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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 59: Ambush In The Alley
Harry walked out of a portal and into the main street of Diagon Alley.
"You left right after lunch and didn't tell anything to Miss Weasley. She is not going to like this," V said.
"If I don't say anything, then I don't have to lie to her or use any compulsion charms. Isn't it better this way?" Harry asked.
"Do you really have to seek my advice on questions of morality? Is that how far you have fallen?"
"I just don't like lying to that family. But… I cannot remain all day in the house either. There is still much to do." Harry soon took another turn that led him directly into Knockturn Alley.
"There are already many eyes on you," V whispered.
"I can tell," Harry muttered.
"You could have opened the portal much closer to Lady Rose's shop," V pointed out. "If you are plotting something again, I would have liked to be informed."
"This is something I came up with at the last minute, don't act so offended." Harry shifted directions, walking into a narrow street while he continued to casually talk with the hat.
"And…?" V asked.
"How many people do you think are looking for me right now? I mean, on his side," Harry responded with another question.
"I don't know… everyone?"
Harry nodded. "And did you notice how quiet the main alley was? At this hour, there should have been a lot more people walking around in the open."
"You are right about that. The atmosphere feels a lot heavier than usual," V said. "Are you trying to provoke them? Is that what this is?"
"Isn't there a Muggle saying for this? Something like killing two birds with one stone?" Harry tried to recall the exact words he had read thousands of years ago.
"Harry…" There was a hint of wariness in V's tone.
"No." He sounded firm and determined. "I listened to your advice, didn't I? This is different. An indirect confrontation is necessary. I also need to collect some information. Right now, we are both walking mostly blind."
Harry turned into another narrow alley. At this point, the roofs above him were blocking most of the sunlight.
'Five,' V sent him a mental message.
'They acted quickly.' Harry had to pretend that he hadn't noticed anything yet and was casually walking through the alley.
'News travels fast. You probably have a bounty on your head,' V suggested.
'You think it's alive or dead?' Harry asked.
'He needs you alive,' V responded. The magical hat understood Voldemort's way of thinking better than anyone else.
The Dark Lord must be growing desperate while trying to locate his missing artifact. By now, he must have realized that he also lost the one at the cave and the cup inside the Lestrange Vault.
He had no access to Hogwarts at the moment to check on the diadem, but he was clever enough to understand that if Harry found the other ones, then he certainly found the diadem as well.
'He is confused and desperate. He will want to understand how you managed to learn about the Horcruxes' existence and where you are keeping them,' V explained.
'This just makes things easier for me.' Harry extended his senses to cover the entire street.
'They are making their move,' V warned him.
'Yes, they seem to be in a rush. Two have stopped in front of me,' Harry noted. He could already see them.
A couple of men dressed in dark cloaks were pretending to have a casual conversation while resting their backs against the wall.
'Three are approaching quickly from behind.' Harry noted there was a lot of moisture on the walls of this narrow alley.
London is prone to rain, and these poorly ventilated corridors did a good job of preventing the water from leaving.
As he walked, Harry moved his hand and touched the same side of the wall that those men were resting against.
In an instant, sparks formed on the tips of his fingers.
"Fulgur Catena." The words came out in a whisper.
But their effect was not as subtle.
Bolts of lightning ran across the wall and hit the two men in just a fraction of a second.
Their bodies shook before they collapsed on the floor.
The three men behind Harry were still clueless about what had just happened, as they couldn't see past his figure.
'Around fifty feet away and getting close,' V told him.
"Celeritas." Harry's magic surged into his legs, and he became a blur.
The three men were caught by surprise when they noticed that their target was now running directly at them.
The men became startled and confused as their target charged straight at them. Fumbling with their robes, they scrambled to draw their wands, but it was already too late.
Harry was already in front of them. The large amount of magic passing through the runes on his arms made them glow red.
He was among them. The runes carved along his forearms burned with a crimson light, strained by the torrent of power flowing through them. He then took a final, grounding step and brought his palms together in a thunderous, concussive clap.
"Percussio Stella!"
The sound itself seemed to solidify, creating a translucent sphere of force that erupted from the point of impact. A silent, expanding shockwave of pure concussive energy washed over the three assailants, lifting them off their feet and hurling them to the ground in a tangle of unconscious limbs.
Harry stopped for a moment to observe his pursuers and confirm that they had been completely knocked out.
"That was easier than I expected."
To prevent any further attention, he drew a rune in the air before pushing it toward the end of the alley. This was a temporary ward to prevent others from approaching by making them lose interest.
Harry then turned his eyes to the men on the ground.
"Let's see who you really are… and what you can offer me."
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