Chapter 13

There was a new spell I had devised and I was very unique. It made a tattoo magically and could only be removed after 7 days. The tattoo could even move about but not very far from where it was placed. I looked around and found a few unsuspecting idiots with a decent bit of magic and branded them. Then came the part where they would accidentally show the mark. A simple variant of stinging hex because this one lasts longer and causes more pain. The screams began and I walked into the DOME of my exams and since I was taking all of them at once, the day would fly by quickly. 

The exams had taken just as long as I had guessed and nearly all my grades were in Outstanding with distinction save one where it was a measly Excellent with distinction and they were more than enough to qualify for the official Auror training program. To become a fully fledged Auror, one would need to get NEWT certification in dueling, charms, transfiguration, ancient runes and DADA. These could be done while training in the program as an apprentice Auror. I sighed and collected my certificate along with a few forms I needed to fill for the NEWTS. Then I planned to take the NEWTs once every two days beginning next month. With everything done to my satisfaction, I walked happily to the Floo network only to find that it was wrecked along with half of the hall. All the chandeliers and paintings were destroyed, but the most eye-catching thing was the amount of bodies present. At a glance I had counted 20 bodies, and nearly 40 injured wizards attending to their injuries. I looked at the nearest victim, a woman that was barely alive and began to treat her. 

"You there. Come here, we need to help as many as we can." I yelled to a nearby wizard who was just frozen in shock at the carnage. 

"Yes." He said snapping out of his daze and we began to help the one that were barely alive. 

We were at it for nearly 30 minutes and saved about 6 wizards from dying and I had killed 11 wizards that were knocked out. People that were still fine, were now helping others by following my example. When more Aurors had arrived on the scene, they immediately began to knock people out and a few of them apparated doctors from St. Mungo's and finally, I was also taken into custody. After a brief wait, Moody literally blasted the door open and pointed his wand at me. 

"Tell me boy, what the fuck happened there?" He yelled as a glow gathered at his wand. 

"I went to give my OWLs early and came out to see that disaster. Then, I helped out a few people." I said in a very relaxed tone. 

"And, if I find out anything else. You will wish you were dead." Moody went away but not before repairing the door. 

I took a nice nap on the interrogation table and until I was woken up by a rather rude hex to the ass. I looked around and saw a smiling Tonks looking at me in a prideful way. 

"Wand please." I asked and she handed my wand back. "So, I am guessing Moody will not apologize?"

"Hah, not in this life." She laughed and led me to the Auror office for a formal meeting. 

We had to sit down for a direct address from Cornelius Fudge and boy was that a terrible mistake as the minister gave a speech that had about 40 loopholes and logical fallacies and even a few self incriminating phrases. There was a forced applause at the end of the speech and we all were dispersed. 

"Tonks, does this job require me to deal with that man regularly?" I asked and she vigorously shook her head. 

"God no, if that was the case then the entire Auror department would have rebelled long ago." She said with a chuckle. "Though, there are a lot of stupid wizards that need to be dealt with." 

"Looking forward to it then." I said as I accepted the trainee badge. 

"Looking forward to kicking your ass again." Tonks said and walked away with a little chuckle. 

With that done, I was waiting for Filtwick to arrive and take me back to Hogwarts. He arrived and immediately got into a scuffle with one of the aurors and took a whole team of them out before someone recognized that he was one of the dueling champions and was under Dumbledore's care. Moody almost popped a vein when he arrived to find Filtwick standing over several knocked out Aurors but gave in after a Floo call from Minister himself. 

"I must say Ace, today has been rather taxing and I would like to rest but do explain yourself to the headmaster." He said and walked away with a slouch in his already tiny posture. 

I sensed the headmaster and McGonagall approach, and grinned. 

"Those old goats, why must I explain myself to him when he can request an official report. Supreme mugwump my ass. Just put me under crucio and be done with it." I groaned and punched a nearby wall. 

"Mr. Enigma, you should watch your words." McGonagall said, and I jumped a bit to add a bit of flare. 

I turned around and coughed into my fist and straightened my robes before looking at Dumbledore. 

"Hello there Headmaster and Professor, to what do I owe this to?" I said in a cheerful voice. 

"Well, I would like to hear the story from a live witness first then look at the official report." Headmaster said and apparated the two of us to his office. 

"Can I just use the pensieve again?" I asked and he nodded. 

A quick wave towards the wall and the pensive was revealed. I extracted the memory and placed it inside the sieve for viewing. Both McGonagall and Albus, viewed the memory for about 15 minutes before exiting the scene and looking at me in surprise. 

"That was a brutal disaster. Are you okay boy?" McGonagall asked, looking at me in worry. 

I frowned and sighed as I took a seat.

"I am actually a bit disturbed but I have actually seen much worse." I said and that caused two mental probes to appear in my mind which I blocked with a desperate frown on my face. "Stop that. I am telling you the thing."

"It is hard to believe that one such as yourself would have experienced such a catastrophe." Albus said, and gestured at me to continue. 

"It was during one of the cataloging tasks during my internship at the Auror's department. One of the crazier psychos stored a memory of one of his rampages and set to project when any one touched the object." 

"I am assuming someone did touch the object in question?" He asked and I nodded in agreement. 

I ejected the memory onto the pensive and it literally changed its color at the emotions expressed. This part I didn't need to fake as the event did happen and boy was it horrific as the face of the two oldies changed as the viewed it. The memory showed a scene of gore and pain which would put any scenes in the movies SAW to shame and the victims regardless of age or gender would be forced to inflict fatal injuries upon themselves while fully conscious and aware of what they were doing. The wizard did this at one of the muggle noble weddings in the 14 century and the casualties were in thousands. After the initial gore fest the wizard stuck around to look at his masterpiece as his victims slowly bled to death or committed suicide to escape the pain. At a glance, he had caused more death in a day than I had in both my lives put together. Funny enough, McGonagall actually puked and excused herself while Albus looked pale. 

"Herpo the foul, you found one of his artifacts." Albus said as he held a nearby wall.

"Oh, you can recognize the wizard from that? How?" I said in surprise as the ministry had failed to place this wizard.

"There is a one particular death that gave it away, but that doesn't matter as I will discuss this with Cornelius." Albus said, and frowned at me. "How did you get so good at Occulumency?" He asked. 

"Practice and a few of my own ideas." I said and stood up.

I offered him the reports of my OWLs and he sighed. He simply flicked his wand and a quill began to write on a rather luxurious piece of parchment. 

"Would you like to wait until tomorrow to graduate or until you actually pass the NEWTs?" He asked me as he took a seat at his desk. 

"I will graduate tomorrow, if that isn't a problem." I said and he looked at me with worry written clearly on his face. 

"There was another student that walked these halls and he too was just as brilliant as you. I am afraid that you, my boy would walk the same path as him." He said looking at me. 

"What path is that Headmaster?" I asked as McGonagall walked back in. 

"A path of darkness. I have lived for a long time and I have seen the best of us seduced by the dark and I know the reason why. A drive for more, a thirst for power, something that the darkness offers in plenty." He said as he looked at McGonagall.

"I know the truth about the dark and I can safely say that no magic of mine demands anymore than just magic." I said as I saw a smile bloom on the oldies face. 

"And why do you know that information, Mr. Enigma" McGonagall asked. 

"Because, I am now a trainee Auror and we have to know just what we are up against." I said with a smile. "Also Professor, you can call me Ace." 

She smiled at me as Albus began to explain the process for tomorrow's event. McGonagall was surprised at my results and praised me for them, while simultaneously asking me to wait till NEWTs before leaving the school. I politely refused her and headed to the dorms to pack my stuff up. Later that night I went on a rather final hunting spree which nearly ended up fatal as I got discovered by centaurs. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem but one of their leaders had me in his sights and his arrows were deadly accurate as they were charmed to hit their target regardless of the obstruction in the path and he had fired the arrow from outside of my sensing range. I dodged the arrow and apparated away but the arrow followed regardless and I finally had to take it on my palm to stop it. Thankfully, I was great at healing and the wound was healed in mere moments. 

I didn't test my luck after that encounter and went back to Hogwarts and slept my night away. The next morning Albus announced my graduation, after breakfast and the school cheered for me. I went to Hogsmead and apparated away to my apartment with a slightly big question in my head. What do I do now? Help Harry get rid of dad or help dad get rid of Harry post his death or do both because they are not too exclusive of each other. Order of phoenix would be reestablished next year and then the train of wrecks of battles would permanently leave the station after that. The media did a good job of portraying me as a new Auror and the latest alumnus of the magical school. 

With a lot of free time in my hands, I began to set up unique magical traps around my house and made it a literal fortress by adding a Fidelius  charm to it and making me the secret keeper. I had even bought another apartment opposite to the warded one and made it a new home but I had still warded this one to hell as well. I had dedicated my entire month to basically three things and they were Auror training, planning my kills and warding the apartment. After a month, there were around 134 wards and 398 traps around the apartment. I even caused an accidental death as a thief waltzed right into a meat blender trap and got blended. At least the traps worked and that was a job well done in my books. Now, onto my first elaborate kill.