Sirius Black exhaled in frustration and annoyance as he looked
through another report. His Senior Undersecretary was informing
him of the situation, but he was barely able to concentrate.
"– the members of the Confederation have all been assigned rooms
at the Pendragon Hotel in Diagon Alley, Minister. The meeting has
been scheduled for this evening. We still have time to prepare for –"
"Time?" scoffed Sirius. "We don't have time. At this point, my main
aim is to ride this shockwave out. Where's that report from Director
Croaker?"
"Right here, sir," said the witch quickly. Having worked with the
Minister for a few years now, she knew when the man was agitated.
Hastily excusing herself, she left. Sirius closed his eyes and
groaned. The Department of Mysteries too had not found any leads.
Whoever they were dealing with was good ...
There was a vibrating noise and Sirius was highly tempted to destroy
the mirror. Before he could do so, the ethereal female voice of the
computer said, " Alpha priority message to the Minister of Magic from
Lord Potter. "
Taking a deep breath, Sirius casually waved his hand. The large
mirror appeared out of thin air in front of him and the face of his
oldest son was displayed on the screen.
"What is it, Harry?"
"Did Croaker find anything?" asked Harry.
"Nothing of value," sighed Sirius. "I'll be meeting the heads of the
magical governments of Germany, China, India and the United
States soon. With them on my side, Krum can't shift the blame on
me personally. Really, what is it with that guy? Was Dumbledore so
precious to him that he's willing to target me like this?"
"He won't stay popular for long if he continues to spout liberal
propaganda during a time of chaos," observed Harry. "I wonder if he
knows that."
"Nothing we can do for now. Let's see how the meeting this evening
plays out. I've already stationed several teams of Hit-Wizards all
over the city. Should the Obscurial choose to attack again, we shall
be ready."
Harry's face was devoid of emotion. "Understood," he muttered.
"Good luck, Dad. I'll see you later."
His face disappeared, letting the screen revert back to looking like a
mirror. The Minister frowned at his reflection; there was something
strange about Harry's tone. But he didn't have time to ponder over
the issue as he quickly left for a meeting.
"There's nothing here, Daph," he said through the mirror. "I've
searched the place thoroughly."
"What about the surrounding area?" inquired Daphne. "Surely –"
"Trust me," interrupted Dylan. "There's nothing here. I've searched
the entire neighbourhood."
She took a deep breath and exhaled. Her left eye was twitching.
Gnarlak had lied to them. Interrogating him had proved to be
useless. Clearly, he had not become the leader of the underworld
without sufficient talent backing him. Daphne wondered if she should
have been more forceful, but at the time, she had been under the
delusion that Gnarlak had told Harry the truth about the location of
the laboratory that housed the Obscurial.
"What should I do?"
"Come back home," replied Daphne. "There's nothing more you can
do until we find the precise location."
Dylan nodded and the mirror went blank. She turned around,
intending to inform her husband, only to spot him standing by the
door to her study.
"He lied to us?"
Daphne grimaced. Harry's eyes darkened as he briskly walked down
several flights of stairs. Ten minutes later, he was back in the corridor
that led to the room that housed the castle's lone prisoner.
As soon as he entered, Harry extended his hand towards the goblin.
" Imperio! You will answer my questions."
Gnarlak struggled with the Imperius Curse. The mental pressure
made him scream, but he didn't succumb to it. Knowing that if he
continued his attack, the goblin would most probably go insane,
Harry reluctantly released the curse. It was unfortunate that attacks
such as this wouldn't work without destroying Gnarlak's mind. Harry
needed the goblin safe and sound if Ragnok was to overthrow the
present goblin king. There were too many plots going on
simultaneously. He would have to tread carefully.
Gnarlak chuckled softly. "Your attempts to control my mind or read
my thoughts will be futile, Potter," he smirked. "Pitiful human mind
magic does not work on me."
Harry turned his back on the goblin. His body seemed relaxed, his
breathing calm and even. But those who knew Harry would know
very well that he always appeared to be composed when angry. The
more relaxed he appeared on the outside, the angrier he was. His
shoulder muscles were stiff with tension, eyes as black as the
cosmos.
"Mind magic?"
THUMP!
The goblin bodily crashed against the wall as the blow of Harry's
punch made him whimper. "I don't need mind magic to extract
information from you."
Gnarlak gasped due to pain, but the determined glint in his eye did
not fade.
Is this all this wizard could do?
"I will never talk, Potter," spat Gnarlak. "You made a grave error in
kidnapping me. Your mistake will cause the entire wizarding
economy to collapse! By the time King Ragnuk is done, you'll be a
pauper! So will the rest of the wizarding –"
The goblin couldn't continue his speech as a tight grip caught his
throat. His eyes widened when he saw Harry Potter wandlessly
choking him, bodily lifting him off the ground. Gnarlak struggled to
breathe as he felt his windpipe slowly being crushed.
"We'll see about that, Gnarlak," snarled Harry. "I don't care about
your activities in the underworld. I'm not an Auror, nor am I the leader
of a magical government. But you should know that there are
defenceless magical children out there who are suffering because of
people like you and trust me, if there is anything that can rile me up,
it is those who hurt children for their own selfish agenda. Tell me the
location of this laboratory and give me names – NOW!"
Gnarlak struggled, but it was no use. The grip on his throat was too
tight. Harry finally released him as the goblin fell to the stone floor
with a painful thud. Gasping and spluttering, Gnarlak informed Harry
of everything he knew.
" Barebone, " muttered Harry. "Jackson Barebone."
Who was this person?
British Ministry of Magic Headquarters, London
Director Croaker looked at the report that the young man had given
him. The datapad was glowing a faint blue light, indicating that it was
active. His office was filled with similar gadgets and magical
computers, all displaying various runes and arithmetical formulae.
There was a virtual map of London with several dots on it, all trying
to find the missing Obscruial.
He tapped the screen of the datapad. Immediately, the larger glass
screen to his left, showing the map of London, zoomed in. A circular
reference point kept focusing on a place in a Muggle park.
Croaker frowned. "How did you compensate for the chaotic magic
that is permeating the city? The laws of Charms and Arithmancy are
in a state of flux! That's why we were not able to detect anything and
our sensors constantly malfunctioned."
Harry smiled faintly. "You'll have to ask my wife for the specifics," he
replied. "She created a crystal that is currently placed in several
areas throughout the city. It compensates for the chaotic magic in the
air. The crystal –"
"– absorbs the chaotic magical waves the presence of the Obscurus
is causing, and then corrects the distortion and transmits that
information here!" exclaimed Croaker. "Ingenious! Instead of
correcting our scanning devices, we could have simply started from
scratch and enchanted a new one!"
"You now have the location of the child. I'm not sure who this
Jackson Barebone is, but he seems to be behind what is going on."
Croaker remained silent. He knew that name, but he also knew that
there was more to the plot than the young Lord Potter realised. He
contemplated the pros and cons of the scenario and finally came to
the conclusion that it would be safer for someone outside the
Department of Mysteries to get involved. Having worked with Harry
Potter before, Croaker knew that the Boy-Who-Lived could be
trusted.
Leaning forward, he spoke to the young man, whose eyes widened
marginally in surprise when Croaker revealed the information to him.
It was just past four p.m. in the city of London. The sun was
beginning to set, its rays dimming every minute. A slight breeze
ruffled Harry's moderately long black hair. Not letting his gaze slip,
he gently ran his fingers through his hair, tying it in a low ponytail so
that it wouldn't hinder his vision during the mission. He could hear
the sound of motor vehicles nearby, but the neighbourhood around
him was quiet.
They were on the roof of a building, in the middle of the capital city of
Muggle and Magical Britain. Even after so many years, Harry still felt
uneasy when he was in the Muggle world.
Some memories would remain scars forever, never truly fading
away.
Daphne sat cross-legged on the ground, in a meditative posture. Her
breathing was calm, but her magic had literally formed an aura
around her body. Harry kept an eye out, letting his wife scan the area
in peace. Another figure stealthily moved towards him.
"What did you find?" he asked quietly.
Dylan paused. "I located the entrance," he answered softly. "It's a
bunker, but I'm not sure how big it is on the inside. It was built many
years ago, from what I could gather, probably during the Muggle
world war, now being used by these people. The entrance is a little
further away, but it is heavily guarded."
"Magic or Muggle technology?"
"Both," grimaced Dylan. "There are wizards as well as Muggles
patrolling the area outside the bunker. This is most definitely the
place we are looking for."
"He's right," said a female voice. The brothers turned, only to spot
Daphne standing up. "I can sense a lot of chaotic magic in the air.
The Obscurial is here."
Harry tapped his ear with a finger. A magical hearing device that was
placed inside activated, connecting several people at the same time.
"Sir, the cloak has been detected," he said. "Do you see it?"
Croaker's voice echoed in their ears. "Confirmed. Daphne's
calculations are perfect. The chaotic magic is a cloak, powered from
inside the bunker. Proceed with stage one."
"Director Croaker, I've identified the witch who is patrolling the area,"
Dylan injected. "It's Professor Albina."
The older man cursed under his breath. Professor Albina was one of
Dylan's instructors at the Siberian Academy of Battle-Magic, a school
run by the Unspeakables, affiliated to the International Confederation
of Wizards.
"What is the status of the Aurors in the locality?" asked Daphne.
"They are stationed at the outskirts of the city. They should be able
to provide help should you need it," came the reply. "Dylan, you may
proceed."
"Acknowledged," muttered Dylan. Taking a deep breath, he took off
into the air, flying without the help of a broom. It was a common
misconception that broomless flying was impossible. While it was
very difficult to master, a few witches and wizards did achieve the
great feat over the course of their lives.
Harry and Daphne watched in silence as Dylan descended in the
middle of the park, disillusioned. The couple then flew towards the
entrance of the bunker. The magic in the air was stifling.
"We are proceeding with stage two," announced Harry. Daphne
nodded silently in confirmation as she waved her wand in delicate
movements. Harry, however, began hissing in Parseltongue.
Destroying the wards around the bunker would be simple. With the
power they had gained due to being the Masters of Death, the
enchantments would have crumbled with one magic-infused punch
to the ground. But that was not their objective. They had to be subtle,
for they didn't want to trigger another panic attack for the children
inside. An Obscurial was dangerous. They had to tread carefully.
Daphne had just finished casting a silencing charm when they saw
Dylan engaged in a heated duel with his professor. He had been
detected. Thankfully, the Muggle and wizard security guards had
already been stunned and bound before Professor Albina found him.
"Let's go," whispered Daphne as they entered the bunker. Harry
silently followed her.
Algernon Croaker watched their progress from floor-to-ceiling length
mirrors that were in his heavily warded office, deep in the bowels of
the Ministry building. The room was empty except for one woman,
who was scowling.
"I can sympathise with your feelings, Amelia," Croaker said heavily.
"But unfortunately, I'm out of options."
"Out of options?" asked Amelia incredulously. "You have the entire
British Department of Mysteries who answers to your command!
They could have handled this operation. The D.M.L.E. could have
handled it as they should have. Forget the Ministry and I.C.W. redtape,
Algernon, I'm their mother! Why was I not consulted before you
sent them there?"
"This has nothing to do with red-tape," he said quietly. "I'm out of
options for one simple reason. The department has been
compromised."
Amelia frowned.
Croaker continued. "Two months ago, my boss, Madam Nisaba, a
witch from Mesopotamia, was murdered in her home. She was the
Head Unspeakable, the woman who essentially ran the Department
of Mysteries globally. Trust me, it is not easy to murder such a highranking
witch. No one still knows how they infiltrated the wards
around her home, not to mention managed to fool the patrols we had
around the property. Within a week of her death, I was promoted to
Head Unspeakable."
Had it been a more joyful occasion, Amelia would have been ecstatic
for Croaker who was one of her closest friends. But right now, she
was too worried and pissed to say anything. She remained silent,
urging him to continue.
"The Department of Mysteries operates on the fundamental rule that
it is our job to maintain the International Statute of Secrecy.
Everyone in the world knows it. However, that's not all we do.
Research is a key element, and so is protecting the world from
harmful magical technology like necromancy and time-travel. I can't
reveal more, but trust me, we've had some really tough situations
over the years."
Amelia bit back the retort that was at the tip of her tongue. If the
Department of Mysteries was really that dedicated to keeping the
world safe from the ghastly effects of dangerous necromantic rituals,
where were they when Lord Voldemort created one Horcrux after
another? But she kept her silence. That was water under the bridge.
The soul-piece in Harry's scar had helped him find each of the
Horcruxes and the Dark Lord was dead. There was no point in
discussing it now.
"Unlike the D.M.L.E., the Department of Mysteries does not really
have a varied command structure," continued Croaker, his eyes not
leaving the screen that was displaying the movements of Harry,
Daphne and Dylan. "There is one person who acts as a global head
and another as a deputy head. Then there are those who work in the
various magical governments, acting as the regional head. All other
Unspeakables are without a rank. Essentially, they are all equals.
While that promotes equality among members, it also creates a
problem. A power vacuum is created each time the head of the
department retires or dies. The entire Department of Mysteries is
filled with talented witches and wizards, and that means most of
them are ambitious to a harsh degree. Should anyone betray the
other, it is very difficult to find out since they cover their tracks very
well. Rookwood, for example, was not discovered until Igor Karkaroff
revealed it to the Council of Magical Law."
"What does that have to do with the Obscurial?" asked Amelia
shrewdly.
Croaker took a deep breath. "I really have no idea," he confessed
softly. "Since the day I became the Head Unspeakable, my life has
been in constant disarray. There have already been two attempts on
my life. Three of my bodyguards were killed in the skirmish."
Amelia gasped in shock. "Algernon, I'm so sorry, I didn't know –"
He waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. I didn't want to trouble you
and Sirius with this. Besides, there's nothing you can do. This is a
global threat, Amelia. It's not limited to Magical Britain alone. We
have a traitor in the Department of Mysteries, though who, I'm not
certain. We have always been very weak at tackling such problems.
That's why we try our best to maintain secrecy. The less outside
forces know about the department, the safer we are. I'm so paranoid
right now that I can't trust my own subordinates. That's why I wanted
Harry to deal with this."
"What about Daphne and Dylan?"
"Dylan is one of my students at the academy," shrugged Croaker. "I
know what he's capable of, to a certain degree. He still has a lot to
learn, but for someone his age, he's very talented. As for Daphne ...
we'll see."
"This traitor is the one who is causing so much damage? The one
who unleashed Obscurials in four other countries around the world?"
"It's not just one person. There will be others working for them, I'm
sure of it. Harry was able to identify the name of a Muggle who is
working with these rogue Unspeakables – one Jackson Barebone."
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
A dark staircase led them downstairs. Due to the amount of magic in
the air, there were no electric lights in the corridors, but rather oldfashioned
Muggle gas lamps. The place was eerie and silent. The
couple carefully walked down the corridors. They stopped suddenly
when they heard a scream, but the sound was muffled just as
quickly. Their hearts were beating fast.
Daphne tapped a hand-held magical computer that displayed the
readings to her. Harry flicked his wand, scanning the area. Both of
them registered the presence of magical activity in opposite directors
of the bunker.
"Let's split up," muttered Daphne. Harry hesitated. She picked up on
it at once. Giving his hand a firm squeeze, she said, "I'll be fine.
Don't worry."
He nodded. Taking a deep breath, he watched her disappear into the
shadows.
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
"They're splitting up?" asked Amelia, aghast. "She's pregnant with
twins and he's letting her go alone in a hostile environment?
Algernon, I'm this close to killing you with my bare hands!"
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Croaker couldn't help but
laugh. "Do I sense the traditional clashing of personalities between
the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law?"
Amelia huffed. "Nothing of that sort," she replied hurriedly. "It's just –"
"– you and Daphne don't see eye to eye," he chuckled. "Nothing
unexpected; happens in most families, including my own. Just
remember that you have two more to deal with. And one of them is
the younger sister of your current daughter-in-law."
"Astoria is a lot easier to get along with and doesn't have a temper,"
she muttered under her breath.
Croaker smiled faintly, but his eyes narrowed when the screen
blinked and distorted images were displayed. The crystal that was
lodged in Dylan's clothing which was transmitting everything that
was going on had been destroyed. They couldn't monitor the boy's
movements anymore, and that meant they couldn't predict when he
would need help. Unfortunately, there were several dots appearing
on the glass screen, surrounding Dylan's position. Croaker tapped
the communication device.
"Dylan, there are more Muggles approaching your position," he said
quickly. "I'm sending reinforcements."
"No!" came the frantic reply. The young man was panting hard,
making it difficult to understand his words. "A larger attack party will
only make things worse and we'll be detected. Give me a few
minutes, I can handle it!"
Amelia clenched her fists angrily. Without being able to sense what
was going on, they were blind to Dylan's progress. They couldn't
take the chance anymore. No matter how talented Dylan was, he
was still a student. He wouldn't be able to manage a dozen armed
Muggles as well as Professor Albina at the same time.
Croaker silently nodded to her, agreeing with her assessment. This
operation needed to be swift and efficient. They didn't have time for a
prolonged fight. The I.C.W. meeting had already begun in the
Wizengamot chambers. They needed to move quickly in order to
help Sirius, who would no doubt be targeted by Supreme Mugwump
Ivan Krum for failing to stop the attacks by the Obscurial on the
Muggle world.
"Aurors, begin attack," ordered Amelia.
Harry, meanwhile, was carefully walking down the corridor. The air
shimmered, letting him sense an enchantment in place. Silently
destroying it, he unlocked the door. The room was filled with papers
and notebooks. Conjuring a bag, casting an expansion charm on the
inside, he waved his hand as the various notebooks flew into its
depths. He was not surprised to note that there were no Muggle
computers here. Such devices would have imploded within moments
due to magic, chaotic magic, that rent the air.
However, just when he stepped outside, intending to move to the
next room, the door to his left opened, revealing a middle-aged
Muggle female dressed in white.
A doctor.
A red jet of light hit her squarely in the face. With another wave of his
hand, the woman was transfigured into a quill. She joined the
contents of Harry's bag.
He stepped into the next room.
Daphne's breathing was ragged. She was simmering with rage, and
she knew that was dangerous. Unlike Harry, she was not someone
who could control her emotions. When she lost control, things
usually went downhill.
It was her anger and lack of self-control that made her threaten Lord
Voldemort to his face two and a half years ago. That stupidity had
resulted in her and Dylan being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange for a
month. The only reason they had managed to escape was due to the
Animagus transformation. That had rejuvenated them slightly,
enough to help them fight their way out. But this time, Daphne was
worried that her rage would destroy the place, for she detested the
environment she was in.
" Aurors, begin attack!"
Daphne froze as she heard her mother-in-law's voice in the
communication device lodged in her ear. Suddenly, old-fashioned
alarm bells echoed throughout the bunker. An intruder alert had been
sounded.
Dylan's attack outside had been detected. Daphne cursed under her
breath. Croaker and Amelia should not have sent reinforcements.
That had proved to be a mistake.
And people wondered why she found it difficult to get along with her
mother-in-law. At least her sister fared a lot better in that regard.
"Freeze, woman!"
Two Muggles with assault rifles were running towards her position.
Daphne slashed her wand and there was a bang. Both men were
thrown against the wall and soon collapsed unconscious, blood
slowly dripping from behind their heads. Moving forward, she finally
found the door she was looking for. Two more guards were
neutralised. Unlocking the door, Daphne felt her face burn due to
rage. Her eyes were glowing eerily.
The room was lit, as expected, by gas lamps. Various silver
instruments, beds and chemicals dominated the floor. In four large
cages were children, looking very sick and frightened. A fifth child, an
eight-year-old girl, was strapped to a bed, screaming in pain as a
man injected her with a needle.
"Get away from her!" snarled Daphne.
The Muggle doctor yelped in surprise and jammed a button. Since
the bunker was already on red alert, the reaction was instantaneous.
The door burst open, revealing a dozen security guards – wizards
and Muggles.
Daphne waved her wand over her head in a circular motion. A shield
materialized, protecting the children from harm, just as bullets rained
down on her.
It all happened too fast for people to process.
Spells clashed against the other, but the security wizards were no
match for Daphne's skill and raw power. With surprising swiftness,
she danced around the incoming curses as she fired several hexes
and curses at them, destroying their shields, decapitating her
attackers. She had fought against some of the best Death Eaters in
Voldemort's army. She had been trained by her husband since the
age of eleven and had developed her own style of duelling since.
These wizards were no match for her. One by one, their bodies fell to
the floor in pieces.
"Stop, you evil freak!" said a frightened voice. "Or I'll shoot this girl in
the head!"
Daphne turned sideways, only to spot the terrified looking Muggle
grab the little girl, pointing a gun at her head, his fingers dangerously
close to firing it.
Her eyes widened when she saw the girl's body release bursts of
chaotic magic. This girl was the Obscurial!
And she was transforming, the parasitic magic of the Obscurus
taking over.
" Aurors, begin attack!"
Harry gritted his teeth in frustration when he heard the alarm bells.
While he could understand Croaker's and his adoptive mother's
concerns, sending the Aurors to assist Dylan was unnecessary. His
brother could have easily handled it.
Unfortunately, many only saw Dylan as a sixteen-year-old boy, not as
one of the three who was gifted the powers of the Deathly Hallows,
and certainly not as the boy who was personally trained by him,
Harry, since the age of eleven.
A stupid, vicious cycle . That's what it was, with the young scoffing at
the experience of the elders which they considered redundant, and
the elders scoffing at the talent of the young, claiming they were
immature. It led to chaos.
"There is no point crying over spilt potion," muttered Harry under his
breath. Before anyone to detect his presence, he hurried towards the
last door at the end of the corridor, which, according to his scans,
was where the magical activity was detected. Unlocking the door
with just a flick of his wand, he entered the room.
He was aghast. This room definitely belonged to a wizard. That was
not what horrified him. There were cages everywhere, magically
enhanced. Inside those cages were magical animals. Some were
dead, others mostly alive. Different instruments, scanning or
otherwise, were all over the room.
"Lady Athena, be merciful," whispered Harry. How could they cage
and experiment on such noble creatures? Phoenixes were
considered sacred universally. The Unicorn was sacred in
Switzerland and Welsh Green dragon in Britain. The Thunderbird
was sacred in North America, followed by the Nundu in Egypt, the
Manticore in Greece, the Chinese Fireball in China, the Occamy and
Runspoor in India, the Re'em in Tibet ...
And yet ... Harry could recognise the Re'em, a large magical ox, its
golden form trembling. Re'em blood bestowed properties to make
one immensely strong for a limited time. He could also spot a
Unicorn, also caged up and injured. The Occamy was sedated, no
doubt for its eggs that were made from the softest, purest silver.
There were several other magical creatures present, but thankfully,
no Nundu or Manticore or Chimaera.
There was an angry, screeching sound originating from somewhere.
Frowning, Harry moved to investigate. There was one more door at
the end of the room. Scanning it, he found several enchantments
placed on it that prevented anyone who was not keyed in from
entering. Harry's fingers lit up as he placed his hands on the barrier.
Literally clawing his way in, destroying the ward, Harry opened the
door and stepped into the room.
Sheets of parchment were everywhere, but the amount of chaotic
magic in the air was more than expected. There were various forms
of magic. Chaotic magic was considered a state where the elemental
laws that governed Charms and Arithmancy were said to be in a
state of flux, known to have been produced only by an Obscurus. It
was highly difficult to use any enchanted device in such an area. It
was similar to using Muggle electricity or gadgets in Diagon Alley.
They wouldn't work, and would probably implode due to the stress.
The D.M.L.E. and the Department of Mysteries, not only in Magical
Britain but in other countries as well, had been unable to combat this
problem until Daphne had brilliantly figured out a way to do it.
Instead of trying to repair malfunctioning instruments, she created a
new one that corrected the chaotic magic and transmitted the
information to her computer. As Croaker had admitted, it was quite a
feat of enchanting, but Daphne was hardly under-qualified to invent
such a device. She was a Master and was currently pursuing a
Sorcerer's degree in the field.
This room was clearly the command centre, for Harry could sense
the wards being powered from here. However, it also seemed to
serve as the rogue Unspeakable's private study. The place was
littered with tomes of books and various sheets of parchment. The
expanded bag automatically summoned it all into its depths.
With a flick of his wand, Harry cast a spell that bathed the room in
light. However, he nearly stumbled in surprise when he saw a large
avian creature in the room, flapping its wings threateningly. The bird
was probably ten feet in height. Its fur was jet black, with orange
flames at the tips. It had the body structure similar to that of a
Thunderbird, but everything else was similar to what Harry
remembered from seeing Fawkes.
Phoenixes were creatures that were considered rare, but many had
spotted them in mountainous regions. It was a miracle, however, if
one managed to befriend them as Albus Dumbledore had done.
Dumbledore had found Fawkes' egg during one of his travels, being
smuggled through the Swiss border. He had rescued the unborn
phoenix and had nurtured it until its birth. That bond was very special
for the late headmaster, which was why Fawkes too had been very
fond of Dumbledore. He had studied and observed the behaviour of
phoenixes and had later written a book on the subject.
According to Dumbledore, Fawkes was not the only type of phoenix
seen in the world, though the red and gold coloured birds were the
most common. They represented the element of fire. Thunderbirds,
in fact, were considered the form of phoenix that represented the air
element, with its ability with rain, thunder and lightning. While purists
would never consider them phoenixes due to them having finite
years of existence, Dumbledore stated that the connection between
the creatures was undeniable. Since it was a bird, there was no
creature that described the land element, but there were white
phoenixes that thrived in water and on ice. They looked similar to
swans, and were found in the Alps and Himalayan ranges, and also
in the continent of Antarctica.
The last basic element of magic, according to ancient witches and
wizards, was space – the abyss that had mystified and captivated
magical humans for tens of thousands of years. A creature that
represented this holy element was considered to be the most sacred
of all. Dumbledore had only once, with the help of Fawkes, had
caught a glimpse of a phoenix that represented this element, but
there had been references to such a creature in various manuscripts
of ancient witches and wizards in difficult cultures around the world.
He had called this bird the Royal Phoenix. For without space, without
the universe, how could the rest of the basic magical elements come
into being? The vacuum of space was the mother of all elements, the
womb that nurtured everything in the universe.
The royal phoenix's dark feathers trembled. Harry had no idea how
these wizards and Muggles had caught the majestic creature, but
from what he could sense, he knew why the phoenix was contained.
A highly impressive, yet ghastly enchantment was powered to keep
the creature from trying to escape. It was the source of the chaotic
magic.
Harry gasped. There was a small boy, heavily contained, behind the
royal phoenix. He had partially transformed into an Obscurial. The
rogue Unspeakables were powering the bunker's protections by
tapping into the chaotic magic the boy released. That was how they
had evaded detection for so long. There was a cloak, a shroud of
chaotic magic around the area that ensured that the Department of
Mysteries would not find them – until Daphne found a way around it.
It was horrifying, and Harry felt his anger rise to dangerous levels.
His body was sizzling, an aura forming around him, his eyes
impossibly jet black.
"I'm here to help you," said Harry softly to the phoenix, raising his
arms in surrender. The creature, however, didn't trust him. It
screeched threateningly as he neared it. Its body trembled; the
phoenix was obviously very weak, but it still tried to protect the boy.
"Please," Harry begged. Even the simplest movement got the bird
very agitated, and a partially transformed Obsicurial needed to be
handled very carefully. Taking very slow steps, Harry approached the
barrier. He didn't draw his wand, for that would most definitely irritate
the phoenix. Placing his hand on the magical barrier, he gritted his
teeth and unleashed powerful magical lightning from his fingertips.
The reflection of the lightning could be seen in the dark eyes of the
royal phoenix. Harry couldn't describe it, but he felt the creature's
magical presence scan his own. When the bird didn't react
unfavourably, with one punch, Harry shattered the enchantment that
held the phoenix prisoner. When he tried to move towards the boy,
the creature screeched once more, its wings still radiating power and
orange flames. He simply stared into the eyes of the creature. From
his experience with griffins and hippogriffs, he knew that eye contact
was essential in order to gain their trust.
A minute later, the royal phoenix slowly moved out of the way. Harry
didn't waste any time and kneeled down to help the boy. While he
was not a healer, he could help the child stabilize his magic. Once
they reached St Mungo's, they could help him with the Obscurus.
Unfortunately, he didn't have enough time to go through with his
plan. The door to the room burst open, revealing two wizards,
followed by a dozen Muggles, all armed with heavy-duty assault
rifles. One of the wizards was tall but not muscled. Dark complexion
set off his light coloured robes. He had dark brown eyes and curly
black hair, with a traditional white paint smeared on his face. Harry
recognised him as a person from Australia, for that was the
traditional look of the native wizards from the region. The second
wizard was someone whom he recognized instantly.
It was Broderick Bode.
"Potter!" breathed Bode, halting in shock. His eyes narrowed in
anger. It didn't take a genius for him to realise that Algernon Croaker
had once more meddled in his plans, sending someone outside the
department to deal with the threat. He had to hand it to the man; his
boss was smarter than he gave him credit for.
Bode didn't speak. Instead, he simply nodded swiftly to the Muggle
guards. Ten assault rifles were pointed at Harry in different
directions, the room echoing with the sound of bullets being
continuously fired.
"Let her go," Daphne said through gritted teeth. Her eyes narrowed
as her Legilimency probe easily slipped past his non-existent
shields. " You're Jackson Barebone."
"Stay back!" shouted Barebone as beads of sweat trickled down his
face. "If you attempt to use your freakish powers, I'll kill her!"
Daphne paused. She was not worried about the Muggle. A simple
Compulsion Charm would take care of him. The little girl, however,
was a different matter altogether. What was worrying was the way
Barebone was using the chaotic magic the girl released to protect
himself. They had been experimenting with the power of an
Obscurus, powering shields and weapons with it.
What are they up to?
She tried a different tactic.
"It's ironic that you call me a freak when you chose to work with
wizards for this little project," spat Daphne. "Stand down, Barebone.
If you surrender, you'll be given a fair trial. Should you resist, you'll
end up like your friends over there, with your body cut into several
dozen pieces. Don't tempt me."
Barebone was not done. He whispered into the girl's ear, "If you want
to live, you little freak, get us out of here!" The girl whimpered, her
body being consumed with the chaotic magic of the Obscurus.
Daphne inhaled sharply.
"You fool!" she snarled. "Get away from her!"
With a wave of her hand, Daphne summoned Barebone away from
the girl, but not before the child transformed completely. The black
and red magic shot upwards, destroying the roof as it escaped into
Muggle London.
Daphne was beyond pissed, especially when more wizards and
Muggles appeared from above the recently blown up hole in the roof
of the bunker, trying to catch her.
She raised her hand. They all gasped for air, rifles and wands
clattering to the ground, all holding their throats for some kind of
relief. The sound of gasping and choking could be heard in the silent
park as Daphne continued her attack, her eyes glinting with
uncontrollable rage.
She dragged Barebone away from the scene, just as more than a
dozen wizards and Muggles slumped to the ground, dead. Not far
away, the Obcurial was destroying everything in its path