Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue" 'Thoughts' -Author notes-
Chapter 286: Reduced to Rubble
"The anti-apparition charms are gone now," James noted.
"Then let's leave this cursed place," Dawlish said.
"Hold on, something has just occurred to me." Moody appeared to be contemplating something.
"What is it? Dawlish is not wrong. We should not linger here longer than necessary. We don't know if there are more enemies around," said James.
"If this was an attempt by that blasted Minister to take out his opposition, it is very likely we are not the only ones being targeted tonight," Moody concluded.
"Madam Bones!" Dawlish exclaimed. "She left work early today, she should be alone in her manor."
"If that is the case, she is a much more important target than us…" James was very concerned. If they already sent an army of inferi to kill them, what did they send to kill the most influential person in the entire department?
"But there are only a few people who know about the location of t—"
"I'll take you there," Moody interrupted Dawlish. "Hold on to my tunic, we have no time to waste."
The two aurors did as told and in the next instant, they disappeared from Dolohov's house.
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They reappeared in a different grassy clearing. The biggest difference was that instead of being surrounded by a thick forest, there were massive rocky walls all around them, like they were at the bottom of a cliff.
The first thing they noted was the lake a short distance to their right, but after giving the area a passing glance, they all realized that something important was missing from here.
"Where is the house?" Dawlish asked what they all had been wondering.
They had never seen the Bones manor in person before, but as all ancient wizard dwellings, they were expecting a castle or some massive mansion at least.
'It is supposed to be…" Moody pointed towards the darkest part of the clearing. "Wait, there is something there." His magical eye began to emit mechanical noises as it moved.
Dawlish squinted his eyes and began to approach. "You are right, there is something there… it almost looks like…"
Instead of the expected large mansion, there seemed to be a mountain of something. It was too dark near the walls of the cliff as the light from the moon became completely obfuscated.
"That's a mountain of rubble." James hurried to send a luminous charm in that direction.
The area became bright for a few seconds, allowing the men to get a better look and to confirm James's suspicions.
"Madam Bones, her manor… there is nothing left." Dawlish could not believe what he was seeing.
The Bones ancestral home had been completely demolished, leaving nothing but an enormous pile of wood and stone.
"I can see someone!" Moody exclaimed.
The light from James's spell had begun to dissipate, but he was sure to have spotted a human figure standing there. "I saw someone standing near the rubble," Moody said.
"Could it have been Madam Bones?" asked Dawlish.
"She also has a niece, right?... Susan, I believe. We must find her too," James said.
Moody stopped the two men before they rushed forward. "Hold on… my eye can't detect any living things in the vicinity, other than us," he said with a tone of warning.
"Wait, are you saying that…" Dawlish's face became a shade paler. They had just gone through this.
The dark figure ahead moved from its spot and walked towards a more illuminated area so they could now see it more clearly.
"Another inferius?" Dawlish clutched his wand with force.
James and Moody thought the same… just for an instant at least.
Because then, the dark figure spoke to them. "It looks like we have some pests left."
The words were spoken in a low tone, but despite that, the group could hear everything perfectly, as if it was being whispered directly into their ears.
"Wands ready, full alert!" Moody exclaimed.
They did not need to be told that twice. That creepy voice had completely startled them.
They then began to hear some strange noises. It was loud enough to get their attention away from the mysterious figure.
It was a terrifying and unnatural screeching sound.
They all thought the same at the time… no living creature should make a sound like that.
And what made it worse was that the sound was getting louder and louder by the second… it was getting closer, and fast.
James soon pointed at the dark skies where he saw something pale and gigantic descending upon them.
Before he could even utter a word of warning, that 'something' had already landed.
The creature was massive, beyond anything they had seen before, perhaps it was around half the size of the former Bones Manor.
It was easy to make that comparison because the creature had landed on top of the rubble. And it also solved the mystery of how the manor was destroyed.
Its body reminded them of the inferi they had seen before. The shape of its bones was visible and barely covered by a thin membrane of pale flesh.
Its eyes were bright blood red, even more so than the previous undead they had encountered.
However, this creature did not have a humanoid shape. This was a completely different type of being, one they were all very familiar with.
Despite its current putrid state, it was easy to say what this thing had been in life.
"A dragon?!" Dawlish stared in horror at the undead beast.
"An inferi dragon? How?..." Moody was at a loss for words.
"We need to leave, NOW!" James shouted.
As terrifying as this massive beast was, James's eyes were locked on the dark-robed individual.
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