Chapter 10: The Curse Of Estagal Pt II

THE BINDING OF FATES

CHAPTER 10

THE CURSE AT ESTAGAL PT II

Summary: After the attack, Jon scouts ahead and infiltrates the town.

"Give me a moment, everyone." said Tonks. She was still crouched in the main barn, Ollivander's old cloak covering her wet body.

"We must go. It isn't safe," Ollivander said.

"I'm not going anywhere. I ..." Tonks stammered, looking at her bloody hand. "Just need to..." Tonks angrily wiped the blood on the dusty ground. "I need to be cleansed." Tonks eyes were now dry, but red with anger. "I want to feel clean."

The three men looked at each other. "We shall stand guard outside, mila-"

"Cut it out with that milady crap. And no one is going anywhere. Each of you just... keep a look out for me, okay? I'll be quick. Need to get this blood off." Tonks abruptly stood up, taking a deep breath. She walked back to the showers stall. The old black cloak hung loosely on her shoulders, not even hiding the front of her nude body. She didn't even seem to care. With her back turned to them, she stepped under the barrel.

"My wand, Harry," she summoned in a whisper, her hand outstretched .

"At once," Harry dug in the dead man's robes for Tonks' wand. He retrieved it and walked towards the open makeshift bath stall, his head dipped low. He focused on her feet, and the black of the old cloak , the wand held high in two open palms. He did not dare look at her body or her face. They were in a bad situation already, and he couldn't make it worse by gaping. She took it and threw the old robe towards him. Harry didn't even make an attempt to catch it and it covered his bowed head and arms as if he were a mere serving slave.

Harry felt exactly how Wormtail must have at the resurrection site. He backed out of the stall with head bowed, not even removing the old man's garment. Tonks waved her wand and the water started to flow. Jon coughed loudly.

"I'll go get Cloud. And organize our belongings. Master Ollivander, I would ask that you use your magic to set up a perimeter to detect intruders, please. Harry," Jon called. Harry threw off the cloak on top of a railing, embarrassed. Jon hit him with one of those stares. "Those people are in danger. Make sure she is ready," he said in an hoarse whisper, his tone indicating that not only dressed, but ready for action.

Harry just looked back at him, confused. He lowered his voice. "What do you expect me to say? Plus, she's bathing." And naked.

Jon approached with three quick strides and got in his face. "Use your knowledge," Jon countered in a low tone. "She's in a precarious state. Keep her together."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Jon scowled.

"You," he said warningly. "Will protect her, much better than we ever could, if you get her into combat ready state of mind. Find.. a.. way." He walked to the main door, peeped through the slats, covered his face and drew his hood, disappearing.

Harry gulped, looking at the black of Tonks hair under the trickling water. The stall door blocked her from chest to knee. Her arms were vigorously moving, scrubbing her skin.

"So.." Harry said, stalling. "You alright there?"

There was no response, only the sounds of bathing.

"Hey..."

"Yes. No. Fuck!" she snapped, her voice shaky. "You've got some explaining to do, Harry. And when we're back home and out of this shithole, you will explain."

"Explain what?" Harry said, perplexed.

"You are really beginning to piss me off, you know that?" She snarled, washing her face from the soap. She stared at him. "He just butchered that man, like what we did to those boars. Ear to fucking ear, I am still trying to get the feel of it off of me! Now don't you fucking dare say 'Explain what' like you have no clue!"

"I would have done the same, Tonks," Harry said simply. "It is you we're talking about. Your life. We don't play around with that. He had a wand to your neck."

"Harry," she sighed, scrubbing the back of her neck. "You talk as if this is nothing. This is what I am trying to understand about you two all this time. That isn't normal for lads your age."

"We're different," Harry said.

"No shit," Tonks said with a grunt. Harry had to think up something quickly to make Tonks understand, without making her really understand.

How would Dumbledore do this? Harry got sudden inspiration.

"Jon has been taken into a special orphanage when his mother got sick. Well that's what he told me." Harry began. "Those people sound strange to us, but I guess if someone heard my story they would say I'm strange too. The orphanage was based up north, in a medieval fortress to guard against the Scots during that time in history... the war. It was nicknamed 'The Wall'," Harry explained, making up the story as he went along. "Mainly because of a legendary siege that they withstood when Winter Fell upon them. Northern English warriors held it against attack for a long time until reinforcements came."

Ooh I am getting good at this Harry thought, mentally clapping himself on his back.

"That's where you get that Winter is Coming tripe about, huh?" Tonks said.

"Don't play with those words," Harry warned. "It's that serious when it comes to him."

"So," Tonks ventured. "About this orphanage..."

"I didn't want to press him, but basically from what I could put together they trained the lads there in the Ways of a Knight from young, as tradition."

"Even now?"

"They still train us to be wizards right?" Harry countered.

"Touché," she replied.

"Something happened up there, and someone who cared for Jon...died," Harry explained. "He escaped and made his way down to me, remembering a story of a Black being wanted in connection with the Potter family. I don't know how, and I don't know why. But he found me."

"It seems like a binding of fate," Tonks said. The water began to trickle down. The water level was now below the cork opening. "Drat," She said, her eyes closed and hair still covered with soap. "Shoot. Harry get up there and take off the lid and pour out the rest so I can rinse my hair will ya?"

Harry gulped. He climbed the ladder to the loft and did as she commanded.

I must be dreaming!

It was bordering on torture. He overturned the water barrel and aimed it down her head. The water washed off the suds and she finally opened her eyes. She gasped as she looked up.

"Harry!" she screamed, crouching down and covering her bits. "What are..?" She stopped, embarrassed. "I did tell you to do that, didn't I?"

"Yeah."

"You ok if I did a memory charm?" Tonks said, turning a beet red.

"Of course not," Harry cheeked.

"I will kill you if you ever breathe a word about this," she snarled. Harry smiled. Tonks was back, all right. Snappy and bossy as ever.

"Mums the word," Harry said, giving her a thumbs up.

"Get!" she cried.

"Okay okay!" Harry said as he scampered down from the loft. "Hurry up. Jon went to get our stuff. We've got to make sure Ms. Payet and Michael is safe."

After searching the dead body and taking whatever possessions he had, Harry levitated the corpse and carried it near to the fire pit. Jon had a plan to make the other talk when they awakened him.

"Get up," Harry's voice came. "We need to let you see this."

The stupefied wizard came to his senses, awoken by Ollivander's enervating spell. he struggled against the manacles tying his wrists and ankles behind his back. Heat was in the air, wafting hot dust across his face. Harry's face took up most of his vision. He crouched low, talking to him with palms clasped patiently between his bent knees. Harry nodded behind him. The captive squinted, disoriented from the stupefy spell.

"This is your buddy. Wave, buddy."

Ollivander and Tonks stood on either side of a kneeling hostage, a sack was tied over his head. Their normal clothes were transfigured into loose, shapeless black robes, deep, heavy shadows playing over their faces. Behind them was the inferno of the burning pit of dead pigs, the flames throwing up ashes, smoke and burning meat smell.

The kneeling body waved his arm at him.

"We have him silenced and disarmed. I have questions. We want to know who are you and why you are here."

"I not telling you anything," the captive said in a heavy accent, defiant.

"They all say that." Harry said nothing more, just kept watching. Both men remained silent. "Until the tools come out."

"You don't scare us. Brit shit."

"You ready to die then?"

No response.

"Your mate doesn't want to die." The kneeling man waved his arms pleading with muffled sounds. "Hear that? He didn't want to talk either. What you do next determines if you die, he dies, or both of you live. So who are you and what are you doing here?"

No response. Harry shook his head, exasperated.

"Chuck him in," he called out. Tonks waved her wand and the body was thrown in the burning pit. The fires snapped at the new fuel. A ghastly yell began to sound through the night, screams of a dying man. Harry turned his attention back to the captive.

"Music to my ears," he announced, closing his eyes and smiling in contentment.

"Fuck! Vladsko! Vladsko Seminov! I belong to Krov! Russian. Please, mercy!"

"How many of you are here?"

"Three more, at main hub camp!" he pleaded.

"What did you come here for?"

"Owl came. Said wizards came to kill boars. We were sent to find out what was going on."

"Who do you work for? Who hired you?"

"Purificateur of Krov," he said, desperate. "French arm."

"Ah... Vlad, you don't mind if I call you that? Russian isn't my strong point. See? Easy, this wasn't so hard." He clapped the side of his cheek twice. Vlad flinched, scuttling away from him. "Who sent the message from the camp to call you?" Harry asked pleasantly.

"We don't know. We were sent here, that's all!"

"Come on," Harry tsked, exasperated. "Guys, we have another to add to the fire!"

"He has bad French, probably also Russian, I don't know!"

"Where is your French base?"

"Paris."

"Give me names," Harry ordered, leaning in closer.

"Tra- tra.. tray.." he stammered, then began to froth at the mouth.

Shit

"Guys! We got a suicide poison going on here!" he called. Tonks and Ollivander rushed up to him, but by the time they got close, Vlad had keeled over, his eyes glassy, leaking a sickly green substance out of his mouth.

"That's some dark, twisted life to live," Tonks said sadly. "We got his stuff and the info, let's go."

"We'll let the French Aurors deal with this guy," Harry said, using the dead man's sleeve to close his eyes. "We all ready to roll?"

"Tonks will disappear the two of us," Jon said, his head in full view again.

"Side along apparition," Harry corrected. "Very convincing scream by the way." Jon shrugged.

"We side along near the rocky stream by the perimeter of the main property. I will scout, and try to catch them unawares. I hope I will not have to be as extreme," Jon reassured the party. "Most likely the rest of his clan would be awaiting a report from these two before anything drastic befalls the farm folk." He strung his bow. "Milady, please enchant these arrows to be blunt and also containing that wonderful knockout spell. I will use the sleep curse if I get close enough. It did not pass through his robes when I attempted it... which is why I had no choice," he said grimly, watching the corpse burn. "Directly in the face only."

"He had it coming," Tonks said, determined. Harry thought her eyes looked cold as she watched the flames eat away the body in the swine grave.

I am changing her. She was an Auror, but never this serious. Harry contemplated how he was affecting the lives of the people he knew once again, and was not sure if it was for the better in all cases.

"His life went down an inevitable path when he challenged us," Jon said solemnly. Tonks grabbed his arm, and Ollivander grabbed Harry's.

The party arrived a hundred meters from the fence of the main hub farmstead. "We take cover there," Jon pointed to ditch of a dried stream. "Mistress Tonks, the tracking charm, if you please." She administered it on Jon. "I will be back." Tonks grabbed at his invisible body before his face disappeared.

"Be careful," Tonks said. Jon nodded.

"Strike clean, Jon. And true." Harry offered his fist, and felt an invisible firm hit against it.

"To arms," Jon said, and disappeared.

Jon made his way across the field. Tonks tapped both Harry's and Ollivander's wands and now both of their wands pulled their hands towards Jon's movements.

"Once he doesn't go in a crowd, if you look hard enough down the line of your wand, you can see a faint outline. The spell connects the pull to your sight, giving you clues to where he is," she explained in a whisper.

The three of them crawled on their belly so that they were prone at the crest of the ditch. They all peered down the sight of their wand. Jon was jogging through the field, his bow notched. He crawled underneath the wooden fence and approached. After a few minutes, the spell fizzled out from harry's wand.

"Tonks you still got the spell going?"

"Yes." She frowned. "The pull is still connected and strong, just it doesn't see well in the dark."

Harry's gut instinct was to get closer so he can back him up better. Harry also knew now that these sort of gut instincts were wrong.

"Patience. Trust in him," Harry said softly to the others. Tonks snorted.

"Funny. He says the exact same thing about you."

Harry smiled. Jon was a good guy, all in all. He still was worried though. He wanted to take out his invisibility cloak and back him up, but he couldn't do that with Ollivander around. The man might go nuts if he figured out that he was in possession of one of the Hallows.

The minutes ticked by in silence. Tonks arm was being pulled and guided by Jon's movement, slowly going left to right, inch by inch.

Harry was getting very agitated and nervous.

"How long do you think he would need?" Harry asked. Tonks shook her head.

"He's still moving. He seems to be ok," Tonks reinforced.

"Good," Harry breathed.

Jon had circled the main market hub twice. The stalls were empty yet still alight, the goods still out in the open. Client carts and wheelbarrows were still queued in line. The reason for this was that there were close to one hundred people sitting in the road, legs crossed with hands clasped behind their heads, facing down at their knees. Two wizards patrolled the captured townsfolk in front of the Massive barn. Some sniffled, but otherwise there was an eerie quiet only interrupted by the footsteps on the dry, pebbly road of the their captors.

"Ten more minutes, healer," a male voice warned. "Our guys better be back soon." Jon heard this as he climbed from the one open window way to the back. He was in what he had to believe was a chamber pot room, for there were covered buckets of what he had to believe was feces due to the smell. Jon pulled taut on his bow, carefully making his way towards the front main area. He kept to the shadows, not knowing how the brightly lit sick room would affect the camouflage.

The main doors to the hospital were slightly ajar, light from the lamps spilling out. A group of people were standing in front of a wizard who wore the same style of robes as Vlad. This wizard was sitting on top of Ms. Payet's main office desk, set dab in the middle of the beds of patients. He was inspecting wands scattered on the table. He appeared bored.

Ms Payet was being held hostage. She looked tired and stressed, and was trying to keep calm for the sake of all the people inside and outside.

Jon recognized Michael MacMillan in one of the beds, apparently unconscious or sleeping, Jon was not sure. The four other people standing with their fingers linked behind their heads all had on similar medical scrubs as Ms Payet.

Jon took aim. Now was not the time to listen for anymore clues. There was a twang of release and the blunted missile connected to the back of the wizards head, knocking him flat off the table, out cold. Jon smiled, the blow probably would have knocked him out anyway. This was the third time he could not believe how true his arrows flew.

He was beginning to like this whole magical wizard thing. The five medics gasped and rushed forwards, grabbing their wands. Some began to circle, looking for the source of the attack.

Jon spoke in a low, calm voice.

"Be calm, and be quiet! The others are still at danger. Get defensive positions and put him in restraining binds. Do not call out. I am here to help."

"Who's there?" came a low response from Penelope Payet. "Crows?" she whispered.

"Stay inside, and remain quiet. Attack only if they enter. I will be back shortly, then we will talk." Jon went to the front doors and carefully peeped out the by the hinges. The two patrolling wizards were making random paths. Jon frowned. He was still giving a shadow on the door in front of him, even though he was pretty sure he remained invisible.

Going out the front door would inevitably spill a tall shadow along the ground. He cursed inwardly. He would have to time the guards when they were both not facing the light spilling out. Jon thought about the consequences of alerting the two wizards. He did not know what these wands could really do, as both he and Harry had used barely five spells in between them. He doubted these men had any such handicap to have been able to take a whole town hostage.

Jon hustled back towards the window, climbing out and circling around the building. Both of these two shots must be quick, and accurate. The sound of the wizard falling would alert the other. He found a spot in the shadows and waited. He put an arrow in between his teeth and notched another.

Patiently, he waited. They would eventually cross closely in a straight line sooner or later.

After four minutes of waiting, he observed that their paths would cross directly in line, probably twenty meters one behind the other. He took up his archery stance and drew. This would probably be his fastest reload he would ever have to accomplish.

Now.

Twang!

One connected solidly in his back. Before the wizard collapsed Jon opened his mouth and the feathers of the arrow dropped into the waiting space between the index and middle fingers. With a smooth, graceful pull the second arrow was notched. The loud thud was heard and people looked up to see the wizard fall. His companion spun around at the sound, pointing. Jon looked down the shaft once more.

Twang!

This arrow did not reach its target as a glowing circle appeared in front of the wizard and the arrow bounced off the shield charm.

Shit.

Jon ducked and moved back into the deeper shadows, circling.

"Get out here!" he shouted in Russian. "We got trouble!" He looked down at the blunted arrow, and quickly did a wave of his wand in a dramatized infinity pattern. Two bright orbs of light began to revolve around his body, similar to electrons circling a nucleus. "Andriy!" he shouted, his wand sweeping the shadows. "Donchev is down!" He made his way cautiously towards his fallen comrade. He flicked his wand and a pale yellow light bounced off the crumpled body. "Alive, but out!"

Jon let loose once again at the man's back. The glowing orb of light intercepted the arrow and a bolt of lightning reflected towards Jon. Jon threw himself flat down under the magical bolt, smashing his face and mouth on the pebbly ground. His lips burst and his teeth felt as if he had just took a gauntlet to the face. He pushed up from the ground and kept moving. The stall behind was now on fire from the light ball's attack.

Jon drew his knife and kept circling, light on his feet, avoiding the lighted areas. Most of the hostages were now laying flat on the ground, crying for mercy.

"Come out!" he demanded. "Come out you Brit shit!"

As soon as his back was turned Jon sprinted through the brightly lit area and plunged his knife into his back, paying no head to the magical circling light protecting him. He felt his dagger drive deep into his rib cage, then there was a blinding light. Jon felt an intense burn run through his body and everything went dark.

Tonks shot up from the ditch. The spell went suddenly dormant.

"Jon is down!"

"Fuck!" Harry shouted. "Get us in there!" Harry held out his hand towards Tonks.

"Main street market!" Tonks shouted to Ollivander and grabbed Harry.

They appeared on the scene of miniature chaos. One side of the marketplace was on fire and there was a burning pile in the middle of a rapidly retreating crowd of people.

Tonks immediately used a crowd opening jinx and a path was forcibly pushed open in front of them. Ollivander apparated behind them and the three of them sprinted towards the fire. Tonks pointed her wand in desperation.

"Aguamenti!" she screamed. The hosing spell created a hiss of steam on the pile of three bodies. Harry levitated Jon from the other two wizards. Their robes and bodies were burnt almost down to the skeleton.

"Noo!"

Tonks broke down in tears as Harry laid a motionless Jon down, his threstral robes steaming and burnt in many places. Tonks collapsed to her knees, coughing and crying in disbelief. Ollivander took off his wizard's hat, unblinking, unbelieving. His eyes were rheumy and beginning to water.

Harry looked at the two incinerated bodies, then back at Jon, who seemed to be sleeping, if sleeping with burnt pieces of robes and patches of foreign burnt body matter could be considered sleeping.

Harry poked his foot to Jon's head. Tonks looked at Harry with pure hatred.

"What...are you doing?"

Harry crossed his arms, tapping his foot as he looked down at Jon.

"Okay Mr. Black. Show's over, you can get up now," Harry commanded. Tonks looked incredulous.

"Potter, are you fucking insane?" Tonks looked at the two corpses, beginning to doubt herself now.

"I ...always wanted to experience a beautiful lady crying for me," Jon's voice murmured, his eyes still shut closed. A smirk came on his face. "Do not be so condescending, Roderick Hallow. It did hurt a lot before it was put out." Jon opened his eyes, his mouth still bloody from his dive. Tonks' jaw was wide open in disbelief. Ollivander was openly crying with tears now, laughing.

Jon smiled a bloody smile.

"Mistress Tonks, forgive me. I meant no disrespect, nor undue stress," he said. With a groan, he sat up. Harry gave him a hand to help him up. Jon grabbed it and it was still searing hot. Mid pull Harry screamed.

"Ow!" Harry let go immediately, and Jon fell ungainly on his backside with a loud oomph. He rolled over, holding his now aching lower back. He laid his cheek flat.

"I think," Jon panted, moaning in pain. "I think I will just lay here awhile, until I cool off and recover," he said tiredly, closing his eyes on the dusty, rocky ground.

An hour later Madame Maxime and the same two Aurors that were there early this morning was at the hospital.

"The Crows have been busy," she greeted Tonks. Tonks was still numb, and merely nodded in thanks. The Aurors and the headmistress were standing with Tonks, Ollivander and Harry around Jon's bed. He was given a large black robe to rest in as he ate dinner.

"This network is larger than we thought," one of the Aurors said. He produced a scroll to Tonks. Tonks read it, and looked at her teammates in turn.

"This is a Russian bounty. They require three farms to be targeted, infiltrated, and contaminated over a five month period." The Auror took back the scroll.

"We've been trying ever since we found this piece of information what the contamination was supposed to be. Never thought it would be something as straightforward as bog boars," he concluded. "But why though? What do you think, Ms Dora?"

From Ollivander's slight shake of his head she knew that letting the authorities know that they wanted to mine the urine for inferi creation might be a bad idea.

"They wanted the people out," she lied. "The families here were under strain with the sickness and were almost ready to leave. Didn't you say some wizards want magically historical places to be reclaimed? These people here are magical no doubt," she offered.

"Maybe," the Auror said, unconvinced. "These two dead and one alive would still fetch you a decent bounty from the contractor department. If you want some more private work, leave us a calling card."

"Be careful with the questions," Jon offered, biting through the meat. "They have a suicide poison on them that activates if you dig for information that they are incapable of giving."

The Aurors stared at Jon. Jon stared back. The two Aurors looked at their gagged and blindfolded captive laying on another bed nearby.

"We'll... take that into consideration. Sign here, and here, ladies." The Aurors offered Penelope and Tonks two parchments. One was a report on the infestation job being complete and the particulars of the service. The other was a report on a hostage situation and the capture and elimination of foreign Hit wizards on French soil. As clan members were mercenaries, they would not be able to offer an impartial account of the incident in court and were waived from testimonial unless they were direct suspects in a crime. Ms Payet would be required to attend court as the village representative at a further date as state witness to the events of this night.

"And here," the Auror said, handing Tonks an official looking document.

"Take this to Gringotts. They would liaise with Scrooglings and transfer your bounty moneys," his partner began to explain.

"International Bounty level B-3 claimant form. Known Outlaw Recovery: Status 'Alive and Well' - Twenty five thousand galleons for Andriy Rasklov a.k.a Raskas. International Bounty level C-6 claimant form. Deceased recovery of John "Donchev" Doe, John "Milix" Doe and Vladsko Seminov - Four thousand galleons each."

"That reminds me," Ms Payet said. "This was the original Hunter's Guild contract. Take this to your guild. We owe you so much for all you have done, but we will honour our agreement. It may take some time, but you will get it."

Tonks read the parchment. "This here said the Clan call out fee was four thousand galleons, and one thousand commission per Wild Bog Boar." She stared at Penelope, astonished. "May we speak, privately?" The two women went towards a quiet area. Tonks raised her eyebrows, patting the scroll with her finger. "From what I see here, you can't afford this."

"I know. It is almost ten times the rate. We were desperate, but no one was coming. The Scythe's somehow locked the job in without actually doing it, or letting someone else take it. This was the last official offer we had issued, hoping the reward would get help in. Michael Macmillan the American came, but he was a lone hunter hoping to make a score. He didn't know exactly how to complete the job, but he stayed a few months and was committed to helping whichever way he could. He was very good at helping us organize a system to help cope with our problems. Most of the people would have starved or left if it weren't for his hub central idea." She looked down at his bed. "They Crucio him for almost an hour. Made everyone watch. These Russians were professionals. Lynching, I believe they called it in the new world. Public brutality. Which is why the few of them could have overthrown this town in such a short time. We were weak."

"As you said, those guys knew what they were doing. You don't have to deal with dark wizards every day."

"Still. It is a shame. We need to learn how to protect ourselves. If your Mr. Black would like to stay, he is most welcome. We need someone like him."

"Yes, he does leave an impression, doesn't he?" Tonks agreed, turning towards the two boys who were sharing a joke with the Aurors. She chuckled to herself. "Want to hear something funny? The other boy with the glasses is the one you should watch out for though. Everything seems to revolve around him."

"Him? He seems harmless."

"Tell that to Lord Voldemort," Tonks said quietly, giving her a wink. Penelope eyes widened, then she smiled a wondrous smile. She observed the unassuming boy laughing and joking in her modest field hospital.

"No... it couldn't be!" she said in a whisper. "The Boy Who Survived the Killing Spell! Is it truly him?"

"My lads," Tonks said with grudging pride, folding her arms. "They're legit. I'm beginning to believe them when they jokingly say they are immortal."

"You must be joking."

"Believe me Penelope, after what I've seen tonight, I wish I was."

AN: Thank you for reading. Your feedback is much appreciated and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. We're back In England come next chapter as our guys get ready for integration into the safest place to be: Hogwarts!

Until we meet again

-TDLN