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It wasn't spellfire, and the lights that he'd assumed had come therefrom, had in fact come from wards. The path behind them illuminated seemingly of its own volition — Elaine certainly hadn't been near enough to bring forth light — and after doing so, various flashes of light lit up in an order that seemed unending. Quite frankly, after witnessing that alongside the two Aurors, Nick and Thomas, Harry was dumbfounded.

What type of ward had caused such an explosion of light? Moreover, why had it gone off now, rather than when they must have been far nearer to it?

"Deputy Minister?" asked Nick as the man of a near-equal age to Harry backed away from the archway that'd previously been an entrance. Nick looked around, up and down the hall, but his eyes returned to the source of such a commotion quickly. "What're we going to do about that, sir?"

Harry nearly said fuck all, but that wouldn't have sounded very good. The fact of the matter was, he still wasn't remotely certain of what it was that had happened. Merlin, there was even the chance that it was another person that'd been down there with them, they'd not cleared the labyrinth, after all.

It could've been tripped by the Inferi, but how could they come from behind? We left Elaine and the others in the centre, Harry paused briefly to wonder if Elaine and the Aurors that remained with her would have split themselves up further, or if they'd have gone to the other side. He concluded very quickly that such a course of action on their behalf wasn't likely to have been taken.

Thus, it left him no better off than he'd previously been as the lights continued to dance across the otherwise dark corridors of concrete and stone. If Harry were to say one thing about said lights as they caught his attention, he'd admit that they were very captivating. Enough so that he found himself momentarily distracted for a good few seconds whilst he thought out a course of action.

"I'll send another Patronus to the Minister so she'll know we're fine. We'll wait a few minutes to see if we get a response, and if we don't, we'll go back to check on the others — if they answer us, we'll continue until we're certain our side is clear," Harry looked up and down the passage, and then he nodded to himself. There wasn't that much left to go, his plan seemed sound enough.

Well, then again, he supposed just about any person's plan sounded good in their mind. It was when it came time to put those plans into action that problems usually arose. He'd just have to hope that he could react quickly enough to mitigate any negative happenings. If anybody could do that — outside of Elaine at the present, for now — it could be him.

Before all of this time spent in the olden days, he'd been pretty grand when it came to improvising and overcoming an issue. Now? Now he'd gotten old. He was nearly a man beyond twenty, he was.

When neither of the two men seemed to be in strong opposition to Harry's idea, he took that to mean they had no advice to offer, and thus, he went about whipping his wand in silence. His memory as he conjured forth his Patronus?

That was a simple answer, and one that would likely remain in place for quite some time; Elaine's first utterance of the words 'I love you'. How could one ever grow weary of such words?

It was after a few seconds in which he spoke quietly to the Patronus, filling it with his voice and the message he intended to send, that the aforementioned spell in the shape of a serpentine creature slinked away. Harry watched it do so for a second if that, and then his attention was returned to the path ahead as he and the other two men remained still, waiting for any form of response from their companions.

That came not more than thirty seconds later, when at the end of the tunnel and in the direction that they themselves had come from, out poked the head of Elaine. There was a Lumos cast behind her, one that wasn't overly bright, but enough so that the two parties might see one another.

When eye contact was made and Harry's mind sought out Elaine's of its own accord, he was certain that all was fine, and that she seemed to lack the confusion he'd had in place. Be it that she'd recognised the spell or ward, or that she possessed other knowledge thereof, Harry's mind was put to ease and refocused on the task at hand.

Were it dangerous, Elaine would not have remained so passive and uncaring.

"Fancy finishing our walk, lads?" Harry asked with a grin as he brought his hands together, a small slap-like sound echoing quietly through the hall.

Needless to say, what remained of the hall was quickly cleared, and then, it was Harry, Nick and Thomas' turn to take the centre whilst those who'd previously remained behind, went to clear the opposite side.


When they'd gotten back, swapped information with those who'd stayed behind, and took a few moments to themselves, it was only then did they take note of the differences in the room. For one, the entirety of it seemed more condensed and less spacious than it'd previously been. The archways were thinner, there were columns that came down from the ceiling and connected to the floor below, and finally, there were walls that hadn't previously been standing.

It was very obvious that those that had stayed behind, hadn't been sitting idly by whilst the others went about clearing a portion of the path ahead.

"Did the lights worry you?"

Harry turned to look at Elaine whilst the others took a few minutes to eat and drink their fill. Her words, the question she'd asked him, seemed strange. Surely she had to know that such a happening would startle him and anybody else present. It was like the old adage of vibrantly-coloured creatures all but blasting a warning to those who saw them; it drew his attention and made him think that something bad had happened, when in fact, nothing had.

"Minorly," Harry ultimately answered, and when Elaine rose a brow as if to convey her impatience. "I figured if it was anything truly horrible that had happened, you'd have come to me. There's nothing that stops you, I've seen that."

Elaine smiled as a bit of red dusted her cheeks. "It pleases me to be held in such high esteem by you," she said quietly, and as she repositioned herself so as to not provide any of the others with a view of her face. "A ward was set off, one in which we'd placed whilst waiting for you. As you can deduce, it was for nought but an advanced warning to garner attention."

"So everything's fine, then?"

"Perfectly so, thus far," Elaine took in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, for nearly three seconds. It was almost as if she was savouring the stale air. "Mayhaps my mood is happy on account of what we've discovered thus far. This place could be quite the boon, if cleared out and kept secret — at least until we come to some sort of deal with the owners hereof."

That made Harry cork a brow. "Was— you mean the Austrian Magical Government?" he scratched his head then. "Do they even have one? I thought they were occupied by Muggles from the Soviet Union and America?"

"Not just the pair of them, and yes, there remains an interim government. We might be able to make a deal with them when all is clear. Until then, it would be best to keep this hidden once it's cleared," Elaine then took an abrupt few steps toward Harry and kissed him on the lips. It was quick and without warning; she tasted faintly of sweat and a sweetened drink.

"I suppose you and the others are off?"

"We'll be back within ten minutes lest the hall goes hundreds of feet inward. I don't believe that to be the case, but one never knows when it comes to uncharted territory," Elaine looked over her shoulder, and seeing that the others were finishing up, she placed a series of quick pecks around his chin and the corners of his lips. "When next I return, we'll pass through the centre. We'll return home once we've finished up whatsoever lies beyond that passage, and then, we'll enjoy a hot bath."

Leave it to Elaine to plan the rest of the day out in its entirety. That reminded him of their time in Belarus, albeit he'd been a bit more nervous back then. Now, after everything they'd been through together, Harry reckoned he could just about take on a dozen dragons and live to tell one of the greatest tales of all time.

"Add dinner after that bath and right you are," Harry said before he stole a kiss of his own from Elaine. "Be safe, yeah?"

Elaine turned on her heels in a fluid fashion. "And you as well, my lover. Remember, we're to have eternity together — I needn't say that you're not allowed to prematurely come to an end."

Harry shook his head. "Nope, you don't have to tell me. I'll be right here, waiting for you and the others to return," he patted a nice, large piece of rock. "I'll probably be laying against this the next time I see you."

Elaine's answer was a fond shake of her head, and then, she stepped away from him. Another few steps away from Harry followed, and soon thereafter, she was standing with the Aurors that she'd be taking with her, and speaking with them about what they'd soon be doing. Try as she might, Harry could see within her a spark of the very same energy that he possessed in huge quantities; a drive to keep others away from harm.

The way that she went about doing so was simply… different. Yeah, that word just about worked, especially in recent times as her shift grew even more drastic from when first he met her. Even now, she seemed as if she were a new person.

"Deputy Minister?" asked Nick as he stepped toward Harry. "There are three paths to watch unless we'd like to block one of them off. What're you thinking, sir?"

Harry looked at the three passages the man had indicated. One lay behind them, and it was whence they'd come in the first place, the next was the area in which he and the other two had just checked. It should be safe, by and large, lest they'd missed something. All the same, Harry wouldn't be content leaving it open and unguarded. This was foreign turf to the lot of them, and one could never be too cautious when on foreign land that has proven to be all too hostile. Finally, the final passage was the archway ahead, the one they'd decided to save for last whilst the two flanks were secured… for the most part.

Decisions, decisions.

"Block off the passage we've cleared, you and Thomas can watch the rear, I'll watch ahead, and I'm certain one of the others from Elaine's group will be making sure nothing sneaks past them. All the same, I'll animate something that requires my input before it allows something past it," Harry looked over Nick's shoulder for a moment, and then he made a slight addition to what he'd said. "We'll have Thomas keep a position where he can watch that passage they'll be in and still be close by to help you should you need it."

"Can I shrink the area behind us?"

Harry nodded. He didn't mind if the two increased their security. "Do whatever you'd like. Thomas too. So long as it means we're safe and it doesn't draw attention to us — I trust the pair of you to use your judgement."

Nick nodded. "Thank you, Deputy Minister," the man said. "Is there anything you'll be needing before we head to our posts? It looks like the others are about to head out."

Sure enough, it was as Nick said. Elaine and the others were moving toward the entrance of the passage they were set to clear, all with their wands drawn and their satchels tight by their side; it seemed she'd instructed them to make sure the aforementioned items weren't too loose.

"No, I think I've just about got everything I need. What about you and Thomas? Are the both of you fine? Is there anything either of you need?" Harry parroted back to Nick in the event that he or his brother were a bit too nervous to request anything. He knew how it could be, how people might feel intimidated or nervous when it came to speaking up — he'd felt similar his first few weeks at the Ministry.

Nick took a glance over his shoulder before he shook his head to indicate the negative. "I think we've got everything we need as well, sir, thank you," he looked over his shoulder again as Thomas watched the rear. "Deputy Minister?"

"What is it?" Harry inquired, a brow raised.

"Do you think our next journey might keep us above ground? I can't say I'm too keen on all of this underground fun we've been having."

At that, Harry laughed and managed a few nods. "I think we could figure something out."

Nick, for all the levity of the moment, did seem thankful to hear such words. Harry imagined the other bloke wasn't all that fond of being underground either, but really, was anybody? It felt unnatural, simple as that.


After the few seconds spent in levity, Nick left, headed for the spot he'd been assigned to watch while they waited for the return of the others. That left Harry alone to stare ahead, into the darkness that lay before him. There was precious little to see, but he got the feeling that whatsoever lay beyond that archway was the important bit of the labyrinth. They'd come so far, traversed where once an older area had been… there had to be something worthwhile. Every sign or just about indicated as much.

He shifted, his shoulder blades rubbing against the stone. It was a bit hard to get comfortable laying against stone as he was, but he'd rested in worse spaces before.

I wonder if their side is more of the same, or completely and utterly different from ours, Harry thought in passing. There was precious little else to do save to think in the dark and quiet that was the centre room. He almost longed for those dancing, multi-coloured lights to return.

Harry blinked then, and swatted at something he swore had been near his right eye, but there was nothing. He blinked a few more times just to make sure, and it was then, as his attention grew sharp once more, that he recognised just what had been tickling the edge of his vision. It was the mist of the Inferi, only stronger than it'd previously been.

We hadn't found where they were, Harry thought. Mayhaps Elaine and the others are fighting them at this very moment, or maybe, they're getting closer to us. Nick or Thomas, one of them would have to swap places with me if we're attacked from the rear.

Harry trusted both men insofar as one could on account of a lack of experience. He'd not had years, months or even weeks to fight by their side, but he'd seen what they could do thus far, and he'd seen what their records had claimed they were capable of. All the same, it was he or Elaine that would always need to take the lead in times such as these.

"Careful," Harry whispered, his word lingering on the air scarcely loud enough for the two other men to hear. "Inferi are close. Stay alert, yeah?"

Neither man verbally responded, but Harry heard the rustling of fabric and, in one instance, the pop of a joint or bone as one of the two men moved. Each seemed to take his warning to heart as they straightened up and readied themselves for a fight; if one soon came, the Inferi wouldn't weather it.

They'd failed previously, and they'd fail again. It was that simple.

After the warning was given, Harry rose up from the rock he'd been propping himself up against and looked into the void before him. His eyes squinted, his neck extended forward, and his forehead creased, that was how he focused his attention into the expanse of darkness.

Thankfully, there seemed to be nothing sprinting, crawling or otherwise moving towards them from the area ahead. Wherever the Inferi were, the creatures were dreadfully close, but yet, not enough so that the stench hit them. If anything, the closeness was worse than when the creatures would finally be visible, for the implication was worse than the arrival.

At least one could know where to point where wand and let loose a Bombarba or any manner of flame spell. Instead, without knowing where the creatures were, they couldn't manage that. Instead, they were stuck, waiting.

Harry looked over his shoulder at the two Aurors, looked back before him, and decided he'd not sit idly by. Quietly, and with minimal motions, Harry went about closing off the right and left of his vision; from each of the aforementioned sides, walls extended, closing shut by and large the area that lay ahead of him.

If the Inferi came from that direction, they'd be even worse off than they would have been with Elaine's groups' preparations alone. It needn't be said either, but it made his field of vision far smaller too, meaning he could mind the areas he could see with more focus.

Behind him, he heard one of the two men and then, quiet incantations were muttered. Harry imagined that either Nick or Thomas was doing much the same as he just had. If either or both were doing so, they were smart, and if they'd not thought to do so yet, he reckoned that meant they were confident. Maybe a touch too confident, but Harry knew he was being more cautious than he needed to be.

Inferi couldn't think or strategise. The creatures were single-minded and driven to destroy, fuelled by the hatred and malice their creator had cast with. It was no wonder the creatures walked hand-in-hand with evil whensoever mention was made of them. The source needn't matter, almost every single one referred to necromantic magic, as evil. It wasn't hard to imagine why when one considered how inferi were made and what typically became of them or those that happened upon them.

Harry heard a noise then. One that hadn't come from either Nick or Thomas. It had sounded from whence Elaine and the others had gone, and it seemed as if it was a particularly loud exclamation. Whatever had been said, well, that was beyond recognition, but it was enough to make Harry wonder what had occurred.

I'll have to keep an eye on their side and the archway both. Elaine's not an idiot, that was always Aster, Reinhard and I. I'll trust her, Harry nodded to himself when he thought inwardly those final three words.

He trusted her. He truly did. If any witch in the world could take care of herself, it'd be Elaine. Merlin, he wished that'd do a little bit more for the worry that welled up internally; it wasn't for his sake, but for hers, stupid as it was.

"Anything?" Harry asked aloud, his voice as quiet as when last he spoke.

"Nothing from either of us," Thomas, the closer of the two, said in equally as quiet a voice. "They're close."

Harry agreed with Thomas' second remark. Wherever the Inferi were, the creatures were even closer still. The mist that came with them was so thick, it was nearly suffocating, but as Harry had previously pointed out, the scent that meant they were upon you, was still lacking. It made him wonder if there lay a trap ahead of them in which the creatures had risen.

It would be a horrible way to go, that being the tooth and nail of inferi. If none soon arrived, he'd have to speak with Elaine when she returned and tell her of his suspicions. Should they prove true, Harry would imagine he'd be one of the luckiest blokes around. It certainly made him wish Muggle contraptions had an easier tell as the inferi did.

He huffed. Harry wished the creatures would sprint out at them, Merlin did he wish they would. Anything would beat the anticipation and silence that reigned supreme over the centre.

Seconds felt like hours, and minutes, like days, but eventually, the trio that was on guard duty were alone with one another no longer. Elaine and the Aurors that she'd brought along with her, returned whence they'd come sans injury or harm. He was certainly happy to see that.

"Elaine," Harry greeted immediately, the mist as ever-present as it'd been when it reached its peak during the latter half of his guard duty. "How's your side looking? What was the shout we heard?"

When Harry's second question was out in the air, he noticed that it was the shorter of the two female Aurors that seemed to shrink away from him and Elaine. She sought out the rear, and quickly, and from there he could deduce what had happened without any need for Elaine to tell him.

Thus, naturally, she did so anyway.

"A member of our party was startled when another accidentally brushed against something, and the item in question fell to the floor. What you heard was a noise that indicated as much," Elaine seemed content not to same the person, not that she needed to. "As for what remains on the side in which we cleared, precious little, I'm afraid. Whatsoever had once been inside was burnt out, and destroyed, with only metallic objects of Muggle design left behind."

"Each room?" Harry asked. The reason therefore? That sounded like a lot of fire, and they'd seen little to indicate that it'd happened elsewhere in the labyrinth.

Then again, they hadn't been through the entirety of it. Harry would probably go so far as to say they'd missed more of it than they'd seen, but there genuinely wasn't any way of telling. Not until they cleared the entire place and sent a few teams to go looking through it to map the place out; the more that he thought about it, the more he wondered just how somebody mapped something out.

It seemed difficult, that.

"Every room save for the first two was burnt with scorch marks left behind. It didn't seem intentional, meaning, I do believe our initial suspicion was correct — the inferi weren't probably meant to have free roam throughout the entirety of the labyrinth," Elaine turned then, slowly and purposefully, as she looked at the walls he'd added toward the archway they'd soon be headed through. "Caution, good. I take that to mean you're very intent on making it to the bath."

Harry snorted, and then he wrapped an arm around Elaine. She didn't mind any more than he did that each of the pair of them was sweaty, and covered in a thin layer of dust that'd been kicked up throughout their walk.

"I'll be there," he said when they turned to look one another in the eyes. "Reckon I'll be the first one in, actually."

At that, Elaine raised a brow at the same time her lips went ever so slightly higher. "Do you truly believe that?"

Harry vaguely registered the Aurors behind them packing up items, picking various objects up and finally, patting themselves down to ensure all was in order. When he took notice of that — those actions meaning they'd be ready to leave in seconds — he grinned at Elaine as he made to move past their barricades.

"I know it," he said, and after him, she went with a look of girlish joy; a rare look that truly belonged on her face rather than the seriousness that was all too oft in place.


Harry was first over the barricades the group had made, and behind him, immediately after him, was Elaine. The Aurors came shortly thereafter as well, but it was Harry and Elaine that took to the front of the group as they'd done since first the lot of them had entered. Elaine would be checking for traps of the magical variety since her speciality lay more in doing so than Harry's, meanwhile, he'd maintain her security, hold out a light and watch for traps of the Muggle variety.

Together, the pair made what Harry would consider to be the best, most unbeatable pair on earth. If the strength of their wands when combined were enough to best even Grindelwald, a man of great renown on account of terrible deeds, then who could hope to stop them?

As he'd expected, ahead of them insofar as he could see was without traps of the Muggle variety. It needn't be said, he supposed, but the path ahead would likely lay more on Elaine's shoulders than his. It was her security that would then rely on him.

"Nick, Thomas, watch our rear. Frank, you and the others mind our sides," Harry said, relaying orders to the Aurors. "Elaine? Before we enter, I had a thought — what if the inferi are within the walls and, pending a trap activation, ready to fall atop us?"

"You believe they're in the walls?" Elaine's wand took an angle following those words. One that was aimed directly at the aforementioned walls. "If we'd like to find out, I can do so with relative ease. I doubt the others or ourselves need even move back to the fortifications we'd made."

Harry was fine with that, and as such, he gestured to her to do as she pleased. Elaine's response was a beautiful smile with that same, earlier girlish energy she'd had when she'd gone after him. What followed next was very simple; the area ahead, the area that was only just visible to them from the centre, had bars transfigured downwards. There were gaps that one might fit their arm through, but no more than that, and the bars only continued for a meter or so.

Enough to reveal that there wasn't a hidden passage in that particular area, or in Harry's case, inferi-filled walls. Maybe the creatures were above them or below them, or maybe the lot of them were elsewhere, in a tunnel that didn't connect to the area in which they found themselves.

"They're certainly close," Elaine pondered aloud, a look of inquisitiveness on her face before she turned to regard him. "What say you, lover? Shall we continue our stroll?"

Stroll, she says, Harry thought with a shake of his head, albeit one that was more fond and amused than anything negative. "I suppose so. You want us to get back soon and I think our friends might be of the same mind. Let's just be cautious, yeah? I'd not like to be bitten, scratched or otherwise nibbled on by an inferi if we can help it."

Elaine agreed, and then she yanked him forward whilst speaking lowly so that only he could hear the words that flew free of her lips. "I'll remain the only one with the privilege of nibbling on you," she traced a finger down his arm as she tucked herself firmly into his side. "Harry."

He shivered.

What could he say? There wasn't a thing any bloke could do when they had one of the fittest witches ever to live whispering into their ear, especially when those words were like the ones she'd said. It was pretty simple.

"Keep on, then," he finally answered. "The sooner we're out of here the sooner it is I reckon you'll be able to do so."

Elaine's answering look was one that said she'd take those words to heart. He didn't doubt it.


Immediately through the archway that they'd saved for last, was, unsurprisingly, a descending path that seemed to continue endlessly. The length was undetermined and likely would remain as such so long as the group refused to blind themselves with an overly powerful Lumos spell. There was also the factor of the mist, which even dozens of steps later, continued to be as prominent and thick as ever.

Wherever the inferi were, there had to be a lot of them.

"Look, there," said Valerie, the female Auror that hadn't been the one to get startled, as she pointed at the wall.

Sure enough, as Harry followed her finger, he took notice of the same thing that she had. There were scribblings along the wall, archaic-looking and of a society he couldn't begin to guess.

That was strange.

"If I were to guess, these were purposefully left alone by Grindelwald and those that built this. It makes one wonder how much of this labyrinth was already present, and how much was the expansion he added to it," Elaine gestured ahead with a nod then. "It seems as if carvings appear next."

"I'd reckon we're getting near the end of the labyrinth then, wouldn't you?" Harry asked. "I wouldn't think there'd be much left to go if we're reaching this point of it — almost seems ceremonial or like this was an important part of whoever drew these."

"It's hard to say, but I'd agree that we're nearing the end," Elaine agreed after a momentary pause to admire the runic inscriptions that were inlaid into a column of stone. "We near the point in which the greatest danger will be. Touch nothing, don't speak unless the need to do so is dire, and stay close to one another. We needn't get separated here of all places."

Harry agreed with that last remark especially. Nobody wanted to get lost at the centre of the planet.

"No doors, though. That's a good sign and welcome change," Harry said as he looked from left to right whilst they walked. He was right too, unless they were missing something. There wasn't any sign of doors having once been in the hall, and there certainly weren't any archways or the like.

It seemed like the place was nought but a long corridor the likes of which would lead to something important. Harry wasn't sure what it was, but it was like every place underground had to have that long, creepy path that led ever downward in it. Whoever had made such a decision at the annals of time itself was a twat.

"It's disappointing is what it is. I'd had hopes for a myriad of items to be in the depths, but it seems as if it was rapidly emptied of anything worthwhile if whence we've come is anything to go by," Elaine huffed, most certainly annoyed now. "Whoever made off, did so as a bandit. One could only wonder how much might have been here at one time."

Harry wasn't certain there'd be anything truly important that Grindelwald wouldn't have taken from when first he found the place, but he imagined Elaine knew that. Her expectations, however, had told her much the contrary. It w—

He nearly stumbled on the slope, minor as it was, when he glimpsed up and took note of what lay ahead. It was the end of the path, or he supposed it was; what other reason would a grandiose-looking archway with pillars inset be ahead of them?

"I guess we'll soon find out what's at the end of our path, huh?" Harry asked rhetorically, and as he nodded ahead.

"I do so hope it's what we came for," Elaine said not more than a second later. "It'd be an extraordinary waste of time if all that was here was nought but ashes and inferi."

Harry wasn't quite so sure about that. It'd definitely given him a good bit of knowledge about how their personal Aurors performed. That was to say, not one of them broke and ran or showed themselves inept in any field. The only negative throughout the entirety of the journey was Marie's one noise of exclamation. It was hard to train such things out of a person.

"If it isn't, I suppose we could always check the next mountain over, yeah? That one looked like it went higher," Harry mused aloud, earning himself a few chuckles from those behind them and a glance from Elaine.

That glance lasted for a second before she turned her attention back to the path ahead. "Remember, touch nothing. We're to be exceedingly cautious," and with those words, she pressed onwards again, but this time, with an eagerness and energy that betrayed the calmness of her tone.

She really wanted to reach the end, and now that it was in sight, her patience had worn thin. Harry, naturally, followed after her just as quickly as she moved, and behind him came the Aurors at a matching pace. Thus, it was within nought but a minute, two at the most, and the group found themselves at the archway, whereupon reaching it, there was one large door.

Large enough for a horse… no, large enough even for a troll to make use of. It gave reason to pause as the group came to a sudden halt, the lot of them looking at Elaine as her eyes settled on the door. It was clear that her mind was working rapidly in regard to the runic markings and other information that lay around the entrance. Undoubtedly, she was trying to figure out what the meaning was behind the text, but as far as Harry knew, she didn't speak German or whatever other language might be in the depths of this place.

"Wait," Harry said suddenly, a noise reaching his ears. One that sounded familiar, and no sooner than that thought had reached his mind, did a stench reach his nose. That, too, was very familiar to him. "Move back, carefully. I think the inferi we've been near, are right beyond the door," he spoke quietly so as to not disturb the creatures, but loud enough for everybody to hear; it was a thin line to walk.

Slowly, the Aurors began to do as he said, that meaning they backed away. As for the sound which Harry had heard, it was a growl, low and almost imperceivable, but he'd perceived it nonetheless. Were it not for the verbal warning, he imagined he'd not have noticed the proximity of the inferi; the mist hadn't shifted, and the stench hadn't wafted their way quite at that point in time.

Once it had, however, it was noticeable and horrible. Enough so that after a few seconds more, Elaine took a phew steps back. There wasn't the same level of urgency in her motions, in fact, based on the look she wore the stench and inferi were nought but minor inconveniences to her. By Merlin, did Elaine look ready to get down to business with the creatures and whatever else wanted to risk her fury.

"Is everyone ready?" Elaine asked as she looked over her left shoulder, and then her right, ensuring that the others and Harry as well weren't unprepared. "Wonderful."

Harry gave a quick order as Elaine's wand raised in the direction of the door. "Nick, Thomas, watch our rear — don't let anything sneak up on us. If we need assistance up front, I'll give you both a shout."

Immediately, the two men pivoted and took a dozen or so steps back. Each regarded Harry with a nod before doing so, and then, not more than a few seconds later, combat began when the door was blasted apart at the behest of Elaine's wand. It was immediate too, for no sooner was that overly large door blasted apart did the inferi begin to pour out of the hole therefrom. There were dozens, easily, and regardless of how much fire spewed forth from the tip of Elaine's wand, his own, or those of the Aurors not diverted to cover their rear, more continued to clamber over the burnt remains of those who'd come before them.

Mayhaps they'd underestimated just how many inferi had been present. It didn't matter, he supposed. Elaine and he were close together, their wands nought but blurs and the spells that came therefrom were powerful, more powerful than even those they'd used against Grindelwald; they'd grown in talent and sheer magical power since then.

Still, the fire only continued and the corpses only continued to climb over the remains of those who came before them. Marie, Valerie and Frank, the three Aurors that had been a part of Elaine's group, were casting animatedly and their incantations were spoken loudly. On the faces of the former two, Harry could make out nervousness, anxiety, whatever one might call it.

But neither broke. Neither retreated. Neither so much as took one step back. Each and every one of the five that had come along with them was resolute and ready to handle whatsoever came forth from the darkness. They'd fought off a wave of inferi earlier, and they'd do so again. Thus far, in these first seconds of the fight, they'd done so quite well too.

Harry risked a glance over his shoulder as he witnessed a renewed wave of fire sent forth from Elaine's wand, and into the wave of inferi that seemed like an ocean in their endlessness. He took notice of Nick and Thomas, and each of the two stood with their head firmly fixed on the path behind the rest of the group. Harry didn't look very long, but neither of the two brothers seemed worried about the combat going on behind them.

After that scant few second's glance, he focused back on the wave of undead. As before, so continues the creatures' assault. One could barely make out the shapes of the creatures as they tried to reach those who were still alive, for not one of them drew close enough for any details to be made out.

"Don't!" Harry heard a male voice, Frank's it had to be, yell.

That drew Harry's attention, and so he turned to look at what had happened. It was one of the female Aurors, Marie. She'd taken a few bold steps forward, her wand still whipping to and from as she yelled out incantations. Like Elaine and the rest of the group, she was using nought but fire spells — those would be safer, for a time, than anything that might cause explosions.

All the same, they'd have to be careful with just how much fire they used.

Caution was most definitely needed in more than just that regard too. Marie, Valerie, even Frank, none of them should be further ahead than Elaine or Harry. They didn't have the experience, the repertoire or the training to survive the more crazy happenings that might lay ahead.

Thankfully, Marie seemed to take notice of the warning and she stepped backwards. She'd been a step or so ahead of Elaine at the furthest point, and that was close enough for ashes to begin reaching her; the wave of inferi drew closer.

Harry's wand was held aloft and from it, as well as from Elaine's, streamed an endless amount of fire. Enough so that it could be likened to a river in its viciousness, and even then, the wave pushed forward.

"We should move back!" Harry yelled over the spells, flames and noises the inferi made. His comment was for everyone, but most of all, for the sake of the others; Elaine could handle inferi.

After a few seconds time, Frank relayed Harry's words and the three Aurors took steps backwards. Each did so quickly, and whilst they maintained their firey spells of doom. Elaine and Harry, meanwhile, remained at the head of the group. Neither would be stepping back in the face of inferi, least of all whilst they were stronger together.

Harry took a momentary glance at Elaine, and when he did, he saw her eyes, dark as ever, peering back at him. This time, they were awash with flames much like the rest of her, giving Elaine an unearthly, near-divine glow. Based on the image he saw in her eyes, much the same could be said of him.

After that exchange, one in which words needn't be said, the two stepped forward even as the inferi grew ever closer to them. Not for a second did either of the young couple worry, each stepped forward again, the flames growing in intensity and the inferi, finally, halted in their advance.

The stench is horrible, Harry thought as he raised an arm to his face, the other maintaining his wand as flames spilt forth.

It truly was too. The rotten stench of the inferi mixed with flames and as a result, the air was filled with a stench the likes of which he doubted he'd ever forget. All the same, he continued forth, his wand stopping for all of a moment to bring forth a bubble-head charm for he and Elaine each; it'd maintain their oxygen and keep out much of the smell.

Seconds continued to pass with much the same happening, the inferi only just being contained whilst he and Elaine cast furiously. Then, finally, the odds seemed to shift in their favour, not that they'd necessarily been against them in the first place. Still, he and Elaine began to make ground.

That came to an abrupt stop when larger creatures seemed to manifest from the shadows. Compared to the many inferi scrambling past, the new shapes were as giants, and the roars they made… confident as he was, sent a primal-era shiver down his spine.