Chapter 15, That Ain't No Komodo Dragon…
His good eye looked ahead. In front of him stood his quarry. A twisted smile tugged at his scarred mouth. It's been three months since they did a runner but he finally found them. They looked fit. No rich heavy foods for them. Both looked to be in better than peak shape. As he watched them he approved of the way they carried themselves as well. For all appearances they appeared to have not a care in the world as they walked amongst the giant turtles talking to each other. Looking to the entire world like nothing more than a pair of muggle tourists. He knew different. With just a thought his magical eye magnified them giving him a close up view. Their eyes shifted about looking for threats even though none were apparent. Their bodies moved with an ease which belied the fact both stood ready for anything to jump out of the air to get them. Constant Vigilance. He approved.
For twenty minutes he watched them. They truly had come a long way since they ran away. Potter running to Ireland in the beginning surprised him. He wondered if by chance the memory charm Dumbledore cast had begun to weaken. It would certainly explain their trip there. He just missed them by maybe a week when he found their last stop. He never would have even come that close if not for the Prophet article. It was a good break for him and a stupid move on Potters part. Still, a good laugh either way.
There after talking to what must have been half the muggles that lived or worked in the area he got his first real nibble. Potter had sent a crate to the colonies under the name James Black. Stupid move using his middle name and the last name for his godfather. Might as well have just left a note saying what he was doing. Thinking he might have set up a safe house over there for things he was collecting Moody grabbed the first international Portkey he could. There he got a second nibble before he even left the registry.
Even after his retirement he still got callers looking to learn from him. One of the ones who wasn't a complete waste of time was Riley. A good kid if a bit of a sloppy in his technique. Despite being American he was a quick learner and studious. A joy to train and quite inventive with his own defenses and attacks. After a year Riley returned to the states where he joined their Magical Police Department. Did pretty well for himself making Detective in record time. After Moody got through customs he found Riley waiting for him as he asked. It was while he was talking to him he got that second nibble. Riley mentioned that his Department Head wanted him to look into the case of why they had a dead Hit Wizard and a possible breach with the Native American tribe in that state. That led him to the firefight scene and then the reservation where he just missed Potter by a few hours.
It took him that day and the next talking to muggles in the areas around the reservation to find out about Roland Basil. He was a muggle trader who came through off and on. An attendant at one of the fuel stations for muggle autos mentioned he saw Roland the other day. Knowing who to follow he contacted Riley to find out addresses for the bloke which led him into the southern reaches of Missouri and his place there. However, that was where the trail died cold as shite. He could tell Potter was there for a few days but little else. He didn't know what Potter or Granger used to kill the wolf carcass he found there but it caused his eyebrow to rise. That level of power in any spell was impressive as hell and Mad-Eye was not one who impressed easily.
He started doing sweeps spiraling around his place along muggle roadways for lack of anything else and caught news that Roland had passed by that way with a two kids that matched his marks and a fourth person. He lost a lot of time tracking them this way having over shot a few turns they made but eventually tracked them to a location pretty deep into the mountain range they were traversing. There he caught up with Roland.
The large man was walking up to the small lorry when he pulled off his invisibility cloak. The second man stopped though neither seemed surprised he was there. "Roland Basil?"
"Yup. Need somthin?"Roland asked while he opened the door to his lorry and tossed in the pack he was carrying.
"My name is Alastor Moody. You had two kids traveling with you. Where are they?"
"No clue. What business is it of yours?"
"I've been tracking the kids for some time. They're in trouble whether they know it or not. I've been sent to protect them and take them home. You know where they are and I need that information."
Roland raised his eyebrow but made no other movements from where he was standing. "Fuck off."
He narrowed his good eye. He detested Legilimency out of general principle but he needed this bit of information. He learned it a long time ago so he could use it to help him read his marks when he was an Auror but never liked using it. Deciding that he needed the information more than he could afford to blindly search for the kids he made a quick pass through Roland's thoughts. It showed him they talked about Mexico City and Peru before departing via Portkey. With a spin he apparated.
That merry chase led him through the dregs as he tried to track them for over a week through the muck and mire of Mexican and Peruvian society The only reason he managed to track them here was he got a message from Riley. Two kids matching their description just checked in for Flight 756 heading from LAX to here under the names of Justin and Jessica Wellington. Riley didn't have any reason to hold um so he passed on the information. They used the muggle to misdirect me. Somehow they twigged I am following them. That or they were just covering their tracks. Either way, well done Potter.
"Like my own son you are Potter. Vigilant, ready, waiting. I wonder… can you sense me watching you? Are you aware a threat stands so close or have you become just as paranoid as people claim I am…"
XxXDaRXxX
Harry tossed the flat stone in his hand out over the cliff. It spun slowly as gravity carried it away to the clear ocean below. Behind him the island proudly displayed the forest and mountain in all its various green glory. A few of the region's birds floated about while Hermione continued to examine the giant turtles that walked around them slowly eating from the few bushes in their area. The cliff they stood on hid the sharp drop to the black rock speckled sand below. The Galapagos Islands were beyond beautiful. While his eyes enjoyed the pristine splendor around him he mind was busy reliving the events which brought him here. Hermione's memories swam before his own creating an almost movie like feel of the past three months. A trick they had discovered not long after entering Raze's fantasy world. It worked a lot like a pensive for them this mingling of their different perspectives. At least for memory events they were both apart of. They each thought differently, felt differently and reacted differently to just about every situation because they were different people after all. For the rest it was like filling in the blanks you never knew were missing. It was an experience unlike any he could describe to anyone but Hermione, and a tool they quickly learned was invaluable.
Harry picked up another stone and gave it a far toss into the waves far below them. Dumbledore interfering in his life by trying to take Hermione away was the catalyst that started everything. She had originally planned for him to meet her parents after the Hogwarts Express dropped them off. They had talked about him going over to her house for a day for them to get to know him a lot better. Maybe more if he could escape enough to pull it off. She loved her parents and he knew from her memories they loved her just as much in return. Harry wondered idly if they could ever recover from this breach caused by Dumbledore. He hoped so, through Hermione's memories of her parents he had finally begun to understand just what he had lost and what he could have gained had things been different.
The dreams he didn't understand lead them to Ireland. That as a good bit of fun. Some exploring, research, and a prank or two. Harry smiled. He still chuckled over the prank they played on the Order. Not to mention the one that got Crabbe Sr. arse raped by those three muggle transvestites. Good times no matter how you looked at it. As far as the dreams went, he understood them now thanks to an accident while learning Wyarding from Raze. Harry winced running his hand through his hair remembering that event. His head still hurt thinking about it. When whatever Dumbledore did to him to seal those memories broke it was easily on par with Voldemort's Cruciatus Curse. He turned from the splendid view of the crystal clear blue ocean and sky. He walked toward one of the turtles that decided the leafy bush next to the cliff needed a trim.
America was good. Except for the whole almost dying thing and losing Sirius's bike. Harry wondered for a moment at his lack of reaction to almost dying again. Was it bad he was getting used to ending up in that state? After a moment of musing his thoughts passed to seeing the historical sites. They sparked something within him that was only growing in intensity and was most likely the reason for his current thoughtful mood. Almost getting killed was really a solid cap on those visitations.
He turned away from the feasting turtle to watch his lover. Hermione was holding one of their cameras taking pictures of the giant turtles. By the way she kept moving about he could tell she was trying to get as much scenery in the shots as she could. Her parents should love these. They always wanted to go here but just never got around to it. Meeting Roland and Ben couldn't have been more fortuitous for them. Their time in Raze's world learning Wyarding was something he both detested and appreciated. Raze as easily as nutters as Ben mentioned but in a good Mad Scientist kind of way. He knew Hermione didn't put much stock in Wild Magic but Harry could see how the random chaos it sometime caused, not to mention the boost to his spells, could only help them in the coming fights. Hermione was by far more effective than he was in Wyarding but he supposed that was to be expected. Her logical mind just seemed wired that way were his was not.
Harry raised his camera and took a few shots of the beach and ocean. He smiled at one of the takes of the sea lions playing with the sea birds in the water. Raze's ideas on wandless casting was going to be a great benefit to both of them. The power loss from using that method was completely acceptable considering it would afford them the ability to never be without their magic. Emotion, Raze said, was the key. This was one area where he excelled over Hermione. Unless it was in their bedroom she usually was a very emotionally controlled person. His emotions were all over the place most of the time. As Snape told him once he wore his heart on his sleeve. It made him shite at Occlumency but for Raze's Wandless techniques it gave him more than a little proficiency.
Both Hermione and Raze explained to him how Modern magic was very structured, rigid, and followed very accepted and enforced rules. Raze, never one for rules of any stripe, preferred more emotional based techniques and the freedom it offered. Add in Wild Magic to compensate for the power loss and what you got was something not seen in the world since the lost days of yore. Harry shook his head. Raze was obsessed with the old days when, as he put it, Men were Real Men, wizards were Real Wizards, and fuzzy bunnies from the woods were Real Fuzzy Bunnies From The Woods. That man was more than a little touched in the head. A genius no question, but touched.
In reflection he also noticed that his magic seemed to be a lot stronger now than it ever was before the Shaman healed him. He didn't have any of the problems casting spells that he use to have before. This was something that showed itself doing those training exercises that Raze had laughably dubbed quests. He wasn't sure if that was due to the soul binding he shared with Hermione or if it had something to do with the 'Darkness' the Shaman had cut out. Whichever it was didn't really matter as much as the truly impressive improvements he gained. Not to mention he hadn't had so much as a twinge from his scar since. Harry was slowly becoming optimistic the Shaman might have found a way to cut the connection he shared with Voldemort. If so it was truly a blessing. Despite what Snape thought he did not enjoy playing peek-a-boo with Voldemort's thoughts or actions.
In the last few weeks however their joy was severely dimmed. In trying to understand the increases in his abilities they researched through the Shamans Book. They found the healing spell he used on Harry as well as the soul binding spell he used on them both. The binding spell didn't really provide any clues. Nor really did the other but it was what they learned about the other that startled them both. Apparently it was an old spell used to transfer a soul from one container to another. The Shaman didn't write any notes about why the spell was invented nor what it was used for but it lead them to some rather frightening conclusions. Extremely frightening considering his soul was very much still in his body. Any questions regarding that issue was quickly dispelled by the fact he was still bonded to Hermione. So, if he didn't take out his soul, who's did he take? Harry had a good idea as to who but that thought chilled him to the bone. If he was right where did that soul go? With the Shaman dying so quickly after the healing they had a good guess. Still they had no way to prove their theories one way or the other at the moment so the point was rather moot. Scary but moot. And still no answers to where his new proficiency with magic came from.
They had completely bunked off the will reading Mr. Granger told Hermione about. That was a surprise. Not the will reading per se though that did surprise him but the fact her dad was accommodating. Seemed a few of the Order had been around a few times keeping them updated on their search. On the last trip they took some of Hermione's hair from an old brush in her bathroom so one of them could pose as her at the reading. Hermione thought, and Harry agreed, it was all to keep the Black money from falling into Voldemort's hands through Draco Malfoy. Harry allowed a sad sigh to pass his lips. It had nothing to do with him or Sirius but all about a pureblood political game.
Hermione's father though was really a surprise. When she asked him why he was passing along the information he told her it was because it was the right thing to do. He wanted her back, no question. If that meant he had to accept Harry he was willing to try but only after they came home and he had his chance to talk to them both. Passing along that tidbit of information was the only olive branch he would bring himself to do. They had yet to decide what they were going to do about it but it was promising.
His little trip down memory lane didn't really provide any answers for the question that had been plaguing him. Should they or should they not return to Hogwarts? September First was only a week away and it had been eating at him. They had friends in danger at Hogwarts. Ron, Neville, Ginny, Luna were most on both their minds. With the Prophecy still valid they all were in very real danger. Working with Raze showed him the value of having an instructor to teach them things they didn't know and to be honest, they really didn't know a lot of magic. Hermione knew a lot but they needed more. Voldemort's fight with Dumbledore in the ministry ran through his mind for a moment. To fight that, at that level, they needed more spell knowledge and he couldn't really argue that Hogwarts boasted several extremely talented Witches and Wizards.
Knowing Hermione had been listening in to his inner musings he just started talking aloud to voice his concerns. "So I guess it comes down to this then. Are we ready to return?"
Hermione looked up from her study of one of the little land dragons next to her. "We won't know for sure until we are tested Harry. Raze, despite what it felt like at the time, never tried to kill us. He always pulled his spells. Yes we got hurt but nothing debilitating." She snorted. "Or as he put it, 'Enough to get you moving but not enough to lose a limb."
Harry nodded. "How do we know when we are ready? I mean, how long can we stay away knowing that nothing is being done to stop him?"
"How do you mean by that Harry?"
He ran his hand through his hair. "Dumbledore doesn't do anything. The Order just watches or comes in to help with clean up. The Ministry is completely ineffective. Voldemort's been running around almost completely unopposed for over a year."
Hermione nodded. "What's really bothering you Harry?"
He was quiet a moment before he voiced the real problem he was having. "How long can we justify being away from our friends and family? Knowing they are in danger and we are not there to do anything about it, or help? When we go back are we going to be confronted by Ron's death? Or Luna's? Will it be Ginny or Neville's gravestone we stand over as testament to the price of our freedom?"
Hermione smiled sadly. This was one of the first aspects of his personality she fell in love with in the beginning. His heart had always been bigger than anyone she had ever known. "Do you want to go back Harry?"
"Yes. No. Bloody Hell, I don't know. I do know I can't lose you love. It's just been eating at me. Despite the wreck and almost getting us both killed I will have to say this has been the best summer of my life."
"But…" she led for him.
Harry sighed. "But I've been thinking. The Americans have that saying, Freedom isn't free. They paid for their freedom from us. They fought the good fight and won their independence. Our own history is full of such heroes. People doing what was right and not what was easy or desirable. Maybe running away isn't the answer to our problems. Maybe, maybe we need to go back and fight for it." He turned to look at his lover. "We have enough money and resources that I am pretty sure we could stay one step ahead of anyone tracking us for a long time. But at what cost Hermione? Is losing your parents really worth 'us'? Losing Remus? Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Tonks, McGonagall, Fenwick, or Hagrid?"
Harry turned away. Crookshanks was sunning himself on top of one of the giant turtles in front of him. The turtle in question didn't seem to mind being his taxi as he ambled along looking for something tasty to eat. Hedwig floated around them enjoying the new environment and freedom of the sky. "How long can I justify being a selfish pillock before I have to return? I don't think I could take it if people we care for or love die while we are gone. I'm not even sure I can really enjoy myself being away while knowing the Dark Tosser is out there trying to make my fears reality."
He felt her arms encircle him while he faced the ocean. Her cheek rested into his back while she held him. "I know Harry. I've been thinking the same thing since we came back to Arx Tutela. Do you think we are ready to face what we left behind? What are you proposing we do?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Voldemort… you saw my memory of him fighting Dumbledore. Every day we learn something is a day he learns something more. The gap between us is never going to close. The stronger I get the stronger he gets. I am never going to be stronger than he is. He's got an army; it's just you and me right now. I doubt very seriously he's going to just pop up for tea because I asked him to and settle this one way or the other. The only thing I see changing between now and a few years from now is going to be the lack of allies. The Prophecy…"
"I have told you some of my ideas on that Harry. It's too vague."
"Seemed pretty specific to me Hermione. One of us has to kill the other."
He felt her body shake a bit behind him. He could feel her fear through their link but her voice was strong. "It pretty clearly defines you with the 'Mark him as his equal' part. Everything else could have meant you or Neville. But Neville didn't get a mark from Voldemort so that leaves you. The part that scares me the most is 'Either must die at the hands of the other' part. Either could mean one or the other but it could also mean both. That scares me Harry. That you both have to die…"
They'd had this conversation a few times but he felt a chill every time they did. "I know love. I know. Do you think that is how Dumbledore took it? That we both would have to die?"
He felt her shudder behind him. In a quiet voice he almost didn't hear she said simply. "yes."
That was what he was thinking as well. It would explain why he was placed with the Dursleys. Raised broken and desperate for anything to help. Ever grateful to anyone who could have saved him. Willing to do anything, maybe even die, for it all too just end. Had it not been for Hermione he just might have done it too. He turned in her grasp so he could face her. His hands slowly rose to cup both sides of her face while he looked deeply into her loving eyes. "Are you prepared for that to happen? You said yourself it was a coin flip for any of the outcomes. In one he lives, I die. In another I live he dies. In the last, we both die. One third odds I come out of this alive. Even then there is no guarantees you won't be killed in any one of those outcomes which gives you even less odds than me."
In a tone that brooked no dismissal Hermione told him, "I will be with you when you stand against him love. Either in spirit or standing next to you. Me and you Harry. You would never let me stand against him alone. I will not allow you to do so. No matter the outcome, there is no me without you. We stand together, or not at all."
He felt her love bore into him from her eyes and through her heart. Harry nodded. "Together." He whispered.
The moment was broken a second later by a voice neither had heard in a long time. "Well played Potter. A merry chase you've led me on. Move slowly apart and keep your wands stowed. Let's not make an already awkward situation worse eh?"
Both of them moved slowly apart turning to see Professor Moody standing before them with his wand drawn but not directly on them.
"That ain't no komodo dragon…" Harry mumbled to Hermione before he raised his voice to the man before them."Professor Moody. You look like shite. Want to grab a shower and a change of clothes? Maybe a nap? We can hit the beach and you can see some girls you wouldn't have to use your freaky eye to ogle properly." Harry quipped.
Moody couldn't keep the small smile off his face that forced its way into his twisted mouth. "Funny Potter. It's been a merry chase."
"Better than last time. I got two extra months distance."
"Got your memory back I see. Good for you. Never agreed with Albus for doing that in the first place. I could see denying you it until your eleventh but not totally. Glad your whole."
All three stood battle ready. Tense with bodies only a flinch away from responding. Harry nodded slowly. "I remember you removing most of the things Dumbledore did. So, now what?" Harry asked.
"We go back. You're too unprotected out here. If I can find you, they can."
Harry didn't respond. Their soul bond so far didn't allow for any kind of communication. They could share memories and feelings however. It took a long time to work it out but they managed to work this to their advantage. Harry pushed eagerness and desire through their link. A few memories of Mad-Eye fighting in the Ministry as well as throwing some random scenes of them. Hermione replied with acceptance and images of the beach below mixed with a few things from their experiences in Raze's world. Harry lowered his head and allowed a slight smirk to form on his face. Their inner communion lasted less than one heartbeat but long enough for both to understand what was going to happen. Three months ago neither would have dreamed of doing this. If they could beat Professor Moody, they could possibly hold their own against the average Death Eater. This would decide if they were ready or not.
Mad-Eye noticed their body postures shift slightly. When Harry winked at him the growl of frustration that had been building in him broke. As did the fight between them.
Faster than they could blink Moody threw stunners, binding ropes, flash bangs as well as concussion spells. The sudden onslaught turned the quiet cliff meadow into a roaring battle ground. It lasted only a moment before a massive explosion of sound erupted from Granger. He threw himself to the right not knowing what spell she was casting since it happened so quickly. The spike of blue white electricity arced past him through where he stood a moment ago. The sudden quiet after the sharp crack was filled a second later by the exploding of a tree in the distance. He shook his head to clear it before raising his eyes to look at them in stunned disbelief. A slight unnatural mist hung in the air before him quickly clearing. Once it did his eyes couldn't see the kids. He smiled to himself while picking himself up. Once on his feet he rushed forward faster than anyone would have credited to him. The only thing on the cliff from either of them was their cameras and one of their packs. He moved to the cliff face looking down to see if they somehow managed to make the beach below and spotted them. Them and several of the spells they were casting in his direction. He apparated to the beach below to flank them just getting missed by several spells he didn't recognize.
"You got a death wish Potter?" He yelled while casting the flame whip and rearing back to strike.
They dove apart from each other using the black stones that littered the beach as cover. Moody's strike missed glassing a three foot streak in the sand between them. Harry seeing what happened to the sand moved from his cover to one closer to their opponent while Hermione set up her next move.
"If you want us to come with you you're going to have to work for it Professor! We haven't been sitting on our arses all summer so let's see what you got!"
Harry felt the air slowly start to back build. Knowing Hermione needed a few more moments to do her bit he jumped from his cover when Moody made his next strike. As the fire whip sailed through the air toward him Harry raised his left arm as if to block it. A slight flair of purple mist smoked from his arm just before the whip hit the duelers shield he summoned wandlessly. A quick jerk as if he was trying to yank the whip from Mad-Eye caused the flames to break loose from Moody's wand. The fire was sucked into a fiercely rolling ball of fire in Harry's hand. He quickly brought close to his mouth before harshly expelling his breath. Harry narrowed his eyes while wandless stealing every single bit of oxygen from the area he could and funneling just those O2 atoms into his attack. It created a torrent of blue white flames that scorched a path in front of him six feet wide and easily traveling the twenty yards to his target. After the flames were used up he took notice of the rock conjuration Moody erected to hide behind. The air was thin from his spell work but he sucked in a greedy breath to get as much of what was left into his lungs as he could. He was lightheaded but more than up to the task ahead.
Harry took out his wand and started casting reductors wanded and wandless. Wild Magic misted from his form and trailing the spells while he kept up throwing the destructive curses trying to destroy Moody's cover and keep him pinned. After a few volleys a soft pop to his right brought his attention to his flank. Too slow to react he found himself hit by the Professor's banishing curse.
"Nice trick Potter but if that is all you have then you have a long way to go." Moody shouted to Harry. His body ragdoll skipped like a stone across the water several times before it fell below the surface.
Hermione took that moment to appear and directed the air currents from above them to the ground at Moody's feet. "Try this one then Professor!"
Having forgot for the moment about Granger Mad-Eye turned to look at the newest threat only to have a hurricane force wind sending sand, stone, and dirt into his face before the shear force of the wind picked him up and sent him flying toward the cliff behind him. Hermione watched her Ex Professor lift up off the ground and into the air before he twisted and disappeared. She released the hold she had on the air current before she Apparated away to present a harder target for him to hit. When she appeared she was thankful for her forethought when the area she was standing in previously erupted in flurry of magic. She quickly discovered where he appeared and started sending various curses and hexes of her own driving him to seek cover or discover just how good she was at her own spell work.
Before he could counter, Moody found himself hit with torrent of water from his own flank. The sideways geyser sent him skidding into the cliff wall uncontrollably. Hermione raised her wand contorting the water in a similar way that Dumbledore did to Voldemort from Harry's Memories. The small magical sphere that manifested between her wand and hand struggled and was incredibly hard to maintain. A great sphere of sea water rolled around the beach with Moody inside struggling to break free.
Harry glided inland. A column of swirling water rose from the ocean below him supporting him a dozen feet above the waves. It enveloped him up to his sternum before V'ing out to cover both of his shoulders. From there it traveled down his arms which were elongated into contorting watery whips filed with shell and stone. Once he got close enough Harry reared back and began flailing at Hermione's sphere, and the old Auror within.
Harry only managed a couple of strikes before a massive pulse of magic shattered Hermione's sphere and his concentration on the ocean water surrounding him. With a curse he apparated close to Hermione as soon as he started falling.
For the next fifteen minutes all three apparated around the beach casting various curses, hexes, enchantments or charms at each other in an attempt to get the better of the other. No one stayed in one place long. Spell counters consisted more of redirecting them than actually countering. Shields consisted of what cover they could find on the beach, what they could conjure, summon, or manipulate. Wreckage from the fight quickly became weapons everyone used against their opponent. Harry and Hermione showed Moody just how inventive they were by playing off each other. He would conjure blocks of stone or cause shields of rock to erupt from the sand in front of them to block some of the more dangerous spells while Hermione would banish the remains at Moody causing him to shield himself or apparate. Sometimes Hermione would cause spikes of stone to strike out from the ground either at Moody or to block a spell Harry couldn't while Harry attacked. Several times he managed to bring up weak versions of the shield spell Voldemort used in the ministry battle. The Shamans book explained everything they needed to know about it. In the last few weeks they had tried hard to master that spell but so far neither had really gotten more than weak versions of it. Protego's didn't last long against the old Auror and were completely abandoned after the first couple of volleys from him almost killed them both.
A loud Gong like sound signaled the latest in his attempts to cast the shield failing. His body rolled in the sand to escape the stunner and concussion spells sent by Moody. Thankfully the bone breaker was stopped by the shield. He finally came to a stop diving behind a conjured bunker of stone next to Hermione.
"Having fun yet?" He shouted over the spell fire that hammered the cover they hid behind.
"Just like old times Harry. All we need now is Raze to pop up and start throwing fireballs at us!"
"Shame he never taught us how to do that!" Harry laughed just before they apparated to better cover behind Moody. Both of them saw the stone crack in half from the massive force of the spell Moody put into it before they sent their own reductors in his direction. Apparating again they bunkered down behind their own individual rock outcrop trying to find where he went to now. "I think Mad-Eye's enjoying this as much as we are!"
Both spotted him at the same time, still working in sync and playing off each others moves, they begun the next round. After a flurry of magic they once again apparated to new cover. Hermione looked over at Harry panting form that last effort. "Apparaters cramps are starting to set in Harry, we need to finish this if we can."
Harry nodded. He'd been feeling the body wide cramps for a while now and it was slowing his casting down significantly. The human body was not designed to handle that many compressions in so little time. Both ducked when a burst of flame struck the rock they hid behind. Waves of rolling heat almost singed them where they hid.
"Manky Minge! Bugger Fuck! Shite!" Harry cursed. This reminded him far too much of when that Horntail had him pinned when he was trying to summon his firebolt. He turned to look at Hermione slightly surprised when she didn't yell at him for his language. "Alright, time to get a bit dirty. Here's what we are going to do…"
For his part Moody was truly enjoying himself. Those kids had come closer to killing him in the last fifteen minutes than anyone in the last fifteen years. They worked seamlessly together somehow communicating or reading each other. When he tried to read them using his Legilimency he got nothing. Nothing but grey where he should have found spell work. Their spells packed more than a little kick confirming the suspicions he gained from the wolf carcass. That bolt of lightning Granger started off with would have been more than enough to put him down had it actually hit. After they almost drowned him he stopped pulling his punches and really started to hammer at them. They wanted a fight and he was more than enough wizard to give them one to remember. To his mind it was better they learned this lesson from him instead of some Death Eater who wouldn't let them live to learn from the experience. His battle robes rested in complete disrepair on his old frame. Several times shrapnel or banished objects had almost spit him. Only his reflexes saved him from serious injury but his robes and cloak took a beating. He raised his wand stopping the Dragon's Breath curse he was using.
"You lot still alive back there?" a moment of silence passed. "You can give up at any time Potter."
Suddenly two massive hands of sand burst upward at either side of him slamming together attempting to grab him. Reacting quickly he threw himself backward before rolling into a kneeling position. His magical eye spun quickly trying to find the little buggers. His escape was short lived however when he felt his leg wooden leg glued to the sand preventing him from moving. What looked like roots sprung from the foot and into the sand quickly spreading away from him. He raised his wand to cast a cutting curse so he could apparated and counter attack when he felt a wand touch to the back of his neck. A quick check with his magical eye brought a smile to his face. It was Harry Potter's wand.
He was breathing hard. His clothes didn't look much better than Moody's. Potter's shirt was barely hanging on him and his jeans were practically shredded. His good eye showed Granger coming out of cover closer than expected her to be with her wand on him. She didn't fare any better in their battle either.
With a flick of his wrist Potter signaled him to toss his wand to Granger. Still smiling he did just that.
"Like my own son you are boy. Still, dirty trick that." Mad-Eye gestured to his wooden leg. His smile never left his face. "I approve. Care to tell me how you managed it? Never had that done before."
His answer came from Granger. She smiled knowingly. "I am sure you are aware of Gibson's First Law of Holomorphism? A little creative enchantment to the wood that made your leg think it was still a part of the tree it came from, then a mingling of a slight temporal field and you found yourself blessed with a very fast growing season."
Moody hauled his head back and laughed. The chit managed to get him with a farmer's charm! "Well done lass, well done! I'll make sure to fix that problem later." He turned his head to look at Potter with both eyes before repeating the words he uttered to him on the cliff. "So, what now eh?"
Still breathing hard Harry slightly smiled but didn't lower his wand. If anything his grip became a bit tighter. "I have a message for Dumbledore. Care to play the messenger?"
Chapter 16, Ripples Make Waves
A small island on the Blue Ridge Lake in northern Georgia was the current destination of the pontoon boat speeding across the surface. Roland Basil piloted the boat while his brother sat looking about drinking from his beer. Both loved the wind and water, not to mention the scenery of the area in the fading summer but even these simple pleasures were not enough to intrude on their brooding thoughts. The lush green island came into view as they slowly rounded the curve when Roland started talking for the first time in over half an hour of traveling the waterways.
"She's going to divorce you, you know. I like Cis but if you come with me she's going to divorce you. She was really pissed you resigned your commission with the Army as it is."
Ben sighed. "I know. I love Cicely Roland, but family comes first. I've done my time. Don't get me wrong I love military life but we got things to do and it's the only way I can be there to do it. My CO was talking about Okinawa for my next post. If it was Britain yeah I might have worked something out but…"
Both were silent while Roland lowered the speed of the boat so he could dock and tie the boat off. While working on the tie off he turned to his brother trying one more time to change his mind. "I got this bro. I could use the compn'y yeah, but you don't need to. It's my fight."
Unfazed by his statement Ben countered. "Family bro, Nuff said."
Finally nodding his acceptance Roland nodded back. "Nuff said. Come on, I got get our packs and then break the news to Missy. You might not be the only one getting divorced soon."
Both brothers started the long walk down the winding walkway passing the multitude of plants, most magical in nature, to the great log cabin house that rested on the center of the island in silence. Just before they would have walked up and entered the house Roland turned to the right taking the path that led to a four story tower that stood sentry over the grounds. A quick twist of the key let them into a room that until that moment no one but Roland had entered.
Ben remained thoughtful while Roland made for the massive safe that took up the back side of the wall. The safe itself had more than a few enchantments laid upon it. One of which was an elegant expansion charm. Handy, if like Roland, you needed to stash quite a lot of things too big for the usual safe and didn't want five or six of the things scattered about. Things like the M16A4 he pulled from its protective confines once he opened it. He handed the heavy weapon to his brother while taking out a second one for himself. Ben only grunted. With all the trading his brother did it really didn't surprise him he had access to military grade hardware.
Both brothers sighted down the scopes making individual adjustments to suit themselves. Ben spoke first. "The under barrel launcher for show or does it actually work?"
Roland smiled grimly. "They work." He tossed his brother a cartridge that had a single strip of yellow tape around it. "Standard 5.56 rounds." Ben loaded the rifle while watching Roland take out a duffle bag and start loading it. Pistols, grenades for the M203s, holsters and various other odds and ends joined the clips for the rifles.
"Whats with the different colored tape on the clips bro?"
"Yellow means standard 5.56 rounds. Blue are blanks. I use those the most for my 9mm. Scares the shit out of thieves when I'm campin and they are looking for an easy score. I've never used the others but I know what they do."
"Sounds ominous. Enlighten me."
Roland sighed only pausing to zip the bag closed before he took out two backpacks and began checking them. "Remember that scare we had about five years ago with the giants?" After Ben nodded he continued. "I used to know this guy in Oklahoma. He's a Mundane survivalist but his son's got the gift. Anyhow I was down there trading for Chimera hides with a few traders when he wandered into the camp we were using. Had a pack of Lycan's looking to have him for dinner chasing after him. The traders bailed but I managed to drive them off. Half dead I did what I could for him and took him back to his bunker. He wanted to know what he could do to pay me back. I told him the only thing I really needed was help with a rogue band of Giants. Kinda joking with him you know? He had his son load up my truck with all kinds of things."
"His son explained to me the significance of the clips and color codes then told me what he did to the clips. Basically he was looking for a way to get even more rounds into each clip to cut down on reload time as well as saving space. What he ended up with was even better. He created a runescape that would duplicate a single round. The conjured round would then be loaded into the weapon and fired. However, after ten seconds the round vanishes leaving no trace of bullet or casing. Any wounds however are very real regardless. The runescape is powered by sophisticated draw runes and other such things. However high usage, say from a prolonged fire fight or if you are going full auto for longer than a few moments the clip runs dry and has to recharge. He gave me several of each kind mind you."
"He started to experiment after he got it working and that is where the other colors come in. Orange is for fragmentation rounds. Each round explodes on impact. The explosion itself is not very large but when you think of the muzzle velocity of each round being just over three thousand feet per second with over seven hundred cyclic rounds per minute and each round fragging on contact sending shards of bullet flying all over the target area, well you get the idea."
Ben swallowed thickly while Roland continued his explanation. "Red is worse. He found some way to shrink down .50 rounds for various anti material rifles. In other words each round is fired small with the enchantment keeping it small negated as it leaves the barrel. These rounds have enough punch to put an armored vehicle on its ass and you can fire them insanely fast and more of them. One full burst and we are talking swiss cheese in a can brother. That's what I used on the giants and let me tell you something, it was nasty. Finally the black bound clips make the others look like BB rounds. The Black ones fire mortar shells. Highly explosive ones. Don't forget, the rounds also vanish after a couple of seconds leaving no evidence except for the destruction it caused."
"Sweet Jesus. That means…"
Roland nodded his head. "Yeah it gives each of us the firepower of a tank Brigade with the mobility of a Guerilla. It never ceases to surprises me how people can find new ways to kill each other when they put their minds to it."
"Fuck me brother. What the hell are you doing with things like this? Why didn't you get rid of it after you dealt with the Giants?"
Roland looked at his brother like he was crazy. "How? Can you imagine what would happen if these things fell into the wrong hands? The damage it could cause? The guys I got them from ended up all getting killed off a few months later when both governments, magical and mundane, sent in a massive force because they found out about them. These are the only ones in existence anymore. How in the hell could I get rid of them without joining them or worse, letting them fall into the wrong hands? I don't know how to destroy them and I couldn't just dump um. So that left just one thing I could do. I locked them up in my safe and forgot about them."
"Until now."
Roland looked toward his house that had his wife and kids. "I swore to Melissa I would never let anything happen to our children Do you remember what she was like when she lost Brennen?" after a sorrowful nod from his brother he continued. "We had this huge fight when they got their letters for Hogwarts. Melissa wanted to keep them here to attend Savannah's School for the Gifted. I pushed for Hogwarts because of the Legacy they have. They're the first in several generations to have the gift. All those with the gift on her side have gone to Hogwarts. Even if the British send their kids there the MacGregor's have always sent them there because it's in Scotland. Morgan especially was excited by the idea. She's always loved McGonagall when she came by during the summers. I mean, it's Hogwarts, how could it be unsafe, I asked her. She made me swear that if anything happened I would protect them. She was so frantic until I swore to her that if anything happened over there I would take care of it. She was frantic with worry people would figure out their apart of Clan MacGregor. There's still a lot of hate for the clan among the British. I told her their Basils and no one would figure it out if the kids kept their mouths closed. Still she wouldn't settle down until I promised. I don't know what the hell is going on over there but I intend to find out and shoot it. If this Voldemort or his Death Eaters want to pick a fight with me or mine, I'm his Huckleberry."
Roland slapped the side of the rifle he was holding. "I got his Blood Supremacy right here. In a week we're gunna be in the Death Eater killing business, and Brother, I got a feeling Business is gunna be boomin."
XxXDaRXxX
The old man zipped up the duffel bag sealing the contents of his effects within. It was decided that they would take only traditional effects, and as many pieces of flint from the 'Hallows' as they could comfortably carry. There had always been powerful spirit medicine associated with the stones that guarded the sacred burial place of Heartland. Once more he checked the plane ticket in his pocket to confirm the time of his departure. It hadn't changed since the last time he check it two minutes ago and he was hours ahead of when he scheduled himself to leave. With nothing else to do he picked up the duffel and left his home walking out into the pure sunlight that bathed Heartland. Standing on his porch he took a long look wanting to cement every detail into his mind. He knew in his old bones, he would not be returning. It was the same feeling he had that morning a few months ago when he left on his yearly pilgrimage to walk the borders of their lands. He knew that was the journey he would finally find Raven and Owl for his Father.
Jim let out a sigh. He missed his father. Together they had spent many years preparing for the arrival of their ancestors children. There were many times it seemed to be just the two of them who still believed. Even his own children didn't believe in the old ways as he and his father did. It was the way of the world now. There were only a few holdouts left from the old ways. Even his Father's generation had many who chose to adapt to the changing times and not hold to the old values and beliefs. His own generation had more, and it would have been easier to count who did believe than who did not in his children's generation. By the time his Grandchildren were of age, the old ways would be gone and forgotten.
His thoughts moved to the night his Father had died. Jim didn't approve of his Father's methods to heal Raven and Owl but knew there must have been no other way. Suicide was very frowned on in their culture. Often, those who did so, were seen as selfish and unworthy people to enter the lands of their ancestors in the afterlife. Jim wasn't there but he, and only he, saw his Father's face when at dawn he walked in to check on them. There was a victorious smile etched on his ancient face that even the cold embrace of death could not remove. It was all Jim needed to see to know that his Father died successful in fulfilling their Ancestors wishes. It was the smile of victory even in death. None of their people steeped in the old ways could have hoped for more. Jim only hopped that whatever battle had been fought that night was enough for his ancestors to forgive him. The only thing he could do was to cover the incident up. He very carefully removed the spirit dagger making sure not to touch it with any part of his skin. The hide he used to protect himself was used to wrap it so that no one would accidentally make contact with it. A blood bond had been made between his Father and Raven that night, and only Raven could touch the spirit weapon now. Per his Father's wishes he packed all that he was told to and gave it to the trader Roland when he picked them up. He was an honorable man and would see Raven and Owl would get them when they recovered. The only thing anyone else knew of that night was that his father had died from the strain of healing Raven and Owl. All the specifics he would take with him to his own grave. There the knowledge would be buried for all time. He owed his father much and the least he could do would be to prevent any perceived dishonor upon his name among the living.
On his shoulder he felt the warm touch of his beloved. He didn't need to turn to her to know the look on her face as she looked at him. In all the times in his life he left home to walk the path of their ancestors never once had she ever been concerned he would not return. Both of them knew he was not returning from this quest. He was not as young as he used to be, and the Great War over the ocean was meant for those whose blood did not take so long to quicken. He was in good shape for a man of his sixty years, but the path of the warrior was one meant to be walked by younger people. His tired eyes finally noticed the troop of older men waiting for him by the Van. They were the last of their kind. They had no place in this new world of technology. There was no room in this new world for their beliefs. The old ways were held on to by only the few of them and soon, they too would pass into obscurity as the younger generation became the elders. It would be better this way. To die in a Great War helping Raven and Owl, to know when rejoined their ancestors they lived by the ways of old, until the last breath. To die as Warriors of the People! Not from old age in a world where none of their children understood or had any desire to understand the ways that had defined them all their lives.
Jim slowly turned to take one last look at his wife of over forty years. She was his other half. She, who had steadfastly loved him in times of trial and times of ease. Never wavering and always steady. She had given him one daughter, and two fine sons. None of them believed in the old ways, but they did very well for themselves in the world they chose. He couldn't ask for more. Slowly, reverently, he raised his hand to cup the side of her face allowing his thumb to slowly slide along her fine cheek bone. Though she had aged as he had these long years to him she always looked as she did the day they were joined. He didn't tell her he loved her. He didn't need to. She looked into his eyes and together they shared a moment of complete understanding of each others hearts. Words would have simply ruined the exchange. The only crack in herself control was the single tear that spilled from her eye. He too wished they had more time together. There would never be enough time for them to share their hearts, but he would have loved to have had more anyways.
"FATHER!" Jim turned away from his beloved to take in the furious countenance of his daughter.
He didn't not answer her in the language of the Americans, but in their own language. "Yes my daughter?"
"You can't do this, it's beyond stupid! What are you thinking?"
Jim raised an eyebrow at her tone but did not chastise her. It didn't surprise him she had found out about his plans. She had always been a very knowledgeable woman. This was, however, just another aspect of the different paths he and most of the others have chosen for their lives.
"You have chosen to walk the path you walk. I walk the path I have chosen."
"Do you have any idea how stupid it is to do what you plan? Dad you just can't go to a different country and walk around hunting people! You're going to get caught and put in prison! Don't get me started on how ridiculous it is for you to fly to England to play Indian hunter."
Jim walked over to his daughter ignoring her comments and embraced her. He felt a pang in his heart when she didn't return it. As he pulled back he looked into her confused and enraged face. "Goodbye Swift as a Doe. Take care of your Mother and Brothers."
Jim turned to walk to those who waited for him. All of them looked anywhere but at the family before them respecting their privacy. Jim knew they all would have had similar goodbyes from their own families.
"MOM! Do something!"
For the first time since she approached him this morning Jim heard his wife speak. "Strong as Mountain!"
Jim stopped and turned to look at her. "You have never been like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. You are Strong as Mountain! When your time comes, throw open your heart and sing your death song proudly, and die like a hero going home!"
Marlene looked shocked at what she said. "MOTHER!"
Jim nodded slightly to his wife before turning back to those who would be accompanying him on the journey ahead.
Marlene for her part was still looking horrified that her mother would condone the madness that was happening. "Why? Mom, he's going to get put in prison over there, or worse be killed!"
Her mother's eyes never left the form of her father as he climbed into the van with the others. "I know."
"What?"
"I have always known. I love you daughter but you laugh at the old ways. You do not feel them in your heart, understand them in your bones as your Father and I do. Your Father is a Warrior of the People! Since the day he was six and killed a bear with a poorly made spear he himself crafted. Since the day he heard the words of our Ancestors and took into his heart the duty they gave to him. You speak to your father as if he was feebleminded, mocking his beliefs. He knows he is going to war, and will not see its end. I have known this day was going to come since the day my life was tied to his. With the arrival of Raven and Owl, we knew our remaining time was ending. Regardless of how I feel about it, or what your father or I might want, this has always been the way of these things."
"Their names are Harry and Hermione! NOT Raven and Owl!"
Marlene's mother finally removed her eyes from the departing van to look at her only daughter. "And that is why you do not understand. You see the world through the eyes of the Americans. Your father sees the world through the ways of our people. You see your father going to play 'Indian Hunter'. I see the man I have loved for many years going to fight a war so it does not reach his home. You see a man who is going to his death for no reason but his feeble attempts to follow an archaic way of life that has no place in the 'Modern' world. I see a proud Warrior going to his death knowing he gave all so that the enemy would not be able to take away your right to your blindness."
"It's not even anywhere near our lands! It has nothing to do with us or Father! It's not even our war to fight!"
Her mother turned to look at the dust cloud that was the only indication of where the van, and the other half of her heart, had gone. "It is now."
XxXDaRXxX
Robert stood up from his table to stretch. He'd been here a long time trying to decipher the old Latin text Raze had tasked him to. It was slow going with all the chameleon like words and if he was honest with himself, he really wasn't that fluent in the old language. He was, however, better than anyone else in the area which was why the task fell to him. A task he liked only slightly more than playing GateKeeper to Raze's little world. Muscles loosened he walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup of the dark liquid hoping it would stimulate his flagging mind.
This particular text was froth with hidden meanings which made it even more difficult to translate properly. Robert was pretty sure it was meant to be since he was almost certain it was some kind of prophecy. If it was, it was the worst prophecy he had ever translated. Everything was so ambiguous and unclear. He hoped it would clear up when he finished translating it but it seemed as if every single word had double or triple meanings and with each word refined one behind it changed as well as two in front. Robert sighed as the hot liquid when to work on his nerves and his eyes once again settled on the old leather bound tome on the table half buried in note pages. He'd get it. He always did. He just wished he knew why Raze wanted this translated so badly.
He took another drink from the steaming white cup in his hand and slowly made his way back to the table intending to once again try and translate the fourth sentence of the first paragraph when something intruded on his thinking. It was quiet.
Robert looked around the room as if some clue would spring from his possessions and explain to him why he couldn't hear the subtle hum from the towers generators. The room had always been awash with a slight almost undetectable hum that drove him insane the first three weeks he lived here. In time he'd gotten used to it and could sleep through it but now there was no hum. There was always a hum. For as long as he lived in this room for the last three years there was that hum, but not now. Robert placed down his cup on the table not caring if it was on wood or his notes still looking around the room. The sudden pounding on his door rang like a gunshot through his nerves making him jump pulling wild magic about him and half set with a series of nasty and lethal magic's.
"Fuck man I almost blew a hole through damn wall when you started beating on the door. What's going on?" He asked once he opened the door revealing one of the training acolytes.
The trainee before him was half out of breath when he answered. "The, the generators stopped working!"
"Bullshit." They never stopped working. Raze designed the things himself to power the gateways and everything else in Arx Tutela.
"They did! There's people everywhere running around but no one knows anything! There's someone from the mayor's office wanting to talk to the GateKeeper but Joanne told me I had to run down here to tell you to meet her at the Nexus."
Cursing under his breath Robert marched out of the room half running to meet Joanne. "Is she the GateKeeper today?"
"Yes and she doesn't know anything more than any of the engineers at the power station. The only generator still running is number five which is supposed to run basic needs but all its power is going to the Nexus. No one can get any of the others to restart."
"Damn it. Go to the Mayor's aid and let him know we are doing what we can and hopefully we will get main power back online by the end of the day. Otherwise, I will personally give him a status report of what we know and projections on repair by six tonight."
The young man nodded before he headed out to do as he was assigned. Robert shook his head. He was the Elder of Raze's people being one of the first ones trained so they all looked to him for guidance but nothing like this had ever happened before. It took him over half an hour to navigate the keep to arrive at the room they termed, 'The Nexus.'
Robert walked through the open door which had two other acolytes posted on guard and into the room itself. The Room was really nothing more than an empty room with seven door frames sitting in a circle. The high peaked ceiling above normally was a storm of magic's but at this moment was strangely still showing only a slight wild mist floating about. He felt his eyes widen at the fact all the frames were empty of the usual inky violet vortex, save one.
"Fuck me…"
"No shit Robert. Every portal to Magndane is dead. What the hell is going on? Even the main portal is dead. Best as I can tell the only portal that still works is that one." Robert looked at the pretty young brunette dressed in the GateKeeper garb with her hood thrown back. She was pointing at the only working portal.
"How the fuck am I supposed to know Joanne? I was in my room doing translations and didn't even know the system was down."
"Has it ever failed before?"
"Never. Was there anyone in here today?"
Frustrated she shook her head. "You know as well as I do no one is allowed in here, ever. We don't even allow magic in any of the rooms that border this one."
"No need to get your panties in a knot Joanne, I was just checking."
"I'll have you know I don't wear…" Joanne started but stopped when the only working portal suddenly started throwing off light as if it had been touched by a livewire. Both of them shielded their eyes the best they could and watched the portal darkened before a loud crack was heard and a figure walked out.
It was a very imposing man that easily stood over six feet tall. The figure had long white hair that fell to his lower back. He was bare chest proudly showing a strong muscular frame. His tanned healthy looking skin showed only one flaw. A scar that ran from above his right eye, down his cheek, neck, chest ending somewhere below his beltline on his hip. If the man tilted his head just right it would have been a straight line. The eye which the scar ran through was milky looking in contrast to the piercing blue-green of the other one. The only adornment he wore aside from his trousers and boots was the great book that rested on his right hip in a case secured to him by his thick wide leather belt.
"Holy shit…" Joanne whispered.
As the glare from the magic's died down Robert stepped forward extending his hand to the man. "My lord Raze. It is good to see you again."
The man looked at him for a moment before he smiled. "Robert. Good. Joanne, good to see you as well." He greeted the pair of them before he started walking out. Both of them hurried to keep up with his strong strides. "Joanne, send someone to the Power Plant and let them know they can fire up generators two and eight for the town to use now. Make sure it's only for town use, if they haven't gotten them running yet, that is why. The lock down on the gateways will prevent any of them from working until they get those adjustments made. Afterward get everyone in Arx Tutela who was ever my apprentice here for a meeting in the Conference room. Also find out where my robe and staff were stored and bring them to me."
"Of course Raze. At once." She replied before she turned away from the two walking figures.
Once Joanne was gone Robert looked to Raze. "What's going on? You haven't left Magnadane since you created it…"
It took two turns and one long hallway before he was answered by the powerful figure walking next to him. "Two reasons."
"And they would be…what?"
"I had been in there long enough. There was only so much more I could have done, and none of it I haven't done already a thousand times."
"And the other?"
Raze brought up his hand and traced the old scar on his face. "Harry Potter told me Gibbon got thrown into Azkaban but most likely won't stay there long. It's long past time he and I settled an old account. Besides, can't let those two kids have all the fun. Come Robert! There are great magic's to work, life threatening situations to escape from, and people in serious need of killing! What more could you ask for from life?"
"Er, a twenty year old rich red-headed nymphomaniac who owns a liquor store?" Robert answered.
Raze threw back his head and laughed heartily. "And what better way for the fair maiden to noticed your fugly ass than to hear of your conquests and glory being sung and immortalized by bards everywhere!"
XxXDaRXxX
Dumbledore heard the chime from the gargoyle sentry at the foot of the stairs to the Headmasters suite. He had spent the last five hours bogged down in paperwork that Minerva had said she was too busy to do for him involving the administration of the school. He would welcome anyone coming into his office at this point to tear him away from the endless reports, assessments, logs, and supply lists that required his signature for approval. He recognized the voices of Alastor and his Deputy Headmistress long before the door was opened by the old Auror himself.
"…fine. I told ye before it's nothing life threatening. I got those patched up before I caught the international Portkey back."
Dumbledore felt his Grandfatherly mask fracture when he took in the appearance of his old friend. "Good Lord Alastor, you look dreadful. Did you encounter trouble before you arrived at Hogwarts?"
The grizzled man shook his head. "No, I got these a couple of days ago when I corned Potter and Granger in South America."
The hobbling Auror took seat before him while Minerva waved her wand a few times over him obviously checking to see if he was in fact going to be alight. Dumbledore slumped in his chair. "I take it then you were unable to secure them and bring them back."
Mad-Eye chuckled. "Not a chance. Those two are good, and as a team, Damn good. I've passed trainees into the Auror ranks that were nowhere as good as those two. You sure Potters really James's Son? I'm not saying I ever had a shot with Lily, but I swear that boy is mine, the way he fights."
"In your wildest dreams Alastor. You're old enough to have been Lily's father, and I don't remember her ever having any inclination to suicidal paranoid Aurors. If I remember correctly she liked her men slightly younger, and far less insane." Quipped the Head of Gryffindor house.
Alastor twisted smile flashed at her. "You would have been proud of your cubs. I was."
Her wand waving stilled for a moment while she looked at the haggard man sitting before her. "They are well then?"
He nodded. "Very. Fitter than I have ever seen them before. And they fight like Lions with bites just as nasty." Mad-Eye addressed Dumbledore. "I was lucky. They had me dead to rights and I can tell you of at least four moments I thought they had me for sure with only luck keeping my skin on my bones. I'm getting too old for this Albus."
"What happened Alastor?"
"I messaged you they bamboozled me into hunting ghosts in Peru and Mexico. The information I got said they were heading out to the Galapagos to do some sightseeing. When I caught up with them they were doing just that. They declined my advice that they should return for their safety. Then we had a proper battle the likes of which I can only count on one hand that I have ever had the equal of. They beat me Albus, cold as shite. They've learned a thing or two this summer and I have no doubts they were holding back their full potential. They wanted to defeat me, not kill me. I am under no delusions that if they wanted me dead, they could have done it at any time."
Dumbledore placed his face in his hands. It was going too far. Harry was growing far too powerful to be controlled and all his plans were falling into ruin. If Alastor couldn't capture Harry or convince him to return, it was likely there was just no chance of them being able to salvage anything from this situation. "I see." Without any of the old Potter things from the Vault to use as a new focus to track Harry, Mad-Eye had been his last hope. The aging Headmaster raised his head up knowing that this battle was all but lost but had to ask anyways. "I don't suppose you know where they have gone to ground now?"
"As a matter of fact I do." Mad-Eye replied as his good eye slowly lowered from relief at the numbing charm Minerva had just applied to his ribs. He wasn't going to complain about it but they'd been aching spectacularly ever since the fight. After he took a moment to enjoy the lack of stabbing pain in his side he resumed speaking ignoring Dumbledore's hopeful expression. "Potter said he would be willing to return to Hogwarts this year, but he had conditions."
The Headmaster frowned at that statement. I was not in him to accept any terms delivered by a child, no matter who that child might have been. "I see. And they are?"
"He wants you to swear an Unbreakable Vow that you will never use magic, potions, or influence the Grangers in any fashion ever again. He wants Granger reinstated into Hogwarts with no prejudice nor marks on her record. And lastly he wants your vow that you will not do anything, be it through mundane or magical means, to separate him and Granger ever again. He gave me instructions to have you swear these things now while I am here and I am to go to a contact point to let him know it's done. He said he and Granger will be on the Train on September 1st if you do, otherwise, they're going to see how much longer they can out run both you and Voldemort. Granger thinks they can add at least a year to their time if they really put their minds to it."
"Where are you to meet Harry Alastor? Is there enough time to for us to set restraints to prevent him from running when we arrive?"
Mad-Eye chuckled darkly. "He said that would be your first reaction. And to answer your question, no. He won't even be there. I am to go where he told me and put up a piece of paper on a billboard saying 'Principle Accepted Clayman's Terms.' I've had a look at the place. With the right spell, he could be a mile away with a clean line of sight and not come anywhere near the place. If he doesn't just put up a spell to let him know the paper is there. Hell, there's lots of ways to get around being there but knowing if you accepted the deal."
Dumbledore sighed. "Clever of him. Very well Alastor, go ahead and post the notice and we shall talk to Harry when he arrives at start of term."
Still smiling his twisted smile Mad-Eye kept both eyes on Dumbledore. "He'd said you would say that too. He told me to tell you if I post the paper and you don't make the vow, he will know and will not show on September 1st."
"If Harry is not going to be here to see the Vow made how will he know any different Alastor?"
"Probably because Granger put a modified tracking charm on me before I apparated away that lets them hear everything we are saying right now."
Dumbledore blinked. "Pardon?"
Mad-Eye reared back his head and howled. "They got you too!" He spent several moments laughing before he could bring himself to calm down enough to answer Dumbledore's stunned question. "I don't feel so bad about losing to them now. Granger, the bird whose parents you turned against Potter? Smart one she is. She placed a modified tracking charm on me that lets them hear everything that is said around me and to know where I am at all times. Potter told me I wasn't allowed to remove it until after you took the vow. To do so would be the same as if you didn't take the vow. They would go back to ground and this time Potter said they would stay gone. He's only willing to come back for Granger's Parents, and only then with the guarantee that you will not muddle with them again. Both of them said if they can't have that, they will stay gone, gaining nothing, but losing nothing either."
Minerva smiled the entire time Alastor was talking, incredibly proud of her cubs. "It is not a difficult thing to do Albus. I would be more than willing to be your binder in this matter."
Defeated, and knowing he was soundly defeated in this matter Dumbledore slumped into his chair again. In his own way he too was proud of the both of them. Incredibly saddened by what this would mean in the future for both of them but proud of their abilities. In truth, if he could regain their trust the tasks ahead would be easier for them to accomplish together, if only more horrible for both of them when the end came. He had hoped to spare them the tragedy they faced but it was now very apparent it was not meant to be. The likelihood of Granger surviving the war was low before her status as Harry's significant other. They were nonexistent with it. He let out a long sigh. Harry was always going to have to die, but now it seemed Dumbledore would have both of the young people's deaths on his conscious.
"Very well Harry." Dumbledore spoke to the air before him. "I accept your Terms. Minerva if you would be so kind as to bind the vow for Alastor and myself?"