Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, London, 9/21/1992, 21:38
Harry took a seat at the dining room table as members of the order steadily flowed into the room.
The last two weeks had been chaotic, to say the least. Sirius had been a wreck after the incident at the ministry, not that Harry could really blame him. Harry was just thankful that Amelia was able to pull through though she would be on medical leave until the new year.
Gawain Robards had taken the reigns of the DMLE and he had implemented quite a few changes in insecurity to try and curtail the ministry's glaring weaknesses. Sirius thought that he would have success with implementing the polyjuice checks but the imperius checks would be a bit trickier.
The imperius by its very nature was hard to detect and with a competent caster, there would be no noticeable sign that someone was under the curse. In his fourth year, he had seen and even experienced the imperius curse but Barty Crouch was not very gifted with the curse and as a result, the people he placed it on had a dazed or drunken expressions on their faces. A master with the spell left no such tell-tale signs, most of the time the person under the curse didn't even know they were being controlled as the curse was applied in conjunction with a memory charm. The victim was instructed to go about their business as they normally would. The only time the person under the curse would act irregularly was when the wizard controlling them ordered them to carry out their task and by then it was too late.
The only upside was that there were very few wizards that could use the imperius curse this effectively. Most of the time the caster wasn't competent with the spell and the victim's glazed eyes gave them away.
Harry saw Sirius enter and his godfather made a beeline for where he was seated. Harry was pleased to see that Sirius had opted to shower today, for the last few days the Black lord had looked pretty rough.
"Peverell, I didn't expect to see you here," Siriuus said by way of greeting.
"I want to know what Snape knows about the attack," Harry said giving his godfather a meaningful look.
"Same and Amy threatened to curse me if I didn't stop hovering over her," Sirius chuckled.
"When are they letting her go home?" Harry asked as Alice sat down across from them.
"The first of October if the potion has finished repairing her lungs," Sirius answered.
"Peverell and Black, what are you two plotting?" Alice said by way of greeting.
"Spiking the tea with a babbling beverage, where's Frank?" Sirius said as he turned to look at Alice.
"He can't make it, he's overseeing the first years wilderness survival training," Alice said.
"I absolutely hated that, three days freezing my ass off in the highlands and we couldn't even use magic," Sirius shuddered.
"Trust me I remember though we were in a marsh," Alice snorted.
"Glad I chose a different career path," Harry beamed.
"You go into the wilderness all the time," Sirius snorted.
"I sleep in a wizarding tent and have all of the amenities of home," Harry shrugged.
"So how is Amy?" Alice asked looking over at Sirius.
"Getting better every day," Sirius beamed.
"Thank heavens, I thought the worst when you picked Harry and Susan up from the castle," Alice confessed.
Before Sirius could reply, Albus entered the room with Snape following behind him. The two men crossed to the end of the table causing the room to fall into silence.
Dumbledore gave Harry a curious look but did not comment on him being there. Truth be told, the headmaster looked very pleased he was in attendance. Dumbledore gave him a respectful nod which Harry returned before the headmaster arrived at the other end of the table
Harry had been to enough of these meetings by now to know that they usually started as soon as Albus arrived.
Sure enough, as soon as Snape had taken a seat to Albus' right the headmaster began to speak from where he stood at the head of the table.
"Good evening to you all, we have had a very eventful week but before we discuss the incident at the ministry, Severus has something very important to share," Dumbledore said before taking his seat and looking at his potions master expectantly.
Snape nodded and Then cleared his throat before speaking in a flat tone, his voice echoing in the large dining room putting Harry in mind of his past potion classes at Hogwarts.
"The dark lord is gearing up for a large-scale attack somewhere in Scotland. He plans to utilize the newly turned vampires and send them in first before the death eaters move in behind them and mop up what's left," Snape explained sounding almost bored.
"Do we know when and where?" Moody grunted.
"The when is sometime in late October most likely on Halloween knowing the dark lord's love of theatrics. The where should be fairly obvious though he hasn't specifically said, I would assume that Hogsmeade or the school itself is the intended target," Snape answered.
"That can't be all there is to it," Sirius muttered.
"That is all I know as of yet," Snape shrugged.
"Do you have any idea how many vampires will be involved?" Kingsley asked.
"I do not. Given the amount of vampire activity we've been seeing in Scotland, it would be safe to say that they will number in the hundreds if not thousands," Severus replied.
"We need to evacuate the village Albus," Minerva said sharply.
"I will look into the matter but evacuating the village would leave these people's homes and businesses undefended," Albus said as he met Minerva's gaze.
"Better than losing their lives," Molly Weasley exclaimed.
"We could always put aurors in the village in their place," Elphias Doge suggested.
"Or rig the village with the new gas the search teams are using," Sirius cut in.
"Aye but why not do both," Moody grinned.
"I will make inquiries and meet with the leaders of the village council but if we evacuate the village then the defence of Hogsmeade will be left up to the auror corp," Dumbledore said giving the aged auror a meaningful.
"Not a problem, it may just be an opportunity to take out a whole bunch of these bloodsuckers all at once," Moody said with a crooked grin.
"Keep me informed," Dumbledore said looking pleased with Moody's response.
"After the attack at the ministry, Robards is itching for a fight. I don't see a problem getting approval for this," Kingsley said.
"Speaking of the ministry attack, have we learned who was behind that?" Sirius asked his eyes boring into Snape.
"From what I have learned, the attack was carried out by Dolohov and his barbarians," Snape drawled.
"Barbarians?" Harry asked curiously.
"That's what the other death eaters have taken to calling them," Snape shrugged.
"How many are there?" Kingsley asked with interest.
"Four not including Dolohov himself. From what my colleagues tell me they are a bunch of musclebound teenagers," Severus answered with a look of distaste.
"Dolohov has probably been grooming them since he started teaching at Durmstrang," Alice said looking thoughtful.
"That is my theory as well," Dumbledore agreed.
"A five-person team is optimal, big enough to coordinate a devastating attack without leaving too big of a footprint," Moody mused.
So what do we plan to do about them?" Bill asked.
"Stay vigilant, we really have no information to go on, hell we don't even know what they look like or who they are," Kingsley answered.
"Two of them are brothers from the Nachtnebel family," Snape said giving Dumbledore a meaningful look.
"Why does that name sound familiar?" Arthur asked giving the headmaster an inquiring look.
"Hans Nachtnebel was the leader of a group of Acolytes that lay siege to the ministry in nineteen thirty-eight," Albus said looking troubled.
"That was a blood bath," Elphias Doge said with a haunted look in his eye.
"Any word on the other two?" Albus asked giving Severus a hopeful look.
"No, the only thing I know is that they are both from a very influential Bulgarian family," Snape replied.
"What is it with rich snobs becoming murdering psychopaths for fun?" Sirius muttered.
"They have the money to get away with almost anything they want provided that they have connections," Harry shrugged.
"Indeed but we have a more immediate problem," Dumbledore confessed getting the attention of the room at large.
"What's that, Albus?" Minerva asked sounding resigned.
"We have a mole in the ministry," Snape drawled.
"Another one?" Sirius exclaimed irritably.
"Aurors don't get paid very much, it is easy to get one or two of them to part with information for the right price," Snape drawled.
"I don't suppose you know who it is?" Harry asked his colleague.
"No, he meets directly with the dark lord," Snape shrugged.
"We will have to keep the details of our plan under wraps then," Moody grunted.
"Good luck, the ministry has more leaks than a sinking ship," Sirius scowled.
"I am sure we can think of a way to keep this information from getting back to the wrong people," Dumbledore chuckled.
The rest of the meeting involved more mundane topics and Harry allowed his mind to wander while the various order members gave their reports. He was conflicted on whether or not he should try and give aid to the village but ultimately realized that it would be counterproductive to his goals and it was best if he continued his work from the shadows and let the ministry worry about the horde of blood-thirsty vampires.
'Plus I have my own plans for Halloween,' Harry thought as Elphias Doge droned on about the dark activity on the continent.
An hour or so later the meeting broke up and the dining room soon emptied leaving Harry and Sirius sitting in an otherwise empty room.
"So what is your plan?" Sirius asked after Harry had cast a privacy charm over the room.
"Let the aurors deal with the vampires," Harry smirked.
"Bullshit, you always do something on Halloween," Sirius snorted.
"True, we actually do have something in mind," Harry admitted.
"Well, what is it?!" Sirius demanded unable to contain his excitement.
"Thorfinn Rowle," Harry said with a knowing smile.
"That big blond bastard who is like eight feet tall?" Sirius asked.
"That's him," Harry agreed.
"He's inner circle, isn't he?" Sirius asked looking pleased.
"He is but from our scouting trips this one will be a doozy," Harry warned.
"Strong wards?" Sirius muttered giving Harty a questioning look.
"That and he's housing about two dozen death eaters at his property," Harry elaborated.
"So be prepared for an all-out battle," Sirius said looking pleased.
"Definitely, they are recruits but they will still be a handful," Harry said.
"They always are," Sirius shrugged.
"Alright, I'll fill you in on the details in a couple of days but right now I need to get back home," Harry said after checking his watch.
"Same, Edgar is probably driving his aunt and uncle bonkers by now," Sirius beamed.
"When Amelia gets out we'll have another dinner," Harry offered as he rose from his seat.
"Excellent, she should be out by tge middle of next week," Sirius beamed as he walked with Harry to the fireplace.
"Give her my best," Harry said as he tossed some floo powder into the fire turning the flames a familiar green.
"I will," Sirius promised as Harry stepped into the fire.
"Peverell Beach House," Harry called and was sucked into the floo network with a burst of green flame.
As Harry spun like a top past other grates connected to the floo network he couldn't help but feel excited at the upcoming raid on Rowle Manor.
Quidditch Pitch, Hogwarts, 10/12/1992, 20:09
Harry groaned as he stepped out of the Gryffindor locker rooms feeling a dull ache in his muscles from the rigorous practice.
He had been on the house quidditch team for almost a month and he was still getting used to the physical training Oliver Wood put them through.
Harry was in decent shape thanks to his morning training with Professor Peverell but it was nowhere near as intense as the quidditch training. Oliver had learned of the training techniques used in muggle football and had adapted some of the exercises to suit his quidditch team. Seeing how football players ran back and forth kicking a ball Harry wasn't quite sure it was applicable but he wasn't the captain.
Harry walked back towards the castle a few steps behind the chaser trio who were talking and giggling amongst themselves. While the Weasley twins were bringing up the rear no doubt plotting a prank for the upcoming holiday.
Harry had been a bit subdued since the attack on Amelia and hadn't put much effort into coming up with a prank this year, his heart just wasn't in it lately.
He had been throwing himself into his studies and quidditch practice because he'd discovered when he was busy he didn't have time to worry about Amelia and to a lesser extent, Sirius.
The attack on Amelia had been a real wake-up call for him and Susan as well. He had never given much thought about what was going on outside the confines of the castle. The battle that had been raging for the past few years had never seemed real to him because Sirius and Amelia made a point of sheltering him from it. Seeing Amelia in a hospital bed barely clinging to life had been a shock to him and he still hadn't quite gotten over it.
Harry stepped into the castle and felt warmth wash over him not realizing how cold he felt after being outside for the past few hours. He was a bit surprised to see Susan coming out of a dungeon corridor as he crossed the entrance hall bringing with her the smell of chocolate.
"Raid the kitchen, did you?" Harry chuckled.
"Hannah invited me to the Hufflepuff common room and we visited the kitchens for a snack," Susan beamed as she fell into step beside him.
"I can smell the chocolate on you," Harry smirked.
"Oh, well I brought a few chocolate eclairs back, do you want one?" Susan asked holding up a white cardboard box.
"I'd love one," Harry beamed.
Susan held the box open and Harry eagerly took one and bit into it savouring the rich chocolate flavour.
"So how is Hannah, I haven't seen her much this year," Harry inquired as the two of them began climbing the grand staircase.
"She's had her hands full looking after Justin," Susan said with a sad look.
"His housemates still avoiding him?" Harry asked.
"Most of them and it's ridiculous because he is getting healthier every day," Susan said sounding indignant.
"I've noticed he isn't as pale," Harry mused before popping the last of the eclair into his mouth.
"He isn't and he's started eating solid food again," Susan agreed.
"That's good," Harry muttered.
"It is. So how was practice?" Susan questioned.
"Same as usual though tomorrow is going to suck," Harry sighed.
"Oh?" Susan questioned as they stepped off the stairs onto the seventh floor.
"The Prophet is calling for rain," Harry scowled.
"And it'll probably rain for the next few months if the weather is anything like last year," Susan smirked.
"What the school needs is an indoor stadium," Harry mused.
"Wouldn't work for quidditch, the ceiling would have to be hundreds of feet high," Susan pointed out.
"True and even then some idiot would fly too high and give themselves a concussion," Harry agreed.
"And then plummet hundreds of feet to their death," Susan added as they came to stand in front of the Fat Lady's portrait.
"With the calibre of players on Slytherin that's a real possibility," Harry chortled.
"Wattlebird," Susan said at the Fat Lady's expectant look causing the portrait to swing outward like a door.
Harry and Susan quickly crossed the common room to find Lavender seated by the fire going over her defence homework.
"Hello Lavender, what are you working on?" Harry asked by way of greeting.
"Defence, Professor Longbottom threatened to give me detention if I didn't put more effort into this essay," Lavender pouted.
Professor Longbottom was a very good instructor in defence but she was also extremely strict and loved to assign them very tedious essays on various aspects of the spells they were studying in class from the theory of the spell to its uses in a practical situation. The first lesson had been a tad surprising and made him rethink his opinion of her.
Harry had known Alice Longbottom for years since she and her husband were close friends with Sirius and Amelia. She had always been friendly to him and loved to joke around with Sirius.
Her teaching style was vastly different than he'd expected, she was more like Professor McGonagall during lessons, not allowing any talk during the practical portion of the class and being very short with any student foolish enough to goof around in her lesson.
"That one is pretty easy," Harry smiled as he plopped down beside Lavender on the couch.
"Easy for you, I never could get the hang of the disarming charm," Lavender sighed.
"That spell is all about the wand motions, you just have to give your wand a sharp downward flick while saying the incantation and then swirl your wand tip counterclockwise stopping on your point of aim," Harry recited reminding himself of Hermione when she recited passages from the textbook.
"I know, that's what it says in the book but I can never get the spell to work," Lavender sighed.
"Harry can show you, he helped me get the hang of it," Susan said as she sat down on a chair across from them and opened her box of eclairs.
"Oi Bones, where'd you get those?" Ron Weasley exclaimed seeming to appear out of thin air.
"The kitchens, you can have one if you like," Susan offered.
"Thanks, Ron beamed as he eagerly took one out of the box and ate half of it in one bite.
"Would you like one, Lavender?" Susan offered.
"Yes please," Lavender beamed before taking one out of the box.
Harry watched her take a much smaller bite than Ron and let out a soft moan as the chocolate touched her tongue.
"When you finish that, we can practice the spell," Harry offered his face feeling warm at the smile she gave him.
"I would like that," Lavender beamed.
After Lavender finished her eclair Harry worked with her on the disarming spell which she got the hang of after only a few attempts.
"So Potter, how do you think our chances are against Slytherin?" Ron asked after Lavender had successfully disarmed her impromptu tutor for the third time in a row.
"I'm pretty sure we'll win. Draco is good but I'm better," Harry assured him.
"As long as Missus Lovegood isn't sunbathing topless on the pitch, he should beat Malfoy to the snitch," Susan smirked causing Harry to flush in embarrassment.
"Shut it Bones," Harry scowled.
"Missus Lovegood?" Lavender questioned giving Susan a curious look.
"Well, last summer Harry was flying over the beach when..."
Harry tuned out the conversation as Susan explained the events of the previous summer and Harry felt his face getting warmer and warmer.
Harry was greatly regretting his lack of self-control last summer and wondered if Susan would ever let him live it down.
'I guess I just need to find a way to return the favor,' Harry mussed as Lavender and Ron laughed uproarously as Susan finished telling them about the events of the previous summer.
Rowle Manor, Dalamere Forest, 10/31/1992, 02:48
Harry in the guise of the Reaper appeared with a soft 'pop' in the thick forest at the edge of the Rowle wards. Within seconds three more 'pops' were heard as Bella, Sirius, and Andromeda appeared near him with their wands drawn and their faces hidden behind masks or in Sirius' case, under the hood of unspeakable robes.
"These are very strong wards," Bella muttered as she waved her wand in an intricate pattern to analyze the wards in detail.
"They are, I won't be able to open a pathway through these," Harry agreed.
"No and they go too deep to tunnel under," Bella added.
"So what do we do?" Sirius asked.
"I can answer that," Andi said.
"Well?" Sirius demanded somewhat impatiently.
"There are no wards to keep out animals," Andromeda said as she analyzed the wards.
"So they won't detect an animagus," Harry said understanding where Andi was going with this.
"Exactly, Chimera and Grim can slip in and shut the wards down," Andromeda agreed.
"I don't like it," Harry said feeling conflicted.
Harry knew that Bellatrix and Sirius were more than capable of handling themselves but the thought of his wife going into a warded property troubled him. If she and Sirius got into trouble there would be no way for him to get inside to help her. Still, he knew that his options were rather limited. These wards were quite formidable and it would take a whole team of curse breakers to break through them from the outside. Even more troubling was that this was an eight-point ward scheme meaning that Sirius and Bellatrix would have to destroy three of the anchor stones before the wards would collapse.
"What about that smoke spell?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Won't work, the property is warded against them," Bella sighed.
"Bugger," Harry muttered irritably.
"Don't worry, Grim and I will be fine," Bella assured him.
Harry was kicking himself for never following through and learning to become an animagus.
"Be careful, the both of you," Harry implored realizing that this was the only way they could get into the manor.
"We will be," Bella promised before she shifted into her cobra form.
"I'll keep an eye on her," Sirius promised before he transformed into Padfoot.
As Harry watched the two animagi slip through the wards and disappear into the night he felt his anxiety spike and he began to nervously pace.
"They'll be fine, Reaper," Andi said though Harry could detect a note of worry in her voice.
"I hope so," Harry muttered as he saw a flash of spellfire in the distance.
Bellatrix slithered in her snake form across the ground, the low temperatures of the air and the cold earth made it difficult for her to move very swiftly. Luckily she only had to go a bit further to cross the ward lines. This was one of the major drawbacks of having a cold-blooded animagus form, she was not very effective in cold weather.
Bella slithered toward the wardline and quickly transformed into her human form as soon as she sensed that she had passed through the wards. Immediately she felt her energy returning as warmth flowed through and her body temperature rapidly returned to normal.
"So how do we do this?" Sirius whispered beside as he transformed beside her from his canine form.
"I want you to go to the western stone and then wait for my signal before you hit it with an explosion hex, we'll meet at the northwest stone," Bella instructed after considering her options and realizing that splitting up was their best course of action.
"What's the signal?" Sirius asked sounding anxious.
"I'll send up green sparks, then you send up green sparks to let me know you're ready," Bella answered.
"Got it," Sirius agreed.
"Good. As soon as you see my sparks, blast the stone and run as fast as you can to the northwestern," Bella added as she scanned the lawn around her for any signs of movement.
"Once we hit the first two stones, all hell is going to break loose," Sirius warned.
"I know, we just have to make sure the others can get in here before that happens or we're in trouble," Bella said before she disillusioned herself.
"Be careful, Chimera," Sirius said before he disillusioned himself.
"Don't worry about Chimera," Bellatrix cooed before she began making her way towards the northern stone.
The grounds of Rowle Manor were quite vast and unfortunately, they were also very open not offering very much cover. The property may be in the middle of the forest but great swaths of land had been cleared of trees to form large sloping lawns. The manor housesat in the centre of the lawns at the highest point on the property making it look larger than it was. The house was massive and stood four stories tall and was constructed of dark grey stone. There were rows of large arched windows on the lower two levels and large spires jutting into the sky from various points on the roof giving it a very gothic appearance. Bella could see a few lights on in the upper windows but it looked as if most of the home's occupants were already asleep.
The night was chilly and she could see her breath illuminated in the moonlight as she crossed the grounds at a swift pace.
It was fairly easy to locate the ward stone as the grey stone jutted out of the ground like a monolith right at the edge of the tree line. Bella could make out at least a dozen runic arrays etched onto the ward stone and wondered just how strong these wards really were. The ward stone was cylindrical and stood at least eight feet tall and was at least half as big around and practically sang with stored magical energy.
Taking out her wand, Bellatrix shot green sparks into the air and was rewarded seconds later when she saw green sparks a few hundred yards away letting her know that Sirius was already in position.
Swinging her wand down in a sharp motion almost like swinging a hammer she cast the exploding hex that literally vaporized the wardstone and illuminated the area around her in a bright flash of reddish light.
'BOOOOOOOOOOOM!'
Her ears were still ringing from the sound of her spell detonating when a second explosion sounded echoing across the wide lawn.
'BOOOOOOOOOOOM!'
Almost immediately she saw activity from the manor in the distance as the darkened windows began lighting up and she spotted shadows moving around inside the house.
Bella took off at a sprint making her way toward the halfway point between the stone she had destroyed and the one Sirius had destroyed but immediately had to dodge spellfire from above as flyers on broomsticks began honing in on her.
Ahead of her, she could see her cousin engaged in a running battle with three men still dressed in their nightwear who were stumbling over themselves trying to keep up with him.
Bella sped up glad that she had begun exercising with Harry all those years ago. She easily avoided catching a killing curse by rolling to her right before springing back to her feet and sending a blasting hex where she thought one of her attackers was overhead.
Bella felt warm liquid splatter on the hood of her cloak and was fairly certain she had hit her mark. She had no time to confirm this as she saw another killing curse flying at her from her left and she sprinted forward, the spell missing her by inches. She was now less than a hundred feet from the northwest stone but even more people were pouring out of the manor to join the fray, the new arrivals dressed in full death eater regalia.
Bella cast an exploding hex at the stone as she continued running towards it but seconds before her spell hit a man in white pajamas stumbled into her spell's path and was turned into a pink cloud of blood and pulverized flesh.
"Dammit!" Bellatrix seethed as she prepared to cast again.
Before she could cast a spell slammed into her left shoulder with tremendous force hurling her through the air like a ragdoll as one of her attackers took advantage of her second of distraction.
In the split second when she left the ground and was then painfully reacquainted with it, Bellatrix heard the bones in her shoulder snap with a sickening 'CRACK.'
Bella screamed in a mixture of pain and fury when she slammed into the lawn, the impact sending unimaginable pain through her already shattered shoulder as she slid across the wet grass.
Forcing herself to stagger to her feet before the flyer overhead hit her with a killing curse she staggered toward the wardstone having to move much slower than before due to the pain shooting through the left side of her body with every step she took.
She had to resort to shielding and redirecting spells which seemed to be coming from everywhere at once.
The sound of spellfire to her right let her know that Sirius was closing in on the wardstone as well though he was under constant fire just as she was.
Bella was fifty feet from the monolith-like stone and she could see more people crossing the lawn from the manor. She knew that if she didn't take out that stone, she and Sirius were both going to die. The problem was she couldn't take her focus away from her attackers to blast the damn stone.
Another killing curse missed her by a hair's breadth and she was forced to step into the path of a second bludgeoning hex to avoid it.
The spell hit her square in the chest and the trauma plate in her specially designed battle robes was the only thing that prevented the spell from crushing her sternum. The spell still sent her hurling through the air and she landed painfully on her already damaged shoulder.
Bella screamed as she felt more bones pop and crack as she tumbled across the lawn for the second time.
Bella tried to get to her feet but she couldn't roll over with the way she had landed.
"Looks like we got one," a gruff male voice chuckled as her wand was ripped from her grasp.
"She's banged up a bit but I bet she'd be a good shag either way," another man leered as they approached her downed form.
"Spoils of war, I call firsts," the first man said as his boots came into Bella's line of sight.
Bella moved her right hand towards the dagger on her thigh as she craned her head to look up at the two men standing over her.
They were both in their early twenties and looked oddly familiar to her but she couldn't quite place them, she thought she may have seen them at one of Cissa's parties but couldn't be sure.
"Let's see what's under that mask, pretty," the blond man leered as he crouched down and rolled her onto her back before reaching to remove her mask.
In one swift motion, Bella drew the dagger from her right thigh and jammed it up through his lower jaw and up into his skull. The man stared dumbly down at her, shock evident in his wide eyes. She twisted the blade and ripped it free just as a violent explosion sounded over the grounds catching her by surprise.
The first blast was followed almost immediately by a second and much louder explosion that seemed to shake the very ground she was laying on.
'BOOOOOOOOOOOM!'
'KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!'
Bella's vision was obscured as the man she had just stabbed collapsed on top of her and showered her in his lifeblood. Bellatrix could hear screams and a cacophony of explosions in the distance and she inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
Andi and Harry joined the fight at last.
Sirius was starting to panic, he quickly realized that he and his cousin were in trouble. The death eaters had responded to the attack on the wards much faster and in greater numbers than they had anticipated.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bella fly through the air, her disillusionment charm failing as she landed in a broken heap not far from his position.
Sirius was forced to roll out of the path of a killing curse and swung his wand wildly towards the wardstone.
"Expluso!" Sirius roared a second before a bonebreaker struck his leg and he collapsed to the ground as two earthshaking explosions filled the air.
Sirius tried to get to his feet but pain shot through his leg and he collapsed barely avoiding a killing curse aimed at his head.
Sirius watched as a death eater came to stand over him and pointed his wand down at him.
"Avada Kedav-
The death eater was cut off before he could finish the spell as something burst from the earth and latched its massive jaws around his torso and bit down with a sickening 'CRUNCH' before dragging him into the ground.
"Ficking hell!" Sirius exclaimed as he was showered in dirt.
Sirius spotted a grey robbed figure walking towards him and breatged a sigh of relief.
'I did it,' Sirius thought as Harry came into view.
Harry watched through the transparent dome as a pitched battle took place inside the property but he and Andromeda were powerless to help.
He could see a distorted view of the battle through the wards but it was obvious that Bella and Sirius were getting overwhelmed.
Suddenly an earthshaking explosion send a wave of energy outward and he quickly wrapped his arms around Andromeda and cast the most powerful shield he knew as the magical backlash washed over the section of the forest they stood in.
His shields buckled under the pressure but they mercifully held as his vision of the battle sharpened before his eyes.
Harry felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he watched Sirius take a bone breaker to the leg and collapse. He spotted Bella's prone form and felt rage build inside of him as a man stood over her a spell on his lips.
Harry cancelled the spell and released Andromeda as he cast a decapitation curse at the man who would dare harm his wife. The emotionally powered spell crossed the distance in the blink of an eye and separated the man's head from his body.
Harry watched dispassionately as the man's body collapsed to the ground, his head rolling toward the forest.
From three sides Harry saw death eaters moving towards him and Andromeda. Focusing on them since Sirius and Bellatrix seemed unable to carry on.
Harry felt rage build in his chest as he pointed his wand towards the ground in front of him and began to chant a parseltongue spell, his voice catching the attention of the death eaters causing them to freeze in place in surprise.
§Come forth oh mighty serpent of the Earth§.
§Make thine enemies prove their worth§.
§Strike them dead should they try and pass§,
§Swim through the dirt, sand, and grass§.
§Let none live and show no fear§.
§Attack like lightning and then disappear§.
§I call you forth my scaly friend§,
§Serve me well Teraserpen§!
A narrow beam of lime green light left his wand before it struck the lawn not far from where the bulk of the death eaters were gathered. Harry grinned viciously under his hood as the area where the spell had struck began to rumble and mound up.
This spell would summon a massive serpent that would attack anyone the caster deemed as an enemy.
The thing that made this serpent unique was that it moved through the ground. It burrowed its way along and was said to burst from the earth, catching its victims by surprise.
The spell to summon a tera serpent was created for use on a battlefield and Thorfinn Rowle's lawn was a perfect place to test it out.
The effect was instantaneous as a massive earth-coloured serpent's head burst from the ground and latched onto the closest death eater before dragging him under the ground.
"Sphinx, go check on Chimera," Harry said as the death eaters began focusing on this new threat and ignoring him and Andromeda.
Andi didn't say a word as she dashed over to her sister while Harry began stalking over to where Sirius lay. As he walked he heard the screams of death eaters who were being dragged under the earth by the tera serpent and couldn't fight a grin of satisfaction.
Harry cast another decapitation hex catching a familiar figure wearing a purple turban by surprise as the man standing next to him was dragged into the ground.
"Fucking hell!" Sirius exclaimed as the massive snake burst out of the ground close enough to cover him in dirt and grass.
Harry watched as the death eater standing near Sirius was crushed in the tera serpent's maw with a sickening 'CRUNCH' before he was dragged into the ground.
Harry took out a portkey from his pocket and placed it onSirous'chest.
"Fallen," Harry said tapping the portkey before Sirius could protest.
Harry straightened up as his godfather disappeared in a flash of blue light and noticed that Andromeda was making her way towards him.
"How is she?" Harry asked over the bloodcurdling screams of the tera serpent's recent victim.
"Banged up pretty good but she'll be fine, I sent her to medical," Andi said as they began crossing the lawn.
"Thank god," Harry muttered before casting a blasting curse at the doors of the manor reducing them to splinters.
The sounds of spellfire from the lawn had almost completely stopped now plunging them into near silence.
"Do you think he's still here?" Andi asked as they stepped into an opulent entry hall.
"No, I am pretty sure he fled when the wards collapsed," Harry admitted.
"So what are we doing?" Andi asked.
"Checking the basement for prisoners before we raze the house to the ground," Harry replied as he cast the human revealer spell.
"Anything?" Andi asked.
"Yes, four people in the cellar, but that's it," Harry answered.
"Dobby," Andromeda called and was rewarded when the elf appeared with a soft 'pop'.
"Mistress calls Dobby?" The elf asked curiously.
"Take anything valuable inside this manor to your mistress' warehouse in Birmingham," Andi instructed.
"At once Mistress," Dobby answered.
"You have ten minutes so be quick," Andi warned.
"That bes plenty of time for Dobby to pillage dark wizard's manor," Dobby chirped happily before disappearing with another 'pop'.
"I guess this will be a productive trip," Harry chuckled as the tapestries disappeared around them.
"Niffler wanted to turn a profit from this little excursion," Andi shrugged as she led the way toward a door that opened to a steep staircase.
They quickly walked down to the cellar to find a large collection of wine in racks that went all the way to the ceiling. Harry cast the human locator spell again and detected four human presences on the other side of a sturdy oak door secured with a thick padlock.
A quick unlocking charm had the padlock falling away and Andi opened the door while Harry covered her in case the occupants of the room were hostile.
As soon as the door opened a rancid odour filled the air and Harry nearly gagged. Directing his lit wand into the makeshift cell he was appalled to see four very badly beaten girls sprawled on the floor. In the corner of the cell was another girl but it was clear she was dead and was starting to rot which explained the smell.
Harry and Andi made short work of portkeying the girls to Malfoy Manor so Cissa could patch them up. Once that was taken care of they placed a portkey to St Mungo's on the remains of the fifth girl's. Harry closed the cell door and they hurried to escape the odour of death that had filled the cellar. Harry felt bad about sending the girl's remains as he did. He was pretty certain she was a muggle and that the staff at St Mungo's wouldn't have a clue as to who she was. Harry just hoped that they would transfer her over to the muggle authorities so her family could get some closure. Regardless, he couldn't leave her here as this house would be a pile of ash in a just few minute's time.
As they made their way through the wine racks, Harry noted there was no longer wine in them anymore. It seemed that Dobby had already transported them to Narcissa's warehouse.
"I can't believe anyone could be that cruel to another human being," Andi muttered as the two of them climbed the stairs.
"These people are monsters, Sphinx," Harry said as the stepped into the bare entrance hall.
"I know, but even I would never have expected that," Andi said as they crossed the hall and stepped out into the cool night air.
Stepping out onto the lawn, Harry and Andromeda were greeted by the large head of a snake rising from the earth. The snake's neck was about three feet in diameter and its skin was very bumpy like that of a toad. Its colouring was also similar to that of a toad and was a soft muddy brown with dark splotches running down its back. The snake didn't have eyes and its snout was long and flat when it was closed, resembling a garden spade. When it opened its mouth it was quite wide like an alligator's.
§You have done well my friend all of our enemies have fallen§, Harry told the snake as he run his hand over its bumpy snout.
§Yes the cowardly humans fled before my might, but I beg you I wish to return to my home§, the serpent told him.
§Very well§, Harry said as he raised his wand and began to chant once more.
§Your task is done§,
§Our foes have fallen§.
§You served me well§,
§When you were called on§.
§Return to your home where you belong my friend§.
§ I bid you return to your nesting grounds, TeraSerpen§.
Parseltongue spells seemed to have no incantations, they used weird chants and the caster's will to power them though as he saw tonight, they were very effective.
The same lime green light left his wand as before and formed a fog of green smoke that settled over the serpent hiding it from view, when the fog dissipated it took the tera serpent with it.
"Where on earth did you learn to do that?" Andromeda demanded as Harry directed his wand at the manor.
"A book I got from the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said absentmindedly as he brought his hatred for Voldemort to the forefront of his mind.
"FIEND FYRE!" Harry roared as he directed the fire into the entrance hall of Rowle Manor.
Instantly creatures composed of fire began to consume the home from the inside out multiplying and growing in size as they consumed everything they touched. Harry saw a massive fiery basilisk slither up the stairs before the upstairs windows lit up in bright flickering light. Harry was pulled from his observations as Andromeda's voice rang out over the nearly silent grounds.
"Morsmordre falce!" Andi screeched directing her wand over the rapidly burning home.
"Chimera taught you the spell I see," Harry muttered as the altered dark mark flared to life hundreds of feet in the air its green light bathing them in its eerie glow.
"No, I just watched her last time," Andi smirked under her mask.
"I have never actually cast that spell," Harry mused as the roof of the manor collapsed with a loud 'CRASH'.
"You should try it sometime, it's quite exhilarating," Andi chuckled.
"Maybe someday. We should get out of here and check on our injured," Harry said only to be brought up short when he saw a familiar wand lying on the ground next to one of the many corpses that decorated the lawn.
Stooping down, Harry picked up Bella's curved wand and slipped it into his pocket a bit surprised when it felt pleasantly warm in his hand as if it recognized him.
"Okay, I'll meet you at Niffler's," Andi said before she turned on the spot and disappeared with a soft 'pop'.
Harry took one more look around at the gruesome scene before him realizing there were way more death eaters here than they had expected. Bodies littered the lawn many of the mutilated beyond recognition partially buried in the earth. The once pristine lawn was churned up with massive holes resembling craters spread out at random where the tera serpent had burst out of the ground to claim a victim.
This trip hadn't gone to plan but there was no denying that they had delivered a substantial blow with this attack.
Realizing he had lingered long enough, Harry turned on the spot to apparate to DiagonAlley before making his way to Malfoy Manor to check on Bellatrix.