CHAPTER 10

27 July 1993 - Classroom 6 - Shamballa, 9:35AM

Breathing deeply, Ginny slowly finished the end movement for the Stork-Comes-to-Final-Rest, a hybrid Air and Water-based kata that was meant to improve her core strength and help streamline something called 'the resting fluidity' of her body.

She'd been highly intrigued by Jim and Ron's 'therapeutic Wu-Xi-Do training', prescribed by Healer Gupta to help aid the two wizards with their respective recoveries. Both wizards were currently undergoing water-based relaxation training with Elder Yoo Ri-El to help calm something they'd claimed Gupta called "the Fire imbalance of their magical souls".

Curious, Ginny had discretely met with the Master Healer to ascertain the elemental alignment of her magical soul. After a most fascinating Legilimency probe which had involved occultish hand gestures and a simple touch to her forehead, she'd been amazed to discover that the Air and Fire elements of her soul each were at around 31%, with her Water at around 24% and Earth at a low 14%. Air and Fire stood in complimentary balance with each other, and both, according to Baskar, were well supported by her Water. Though low, her Earth provided enough "quaternary support" to balance the other three. As a result, Healer Gupta had suggested undergoing Wu-Xi-Do training to balance her soul elementals and help maximize their natural strengths.

That this training - according to Gupta - would further aid her in Quidditch all but sealed the deal.

"Well done Ginny, excellent form." Padma nodded approvingly from her position at the front of the classroom, her smiling expression reflected on the mirror. The youngest Weasley preened a touch, so far pleased with the extent of her progress. She'd been surprised at learning that her tutor would be Padma, but according to her Uncle Gupta, the Ravenclaw was an impressive thirtieth-step acolyte in the Paths of Air and Water, having started her training at the tender age of six.

With an elegant flourish, Padma sauntered to the brass sitar mounted on a stand in the easternmost corner of the 30x30 padded room. She stroked the sitar's strings gently and said "Return to the Water Cradle. First Degree. Recentering." Immediately, the sitar stopped its tune of softly rushing water and a gentle whistling breeze and began playing a more relaxing tune, the softest sounds of ocean waves lapping against a shore and the sensation of tender wafts of air - like an embrace. She resumed her position on the thickly padded floor next to the Slytherin, and together, they went through a series of slow and sinuous body movements.

"Do you reckon we can continue at Hogwarts?" asked Ginny as she contorted into an Egg-At-Rest position.

"We should be able to," Padma replied, comfortably curled in on herself. "I try to get some practice at least thrice a week during my free periods. Anthony Goldstein sometimes joins me. He's a bit of a budding Yogi, jumped at the chance to learn a bit of its magical equivalent. Anywho, we can cross-reference our schedules to see which times would be mutually beneficial. I use an abandoned classroom close enough to the Ravenclaw Tower, plenty of room for everyone. The Water mudras and katas I focus on are for maximizing my memory abilities and ensuring I remain calm under stress. Air improves my intuition and analytical skills."

Ginny hummed noncommittally. "Sounds a bit like Occlumency, as far as the intro steps for developing basic shields are concerned." She blushed at the quirked brow Padma sent her way at her knowledge of that. While the youngest Weasley hadn't begun any formal training, she had begun reviewing the preliminary chapters of Pathways of the Mind Harry had discretely provided her.

"You are correct in that regard, and those who wish to pursue the Occludic Arts at Shamballa are often encouraged to undergo basic training in the Paths of Air and Water. Makes it much easier to attain the meditative state needed to learn the basics for psychic shield formation."

The two witches continued on with their exercises, finally coming to rest in savasana. The sitar's music had softened considerably, a gentle lull of almost-still water.

"Are there any offensive applications for this stuff?" asked Ginny through deep breaths.

Padma hummed noncommittally. "Yes, there are. I know a fair few that I rarely use…though I imagine they won't be much use against a Dementor." She visibly shuddered, causing Ginny to cringe in spite of herself. The prospect of soul-sucking creatures at Hogwarts was foreboding at best, coupled with the fact that there were five psychotic Death Eaters on the run who were more than likely gunning for the Boy-Who-Lived and his younger brother. The entire Basilisk-Lockhart Death Eater-Dark Lord fiasco of the prior school year had been a complete disaster, resulting in most of the bloody school being petrified.

Such thoughts caused Ron's visage to flash in her mind, and with a wince, Ginny pushed them away. 'Ron's fine. The Dark Lord didn't succeed. He's ok…' She repeated the mantra a few times, feeling her anxiety slowly ebb away. Ron's surgery had been a success, and per Healer Baskar, there were no lingering signs of possession by You-Know-Who. The Weasley brood (along with Jim) had held a private celebratory dinner, where Molly - to almost everyone's shock - had apologized to Ron for the Howler and ever making him feel as though he was inadequate in any way.

It was nothing compared to The Twins apologizing to Ron, the action so startling Molly and Arthur had openly gaped in shock.

Ginny was grateful that their family seemed to be on the mend, especially considering that Ron was still very much a Parselmouth.

Per Healer Gupta, the ability persisted due to something he'd called "forced rote verbalization" of the snake language whilst he was possessed, ostensibly 'imprinting' the ability onto Ron's magic. It was a shock to everyone, with Arthur highly concerned that it would provide an avenue for the Dark Lord to re-possess his son. While Baskar had insisted that it wouldn't be the case, he'd prescribed an additional series of meditative exercises and a referral to a Mind Healer for regular check-ins.

Shaking off her thoughts, Ginny continued chatting with Padma about a plethora of other topics as they completed their breathing exercises.

It was only when they retreated to the adjoining showers and spa did Ginny realize that the Ravenclaw had not answered her question regarding the offensive Wu-Xi-Do techniques she knew.

The Lord's Study - Castle Basilicus, 10:47AM

"Thanks Mab!"

Lord Gaunt's dutiful house elf bowed gracefully before popping out the study. Setting aside the jug of cold milk, Harry greedily inhaled the delicious aroma of the freshly baked double apple pasties (a teeming tray full), before eagerly biting into one.

He was comfortably seated on the largest divan in the room, awaiting Tom to return from Libra's office in Hogsmeade. She'd Flooed him some minutes ago citing the need for his assistance on a certain contract prior to its finalization.

Getting comfortable, Harry helped himself to another pasty and relaxedly took in his surroundings.

Tom's expansive study reminded him of the Lair, though much warmer and cozier. Shades of soft gray, dark viridian, and emerald greens covered the walls, highlighted by snake-motif sconces that constantly emitted a warm yellow light. The easternmost wall held a large Floo that could house at least five, its stone border fashioned into an ouroboros that vaguely reminded Harry of Jormungand. The gleaming birch and beech wood floors lent a contrasting light balance to the inviting darkness of the room, offset by the crest of House Gaunt etched in the floor's center.

A massive serpentine-themed desk created of magically darkened oak housed a neat row of books and journals, along with several snakey knick-knacks and various pictures of Tom with Libra, his chosen family and closest friends, and several of his mentees through the years. A throne-like chair with rich green velvet upholstery sat behind the desk, bearing small snake motifs fashioned in a manner similar to the heads of the Hydra Throne.

Lining the walls were countless shelves of greenheart and ebony wood, teeming with an abundance of books both ancient and modern. Several portraits of ancestors and ancestresses lined the wall. The most prominent were a non-animated image of Salazar Slytherin and another of Ectorius Gaunt - the founding father of House Gaunt. Nestled next to hm was a portrait of his wife Eurydice Slytherin - Salazar's eighth child and last-born daughter. She bore a striking countenance to her father - an elegantly angled face, sharply intelligent eldritch eyes, and cherubic lips upturned in condescending amusement.

The castle proper sat on almost one hundred acres of heavily blood-warded lands rendered Unplottable, invisible, and undetectable to the muggles, situated deep within the New Forest in Hampshire. Bequeathed to Ectorius by William the Conqueror for the Archmage's contributions in successfully seizing Britannia, the first Lord Gaunt had erected the 30-room edifice through powerful magicks of his own creation. The estate had served as the stronghold of House Gaunt for generations, until growing complacency, rampant inbreeding, and a frightful obsession with blood purity allowed instability and violence to flourish within what was once a great and magically-innovative Ancient and Noble House.

Marvolo Gaunt's drunken attack on Griselda Marchbanks during a Wizengamot session against Muggle-baiting was the final straw that broke the camel's back. What little remained of the greatly diminished coffers of House Gaunt was used to pay off the exorbitant fines incurred by Marvolo's impulsive actions, officially plunging the House into irreversible debt. Unable to maintain the costs of upkeeping a great ancestral manor and the fee demands of keeping an active Wizengamot seat, House Gaunt had officially gone into abeyance. Castle Basilicus was abandoned along with their House Seat, until officially assumed by the new Lord Gaunt in 1950.

The whoosh of the Floo broke Harry's reverie, announcing Tom's arrival. He was outfitted in an elegant crushed velvet traveling cloak in a fetching shade of deep navy, complimented by expertly tailored slacks and a cashmere sweater. Crystalline blue eyes crinkled in amusement at seeing the large tray of tarts the boy was shamelessly devouring.

"Mab keeping you properly fed and watered?"

Harry lightly blushed whilst nodding, though he continued to polish off his third serving. Snickering, Tom wandlessly Banished his cloak before making his way over to snatch up two pastries.

"Are you ready for our training?" Tom asked between graceful bites.

"Yes, ready." Harry's expression turned askance. "Um…we're not going to be running any practice drills are we?" He grumbled at Tom's responding laugh. The training with his mum was impossible enough, still unable to misdirect or disarm her. Plus, he'd bore witness to Lily and Severus facing off against Tom in a 2-vs-1 drill in full Knight form.

They'd lost.

"No," said Tom amusedly. "We're not going to be running training drills at this time. Our lesson today will be purely of an observatory nature. Our little Azkabal has incurred a few unforeseen consequences (Harry cringed at that pesky reminder), and one of them may very well be other non-imprisoned Death Eaters galvanizing and resuming their…late-night activities." He lightly sneered. "While there is an infinitesimal possibility that you will cross paths at Hogwarts, there is the chance that paths may cross in Hogsmeade. Considering this will be your Third Year…we figured it would be imperative that you become familiar with their tactics. Should - Merlin forbid - you encounter one of their ilk, you'll have enough foreknowledge of their tactical standards to properly escape." He leveled a significant look at Harry, who nodded once in complete seriousness.

Tom moved to stand directly in front of the Gaunt crest emblazoned on the floor. A sharp hiss caused it to separate mid-center and pull apart, allowing a massive Pensieve to ascend from the floor below.

"Just like the Lair," whispered Harry, rising to stand next to Tom.

"Precisely so," Tom responded, watching the Pensieve rise with keen eyes. "If you recall, my ancestor Priscus Gaunt served as Prince during 1217-1220. I imagine he was inspired by the one in the Throne Room."

Once the Pensieve finished its reveal, Tom summoned a phial containing a glowing bluish white viscous-like material.

"We will be viewing my memory of the Siege of Little Whinging, a notably…violent clash between the Knights of Walpurgis and the Ghosts of Silesia, specifically a cell comprising nine recruits under leadership of Mr. Anguilla, whom I strongly believe to be Horward Lord Montague." Harry's brows rose at that, Rodney's visage flashing in his mind's eye. "Though unmarked, this particular crop of recruits were highly competent in both offensive and defensive magical ability. I believe had they survived, they would have been Marked and incorporated into the Dark Lord's Inner Circle."

Tom uncorked the phial and slowly poured its content into the Pensieve. "How is young Theodore doing?" he asked quietly.

Harry sighed. "As well as can be expected. He and mum get along very well. They're spending some time today in Muggle London, meeting up with Stella and Davy Baxter for lunch then going shopping and exploring. I think she's been a really good influence on him. I'm…I'm sure you know what happened to his mother?" Tom nodded once.

"Anywho, Theo will be staying at the Keep with mum and I indefinitely, at least till we get this blasted Ultimate Sanction sorted out. I have to say, I am growing ever more…frustrated with the existence and unchecked application of life-altering magicks, especially when said magicks' caster is nothing more than a dangerously childish bully throwing a temper tantrum." Tom quirked his brow at the viciousness of Harry's tone, but otherwise didn't comment.

He was hard-pressed to disagree, but the last time the topic had arisen, Harry had been justifiably enraged at the madness that had befallen Theo after learning of his harrowing escape from Fortress Nott.

"You ready?" Tom asked after a few moments.

"As ever," replied Harry.

Together, the two dove their heads into the bowl's swirling mists.

14 February 1975 - Magnolia Road - Little Whinging, 9:21PM

Blood-curdling screams.

The bone-chilling sound mingled with the cloying scent of smoke and charred flesh that filled the air. Several of the neatly-arranged homes on the quaint suburb street were set ablaze, the massively garish red and orange flames frightfully similar to Fiendfyre.

The face of a skeletal spectral white wolf hung in the black sky, ephemeral maw open wide as though it were howling. The shape of the waxing crescent moon in the backdrop made the image all the more suggestive, though not as ominous as it would have been were it completely full. Gazing at the fiendish image caused a foreboding sense of inexplicable fear to lick at the edges of Harry's consciousness, the feeling of something… Savage-and-Wild…clawing at the edges of his mind. With a shiver Harry dialed up his shields a touch, pleased to feel the sensation recede.

Beside Harry, Lord Gaunt's expression was carefully blank, but his eyes flashed with some unnamed emotion.

"I am sure you can feel it, can't you?"

"Yes I can. It feels like it's…scratching to get in."

Tom's lips thinned. "It's Wolf-Fear. Or rather, a shade of Wolf-Fear. It mimics the very real psychological sensation triggered by crossing paths with an actual werewolf. The effect isn't as debilitating because firstly, we're both Occlumens, and secondly, we're experiencing its effect through my memory and thus the effects of my Occludic magic. I was never able to figure out how the Dark Lord incorporated such magicks into the Dark Mark. A most unfortunate lapse in my ability."

Harry quirked a brow at the self-deprecating harshness of his tone, wondering what the cause could be. Then, he remembered Myrtle's claim about Tom having a persisting Savior Complex.

"Where are we?" asked Harry after a few moments.

"We are currently in Little Whinging, a small town nestled within Surrey." That same unnamed emotion flashed in his eye. "This was a standard Death Eater raid, a means for Mr. Anguilla to get his recruits properly…acclimated to the violent standards of being the Dark Lord's soldier. Instructions were clear as they are with raids - invade the neighborhood, throw up the Dark Mark to prevent escape or auror intervention, and gruesomely torture and murder as many muggles as possible. As the cell's leader, Mr. Anguilla was in charge of orchestrating the raid, which included selecting the date and time. In line with his twisted sadism, he chose Valentine's Day."

Harry cringed in spite of himself, not at all liking the implications of a homicidal Death Eater choosing the holiday associated with romantic love.

Dilating his perception a small touch, Harry noticed that in addition to the powerful thrum of magic emanating from the Dark Mark in the sky, there was a subtle cloak of it hanging over the homes proper, creating some sort of barrier. He fidgeted with the right arm of his glasses, activating its rune detector.

'Well look at that.' Runes covered the doors and the windows, interlocked sigils of Algiz, Ehwaz, and two others he didn't recognize. 'Some form of Collorportus then, to prevent the victims escaping.' His lips thinned significantly.

Looking up, Harry saw the silhouettes of a five-person wedge formation flying in on broomsticks.

"I assume that's you and the rest of the Knights?"

Tom chuckled. "Indeed, insofar as being the five on raid-duty. Broom travel was the only means to successfully bypass the Dark Mark."

They watched as the lead and flanking fliers sharply veered downward as the two remaining continued to fly straight on, each casting a powerful spell that released a torrent of icy gas from their wands, dashing the raging fires.

"What spell is that?" asked Harry.

"A modification of the Extinguishing Spell Charm, incantation 'Deflammo Glacium'. Destroys the flames and temporarily prevents fire from being restarted, due to the conflicting temperatures of flame and ice. While the Fire Suppression Charm - incantation Supprimere Oxygeni - would be a useful alternative, it functions by creating a temporary vacuum around its target that removes all oxygen to prevent combustion. Within a house occupied by civilians, it is an ill-advised alternative."

Harry nodded, continuing to watch as the two Knights doubled back and repeated the action, before veering off to the other streets that were set ablaze.

As one, the three remaining Knights rapidly descended to the ground. Tom led with Sameer Kolumbiko on his right and an unknown Amazon-like witch on his left, one who looked vaguely familiar to Harry.

"Who is the witch?"

Tom's expression turned fond as a wave of his hand froze the memory. "Ursula Bulstrode, grand-aunt to Melissa and Millicent Bulstrode. She was one of the best warriors I've ever had the privilege to fight alongside with." Harry nodded, filing those details away for later. Millicent Bulstrode was slowly but surely looking to be a worthwhile addition for his Inner Circle.

A wave of his hand resumed the memory, just as a group of six masked Death Eaters emerged from the burned out homes in a rush of inky smoke.

The battle was officially on.

A pair of two each engaged one Knight, exchanging a dizzying flurry of lethal spellfire. A subtle wiggle of Tom's fingers slowed down the memory, enough for Harry to better gauge what spells were being used.

"Tell me…what do you see?"

Harry ramped up his secondary thoughtstream to better focus on the three sets of battles, lightly dilating to ensure that he didn't miss a thing.

"Spell patterns are similar between the six Death Eaters. Not identical per say, but repeating patterns - all aimed at causing maximum physical damage. A Bludgeoner, Cutting Curse, Slashing Hex, or a Bonebreaker, interspersed with an Entrail-Expelling Curse or a Cruciatus. That, coupled with the speed they're casting, means severe injury or maiming if you're lucky. It doesn't help that the distance is so close range; you're all, at most, six feet apart from each other, sometimes closer when they try to crowd you. Much harder to evade."

Riddle hummed in approval. "Well done. Now, can you explain what countermeasures Ursula, Sam, and I are using?"

Harry turned his focus back onto the three. It was clear they were Dilating, given the speed with which they were parrying, deflecting, dodging, and retaliating with similar lethal magicks (save the Unforgivables). Harry told Tom as such, who once more hummed approvingly as he paused the memory.

"Very true. I am certain Lily has advised you to utilize Jinxes and lower-level Hexes due to the minimal power drain on your core, a smart move considering your age and current ability. That is not the case for adults with fully developed cores, so I'd advise you to not use those particular tactics." He quirked an elegant brow whilst staring directly into Harry's eyes, who gulped and nodded once. "Good. Use jinxes or hexes that will physically debilitate your enemy by denying him or her their senses, preferably vision or taste. Remember - low level spell plus speed is vital should you hope to escape from a fully grown Death Eater." Harry nodded tensely, filing that lesson away.

Satisfied, Tom resumed the memory.

Harry soon realized that Riddle's movements mimicked that of a snake, his body not only sinuously dodging spells, but using its momentum to redirect some of the magic back towards its caster.

"How on earth are you doing that?! That whole (Harry wiggled his body wildly) snakey-shimmy dodging thing?!"

The older wizard snorted out a laugh as he paused the memory. "A Water Path-based kata - a stylized body movement with magical significance based in the Chinese Mystic Arts. This general technique is called Wu Xi Do, and it provides several martial benefits by allowing an individual to use his or her body as a magical focus for both offensive and defensive magicks. I learned of this particular methodology in Shamballa during pursuit of my Masteries."

The younger Potter nodded appreciatively. "And which move is that one called?"

"A-Cobra-Awaits-the-Right-Strike - a kata ascribed to the 49th step of the Path of Water. There are 433 Steps for each Path of Air, Water, Fire, and Earth, and each Path corresponds to the elemental aspect of the magical soul. The higher your percentage is with one element, the greater magical affinity you possess for that Path. Aside from the martial advantages, there are a plethora of meditative benefits that can aid in your academic pursuits. I have it on good authority that your schoolmate Padma Patil is a 30th Mistress on the Paths of Water and Air. And, like all those of her House, is amenable to a knowledge exchange." Harry nodded and filed that away for later. Ginny had mentioned Padma and her skills in one of her correspondence.

Resuming the memory, the two watched the Knights finally finish the Death Eaters off.

A sharp slash of Sameer's acacia wand succeeded in immobilizing his two attackers, before two impossibly fast Laceros sliced their wand arms from their bodies. Stupefy Duo rendered them unconscious, before they were interred in the asphalt with some quick transfiguration.

Ursula's Defodio and Expelliarmus spells slammed into one of her pair, who cried out in pain before yelping in alarm as she was magically lifted and body slammed into her partner, knocking them both out. Duro Maxima rendered them to stone statues that were summarily blasted apart.

At this point, Tom had succeeded in working his body closer to the two attacking Death Eaters, still relying on blocking and dodging. He succeeded in parrying back an Entrail-Expelling Curse to its caster, and Harry watched horrified as his intestines spilled out of him in a blood-soaked spray. The other froze for a second, giving Tom just enough time to close in and, with his non-wand arm, strike fast at her solar plexus.

Like a serpent delivering the killing blow.

The Death Eater dropped like a puppet with her strings cut, just as her wand was summoned and snapped in half.

All three suddenly stiffened before looking sharply into the distance, almost as if they could hear something. Harry noticed their respective symbols glowing on their cuffs, signifying them think-talking with the two compatriots who'd broken off earlier. Their brooms reappeared before they took off, just as the memory blurred into misty vapors.

The vapors cleared to reveal a scene out of a nightmare.

Raging fires cast hellish orange and red halos of light over the street. A human shield of the twelve remaining survivors of Wisteria Walk was placed in the middle of the street, their desperate cries unable to be heard due to being Silenced. The muggles - bearing bleeding cuts, bruises, and other marks of torture - had their hands glued together by powerful sticking charms, feet forced apart and glued to the ground.

Like a macabre rendition of a gingerbread paper chain.

"How vile," whispered Harry disgustedly.

"Indeed." Tom's tone was grim. "The Death Eaters got rather good at using whichever muggles they didn't murder as human shields to prevent us from taking them out. We weren't in the habit of risking unnecessary civilian casualties, especially when…children were involved." Harry grimaced, swallowing his bile at the sight of the small children who looked no older than ten being used as cover for murdering terrorists.

The remaining four Death Eaters - including Mr. Anguilla - and three additional reinforcements (who'd presumably apparated in) were hidden behind their makeshift shield, casting deadly spells at the two Knights who fought to retaliate without compromising the muggle victims. Tom and his team disembarked from their brooms to join their comrades, having to shield against the wave of Entrail-Expelling Curses lobbied their way.

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Ursula, whom Harry realized hadn't actually spoken at all. He realized Tom must have lifted whatever magipsychic barrier the cuffs conferred to allow their mental conversation to be heard.

"Tell me about it, Lagertha." A grunting Juno Warbeck held his Protego Horribilis, succeeding in staving off Anguilla's Crucio just as two more recruits fired off overpowered Entrail-Expellers.

They crashed into Bertie Higgs' shield, whom Harry realized vaguely resembled his Housemate Terence Higgs. 'Probably an uncle.'

"Galahad, we need to formulate a plan, preferably now. We cannot continue at this impasse, especially when civilians are involved." Sameer grunted as he blocked a trio of Bludgeoners, wishing he could parry them back into Anguilla's face. 'Smug little shit.'

"I'm well aware Gareth, this cannot go on much longer. Here's what we'll do…" Harry couldn't hear a word of what they discussed, asking Tom why the feature had disappeared.

"Part of your learning process," he replied cheekily. "Trust me, you'll see soon enough." Harry frowned but otherwise didn't respond.

A beat later, Juno and Ursula pointed their wands at each row of presumably empty houses and cried out "SUPPRIMERE OXYGENI MAXIMA!". Harry heard a loud WHOOSH!, just as all the oxygen was sucked out of the fires, plunging Wisteria Walk into complete darkness. Sameer and Bertie maintained a joint Protego Horribilis that expanded to cover the group of five in an impressive feat of magical strength.

At this point, Tom had amped up his Dilation by activating his secondary and tertiary Personalities, granting each of them just enough psychic sentience to sustain an individual Dilation. Doing so allowed him to gauge the most convenient opening that could take out the Death Eaters flanking Mr. Anguilla. To Harry, experiencing those psychic sensations looked as though the memory and its perspective slowed down significantly, as he heard the faint thud-thud-thud of what sounded like three heartbeats.

As one, he saw and felt when Tom gained an opening.

One Death Eater huddled behind a bawling little girl had exposed too much of his upper body whilst casting Crucio in jubilation.

Yew flashed as a powerful Parsel-enhanced Bonebreaker ricocheted off and slammed directly into his chest cavity, caving his ribs inward around his heart and lungs, killing him instantly.

Perception still slowed Tom turned to repeat the spell at another whose partially exposed chest was equally vulnerable, but it was not to be.

The Death Eater wrapped his forearm around a hostage in a chokehold, using her body to intercept the magic. Her battered body exploded in a burst of bloodied viscera, macabrely spraying the Death Eater's mask, who laughed in fiendish delight at the effects as the other hostages screamed in Silenced primordial terror.

Harry bit back his scream, feeling Tom's horror poignantly bleed out as he visibly gaped at the grisly effects wrought by his magic.

At this point, Mr. Anguilla - seemingly frustrated at his ability to kill a single Knight - screamed out in impotent fury as slashed his wand downward and screamed:

"DIVIDE TERRAM HORRIBILIS!"

A deafening crack sounded out in the night…before the very street began splitting into two as a powerful earthquake rumbled through the very foundation of Little Whinging. Anguilla immediately disappeared with his Portkey, but his recruits weren't so lucky as Sameer's rapid-fire series of Colloshoos stuck them to the ground, just as Juno's bellow of "EXPELLIARMUS TOTALUM!" stripped the remaining five of their wands.

"Merlin's beard!" Harry exclaimed, rearing back as though the earth would swallow him whole. "The entire neighborhood is going to cave in!"

"Indeed." Riddle's voice was flat, too flat. "That particular spell causes extreme devastation whenever cast, capable of downing the most well-warded magical abode by destroying the very earth its anchoring magics depend upon, impacting the very ley lines by causing them to contract. It has a tendency to spread throughout the earth proper, destructive fissures that cave the land in. A muggle neighborhood has absolutely no chance of withstanding it. Or rather…would have had it not been for…" Harry wondered why he'd trailed off, but he soon received his answer.

"Get the hostages out of here!" screamed Ursula, who was already preparing to cast her next spell as the tip of her cypress wand glowed a warm amber.

"Are you mad witch?! We're not leaving you here!" Bertie looked outraged at the mere suggestion.

"Galeschin you dolt! The entire place is about to implode! Unstick the muggles, transfigure them, and get them out of here before we all DIE!"

"Galahad, tell her we're not leaving her! GALAHAD!"

Tom lightly jumped as his reverie broke, turning to stare at his comrades. "Lagertha… we all need to leave!"

"And if we all do, this entire muggle neighborhood and then some will be destroyed. I WILL take care of this! I won't ask again - LEAVE NOW!"

Without waiting for a response, the witch slowly settled her body into the ground in a series of uncommonly heavy movements that made Harry think of an animated statue coming to rest.

"What is she doing?"

"An advanced Earth-based kata ascribed to the 399th Step; The-Golem-Returns-to-Quiescence."

With a mighty swing Urusula struck her wand downward center and bellowed "AD SOLIDUM TERRAM!"

Brilliant amber flashed… and Harry watched with amazement as the witch was dragged downward as the pulsing light from her spell raced outward through the fissures created by Mr. Anguilla's spell. The splitting earth slowly started to reknit at the sheer onslaught of her magic, the sinking houses slowly stopping their downward decline. Harry was as equally amazed at the sheer onslaught of her power as he was horrified at her act of self-sacrifice. He felt a sense of vicious relief as seeing the remaining five wandless recruits Colloshooed to the ground screaming bloody murder as they were slowly interred into the earth.

A final look passed between the Knights and Ursula, the former of whom had succeeded in freeing the hostages and transfiguring them into marbles for easy broom travel.

A sad smile illuminated the witch's face as she stared at her brothers-in-arms, before her magic flared powerfully and the memory once more turned to mist

A few moments passed by with nary a sound as the two wizards reclined back in their respective seats in the study. Both were digesting the memory, and for Tom, that particular night evoked a plethora of very complicated feelings.

When Lord Gaunt finally spoke, his voice was uncommonly quiet.

"Do you understand the lesson I've tried to impart to you?"

Harry paused, carefully weighing his words.

"Yes…" Lord Gaunt turned towards him expectantly. "That in war, survival is absolutely critical, and that in my case, it is better to evade when confronted with a Death Eater." Tom blinked once. "And…and that in war, there will sometimes be unintended and unwanted sacrifices, and that despite our very best efforts, we cannot avoid them. Because… Darkness won't allow us to."

Tom stared intensely and unblinkingly for a few moments, enough that it became uncomfortable. "Indeed. The price of Destiny is always paid for in blood, either yours or another."

A shiver ran unbidden through Harry as the memory of Serena Zabini's voice whispered portentously through his mind.

AN 1: What is with me and earthquake spells? LOL, we won't see one for quite a while .

AN 2: Little Whinging will make plenty more cameos, including the attack on Lily's parents in her 6th Year.

AN 3: The role of Ursula Bulstrode will be played by Janet McTeer (Me Before You). I think she embodies strength with just enough elegance that's often denied a Bulstrode character on account of them purportedly having troll ancestry. 'Ursula' also means 'little bear', which is a suitably fierce name for a female warrior, ultra-glam Disney octopus villain aside. We'll have more flashback scenes with Ursula in future chapters, both in an out of Knight-mode. Her Knight codename 'Lagertha' is a reference to the Viking ruler and shield-maiden warrior.