Harry potter and the Time of Retirement
Everything related to Harry Potter belongs to JKR
Chapter 82 – Year 4
Slowly and carefully, the sound of their steps muffled by magic, the team or aurors sneaked inside the house. Moody at its head, Bones next to him, everyone else surrounding Black and trailing right behind.
The entrance room was vast, with several closed doors in sight and a double-set of them at the end of it. In a corner, instantly dropped by a quick Stupefy from Bones, was an house elf. As Moody ignored the body to open the first door, Bones directed the various aurors to watch over the other doors.
The first door led to a small wardrobe, and was empty. So was the second door, leading to a small receiving room filled with couches and a glass table. Behind the third door, a room filled with cauldrons on fires, and a black-robed man busy taking care of the brewing potions. He barely had time to start turning at the sounds made by their entrance before another Stupefy dropped him unconscious on the ground.
"Macnair" commented Moody, revealing his face and breaking in two his wand. "We could have just alerted the others, Amelia."
"Tough luck" she commented with a grimace, transfiguring him into a pebble and placing it inside her pocket. "We can't risk splitting our group. Let's try to speed up."
The fourth room led to what seemed like a secondary hallway and Moody applied a standard Locking Charm on the door, shrugging – it wouldn't stop anyone down, but even half a second of advance warning could help. Slowly, they all gathered around the final double doors. They seemed almost ominous, as they were shining in a way that marked them as brand new compared to the rest of the house yet large blood stains could be seen on the floor near them. "The living room" commented Bones, nodding towards it and grabbing one of the handles, Moody doing the same with the other.
"Three, two, one..." murmured Bones, Moody and her opening the large doors at the same time. Instantly dropping to one knee, wand pointed ahead, they started casting with the other aurors behind them staying wands ready either towards the room or their back.
Inside, several black-robed man were huddling in tight groups talking of who knows what. They casually turned, unaware, at the sound of the doors opening only to start falling like flies. Moody, Bones, and everyone who had a clear line of sight casted again and again, and three Death Eaters in the front fell struck by at least two Stupefy each, the others either casting on the spot or running for cover. The former didn't last long and then, crouching, Bones and several other aurors rushed inside while Moody, slower and impeded by his peg leg, stayed by the doors using the frame as cover.
"Charge them!" shouted Bones, pointing at one side of the room while leading the charge to the others. Next to the door remained Black, alone with Moody, looking nervously around himself. Frowning, he cast a wide Accio at one point gathering some of the wands of those already fallen.
The chaos was incredible, with shouts of people being cursed and rumor of furniture being destroyed echoing from every corner. Near the entrance Moody seemed to be having the time of his life, casting at everything that moved, until the door at their back, the one linking to the service hallway, exploded in a shower of fragments. Desperately pushing Black inside the living room he cast the strongest Protego he could come up with, barely saving them both from immediate destruction.
Whatever the Dark Lord had casted, it was powerful – powerful enough to have Moody and Black fly inside the room, making them roll on the ground, Moody's fake leg detaching at the strong impact with copious blood flowing from the resulting injury. Moody didn't move one finger more, apparently made unconscious by the impact and the shock.
"You dare" stated Voldemort with authority, his calm voice doing nothing to hide the rage in his face. "You maggots truly dare to think you can challenge me?" he insisted, stepping in the room, flanked by another black-robed wizard with a silvery hand. The aurors cowed while the Death Eaters in the room, encouraged by his arrival, exposed themselves and started countercasting. Most of them aiming for Bones.
"Charles!" she screamed as one of the auror had rushed to shield her with his body – part of his head exploding in a shower of red gore as his Protego had given away under the pressure of several curses, his wand arm severed and flying away. Forced on the ground by his falling body, she restarted casting immediately. "Black, hurry! Hurry!"
"Black?" repeated Voldemort, smiling in dark amusement. "I carry a message from your godson, Black. He said..."
"Stupefy" cast Black, still laying half-dazed on the ground. The Dark Lord scoffed incredulous at the charm, barely moving his wand to stop the curse, careless – until the red light reached his Protego. Immediately, a gold thread of lights connected their two wands, as they both slowly started to levitate inside the room.
Everyone froze once again at this unexpected sight, both aurors and Death Eaters – until the one with the silvery hand tried to cast a curse against Black, only to stopped midway hit by a strong Depulso coming from Bones. "Ignore Riddle, take down the others!" she shouted, pushing Charles's corpse off her and crouching behind a nearby chair. Immediately, as a dome of light started forming around a still shocked Riddle and a viciously snarling Black, the fight restarted in the room.
Quickly, though, the various duels were becoming one sided. Most of the Death Eaters had fallen already, the others being each pressed hard by multiple aurors, every one of their fallen be them alive or dead being quickly bound by Incarcerous and their wands being cut by Diffindo. Some of the aurors had fallen too, of course, though those seemed to be only injured as they were trying desperately to heal their cut or cast countercurses on whatever had hit them. Beside Charles, Moody alone remained immobile on the floor surrounded by the expanding pool of his own blood.
As the song of a Phoenix started reverberating inside the room Tonks rushed towards the final point of resistance for the Death Eaters, a transfigured chair protecting a couple of them since the start of the melee. 'New recruits' thought Tonks, as the two had fought miserably the whole time, barely hurting anyone, and mostly staying under cover - the main reason they were the last ones standing... or crouching, anyway. As she flanked them, though, she found their bodies already on the ground, immobile.
Surprised and suspicious, she cast again Stupefy on both bodies before binding them too and cutting their wands with Diffindo; right as she was done a horrible scream of pain reverberated inside the room. Searching for the source, fearing it was one of her teammates, she was stunned in noticing how the sound seemed to be coming from Voldemort's own wand, who had just been reached by one of the large knots visible in the thread of light, several more approaching.
Dark wisps were oozing out from the wand's tip, under the panicking gaze of the Dark Lord. Images of an explosion, of fire, of a door, and more: all appeared in sequence. Finally, a shadow much larger than the others appeared. An almost human shadow, of a tall old man that quickly morphed into…. 'A boy' thought Tonks, puzzled, before widening her eyes. There was no mistaking the face that had just materialized.
"Can't get a break, can I?" scowled an annoyed Harry Potter, his semi-transparent body floating no more than two steps away from the Dark Lord.
"Potter" murmured the Dark Lord, leaning back in fear, his wand still connected to Sirius'.
"Lord Voldemort" answered Harry in a mocking tone, taking in the scene around the two of them. "You are about to fall, aren't you? Now that's a show worth coming back to life for."
With a horrible snarl, the Dark Lord gave up on the connection by roughly moving his wand away, the aftereffect pushing him one step more away. As the dome disappeared and both Voldemort and Sirius fell back on the floor, the shadow of Harry appeared even darker inside the devastated room – but it was still there. "Potter!" screamed Riddle, pointing his wand at the apparition.
"Stupefy!" casted Sirius, aiming straight for the chest of Voldemort. He easily avoided the charm and managed to quickly cast a counterattack, only to be stopped by the combined Protego of three different Aurors. "Protect Black, cast at will" snarled Bones, pointing her wand against the Voldemort.
As another Stupefy from Sirius managed to restart the connection the aurors gathered together, some ready to protect Sirius and others starting to circle Voldemort.
"There should be wards against apparition, and all your lackeys are down… how long do you think you can last?" asked Harry, a mean smirk on his face, folding his arms.
"More than you, Potter. I killed you already!" countered Voldemort, angrily, only to be forced by several well-aimed curses to break the connection again, desperately casting another Protego. The silvery shield shimmered under the assault of the combined auror force, only to disappear entirely when Sirius managed to reestablish the connection a third time with another Stupefy.
"You did… and look where you are now. Had you left me alive, you could be using me as a hostage right now" added Harry, waving his hand in front of his face "but you were just too arrogant to admit we could ever be a threat to you, right?
"Cast, cast! Don't leave him time to think!" ordered Bones, now standing, loading up a powerful curse. All the remaining aurors, save two that she waved to stay close to Black, were now casting without reprieve – Voldemort trying desperately to avoid their curses.
"That's my wand, by the way. irony or fate, it's one more connection between us" added Harry, casually, pointing at Sirius's hand, making Voldemort frown. "The final connection is that we will both be dead, soon. All your horcruxes are gone, you know? Destroyed by Dumbledore. He really is greater than you."
"Shut up, you worm" gasped Riddle, obviously getting tired and desperate. Breaking the connection one final time, he pointed the wand at Harry. "Skurge!" he casted, all but banishing Harry several feet away. His growl of satisfaction didn't last long though, as his wand arm was suddenly severed by a Diffindo cast by Bones.
"Stupefy, now!" she ordered, and the room suddenly gained a red tint as several red lights, one after the other, went towards Voldemort. He wasn't one of the greatest wizards of his generation for nothing, though, and with his empty hand he managed to create a wandless Protego against which all curses expired. More kept coming though, relentlessly, and his remaining hand started to shake, while his breath grew heavy.
Meanwhile Harry had walked back to Riddle, their eyes meeting one final time. "I hope the Dementors send you to muggle hell, Riddle" concluded Harry, his gaze cold and his tone of voice final. "Whatever is left of your soul, anyway."
Riddle's eyes, too, were full of hate but it was over – his Protego finally cracked under pressure and half a dozen Stupefy stroke him, dropping him instantaneously on the ground. It was over.
When the Dark Lord fell, so did silence in the room. Several aurors, exhausted, started mending their injuries. Tonks was ordered by Bones to secure Riddle, which the woman did with several bindings, a blindfold, and cutting his other hand for good measure – before stopping the blood flow with Episkey. "We don't want you to die before the real fun starts, right Tom?" she commented, meanly.
Bones spared a quick look at both Riddle and Harry before hurrying back inside the room. She pressed her hand to Moody's neck, only to freeze for a second before closing his eyes with a weary sigh. Slowly standing up, she seemed to wilt and pale on the stop as she approached the decapitated, mangled body of Charles. With a small sob, her wand fell on the ground while she covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking. The few watching looked away, instantly, troubled by the sight and focused on securing the surviving Death Eaters laying on the floor.
Sirius, instead, walked slowly towards Riddle – but it was not him he was looking at.
"Harry" he started, his eyes getting glassy. "I am sorry, I am so sorry. We were late, forgive us."
"You all fought like lions, Sirius" answered Harry with a sad smile. "I don't blame any of the team in the slightest, especially you. You have always been good to me, more than I deserved."
"I made a promise to your father, Harry. I failed" insisted Sirius, looking at the floor. "Forgive me, I beg you."
"If there is one thing you must remember from this last meeting, Padfoot…" said Harry, solemnly, moving his incorporeal hand through Sirius' shoulder "is that you have no blame. Riddle killed me. Make sure he pays."
"I will. I mean, he will" said Sirius, looking down with barely repressed fury at the still unconscious, and now bound, Dark Lord. "Harry…"
"Things are getting hazy already. I don't have much time left" said Harry, shaking his head. "Can I leave you my last will? Dora, please be my witness."
"Sure, Harry" said quickly Tonks, looking up from the ground, still busy securing Riddle and searching inside his robes.
"Sirius, don't let my family name disappear. I offer any of your sons but the eldest to be my heir, so long as he takes the surname Potter. If it can't happen for any reason, please find some other good wizard boy willing to accept."
"I… if I have sons, I swear they will know. They would be honored, I am sure" said Sirius, nodding.
"Good. Also, there should be my muggleborn non-girlfriend somewhere inside here, captive. Rescue her as soon as you can" said Harry, before sniggering. "Tell her that my fears of her being involved in my troubles is the only reason I always rejected her. Try to make that sounds somehow believable."
"You Casanova" said Sirius, with a laugh that seemed more like a sob. "Will do."
"Now, what else… oh, right. Tell Draco" and here Harry frowned, or so he seemed to do – he was getting more and more transparent "that I understand, and I forgive him, but he remains a cowardly little bugger."
"I will slap him personally, Harry. I swear" answered Sirius, nodding.
"Good. One last thing. Since I am already talking about Malfoys…" continued Harry, now scoffing. "Make sure Lucius pay for the damages to my house. And if they still have a house elf called Dobby at their services, offer him freedom. I owe him a debt."
"I'll… see what I can do with Lucius, Harry" said Sirius, uncomfortable, giving a quick glance to Bones. Harry shrugged and looked at his hands. Only a shape was visible now, barely.
"My time is up. What about you, anything left?" asked Harry, quietly.
"Only that I am sorry, Harry" murmured Sirius, in a low voice. "I… I can't simply let this go."
"Don't be like that. What I want for the friends I am leaving behind is to live good lives, not to wallow in guilt. We might all meet in the afterlife, anyway" concluded Harry, completely disappearing. His voice echoed inside the room one last time, though.
"And if Anne is your right one, be happy together. Farewell."
As Sirius released one deep sob, Tonks stood up and hugged him. He hugged her back.
Hours later, the sun high and strong in the sky, an exceptionally depressed Sirius opened the door to his house in Grimmauld's place, Lupin following right behind with a blank expression. The two men walked silently to the living room, where they found Anne waiting for them at the table.
"Find a guest room, Remus" ordered Sirius, flatly. "We are getting drunk tonight."
Lupin said nothing and with a sad shrug and a nod aimed at Anne he left for the stairways. Anne had winced when he saw them, and grimaced even more once she heard his words, but otherwise said nothing. Standing up, she helped Sirius remove his outer robe and when the man sat down picking up a glass, she recovered a bottle of firewhiskey before filling barely one quarter of the glass.
Sirius stared at her, expressionless, but when Anne showed only sad eyes he relented and drank it down anyway. For a minute he just stayed there, silently staring at his glass, until Anne picked up his free hand.
"We captured Riddle" started Sirius, tiredly. "Him and all his accomplices. They won't hurt people anymore, Anne. Not you, not anyone."
Anne nodded and sighed. "That's a good news" she commented, slowly and warily, no smile on her face. Sirius looked at her, before sighing.
"Harry died, and so did Moody and Charles. Everyone else came out of it with curses and injuries. I was almost unhurt, the only lucky one... if you can call me so" concluded Sirius, bitterly. He quickly raised the glass, almost like to throw it away, before slowly placing it back on the surface of the table with a loud clink.
As Sirius added nothing Anne started speaking, carefully. "I liked Harry. He was talented, polite and determined. It's a terrible loss, Sirius."
Sirius picked up the bottle, trying to refill his glasses, only for Anne to tighten her grip on his hand. With a sigh, he stopped after pouring only a small amount.
"I forced the memory of his end out of Lucius, Anne" restarted Sirius. "He was so courageous. He didn't show fear, not even… no, he showed it once!" he said, raising his volume and bumping his closed fist on the table. Anne leaned a little backward, nervous, but otherwise did not react at the violent outburst. "When they tortured him with Crucio, that scared him. But he didn't relent, even after that. He fought to the end! He showed courage and dignity, just like his dad. He was so… he was fourteen…" He concluded, pain clear in his voice, before swallowing his second glass of Firewhiskey.
"I am so sorry, my love" said Anne, hugging his arm. Sirius closed his eyes and sighed. "The funeral is in three days, together with those of Moody and Charles. The ministry" spitted Sirius, almost like it was a curse word "wants to conclude the trials of Riddle and his lackeys first, and then turn the funerals into a celebration. Stupid parchment pushers!"
Anne nodded and said nothing more. Sirius didn't either, so silence fell in the room. Eventually, Sirius yawned.
"You too had a terrible night, Sirius" started Anne, caressing his arm. "No matter what, no matter how tragic this loss is, I am overjoyed that you returned. Please, please take some rest now."
"I should" admitted Sirius, sadly and tiredly, while standing up. "Anne, me and Remus won't be at our best tonight. I won't blame you if you sleep back at your place for once."
"I will, but I will also remain near the fireplace until it is late. Please call me for any need" said Anne, standing up herself. "I might also prepare some food, too, and have my elf bring it here."
Once Sirius had escorted Anne to the door, she turned and hugged him one last time. "Under all the pretenses it was clear he cared for you, my love" she said. "So you must keep caring for yourself, too. I will see you soon."
"Thank you, Anne. Thank you" he answered, hugging her back. Not long after she was apparating back to her own home, while Sirius was walking back to his room… only to stop midway, picking up the bottle. He took a swig from it, before starting to laugh, spitting some Firewhiskey around.
"Should have got drunk together while we could, kid" murmured Sirius, his voice broken. With slow, heavy steps he started climbing the stairway.