Chapter 95. The Sword with a Crystal Blade

Harry and Dudley were slowly walking down the alley, each lost in their own thoughts. Despite the bright summer sun shining through the trees, darkness lurked in their hearts.

Both young men were grieving the loss. Just a couple of weeks ago, they had buried a dear man - Albus Dumbledore, a wise mentor and protector. His unexpected death had shaken them to the core.

Harry couldn't forgive himself for not being able to prevent the tragedy. He clenched his fists in frustration and anger towards fate, which had cruelly taken away the man who had always supported him in difficult times.

Dudley also mourned Dumbledore, despite having known him for a short time. This wise man had shown him that there was another world beyond the familiar norms. A world of wonders, courage, and nobility. And now, with Dumbledore gone, Dudley feared that this world could descend into darkness.

Both young men walked, heads bowed and lost in sorrow. Their hearts needed comfort.

Suddenly, the silence was pierced by a screech of tires, making Harry and Dudley jump in surprise. A black car swerved onto the alley at high speed, nearly crashing into a lamppost. A shiver ran down their spines at the piercing sound of the brakes. The wheels left long black marks on the asphalt.

A worried man in an official suit jumped out of the car. His face seemed vaguely familiar to Harry, but he couldn't immediately recall where… And then it hit him - it was the Prime Minister!

But what was he doing here? And why did he look so scared? Harry and Dudley exchanged confused glances. Something was definitely wrong. And judging by the Prime Minister's expression, danger was looming right now!

The Prime Minister swung open the car door and leaned inside the salon. A pungent smell of burnt rubber wafted out - apparently, the brakes were completely worn out after a swift getaway.

In a moment, he carefully pulled out a fragile unconscious girl from the car. Her long blonde hair, tied with a red ribbon, cascaded over her shoulders. She was wearing a simple white blouse and a long burgundy skirt with golden accents. Harry glanced at her and immediately remembered - he had seen a similar girl when King Arthur visited Hogwarts. She was dressed differently then, but he definitely remembered her!

The girl's face seemed unnaturally pale, yet peaceful, as if she were simply asleep. Harry and Dudley only noticed the crimson spots spreading on her sleeve.

The Prime Minister himself looked exhausted - his suit was creased, his tie askew, his face scratched. He kept looking around anxiously, listening for the sound of apparition behind them. But everything was quiet for now.

The Prime Minister carefully pulled out the fragile figure of the indifferent girl from the car and handed her to Harry and Dudley. His hands were shaking, and his gaze expressed a mixture of desperation and determination to save this stranger.

"Run! Quickly!" he whispered urgently.

Harry whispered cautiously, "What's happening?"

"Is someone chasing you?" Dudley asked, puzzled.

"Are these Death Eaters?"

"Where is His Majesty?"

"They... He's gone."

The young men had not yet grasped the horror of his words, but the Prime Minister simply nodded grimly and gestured for them to run without looking back. The Prime Minister jumped back into the car and stepped on the gas.

"Run! I'll distract them!"

At the last moment, Harry noticed a strange symbol in his hand - a small round locket on a chain with an engraved image of three crowns.

"What could this mean?" flashed through Harry's mind, but there was no time for contemplation now.

The Prime Minister's car screeched away, leaving behind a pungent smell of gasoline.

The wind rustled anxiously through the trees, as if warning of danger. But there was no time for questions now - they needed to save this fragile life. They just had to hurry!

Harry held the girl close to him, and together with Dudley, they ran out of the park.

They were surrounded by a dark, ominous silence. Only the wind rustled through the trees and the crackling of dry branches under their feet could be heard. It seemed like the shadows were closing in, ready to engulf the fugitives at any moment.

Harry's heart pounded with fear and uncertainty. What was this danger they were fleeing from? And who was this girl, whose fragile life they must preserve at all costs?

But there was no time for questions now. Harry and Dudley ran forward with all their strength. And suddenly, through the trees, the Dursley's house came into view.

At the sight of the familiar walls, Harry's legs nearly gave out in relief. Just a little more and they would reach the last sanctuary in this nightmare.

Just a little more, and the fragile stranger would be saved…

Noticing Harry's hesitation, Dudley reached out to take the girl in his arms himself.

"Let me carry her," he said firmly. "It will look better when we enter the house."

Harry nodded gratefully. He understood that if Aunt Petunia saw him with a stranger in his arms, it would raise unnecessary suspicions and unpleasant questions.

Carefully handing over the fragile body to Dudley, Harry hurried alongside to the house. His heart pounded anxiously - what if Dumbledore's protective charms had already disappeared? Or if the Death Eaters somehow followed them?

But entering the house, they breathed a sigh of relief - everything was still in order. The Dursleys greeted them with annoyed questions about what was happening.

"What is going on here?!" Aunt Petunia exclaimed indignantly, seeing Dudley with the girl in his arms. "Who is this girl and what is she doing in my house?!"

Uncle Vernon frowned, looking at Harry.

"Is this your doing, boy? Have you dragged us into another adventure?!"

But before Harry could respond, Dudley spoke with a firm, calm voice.

"Please calm down. We just found this girl unconscious in the park. Harry helped me bring her home and she needs urgent help now."

"But who is she? What does this have to do with us?" Petunia continued to protest.

"It doesn't matter right now," Dudley patiently replied. "The most important thing is that she needs care and a safe place. We'll figure it out later."

Harry looked at his cousin in astonishment. He had clearly matured and become much more thoughtful. Harry was very grateful for his support.

Several hours passed. The girl was still unconscious in the guest room. The Dursleys impatiently demanded explanations.

"What's going on with this mysterious stranger? When will she wake up?" Petunia asked discontentedly.

"Shouldn't we call a doctor? What if she's dangerous?" Vernon grumbled suspiciously.

"Don't worry, she's completely harmless," Dudley reassured them. "She's just weak and needs help. We'll figure everything out as soon as she wakes up."

"Fine, let it be," Petunia reluctantly agreed. "But if anything goes wrong, she better leave! We don't need any trouble."

Dudley nodded patiently. Harry was admiring his composure and diplomacy. "Interesting," he thought, "will I ever be able to speak calmly and confidently to the Dursleys like that?"

Harry, Dudley, and the Dursleys were sitting in the living room, waiting for the mysterious stranger to wake up.

Suddenly, she stirred and opened her eyes. Her emerald gaze rested on those present.

"Finally, you're awake," Petunia said with relief. "Now, tell us what happened and who you are."

The girl sat up, adjusting her clothes.

"My name is…" she began firmly, but was interrupted.

"Well, tell us what happened," Vernon demanded, looking at Harry and Dudley. "Who is this girl and where did she come from?"

"So, what happened?" Vernon asked sternly, looking at the youngsters.

"We were just walking in the park," Harry started.

"And then a car hit us!" Dudley interrupted. "A worried man got out of it with this girl in his arms."

"Dudley! Are you okay?" Aunt Petunia asked anxiously and started dialing the emergency services. "Where does it hurt?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Dudley reassured her. "I'm not hurt."

"It was a pre…" Harry tried to explain.

"It doesn't matter who it was!" Vernon impatiently interrupted. "What happened next?"

"He told us to run and save her," Dudley continued. "He said that the Death Eaters were after them!"

"That's right! We barely made it here," Harry confirmed.

The girl weakly nodded.

"They're telling the truth," the girl weakly nodded. "I… I think my name is…"

She furrowed her brow, trying to remember.

"Elen," Petunia prompted. "I found documents with that name on you while you were unconscious."

"Yes, that's right… Elen," the girl nodded. "My memory is failing me after everything that happened. But by morning, I will leave here to not put you in danger."

The Dursleys looked at each other in concern. What to do with this strange guest who had clearly brought trouble upon them?

When the elder Dursleys went about their business, Harry and Dudley were left alone.

"It's strange that she doesn't remember her name," Harry mused. "It's unlikely just from hitting her head. Most likely, a memory-erasing spell was cast on her."

"You're right, definitely magic!" Dudley exclaimed enthusiastically. "Those Death Eaters must have erased her memory."

He squinted cunningly.

"Maybe I can fix it? After all, I am a wizard of age now!"

Dudley grabbed his wand and confidently headed towards the girl's room. But just then, Petunia emerged from the kitchen. Dudley barely had time to hide his wand behind his back.

"I... uh... just passing by!" he muttered awkwardly.

Harry covered his mouth with his hand to hide a smile. It seemed that undoing the enchantment on Elen would be a challenging task for his clumsy cousin.

In the morning, Elen was cleaning the kitchen. Dudley cautiously crept towards the door, wand at the ready. "Now or never!" he thought as he entered, aiming the wand at the girl.

But then he slipped on the freshly mopped floor and fell straight into Elen! She managed to turn around, and Dudley landed in her embrace, dropping his wand.

"Oops, sorry!" Dudley mumbled embarrassed, feeling himself blush.

Elen looked at him in surprise, a faint smile flashing in her eyes.

"It's okay," she said, helping Dudley up. "Just be more careful, these floors are very slippery."

Dudley nodded awkwardly and hurried out of the kitchen. What a blunder! But now he knew - undoing the enchantment on this girl would not be easy.

After cleaning, Elen settled in the living room with the book "Ivanhoe" by Walter Scott. She was reading about the adventures of a medieval knight fighting for the honor of his lady with deep interest.

At that moment, Dudley peeked into the room. He cautiously took out his wand, aiming at the girl. But then he stumbled on the carpet and fell at Elen's feet, dropping his wand.

"Oops, sorry! It was an accident!" stammered the embarrassed Dudley.

"It's no big deal," Elen smiled, helping him up. "Just be more careful, these carpets are quite tricky."

Dudley blushed again and ran out of the room. To undo the enchantment on this girl, one must be much more cunning!

In the news, the anchor reported:

"Good evening. Today, shocking events have occurred, shaking our country to its core. It has been reported that His Majesty King Arthur and the Prime Minister of Britain have disappeared without a trace."

Everyone gasped at the news.

"According to unconfirmed reports, last night King Arthur's procession was ambushed."

The Dursleys gasped, while Elen only frowned slightly.

"The king and the prime minister have disappeared without a trace," the announcer continued.

At this, Elen shuddered and paled. Harry looked at her with curiosity.

"The government is silent, but witnesses have seen strange signs..."

"That's the mark of the Death Eaters!" Harry couldn't hold back.

Everyone stared at Elen.

"So you were in that procession? Did you know the king?" Dudley asked, surprised.

The girl remained silent. Her gaze was filled with sadness and worry.

"But if you were there, then you managed to escape!" Dudley exclaimed. "What happened to the king and the others?"

Elen shook her head sadly.

"I... I don't remember the details. It's all like a fog after what happened."

"You were probably badly injured, so the prime minister brought you to us," Harry guessed. "And he went back to help the king."

"Yes, that must be how it was..." the girl said quietly. "Although I don't remember the face of the person who saved me."

A sad pause ensued.

"So now you are in grave danger," Vernon Dursley frowned. "Those bandits could come back for you!"

Elen nodded with a sigh. It seemed like her secret was starting to unravel...

The announcer continued:

"Parliament has been summoned for an emergency session... A state of emergency has been declared."

"Merlin, what is happening there!" Harry exclaimed in horror.

Dudley looked closely at Elen:

"So, these Death Eaters took over after the attack on the procession?"

The girl nodded sadly:

"That must be how it all happened... I was unconscious and can't exactly remember the events. But it seems like there is no stopping them now..."

"What a horror!" Petunia moaned. "And these bandits will now be looking for you!"

"I'm afraid so," Elen said quietly. "I better leave as soon as possible to not put you in danger..."

Her voice trembled at these words. Where should she go now?

"No, there should be no talk of leaving!" Harry decisively stated. "You will stay here until you recover and the situation clears up."

"Harry is right, it's not safe outside right now," Dudley nodded. "We will survive a couple of days with your presence."

Elen looked surprised at the young men. Their genuine care touched her.

"You are very kind. I will gladly accept your hospitality for a short while," she quietly said.

"Well, let her stay here until she recovers," Petunia agreed. "The main thing is that those bandits don't find us!"

The Dursleys looked at each other in concern. What awaited them ahead with this mysterious guest?

A somber silence hung in the air. Everyone was thinking about what lay ahead.

Finally, Dudley stood up decisively.

"Well, since Miss Elen is staying with us, we need to protect her properly. I will find the most powerful protective spells in my magic textbooks!"

He proudly puffed out his chest, brushing off crumbs from the pie.

Harry chuckled, "Let me help you, or you might end up casting something wrong on yourself."

"Hey, I'm a full-fledged wizard now!" Dudley protested. "I can handle it!"

He confidently headed towards the door, but turned back in the doorway and winked at Elen - reassuring her that he would protect her!

The girl smiled in response. It seemed she wouldn't be bored here.

After dinner, Harry pulled Dudley aside.

"Listen, who is this Elen?" he quietly asked. "Since she was in the royal entourage, she must be someone important. I think she was a lady-in-waiting or an assistant at King Arthur's court," Harry mused.

"Indeed, being selected for the royal entourage indicates she held a significant position there," Dudley agreed.

Both of them pondered deeply.

"Maybe she was part of the king's security detail?" Dudley suggested. "A bodyguard or something similar?"

Harry pondered. If so, why did the Prime Minister sacrifice his own life to save her?

"Or... was she needed by the king for some reason?" he suggested. "As someone of critical importance?"

"Exactly!" Petunia chimed in. "Maybe she carries important state secrets? Or was meant to become the new Prime Minister?"

Harry nodded. Whoever Elen was, one thing was clear - her life was extremely valuable to Britain. And now, it was his duty to protect her.