Tonks was still in her process of overcoming things; it seemed that this discovery had been too much for her. However, I wasn't going to let that delay certain matters. So I sought out Andromeda and showed her my [Fief]. Her surprise was no less than that of other people who were seeing it for the first time. She had many questions, and I patiently answered each one.
She was fascinated and quickly understood what a place like this implied. She even mentioned the same thing her daughter had: that we would no longer need to work ever again. I took her to the bank and explained how it worked, showing her all the benefits. She accepted my request without any issues, and we made a visit to Gringotts.
There, Andromeda tried to withdraw all the money left in her vault and close it, which did not please the goblins. They put up some obstacles, but in the end, they gave in since the amount was not significant. She had helped finance a large part of our new business and, by itself, did not possess a great fortune. Once we obtained the money, we returned to the [Fief] and deposited it in her new account here. From that moment on, Andromeda could withdraw her money whenever she wished, just as I did with my [Pouch]. Additionally, she would earn small interest, which I decided to leave as an extra benefit for her.
With that income, in the near future, Andromeda would no longer need to work, or at least not as much. In fact, she could stop working immediately if she wanted to since she liked this place and had many conveniences. If she decided to settle here, she could retire without any problems. Although the idea intrigued her, she set it aside for the moment, saying she would like to visit the place from time to time. I told her there was no problem, just to let me know, as there were certain things I preferred to keep secret for now.
She also asked me about her daughter. I knew that showing her this place would probably excite her, rather than keep her feeling so 'down' as she seemed lately. I couldn't say much, just to not worry, that it was just a small setback in our relationship that time would resolve.
...
While I was showing Andromeda my personal space, something more important was happening at the same time. Andra, who had been missing for quite some time on her mission, sent me a [Message].
It was great news, so I quickly prepared to travel. First, I headed to Portugal, which made me thankful for having sent clones beforehand to activate teleportation points throughout Europe. Then, I had to check when there would be a flight to my destination to sneak an invisible clone onto the plane. I had to wait quite a while since, in those years, there were no facilities like in the future, and travel to those places wasn't very frequent.
After the wait, my clone boarded, and I informed Andra to indicate her exact location upon arrival. A simpler method would have been for Andra to buy a property there, which would be considered a friendly base, and then use [Travel]. However, that would require expenses and various procedures that could take time. To avoid affecting my already unstable finances, which were constantly being used to improve the [Fief], I decided to take this route.
And here I am now, on the island of Madeira, a beautiful place in the archipelago of the same name. However, I had no time for a vacation. I went straight to meet Andra, who took me to a more uninhabited area. When I found her, I didn't see what I was looking for, to which she responded that we were still several kilometers from our target.
It turns out that the Andra from this timeline was quite paranoid. Possibly, the Andra who accompanies me now would have ended up the same way if I hadn't subdued her and forced her to serve. The Andra we were looking for lived in a small house in the middle of nowhere, completely isolated from everything.
"If I know myself well enough, you shouldn't advance too much until we're ready for the attack. Besides the protections, she would have multiple escape routes. At the first sign of danger, she would disappear, and finding her would be even more complicated," Andra explained. And that's saying a lot, considering that this time it was relatively easy to find her, even though it still took quite a bit of time.
"Any advice?" (Red)
"I know my own methods, but it's possible that over time I've learned some new ones or changed some of the old ones. I can't guarantee that what I know about myself is enough to help us. We'll have to give it our all." (Andra)
"Alright." (Red)
Andra and I moved away from the area, not wanting to alarm the snake prematurely. We settled at a safe distance, far enough away so that no one could associate us with the house. There, we began our planning, which took us several days, and we initiated the preparations.
I knew that things had to go perfectly, which meant we would need various resources, both material and human. I contacted the werewolves who were at my service and offered them a new job. Only the most skilled were summoned, among them Lupin, as the leader.
The werewolves had lived well under my care; they lacked money, clothing, or food. They were almost like normal people in the wizarding world, ignoring, of course, the discrimination they received. Many accepted the mission for the generous pay it promised, and others simply because they wanted to repay me, feeling indebted to me. Once a decent group was gathered, I took them to Madeira.
On the other hand, I contacted the [Archmage], the [Merchant], and the goblins to acquire certain magical objects. It made no sense to go to specific shops, as I had visited them before, and anything interesting would already be in Merk's shop. As for the goblins, they weren't a shop, but I knew they possessed very interesting items that they would be willing to sell if offered the right price, though negotiating with them would not be easy.
After an exhaustive search, I managed to gather magical objects that would serve as countermeasures against Andra's protections and escape methods. Anything that could block Apparitions and Portkeys was welcome.
Two weeks of preparation passed before we were ready for the attack. During that time, we set up our anti-barriers and spatial distorters on the land around Andra's house. Surprisingly, she hardly ever left the house, only doing so about two or three times a month. It's incredible how much a person can isolate themselves.
Finally, we were all in our positions. The werewolves, Andra, my invisible clones... We communicated only through [Message], avoiding any sound that could reveal our presence.
[Red: Well, remember, we're about to face an extremely cunning witch. Don't be surprised if she resembles Andra but older] —the clone resembling Tenebrius explained. I had mentioned it before, but it was a necessary reminder.
[Lupin: We know, but...] —Lupin spoke on behalf of the others, assuming his role as leader.
[Red: What is it?]
[Lupin: Do we have to kill her?] —he asked, doubt in his voice. He didn't know the target, he didn't know if she was good or bad, and he didn't want to harm an innocent person.
[Red: It's not necessary, but don't hesitate if there's no other option. It might be better to capture her alive, but we don't know what means she has to escape. We cannot allow her to flee; if she does, it's likely we won't be able to find her again. If you see that the only solution is to kill her, don't hesitate. The important thing is that her body remains intact.]
[Werewolf 1: What did she do to make us attack her?] —asked another werewolf, sharing the same doubts as Lupin. Some had no issues executing the mission, even if it felt wrong, but others still held a strong sense of morality and principles.
[Werewolf 2: Shut up, Jimmy, and do what you have to do] —scolded another werewolf, apparently his brother.
[Andra: If you want to know... theft, murder, torture, kidnapping of both muggle and magical children—both forced into a life of prostitution—, trafficking of substances and people, human experimentation, political corruption, rape in all its forms, arson, incitement to large-scale disturbances... among others. Her main activities occurred between the 1930s and 60s across Europe and America] —Andra listed, reciting her own list of crimes that could easily also be attributed to the Andra we were about to face.
[Lupin: ...]
[Werewolves: ...]
Silence reigned in the place. No one expected their target to be such a notorious criminal, nor did they understand why they had never heard of her. However, paying attention to the discussion and preparations to capture her, they understood that she was extremely elusive. Many gripped their wands tighter, tense at the thought of facing someone so dangerous.
[Red: Alright, it seems we are ready. At my signal] —I said as I noticed the doubts dissipating. Everyone prepared, took out the food I had given them with beneficial effects, and waited for me to give the signal. When I raised my hand, they all ingested it. A few minutes later: [NOW!]
We activated the magical objects almost in unison. The area was surrounded by them, and it felt as if the protective barrier of the house was being struck by waves of energy from all directions, exploding forcefully.
The werewolves quickly advanced toward the house, but on the way...
*BOOOOM!*
A loud explosion shook the entire ground. Smoke and flames several meters high repelled our men. It was as if we had activated a minefield that detonated all at once. Fortunately, the magical disruptors we had installed worked, as the explosion occurred earlier than expected. Had it taken longer, it would have reached and consumed many of the werewolves. Still, there were injuries, although it didn't seem there were any fatalities... at least not visible ones.
My invisible clones approached the wounded, using my [Healing] to mend their injuries and allow some to return to the fray.
The explosion took most by surprise, but the more seasoned fighters managed to shake off the shock and continue the attack. The others took a few seconds to regain their composure, but when they did, they advanced with more ferocity upon seeing their comrades with severe burns.
The house seemed calm, but no one let their guard down. They attacked from a distance, trying to lure out our prey. However, when the spells hit the structure, the house responded with several counterattacks of dark magic. A dense cloud of black smoke shot out toward the nearest men, enveloping them completely. One of the werewolves let out a blood-curdling scream before the mist covered him entirely. Those who tried to help him were also affected, though to a lesser degree.
Ignoring the wounded, the others advanced, with Andra leading like a commander, anticipating the possible countermeasures of her counterpart in this timeline. Thanks to her knowledge, we managed to avoid several casualties.
The assault consisted of a series of ranged attacks: from magical bombardments to setting fire to and demolishing the house. We did everything we could to force our enemy to come out, and after quite some time, we succeeded. The Andra we were trying to capture had attempted to escape by various means, but we had anticipated her movements. The spatial interferences prevented her from using Portkeys or Apparitions, as the effects of these would have been unpredictable and dangerous if attempted. The tunnels beneath her house were also sealed as soon as we discovered them. Even flying became impossible for her, as we had placed a barrier around the entire perimeter. Although it wasn't an impenetrable defense, it was sufficient to hold her long enough for us to take her down.
In fact, she came very close to escaping. She left her house without anyone noticing, covered by an invisibility cloak combined with various magical objects that masked her presence. Luckily, I used my ability [Sense Life] and detected her. I alerted my soldiers, and they attacked her immediately. Even so, she defended herself fiercely, launching dark magic objects like grenades and conjuring increasingly lethal spells. Finally, she revealed her appearance: a copy of Andra, though older, yet surprisingly youthful for the years she must have borne.
"Avada Kedavra!" was heard, and a green light struck the back of the old Andra.
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4th Additional chapter