The Second Wave

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- I guess it's time for me to say goodbye," I said, pulling on my invisibility cloak again. - After the events of the summer, aurors don't hold any positive emotions for me. And, if it's not too much trouble, could you keep my presence here quiet? Many of those who know I'm alive still think I'm the new Dark Lord, and the sight of these corpses obviously won't rid them of that opinion.

- If you insist, Harry. - Amelia nodded. - That's odd, I've heard from Hogwarts teachers that you crave fame.

I grimaced, knowing full well which of the professors there would say something like that.

- Perhaps that very same professor was rushing here with the other Riddle acolytes at the moment, and you would have a chance to check with him on that point.

- I've noticed that you've been avoiding using the name Voldemort," she said it without any embarrassment, expecting to see my reaction, but I didn't raise an eyebrow. - Why?

- Because I find the name so ridiculous that it doesn't deserve any attention. To me, he's not Lord Voldemort at all, just a maniacal Tom Riddle hiding his half-blood and non-wizard father.

- Muggle. - She decided to correct me.

- No. I find that title rather derogatory, and I don't use it in my speech either. Rest assured, Amelia, sooner or later wizards will regret their disdain for non-wizards.

- I am aware of the fact that the Dark Lord is a half-blood. - She didn't comment on what I said about ordinary people. - But how do you know that? It's secret information available to a few.

- Are you serious? - I looked at her sceptically, realising that I had almost no time left to get away. - I've been fighting him practically my entire conscious life. Do you really think you know something about him that I don't? I'm afraid to disappoint you. However, perhaps someday you and I can continue this conversation, but for now, I'll take my leave.

When we heard more clapping outside, we looked out the window again, seeing that the long-awaited reinforcements of the Eaters had arrived. There was no one to reinforce them, though.

If at first I'd assumed that the Aurors could handle the Dark Lord's supporters on their own, and that my involvement was no longer required, it soon became clear how wrong I'd been. The Eaters were noticeably outnumbered. About twenty of them appeared behind the lawmen, and this time not all of them wore white masks. Other militants joined the members of the inner circle. I even thought I saw Fenrir, who was easily recognisable without ever having met him. That meant that the enemy's most bloodthirsty forces had been unleashed into battle.

The Aurors, unsure of what exactly to expect on the grounds, slowly made their way towards the house, looking around. They reacted quickly to the clapping behind them and turned around sharply, but the Eaters, for their part, knew exactly why they had come. And it was they who were the first to release their spells.

Watching the unfolding events from the window, I clenched my fists. Amelia beside me watched in pain as the Aurors died one by one. I had secretly hoped that she, like Sebastian, had personal guards thanks to her position, but I hadn't realised that they would be incapacitated so quickly.

Mage-police who had not expected such resistance, against ruthless assassins unrestrained by any laws or morals - the outcome was a foregone conclusion. I couldn't have helped these people in time if I had wanted to. It wasn't even a couple of minutes before it was all over-all the Aurors, some of whom were still alive, were lying in the grounds outside the house, and the Eaters had lost only six of them as they continued to approach the house in a tight formation.

Seeing that they were going to finish off the surviving foes, I couldn't stand by any longer and, opening the window, fired an aimed Bombard at the largest cluster of pureblood bastards. Bones must have been thinking the same thing, because another explosive curse flew at them right after. The Eaters who hadn't had time to cover themselves with their shields were blown to pieces, but most of them were able to jump away before they saw the rays coming. The moans of the wounded Aurors were joined by more cries of pain, but the dark mages did not rush to their aid, firing at the windows of the house and slowly destroying the structure.

- Looks like you're going to need major repairs. - I stated, taking cover behind the window sill.

She didn't answer, staring in front of her. I realised that the deaths of her subordinates had hit her harder than I had originally thought, so I decided not to touch her.

I looked out carefully and saw that a new wave of attackers was closing in on the house. I fired a targeted Reducto, disabling another one, and had to duck back into the house when I was hit by a barrage of spells, the most harmless of which was a slashing spell that could sever my head from my shoulders in one fell swoop.

I sat down on the floor again, frantically wondering what to do next. Things were out of control, I'd lost all the surprise I'd hoped for, and now I was literally surrounded by people who would kill me without a second thought. Realising I needed help, I turned to Bones and took her hand.

- Amelia," she looked at me with unfocused eyes. - I understand your feelings, but this is not the time or place for grieving. There are survivors among your Aurors, and we must help them as soon as possible.

My words seemed to have the desired effect, for she managed to pull herself together and nodded firmly.

- You're right. But... These people have been with me for over ten years. And now they've died so quickly fighting for me.

- This is war, Amelia. Your superiors may not admit it, but it's a war, and people are dying every day. We have a chance to seriously thin out Riddle's forces. We're already doing that, but in order to help your people, we need to get rid of those Eaters coming into your house. Do you understand?

- Yes. Let's do it. - When she saw me throw on my robe, she clung tighter to my arm. - You're not going to leave me, are you? I don't care what spells you use, Harry. And I'm not going to ask where you learnt it. You've saved my life before, but I'm going to ask you to help me again.

- I'm not going anywhere, don't worry. I just prefer to keep a low profile. If you see anyone enter the hall, cast the spell immediately.

She nodded again and got to her feet, hiding in the far corner and pointing her wand at the corridor. I, in turn, renewed the spell on my shoes and moved forward, listening for sounds. I had a feeling that the Eaters should have made their way into the house and upstairs by now, but all I could hear was some sort of commotion on the ground floor, when suddenly a sharp, loud shriek pierced the surrounding silence.

Guessing what was going on there, I went to the stairs and lurked, waiting for the assailants to come into sight. The noise at the bottom gradually increased, as if there was a battle going on again, but who exactly Riddle's followers were fighting was a mystery.

- He's behind us! - The frightened shout was abruptly interrupted and the sounds of fighting could be heard again.

- Avada Kedavra! - The green flare was so powerful that I noticed it while standing on the first floor.

After the death curse had been pronounced, there was a brief spell and a rumble from downstairs, then a loud animal growl, and then the house was quiet.

I felt like a character in some cheap horror film. My wand hand was sweating, and my body was trembling. But I kept looking at the stairs, and relaxed when, instead of the expected monster, I saw the Eaters coming up slowly. They were clearly frightened, looking around nervously and spinning around so sharply that they grazed their mates. I don't know what exactly happened downstairs, but only four of them reached the first floor.

Letting two of them pass me so Amelia would have a chance to get even for her fallen comrades, I let the other two go forward a little, and took aim at the back of the trailing one. At first I wanted to use Avada again, but I decided not to give myself away by verbalising, and I let out a silent Diffindo, hitting the Eater squarely in the neck. He made a gurgling sound and clutched at the wound, trying to stop the gushing blood with his hand, but his efforts were futile. Falling to his knees, he collapsed on his side and gave no further sign of life.

At the same time, a loud female voice and a green flash from the side of the hall told me that Amelia was not experiencing the same difficulties as I was. Realising that our little trap had worked and that there were only two Eaters left, I peered down the dark corridor separating me from the hall and realised that both of them had already gone out to Bones.

Hurrying after them, I burst into the room and hurled a Stupefy at my nearest opponent, assuming at the last moment that the Lord's living supporters would be useful later. He slumped awkwardly to the floor, his eyes spinning frantically as he tried to see where the spell had come from. Unfortunately, in my haste to help the woman, I'd forgotten about the bodies we'd left in the same room earlier, and as a result, I tripped over one of them, catching my robe in the process.

The last one left standing was a member of the inner circle and looked unharmed. Fending off Amelia's attacks and sending spells back at me, he was distracted by the noise from the side and stared at me in surprise as the robe came off completely, revealing my face.

- Potter?! - He shouted, and I knew who it was by the sound of his voice, having heard him only a short while ago.

- Parkinson?! - I repeated his intonation as if I was just as surprised.

Despite his obvious surprise, he didn't lose his concentration and continued to successfully fight Bones, turning so that we were both in front of his eyes. He abruptly threw some purple curse at me, but I was ready for it and jumped aside, not risking taking it on my shield.

- It's just great that you're here, Potter! Don't go anywhere!

I realised what he was up to and tried to stop him, throwing all the curses I could think of, but he just deftly spun on his axis, letting them pass, before slipping his hand under his robes and pulling out something, holding it in his hand. With another wave of his wand, he pulled the body of one of the lying Eaters toward him, shielding it from both my Reducto and Amelia's Avada, then clutched the object in his hand and disappeared.

- Shit!" I exclaimed loudly, kicking the paralysed Eater with all my might. - Missed!

- That was the last one, I guess. What happened to the others, did you have to deal with them all by yourself?

- It wasn't the last one. - I whispered, ignoring her question. - We have to go now.

- Where? I have to help my men. - She pointed to the courtyard outside the window, where the wounded Aurors lay, then swung her wand sharply and sent a Patronus to someone.

- Didn't you hear what he said?! - I shouted, forgetting all politeness. - Parkinson's about to bring his master here! Who did you call Patronus? It didn't matter, though.

I hurriedly pulled on the robe that had fallen off, then looked out the window and realised that things had finally spiralled out of control. We only had one guest this time. He was walking slowly around the grounds, paying no attention to the bodies lying there. Even though I couldn't see from this distance, I was sure that those Aurors who hadn't passed out yet were about to do so at the mere sight of the figure in front of them.

I knew it was impossible, but I could feel Riddle looking me straight in the eye as he slowly approached the house.

- Harry Potter. Long time no see. - The hissing voice echoed throughout the area, and I realised that my presence was now definitely known to all the survivors. - Come out, boy, no more hiding. Come out and I'll spare your new girlfriend. Although, don't you think she's a little old for you? Still, I've heard love has its quirks. - I turned pale, thinking he was threatening Fleur, but it was simpler than that." "My dear Amelia, you don't think a young man can fully satisfy your needs, do you?

He laughed, and I looked at Bones, who had already recovered from her horror at seeing the Dark Lord in her yard, and was now peering cautiously out of the window, watching his actions. At Riddle's insinuations, she only frowned, not giving in to his provocations. Looking over to where I was standing, she shook her head.

- 'Don't go out there, Harry. Help is on its way.

- Help? I'm afraid there's no help, Amelia. The new Auror squad will just end up next to the old one. But I'm really not going out. If I'm to take this fight, it'll be on my terms.

Stepping to the far end of the hall, I stood near the entrance to one of the bedrooms. The door was off its hinges, but in this case, that was to my advantage.

Amelia looked out once more, and then ducked as a huge explosion blew the window and its frame off, hurling it into the wall opposite. Riddle laughed again, not about to lower the volume of his voice.

- What, you won't come out? Then I'll kill her first, so you can see it, and then I'll come after you. Although maybe you and I should go to France and visit your other girlfriend first. I bet she'd love to see me.

- Amelia, I'll be here," I waved my hand from under my robes, no longer paying any attention to Riddle's words. - Protect yourself and don't be surprised by anything.

- What are you up to? You're not going to fight him, are you? This is madness! Leave while you still have a chance.

- That chance was gone before I was born," I said quietly, feeling the weight of it on my shoulders, "when some mediocre fortune-teller made the prophecy that started it all.

- What are you talking about, Harry?

- It doesn't matter now. All that matters is that I have an opportunity to end this reptile once and for all, and I'm not going to let it go.

Another explosion from the ground floor told us that Riddle hadn't bothered to open the front door and had simply blown it off its hinges. As I froze in place, I felt myself stabbing. Amelia continued to stand by the remains of the window, pointing her wand into the corridor. Her hand wasn't shaking, unlike mine. The thought crossed my mind that she would make an excellent Minister.

The measured footsteps coming from the staircase made me concentrate. Riddle walked leisurely into the hall and surveyed the room, paying particular attention to the bodies lying at his feet. He didn't even glance at Amelia, her arm outstretched in front of her, pretending she wasn't there.

- You failed me," he said to those Eaters who were conscious, "But you caught Potter. There is a reward for that.

He looked around the room once more and looked at Amelia, who was staring at him with a hateful look.

- Why aren't you attacking? I remember your brother was much more determined. It didn't help him, though.

- Reducto! - Bones gave in to the provocation and shouted the spell loudly, but Riddle only raised his shield lazily, then sent Amelia into the wall with a wave of his hand. She shrieked and slid to the floor, but remained conscious as she continued to watch his actions.

- How trivial. - The lord pretended to yawn. - I expected more from you Amelia. But where is your young friend? Where are you, Harry? Come out, don't be afraid. You know you can't hide from me. You're not having as much fun as the Malfoys? It's all right, we're going to have a lot of fun together. I know you're here, Potter!

He abruptly changed his tone and waved his wand, launching Revelio. The wave had no sooner reached me than he turned around abruptly and smiled, raising his wand and turning his back to me.

- You're right, Riddle, I'm here. - He twitched and started to turn back around. - Avada Kedavra!

The green beam flew straight at him, but by some incredible, truly serpentine movement, he managed to twist round and let it pass him, falling on his side.

But I wasn't looking at it anymore. Once again hiding under my robes, I ran into the bedroom I had prepared in advance.

- Insolent boy, Avada Kedavra! - Riddle's scream echoed throughout the house, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a beam that carried only death in it.