FicWad

WARNING: This chapter includes very mild rape scene (witnessed through third party). Nothing to get NC-17 rating, but still I felt I should say it beforehand.

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, then it might well belong to J.K.R or to some of her affiliates. Or to some random people out there. I only claim my OC:s and plot.

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Chapter four: Birth of the Dark Knight



"So what exactly happened? Auror Prewett was paralysed at the beginning of the battle and couldn't give any other information but that you were ambushed. And Auror Captain Shacklebolt is still unconscious."


Tonks took a deep breath before giving her answer to Amelia Bones, the current Head of Magical Law Enforcement, "Well... We got alarm from the Gringotts Bank exactly 0322 this morning. Their own security was currently unable to answer the threat. Two Auror squads, one Auror Special Response squad and three squads of ministry law enforcers were dispatched at 0327 and arrived at 0330. My squad went to secure floor 207. From there we were supposed to enter floor 208 were we thought the intruders were. We were attacked at the entrance room..."



She had always disliked dark. In dark she was even clumsier than she usually was, and that was saying something. And of course, anything could be hiding in this darkness, ready to slaughter you if given a chance. The spell that allowed her to see in pitch black didn't allow a very good vision, it disturbed distances and blurred colours. It was better than nothing, but she was constantly awaiting to be ambushed. No, not awaiting, expecting.


Suddenly Kingsley who had been running beside her, turned around. Apparently he had sensed something. Tonks wasted no time in mimicking her captain's movements.


A dark shape armed to the teeth was standing middle of the room. "Death Eater!" she thought as she lifted her wand, pointing it towards the blurred shape.


The dark shape was faster, though. It lifted it's hand and with a weird command in some unknown language, cloud of projectiles were unleashed towards them. She barely managed raise her shield before she would have been impaled. A split second later a green curse hit Prewett squarely on his chest, dropping him instantly. For a moment she thought that he had been hit by the Killing Curse. Luckily his eyes were still moving. Apparently it had been only a paralysing curse.


She and Kingsley launched a synchronised offence against the Death Eater. But, by gods, he was fast. He was fighting her and her captain nearly evenly. Gritting her teeth, Tonks redoubled her effort.


The Death Eater or what ever it was, danced, that was the only way she could describe it, through their barrage of curses, avoiding some of them by a mere centimetre. Suddenly he was right front of her and she could see red eyes burning through slits of his black mask. Tonks gasped when his boot imprinted itself on her stomach. As she staggered backwards, she was forced to bend even more backwards when a red line flashed in a wide arc through her vision, nearly taking her nose with it. She saw Kingsley expertly avoiding the stun-baton, which apparently hadn't been aimed at her after all.


Once she regained her balance, she levelled her wand at the intruder in black. "Everbero!" Her bludgeoning charm caught the Death Eater unaware and hit him straight between his eyes. He was slammed on the floor and his black mask exploded into small fragments, which cut slight wounds on his pale face. As the Death Eater flew backwards he threw his stun-baton at Kingsley. It came too fast for her fellow Auror to dodge it and without a wand he couldn't block it.


She had cast an Ennervate on Kingsley before he had even hit the floor, but to no avail, as he stayed unconscious. The Death Eater was still on the ground and she took the opportunity cast a stunner at him, which he avoided by rolling his left.


She cast second stunner, but the intruder was already on his feet, a new wand pointed at her, and he conjured purple shield, which promptly absorbed her curse. This Death Eater, like most Aurors apparently had a sensible habit of carrying a spare wand or two. Though it was illegal for a wizard to have second wand on one's person, as only Aurors were allowed to carry additional wands. She did some of the fastest spellwork of her life as she cast two stunners more in little more than a second. Her last curse left her wand when he was less than five feet away from her. It shattered his shield, sending purple sparks of magic everywhere. Her triumph was premature, however, as his dark green dragonhide armour managed absorb what was remaining of her curse. "Shit."


The Death Eater slammed at her, sending them both rolling on the floor. The impact send her wand flying to the far corner. Now she cursed the fact that the Auror training pretty much skimmed over the concept of unarmed combat. It didn't take long for her to find herself at the receiving end of a one handed chokehold. She knew that she had lost, but couldn't allow herself to go down without a fight. Then something unexpected happened, his free hand grasped her breast. That in itself was not unexpected. The thing that was unexpected, was the fact that when it happened, her attacker froze for a second, his hold of her faltering little. She really couldn't believe it! Why in the name of hell would a Death Eater, who tortured people and raped muggle women and witches alike on regular basis freeze when he apparently accidentally grasped her breast? Well... who was she to look a gift horse into its mouth?


Using the opportunity, she slammed her elbow to his face with all strength she could muster. She grinned evilly as she heard the sound of nose cracking and a muffled wail that followed it.


As the Death Eater was momentarily off the fight, she managed to grasp a hold of his secondary wand. Now, they both had a hold from the same wand and they were both desperately struggling to point it on the other. She lay top of the Death Eater, their eyes locked on each other. Their faces were only few inches away


She suddenly realised that her enemy was only a boy, even though he looked quite demonic with his bloodied face and gleaming red eyes with slit pupils. "You have lost, boy," she told him sweetly. "More Aurors are coming."


"So this is an Auror mission?" the red eyed intruder said, watching her intently with a half smile on his bloodied lips. "I was wondering whether this was an official or an Order mission."


Her eyes widened at the implication, but the boy hadn’t finished his speech yet. "Anyway, I don't intend to be here when your allies arrive. Serpensortia!" He finished his speech with an incantation. A big black snake came out of the wand they were holding. The snake turned it's yellow eyes towards them, hissing loudly.


Then the boy hissed something back in Parseltongue. Parseltongue! She shivered involuntary. The boy is a bloody Parselmouth! Who the hell is he? She had thought that You-Know-Who was the only one left... The implication of that thought had her shivering once again.


Tonks quickly rolled away from the snake, releasing her hold of the wand. In an instant the boy was back on his feet, his wand pointed at the still prone Auror. "Mobilicorpus."


Luckily for her, Tonks had managed to grasp one of the boy's wands, which he had dropped earlier in the fight. Protego charm rebounded the intruder’s body manipulation charm back at him. As he was forced to dodge his own charm she took opportunity to cast a disarming charm.


As his wand was expelled from his fingers he made a mad lunge to catch it. She had already sent a cutting hex towards the wand. Second after that the Death Eater's wrist and Tonks' curse collided.


"Whoops," Tonks intoned as her curse cleanly severed boy's left hand off. She nearly felt sorry for him. "Let me help you- ARGH!" The poisonous snake had sunk his teeth on her thigh and she could feel an icy coldness spreading in her veins. All strength vanished from her limbs and she dropped like a sack of stones, her world rabidly darkening.



"Well, that was certainly illuminating," Ms. Bones said thoughtfully. "It's a pity that the boy managed to escape."


"Why didn't he kill or capture my team? He had a perfect opportunity to kill three Aurors."


"We don't really know yet. Maybe he simply didn't have a time to do so as the Hit-Wizards arrived very soon after your fight. Anyway we will know everything soon enough as we managed to capture one them."


Tonks nodded. "Whom did we capture?"


"Again, we don't know. We have no records of him what-so-ever. We have sent inquiries to other ministries and we are awaiting their replies. Hopefully we can identify him."


*


About fifty miles west of London there is an old and beautiful manor. This manor was build in fourteenth century by certain Audentimus Gryffindor, the last blood-heir of Godric Gryffindor. After his death at the hands of Dark Lady Dolosures Gaunt, the manor was passed to his long-time lady friend Lenita Bonham, who before her dead gave it to her nephew, Mungo Bonham, because he wanted to start a hospital, but needed premises. This hospital is currently know as the St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Nobody knows why he is nowadays called a saint, as he was never very religious person. Actually he was pretty much on the contrary. But then, wizards do have a weird habit of making up stupid names for famous people. Like the Boy Who Lived or You-Know-Who. Or even the Sheep-Sorcerer Aberforth.


St. Mungo's was very well shielded with ancient wards and spells. There were also few people from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement constantly guarding it. And if a alarm were to be rung, the place would be full of ministry personnel within minutes.


The wizarding hospital did have many entrances scattered around the Britain to ensure easy access, but all of these accesses led to the entrance hall. While Harry had never before had to enter St. Mungo's, he knew that one of these entrances was situated at Purge and Dowse, Ltd. in Muggle London. One merely has to walk through the shop window to reappear in St. Mungo's.


To make things even more difficult, St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries had strong anti-Apparation wards and was not connected to the floo-network.


All in all, it was nearly impenetrable by magical means, just like Hogwarts. It was a pity that the creators hadn't considered muggle means... Or actually it wasn't. Otherwise it would be near impossible to gain access into it without a full frontal attack. And Harry needed to get inside undetected. Not that he would have made frontal attack in any case.


He was standing on a spot near the hospital's stone wall to were he had Apparated few seconds ago. He took a step towards the wall and jumped upwards, his hands reaching up. His fingertips managed to get hold of the top of the wall and he swung his legs upwards. A second later he was laying on his stomach on the top of the wall.


He scanned the courtyard with his eyes. As he saw nobody he dropped himself of the wall to the courtyard. It wasn't unexpected. Patients were currently eating breakfast. Timing was important.


He sprinted through the courtyard and climbed up the vines covering the whole east wall of the hospital to a window on the fourth floor. He looked quickly inside, confirming that the room was empty. His hand reached to his belt and he took off a muggle instrument. He pressed a suction cup to the window and drew a circle around it with a diamond bladed glass cutter. It was nearly hilarious; the best magical defences were pierced by a simple muggle device. If he had performed a spell to make whole on the window not only would have his spell been rebounded on him, also the ministry would have been alarmed.


He dropped the glass circle to bushes below him and reached for the window's handle through the hole. The window opened silently and Harry entered the room with equal silence. Now he would only have to wait. Pity he couldn't use magic to repair the window. Any spells cast by an unsanctified person within St. Mungo's walls would trigger the wards. And that would be... undesirable in the extreme.


*


"I thought you were dead," Kheiron said rather stupidly as he was staring the pair which had just entered his cell, or more specifically, the witch who had just entered.


"The Dark Lord was not the only one to secure one's immortality," said Bellatrix with an evil smile playing on her lips. "I have awaited this for a very long time. Crucio."


Kheiron screamed as the waves of pain hit him. He knew it was merely illusion of his senses, and that it couldn't really harm him. But still, that knowledge didn't help at all.


It continued for a few agonizing minutes until Bellatrix lowered her wand. "That had to hurt, didn't it, my dear cousin-in-law." It wasn't a question.


"You think that mangling your soul grants you immortality," snarled Kheiron. His voice was hoarse for all screaming. "It does not. It merely causes your soul to decay, eventually killing you. It will take long time, yes. But in the end, it will stop you from gaining the true immortality. Ironic, isn't it?"


"Be as it may, Kheiron. I will still live much longer than you."


Kheiron laughed. "You are not living. You are merely existing."


Her expression tightened and she tuned towards the man he had came with. "Husband, shall we?"


Rodolphus Lestrange nodded and they both levelled their wands on Kheiron. Maybe I should learn not to taunt psychotic bitches when they had an upper hand.


"Crucio!"


*


Harry stood beside the door leaning on the wall, awaiting his target to come. It was taking surprisingly long. If the target won't come soon he would have to leave.


Suddenly the door opened and his target, Auror Captain Shacklebolt stepped inside helped by a lime green robed mediwitch. Harry struck like a snake. His stun-baton hit the mediwitch to her shoulder and tentacles of red energy surged through her body, dropping her instantly. Kingsley made a move for his wand, but it was too late as Harry's stun-baton found its way to his chest. Auror's body fell next to the witch's with soft thud.


Harry stripped himself and Shacklebolt. Then took few of the Auror's hairs and dropped them to two glass vials he had been carrying. The potions within turned blood red and started bubbling. Harry emptied a vial with a single gulp. It tasted horrendous. A heartbeat later his body was rocketed by violent spasms. His skin melted and took a new form. It wasn't a nice feeling...


Soon the spasms ended as the Polyjuice potion had finished it's work. He had became Kingsley's doppelganger, except for his left hand, which was still silver. A simple glamour charm took care that. He could only hope that nobody would decide to examine him. Harry put on Kingsley's clothes and shoved the two bodies under the hospital bed.


He took a comfy position on the bed and started to wait. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long.


*


Amelia Bones was sitting in his room with three of her senior Aurors. "So, do we know what was taken?"


"Not yet," said Auror Captain Savage. "We know that they gained access to one of the Carrow family vaults. Mr. Carrow was called to tell us if anything was missing. He said that no items appear to be taken. So perhaps they took only money."


"That's bullshit," said 'Mad-Eye' Moody, his electric blue eye spinning madly. "Nobody enters Gringotts just to steal money. There are far more easier targets if you wanted just gold. Carrow is obviously lying. Besides he is a Death Eater scum."


"We have no actual proof that Amycus Carrow or his sisters Alecto and Alessa are Death Eaters," interrupted the third Auror, Peter Proudfoot. "It's a pity that we need a proof."


Amelia cleared her throat loudly, silencing her office. "Any luck with the escaped Pyromagus?" she asked after taking a sip of her mint tea.


"Well... In whole Britain there is only two Pyromagi, the Solis family. The Law enforcers who fought her said that she was slender shaped and had a woman's voice," said Savage, looking at his notes. "So we can identify her as Amaterasu Solis, the only child of Maria and Helios Solis. She was expelled from Hogwarts in her third year for nearly killing another student. Actually, she spent two months in Azkaban for that. That was seven years ago. Her current address is 7th Grimmauld Place, London."


"We should send someone to check her wand and ask her few questions. Though it is unlikely that we will find anything. If she was one of the intruders, she probably has a spare wand and arranged alibi. I think our only hope to solve this mystery lies with the one we captured."


Suddenly the door was slammed open. Four wand rose in an instant, but no spell was cast. "Why do you barge in, Enforcer Thompson?" Mr. Thompson was obviously very distressed.


"Director, You-Know-Who is attacking the High Security Prison!"


*


Thirty minutes earlier:


Harry was getting impatient. His fingers were softly drumming the bedside table. He had already waited twenty-two minutes. They were late, and Harry didn't like it. Weren't Aurors supposed to arrive on time? It was already ten past nine and they were supposed to have arrived nine sharp.


The plan had been perfect. Harry would enter St. Mungo's and then imitate Kingsley Shacklebolt. His 'comrades' would come and take him for hearing into the High Security Prison where they were keeping Kheiron. Then he would slip a portkey to him and they would both disappear. Simple. Unfortunately, it seemed, nothing ever stayed simple.


The High Security Prison was founded after the mass-breakout from Azkaban when Dementors had joined Volddemort two years previously.


Finally the door opened and few Auros entered the room. Two men and one female. James McCallister, Michael Prewett and Nymphadora Tonks.


"Wocher, Kings."


"Good to see you, Nymp-," Harry begun, grinning, but Tonks cut in. "Don't you dare!"


"I see you are feeling better, Shacklebolt," said smiling Prewett.


"Yeah. Any news?"


"Not particularly," McCallister said. "Ready for hearing?"


"Yeah."


McCallister turned towards the female Auror. "Tonks, you had the portkey?"


She nodded and took out a old shoe. "I really wonder why do they always have to make portkeys out of some random items?"


"It's an old tradition," McCallister said interrupting her rant. "Now, everyone, take hold of it."


Everyone did as ordered. McCallister tapped the portkey with his mahogany wand, causing them to disappear. A second later they reappeared within the High Security Prison.


Harry blinked. Apparently it isn't as secure as it was presumed, was his first thought as he watched the bunch of white masked and black robed Death Eaters who were surrounding them. Every black clothed men (or women) had a wand levelled at them. Not good. Within a split second all them begun uttering the same incantation. "Avada Kedavra!"


He ducked down by pure instinct, barely avoiding two deadly, green bolts of light that had been aimed at his heart. A split second later he rolled left, three Killing Curses hitting the spot on floor what he had just vacated. Don't Death Eater know any spells but the Killing Curse?


Harry managed to give one of the Death Eaters sharp kick to side of his knee, dropping her on the floor. She gave a feminine shriek as she fell like a sack of potatoes.


Suddenly he found unable to move. Someone had hit him with a full body bind. He was completely helpless.


The Death Eater front of him pointed his wand at him and said lazily, "Avada Kedavra."


The green light engulfed him, and he felt no more.


*


He felt like shit. He felt like he had been tortured for weeks. His head felt like he had pair of dragons playing squash in it. In addition he was laying on a pool of his own puke. What a nice way to awaken. How was he still alive, anyway? Was his mother's blood protection still this strong? Questions flashed through his mind but he found it hard to concentrate. He had a terrible headache and those slapping and grunting sounds didn't help in the slightest. Wait... those sounds remind me of that film a saw on the... Oh... Shit...


He lifted his head slightly and saw a Death Eater raping Tonks near the opposite corner of the room. There was blood on her hair. She appeared to be unconscious, maybe even dead. It was impossible to say. Most of her clothes were ripped and those which she still wore were in shreds. Her suntanned but now dirty skin was showing everywhere. The other Aurors were laying on the floor, unmoving. Probably dead.


He brought his right hand in front of his eyes. Apparently the Polyjuice potion had wearied off. How long have a laid here? Suddenly he saw his silver hand. Apparently his glamour charm had ended too. There was a scorch mark on it and two fingers were missing. The hand still worked, though.


He nearly laughed when he realised what had happened. The Killing Curse had hit his hand and as it wasn't really part of him or alive at that matter, he had managed to keep his life. They hadn't even bothered to check him. But then, surviving the Killing Curse wasn't really a common occurrence. It was about as uncommon as it gets. He was quite a statistical anomaly himself as he had survived it twice now.


Harry closed his eyes in concentration. He rewove his Occlumency walls and sealed his emotions and other feelings away. The pain dimmed quickly. He made a quick search for a wand. He found none. Apparently the Death Eaters had taken their wands away. It was a sensible practice. Well, it matters not.


He rose to his feet and discarded his now overtly large robe and shoes. They would have only restricted his movement. He walked silently towards the Death Eater. Luckily the man's back was still turned at him.


The Death Eater was ravishing Tonks savagely. His hands were on her full breasts, tips of his index fingers massaging her pink nipples. Harry had to agree that she had a quite enthralling pair of mamories. Not that it excused the Death Eater’s actions. His thrust were getting erratic, apparently he was nearing release. Harry raised his silvery hand. Even if the situation was so disgusting, there was certainly some poetic justice about to happen.


The female Auror was wearing a golden phoenix-shaped pendant on a thin golden chain on her neck. The amulet was partially melted and was smoking slightly. Perhaps it had been what had saved her life. Maybe the Killing Curse had hit the pendant, and it had partially absorbed the deadly magic just like his silver hand had done.


Harry's hand came down hard and hit Death Eater's neck with a lethal force. A sharp crack was heard and the man slumped down bonelessly. Harry idly wondered whether he should thank the man. Not that it would help him anymore, though. He had never thought that his first kill would have been so easy. The man had been a Death Eater, that in itself was enough to justify the kill. In addition he had been in a process to prove exactly what kind of scum he was. Disgracing enemy after she had been defeated was honourless and unnecessary. Not to mention that it was just plain stupid to lower your guard when you were still within enemy grounds.


Harry kicked man's body away from Tonks and then searched his body for a wand. He quickly found what he searched for. It was black, about twelve inches long. He closed his eyes and whirled the wand in the air, trying to get a feeling of it. Unicorn hair, perhaps?


Now when Harry could see the man's face he immediately recognised him. He was one of the Kheiron's cousins, namely Rabastan Lestrange. A member of Voldemort's Inner Circle.


His left hand reached for his pocked and took out a steel pebble, about half inch in diameter. He tapped it with his wand, causing it to grow rabidly and then morph into to a trunk. The trunk contained most of his possessions. In less than three minutes he was wearing his standard combat attire. Bespoke clothes made of acromantula silk, an armour vest made of finest Romanian Longhorn leather, a combat belt, a black mask and enough weapons to arm an Auror squad, or two. Second tap from his wand turned the trunk back into a pebble, which he re-pocketed.


Harry quickly checked whether any of the Aurors in the room where alive. Turned out that Tonks was the only one still breathing. Others were dead as stones. Well, technically they were still bit more alive than stones...


He cast a few painkilling charms on Tonks before Ennervating her. She let out a soft growl and then she opened her eyes. She blinked few times as she realised where she exactly was, who he was and what she was wearing. Or to put it more accurately, was not wearing.


She crossed her arms protectively over her exposed breasts and glared him. She was trembling slightly and there was not a small amount of fear in her eyes, even though she tried to hide it.


"Wotcher, Nymphadora. Apparently you forgot the 'constant vigilance'." Harry knew he was a real hypocrite to say that. And perhaps it wasn't the nicest thing to be said to a raped woman.


"And before you ask, I did not do that to you. It was this gentlemen here," Harry said and kicked the dead Death Eater to his ribs. Hard. "He was having fun with you when I presented him with a counter-argument what he was unable to debate." He kicked the body again. It was near pity that he was dead already. He kicked it for the third time just for a principle.


Her eyes moved from body to body. She gulped and closed her eyes before asking, "Are they dead?" It was clear that she meant her comrades.


"I am sorry," he said quietly. And he really was. She hung her head and tears started to form on her pretty eyes. Harry really felt sorry for her, but he had already wasted too much time on her. He should get to Kheiron as fast as possible. The Death Eater attack was unfortunate, but hopefully it was only a coincident. But then, as the old proverb goes, no plan survives the first contact with the enemy. He just wished that no enemy would survive the contact with the plan.


"Here take this," he said and threw a key at her.


"What is this?" she asked, watching him with obvious distrust. She was unusually calm for a recently raped woman. Perhaps as a Auror she had accepted the fact that there was a high chance of her getting raped, tortured and even killed. Or perhaps it was because she had been unconscious during her ordeal. He shrugged mentally; psychology had never been his strong point.


"It's a portkey," Harry answered. "it will take you into Hogsmeade." He knew he couldn't leave her here in that condition. They would surely kill her or worse. Knowing Death Eaters he would put his money on 'worse'.


Before Tonks had had a chance to answer, a set of three dark figures entered the room. Harry instantly took his sword off its sheath in one fluid motion. The Death Eaters immediately stopped walking, their black gloved hands reaching for their wands.


Harry breathed steadily and raised his sword to shoulder level. His face was impassive mask as he sunk even deeper into Occlumency to suppress his emotions and further clear his mind. In battle emotions were unwanted. The only useful emotion in battle was anger. It gave you strength to do what you must and it fuelled Dark Arts. The others could make you hesitate, deliberate, worry... And in battle those things could get you killed. He didn't intend to die. At least not yet.


The sword gleamed threateningly in the semi-darkness of the High Security Prison. Only two of the six lanterns were burning in the walls of the large room, causing shadows to dance everywhere. The setting was like taken from the pages of some action novel.


The three Death Eaters moved slowly forward, raising their wands. As they launched a barrage of Dark curses, Harry sidestepped, taking few steps diagonally, slashing at the nearest man's stomach with the sword. To his satisfaction, he saw a thick red line appear across the man's torso as the black fabric split. The cut was quite deep and it was most likely fatal, at least if not healed properly. The man screamed and tried to keep his entrails from falling out. Blood was rushing through his fingers, which were pressed tightly against the gash.


Harry turned around and instinctively ducked when a sickly green jet of light slammed past him. He kicked off the wounded Death Eater, took two fast steps and pivoted on the spot, his sword whirling. With a gong like sound the sword blocked another Killing Curse send at him, sending the deadly curse towards ceiling. It was pity that he couldn't see their faces behind their skull-like masks when he blocked the most infamous curse in existence with a muggle sword... not that his sword could really be called a muggle sword after all enchantments laid on it.


It was commonly thought that the Killing Curse was indefensible, but in fact, it was only a half-truth. To be exact, Avada Kedavra was magically indefensible. There was no known shield charm that could absorb or deflect The Killing Curse. However, it can be physically blocked. Quite easily, actually. You could either conjure or summon something heave between you and the curse. Of course, the easiest way to avoid to curse was to simply dodge it. These three Death Eaters were apparently new recruits. Or at least they sucked at duelling, trying to compensate their lack of talent by continuously casting Killing Curses. It was plain stupid. It would exhaust them in less than a minute. Not that they were going to live that long.


Harry used the distraction to his advantage by kicking out savagely with his leg, striking a Death Eater painfully on the instep. Before she fell to her knees, Harry made a two-handed, neck-level horizontal sweep towards the last standing Death Eater. The sword cut through the Death Eater's neck as well as his hand, which he had raised futilely in protection. Before the beheaded head or the severed arm hit the floor, Harry's sword swirled one last time, ending the battle by piercing the kneeling Death Eater's heart. The sword had went straight through the Death Eater, killing her instantly. Next to him, the beheaded body slumped down, bright red blood spurting from the severed neck with each heart beat. The heartbeats soon ended.


Harry jerked his sword off the woman's back and absent-mindedly wiped off the blood from his sword with her robes as he studied his handiwork. Four Death Eaters were laying on the floor on growing pools of scarlet liquid. None of them was moving. The air was reeking with the nauseating stench of blood. Then it struck him through his Occlumency. He had just killed four men. Gods...


Still, he couldn't really feel sorry for them. They deserved what they had got. He had prevented them from hurting anyone ever again. He could, however, feel little disgusted with himself. He had just killed them in cold blood and was completely unrepentant. He was no better than those he had killed... except skill wise, of course.


He took a deep breath and sought refuge within Occlumency, strengthening his decayed mental barriers to the maximum. Once again his thought clarified, like he had just been doused in ice cold water. All emotions were rabidly vanishing as his rational side took over. His mind was void, free of all secondary thoughts and wants.


It was a curse and a blessing. It was his sanctuary from terrible thing known as reality, but it was also his personal devil. He knew without doubt that under its effect he could kill his own mother without feeling guilty in the slightest, that is if his mother wouldn't be already dead. In a sense he killed his humanity with Occlumency. It is for the greater good, he told to himself. Not that he believed word of it.


He knew he couldn't trust himself. He had always been fascinated with the Dark Arts. He was very talented in that field, too talented. He had gone too far too fast. As his magical power had started increasing when he had hit puberty, so had the temptation of the Dark Arts. He knew that if he would start to use more than few random Dark Arts spells on these battles he might easily lose himself to its euphoric feeling. And that was something he didn't want.


He had created the very same trap for himself, that Voldemort had fallen; Casting Dark spells while heavily Occluding yourself. It would cause hate to ooze through the mind barriers. Eventually the void would be brimming with anger. Darkness boiling.


Then you would become a creature driven by mindless hate. A being free of all inhibitions and morals. And your Dark Arts would be greatly empowered, fuelled by all the anger and darkness within your soul.


Eventually you would either die or become a Dark Lord. The world didn't need yet another Dark Lord. In all honesty, Dark Lords are probably less wanted on this world than mosquitoes. Unfortunately they're not as easy to get rid of though. You can't just clap them.


On the other hand, if Harry wouldn't Occlude himself then he might not be able kill, and even if could, moral corruption would still surely follow. He was trapped. Damned if he did, damned if he didn't.


If he wasn't Occluding himself, Harry would have laughed at its irony. To become the one you was fighting against. Harry steeled his resolve. He wouldn't fall. Not now, not ever!


*


Bellatrix lowered her wand and Kheiron stopped screaming.


"What's wrong, Bella?" her husband asked. It wasn't common to see her suddenly stop torturing. His eyes were still focused on Kheiron who was writhing on the floor.


Bellatrix drew up her sleeve, revealing creamy white skin and a silver bracelet. She tapped it few times with her wand and scowled. "It appears that your brother is dead."


"What!" Rodolphus yelled. "I am going to kill the bastard who killed him!"


"You are not doing anything, husband. I will take care of it. You take care of you cousin." With that she exited the cell.


Rodolphus fumed for a some time before turning his attention back to his distant cousin. "So, it seems that I get the pleasure of killing you," he said, his voice full of anger. He lifted his wand. "This is what happens to all who oppose the Dark Lord."


Kheiron raised his right hand pleadingly towards Rodolphus. "Its useless to beg, you pitiful Blood-traitor, you are only getting what you deserve for shaming your blood!"


Kheiron managed a weak smile. "I am not begging. Accio." Rodolphus' wand flew to his hand. Kheiron's smile grew into a wicked grin. The tables had just been turned.


For the first time ever he had used wandless magic in combat. It was slower, harder, less accurate and far more draining than 'normal' magic. Generally wandless magic was useless in duel as the chances were that if opponent could beat you when you had your wand, he would beat you when you don't have it too. Wandless magic become useful only when you didn't have a wand in the first place, or when you lost it in a mid-fight.


"Wandless magic," mouthed Rodolphus in disbelief.


Kheiron's next words weren't hard to predict by any standards. "Avada Kedavra."