Chapter 14 : Halfway Through

I do not own Harry Potter

Author's Notes:

Wow there was a lot of grammatical mistakes here. Edited now. Also cut down on some redundant parts.

IMPORTANT

First of all, yeah, I'm frustrated about how long it's taking for me to wrap up the summer too. But I felt that what I have planned next deserved some solo spotlight, and not need to share it with the horcrux hunt. Next chapter will begin with an on the run Sirius reading the Daily Prophet, the headline of which features Harry and him stunning the country with his decision to move his vote to the neutral side. Not gonna share everything, but at the end it's off to Hogwarts, and we start the third year in the chapter after the next.

V. IMPORTANT

Made some changes to the whole situation with Sirius' trial. I want to follow the canon timeline concerning Sirius for just a little bit longer. I'd written myself into a corner where his trial is concerned, so I've made some changes to how they wanted to go about it. Basically, there is record for a trial, but it was 'closed doors' as the records say. Manipulation by the biggest benefactor of Sirius' imprisonment. Harry and Co's strategy now revolved on finding some sort of evidence before getting a 'retrial', you can't just have a case reopened without basis. Sirius will get a trial one day though, I promise you that.

I decided to cut down to just 2 characters because I felt there were so many that deserved to be on there, and I just found it hard to narrow it down to those 2 spots. Here's everyone I felt deserved a place on the title card - Sirius, Dumbledore, Voldemort, Hermione, Tonks, Andromeda... see my dilemma?

Enjoy!

"Aren't runespoors supposed to be extinct?!"

"We can get Harry to ask him about his family, ya know, once it stops trying to kill us!" bellowed Andromeda "We're going to have to confront it at some point"

"It's right on our tail, we need to have some room before we can turn around... we need to run faster!" said Ted, speeding up. Andromeda mimicked the action, increasing her own speed.

"We're at a good distance now" observed Andromeda with a peek backwards "I'll countdown from 3 and then we turn around and cast, same old tactic!"

"1"

"Wait, you said countdown from three!"

"No I meant - nevermind that, I'm getting tired now! 1!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" interrupted Ted again

"WHAT NOW!"

"Do we turn around like 1, 2 TURN or do we go 1,2,3 TURN!"

"Wha - TED! Are you serious?!" screeched Andi, giving an outraged look

"What? It's a valid question!"

"I guess well...we should...oh just turn around when you see me do it!" Alright, 1,2,3!" turning around as quickly as possible without falling over, she yelled out "Confringo!"

Following his wife's lead, Ted turned around soon after, electing to put up a wide-area shield with "Regio Protego!". It turned out to be a good idea, since it helped them avoid the rocks pelt up into the air by the exploding curse.

While the snake was not hit by the curse itself, it was hit by the soil that had risen up, and its heads were momentarily blinded.

Taking advantage of the snake's distraction, in what seemed to a strategy perfected by the couple during the war, Ted opened up a gap in his shield, allowing Andromeda to fire the laceration curse, "Lacero!". The shield closed up as soon as it was opened, almost as if it were a well practiced routine to do this. The spell itself managed to connect with the snake's left face, leaving a deep looking gash and splattering blood all over it.

Strangely, the runespoor seemed to ignore the loss of one of its heads, and pounced the shield, making a crackling sound on contact, but failing to break through. Not to be discouraged, it continued to attack the protection with its fangs, getting closer to breaking it with each strike. As it pulled back for a blow which would definitely break through, Ted cancelled the shield and dived away. The snake was caught off-guard again, it had been staying ON the shield itself while attacking it. Suddenly losing its ground, it lost a single precious second, which was enough for Andromeda, who had been positioning herself even before the shield was disabled, to connect with a damaging reductor, eliciting a shriek, or at least the hissing equivalent of one. It had no time to recover though, as it was rocked with another Reductor, this one from Ted.

From then on, it was almost a turkey-shoot. Runespoors were not only tough, they were also extremely quick. Giving it the slightest amount of time to recover would have been an invitation for it to bite. Hit after hit from reductors, blasting curses, impedimentas to turn it into an even easier target... a wide array of spells, basically, and the snake was dead. It was a reminder as to why these two individuals were once part of an incognito vigilante organization.

"Wow" remarked Ted, huffing

"Yes.." affirmed Andromeda, also huffing, from a combination of sprinting and firing spells non-stop "Been ages since we've had a confrontation like that"

"Can still nail the shield-spell combo!" proclaimed Ted, and getting a sound of approval in response. "Let's take a minute to catch our breath... not used to this anymore."

"Won't hear me complaining, but we should start heading back soon, alghouls are dangerous from what I know"

"What is that anyway?"

"Apart from an 'infernus on steriods' as you put it" quoted Andi with a chuckle "It's a necrophage - a creation of necromancy. Though it doesn't NEED food, it loves flesh, especially human. Riddle put it in some sort of stasis, so that it could work as a defense"

"Wait-"

"Yes, it will be looking forward to its first treat in at least 12 years"

Meanwhile

Things were not going as smoothly for the other team. The main reason for Bill had asked for the others to aim for the alghoul's mouth was because of its rock-hard outer skin, meaning it was the most practical choice to try and damage it from the inside - a part of it which was extremely vulnerable. So far, the alghoul had been very careful not to open it's mouth, except in moments where it seemed to be screeching almost involuntarily. Now this isn't to say there was no damage done, there some painful looking gashes and wounds all over its body, but so far its bloodlust seemed to be overriding any feeling of pain. Being able to shake off attacks also meant that the alghoul was free to charge, and had come dangerously close to landing a hit from its sharp claws multiple times. Most of the fight so far had just been the wizards dodging as if in a quidditch match and swerving away from a bludger, or running around to create distance.

On multiple occasions, the three were forced to separate, because of their enemy's wild charge, who of course did it purposefully so as to corner one single person. One such instance found Harry face to face with the alghoul, and with his back against the house's wall. Realizing it was a do or die moment, he jabbed his wand forwards and shouted out as loudly as he could

"Incendio!"

As Harry had guessed, not known, but guessed, his elevated emotional state had also elevated the power of his spell. If one were to draw a parallel with the last time Harry had used this spell - on his mentor's portrait, they would notice it was even more ferocious than in the chamber. Harry's growth in power since then, even if it hadn't been that long, had been notable. His growth had not only been sped up, but also enhanced - increase in speed and increase in magnitude were two different things. This meant he now stood to become more powerful than in normal circumstances, which was already very remarkable.

The alghoul was engulfed by the flames, which was obviously very painful. But this one had been created/summoned by Voldemort, and was hence more powerful than your regular monster of necromancy. Enduring the pain made worse by the hits on his back by the other two wizards, crucially keeping its mouth closed, which would be game over, it began to slowly march forwards, coming close to striking range with each step. Harry also knew getting the alghoul to shout out would mean game over, since it would open its mouth, meaning it'd be hit by fire where it was most vulnerable. He also knew that his enemy was getting closer, meaning he was short of time.

His hopes were dashed when he saw a half-burnt arm emerge from the flames. On reflex, he killed off the spell and started to dive in the opposite direction, but it wouldn't be enough.

Thankfully, he was saved by Bill and Tonks. Bill had magically uprooted an entire tree and hurled it at the beast. The flinch proved to be enough for Tonks to pull Harry out.

"Carpe Retractum!" the metamorphmagus shouted out. The seize and pull charm, also known as the Carpe Retractum Spell, was a charm that produced a magical, retractable cord of light, that could be used to pull objects towards the caster, or, if the target was fixed in place, to pull the caster towards the target. An orange-ish cord shot out of Tonks' wand and pulled Harry away from the necrophage, its claw just inches away from Harry's face as he was dragged towards the caster. Both were flipped into the air and back down as Harry collided into Nymphadora. For the time being, both were out of action

The alghoul chased after Harry, but was confronted by Bill, starting another round of close range fighting. By this time, both were worse for wear, Bill from fatigue and Voldemort's defender more from the various injuries. Into another round of dodging and casting began, Bill, who being the tallest of the three had probably been identified as the biggest threat, and had hence seen the largest amount of targeting, tripped up. The slight delay in his movement was all that his adversary needed. It's barbarian like strike caught its mark, and its sharp claws dug in painfully into Bill's tricep. Both let out loud shouts - Bill out of agony, and the necrophage out of triumph, finally having landed a blow. But it knew it could not relax, not yet - there were still two more targets. So, instead of letting go, it struck Bill again, this time on his abdomen, such that its two paws were positioned diagonally on his prey's body. It lifted Bill off of the ground almost seamlessly, and tossed the curse-breaker several feet across the forest clearing, and into the bark of a tree, knocking the Weasley out.

"Bill!" shrieked Tonks. The entire sequence had happened so fast that she did not have time to react in a way that could have mattered. The only thing her shout accomplished was turning the beasts' attention towards them again. Emboldened by its success, it charged towards them with renewed vigor, withstanding their attacks. as it came upon them, Tonks put up a last gasp shield, blocking the attack.

Behind the shield, Tonks maneuvered around, such that they were now moving towards Bill with each backwards step, the metamorphmagus' shield holding the attacks at bay. "Harry" she called out "let's be honest - we're on limited time here. I'd try and apparate us out of here, but I can't leave Bill like this, he's wouldn't even be here if not for of me. Run in the direction mum and dad went. I'll be right behind you."

"W-"

"No arguments kid! Go!"

"And you wouldn't be here if it weren't for me! I got you into this!" spoke out Harry, not letting himself be overridden.

"I'm basically an auror Harry, I'll be fine! Go!

"Maybe, but I'm not running. We've damaged it a lot, we can win this together!"

Bracing another hit, she replied "And what if we lose?"

"Then we'll do that together too. I don't care how old I am or what the smart thing to do is, if you owe it to Bill to stay, I owe it to the both of you"

Maybe it was the solemnity in his words, or maybe it was the look in his eyes. Whatever it was, it convinced Tonks that Harry wasn't going anywhere. "Alright, you win-" Before she could tell him whatever plan she had, the necrophage landed a big hit, this time breaking though the barrier. Every second proved to matter again - the single moment Tonks was distracted from focusing on the shield cost her. Her shield fell was she was knocked to the ground. Not wasting anytime, Harry pointed his wand and cast again -

"Incendio!"

Round 2

As far as he could tell, using this spell was the closest they'd come to beating it. It was unlucky they didn't have the opportunity to try it together.

A mirror image from a couple of minutes ago was created, but this time, the winner was different.

Sure, she might not have ended up dying and sure, he was touched by Tonks' offer, but it also made him incredibly angry. Maybe he was angry with himself that he needed saving again, or maybe it was him having had enough of another gambling their life so he could be safe. It was the kind of emotion only a survivor can feel, to know that someone died to protect you. Tonks would never have gotten involved into this situation if he hadn't told her about the horcruxes. It would be because of him that a promising young woman died - again. He never wanted to carry a burden like that again, the one he already had was weighing down on him enough.

Whatever it was, it was enough for him to be able to tap into his power in a way he had never done before. And this time, it was too much for the alghoul. Unable to resist, it opened its mouth to let out a cry of pain, only to let the spell reach his most vulnerable part - his insides. As absurdly strong as an alghoul was from the outside, it was equally vulnerable from the inside - kind of like the basilisk, which for all its rock-hard scales, died from a single strike in the end.

The necrophage didn't just die - it crumbled. Within moments, the shouting stopped and the beast literally collapsed before fading away into the nothingness from which it was summoned. Realizing he had won, Harry killed off the spell

"You three ok?!" came a voice, snapping the both of them back into reality. It was Andi and Ted, who came back onto the scene just a tiny bit late.

"Bill" Tonks spoke, suddenly getting up and racing towards her injured friend. Bill was conscious, apparently he hadn't been completely knocked out, just incapacitated.

"Out of my way, let me look at him!" Ted said with a note of urgency in his voice, as he started looking over Bill's injuries and running diagnostics.

"Hell of a show, Harry... get it? Ya know, hell, fire?" Bill's pun drew a mixture of laughs and groans, but everyone was relieved to see he was still in his senses.

"Hmm, stick to curse breaking Bill, the only time you were funny was when people were laughing at you while you were trying to impress Emily Tyler!" teased Tonks

"Owwwwwhoho, that one hurt worse than the alghoul! Yeaaah... not my finest hour" observed Bill

"Not your finest hour? The only thing more pathetic was the girl you went after and your sulking after she dumped you!"

"Wow, everyone's really bringing out the 'burns' today huh?... Oh come on guys that was a good one!" he protested at the response, or rather the lack of one.

"Well, thankfully you weren't bitten, so we don't have to worry about poisoning. You've lost a bit of blood, but good job on keeping pressure on your wounds, not many wizards know that" The healer acknowledged "Alright, you'll be weak, but I can close of the wounds since there's no curse. Vulnera Santentur... Vulnera Sanentur..."

Moving over to the wound on the redhead's abdomen, Ted chanted the same spell, moving his wand in a a complex crisscrossing pattern. And just like that, the wound was closed off. "Wait" Ted spoke again, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a small vial "Dittany, it'll prevent scarring" he said shortly, applying a few drops on the closed off cuts. The effects were instantaneous here too - Bill's skin was back to normal, with only the blood on his shirt suggesting he was even hit there. Ted then moved over to his shoulder, the part of his body that had hit the bark first when had been tossed. He fixed the curse-breaker's bone, and prevented swelling. Finally, he wiped the blood off the shirt, both his patient's and his own.

Ted extended a hand to help the boy up, but Bill refused. "Wait, don't help" With a grunt Bill rose up on his own.

"How're you feeling?"

"A little light-headed, a little weak... but otherwise ok... thanks Mr Tonks"

"Ah no problem, we dragged you into this anyway. The weakness is because of the blood loss. I keep a stack of some potions at home, I'll give you a blood replenisher or two when we get back, that should fix you up."

"We are extremely fortunate that we have a medical expert with us... otherwise Bill could have been injured more severely" observed Andromeda. Nobody refuted that statement. Aside from Bill making receiving quick treatment, they would've also lost their curse-breaker, and needed to call-off the entire operation. "I see the necrophage proved to be a formidable opponent?"

"We could have done better" commented Dora a little miffedly " that thing gave us way more trouble than it should have"

"Don't be ridiculous Dora. Riddle put up protections around this place, of course they were going to be a challenge. In fact, I'd say we've done quite well."

"You think so?"

"I know so. I'm well aware how dangerous an alghoul can be, you kids really well to take it out"

"On that note" began Ted "How'd you beat it anyway?" he continued, directing the question towards Tonks, whom he assumed did it, since Bill was down and Harry was a child.

"It was actually Harry that landed the killer blow" answered the metamorphmagus

"Really?" asked a surprised Ted

"Really. Beat it with an Incendio. Probably burnt his organs to a crisp before it disappeared. I was right next to him, it was some attack"

"Yeah, completely engulfed the thing, we couldn't even see it." it was Bill that spoke this time "I could feel the heat all the way till here. Well done Harry, now I know why my siblings speak so highly of you"

While the Harry from a few months ago would've gotten very awkward at the praise, this one was much more composed. While you couldn't call him 'confident' just yet, he was definitely a lot more comfortable in his own skin. "Wow, I had no idea... but thanks, it means a lot. And I think very highly of them too for that matter"

"I'd pass it along since I'm seeing them tomorrow, but I can't really tell them I was here, can I?"

"Oh right, I totally forgot about that!" exclaimed Harry "Ron told me his family was visiting you in Egypt!"

"How are you getting back? For all intents and purposes, you are supposed to be in Egypt after all" questioned Andi

"Don't worry, I planned before coming. Some guys are portkeying over to Cairo from Diagon, I'll tag along with them. It's my day off, so don't need to worry about my bosses asking too much about me. It'll be like I was never even gone... That reminds me, portkey leaves soon, we should hurry"

And with that, the team started making their way towards the house. There are some kinds of wards and curses still around, which were dispersed by the combined efforts of Bill, Tonks and Andromeda, the latter two having a good amount of knowledge about breaking wards. They didn't find about what those residual traps did, and to be honest, they didn't want to.

"Something under the floorboard" commented Bill, as he lifted the loose floorboard off of the floor. "Some type of ring" he continued, though his voice seemed extremely distant.

Here was where Voldemort's final trap was triggered - on the horcrux itself. Bill, compelled by a mysterious voice, attempted to put on the the ring. Fortunately for him, Ted, who was closest to the ring after him, was also heavily affected by the enchantment on the ring started to fight Bill for it.

"Give it to me!"

"Why? I found it first!"

"You wouldn't be here if not for us, give me the ring!" and with that, Ted began wrestling Bill for the ring

Throughout all this, the other 3 were also affected by the ring's influence, if not as strongly, and started to make their way towards it in a lucid state, taking small, noiseless steps. It was Harry who regained his balance first. Throughout the entire hypnosis by the ring, he was never fully under its spell. There was always a voice in the back of his head, like that during the locket horcrux, that kept telling him to not listen to the ring's call, that it was a ruse. Slowly, his mind triumphed over Voldemort's spell, ad just steps away from coming in leaping range for the ring, he regained control. Realizing what was happening, he quickly drew his knife, Fang as he called it, and started looking for an opening to attack the ring. In a stroke of luck, it turned out be very soon. By now, Andi and Dora had also joined the tussle, and in the chaos, the ring slipped from Bill's hands, and slid across the floor. Harry the smallest and most agile of the five, quickly leapt across to the other side of the small shack, and before any of the others could reach, plunged his knife into the ring, shattering it on the top of the triangle inscribed on to it, and disorienting the design in the process.

Like before, there was a horrible screech, though much less defined than before, and a small, barely visible mist faded into the air. Instantaneously, the other four were released from the ring's hold. They were disoriented for a few seconds, before realizing what had happened. They had come dangerously close to putting on a cursed ring.

"That... that could've killed us" said Andi solemnly

"This one time Moody put the imperious on us, I swear this was almost the same" added Tonks

"Thank Merlin Harry was able to resist it... It needs a strong will to throw off something like that. I can see why people think you're special" commented Bill, though he seemed a little put down. Perhaps it was because he, a curse-breaker, almost walked head first into a cursed trap.

"Anything interesting on the ring Dora?" Andi inquired of the girl who was examining the ring.

"...No, just looks like an ordinary ring to me. Like the diary, I think this was just something he had as a child" and with that Tonks put the shattered ring into a conjured pouch. Because of the poor lighting, she couldn't make out that the ring's center piece wasn't a single stone, but rather one hollow stone containing another inside of it. She then handed over the pouch to Harry, who looked somewhat surprised "Take it, you've earned it". The Gryffindor accepted it with a smile, and put the pouch in his jacket's pocket (charmed to be expanded, of course)

"That kind of reaction - happened last time we got a horcrux too" observed Harry "So... we're 3 down now?"

"Yep" affirmed Tonks "3 more to go"

Bill, who had been caught up on the entire story by now, said what was on everyone's minds "But we have no leads about where they might be"

"We don't" said Ted honestly "But let's not let that ruin the progress we've made already. We've achieved something very spectacular today, let nothing overshadow that"

"Well said" appreciated Andromeda "How about we head back home, I really don't like this place, even without all the dark aura around it" a round of agreements was heard, and after restoring as much of the area as they could, to make it look like no one had ever come there, the party started to head back. Bill split from the group just outside the forest, citing the time of his portkey.

Harry and the Tonks' returned to Brighton to take a well deserved break, only to find ministry personnel on their doorstep.

"Can I help you?" asked Ted

"Where is Harry Potter?"

"Right here" answered Harry from a few feet behind

"I have some very grave news, Mr Potter. Sirius Black has escaped prison, and we have reason he is coming to kill you!"

So much for enjoying a calm evening then.