Fight

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Realising that I wouldn't be able to sleep, I wished I'd bought the Dreamless Sleep Potion, because I was going to have to spend the next night without sleep as well, and I didn't know if I had the strength. I don't want to sleep through the whole thing.

I got out of bed and strode into the kitchen to make some coffee. Fortunately, the flat was equipped with the usual appliances, such as the cooker and fridge, and I could manage without Dobby's help, because I'd had to learn how to use non-magical technology before I could even reach the cooker. Thanks to the Dursleys for that. I grinned, imagining my relatives coming home to find the living room destroyed.

Sitting down at the table and picking up yesterday's issue of the Prophet, which was lying there, I took a quick look at the articles and realised that Britain was completely messed up. On the first page was a leaked story about a missing Hogwarts professor, where the journalist tried to lead the reader to believe that it was Dumbledore's fault. And on the third page there was an article telling that the same Dumbledore at the next congress of the International Confederation of Magicians was able to get the support of several foreign governments that agreed to come to England's aid in case of an armed conflict.

It seems to me that ordinary wizards who don't take part in such games should have long ago lost their minds from the abundance of contradictory information coming in. I just put the paper aside, knowing that Umbridge's disappearance was not the Headmaster's fault, and that the governments of other countries sympathise with my homeland only in words. If it came to war, I doubted that any of them would be much help. Or maybe they would, but not to the wrong side.

After breakfast, I began to think of something to do for the rest of the evening, and the first thing I decided to do was to write to Fleur. Taking pen and paper, I thought about what to say to her, then decided to just share my thoughts:

Flower

I had a dream about you today. I didn't sleep well, but in those moments when I closed my eyes, I almost always saw you. True, most of the time you were angry and even pointed your wand at me. Sweetheart, you're not that angry, are you? I hope what you said about sticking your wand in one interesting place was a joke. After all, when we meet, only one of us will be sticking anything. Yeah, sorry, I have a terrible sense of humour, I know. I hope you're blushing at least a little. I love it when you blush, you get even hotter, if that's even possible.

I think about you every minute. I know it sounds like I'm writing from Azkaban and there's no way for us to meet, it's so dreary, but we have to wait a little longer. You can see for yourself that almost every day I run into unwanted faces and have to move. If anything happens to you through my fault, my life will be over, you can be sure of that.

Sometimes I entertain myself with thoughts of how our lives will turn out. Have you thought about getting married? I know I have. You girls just want to daydream about what the ceremony will be like. Do you have any ideas? I think it'd be great if a dragon brought the rings down the aisle. Imagine a dragon coming down from the sky with our rings in its paw. But that idea is negotiable.

Either way, I'm doing everything I can to bring our reunion closer. And to be honest, I'm also a little apprehensive about it. I promised to tell you something you don't know about me, and I'm afraid to see your reaction. I'm sorry, don't think about it yet, I'm afraid to imagine what you might imagine. Nothing criminal, just another Harry Potter mystery. Intrigued?

Love you

Harry.

When I finished the letter, I immediately wanted to crumple it up and throw it in the fireplace, it was so ridiculous, but I decided to keep it and not even cross out the last piece. How does she do it? I've already proposed to her and spent the night with her, but I'm still starting to stutter when I talk to her like I did when I first met her. Hopefully the thought of the wedding and Harry's secret can take her mind off her sad thoughts. Though, there's always the possibility that once she learns the secret, she won't have to think about the wedding, because there won't be a ceremony.

After folding the message and leaving it on the table for Dobby to deliver to Delacourt Manor, I was about to go outside to do one more thing, but then I changed my mind. The thing is, I've long thought of finding people in non-wizarding London through whom firearms can be purchased. I don't know how effective a gun is in skirmishes with wizards, but it's always nice to have an additional argument in a dispute. If shot in the head at close range, the mage is unlikely to have time to put up a shield, although, pureblood sorcerers probably have some amulets protecting them from such attacks.

In any case, my idea failed at the planning stage, because I had no money to buy something like that. There was also an option to use magic and simply steal the necessary weapons, but, after a little thinking, I also abandoned this idea - it would take time, which I do not have now. But if everything went well tonight, I'd be sure to get a couple of pistols or a rifle in the future.

I grinned as I imagined myself sitting in the Astronomy Tower of Hogwarts, looking down at the wizards through a telescopic sight, wondering what would come of it.

***

The day passed like a blur. I was, for what seemed like the thousandth time, rearranging the things I'd planned to take with me when I realised I couldn't stay at home any longer. Adrenaline was slowly rushing through my bloodstream, making me more likely to spring into action. Dobby was in France, waiting to hear from Fleur, and Veselur was sitting in a chair, watching me. By the look of him, he was as nervous as I was. He was tempted to say something a couple of times, and finally made up his mind:

- Harry, I have to go with you. You need some support.

- No, Veselur, we've been over this. I need you here. If anything goes wrong, Dobby gets me out and you heal me. Knowing how I like to get hurt, you're probably going to have a lot of work to do. Be prepared.

He shook his head, accepting my arguments, but he couldn't agree with them. I understood him - if I were him, I couldn't sit on the sidelines either, but I also knew we were doing the right thing.

- That's it, I can't sit here any longer. Dobby! - The houseboy immediately materialised in front of me. - I'm sorry I didn't let you wait for an answer. Is Fleur all right?

- Yes, sir, she's reading the message and frowning. - Looks like she's getting to the part about secrets.

- Take me to the Bones family home, then go back to her. If she asks, tell her I needed to be transported to a place I've never been. Just don't be specific, don't make her nervous.

Dobby nodded, Veselur wished me luck, and the housekeeper and I travelled to a large, handsome house that stood some distance from the other, much smaller buildings. It was a small, neat little village that seemed to be inhabited by ordinary people. At least I saw cars parked outside some of the houses.

Of the Bones family, I only knew Amelia and Susan, but my classmate should be at Hogwarts right now, so I assumed there would only be one person in the house. However, the house spoke to the fact that this family used to be much larger, a prime example of how internal wars affect the lives of wizards. The structure was slightly smaller than Delacourt Manor, but it had two floors and, at first glance, over ten rooms.

From the outside, it was hard to tell the interior layout, but I didn't need to, so I just appreciated the delicate bas-reliefs that adorned the walls and the openwork frames on the windows. It was about nine o'clock in the evening, and in the dusk around me it might have seemed uninhabited, except that there were three windows with lights on. Someone was obviously home, and, judging by the quiet atmosphere, was not expecting any trouble.

Once again, wondering why all wizards who had the ability to do so didn't cast Fidelius spells on their homes, I began to walk around the perimeter of the building, trying to find the best vantage point to view the surrounding area. I didn't know how far the protective spells that I was sure were there would extend, so I stayed away from the fence and made a wider circle, and soon found a suitable tree where I could see almost the entire area, including the space in front of the gate. I sat down and renewed my warming charms, adjusted my invisibility cloak, and waited for the intruders.

***

It had been almost three hours since I'd arrived, and I was dozing off when I heard the clapping of apparatuses nearby. When I opened my eyes, I noticed that it was dark outside, and the lights in the windows were out. As I peered into the darkness, I could make out six wizards appearing in front of the main gate. The devourers hadn't underestimated Amelia, having prepared in earnest. They began to spread out around the perimeter, and it was getting harder and harder for me to see them because of the black robes that literally blended in with their surroundings. Fortunately, there were no clouds in the sky, and the pale light of the moon gave me some idea of what was happening.

At the same time, the Eaters raised their wanded hands upward, releasing bright beams, and I felt myself pressed to the ground for a moment. It looked like they had used some sort of anti-apparition spell, covering the entire area. When I realised that there was no point in staying hidden, I watched their actions for a while longer and jumped to the ground, invisibly following them.

The Lord's followers were able to remove the defences around the house without disturbing the spells, and I sighed, realising that they weren't as clueless as I had wanted to think. As soon as the dome that covered the area appeared in the air for a moment and then disappeared, they moved forward, approaching the house from all sides.

Marking the Eater closest to me, I followed, casting a spell on my trainers so he wouldn't be spooked by the crunch of snow behind me. When I got close enough, I pulled out my wand and threw a non-verbal Silencio at his back, adding Expelliarmus, Stupefy and a binding spell before he could recover. Fortunately, the Eaters were so confident of their success that they had not expected the attack in any way, and all four spells hit their target. The wizard collapsed into the snow, entangled in the ropes, and I ran over to him, picking up the fallen wand and breaking it in half.

Yes, I decided not to be petty and collect trophies, breaking the enemy's weapon immediately. Realising that this Eater was from the inner circle and might be able to conjure without a wand, I added another paralyser. That should be enough for a few hours. He continued to lie face down in the snow, and I turned his head slightly so he wouldn't suffocate, noting that I'd been able to take Avery down in five seconds.

Once I'd dealt with one of the attackers, I moved after the next, noting that the others had already passed halfway inside, but had slowed down, moving in small steps and looking around. Waiting until my new target was hidden from the others by the corner of the house, I did the same, and another Eater was neutralised. I didn't look at who it was, realising that I didn't have time to deal with them all.

Deciding that it was time to give our party a little more momentum, I raised my wand above my head and fired my favourite fireworks spell, a variation on the red sparks from the Three Wizards Tournament, but with a loud pop. On the one hand, I was able to warn Amelia that it was time to wake up, and on the other, I let the Eaters know that they could hide no longer, which they gladly did, rushing towards the house at full speed, hiding behind any cover and looking around for a new opponent.

Watching them from around the corner, I realised that they weren't bothered by the absence of their two comrades, assuming they were on the other side of the house. With no opportunity to attack either of them because of the chance of being discovered, I began to await further action on their part. They lurked close to the front door and were talking about something, but from this distance I could not hear what they were saying. One of them raised his wand and a silvery wolf burst out of it, disappearing quickly into the darkness.

When I realised that it was Patronus, who had probably gone to get reinforcements, I knew I couldn't wait any longer, and I was about to attack the group with some powerful explosive, trying to get them all at once, when Amelia, whom I'd already forgotten about, entered the fray, thinking she hadn't woken up. A powerful blue wave of a spell I didn't recognise flew from the second-floor window at the Eaters, but they had time to react at the last moment, jumping away. Bones didn't hesitate and continued to attack the attackers, but when they started firing back, she disappeared from the window, probably changing her position.

Nodding to each other, the Eaters spread out again, running up to the ground floor windows and blasting them down with explosive spells to get inside the house. Realising that there was no hiding, they made a veritable cacophony of sounds that made me cringe. One of the white-masked men, however, was in no hurry to get inside, hiding outside and apparently waiting for reinforcements. He was looking around, wand at the ready, so I tried to proceed as carefully as I could, knowing that the longer I delayed, the harder it would be for Amelia.

Waiting until he looked in the opposite direction, I threw my usual Stupefai at him, but he somehow managed to react in time and raised his shield at the last moment, peering into the darkness in front of him.

- There's an invisible man in here! - He shouted loudly for all to hear. - Avada Kedavra!

He hurled a killing curse at the paralyser, but I had already taken a few steps away to get around the shield he'd put up again. Mentally grumbling at the loss of conspiracy, I launched the colourless spell I'd recently used on Ron. It had a shorter lifespan, but it didn't give away the attacker's location with a bright beam.

This time the spell hit its target, and I watched with satisfaction as the wizard who'd tried to kill me fell to the stone steps with all his might, slamming his head into them. That's how you can knock a man out without using magic. I levitated him to the side, broke my wand and cast distraction charms on top of him so no one would notice him before he did.

As I ran inside the house, I heard the sounds of fighting on the first floor and rushed to find the stairs, realising that there were three more Eaters here, and dealing with them alone in open combat would be difficult even for the head of the Ministry's department. Nevertheless, I kept looking around for a possible ambush.

A loud woman's scream from above made me throw caution aside and rush up the stairs I'd found, for fear of finding the corpse of the woman I was trying to save.

Thanks to the muffling charms that continued to cling to my shoes, I was able to burst into the spacious second-floor hall unnoticed. I saw the brief but brutal battle that had taken place here. Two Eaters lay against the wall in shapeless heaps, a mixture of blood and bones. Only their black robes and white masks, still shining, gave them away as supporters of the Dark Lord. Amelia didn't seem to mind them as much as I did.

The lady of the house was lying on the floor, writhing in agony under the red beam of Cruciatus. The last remaining Eater was badly bruised, but he kept his hand firmly pointed in the woman's direction. He was enjoying it. I didn't need to see his face to know he was enjoying the pain he was inflicting. He felt triumph and knew that, despite his losses, the Dark Lord would be pleased with him.

I, on the other hand, felt uncontaminated anger. I remembered how I'd been writhing under Riddle's Cruciatus, rolling around on the ground in an abandoned graveyard. Realising that second year spell time was over, I raised my wand hand, pulling it out from under my robes and said loudly:

- Avada Kedavra! - My hand did not waver. There was no doubt in my mind. Even my conscience, which sometimes spoke to me in little Harry's voice, was silent. It was as if the Eater had hit an invisible obstacle. He held his hand up for a moment, but collapsed to the floor, never to rise again.

Amelia was breathing hard and struggling to regain consciousness, but I noted with respect that even under torture she hadn't let go of the wand she was trying to point in my direction.

- Calmly," I walked over to her, pulling off my robe. Leaning over, I dug into the pockets of my jacket and pulled out an anaesthetic potion. - Here, drink this, it's a painkiller. I have no idea if it helps after Crucio, but it won't make it worse. She stared at my face for a few seconds, trying to focus her gaze, then nodded and took the vial I held out, tipping the contents into herself.

While she tried to come to her senses, I helped her up and sat her down on the chair that had miraculously survived, then leaned against the wall and watched her actions. Subconsciously, I was expecting nausea or some other nasty feeling I should have had after the Avada, but nothing happened.

Amelia looked to be in her early forties. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun, obviously a quick fix. She had neat features, expressive lips, and the keen, intense gaze she'd given me as soon as she'd been able to deal with the effects of the curse. She wore only a white dressing gown, which, after the battle, had a few cuts and stains. Trying not to pay attention to the body of the sorceress showing through the gaps, I, however, drew her attention to a long cut on her arm.

- You are wounded. - I nodded at the wound. I have some healing ointment if you'd like.

She shook her head, and with a careless flick of her wand she not only healed the wound but also tidied her dressing gown, then looked at me again.

- Potter. - She was stating the obvious, even though we'd never met, as far as I could remember. - I was at the first round of the Tournament, watching you fly against a dragon. It was spectacular. What are you doing here? - I decided not to comment on my first challenge, realising that it was as spectacular as it was stupid.

- I heard about the attack on you and thought I could help. - I decided to be succinct without divulging too much information. We don't know what kind of character Bones has. If it turns out that she's Umbridge's best friend, I shouldn't have stopped the Eaters from killing her in the first place.

- Do you think that's explanation enough? You could have just warned me to be prepared.

- I did," I shrugged, showing that I wasn't particularly interested in her claims. - Remember the fireworks? That was my warning.

- You mean you found out about the attack five minutes before it happened?

- No, I found out three days before, but I thought it would make a good trap for the Eaters. As you can see, it worked out well. I'm sorry you had to endure the pain, but you now have the bodies of six members of Riddle's inner circle. That's not bad at all. - Seeing her uncomprehending look looking round the room, he decided to clarify: - three more are outside. They're alive, you can interrogate them.

- They might as well have killed me.

- Well, they didn't, did they? - I shrugged again, realising she was right, but not willing to admit it. Instead of just thanking me, she's trying to chastise me. - And if I didn't show up, then I'd definitely get killed. If this is the end of your stream of thanks, I suggest you prepare for the sequel. They've sent a signal for help, so a new batch of wizards in black will be here soon.

- You're right. I'm sorry, Harry. - She squeezed my shoulder, trying to show her remorse with that simple gesture. - Thank you. The last few months have been stressful for me and I seem to have forgotten what sincere gratitude feels like.

- It hasn't been a difficult time for you alone. - I smiled, accepting the apology.

- Yeah, I can't imagine what you've been through. And I understand why you're reluctant to make contact with the Ministry. If even after you sent me your memories, the situation in the country hasn't changed a bit. - She shook her head dejectedly. - Now was not the time for such talk.

Calling the House elf, she ordered him to collect all the bodies in the room to see who had risked attacking her, then made him hide and stay hidden until she called him again. This houseboy was unusually silent. He also found the body I'd tried to hide under the spell, and then he bowed silently and disappeared. Amelia paid no attention to his behaviour, approaching the first dead man who had tortured her and ripping off his mask. Without commenting in any way on what she saw, she made her way to the next one. After examining them all in turn, she turned to me.

- Two alive and four dead. All of the ones that escaped Azkaban fourteen years ago.

- Four?

- Yes, this one," she pointed to the Eater who had tried to kill me at the entrance, "has a fractured skull. What kind of spell is that?

- It's not a spell. - I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. - It's just that when I knocked him out, he collapsed headfirst onto your steps and I guess the steps won. And by the way, I'd really appreciate it if I wasn't sent to jail for using the unforgivable in front of you.

- What unforgivable? - Bones replied laconically, continuing to examine the bodies. After updating the spells on the ones that were still alive, she nodded in satisfaction and turned back to me.

- Good work. I'd be happy to have you in my department if you ever want it.

- I'm fifteen," I smiled and shook my head. - Besides, working for the Ministry is the last thing I want to do anytime soon, no offence.

She was about to reply, but she was interrupted by a set of claps outside. Tensing, I went to the window, but looking at Amelia, I realised she was calm.

- The head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has a bit of an advantage, Harry. I called for reinforcements as well.

Looking out the window, I saw more than a dozen aurors arising from outside the anti-apparition charms erected by the Eaters enter the grounds of the manor.