainly wasn't very pureblood like but as you wish" Orsulus again said making Annabeth think that the man was crazy. An explosion somewhere else in the courthouse occured. The battle for the Pyrites Courthouse had begun.
**End of Chapter**
Characters in this chapter and the amount of chapters they have appeared in so far:
- Ida Pyrites (1)
- Adolphus Pyrites (2)
- Jonathan Pyrites (3)
- Archibald Derrick (1)
- Malcom Wonka (1)
- Miriam Scrimgeour (1)
- Harvey Lloyd (1)
- Roberto Sanchez (1)
- Augustus Rockwood (3)
- Fenrir Greyback (2)
- Hermes Pyrites (1)
- Annabeth Eisenhower (1)
- Wesley Crusher (1)
- Pippa Filmor (1)
- Orsulus Umbridge (1)
- Henry Riker (1)