Drastic Measures 2/3
So what has Harry done? Let’s find out.
Author: kyc639
Title: Drastic Measures
Rating: PG-13
Pairing H/Hr
Notes: Post-Hogwarts, no Epilogue. Unbeta'ed because I wrote it just now. Warning: if this were a movie, it would be rated R for magical violence.
Drastic Measures pt2
I rushed over to her. “I can explain - It’s not what it looks like.”
“Not what it looks like?!” Hermione repeated incredulously. She waved her arm into the room. “Tell Harry, what is it then? Because it looks like you’ve kidnapped the guy who attacked me, illegally detained him, and possibly tortured him as well! And all in what was once a lovely second bedroom and now looks like Snape’s dungeon!”
I peeked into the room. The wizard who attacked Hermione sat tied in a chair, his head slumped to his chest. His head was covered by a black bag that was enchanted to block out any sensory input while still allowing him to breathe freely.
“You have it all wrong,” I said. “I…uh…I didn’t torture him. Though, he might have fallen down a flight of stairs or two on the way here…”
“Harry, you live on the first floor; there are no stairs to fall down! And are you suggesting that I should be happy that they can’t accuse you of torture?” Hermione wiped her brow in mock relief. “Phew, thank goodness, because now you’re only guilty of kidnapping, assault, obstruction of justice, and who know what else they’ll pin on you!”
“Please,” I huffed, “they wouldn’t dare put me in Azkaban.”
She jabbed me in the chest. “If you think you’re above the law, think again!”
I think it was the chest jab that did it. I went from feeling defensive and guilty to growing irritated. “Hermione, not only did I save the world from Voldemort, but thanks to me, England won its first Quidditch World Cup in centuries! And believe me, to a lot of people, that’s more important. With the next World Cup next year, there’s no way anyone would put me away for beating on a mobster.”
Hermione scowled for a long moment; despite her feelings of disgust, she knew that I was right. “It’s still not right, Harry! There are rules-”
“Rules?! Ha! When did rules every stop us before? If we followed the rules back when we were in Hogwarts, Voldemort would be Minister of Magic now.”
“That’s different,” Hermione retorted. “We were children then, no one believed us. We’re adults now, we need to work within the system!”
“Right,” I scoffed. “The system,” I repeated, using my fingers to make air quotes. “And what would happen if we turned him in? You know as well as I do that any good criminal can outwit a dose of Veritaserum.”
“It doesn’t matter. There are other ways to gather evidence,” Hermione responded.
“And what happens while we wait?” I demanded. “More mobsters come after you until they finally succeed in killing you? I’m sorry Hermione, but I can’t just sit around and wait until that happens.”
“So what are you going to do? Beat the information out of him? Use an Unforgiveable?”
“I don’t need Cruciatus, Hermione,” I said, smirking.
It didn’t take long for her to figure out my meaning. “You’re…you’re not that good of a Legilimens, Harry…”
“Correction: I’m not good enough to be subtle like Snape was, but I don’t have to worry about subtlety with him,” I said, jerking my thumb towards the man tied up in the chair. “And frankly, if my jaunt through his mind caused him any…discomfort, well, then that’s just a side benefit.”
Hermione was silent, looking at me thoughtfully. Then, her eyes widened, and she suddenly looked fearful. “Harry…what are you planning?”
I took a deep breath. “I’m planning on saving you.”
She shook her head, and then moved to block me from the doorway. “No, I won’t let you go into his mind again. I’m taking him to the Aurors.”
I smiled grimly. “Too late, Hermione. I already have everything I need.” I turned around and walked towards the door.
Hermione grabbed my arm. “Harry! You can’t do this.” She grabbed my other arm and spun me around to face her. “It was different before, Harry. There was nothing else we could do - we had no choice. But we have a choice now.”
I shook my head. “I don’t have a choice, not if it means risking your life.”
I turned around and walked towards the door. I opened it was about to step through when Hermione called out again. “Harry, I’ve followed you before, no matter where, no matter if I thought it was the right thing to do. But this…if you walk out that door, you’re taking a path that I can’t follow. Please don’t go.”
I paused for only a moment. “I understand,” I said finally. “And I hope you understand why I have to do this.” Then I stepped through the doorway and apparated away.
*************
I apparated onto an empty, well-lit street. I walked slowly up the sidwalk, reading the house addresses until a I spotted a “gap” in the numbers. I concentrated a moment, focusing on one of the memories that I plucked from the hitman’s mind. Seconds later, a house appeared out of thin air, pushing its neighbors aside.
I smiled a little, remembering how a different house appeared in the same way at Grimmauld Place. Apparently Dumbledore wasn’t the only one to think of using the Fidelius Charm as the perfect way to mask a secret hideout.
I closed my eyes, going over the images from the hitman one last time - layouts, locations, and the people who were likely to be there. Once I was satisfied that I had it all committed to memory, I picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the front door. I resounding thunk filled the air.
I pointed my wand at the door and went through the incantation; however, instead of letting the spell fly, I restrained the magic within the wand. Within seconds, the wand started vibrating as the magic built. A few seconds later, the wand started shaking so much, I had to use my other hand to keep it steady. A wind began to swirl seemingly out of nowhere, and the tip of my wand began to glow bright hot.
“Damnit,” I muttered, afraid that I wouldn’t be able to hold the spell before-
The door opened. A man stepped out into the night, evidently looking for the source of the thud. At that point, I let the spell fly.
The next thing I knew, I was staring up at the sky - the force of the spell created a recoil that literally knocked me off my feet. It turned out to be a good thing: in the next instant, several things happened in quick succession: an explosion shattered the night, the earth rumbled underneath me, shards of stone and wood flew through the air, and car alarms went off up and down the street. I gathered my wits and sat up, watching with satisfaction as the house was hidden behind a large cloud of dust and dirt. I crawled over to a car and crouched down, waiting.
I didn’t have to wait long, as the popping sounds of apparition filled the air. Aurors and Enforcers began appearing in the street, attracted by the enormous magic-induced explosion. I watched them carefully until I was satisfied that they were completely and utterly confused. I wasn’t sure if the Fidelius Charm would work if part of the house were gone, but clearly the magic still held up. I turned my attention to the house, where I could now see the effects of my spell: the entire façade of the house was gone, exposed brick, wood, and framing now exposed. I waited until I saw three wizards appear from the back of the house and begin sifting through the rubble. Then I moved.
Leaping up, I sprinted towards the house, and two of the nearest Aurors turned in my direction. I was by them before they could process my sudden appearance, and I knew I would be within the protective field of the Fidelius Charm before they could do anything. I was ten yards from the house when one of the mobsters finally looked up. I could tell he was dazed, but I could see that he was beginning to realize that a stranger was running directly towards the supposedly hidden house. Before he could take action or raise an alarm, my wand was already pointed at his throat.
The spell cut through the air and found its mark, ensuring that he would make no sound as his body fell. His two comrades looked up in his confusion. One swung his arm towards me, a jet of flame shooting over my head as I ducked. I drove forward with my legs and smashed the heel of my palm against his nose. He reeled backwards, dropping his wand as he clutched at his nose, blood oozing from underneath his hands. I blasted him into the far wall with a spell and turned quickly to face the other mobster.
He was midway through casting a spell, but he was so deliberate about it that I had it countered at almost the same moment that he finished casting it. As he stared in confusion at his wand, clearly wondering what happened to his spell, I sent two quick curses at him that sent him sprawling to the ground.
“Hey! What’s going-”
I looked up and saw a wizard standing at the top of the stairs. We stared at each other for a split second before he launched a curse in my direction. Jumping aside, the spell missed me and created a small explosion of wood splinters behind me. I sent a spell back, which slammed him backwards and out of view. I ran for the stairs and took them two at a time.
Just before reaching the landing, I felt the hairs on the back of my head rise. Instinctively, I flattened myself against the stairs as a jet of green light zipped above me. Keeping my head down, I reached up my wand and cast a series of curses just a few inches above the floor. I was rewarded with scream and a loud thump; leaping forward, I saw a mobster rolling on the ground in agony, his feet and ankles lying a few feet behind him. I put him out of his misery.
I had just reached the body of the first man who had attacked me from the stairs when one of the doors at end of the hallway opened. I reached for the body and heaved it up, balancing it precariously in front of me. I heard footsteps and shouts. With one arm braced against the man’s chest to keep him upright, I jabbed my wand into his stomach and - with as much force as I could muster - casted a banishing spell.
The body flew towards the other end of the hall at an incredible speed, slamming into the men in the hallway. I followed quickly into room at the end of the hallway. I dived into the room as a spell slammed into the wall above me. Rolling into a crouch, I sent a spell in the direction where the attack came from. I ignored the scream and gurgle that followed and instead focused on the heavyset man in pajamas.
He sent a spell at me, but a simple shield spell deflected it aside. Reaching down, I picked up a piece the broken door as I stood, and I held it in front of my wand, both pieces of wood pointed at the man.
“I don’t know who you think you are, but I’ll-”
But whatever he planned to do, no one would ever know. I banished the shard of wood at the wizarding Godfather, sending it flying through the man’s stomach and imbedding into the wall behind me.
I didn’t bother with any attempt to clean up after myself. The Fidelius Charm was still active (even if the secret-keeper was among those killed), so all the Enforcers out on the street wouldn’t be able to enter the house, much less see it. Plus, anyone who could report the deaths to the Enforcers would have to explain how they could get into the house, so I figured this would be a crime scene never to be discovered.
I stepped out onto the street. A few heads turned towards me once I was away from the Fidelius’ effects, but I quickly apparated away before anyone could move to stop me.
******
A/N: just one little bit left, short and sweet. Hope you enjoyed my attempt at action; little-known kyc fact: I actually started writing 3rd person action on fanfiction.net before settling on 1st person stories.
I know I have several unfinished stories out there: anyone have a preference to which I tackle next? Or plot bunnies? I don’t know what to write next. Help!
Author: kyc639
Title: Drastic Measures
Rating: PG-13
Pairing H/Hr
Notes: Post-Hogwarts, no Epilogue. Unbeta'ed because I wrote it just now. Warning: if this were a movie, it would be rated R for magical violence.
Drastic Measures pt2
I rushed over to her. “I can explain - It’s not what it looks like.”
“Not what it looks like?!” Hermione repeated incredulously. She waved her arm into the room. “Tell Harry, what is it then? Because it looks like you’ve kidnapped the guy who attacked me, illegally detained him, and possibly tortured him as well! And all in what was once a lovely second bedroom and now looks like Snape’s dungeon!”
I peeked into the room. The wizard who attacked Hermione sat tied in a chair, his head slumped to his chest. His head was covered by a black bag that was enchanted to block out any sensory input while still allowing him to breathe freely.
“You have it all wrong,” I said. “I…uh…I didn’t torture him. Though, he might have fallen down a flight of stairs or two on the way here…”
“Harry, you live on the first floor; there are no stairs to fall down! And are you suggesting that I should be happy that they can’t accuse you of torture?” Hermione wiped her brow in mock relief. “Phew, thank goodness, because now you’re only guilty of kidnapping, assault, obstruction of justice, and who know what else they’ll pin on you!”
“Please,” I huffed, “they wouldn’t dare put me in Azkaban.”
She jabbed me in the chest. “If you think you’re above the law, think again!”
I think it was the chest jab that did it. I went from feeling defensive and guilty to growing irritated. “Hermione, not only did I save the world from Voldemort, but thanks to me, England won its first Quidditch World Cup in centuries! And believe me, to a lot of people, that’s more important. With the next World Cup next year, there’s no way anyone would put me away for beating on a mobster.”
Hermione scowled for a long moment; despite her feelings of disgust, she knew that I was right. “It’s still not right, Harry! There are rules-”
“Rules?! Ha! When did rules every stop us before? If we followed the rules back when we were in Hogwarts, Voldemort would be Minister of Magic now.”
“That’s different,” Hermione retorted. “We were children then, no one believed us. We’re adults now, we need to work within the system!”
“Right,” I scoffed. “The system,” I repeated, using my fingers to make air quotes. “And what would happen if we turned him in? You know as well as I do that any good criminal can outwit a dose of Veritaserum.”
“It doesn’t matter. There are other ways to gather evidence,” Hermione responded.
“And what happens while we wait?” I demanded. “More mobsters come after you until they finally succeed in killing you? I’m sorry Hermione, but I can’t just sit around and wait until that happens.”
“So what are you going to do? Beat the information out of him? Use an Unforgiveable?”
“I don’t need Cruciatus, Hermione,” I said, smirking.
It didn’t take long for her to figure out my meaning. “You’re…you’re not that good of a Legilimens, Harry…”
“Correction: I’m not good enough to be subtle like Snape was, but I don’t have to worry about subtlety with him,” I said, jerking my thumb towards the man tied up in the chair. “And frankly, if my jaunt through his mind caused him any…discomfort, well, then that’s just a side benefit.”
Hermione was silent, looking at me thoughtfully. Then, her eyes widened, and she suddenly looked fearful. “Harry…what are you planning?”
I took a deep breath. “I’m planning on saving you.”
She shook her head, and then moved to block me from the doorway. “No, I won’t let you go into his mind again. I’m taking him to the Aurors.”
I smiled grimly. “Too late, Hermione. I already have everything I need.” I turned around and walked towards the door.
Hermione grabbed my arm. “Harry! You can’t do this.” She grabbed my other arm and spun me around to face her. “It was different before, Harry. There was nothing else we could do - we had no choice. But we have a choice now.”
I shook my head. “I don’t have a choice, not if it means risking your life.”
I turned around and walked towards the door. I opened it was about to step through when Hermione called out again. “Harry, I’ve followed you before, no matter where, no matter if I thought it was the right thing to do. But this…if you walk out that door, you’re taking a path that I can’t follow. Please don’t go.”
I paused for only a moment. “I understand,” I said finally. “And I hope you understand why I have to do this.” Then I stepped through the doorway and apparated away.
*************
I apparated onto an empty, well-lit street. I walked slowly up the sidwalk, reading the house addresses until a I spotted a “gap” in the numbers. I concentrated a moment, focusing on one of the memories that I plucked from the hitman’s mind. Seconds later, a house appeared out of thin air, pushing its neighbors aside.
I smiled a little, remembering how a different house appeared in the same way at Grimmauld Place. Apparently Dumbledore wasn’t the only one to think of using the Fidelius Charm as the perfect way to mask a secret hideout.
I closed my eyes, going over the images from the hitman one last time - layouts, locations, and the people who were likely to be there. Once I was satisfied that I had it all committed to memory, I picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the front door. I resounding thunk filled the air.
I pointed my wand at the door and went through the incantation; however, instead of letting the spell fly, I restrained the magic within the wand. Within seconds, the wand started vibrating as the magic built. A few seconds later, the wand started shaking so much, I had to use my other hand to keep it steady. A wind began to swirl seemingly out of nowhere, and the tip of my wand began to glow bright hot.
“Damnit,” I muttered, afraid that I wouldn’t be able to hold the spell before-
The door opened. A man stepped out into the night, evidently looking for the source of the thud. At that point, I let the spell fly.
The next thing I knew, I was staring up at the sky - the force of the spell created a recoil that literally knocked me off my feet. It turned out to be a good thing: in the next instant, several things happened in quick succession: an explosion shattered the night, the earth rumbled underneath me, shards of stone and wood flew through the air, and car alarms went off up and down the street. I gathered my wits and sat up, watching with satisfaction as the house was hidden behind a large cloud of dust and dirt. I crawled over to a car and crouched down, waiting.
I didn’t have to wait long, as the popping sounds of apparition filled the air. Aurors and Enforcers began appearing in the street, attracted by the enormous magic-induced explosion. I watched them carefully until I was satisfied that they were completely and utterly confused. I wasn’t sure if the Fidelius Charm would work if part of the house were gone, but clearly the magic still held up. I turned my attention to the house, where I could now see the effects of my spell: the entire façade of the house was gone, exposed brick, wood, and framing now exposed. I waited until I saw three wizards appear from the back of the house and begin sifting through the rubble. Then I moved.
Leaping up, I sprinted towards the house, and two of the nearest Aurors turned in my direction. I was by them before they could process my sudden appearance, and I knew I would be within the protective field of the Fidelius Charm before they could do anything. I was ten yards from the house when one of the mobsters finally looked up. I could tell he was dazed, but I could see that he was beginning to realize that a stranger was running directly towards the supposedly hidden house. Before he could take action or raise an alarm, my wand was already pointed at his throat.
The spell cut through the air and found its mark, ensuring that he would make no sound as his body fell. His two comrades looked up in his confusion. One swung his arm towards me, a jet of flame shooting over my head as I ducked. I drove forward with my legs and smashed the heel of my palm against his nose. He reeled backwards, dropping his wand as he clutched at his nose, blood oozing from underneath his hands. I blasted him into the far wall with a spell and turned quickly to face the other mobster.
He was midway through casting a spell, but he was so deliberate about it that I had it countered at almost the same moment that he finished casting it. As he stared in confusion at his wand, clearly wondering what happened to his spell, I sent two quick curses at him that sent him sprawling to the ground.
“Hey! What’s going-”
I looked up and saw a wizard standing at the top of the stairs. We stared at each other for a split second before he launched a curse in my direction. Jumping aside, the spell missed me and created a small explosion of wood splinters behind me. I sent a spell back, which slammed him backwards and out of view. I ran for the stairs and took them two at a time.
Just before reaching the landing, I felt the hairs on the back of my head rise. Instinctively, I flattened myself against the stairs as a jet of green light zipped above me. Keeping my head down, I reached up my wand and cast a series of curses just a few inches above the floor. I was rewarded with scream and a loud thump; leaping forward, I saw a mobster rolling on the ground in agony, his feet and ankles lying a few feet behind him. I put him out of his misery.
I had just reached the body of the first man who had attacked me from the stairs when one of the doors at end of the hallway opened. I reached for the body and heaved it up, balancing it precariously in front of me. I heard footsteps and shouts. With one arm braced against the man’s chest to keep him upright, I jabbed my wand into his stomach and - with as much force as I could muster - casted a banishing spell.
The body flew towards the other end of the hall at an incredible speed, slamming into the men in the hallway. I followed quickly into room at the end of the hallway. I dived into the room as a spell slammed into the wall above me. Rolling into a crouch, I sent a spell in the direction where the attack came from. I ignored the scream and gurgle that followed and instead focused on the heavyset man in pajamas.
He sent a spell at me, but a simple shield spell deflected it aside. Reaching down, I picked up a piece the broken door as I stood, and I held it in front of my wand, both pieces of wood pointed at the man.
“I don’t know who you think you are, but I’ll-”
But whatever he planned to do, no one would ever know. I banished the shard of wood at the wizarding Godfather, sending it flying through the man’s stomach and imbedding into the wall behind me.
I didn’t bother with any attempt to clean up after myself. The Fidelius Charm was still active (even if the secret-keeper was among those killed), so all the Enforcers out on the street wouldn’t be able to enter the house, much less see it. Plus, anyone who could report the deaths to the Enforcers would have to explain how they could get into the house, so I figured this would be a crime scene never to be discovered.
I stepped out onto the street. A few heads turned towards me once I was away from the Fidelius’ effects, but I quickly apparated away before anyone could move to stop me.
******
A/N: just one little bit left, short and sweet. Hope you enjoyed my attempt at action; little-known kyc fact: I actually started writing 3rd person action on fanfiction.net before settling on 1st person stories.
I know I have several unfinished stories out there: anyone have a preference to which I tackle next? Or plot bunnies? I don’t know what to write next. Help!