Harry potter and the Time of Retirement

Everything related to Harry Potter belongs to JKR

Chapter 68 – Year 4

It had been an absolutely normal day – almost scarily so, if it had not been also normally boring. It was October already: a full month had passed since Hannah had left for Hogwarts, and for all the preparations made by the aurors, Black and Bones nothing had actually happened.

Harry had kept living his own obscure life. His greenhouse was filled with herbs, his pocket had some new extra galleons courtesy of the apotechary in Knockturn Alley, his desk was gathering a collection of missives from his former Hufflepuff classmates and both Remus and Sirius.

The latter in particular was now enjoying calling him every single week on that damned two-way mirror. Oh, always with some advance – usually some owl carrying a message to Harry that he would receive a call on x day and x hour; but the fact that it happened every week was tiring. It wasn't even like they had that much to share, either of them.

Maybe Lupin, surprisingly, was the most interesting of their trio now: unlike Black, taken by the menial chores of an auror or Harry, busy with the menial chores needed to fill his pouch, Remus was constantly talking, haggling and dealing with whoever was willing to hire him that particular day. His life was, if not fancy or even pleasant, at least varied.

Nevertheless, so much peaceful time had passed that Harry was starting to forget even the meaning of wariness. Still aware that someone out there wanted him to be dealt with, but half convinced he had also been placed in a "low priority" list. Maybe that had been the point of such a long period of calm, of maybe it was just a coincidence, but that night still caught Harry completely unaware.

It started with him waking up in the middle of the night, unaware of why except that something seemed to have shaken him. Surprised and slightly dazed, he took a minute to recollect himself before another jolt shook him and this time all of his confusion washed away. 'The wards…!' he thought, shaking his head.

Standing up, he immediately grasped his wand before a third jolt reached him, stronger than before. 'More than one… and they are trying to suppress apparition' he concluded, nervously. His first reaction was to rush to the head of the stairs: with a good vantage point he could hold the house indefinitely, he was sure of that. He took no more than two steps, though.

"The plan…" he murmured, annoyed. '…right'. This is quite literally what they were waiting for. With a scowl of irritation and a wave of his wand he opened a nearby chest prepared exactly for this situation. Inside, his priceless Mantle of Invisibility and a pouch with all his galleons and his Gringott key. As he placed that inside his nightwear pockets, a final jolt warned him that the wards had given up. Wasting no time, wand in hand, he apparated away as silently as he could

He reappeared at the edge of Godric's Hollow, between a trio of trees he had identified as a secluded apparition spot long before. Crouching down, hands untying a package placed on his chest, he faced the two-way mirror. "Sirius Black" he said, in a low voice but clearly. After a few seconds of nothing, as he hid his pouch of galleons under a nearby rock, he tried again. "Sirius Black. Sirius Black!". Soon after, Sirius' confused face appeared in the mirror.

"Harry, what's happening?" he asked, in a tone of voice both sleepy yet worried.

"Two or more people trying to get inside. I fled already" answered Harry.

"Good. Stay safe, I am gathering everyone available at the ministry and coming to help" said Sirius, closing the connection. Harry, frowning, retied the mirror to his body and wore the mantle. 'If they leave before he comes, it will all be useless…' he considered, before slowly walking towards the village.

Grimacing at the debris and stone hurting his bare feet, Harry soon reached a corner from where he could see his house in the distance; what he saw unnerved him deeply. Hidden near the surrounding houses, those that Harry could see at least, were 3 wizards all clad in black robes and all wearing a hood hiding their faced. The open door all but promised there were more inside, too, and more might be in the nearby roads surrounding his home: this was no small raid.

A sudden light appearing into what was his bedroom revealed that the invaders had discovered his absence. Harry wondered whether they would flee already, if he should try to stun at least one of them, before the decision was taken from him: ominous moving lights started appearing in his bedroom first and all the other room later. The invaders were setting fire to every single room, one after the other.

"Sons of a…" murmured Harry, enraged, as he tried to move closer and settled inside the bushes of a nearby yard. "Where are you, Black?"

Still, none of the aggressors were fleeing the scene yet – in fact, they had remained clearly on their guards at the corners of the roads, while four more had gone out of the house and were casting Incendio from the outside through the windows. The flames were now roaring, engulfing the whole building, and Harry felt his blood boiling. He truly, deeply wished to kill them by that point but there was little to be done.

'Why?' thought Harry, furious. Was it just petty destruction, or were they hoping they could force him out of some hiding hole, maybe from inside the house itself?

Nevertheless, this could not go on much longer. Lights started to appear in the nearby windows, and shapes of human beings spying on the scene were in them. One door in the distance had opened, too - Harry, rage giving space to fear, recognized the man now running towards his house wand in hand.

He didn't run for long though: as he reached the burning house he slowed down once he noticed the black-robed strangers, a couple of which approached him. He hesitantly took a couple steps back but a silent Expelliarmus forced his wand out of his hand. Scared, the man tried to get it back but a kick from one the black-robed guys that had reached him pushed him on the ground.

"He is Abbott" said another one of them, addressing their whole group. "His daughter is friends with Potter."

"Is Harry Potter at your home?" asked another, pointing his wand.

"Who are you?" asked Hannah's father, confused and scared, from the ground. Two seconds after, he was writhing and shaking, screaming in pain.

"We don't have time to waste chatting" said one of them, much larger than the others, stopping his Crucio. "Answer. Where is he?"

The answer came in the form of a Stupefy, crashing against the Protego one of surrounding guys. "Stop it! Go away!" screamed Hannah's mother, rushing ahead. The guys surrounding her husband didn't move one finger, and she might have taken it as a sign things were calming down as she lowered her wand, while still running ahead.

It wasn't long until she fell, hit by a Stupefy that stroke from her back. Another black-clad man, one that Harry could not see before, emerged from the shadows and picked her up dropping her next to her husband.

"Sirius, where are you?" murmured Harry, nervously. The situation was getting worse and worse with each passing second.

"We…" started Abbott. "We don't know where he is. We truly don't."

The black-clad guys watched each other, but it was the larger one that spoke. "Maybe. EVEN THEN" he started shouting, eyes looking all around him "YOU CAN STILL BE OF USE. YOU!" he continued, pointing at another one of the guys. "KILL HER."

Abbott's revolted at this and tried to stand up. "NO! Don't do it! What…" only to receive another kick in the face for this. Losing blood from his mouth, he rolled on the ground.

The group moved a couple steps back, all of them clearly casting Protego on themselves. The one who received the order raised his wand, loudly casting "AVADA…"

Harry, desperate, had to intervene. From the distance he cast a simple Expelliarmus, the red light being easily blocked by the overlapping Protego of the group.

The group, ominously, didn't move and more importantly didn't abandon their hostages – but Harry could see those of them that had remained in the distance going into back roads, clearly trying to circle him from behind. At the same time, their – arguably – leader spoke again.

"Get out, Potter, or they die."

"No" shouted back Harry, while conjuring a wooden shape of himself, fake wand pointed ahead, inside the bushes. Done that, he covered himself completely with the Mantle once again and started to crawl away.

"Do I have to kill one of them, to show I am serious?" asked the large guy, threateningly.

"Do I have to apparate away, and hope you won't?" shouted back Harry, before leaving the yard while coasting the walls. Once reached a corner of a nearby road, he waited next to a badly lighted corner.

The main group of the invaders was slowly walking towards his previous spot, dragging a dazed and struggling Abbott with them, wands at the ready. They walked slowly … until a red light, emerging from another side road, struck Harry's wooden bait in the back.

At this sight, several of them started running towards the spot – while one of those that tried to circle him passed right in front of a still invisible Harry. Mind full of hate and resentment, Harry pointed his wand at his back and casted, not silently and most certainly not in a loud voice, "Imperio".

The mind of the man was strong, and his excitement over the manhunt didn't help. Still, with some difficulty, Harry managed to keep it under control. 'Reach Mr. Abbott. Transfigure him into a bird if he is in danger' were his orders. Done that, Mantle still covering him, Harry moved back into a side road.

"It's a dud!" was saying one of the invaders, in the meantime. They had reached the wooden Harry and kicked it down.

"He can't apparate away, though, our wards are still up" commented another, while casting another Protego around himself. Another one tried to look around with Lumos, but the larger guy stopped him. "He must be using that mantle of his, use Revelio. POTTER, WE STILL HAVE ABBOTT. WHERE ARE YOU?" he shouted.

Meanwhile Harry, still invisible and crouching, had reached Mrs. Abbott – while giving a quick, angry glance to his house whose structure was already falling on itself. The woman was still unconscious, and that suited him just fine. Still invisible, crouching down, he waited for a moment none of those guys were still watching towards them.

"NO MORE GAMES, POTTER. CRUCIO!" was shouting their leader, aiming his wand at Abbott. As he cast that, though, the one under Imperio acted and transfigured the man into a bird. The man, now free, flew away immediately. Only a couple of Stupefy casted by the group chased him, without hitting anything.

"What the… STUN HIM!" said their leader, and the Imperioused wizard immediately fell on the ground. But Harry had took the chance to transfigure Mrs. Abbott into a mouse, which he placed delicately inside his pocket. With a vicious smile, he moved towards one of the houses. 'Now we can play properly' he thought.

The group of black clad guys had gathered though, and one of them had noticed how Mrs. Abbott was now missing has they were all watching towards her former position. Their leader gave a couple of quick, low-voiced commands as he grabbed at their stunned companion. Not two seconds later, they all apparated away.

Shaking with irritation, Harry slowly walked around the place, checking for any of them that had remained behind. After a couple of Hominum Revelio, he had to admit the truth – they had fled. They had fled the second their mission couldn't be achieved properly. 'Smart move' he admitted, frustration mounting. Taking off his mantle, watching the now smoking ruins of his house, he snarled between his teeth. "Sirius, damn you. Where. Are. You?"

A couple of minutes later, Harry was still staring at his house – and no aurors were in sight yet. Almost casually, a bird landed in front of him, staring unabashedly.

"Of course" said Harry, tiredly. Wand in hand, he quickly cast Reparifarge and Mr. Abbott appeared in front of him.

"Thanks" said Mr. Abbott. "Harry, what happened to my wife? Did they take her with them? When I managed turn around she was alr…" started the men, only to stop once Harry rose his hand and searched his pocket.

"Here" said Harry, as he placed her on the ground. "Sorry, once she was safe I forgot" and after another Reparifarge, Mrs. Abbott was on the ground, still under the effects of Stupefy. Her husband instantly rushed down to her.

"Thank goodness" he said, cradling her head. "Only stunned, right?"

"For what we saw, yes" added Harry. "Your wand should be somewhere on the ground, too."

As the man moved away and started searching for it, several pops could be heard around them. Both tensed instantly, only to relax as several aurors appeared. Among them were Bones and Sirius, and Harry immediately walked up to them.

"Harry, are you ok?" asked Sirius, once he noticed him.

"Define ok" he countered, nodding towards the ruins of his house. At the sight, Sirius grimaced and remained silent.

"I am quite sure" started Harry, getting agitated and trying not to show it. "No, make it completely sure that there is a good reason you took this long to arrive. What is it?"

"Someone released a couple dozen Acromantulas inside the ministry's main hall shortly before Sirius arrived to ask for help" answered Bones, while giving orders to her subordinates. "It is a true miracle no one got killed, there."

"I see. Same here. They were quite competent, too" admitted Harry, nodding with resentment. "I didn't manage to capture a single one."

"You weren't supposed too, Harry" complained Sirius, immediately, as he knelt down and started checking his body for injuries. After a couple seconds of stares, and a nasty glare sent towards Harry's bleeding feet, he seemed satisfied. "I just knew you would do something as stupid as trying to face them. If you didn't maybe we could have still catched them by surprise, too!"

"I had no choice, Sirius. They were…." countered Harry, angry, before scoffing with irritation. "They were brutal and efficient. Broke into my house, tried to find me using hostages, left once they couldn't anymore."

"Hostages?" asked Bones. "Who?"

Harry simply pointed at a dazed Mrs. Abbott, still on the ground, her husband – wand in hand - nursing her at her side.

"Was she hurt?" asked Bones, immediately, while nodding towards one of the aurors who crouched down and started waving his wand on her, probably to check for injuries. Mrs. Abbott recoiled at him while her husband, even if frowning, tried to calm her down and accept the checkup.

Meanwhile, Harry noticed, the other aurors were busy dealing with the inhabitants of the village who had started coming out of their houses once they saw official-looking uniforms. There was a lot of work for obliviators to do, here – Godric's hollow was full of muggles, after all. Focusing, he turned back towards Bones.

"No, she was just stunned and transfigured" he eventually commented, stressed. "But her husband got some Crucio, and his own transfiguration after that. We should have them go to St. Mungo."

"Must have been a real wild night" commented Bones,grimly. "And your house is…."

"Gone" added Harry, venomously, turning around. "And with it all my stuff. My family's mementos. My damn greenhouse!"

"Your brooms aren't a great loss, at least" tried to quip Sirius, only to shrug at Harry's glare. "Sorry. Just… well, this didn't go well."

"No kidding" added Bones, with a shrug. "Well, let's do what we can."

The following couple of hours passed by almost without being noticed. A lot of time was dedicated by the aurors to settle the situation in Godric's Hollow, be it calming down the magical side of its inhabitants or obliviating the other half.

As for Mr. and Mrs. Abbott, they were taken down to St. Mungo for some checkups on their health; before leaving Mr. Abbott sent a poignant stare at Harry, which indicated that he probably had something to say, be it good or bad.

With a sigh, Harry thought that there was always something positive to be found in everything after all, as he considered his completely destroyed house. The aurors could stop the fire, or more like cool down the smoldering ruins, but maybe not even Dumbledore himself with his Elder wand could simply "reparo" the whole thing. It was beyond destroyed, and if he ever wanted to live there again he would probably have to clear the land and start from zero.

'I am not made of galleons thought Harry, venomously. Someone WAS going to pay, literally, for this. 'Malfoy, hopefully' he mentally added with a sneer.

Nevertheless, they couldn't remain there. Soon, covering himself with an oversized cape given to him by Sirius, the three of them – Harry, Sirius and Bones – were back in her office, busy watching everything that happened inside her pensieve. Madame Bones kept asking questions about his actions and motivations until the moment she, satisfied, said they could leave the memory.

Sitting down at her desk, she spent a couple minutes just thinking in silence before sending a deadly glare to Harry.

"Before anything else, Potter" she started with a cold tone. "I should remind you how Unforgivables are exactly that, even when their use is somehow justifiable."

"Really?" countered Harry, skeptical. "I am fully aware how the ministry granted aurors permission to use them, in the '80s. And how no one has ever been convicted of using them if he acted in self defence."

"Because there are very, very few instances of their use in self defence" said Bones. "Most decent people spontaneously use other spells even in harsh situations."

Harry, snarling, was about to answer once again but was interrupted by Sirius. "What I remember, instead, is that we are all on the same team. Is this arguing really necessary?"

Bones sighed but didn't let it go completely. "Black, just because we are forced to cooperate doesn't mean that your godson, no matter how dangerously talented, is part of us aurors. We are what we are because the ministry authorizes us to use force. He is merely another wizard."

"One that managed to accomplish his share of our plan" said Harry, dismissive. "Had it been for you tonight I would have been captured, the Abbotts would be dead and Riddle would be back among us."

"Harry, it was pretty bad here, ok?" said Sirius, irritated. "We weren't exactly playing around."

"Neither was I" said Harry, shrugging. Silence followed for a while.

"Nevermind" restarted Bones, eventually. "Just consider this a warning. I have been hinted at by Dumbledore that you used one already, and this is your second time in less than a year. Don't test your luck with a third attempt. As for the rest…."

Her grimace at that point said it all – what was left for them to do? Sirius, uncertain, spoke up. "What I am particularly worried about is the size of their operation tonight. Someone infiltrated the ministry while at least 8 other wizards were sent against Harry. It would take… well, a lot of Death Eaters sympathizers to cover this."

"True" admitted Bones, focusing once again. "This was carefully planned. It is clear, also, that they took Potter here quite seriously. Their words and actions, too, suggest they have been warned about you and your capabilities."

"As I said once already, I left quite the impression on Riddle" said Harry, a small smug smile on his face.

"It's not funny, Harry" said Sirius, tiredly. "We hoped so far that Riddle was either in hiding or trying to cautiously contact someone. If he was behind this night, then he went all out in regrouping with his old followers already, and he is aiming for you."

"To openly call for all of his old followers is quite a bold move" said Bones. "He is, or we hope he is, still defenseless for now. Maybe we could try to contact the known symphatizers sneakily, see if anyone is willing to betray him for absolution or galleons. Both, if needed."

"The game would be up, if you do that" said Harry. "If words spread we are trying to get him they could become bolder in their actions."

"They can't go much bolder than tonight" said Sirius. "By this point, only the general public is unaware of what's happening."

"I agree" said Bones. "We know, and they don't seem to care about staying in the shadows. Being shy won't help us, finding a turncoat among them could."

Harry shrugged. "It's not like we have plenty of options at the moment. There is little chance they will try and get me in the coming days. Eh, even I don't know where I will be from now on."

"Wherever you go, I am confident you will manage" admitted Bones with tight lips. "No matter what I think of your methods, I must at least admit they works. Saving the Abbotts was commendable."

"Well done kid, by the way" said Sirius, cheerily, slamming Harry's back with his hand. "I still had some doubts that what Dumbledore said about you was true, but I am damn glad it was. Your dad would be proud, for real."

"Thanks, I guess" said Harry, shrugging. "I don't deserve all these praises, though. Without his undeniably sturdy wards chances are they would have caught me unprepared."

"This reminds me" said Bones, frowning "how their fall should have warned him, too. Where is he?"

At these words they all sent a glance at the door, as if expecting him to burst through it at that very moment. After a couple seconds Sirius broke the silence with an amused laugh, and they all turned back towards each other.

"I am sure we will have to deal with the old man. Soon" he said.

"Most likely" added Bones. Harry simply rolled his eyes in frustration.