Chapter 3

The Knockturn Alley Incident

(Two Days Prior to The First Day of Hogwarts)

"Last sighting of Potter was here," A Death Eater said to their Captain, Antonin Dolohov.

"I see. Well, well, well..." Antoninn let out a small cackle, rubbing his hands together. He thought to himself momentarily, wondering how they should capture Potter.

It was a foggy night, the streets barely visible only illuminated by the street lights, perfect cover for them to capture Potter. Antonin was proud that Voldemort had chosen him and his squad of five for this particular mission. If he succeeded, he would be considered part of the inner circle with the likes of Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, and even Voldemort's right-hand, Severus Snape.

He continued with the squad of Death Eaters under his command as they walk through the fog, ever vigilant for the Boy Who Lived to show his face

"I hope this isn't some wild goose chase," said a Death Eater still doubting Potter was around.

Antonin turned, giving the man a dark glare. "The Dark Lord trusts our informants, and so should we. If they said Potter has been seen here, then Potter has been seen here. That is all you need to know."

As they continued down the streets, the glow of their wands was ever present ready to fire a jinx. The streets became more secluded as people realized that Death Eaters were in the streets. They shut their windows and locked their doors, wanting nothing to do with them.

"I'm over here, wannabe emo's." yelled a figure behind them. "Come and get me," There was no mistaking the voice—it was the voice of The Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter.

Antonin and the other Death Eaters turned around. His face immediately lit up with wicked glee, and a sinister smile spread across his features as he heard Potter's taunts.

"There he is…"

His wand raised as he and the other Death Eaters turned to face the Boy Who Lived.

"Incarcerous!"

He cast the spell with a swift and precise motion, sending thick ropes snaking through the air toward Potter. However, Potter dodged the spell with almost superhuman agility and bolted down the alleyway next to him.

"How the hell!?" Antonin's eyes widened in surprise as Potter skillfully evaded the spells and ran down an alley. He quickly composed himself, not having time to wonder how Potter had become so adept.

"Don't let him get away!" he snarled in frustration, Antonin and the other Death Eaters raced after Potter, determined not to lose sight of him.

The Death Eaters chased Potter through the alley, their footsteps echoing as they pursued him. The shadows cast by the surrounding buildings loomed over the narrow space, adding an eerie element to the chase.

"Expelliarmus!"

Antonin casted another spell, aiming his wand toward Potter, hoping this time his magic would find its mark.

The boy dodged the spell again, his movements almost inhuman. Luckily one of the Death Eaters managed to call in backup, cutting off more routes for Harry to escape from them. What was once a group of five had swelled to twenty-five

Potter continued to dodge spells as the squad of Death Eaters corralled him to an abandoned building. The space they were in was wide, it looked to be a large abandoned bookshop or some type of market. It had an overhang along its sides. Harry stopped and looked back at the Death Eaters, his face glowing in the gleaming moonlight.

The Death Eaters came to a halt, circling around Potter, wands raised. Antonin smirked, realizing that Potter was trapped and outnumbered. They had him now. He took a step toward Potter, a taunting look in his eyes.

"Well now, Potter. You are all alone, surrounded by an army of the Dark Lord's finest, and with nowhere to run. What will the 'Boy Who Lived' do now?"

"Potter" smiled as his face became more feminine, his messy black hair became straight, snow white, grew down to his mid-back, his body changed to more attuned to a young female, and a scar appeared underneath the left eye.

A ripple of surprise went through the Death Eaters in the group. Antonin blinked, his expression turning into one of disbelief and frustration as he registered the change. He narrowed his eyes, taking in this strange and confusing development. Antonin's grip tightened on his wand, now more suspicious than ever.

"Who are you? What is the meaning of this?!" He demanded, his voice cold and hard. They had been tricked, but by whom and for what purpose was all a mystery to him.

"Ever hear of an ambush dumbass" the girl mocked with a smirk on her face.

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire erupted from above them, bullets cutting through the air and rocketing towards the Death Eaters. the unlucky ones in the front of the group already collapsed landing lifelessly with a thud, their robes torn by the assault. Antonin barely had enough time to register what was happening

"Duck!" he barked instinctively and immediately dropped to the ground.

The Death Eaters followed his command, quickly dropping to the ground, seeking cover. Antonin cursed repeatedly under his breath as bullets zipped through the air overhead. The sound of shattering glass filled his ears. He got up on one knee and quickly cast an array of defensive spells, creating an unbreakable charm around him to deflect the incoming bullets.

But instead of the bullets being deflected, the bullets burned through the charm and caused it to shatter. Antonin's eyes widened in shock as a bullet grazed his cheek.

"That's not possible!" He thought gritting his teeth, trying to shake off his confusion and disbelief, there was no time to ponder the impossibilities now. He heard a yelp from two Death Eaters beside him, dropping on the ground with loud thuds. Suffering more than just a graze on the cheek from trying to deflect the bullets

"Shielding charms aren't working!" he shouted out, his voice booming over the sound of the gunfire. He pointed his wand up near where he saw the muzzle flash of the shooter's weapon.

"Incarcerous" Antonin fired the spell forcing the shooter to take cover behind a pillar. "Retreat! draw them out into the street!"

The remaining Death Eaters obeyed his orders, quickly making a dash for the street. The shooter continued firing at them, causing them to duck and dodge behind cover.

The girl ran in front of them, her form invisible to the naked eye, only leaving behind a trail of red light. She appeared in front of the Death Eaters as if she had just teleported, blocking off their exit. Antonin stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening, the Death Eaters followed suit behind him.

"Apparition? At this young of an age?" he thought before he raised his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!" The Killing Curse shot out of his wand, aiming straight towards the girl. With a movement that was barely visible to the naked eye, the girl unsheathed her dagger and cut right through the curse, ricocheting off the blade and flying into the darkness of the store.

Antonin's eyes almost bulged out of his head as the realization set in. "No! She's not apperating! She's just that fast! Too fast!"

Before he could make another movement, The girl then made a motion like she was blowing a kiss, and a roar of fire burst from her lips, igniting the night. The Death Eaters at the front line were met with a violent wall of fire, erupting in pain and agony as the flames engulfed them.

Antonin, quickly ducked behind cover, narrowly avoiding the flames. The heat licked at his skin, leaving burns in their wake.

He peeks around the pillar he was behind, seeing a Death Eater managing to flank the girl from the side.

"Avada Kedarva" the Death Eater yelled right before the girl slashed through him with her dagger, the curse flying uselessly through the girl's afterimage from where she was standing.

Antonin gritted his teeth, feeling the sting of failure as his comrade fell. His mind raced as he watched this girl move with an almost supernatural grace and speed. He had never seen anything like it before and it made the Death-Eater nervous. The situation was spiraling out of control.

A few more Death Eaters rushed to face the girl in an attempt to overwhelm her. They fired off a series of curses and jinxes only for the dagger to fly out of the girl's hand and parried the curses as if it had a mind of its own and floated by the girl like a guardian angel. As the blade protected her, lightning shot from both of her palms, hitting the group of Death Eaters. They started convulsing as the lightning coursed through their veins until they dropped to the ground, their bodies twitching.

A Death Eater managed to apperate behind the girl and attempted to grab her, but she dodged the grab. She vaulted so she was looking at the Death Eaters directly at him. Her eyes emitted a blue aura as their gaze met and the Death Eater's yelp was cut off as he was turned to stone.

"A gorgon's stare!?" Antonin thought.

She landed behind the petrified Death Eater, her eyes suddenly went black and she let out an earth-shattering scream, completely destroying the petrified wizard and sending shards and chunks of stone at the remaining Death Eaters.

Antonin ducked down behind his cover again, he watched in horror as his fellow Death Eaters were struck by the rubble, some of them falling to the ground with loud thuds. Three Death Eaters managed to cast shield charms blocking the rubble. Three gunshots rang out, and shimmering barriers shattered followed by the three Death Eaters falling lifelessly to the ground. Antonin looked around, it was clear they had no chance, he was a survivor. He wouldn't let the Dark Lord or his pride get him killed. His sole focus was to hide from the girl and the shooter.

"Monsters!"One of the Death Eaters yelled "Get away from m-!" he ran for the exit before his body went limp taking a bullet to the head.

Antonin closed his eyes, not wanting to see his comrades be slaughtered, they had lost twenty-one of their men. Now it was just him and four others against the girl and the shooter above.

He slowly backed towards the wall, hoping he wasn't seen. Two of the Death Eaters made a break for exit but were quickly shot down by the shooter, they were the lucky ones. The other two that stayed and fought suffered as the girl toyed with them. She made one catch fire as her hand burst into flames, while the one was pinned to a wall with a dagger dug deep into his shoulder.

Antonin backed away, an unsettling fact began to sink in."This was never a fight, we were led here! Like lambs to the slaughter!"

"MERCY! PLEA-! " The other remaining Death-Eater plea was cut off, as the girl made a swift motion, snapping the man's neck. Antonin gritted his teeth feeling more angry than afraid. He was the only one left, and he had no desire to be next. He couldn't die here

A sudden sharp pain pierced through Antonin as a bullet connected with his shoulder. The impact sent him stumbling back, his wand dropping from his hand. He clutched his wounded shoulder, his teeth gritted in pain. Blood seeped through his fingers and down his dark cloak.

"Damn it..." Antonin cursed in pain, clutching his shoulder where the bullet had struck. The sharp pain and shock from the wound made him stumble a few steps backward, his wand falling from his grip as he attempted to apply pressure on the wound to staunch the bleeding.

"I need to get out of here, alive"

As he slowly raised his gaze, he made eye contact with the girl. His eyes were filled with both pain and defiance. The girl turned up to the rafters as she pulled a dagger out of the Death Eater's corpse.

"Nice shooting Galin" she yelled up as she sheathed her dagger to her side.

A young man with dark caramel skin and a lean muscular build hopped down from the rafters. He had black curly hair, bright blue eyes and was wearing a white wife beater, blue jeans, and black sneakers. There was a black sling around his right shoulder, where a muggle assault rifle was slung across his back.

"Finally, I get some praise from the great Arianna herself," the shooter, Galin, said. "Told you I've been practicing"

"Well if you want my opinion, shooting guns is a lot more fun than having your head in a book for half of the day" the girl, Arianna, replied

"But you and Yuno end up getting to do the cool shit" Galin complained as he readjusted his rifle. "All I got are basic charms and jinxes for now up until the boss comes up for some new spells for me."

Antonin's gaze shifted between the duo, listening intently to their banter while he kept pressure on his wound. The pain was intense, but he swallowed the feeling, determined not to show weakness.

As they continued with their conversation, Antonin's curiosity grew along mixed with annoyance. These two, Arianna and Galin, were talking too openly. As if he was nothing more than an afterthought. There was more going on here than what met the eye and he couldn't help but interject, albeit through grit teeth.

"Hmph... So, it appears that this whole charade was a ploy. A distraction to lure us here and bring us down," Antonin said, his voice tinged with spite and pain as he pressed the wound.

"Just what the hell are you people?" He hissed painfully, pressing his hand against his bleeding shoulder.

The two looked at him and the one named Galin made an annoyed face, "Awe damn it, I thought his shoulder was his head," he muttered.

"Your mistake is in thinking I would simply roll over and die here!" Antonin spat, his grip tightening on his wounded shoulder. "Now who are you!?"

The duo exchanged a look before Arianna answered. "Think of us as a third party that's trying to take down your wizarding world. It's not just the Order you have to worry about anymore."

"A third party? What does she mean?" Antonin thought to himself. The answer was not what he expected. He was expecting Arianna to say something vague, but instead, she made a bold statement.

"Fools, The Dark Lord can't be defeated!" He retorted, his voice carrying a mix of pain and conviction. "He will always stand tall against the opposition!"

"Pff" Galin scoffed. "Sorry to burst your bubble, buddy, but he's not as tough as you think. One ounce of Anti-Magic in his veins from this" he motioned with his eyes towards his weapon on his back "and your "Dark Lord" is just an immortal human punching bag"

"Anti-Magic?" Antonin questioned with a raised eyebrow and growing anxiety.

Galin smirked. "Yeah, separate source of power I use to nullify and destroy magic. And any wizards that are in direct contact with it can't use magic at all. That includes you with that bullet lodged into your shoulder by the way"

Antonin's eyes widened at the words. Galin's explanation of the concept was blasphemous, a perversion of the natural order. He was silent for a moment, trying to process the implications of what this development meant. "I..Impossible! You speak blasphemy!"

"Be my guest then, try to appreate out of here" Galin encouraged.

Antonin scowled, his face contorting into a pained grimace as he attempted to apparate. Pain shot through him as the bullets Anti-magic ate away at his attempt to cast a spell. His efforts were met with nothing more than a jolt of agony from the wound on his shoulder, his form flickering to get the least bit of magic out to apparate away from the vicinity.

Arianna gave a smug smirk at his failed attempt, relishing in his discomfort. Galin just shook his head at Antonin's futile attempts.

"Tsk...tsk.." she taunted shaking her head, as she held her smirk. "Technical difficulties, Dolohov?"

"DAMN YOU!" He yelled out in frustration. It was true, the bullet had cut off his magical abilities. The two relished the opportunity to mock Antonin's helplessness, Their continued taunts and jokes at his expense driving home the reality of his situation. He was wounded, weakened, and unable to use magic. It gnawed away at his pride, fueling his frustration into a bitter anger.

Despite his desperate attempts, he found himself at her mercy, a position he loathed. A wounded lion caught in a trap, surrounded by its hunters. The duo finally calmed down as the girl approached Antonin.

"Since you're alive, you can deliver a message to Tommy for us. Agree to that and we'll let you live," she said coldly.

"'Tommy'? As in Lord Voldemort?" Antonin thought. The two before him had no idea or simply didn't care that they dared not even use their master's full name.

"So that's the game, huh?" He said bitterly. The pain from his wound was beginning to become more noticeable, his anger only managing to keep him focused and alert. "And what is this message?"

"Just simply show him what happened here and I think he'll get the message to stay out of our way, you won't even have to say a word." the girl said cheerfully.

Antonin's eyes narrowed again, suspicion still lingering. But the offer itself was straightforward and seemed honest. He nodded slowly, acknowledging her terms.

"Fine, I'll convey your little message. But make no mistake, I won't forget this." He hissed, his annoyance palpable.

"Great!" Arianna said. She raised her hand. The palm of it opened up and showed a pitch-black void. The sudden drop in temperature and the ominous void in the palm of her hand made even Antonin shiver. That presence... It reminded him of the dementors. A chill that couldn't be shaken, seeping into his bones.

"What is this..?" he managed to ask. The girl said nothing as her hand slowly started reaching towards Antonin's face. He couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sense of fear building up inside of him. The chill in the air intensified, it was like looking straight into the darkness itself. His eyes widened as the void-like palm of her hand approached him like a maw.

"That's a bit "demented", even for you" Galin chuckled.

"Seriously? A pun?" she answered with an annoyed tone "You must have been waiting weeks to say that ever since I learned this spell" The joke only increased Antonin's uneasiness.

"What is this!? What are you going do to me!?" he asked, his tone more of a demand.

His frustration from the situation was starting to boil over. His hand clutched his bleeding wound tightly in an attempt to staunch the bleeding, but the chill was still making his body tremble.

"You need me alive to deliver your message don't you!?" Antonin yelled, pleading with tears forming in his eyes.

Arianna's emerald eyes flared with sinister intent. "I'm not going back on my word, but you should know better than anyone that there are worse fates than death"

The void in the girl's palm began to slowly rip the soul out of Antonin's body, his screams piercing the night sky as his soul was sent to limbo to linger forever in the darkness.

(The Next Day)

An Aurora ran through the hall, making a b-line to Minister Fudge's office. The Aurora fist slammed on the door in a panic.

"Minister!? Minister!?" the Aurora called out frantically.

Cornelius Fudge looked up from his work startled at the sudden banging. He stood with an annoyed huff and answered the door.

"What is it boy, you almost gave me a bloody heart attack!" Fudge snapped at him.

"There's been an incident in Knockturn Alley"

He frowned as soon as the word "Knockturn Alley" was said.

"That place never gives us a break. Fine, out with it then." Fudge sighed as he beckoned the Aurora into his office.

The Aurora handed over a stack of papers to Fudge who puts on his glasses to read.

"Everything is in this case report, we also sealed off the entire area and put a shelter-in-place notice for Knockturn" the Aurora reported.

Fudge looked at the report. As he read the report of the bodies found in the abandoned shop, how there were bullet casings littered all over the floor, and the traces of dragon fire smoldering on the wood of the shop. There was one particular page that described Antonin Dolohov, while still alive, his body was soulless, his face in a perpetual expression of agony.

Fudge looked up at the Aurora in front of him, his face grim.

"None of this gets out to the public…understood"

"Yes sir," the Aurora said. He then left the office not needing to say another word.

When the door closed Fudge ran his hands through his hair, trying to relieve stress. He looked at a picture of Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore my old friend. If Voldemort has indeed returned, then I fear he's the least of worries now."

(Opening song. Danger Danger by FZMZ feat. icy.)