Chapter 20 - Escalations

Khan sat down on his bed, snores of Ron, Fred and George serenading him, thinking about the exciting quidditch match he had just witnessed.

The match had started quite quickly after the introductions, starting with the team mascots.

Khan was particularly interested in Veelas, as they seemed to possess some kind of inherent attraction magic, to males in particular. Not that he was particularly effected himself; his head of house ring did prevent after all, against external magical threats.

No, what he was interested in, was their magic appearing similar to the red-based ancient magic under Hogwarts, as he viewed it coming off the Veelas as an aura. It gave off a similar feeling as well, however instead of Anger/rage as the emotion, it was Lust. It was quite the unique experience, especially with viewing how both Harry and Ron reacted.

Soon after, the players were introduced, and the match began.

Khan was quite impressed with the skill and the teamwork displayed by the Irish Chasers. He noted how in sync the 3 appeared to be, always covering for each other, seemingly knowing what the other 2 are thinking at all times.

Although unfamiliar with advanced quidditch strategies, Khan could at least appreciate the skill and speed at which these players flew.

Khan himself was quite the flight master. A natural at flying, he often traded time trial records with Imelda, since quidditch was cancelled during his first and only year attending Hogwarts.

To say nothing of his experience flying on his beast friends, he was also used to travelling via broom around the Hogwarts surrounding hamlets when he was adventuring.

Working closely with Albie Weekes, Khan was even able to upgrade his broom to improve it's top speed and handling capabilities. He was quite excited to take out his custom Wildfire Broom and try out some flying maneuvers.

Suddenly, he heard some loud shouting coming from outside the tent. Screams came afterwards, shortly followed by sounds of running and panic.

Familiar with the sounds of battle, Khan grew excited.

Transfiguring his clothes into his Merlin's Battle robes, Khan quickly put on his hood, and cast a disillusionment charm before he ran out of the tent.

He was itching for some action after all.

*****

"Get up!" Mr Weasley shouted in urgency. "Ron, Harry! Quickly! Come on now, hurry! This is Urgent!"

Harry shot up quickly, and hit his head on the top of the tent in his haste. "S'matter?"

"No time to explain, Harry!" Mr Weasley stated, as he dressed himself in robes with haste. "Just get on a jacket, and get outside, quickly!"

Harry did as he was told, and soon was gathering together outside with Hermione, Ron, Fred, George and Ginny.

They saw off in a distance, a group wizards causing havoc, hiding their faces with their robed hoods, and torturing various children and muggles. High above them, they levitated their captives, contorting them into various shapes, laughing at their victim's anguished cries.

'Thats disgusting.' Harry murmured to himself.

"Where is Khan?" Hermione asked worriedly, as she interrupted Harry's disturbed thoughts.

"He wasn't in the tent....." Answered Harry uncertainly.

"He probably left the moment he heard trouble, to get help." Mr Weasley replied as he emerged from the tent, alongside Bill, Charlie, and Percy. "We're going to help the ministry! You lot - get into the woods and stick together. Stay away from trouble, and we'll get you when all this is over!"

Bill, Charlie and Percy were already sprinting off to help. As soon as Mr. Weasley finished, and he too sprinted off after them.

As he watched them dash off, Harry noticed that the laughter from the large mob had stopped. Instead, it seemed the shouting and screaming had increased.

Turning towards the large group, Harry paused to get a better look and saw that the perpetrators were now the becoming the victims.

A hooded combatant, in a blue and yellow battle cloak was doing battle with the group.

Harry stopped in his tracks, to get a better look at the spectacle taking place.

The hooded figure moved quickly from spot to spot, a magical blue flash accompanying his quick movements, dodging harmful spells, as he dispatched his foes with his own quick spell combinations, some of which were lethal, to Harry's horror.

The Glacius/Diffindo combo was particularly gruesome and gory, Harry noted to himself.

Harry continued to watch as he transfigured one of the offenders into a red barrel, before grabbing it with magic, and tossing it towards a larger group of enemies.

He gathered his magic once more, before unleashing a giant lightning bolt from the sky, igniting the explosive barrel.

*BOOOOOM*

A giant explosion ended Harry's view of the battle, as it exploded outwards causing the bystanders to run for cover.

"Come on!" Fred yelled, as he grabbed onto Ginny's hand, pulling her towards to woods to hide.

The group hurried along deeper into the woods, attempting to follow after Fred, George and Ginny.

Numerous panicked people were gathered all around them, all attempting to flee the ever increasing danger.

Harry felt himself getting pushed from all around him, further confusing him, and causing him to lose sight of Fred, George and Ginny.

They wandered around in panic, until the 3 best friends ran into a person they would prefer to never meet.

"Well.... if it isn't Weasley and Potter." Sneered Malfoy in greetings, leaning against a tree, looking quite relaxed.

"You 3 better be hurrying along..... Wouldn't want to have HER spotted, now would you?" He finished, pointing at Hermione.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked Malfoy defiantly.

"Granger... They're after muggles." He stated, still sneering down at her. "If you think they can't spot a mudblood, then stay where you are."

"You watch your mouth!" Ron shouted in an angry rage.

"Never mind, Ron! Lets just leave and find the others!" Said Hermione, with a disgusted look at Malfoy.

"Make sure to keep that big bushy head down Granger!" Malfoy calls out in farewell. "And head that way..... less of a crowd."

*****

After the 3 friends hurried away for a time, Harry spoke up. "Did anyone else find that weird? Malfoy was somewhat civilized."

"What are you on mate?" Ron replied in indignation. "He called Hermione Mudblood!"

"Ya..... but he also warned us about the danger, and showed us another route away from crowds." Hermione answered.

"I dont trust him... But Hermione does have a point." Harry agreed with Hermione. "Lets just agree to keep moving."

Reaching into his pocket to grab his wand, Harry wanted to cast a lumos to get their bearings.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if he had lost his in the hecticness of the night.

"Oh No! I dont believe it... I've lost my wand!"

"You're kidding!"

Hermione and Ron both raised their wands high, each of them casting their own lumos, in hopes to hopefully spot Harry's dropped wand.

"Maybe it fell out of your pocket while we were running into the woods?" Hermione suggested anxiously.

"Ya..... maybe." Harry was feeling quite worried. He always had his wand with him... without it, he was feeling quite naked, so to speak.

The 3 of them had eventually found themselves in an empty clearing, void of any other campers.

"I reckon we can just wait around here. We'll hear anyone coming from a mile off, and its a large enough clearing that nobody will be able to sneak up on us." Harry stated tiredly.

Sitting down, the group settled on some grass nearby, listening closely for any noise from the campsite.

"Mad.... absolutely mad!" Hermione was quite upset. "To do something like that, when the whole ministry is out tonight! And do they really expect to get away with these kind of things?? Do you think they've been drinking??"

"Never mind that Hermione!" Ron responded. "Did you see that Auror in the Blue and Yellow battle robes? Single-handedly fighting against that large mob, and winning! What a badas-"

Ron stopped talking suddenly, and quickly looked behind him, as he had heard what sounded like steps approaching them from behind.

Both Harry and Hermione, who also heard the footsteps, also turned to try to see where/who it came from.

"Hello?" Called out Harry. "Who's there?"

The three of them saw nobody. But they did hear a new voice speak, not in a panic shout, but in a calm tone, as if reciting a spell.

"MORSMORDRE!"

Something vast, green and glittering shot out towards the sky.

Looking upwards, the 3 friends eventually saw a colossal skull, composed of what looks like emerald stars for eyes, with a serpent protruding from its mouth, like a tongue.

Hermione, ever the studious one, recognized the mark immediately.

"It's the dark mark Harry!" She said grabbing him in anxiety, pulling him away from the area. "You-know-who's sign..."

She was interrupted as Khan flashed into the clearing, eyes red, wand at the ready, looking for who just sent up that spell.

Glancing at the three companions, not deeming them a threat, he was about to move on when a bunch of twisting-like *CRACK*s went off surrounding the clearing.

Acting quickly, Khan fired off a quick overpowered Accio, summoning a group of the wizards over in front of him, before ruthlessly following up and casting Descendo on the group of them, shattering multiple bones.

Turning around to the other group, Khan called out his next spell, readying for a fatal spell combination.

"Glacius!" He called out, freezing a group of 3 wizards, before attempting to follow up quickly with diffindo.

"Expelliarmus!"

Mid-cast however, he was interrupted as he had to cast a quick protegeo/stupefy combo to ward of the disarming curse thrown at him.

"STOP!!!!" Called out one of the new arrivals, Khan soon recognized to be Arthur Weasley. "THATS MY SON AND HIS FRIENDS!"

Khan, now recognizing these new arrivals not as enemies, but as allies, slowly came out of his battle heightened state.

'My skills aren't too rusty considering I had haven't fought in a long time.' Khan mused to himself as he began to reflect on the events of this skirmish, wand at his side.

"Out of the way, Arthur!" a cold voice called out. "That boy just took out 2 squads of trained aurors!"

It was Mr. Crouch looking quite upset, face taut with rage.

Khan immediately noticed the green taint of the dark arts all over Crouch, and went back on guard.

"Which one of you cast it?!?" He bellowed angrily pointing his wand at Khan, as well as Harry and friends. "The dark mark! Which one of you did it!?!"

"You would do well to watch your tone and your tongue, dark wizard!" Khan rebuked sharply, eyes flashing red dangerously. He was still on edge, adrenaline high from the previous battles. "I am the head of a Noble and Ancient House, and you should pay me the proper respect my position dictates!"

Flashing his head of house ring, he held out his wand, continuing angrily. "Before coming in here and angrily attacking anything that moves, I would expect a group of Aurors to announce themselves, as proper law enforcement should, especially during a riot. Not to mention before accusing a Noble, a proper investigation is to take place, during which I am more than willing to cooperate by submitting my wand for a 'prior incantato'."

"In all accounts, you have shown me and therefore my Ancestor, The Great Archmage himself, Genghis Khan, the greatest of disrespects." Khan practically yelled, rage at the disrespect getting the better of him. "Yet you still stand before me with your false bluster dark wizard, point your wand at me and have the gall to demand anything of me?"

"HOW DARE YOU?"