20

Chapter Twenty: Safe House

Previously… "Damn interference," Harry hissed as he ran full speed down the hallway. Pushing his back against the nearest wall, he carefully inched his way to the window. Partially pulling the edge of the drape from the glass, Harry took a brief look at his opposition. "Fuck."

Glass sprayed Harry's body even as he ducked for cover. The window that he had been peering was now spread across the floor and Harry's back. His left check and hands stung from where pieces of glass had hit him. Pushing himself up, allowing the glass to simply fall off his body, Harry continued down the hallway in a crutched position. 'Think, Marvolo…. Think!' Harry's mind screamed. 'The barrier I placed on the stairs is not going to last much longer. If there is someone of experience downstairs, it will be gone even sooner.' Now that he was passed the row of windows, Harry could move faster. Rising to his full height, Harry bolted toward the fourth story window that faced west. 'I'll be a moving target at least.' He thought hurriedly before he smashed the window.

A rope suddenly cleared the distance between Harry and the next house. With a grimace spread across his face, he grasped the loose end and positioned himself in the window frame. Holding his breath, Harry swung from the former Minister of Magic's townhouse. In midair, Harry flung his feet in front of himself, preparing his body for the eminent collision with the third story window of the next house. He largely ignored the spells that were thrown in his direction by the Aurors below. The sound of breaking glass became deafening to him. Pain filled Harry as portions of the window cut into his unprotected flesh. Unable to hold on to the rope, Harry landed on his side, hitting the wood floor of the house hard. His body slid a far distance down the hall before inertia halted his motion. Rising shakily, he moved quickly to a fire escape door. Throughout his run, his bruised side screeched in pain.

'My timing has to be perfect.' He thought, throwing the door open. Casting a time slowing charm, Harry jumped from the fire escape stairs, landing smoothly on the cobblestone below. Not far off, he could hear their voices shouting out commands. His feet immediately started to run once more. He easily maneuvered down the narrow maze of alley streets. His breath becoming ragged, Harry knew that it would not be long before his pursuers caught up with him. He skidded to a halt when he suddenly realized that he was currently in the section of London that had been for all purposes destroyed by his father's rampage. Abandoned houses would serve as the perfect hiding place, but first he had something to check before he wasted time. Removing his portkey, he touched the button that under normal circumstances would have transported him to his safe house, however, this time nothing happened. 'They must have expanded the range of the barrier… hopefully, Draco got out immediately.'

His eyes roamed over the desolate street that lay before him before they landed on a charred blue house. It would serve as a good hiding place. As he entered through the door frame, he was taken aback at how much it appeared to be a ghost house. Though its exterior was now charred, the heart of the house remained unchanged by time. Items were left where their owners had placed them before they either abandoned their home, or had been killed. Harry's eyes fell onto a moving family portrait that revealed that the home had been owned by a Wizarding family. His trembling hands sore from the glass cuts and rope burn gripped the delicate silver frame, bringing the picture closer to his face.

"The girl I saw…" Harry's voice trailed off. His finger touched her beaming face.

"He couldn't have gotten far." A voice shouted. "Fan out."

Harry looked sadly down at the picture one more time, before placing it face down on the table. Silently, he receded further into the bowels house.

"He's insane!" Sirius Black stated in disbelief after witnessing his partner's eldest son dive into the third story window of the house neighboring Fudge's.

James's face was extremely pale as he watched speechlessly. If he had desired to comment, the words just would not have come.

"Cover the perimeter!" Albus Dumbledore shouted. "Secure the Minister!"

James frowned as he along with Sirius moved into the townhouse. Once they reached the third floor staircase. They and their counterparts were met with an interesting dilemma that was preventing them from reaching the minister.

"What do we have?" James asked upon arrival.

One of the junior Aurors, Thomas… at least James thought that was his name answered. "We have a barrier, sir."

"Sirius, show them how it is done." James said caustically.

With a brief flick of his wand, Sirius dissipated the magical barrier much to the distain of those who had been working on it for the past fifteen minutes. Not waiting for any more words from the newbies, James and Sirius continued up the stairs. On the fourth floor, they were taken aback when at the sight of two bodies that were recognizable two of their colleagues.

"Tonks!" Sirius shouted even as he rushed to his cousin's side. His shaking fingers rested under her chin, searching for a pulse. "She's alive!"

James nodded. "I'll check on the Minister." However, James was certain he knew what he would see when he entered the Minister's office. His guess was right one. His face became grim. In the many years of tracing Voldemort's assassin, James had almost become numb to this sight. Except now, he knew it was his son's work. Gently, he lifted Fudge from his desk, laying him on his back on the floor. The dagger protruding from the man's throat was all James needed to see. 'He did not stand a chance.'

Looking up from the corpse, James saw Sirius watching him from the doorway. A curt nod was all James needed to do to confirm his best friend's suspicion. "Lets go… there is nothing we can do for the dead."

"Mate, I just want you to know that I am there for you." Sirius stated bluntly. "Harry was… is my godson. I know that I have not been receptive when he was figuratively brought back from the dead. But that day we watched him fly… we saw him without his mask on… it got me to thinking."

"Thank you, Padfoot." James closed his eyes, fighting back tears of frustration. "It is hard to just leave things the way they are… but it is all up to Harry."

Sirius nodded his head briefly as the pair left the room. "This is not going to be the ending we thought Harry would have when we held him just after his birth. I know you know this already, James, but you need to prepare yourself. This is not going to be one of those happy endings."

"Life doesn't have happy endings, Padfoot." James retorted briskly. "I am more concerned for Lily and Dorian."

Sirius Black frowned. It hurt him to watch the Potters suffer, especially when he saw no end to it. 'I want to say it is going to be alright… and crack a joke, but I can't.'

"Don't look so sour, Sirius." James said, moving down the staircase. As he walked past the new recruits, he paused. "Get body bags up there. The Minister is dead. Tonks is in need of medical attention. See that she gets it."

"Yes, sir."

Turning back to Sirius, James said. "We should report this to Dumbledore."

Sirius frowned. "Perhaps, you should let me do the talking… remember your last conversation with him."

"Deal." James said, recalling the shouting match he and the Headmaster had had when James had returned to active duty. That conversation had ended nowhere, and had officially created a perpetual rift between Dumbledore and the Potter family. After it, James had been almost resigned his post as an Auror. If it had not been for the threat of Voldemort, he would have.

Once outside of the house, Sirius pulled aside the first Auror he saw. "Where's Dumbledore?"

"He and Moody went to capture the assassin. I guess they have him trapped in the old burned down section of town." The man stated. "So, Fudge is dead?"

"Yes." Sirius stated, walking away. Out of the corner, he watched as his partner fell into step with him. "What is going through your mind?"

"We have to get to Harry before they do."

The sound of creaking floorboards echoed morosely with every step Harry took. In the back of his mind, he was slightly concerned about the condemned building's ability to support his weight. However, if he was having second thoughts it was likely that the Aurors would also. The floor behind him groaned loudly, causing Harry to freeze. His eyes sought his follower even has he sent a spell in their direction. The sound of an object breaking reached his ears. His face turned quickly to peer over his shoulder. Harry's mouth parted, as he watched shimmering shards, which had once been a mirror fall to the ground, creating more pieces to a puzzle. In each shard, he saw a reflection of himself. After a few moment of pause, Harry reached the conclusion that the noise had not come from a human but rather the house itself.

Moving slowly over the pieces, Harry looked up at the frame that held only one piece. In it rested a flawless reflection of the right side of Harry's face. A smile slowly touched the youth's face as he examined the partial depiction of his complexion.

"I am killing myself." He whispered, quietly as he touched the smooth surface. "I am killing myself, yet I do not care." Removing his fingers, Harry continued his walk through the hallway. "The glass was cold." Harry whispered, voicing his final contemplation aloud.

Through the worn walls, Harry could hear the voices of the frantic Aurors, looking for any trace of him. One such voice mentioned something about demolishing the buildings. Moving into a side room, Harry pressed his ear up to the drywall and strained to hear their conversation, which proved to be short lived and useless. Frowning, Harry rested his back against the wall and began to wait for the Ministry to make its first move.

A sniffling sound emitted from the corner, breaking Harry's concentration. Hesitantly, Harry left his perching spot and walked to the sofa. Bending, he lifted the skirt that hid the emptiness, which lay between the sofa and the carpeted floor. Two silvery eyes peered back at him out of fear.

"Pl-please don't kill me!" A boy's voice whimpered, trembling with fear.

Harry's eyes widened slightly, but betrayed none of his emotions. "Only if you do not try to kill me."

The child remained silent in his hiding spot.

Harry returned to his full height determined to ignore his unexpected companion. Wordlessly, he returned to his former position next to the far wall.

"How can I kill you, I'm only five and a half?" The boy asked.

His sudden response to Harry's statement dumbfounded the older boy. His emerald eyes narrowed at the memories the boy's simplistic statement had caused to rise. "You would be surprise, kid." Harry retorted quiet enough that he was confident the boy would not hear.

The booming sound of a building being collapsed caused Harry's stomach to turn with loathing. 'I will not be taken again.' The sound of a spell hitting nearby was to close for Harry's comfort. The sobs of the boy made him sigh vocally.

"What is your name?" Harry asked the sofa.

"Jonas."

Harry closed his eyes. "A dove."

The boy from beneath the sofa finally left his hiding spot. His hair was the color of freshly cut wheat and appeared to have not been trimmed in quite awhile. His silver colored eyes seemed oddly out of place when compared to the rest of his shallow face. His clothes were in shambles and fit him badly. Recently, the boy had probably gone through a rapid weight drop. It shown with the loose skin that hung from his limbs.

"What did you say?" Jonas asked. His face tightly lined with fear, as he stood trembling before Harry.

"Jonas… it is Greek for 'dove'." Harry whispered, grasping his fifth remaining dagger. "Do you live here by yourself?"

"I lived here with my family. They did not come back after You-Know-Who came." The boy bit his lower lip in apprehension.

"I see." Harry said in a hushed voice. "Why do you remain here?"

"I didn't-." Jonas halted as the sound of yet another building falling to the ground. "I didn't want to go to an orphanage."

Harry's face took on a look of deep reflection. "My father was raised in an orphanage. He did not like it very much."

Jonas stared silently at Harry. "You're You Know Who's son. Though I don't know your name."

A smile crept onto his face, turning away from the child, he stated, "My name is Harry. I'm not surprise that you have heard of me before. They have been spreading my exploits and appearance since my escape."

The boy looked down at his shoes. "I'm sorry."

'Sorry?' Harry pondered quietly, before the sound of an incoming spell wrenched his thoughts away. Harry flung himself on to Jonas just as a spell hit their building, causing plaster to fall from the ceiling. "Bastards," Harry muttered, grasping Jonas's thin wrist. Tugging the boy along with him, Harry moved toward the back of the fragile house. Behind him, Harry could hear the walls buckle and collapse. Next to him the five year old was crying in fear. His tiny feet could not keep up with Harry's much bigger steps. Seeing no other solution, Harry swung the boy unto his back. "Hold on and keep your head down!"

Another spell hit the badly decayed house, erasing evidence of the family that had once called the place home. The ceiling before Harry slowly began to cave in. Raising his hand, Harry forced it to remain in place until they had safely passed beneath it.

"Turn left down the next hall." Jonas stated.

Harry immediately obeyed, turning sharply down the specified hallway. His side began to pain him with every ragged breath he drew. Tears began to cloud his vision as he raced to the back door. There was no doubt in his mind that it would be guarded by Auror guards. With Jonas on his back, he had a handicap. His hand grasped the loose golden door knob. Turning it, he was given access to the outside world. However, the sight that greeted him was anything but pleasant.

"Resorting to taking hostages are we, Potter." Moody's grating voice caused the hair on the back of Harry's neck to rise. "That is a new low, even for you."

Harry bowed his head. From beneath his bangs, his eyes roamed counting the circle of Aurors. Their numbers were not impressive, but they had Moody. The Head of the Aurors had to be worth at least five aurors. The other five Aurors were merely pests, yet they had to be taken out before he even thought of terminating Moody.

"Put the boy down, Potter."

'I intended to.' Harry thought snidely. Slowly, he lowered the frightened child to the ground. "Close your eyes." He whispered to Jonas at the last moment.

When Jonas's silvery orbs tightly closed, Harry released the dagger in his right hand, hitting the Auror directly to his left. In rapid session, Harry flung his fourth and third dagger. After the surprise had waxed, Moody and the remaining two Aurors had immediately sought cover. The spells came rapidly at Harry. He had only two remaining daggers. Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry watched as one of the Auror's left his position. The man did not move fast enough, and one of Harry's remaining daggers connected with his temple. Without looking, he tossed his finally dagger to the right. A satisfactory gulping noise told him he had found the other pest.

Harry hesitated too long and found himself tossed back into the house. He felt his left side light in fire from the pain. The intensity almost caused him to loss consciousness. However, his sheer determination prevented such an occurrence from happening. Instead, he accepted the pain, even when he fell heavily to the ground. His body shook as a coughing spasm overtook him. Numbly, Harry felt his lips become moist. Raising his hand, he wiped the liquid from his lips. His hand came back covered in blood. 'My ribs must have been broken.'

"You can't go on, Potter." Moody said, as he loomed over Harry's now still body. "It hurts doesn't it? Death does hurt… slowly it rips one's soul from the body, leaving nothing more then an empty shell. It is a fate most fitting for you… to feel what your victims have felt."

Harry smiled, revealing his crimson stained teeth. "I'm not dieing yet Moody. A few broken ribs cannot stop me from leaving his hell."

"In that case, it is nighty night for you… and in the morning you will truly have seen hell."

To Harry's horror, Jonas came to stand between him and Moody.

"Stand down, boy."

"Please, don't hurt him."

Moody's face constricted into one of rage. Without out further warning, the old Auror roughly pushed the child out of his path. Harry heard Jonas's uttered gasp of pain when he soundly hit the pavement, his tears filling the back alley. Those tears spurred Harry into action. Hoisting himself onto his knees, Harry crawled quickly falling onto the corpse of one of his victims. His pale hands held tightly onto the dagger that had entered the man's heart.

"Get your filthy hands off him."

Harry wretched again, coughing more blood. "Gladly," he hissed.

Moody staggered backwards, dropping his wand. A silver dagger protruded from his stomach. Groggily, Harry forced himself to stand. His whole body wavered as he walked toward the downed Auror, threatening to cave. He paused carefully knelling down to examine Jonas, who's body shook with sobs as he held his sprained wrist. Staring coldly at Moody, Harry removed a dagger from another corpse. When he was directly in front of the head Auror he fell to his knees so that he and the older man could look directly into each other's eyes.

"You are right about one thing, Moody. My hands are blackened." His voice shook as he tried to stop the coughs. "No matter how many times I wash them, I cannot clean them." More blood entered his mouth. "In the end, more blood blackens them further."

Moody grasped the dagger that was lodged in his stomach. The blood oozed between his clenched fingers. His eyes wide as he looked at Harry's gaunt face. 'A child born of death… naïve, scared, lethal and ultimately doomed.'

"I wouldn't remove it if I were you, Moody. A stomach wound is a slow and horrible way to die... very painful. I would imagine that you would live longer with the dagger in."

Moody eyes began to glaze. "You won't survive this… spawn of Voldemort."

Harry closed his eyes when he thrust the second dagger into the ground. "I do not wish to survive this, Moody. I tasted the fruit… I have seen the different shades of gray, and it is killing me. I cannot get these spots off my hands!"

"Why not kill yourself!" Moody shouted.

"My father still needs me." Harry hissed, rising painfully to his feet. "I will let you live only to tell Dumbledore that I am waiting for him. He will know how to find me."

"How?"

Harry turned his back on Moody. "Come, Jonas. We're leaving."

"Kid, don't follow him." Moody shouted even as he shook with pain. "Only death follows him."

Grasping his hurt wrist, Jonas only spared Moody one glance, before chasing after Harry. The two walked in silence not wishing to draw the spread Aurors' attention. Harry knew that it would not take them long to discover Moody. Several blocks passed without incident before Harry final paused. His hand entered his inner pocket.

"Hold onto my hand." Harry ordered the boy. From the interior of his robes, he removed the portkey. "I doubt their barrier goes this far."

Harry felt the familiar pull of the portkey. Once again he was reminded of why he hated to use them. The contents of his stomach moved uneasily until he hit a hard wood floor. The landing was anything but perfect. Harry landed on his one good side, while his companion was thrown off to the side.

"Marvolo?" Draco's concerned voice cut through the blinding pain Harry felt. "Are you alright?"

'Moron.' Harry thought just before another coughing fit claimed his body. In the background, he heard his friend gasp in surprise. He felt Draco's arms wrap around him, helping him into a straighter position. "Draco, get my wand." His friend immediately obeyed. Once the wand was in his hand, Harry set to work on mending his ribs. A harsh moan escaped his lips when he set the first rib back into its place. Panting, Harry shook in pain.

"How many did you break?" Draco asked. His face was seriously drawn.

Harry ignored the question. Instead, he repaired the punctured lung and drained it of blood. Calmly, Harry used his wand to search for other fractured ribs. He found only one more and quickly replaced it to its normal position.

"Done." He whispered, leaning wearingly back into the wall. He welcomed its firm support of his throbbing body.

"Marvolo, who's the kid?"

"I will explain later, Draco." Harry paused resting his head. "Jonas, come here, and I will fix your wrist."

The despondent child immediately came forward. His hurt arm in front of him, Jonas waited patiently. Gradually, the pain lessened as Harry moved the tip of his wand across the injured bone.

"Find a place to sit, while I talk with my friend." Harry said offhandedly.

Draco's face expression was priceless. If it had been another time… a different Harry, he would have immediately jumped on this chance to make fun of his friend.

"We're going to have guests, Draco. Dumbledore will trace the portkey to this place." Harry looked at a silver instrument that sat on an oak table. "They are already manipulating the wards. We can't get out using Floo or by Apparation, and the portkey is worthless since it only leads to here."

"How do we escape?"

Harry smiled. It was a smile that was reminiscent of Bellatrix Lestrange. The smile plainly stated that people were going to die. "We don't escape."

"We can't fight the entire Ministry!"

"The entire Ministry is not going to be coming. It will only be Dumbledore and a hand full of others." Harry stated firmly.

"How do you know?" Draco shouted angrily. "I do not want my life to end at some last stand-."

A snort cut Draco off before he truly began. "Last stands are stupid. I, too, will not die in such a manner." Harry hissed. "This will be Dumbledore's last stand."

"You are in no condition to fight him." Draco stated firmly. "Marvolo, your body cannot take anymore."

"I will be fine. I have potions around here that will heal me." Walking across the sparsely furnished room, Harry walked to a cabinet. From it, he removed a green vial. He swallowed the contents after Draco followed him.

"What's up with the kid?" His friend asked in a hush voice, pointing over his shoulder at Jonas who sat swinging his legs to and fro from where he sat.

Harry replaced the vial. He knew what he was going to say would only confuse Malfoy, but he got a certain enjoyment in doing so to his friend. "He's a bird."

"He's a what?"

Harry smiled wistfully. "He's my bird."

Draco looked at him as if he were cracked. "He's not a bird."

"I know." Harry paused. "It was meant figuratively." Harry walked away from his friend, moving to a pillow covered chest. Removing the pillows, he pulled the lid upwards.

"What do you mean by figuratively?" Draco moved to stand beside his friend, who was peering intently at the contents of the chest. Curious, Draco watched as Harry removed a silver mechanism. "What is that?"

Harry smiled as he admired the weapon. "This is a SIG P230SL." Harry removed the empty magazine. "Its magazine has the capacity to hold eight rounds." In a fleeting movement, he leveled the barrel at Draco, causing the other to jump.

Harry smirked, while Draco frowned. "Is it dangerous?"

"You tell me. You jumped." Grabbing the empty magazine, Harry meticulously reloaded it with bullets. "It is a muggle firearm, Draco. I haven't used it in a long time."

"Do you remember how?"

"It's like riding a bicycle… you never forget." Harry returned the magazine. "I think it would be more suiting if you continued used your wand. It would be too dangerous to give you a gun." Harry, however, did remove and load a Beretta M84. "Jonas, come here." Harry began talking before the boy had reached him. "You will be leaving through a passageway. If anyone attacks you, I want you to use this." The small jet-black Beretta seemed to fit perfectly in Jonas's hands, causing Harry to recall some of his earlier missions. Abruptly, he regretted placing that gun in the boy's hand. "Only use, if you have to."

Jonas simply nodded his head. Fear was not evident in his eyes, once again painfully reminding Harry of another boy. Shaking his head to rid his mind of his thoughts, Harry rose to his feet and quickly showed the youth how to operate the gun. When he had finished, Harry stretched. His body felt relieved, a sure sign that the potion had done its job.

"We have to get ready, Draco." Harry said. "Jonas, come." The boy followed him, until Harry stopped before a door. Opening it, he revealed a narrow staircase. "Jonas, you are to follow this tunnel. I will come for you later. Now go."

Once the boy had entered, Harry shut and locked the door. He would not give Jonas the opportunity to change his mind. 'My bird,' Harry thought absentmindedly to himself. 'The carrier of the items I lost.'

"Why couldn't we take the secret passageway?" Draco asked morosely.

"Where would the fun be in that?" Harry continued down the hallway, leaving his friend to run to catch him. "I will not pass up this chance to kill Dumbledore."

Draco frowned. "Are you sure we are not walking into something we cannot handle. This is very Gryffindor-like of you, Marvolo."

Harry stopped, though his face continued to stare forward. His bangs hid his eyes from his friend, leaving Draco to wonder if his friend was angry or about to give in to reason.

"Draco, school is out. This is what we call life." Harry muttered. "I am not rushing into this fight. We have the advantage, and we will exploit that advantage. This is my turf… I know it well."

Draco looked out a grimy window at the polluted industrial region. At least, there would be no lack of cover. Nodding his head, Draco silently agreed. "I'm with you, Marvolo."

At that moment, the wards guarding the house went off. With a wave of his wand, Harry silenced them. Looking grimly over at Draco, he nodded his head briefly. "We have company."

"Better not disappoint them."

Harry's eyes deaden. "Draco, we have to hit fast before reinforcements arrive. You go right, while I go left. Whatever happens, Draco, you are not to engage Dumbledore. He is mine."

One curt nod was the only answer Harry needed, and the pair split, going in opposite directions. Replacing his wand into his robes, Harry withdrew the SIG. Pausing before he turned the corridor, he cocked the barrel. His index finger rested lightly on the trigger. Turning the corner, Harry pulled the trigger hard, nailing an Auror in the head. The man's blood decorated the back wall.

Once more Harry readied the gun as he barreled down the hallway. This was his house; he was not bound to allow it to be sullied by Dumbledore or his men. Coming to a 'T' in the hallway, Harry extended his right hand, which held the SIG, down the one side while he used wandless magic to cover the left side. A scream exited the throat of a female Auror just as the bullet from the SIG connected with her chest, knocking her backwards. To Harry's left, the second dark wizard catcher never got to utter another sound as a red beam severed his head from his body.

Turning sharply to the left, Harry began his descent down the stair to the ground floor. In rapid succession, Harry fired of three rounds each hitting a different target. Ducking for cover behind a dilapidated sofa, Harry returned his SIG to its holder and removed his wand. He would save the last three rounds.

"Avada Kedavra!" Harry screamed at an Auror that stood before the exit. The man's body was hurled backwards, his eyes wide though lacking life. Crouching close to the ground and wall, Harry hurled the door open. As he expected, spells instantly followed, however they connected only with air. His opponents paused dumbfounded, and in that moment Harry acted. Decisively, he terminated the three guards. His head bowed he walked toward Draco's exit, leaving the corpse behind.

In the distance, he heard a cry that he knew did not belong to Draco. At a sprint, Harry continued. Around the corner of the building he paused to see Draco toying with one of his victims. The Auror withered underneath the Cruciatus Curse. Without his friend's notice, Harry came to stand beside him. Harry's face tightened as he watched the man's body twist in agony. He remained wordless, only raising his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!" Harry's hushed voice said. Draco jumped at the voice. Harry, however, made no move to recognize the blonde.

"Why did you do that?" Draco shouted. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Don't behave like a common Death Eater." Harry retorted angrily.

"What is wrong with you, Marvolo?"

Harry's jaw clenched. "Give them quick deaths." Silence fell between them. "We don't have time for this, Draco." Harry waved at the crumple form.

Draco's face still portrayed the rage he felt. However, he made no further comment. A spell came at the pair, forcing them to concentrate on the matter at hand. Both immediately sought cover.

"Draco," Harry called. "Same as last time. They are spread throughout the warehouses."

Draco nodded his head sharply, and then left his cover, which was rusted old car. Harry immediately followed suit, however he went left, while Draco took the right. Using his wand to block the spells that attacked him, Harry made it safely to the first warehouse. In his blood, he could almost feel Dumbledore near by. Harry could still remember how it felt to have the man's eyes resting on him. It was unnerving. As his feet hit the pavement, words flitted through his head.

Canta per me ne addio

quell dolce suono

de' passati giorni

mi sempre rammenta

A beam of blue light shot from his wand, puncturing an Auror's chest. The man fell silently to the ground as his life force drained from his body. Harry's eyes darted around the street looking for his next opponent.

La vita dell'amore

Dilette del cor mio

O felice, tu anima mia

Canta addagio…

He did not have to look far. And with a quick slash of his wand he sent the fool flying through the air into a building. A thunking noise echoed, reaching Harry's ears. However, it did not occupy Harry's mind long since his next victim was now racing toward him. A dull red light emitted from Harry's wand. When it hit the Auror's chest it left a gapping wound, one that no amount of magic could repair. The man's glassy eyes peered back at the youth. His mouth moved but no words formed, instead he collapsed to the ground.

Tempra la cetra e cantra

Il inno di morte

A noi si schiude il ciel

Volano al raggio

Harry ran passed the dead man, turning to his right. He paused briefly to along his lungs draw in the necessary breaths. Harry was about to move once more when he suddenly halted. Spinning around, he was greeted by the image of the aged Albus Dumbledore. The man's icy blue eyes lacked their usually twinkle, making them oddly match Harry's own dead eyes.

A cold smile tugged at Harry's lips. "I have waited for this moment."

"What do you hope to gain from this, Harry?" The headmaster asked.

Clutching his wand tightly, Harry caused his fingers to change to a pallor color. "Nothing… and everything."

Raising his wand, Harry laughed quietly before he began this dance of death.

La vita dell'amore

Dilette del cor mio

O felice, tu anima mia

Canta addio…