The early morning sunlight streamed through Harry's window as he heard the front door of Bones Manor open. Footsteps thundered up the stairs, and moments later, Sirius burst into the room, his face a mixture of relief and concern.
Before Sirius could speak, Harry, sitting up in bed, asked bluntly, "How high is the death count?"
Sirius blinked, momentarily thrown off balance. "What?"
Harry pressed on, his voice steady. "The death count from last night's attack. From your expression and appearance, I can tell there was an attack. How many people died?"
Sirius ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "No one died. Just some injuries that can be healed in no time."
"What!" Harry exclaimed, feigning surprise. "No one died? Did I underestimate your Auror Department? I was sure the death count would be high. So, did you capture any Death Eaters? Are they on their way to Azkaban?"
Amelia entered the room, her face grim. "No, we didn't capture any Death Eaters last night."
Harry's eyes narrowed. "I knew it. I should have been there. I would have ensured the Death Eaters never went back home and spent the night in an Auror trial cell."
Amelia fixed Harry with a penetrating stare. "Harry, where were you last night?"
"At home, just where Sirius left me," Harry replied, confusion coloring his voice. "Why?"
Sirius exchanged a glance with Amelia before speaking. "Someone intervened last night. They fought against the Death Eaters. It would have been okay if they'd used less lethal measures, but now we have nine Death Eater bodies. Nine purebloods."
Harry's eyes widened. "Really? Well, at least someone had the courage to do what I've always wanted to. But why are you telling me this? You don't think it was me, do you?" He paused, then added wistfully, "I wish it was me. Unfortunately, I don't have the courage to kill people yet. Otherwise, I will be out at night hunting Death Eaters in my free time."
Amelia's voice was stern. "That's not a good thought to have, Harry. We don't have the right to take people's lives. You should never do that, even during wars."
Harry shrugged. "Whatever. I've always believed a dead terrorist is the best terrorist. So, what did this person look like?"
Sirius described the mysterious figure, and Harry's face lit up with excitement. "Wow! Did you really see a ninja last night? I didn't know ninjas invaded the wizarding world! I thought they didn't exist anymore. Or maybe they do in Japan."
"What are ninjas?" Sirius asked, bewildered.
Harry launched into an enthusiastic explanation, his eyes shining with apparent admiration. "They're special forces from Japan. I've seen many movies with them but never in real life. You're so lucky! I want to meet the ninja. Maybe he could teach me some tricks."
Sirius chuckled, despite the seriousness of the situation. "I've never seen you like this, Harry. You a fan of ninjas?"
Harry grinned. "You will be too once you've seen some movies. I'll show them when we have time."
Amelia cleared her throat. "I hate to interrupt, but we need to get back on topic. I don't have much time. I have to deal with the fallout. So Harry, you suspect someone from the Muggle world was involved in last night's attack?"
Harry pondered for a moment. "Maybe, or some Muggle-born out for revenge against Death Eaters for something that happened in the last war, went to the Muggle world, found ninjas, learned the art, and came back for revenge. I'd put my bet on the latter. I don't think Muggles, if they did intervene in the wizarding world, would do it alone. They'd come in groups."
Sirius nodded thoughtfully. "Good guess, but this clue is of no use. We can't use it to track down the Muggle-borns. Many of them have left wizarding Britain and have either joined other countries or gone back to the Muggle world. Fewer opportunities for them here."
Harry leaned forward. "I say we leave him alone. It's the Death Eaters he's after, which I fully support. I don't want to antagonize him and make him go after other purebloods. That would be bad for the wizarding world. Ninjas are known for stealth, and it will be very hard to find them."
Amelia sighed. "Harry, write down what you know about ninjas and send it to me later. I'll investigate in that direction. I have to leave now. I just wanted to confirm you weren't involved in last night's events."
As they prepared to leave, Sirius turned back. "Harry, you weren't involved, right? There are suspicions about another person who killed Death Eaters who went after the Muggle family on the grounds."
Harry met his godfather's gaze steadily. "No, I wasn't involved. You can investigate without worry. I was here at home."
After Amelia and Sirius left, Harry allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. He had successfully misdirected their suspicions and planted the idea of ninja involvement. Now, he turned his attention to the aftermath.
He waited for the Daily Prophet to arrive, eager to see the repercussions of the night's events. He was particularly interested in seeing if there were any notable names among the Death Eaters he had killed. He was also relieved that no one except the Death Eaters had been killed, knowing it was largely due to his intervention.
The Daily Prophet arrived, along with a flurry of letters from friends thanking Harry for his timely advice to leave early. Harry set those letters aside and turned to the paper with its wildly animated photos.
As Harry unfolded the Daily Prophet, his eyes were immediately drawn to the bold headlines splashed across the front page:
"TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP: DEATH EATERS STRIKE!"
Beneath this, in slightly smaller text:
"NINE RESPECTED WIZARDS SLAIN: COMMUNITY IN SHOCK"
And further down:
"VIGILANTE JUSTICE OR COLD-BLOODED MURDER? PUREBLOOD LIVES LOST TO MYSTERIOUS ATTACKER"
Harry's eyes scanned the articles, taking in the details of how the Daily Prophet was portraying the events. The paper was full of speculation and thinly veiled accusations against the Ministry's handling of security.
As Harry read through the list of the deceased, he couldn't help but feel a grim satisfaction at seeing the Carrow twins among them. Although the others were cannon fodder whom Harry had never even heard of, eliminating these two was enough to consider his last night's actions a victory. These two were some of the worst dark wizards, and Harry was glad to see them leave this world. The paper referred to all the victims as "respected members of wizarding society," conveniently glossing over their Death Eater affiliations.
The rest of the paper was filled with eyewitness accounts, statements from Ministry officials, and, of course, Rita Skeeter's wild theories about the identity of the vigilante. One of her articles boldly claimed, "AUROR CONSPIRACY: MINISTRY COVERS UP EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS?"
So important were these articles that the Irish team's victory in the Quidditch World Cup Final had been relegated to page two. There, Harry found a small, boxed article titled "IRELAND TRIUMPHS IN WORLD CUP FINAL," tucked away in the corner as if it were an afterthought.
The following days were a whirlwind of news and speculation. The Roberts family was found, and the Aurors fruitlessly searched for the second mysterious Muggle who had intervened in the Quidditch Final fiasco. Harry's theory about a group of vengeful Muggle-borns gained traction.
As the date for the Hogwarts Express's departure drew near, Harry resumed his usual routine, mentally preparing himself for another eventful year at school. He knew things might be very different from the canon, but he was ready to handle anything that came his way.