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HP - Chapter 406: An Unexpected Enemy Returns
🕑 Added 2024-12-02 09:52:46 +0000 UTCDisclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
“Dialogue”
‘Thoughts’
-Author notes-
Chapter 406: An Unexpected Enemy Returns
“Hogwarts? Invaded?!” Lyra exclaimed. "What are you talking about?. Who is invading it?." Her eyes moved over to Barty Crouch jr.
This was exactly what Harry had been waiting for, but it also meant he needed to return quickly and make sure that things stayed in control.
“Can’t waste any more time with you lot.” Harry aimed his wand at the head of Barty Crouch Jr. He had nothing useful to learn from this one so eliminating a threat took priority.
“W-wait!” Barty shouted. He knew he had to say something, anything, immediately, or else he’d be dead long before reaching his wand.
“I know you!”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “I’ll make this quick.” The tip of his wand began to glow.
“Wait! You’re Harry Potter! Your family is in danger!”
Lyra hurried to Harry’s side. “Whoa what?!, our family? What is he talking about?” She looked up at her brother for answers.
Harry stared at Barty Crouch’s son, as he also had no idea of what he was talking about. His knowledge of this particular Death Eater was limited, but that hardly mattered.
Anyone in Barty’s position would say anything to survive.
“You expect me to believe that? At least die with some pride instead of spewing nonsense.” Harry was quickly losing patience.
“It’s true! I’m telling the truth!”
Harry was just about to end this miserable man’s life, but Barty’s next words managed to stop him.
“It’s Wormtail! He found them!”
Lyra’s eyes widened at the name. She was familiar with her parents’ old stories from their school days, and the Marauders’ adventures were her favorite.
“Wasn’t that one of Dad’s friends?” Lyra asked, still unaware of the darker parts of the story. She didn’t know about the rat’s betrayal that led to Sirius’s death.
“Wormtail is here?…” Harry hadn’t thought he’d hear that name again and had almost forgotten about him.
In this timeline, Wormtail had been solely responsible for what happened to Sirius.
‘I’ve been meaning to get my hands on that rat… but still…’ Harry’s eyes moved back to Barty.
Barty didn’t appear to be lying, but if his house were under attack, Harry was certain he’d have sensed it immediately.
“We have someone inside the Ministry who’s an expert in tracking wizards and witches. He’s been trying to locate the Weasley family since they disappeared and managed to find their general location…”
“Oh no…” Lyra muttered. If someone could track the Weasleys, it meant they could also find the Potter family manor.
“Wormtail seemed to remember something about that area… something from his old days as a friend of the Potters…” Barty added.
“I see…” Harry murmured, now sure Barty wasn’t making this up.
The defenses around his family’s property should have removed any memories of its location from Wormtail’s mind, but under specific circumstances, there were ways to partially recover them.
The chances of that rat finding their home were… not zero at least.
“I’ll tell you everything! Just let me go, okay?” Barty pleaded.
Lyra frowned. There was no way they could trust this shady man.
All the while, Barty had been subtly moving his hand, trying to divert their attention from what he was really doing.
A sly smile appeared on his face as his index finger touched the wood of his wand.
With a swift motion, he grabbed hold of it and twisted his body to aim at his target.
“Harry!” Lyra shouted in an attempt to warn him.
Harry’s body moved like a blur. In a single instant, he knelt and pressed his wand against Barty Crouch Jr.’s temple.
The Death Eater had only a fraction of a second to feel an agonizing pain before his body disintegrated into dust.
“Oh.” It all happened too fast for Lyra to process.
One moment, she had been startled...the next, the source of her fear had literally vanished.
Harry stood back up and brushed the dust off his robes. “You seriously thought I didn’t notice your true intentions?”
“Is he dead?” Lyra asked, immediately realizing how dumb her question sounded when she saw her brother’s expression.
“Yes, Lyra… he is. Transfiguring a living being into a gaseous substance tends to have that effect.” Harry looked around. There were no other magical signatures.
These three had been the only ones Voldemort had sent to capture him.
Either Voldemort didn’t take the rumors about Neville’s magical prowess seriously, or… this wasn’t high on his list of priorities for the day.
“Harry, was he telling the truth? Is our family in danger? If someone attacks our house now…” Lyra trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
Right now, there were three families staying there.
James and Lily had come to Hogwarts, but their little sister, Holly, was still at home.
“Holly is—”
“I know,” Harry interrupted. He didn’t need to be reminded of that.
Lyra was about to speak again when she saw Harry’s expression shift, just as it had before.
“They dare…” Harry’s green eyes began to glow as powerful magic surged through him.
His wand vanished, promptly replaced by his goblin-forged steel staff.
Neville’s borrowed robes were consumed by the Death Visage, which conjured a new set of black robes over him.
The nine Arkstone Jewels appeared out of nowhere and moved into place.
Rings adorned his fingers, a necklace circled his neck, bracelets formed around his wrists, and the last two jewels tied around his ankles, completing the formation.
Lyra stared in shock as her brother transformed. She noted how his entire demeanor shifted...from her confident, reliable older brother to the battle-hardened wizard who had survived countless fights.
This was the same Harry who, just two years prior, had battled that colossal snake outside Hogwarts.
Harry turned to his sister and extended his hand. “Let’s go. We have a home to save first.”
