Chapter 3. The Dawn Mark
As the sun sank toward the metropolitan horizon, the shadows of passersby on Charing Cross Road had lengthened. Harry slipped out of the alley where he had arrived by Apparition and blended in naturally with the Muggles. There was still a chill of winter in the air, so people walked with their collars pulled tight, and no one seemed to care about him. Harry stood between a huge smartphone shop with a picture of a bitten apple on the front, and an old video game shop. He then entered the Leaky Cauldron when no one was around.
As usual, the interior of the pub was dark and dingy, and people in dark robes and cloaks greeted Harry as he entered. Since Rudolphus Lestrange's last escape, the more experienced Aurors had been reassigned to guard Azkaban. Therefore, Teddy and Edmund would have been among the senior members of the group gathered there, as most of the Aurors in the pub were very young.
The landlady of the Leaky Cauldron, Hannah Abbott (who had changed her surname after marrying Neville Longbottom), smiled when she found Harry. She was wiping a beer glass with a napkin, her blonde hair was braided, and her face was flushed as if she had just been drinking.
"Want something to drink, Harry?"
"Not right now, Hannah — got some arrests to make."
"But wouldn't a glass of butterbeer be all right?" asked Hannah, picking up a bottle and putting it on the bar.
"Well, I guess a drink can't hurt." Harry gulped down the butterbeer from the cold glass and wiped the foam from his lips. "How's Neville?"
"He's fine, I'm sure; he's busy flirting with the pretty plants," Hannah replied sulkily, shaking her head. Neville was currently teaching Herbology at Hogwarts and was very passionate about his subject.
"But Hannah, there's no kinder husband than Neville. He even took care of his unfashionable toad with such love," said Harry, and Hannah laughed.
Just then, Teddy brought an old man from the backyard through the door behind the bar. Garrick Ollivander looked around the bar in the dark, his mysterious silver eyes shining like the moon, just as Harry remembered them from his childhood. He stared at Harry with pale eyes as they shook hands.
"Thanks for your cooperation, Mr. Ollivander," said Harry.
"I'm the one who's grateful, Mr. Potter. This time you came to my rescue even before I was kidnapped," said Ollivander heartily.
"Susan, please take Mr. Ollivander to the private parlor and keep him safe overnight. It'll be all right if he's with you and two of your Aurors," Harry said to Susan, who was standing beside them.
"But Harry, who will lead the attack?" asked Susan.
"I will; you had a hard time arresting Rudolphus last time," said Harry. "And Hannah, take these people into the parlor and stay with them. You'll be safe there for the night."
Hannah emerged from the bar with a lamp, lit a narrow passageway behind it and led Ollivander, Susan and two Aurors into the parlor.
"I've still got work to do, haven't I?" asked Teddy grumpily.
Harry nodded and walked over to the window and looked out into the backyard where darkness had already fallen. "Teddy, take the Aurors and put them in the alleys and on the rooftops around the wand shop. And disguise yourself as Mr. Ollivander in front of the shop and signal if anyone approaches."
"Right, Harry. Green sparks if nothing happens, red sparks if Crabbe or his men get close, right?"
Even as Teddy said this, his hair grew long and white. His face turned yellow and lined when he frowned, as if desperately trying to remember something, and he soon looked like Mr. Ollivander's twin brother.
"Exactly. Now go, they could be here any minute. . . . I'll watch the street with Edmund to see if the Death Eaters show up. If they do, we'll join you and help arrest them."
Teddy stepped out into the courtyard again, and all the Aurors at the tables followed him. The empty bar was lit by a faint gaslight, and Harry headed for the stairs. On his way to the designated room, Harry climbed a staircase with intricate patterns carved into the banister, giving the illusion of antiquity. He knocked three times on the door with a brass plate bearing the number eleven.
"Who is it?" Edmund's voice came from behind the door.
"You-Know-Who."
When Harry answered with a prearranged counter-sign, the door opened and Edmund's face was revealed. "Good evening, Mr. Potter. Please come in."
Harry walked straight to the window and across the room with the fluffy bed and some elegant oak furniture. As he passed, two of his Aurors, Baddock and Bulstrode, who were enjoying the warmth of the fireplace, murmured a greeting. However, they spoke with far less awe and respect than those on the first floor, perhaps because they were both from Slytherin House. Harry pulled a chair from nearby, placed it by the window and sat down in it. The reason for choosing this room to hide in tonight was obvious. Harry had spent two weeks in this room during one of his summer vacations once, and he knew that there was no better place to keep an eye on Diagon Alley than here.
By the time Harry had his eyes on Diagon Alley, the sun was going down. The sky had turned from a dark pink flecked with gold, to a steely gray, to a deep navy blue, and finally to pure black. The average person would not have noticed any movement on a street in total darkness. But Harry, whose eyes had been trained on the Auror's life for so long, was able to make out his men hiding on the roofs of several buildings or in the dark streets.
"Anything strange going on?" Edmund asked, sitting on the edge of the bed behind him.
"Not yet. Teddy will alert us if anything happens."
"Only if you can trust him," Edmund sighed and added, "Last week I saw Lupin out with his girlfriend . . . when he was supposed to be working undercover."
"Thanks for the tip-off. I'll give him a reprimand later."
"Lupin won't take you seriously, sir," said Edmund darkly. When Harry turned, Edmund's shadowy face was hard to read because he was facing away from the bright fireplace. "You're a great man, Mr. Potter. . . . Much as I hate to admit it, I envy Teddy Lupin for being so fortunate to have met his mentor at such a young age."
"You flatter me."
"But I must say this, sir. Sometimes you are too soft on those close to you. An attitude you should avoid as an Auror."
"Edmund, the aftermath of war never leaves you the same . . . with so much death everywhere, surviving alone feels more like a curse than a blessing. I had known the Lupins for a number of years. They both died on the same day, less than a year after they were married, having come to help me in the battle I had begun. And what right do I have to separate their only son from his beloved?"
Harry tried to erase the pale faces of Remus and Tonks from his mind, lying together, holding cold hands as if they were sleeping peacefully. Not wanting to show his grief, he cleared his throat and turned his eyes back to the window.
"I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn't have said that," said Edmund somberly.
The scenery outside the window remained unchanged for about half an hour, and Harry began to think that Diagon Alley might be in for another day following another uneventful night. When Harry was finally convinced that Edmund's information was wrong from the start, he heard a call from one of the Aurors behind him.
"I see a signal, sir!"
Even before he had finished speaking, Harry saw a small red flame rising through the night sky.
"Everyone, take your positions and capture the fugitives coming this way!"
Harry's words sent everyone except Edmund running for the door. As Harry tried to follow them, Edmund pointed out the window. "There's another signal coming, sir!"
Harry turned and looked out the window. There was a much brighter and larger green orb rising faster than before into the dark sky, not far from the red sparks already there.
"Teddy didn't do this," Harry said as he walked closer to the window. "It seems to be a Morsmordre spell used by the Death Eaters. . . ."
"Crabbe and his men are much bolder than I thought," said Edmund thoughtfully. "I never expected them to launch a Dark Mark in the middle of an urban area . . ."
"Good for us. Now we have a perfect excuse to arrest Crabbe, even if he doesn't break into the shop."
Harry stood up and pulled out his wand. But just as they turned, the room was suddenly filled with blinding light and Edmund pointed to the window again. "Sir, there's something different about the Dark Mark; it's changing color!"
Harry stood facing the window. The green sphere in the sky gradually faded and brightened, then turned orange and then yellow; this strange mark had a sense of the rising sun. Suddenly the orb swelled and emitted an intense flash of light. Harry raised his hand just in time to cover his eyes. Diagon Alley had become bright as day as the darkness vanished in an instant.
"What do you think that is?" asked Edmund, looking baffled.
"It's definitely not a Dark Mark," Harry replied, still in awe of the untimely dawn created by magic. "I've never seen anything like it. . . ."
Watching the small sun rise in the middle of the night, Harry felt very uneasy. He had seen the Dark Mark twice before, but neither experience had been as threatening as the bright orb before him. Lord Voldemort was known to move in the shadows, and even he had never declared such a bold attack on the Ministry. Harry felt an uncomfortable sensation creep up his spine when he realized that tonight's operation would not be as simple as he had thought.
"There's only one way to find out. I've got to find the person who started it and interrogate him."
He walked down the stairs with Edmund. Susan stood worriedly at the window overlooking the backyard and turned to Harry. "Harry, something's wrong — I'm coming with you."
"No, just take care of Mr. Ollivander," said Harry as he tried to put a smile on his tense face. "Crabbe must've mixed up the spells and cast the wrong one. No big deal."
Harry tried to comfort himself with these words, but his voice sounded uncertain even to himself. Edmund had already gone into the backyard and transformed the stone wall into an arched passageway by tapping it with his wand. The two of them entered Diagon Alley. Across the sky, the mysterious bright sign lost its light and was shrouded in darkness. It seemed as if a colorless mist had descended upon Diagon Alley, illuminated by sparsely placed gas lamps. Still, Harry felt more at home in the darkness, and the various Wizarding shops felt like old friends to him.
"Sir, I see Lupin over there," said Edmund.
Harry and Edmund climbed the white steps of Gringotts Wizarding Bank and hid behind the marble pillars near the entrance. From the higher ground, he could now see his subordinates at a glance, hiding in the narrow alleys between the shops. All eyes were on Harry and he motioned for them to wait. Teddy was the only one of the group completely exposed; he was peering through the sign of the wand shop, still disguised as Ollivander.
Harry couldn't see the front of the wand shop from his side, but if he closed his eyes he could still make it out: Above the entrance to the shabby, cramped shop, the peeling gold letters would form the words Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. But Teddy wasn't just reading; he was holding his wand and pointing it at the sign. Letters rattled as they fell and stuck with each movement of his wand, and his chuckle was faintly audible.
"Lupin seems to be making the signs more interesting. He must think this is a joke," whispered Edmund discontentedly. Harry, who had always stood by his godson, had to admit that this time Edmund was right. Then a piece of metal fell onto the pavement on Teddy's side of the street, and a creaking sound filled the still night air. Teddy seemed to have accidentally dropped one of the gold letters.
"What was that noise?" A harsh, alarmed voice called from Knockturn Alley, just around the corner from the end of the cobbled street.
"Surely it's just a stray cat. . . . Everyone seems to have gathered by now," another voice said. It was clearly Crabbe Sr. speaking in that soft, dull voice. "Let's all take off our masks so we know who is here. . . . Ah, Markus! Our newcomer, eager to learn. Your father must be proud of you."
Harry looked at Teddy in response to Crabbe's words. His godson was clenching his fists and looking toward Knockturn Alley. Harry reached into his robes and crossed his fingers, wishing Teddy would stop being a fool and just stay where he was. Suddenly, there was the sound of a cork being popped, followed by the pouring of liquid into the cup.
"Now, let's have a drink and get to work. Cheers, for the Dark Lord!" said Crabbe senior in a low voice.
"For the Dark Lord," people muttered in response, followed by the sound of sipping and swallowing. Soon Harry could see a group of men in black cloaks and hoods leaving Knockturn Alley. All wore iron masks so that their faces were hidden. However, Crabbe senior was clearly leading them, his bulky size and thick arms making him easily identifiable.
"Then let's face this Ollivander. One thing will be certain for all witches and wizards in England at sunrise tomorrow: the right to a wand is innate!" exclaimed Crabbe. "It is an innate right — an inviolable right! It is as pure as the blood that flows through our veins. . . . We cannot be forced to give up our rights, especially not by a Mudblood Minister!"
Crabbe and his followers were within easy reach of Ollivander's wand shop at the time. Despite their similar ideological stance, the Death Eaters of the modern era seemed far less organized than their counterparts under Lord Voldemort, largely due to the plodding gait of their leader, Crabbe senior. Crabbe, lost in his own voice, finally noticed Teddy standing in front of the shop and stopped.
"And look who it is! Ollivander himself has come out to meet us," Crabbe said with his arms wide open, laughing out loud. Being the impostor of Mr. Ollivander, Teddy walked out into the middle of the boulevard and faced Crabbe and his group.
"Er — Mr. Crabbe? Is this fellow really Garrick Ollivander?" a man standing next to Crabbe asked in a doubtful voice.
"Definitely! He's not exactly new to me," said Crabbe confidently, then raised his wand and pointed it at Teddy. "Now, step aside to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. . . . We're looking for your wands, not you. I've heard that you suffered a lot when you were held by the Dark Lord before . . . I hope you learned a good lesson then."
Some of his followers giggled and laughed at these words. Watching the idiots who had no idea they were surrounded, Harry wondered if he had been overly concerned. Was it really possible that the strange sign that had just lit up the dark sky was the result of Crabbe's failed Morsmordre spell? Just then, a tall man standing beside Crabbe tossed his mask on the ground and stepped forward.
"He's no more an Ollivander than I am . . . the real Ollivander is slimmer," the man said. His long, twisted, pale face, reflected in the light of the nearby gas lamps, looked somehow familiar. In an instant, Harry realized that he was Markus, son of Antonin Dolohov.
One of the crowd said in a loud, angry voice, "Does this newcomer dare to challenge Mr. Crabbe?"
"There's an easy way to prove it, you see," said Markus, raising his wand. "Ollivander, tell me the material of this wand you've made yourself! If you were a real one, you could surely tell me."
Teddy could change his face at will, but he couldn't change his voice, so whether he knew the right answer or not, his identity would be revealed the moment he spoke. . . . Three of Harry's fingers were extended to each of the Aurors watching him before they were slowly folded one by one. However, as soon as he had folded only one finger, Teddy pulled out his wand and pointed it at Markus.
"Stupefy!"
A jet of fiery red light flashed across Teddy's face, distorted with rage. But Markus blocked the spell in time, having been prepared for it.
"Now! Attack!" shouted Harry.
Aurors shot out of the alleys everywhere, casting Stunning and Disarming Spells with their wands. The Death Eaters were quick to flee; they scattered, some heading for the Leaky Cauldron, others for Knockturn Alley.
"Edmand, keep them from going that way. I'll take care of Knockturn Alley," Harry said as he ran down the stairs.
Harry and his Aurors entered the steep, winding passageway of Knockturn Alley. He fired a Stunning Spell at Crabbe's broad back, which was the easiest target due to its enormous size. But, as if blown by the wind, the blinding flash of red light barely missed him and struck the wall behind him. With a flick of his wand, Crabbe smashed the door of the nearest shop and stepped inside. Harry had just reached the entrance when emerald-green flames shot from the fireplace and Crabbe vanished, apparently using the Floo powder he had prepared in advance.
"Go after the others!" Harry shouted to the Aurors who had followed him into the shop. The small and large bones on the shelves fell and rattled in the chaos.
Crabbe's men were getting further and further away from him as Harry returned to the main street of Knockturn Alley. Many of them were breaking into shops on both sides of the street to use their fireplaces. Harry cast a spell every time he saw a black figure, but they all missed. The sight reminded him of something he'd seen before ... it looked like —
"— they used Felix Felicis or something! Why can't we ever hit them?"
One of the Aurors following Harry said, gasping for breath. It was just as Harry had thought. Could Crabbe and his men have just drunk Liquid Luck before coming out of Knockturn Alley?
"Spread out and look for the broken doors!" shouted Harry. "Someone may not have escaped because there is no fireplace."
The Aurors dispersed at Harry's command. He turned to see what was left of Knockturn Alley and saw a black figure turn the corner and disappear. A man with a familiar build then disappeared into the narrow street in pursuit.
"Teddy!" Harry ran after them, realizing who they were.
It was the first time even Harry, who had endured every hardship imaginable, had been this deep inside Knocturn Alley. . . .. The narrow space between the crowded buildings was slippery, with moss and puddles of rainwater on the ground. Above his head was a jagged roof and gutter, giving him the impression that he had entered an overgrown forest. He thought not a single ray of light could penetrate the place, even in the middle of the day. Harry nearly fell as he tried to descend the narrow stairs, so he cast a spell on his feet to increase friction. He stumbled several more times in pursuit of the fugitive and the tracker, the two of them almost hidden by the shroud of darkness. Teddy's voice made Harry stop as he ran forward where the road suddenly widened.
"DOLOHOV! FACE ME!"
Teddy's exclamation sounded far away. Going back the way he had come, Harry discovered that the road had split at the point where the passage had widened. This time he took the left path, which was so narrow that only cats could squeeze through. Harry had just managed to get through the section by walking like a crab and then resumed the chase. But Markus and Teddy were nowhere in sight.
"Lumos."
Lighting his wand, Harry searched all directions for their tracks and found footprints from stepping on dirty water along the road. In the never-ending darkness, Harry followed the faint traces of their footsteps until he came to a halt in front of an ancient building where the trails had ended. A plank had been placed over the door, its paint nearly peeled off, and a thick layer of dust caked the window beside it, blocking any view inside. Harry stepped back and shone the light from his wand on the sign above his head, which read POTAGE'S CAULDRON SHOP in rusty letters. Near the Leaky Cauldron was another shop with the same name, and the one before Harry looked like its closed branch in Knockturn Alley.
Harry carefully pushed the blocked entrance, and to his surprise, the boards crumbled and the door opened silently inward. He flicked his wand around, trying to figure out how the dark storeroom was laid out. There were large and small pots all over the place, making it difficult to move without making a lot of noise, and dust fell from the low wooden ceiling every time he walked, landing on his glasses. Harry was about to wipe the dust off them when a thin, elongated object rattled under his feet. Carefully, he picked it up and examined it: The wand, with its handle shaped like a blunt bud, looked very familiar. Made of cypress wood, it had once belonged to Remus Lupin and was now being used by his son, Teddy Lupin.
"Please, not Teddy . . ." Harry whispered, thinking of the worst case scenario. It made Harry's heart ache to imagine what Teddy might have suffered in his proximity. Then he heard a voice above his head. Harry slipped Teddy's wand into his pocket and hurried to the wooden stairs on the opposite wall. To keep his footsteps from creaking on the steep and narrow stairs, Harry had to cast another Muffliato Charm on himself. Through the crack of the slightly open door on the second floor, the faint light of a candle and a flickering shadow could be seen halfway up the stairs.
"I'm ready to face you now, Lupin, but I'm not sure you are," Markus said in a harsh, sarcastic tone.
"You coward! Ambush someone without a wand?" said Teddy, and Harry could breathe a sigh of relief to find him safe.
Leaning his face against the crack in the door, Harry peered inside. The small attic was lit by a few candles. Floating with them was Teddy, hanging upside down in the air, waving his fists in vain at his opponent. Markus stood a few steps away, looking down at his prey with a relaxed expression.
"It was foolish of you to follow me without a wand. . . . At least you showed some fight to avenge that werewolf."
"My father's name is Remus Lupin!"
"But how do you know this part-human is your father? How can you be so sure that your mother didn't go out with another wolf?"
Teddy roared in anger and struggled even harder. Hearing the insults directed at the deceased Lupins, Harry almost impulsively kicked in the door. But his experience as a seasoned Auror stopped him: he needed to get information now, not fight. From Markus's position, he might see the eavesdropper if he looked just a little to the left, so Harry descended the stairs and hid in the shadows. Harry rummaged through his pockets for the Extendable Ears he had gotten from Weasleys' joke shop, but none were found. Lacking an alternative, he pricked up his own ears and concentrated on the conversation in the attic.
"I don't even need a wand!" cried Teddy. "I'll scalp you with my bare hands!"
"Like father, like son, the same brutality . . ."
Markus bent down in front of Teddy, who was hanging upside down, and pulled out his wand. A faint purple flame rose from its tip as he flicked it into the air. "Killing you is such an easy job . . . . With this curse, I could damage your internal organs without leaving a single wound on the outside. Did you know that your father died under the same spell?"
Harry could hear Teddy's enraged screams and his own wand hand twitched in anger and worry. He could not stay still if Markus really wanted to harm his godson, but fortunately, Markus lowered his wand and stood up again.
"Keep screaming, Lupin — emotional outbursts will not help you in any way. . . . Just like you, there was a time when I couldn't control my emotions. For seven years, I had to learn spells from my father's murderer, and every time I learned a dangerous spell, I wanted to give it back to Flitwick. Yes, Lupin. . . . In the final battle, that dirty half-goblin killed my father."
"Ah, now I understand why Professor Flitwick seemed so nice. Antonin Dolohov deserved the worst kind of death!"
"My father was a noble man who sacrificed his life for a worthy cause. He must have been happy to take your father with him."
Teddy swore and struggled again at Markus's words.
"Wiggle as much as you want. . . . I used to run wild like you, but those days are gone. The new savior has come and everything has changed."
"The new savior? That fat Crabbe?" Teddy's loud laughter echoed through the room. "You're gonna make me laugh to death, aren't you?"
"Of course it's not Crabbe, you idiot," Markus snapped in an annoyed voice. "I saw you sneaking into our Christmas meeting. . . . I recognized you at a glance with your poor disguise. Too bad you left so early — the real show started right after that."
Harry pressed his face against the wall to hear better. Teddy said after a short silence, "Does it have anything to do with those metallic footsteps?"
"Ah, not as thick as I thought, are you? Yes, after the meeting, when only Crabbe's most ardent followers and I were left in the basement, a stranger came down with those strange steps. Despite the cloak covering his face, I felt a strong dark energy emanating from the man. . . . Though I've never seen the Dark Lord in person, I'd've felt the same way if I had. The stranger declared that he would take over Crabbe's gang, and when we all scoffed at him, he subdued everyone present in an instant. He was the only one left with a wand in his hand after only a few seconds."
"So who the hell was that? No name?" asked Teddy, and Harry was grateful that his godson had asked the same question he wanted answered.
"Eisenbein. He told us to call him that," said Markus reluctantly. He tried to speak calmly, but Harry noticed that his voice trembled slightly as he said the name. "Eisenbein claimed that he was the only one with the right to lead the Death Eaters, because he was the Dark Lord's closest friend and heir."
"And you just believed him? What idiots!"
"No, of course not at first . . . but Eisenbein answered every single question Crabbe asked about the secrets that only the closest followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would know. He also knew, to Crabbe's surprise, all the information that only the Dark Lord himself could know. Our long-awaited successor to the Dark Lord has finally arrived!"
Listening to Markus's testimony, Harry wondered who Eisenbein could be. The more he thought about it, the more doubts he developed; Voldemort couldn't have had any real friends, and all of his loyal men were either dead or in Azkaban, except for Crabbe senior.
"Let's say you're right. But what has changed? Even Voldemort himself was no match for the Chosen One. Successor or not, there's nothing to fear," said Teddy triumphantly.
"I asked myself the same question as you. How can we defeat Harry Potter and his friends now that they control the entire Wizarding world? Eisenbein, however, can learn from past mistakes — that's why he's superior to the Dark Lord in some respects." There was a creaking sound, as if Markus had sat on a chair, and the light shining through the doorway was slightly blocked by his movement. "He tried to rule in darkness, the Dark Lord. But at dawn he found himself surrounded by enemies everywhere, and his fall was already inevitable. Eisenbein was different: He told us to fight for our people under the bright light."
"Yes? In any case, you remaining rats are mere shadows of the old Death Eaters. Even if you shoot up the Dark Mark as before, no one will be frightened."
"That wasn't a Dark Mark," said Markus patiently. "The bright light you saw was the Dawn Mark, announcing the coming of a bright, pure sun. And we are no longer Death Eaters. Eisenbein has renamed us the Dawn Breakers, under his leadership."
"And you're just thieving some wands under that grand name?" mocked Teddy. "But even that was unsuccessful! You failed to steal a single wooden stick."
"How naive of you. . . . Did you really think Eisenbein would accomplish anything significant with a blockhead like Crabbe? Except me, Crabbe and his men were only there to draw attention and run away. I was the key to this mission."
"So the most important part of this mission is basically talking to me. How very impressive."
"No, I have to give the necessary information to Harry Potter," said Markus softly. He stood up, the aged floor creaking under his feet. "Then it's my job to get caught by him."
"A grand plan, but it has one big flaw," sneered Teddy, "that Harry Potter isn't in this rotten place."
"No, he's right here with us." Harry's heart sank at Markus's words. "Did you really think he would let you get hurt? He's listening to our conversation right now outside this door. . . ."
Harry had no time to react before the door that had been covering him slid open, revealing the inside of the attic. Teddy struggled to turn around, still hanging upside down, and gaped at his godfather. Markus walked past him and stood in front of Harry, throwing his wand to the floor. Half of his long, twisted face gleamed in an amber candle, the rest shrouded in shadow.
"Harry Potter, I surrender to you," Markus said, the smile on his face cold and sinister.
As they left Knockturn Alley, Harry handed the bound Markus Dolohov to the Aurors waiting at the entrance. "Take this suspect to the Ministry and put him in the interrogation room."
Markus's mysterious intention to surrender made Harry feel uneasy. Still, it was doubtful that he would be able to do anything dangerous without his wand in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, guarded by dozens of Aurors. Markus followed the Aurors into the fireplace of the nearest shop and disappeared into a green flame, his face expressionless. Then Harry shot Teddy, who looked dejected. He took Teddy's wand from his pocket and waved it in his face.
"What were you thinking? Fighting a Dark wizard with your bare hands?"
"My apologies. . . . But I couldn't bear to miss that bastard right in front of me."
"Then put a stop to that temper, Teddy. Your parents sacrificed themselves so that you could live in a better world. It would be wrong to repay them with something as reckless as this."
Teddy had gone very pale and his eyes were watering. Harry was about to reprimand him further when a memory suddenly flashed through his mind. It was a vivid image of him being reprimanded by Professor Remus Lupin in his office, holding the Marauder's Map he had just confiscated.
"Why are you smiling, Harry?" said Teddy, looking confused.
"It reminds me of something that happened a long time ago," said Harry quietly. "Your father told me the same thing once."
The soft spot he had for Remus Lupin led him to return the wand to Teddy instead of scolding him more. As Harry turned to go back to Leaky Cauldron, he found Edmund watching them with his arms crossed.
"Looks like you've been messing around again, Lupin. . . . I'd have brought an extra wand if I were you." Edmund lifted the hem of his pants a bit, revealing a spare wand hidden in his right sock. "If you want to be a skilled Auror, you should."
"You want to brag about your socks? Then do it to your mother, Slughorn," said Teddy coolly.
"Stop fighting, you two!" said Harry. "Edmund, has anyone else been arrested besides Markus Dolohov?"
"Not a single man, Mr. Potter. . . . I think they were preparing the Floo powder and setting up fireplaces to escape in advance," said Edmund uneasily. "It seems they had no intention of stealing the wands in the first place, but only of escaping."
"So many excuses all the time, Slughorn. Maybe you were just too slow," sneered Teddy. "Look at me, I caught Markus without a wand."
"You caught him? But I heard you were the one who got caught."
"ENOUGH! You're both on probation if you fight again," Harry warned them. "Let's get back to the Leaky Cauldron. Mr. Ollivander and Susan have been waiting for some time."
The three of them walked along an empty street toward the pub, while the other Aurors sprinkled various magical powders here and there to examine any evidence left by the intruders. The stone wall turned into an arch as they approached, opening a passageway. Feeling exhausted, Harry decided to take a nap in room eleven after leaving Susan to clean up. But when he opened the door to the pub, the sight he saw immediately blew away his fatigue. The chairs were all smashed, their pieces scattered all over the floor, and none of the tables were standing, either broken or overturned.
"Slughorn, what happened?" cried Teddy. "You were the one who searched this side. How could you not know until now?"
"I heard nothing from my side. And look, the attackers didn't break in from where we were!" On the side Edmund pointed to, the door to the Muggle world was slammed wide open with broken hinges, swaying in the wind.
"Edmund, get some help and check upstairs. The suspects may still be hiding. Teddy, follow me."
A rustling wind came through the broken door as they passed the bar, stepping on shards of broken bottles on the floor. A wall of auburn planks was revealed under the light of Harry's wand as he stared down the narrow, empty corridor.
In certain areas of the wall, Harry noticed that the color was darker than in others. When he placed his fingertip on that side, it felt scratchy and soot had come off it. Suddenly, Teddy's feet were hit by what sounded like a tin can. Harry stepped over, picked up the strange object and examined it carefully. The small thing was made of dark metal, its original shape must have been cylindrical, but only a part of it was left. His hands were smeared with more soot as he touched the surface.
"What is it? Do you sense any Dark Magic?"
"No," Harry said, carefully placing the object back on the ground. "It looks like some kind of bomb that Muggles use."
"But why is it here?" Teddy wondered.
He stood up and looked at the parlor a few steps away. The door was slightly ajar, but the room seen through the gap was pitch black. "I have no idea . . . I can only hope there are eyewitnesses in there."
Harry kicked open the door. He and Teddy entered the room with their wands raised, their tips shining like beacons, illuminating the dark space.
"Merlin's beard," muttered Teddy, "there are people down there."
In one swift motion, Harry turned the nearest Auror over and took his pulse. "Still alive."
"This one too!" said Teddy, who had just checked the other Auror's pulse.
The light from Harry's wand glowed in the room as he raised it higher. A little further in, two smaller people were lying on the floor.
"Susan! Hannah!" Harry shouted as he ran up to them. Thankfully, he felt a faint pulse on Hannah's wrist. As he was about to check Susan's pulse, she jumped up, coughing.
"It's okay, Susan. It's Harry."
Susan, who had been struggling, calmed down at Harry's words. Panting, she staggered up, but fell back down again. Then there was the sound of urgent footsteps in the hallway. Edmund and the Aurors rushed into the room.
"Sir, we've searched the upper floors and there's no one. It seems the intruders have already left."
"Well done, Edmund. Now take the wounded in this room to St. Mungo's."
Edmund and the other Aurors lifted the two fallen Aurors and Hannah into the air as if they were on an invisible stretcher. Harry leaned Susan against a nearby wall and knelt before her.
"Susan, can you hear me?" Harry asked. While she nodded almost invisibly, Susan frowned as if still uncomfortable with the lights. "What happened?"
"There was an explosion . . . " a small, raspy voice escaped her cracked lips. Then she opened her eyes wide and grabbed Harry's wrist. "Ollivander! They were here for Ollivander!"
With those words, she lost consciousness and lowered her head, leaving the room in complete silence.
"Madam Bones is right," said Edmund. "We can't find Mr. Ollivander anywhere."