Harry Potter and the Final Curse

Chapter 4 - The work of an Auror

It had been about a couple of months since Harry had seen Lily leave to go to Hogwarts, and he was really beginning to miss her. He found it difficult to adjust to her absence and he would occasionally find himself thinking about getting Lily out of bed in the morning or accidentally making too much food at meal times.

She had of course sent numerous owls bearing post home describing her day, friends she'd made etc. The very first letter, which she had sent the day after arriving, using one of the school owls, had probably the best news. It read:

Dear Mum and Dad,

My first day has been really great. Not starting lessons until Monday, so I had plenty of time to send this letter and explore the castle. Met a really nice girl called Tina on the train, and when I told her who my father was, she was really impressed.

Harry really wished Lily wouldn't mention his name unless it was important to do so. He continued reading:

The sorting was a bit scary, although it wasn't anything like what uncles Fred and George told me it would be. That old hat Hermione put on me took ages to decide where to put me. It wanted to put me in Slytherin, for a moment, before changing its mind and putting me in Gryffindor!

Anyway I better go. Tina says she wants to check out the forbidden forest. I know we were told we're not supposed to go in there, but it can't be that bad surely?

Love from Lily x x x

P.S. By the way - John was put into Hufflepuff, not the same house as me, but we've agreed to still be friends and all.

Hearing Lily had been placed in Gryffindor made Harry's day, and he read the letter about a dozen times just to make sure there was no mistake. Since the first letter, Lily, on average, had sent another one home about once a week. Receiving mail from Lily was great but this wasn't quite the same as having her here in person. Harry even considered for a fleeting moment about transfiguring himself into a child just so he could attend Hogwarts and be with his daughter, but that was a stupid idea as he didn't want to have to do double potions again.

The only thing he could really do was to send her letters back, and he always made sure he send a little present with them (usually sweets). Harry couldn't wait until the Christmas break when she would be coming home, although it would only be for a couple of weeks.

Ginny was also missing her daughter terribly but she had more pressing concerns, primarily work. She was working as an administrator in 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes', a company setup by her brothers Fred and George, which sold joke products, the vast majority of which their mother didn't approve of. Recently one of their products was found to have some rather nasty (although thankfully non-lethal) side effects and they were being sued by a wealthy wizard family. Ginny was hard at work trying to keep them still in business, but it wasn't the easiest of jobs. Luckily she and her brothers had connections to the Ministry of Magic which, eased things a little.

* * *

On a morning in late October, Harry went to work as normal. He normally travelled to work via Floo powder, and today was no exception. On arrival in the foyer of the Ministry of Magic, and after passing though the security desk, he boarded the lift to go to level two, The Department of Magical Law Enforcement, where Auror headquarters were located.

After saying 'good morning' to a number of his fellow Aurors, grabbing a cup of coffee (which he really needed on these cold mornings), and listening to Tonks complain about her latest boyfriend - "he came home a two o'clock in the morning, completely wasted, and then expects me to have some fun with him!", Harry located his own cubicle among the sea of others. His cubicle wasn't that big and only had enough room for a desk, a chair, and a filing cabinet. Despite being a well known and successful Auror (not to mention the fact that he was largely responsible for the defeat of Voldemort), he wasn't high enough up in the ranks to warrant one of the nearby offices. Aside from the offices being much bigger than the cubicles, they also offered much better privacy, which was what Harry really needed on some days, such as the time when he foolishly agreed to let Lily come to work with him one day.

Sitting down in his chair, and briefly wondering whether he should bother tidying his cluttered desk, Harry searched for any memos informing him what he was supposed to be doing today. As an Auror he would find himself doing one of two things. The most common assignment would find him investigating reports of Dark Magic, or less commonly actually having to fight Dark witches and wizards. Plus in addition to those tasks was the paper work involved afterwards, which Harry really hated. Despite the negative aspects of the jobs, being an Auror was a very rewarding experience, and to Harry, it was the best job in the world.

A memo, in the usual form of a paper aeroplane, hit Harry on the side of the head. It didn't really hurt, but it left enough of an impression that would mean he would be massaging the spot for the rest of the day. He unfolded the memo and read -

To: Harry Potter, Auror Cubicle 24, Second Floor

From: Kingsley Shacklebolt, Chief Auror

Message: Investigate reports of the presence of Dark Magic in the muggle village of Ixworth in Suffolk.

Case file #86245 will follow shortly.

Harry only had a couple of seconds notice to duck before a large hard backed case file, using its outer covers as wings, flew straight into his cubicle at high speed, and knocked off the picture of Ginny and Lily that lie on top of his filing cabinet. It was a good job he was able to duck that one, or it would have really hurt. Harry retrieved the case file labelled #86245 from the floor.

After a quick moan about the whole memos and case files delivery system, he opened up the file and read it. It revealed that there had been several murders reported in the village but up until now it was believed it was a matter for the muggle police. However weak traces of Dark Magic had just been discovered in the village, which may or may not be related to the murders.

After sorting out a few last minute errands, he was off on his assignment.

* * *

Harry Apparated inside an abandoned house, near to the centre of the village. With a quick spell, he transfigured his clothing into dark grey suit with a shirt and tie, which looked very smart and made him look important. As he exited the building he found himself on a road, which he was told was supposed to be a main road, but there was virtually no traffic on it. He found the same thing wherever he went in the village; the whole village was practically empty.

Harry reached into his pocket and took his Dark Finder. It looked very similar to compasses that muggles use but instead of showing you where north was it pointed in the general direction of where dark magic has been used. Its range was fairly limited though and residues of where dark magic had been cast deteriorate over time, so Harry had to cover a lot of ground, and fast. After some searching his found a positive signal from a pub in the centre of the village called 'The Hangman's Noose'. Harry entered the pub with a lot of trepidation; it did not look like a very nice place to have a drink.

Inside, the place was empty aside from what looked like a few regulars. There were two men sitting on a table to his left who were playing cards and another man who was sitting by the bar. The lighting in the pub wasn't brilliant but he could just about make out another man was sitting in the corner of the pub. The whole place was very grubby and reminded him much of the Hogs Head in Hogsmeade. Behind the bar stood a large scruffily dressed middle aged man who looked like he was either trying to grow a beard or just couldn't be bothered to shave. Harry, under the guise of an undercover muggle policeman, went to ask him some questions.

"What you want?" asked the bartender in a rural accent.

"I'm CID," said Harry, trying to sound very official. He quickly flashed an approximation of and ID badge that wouldn't exactly hold up under scrutiny, but would do fine in this situation. "I want to ask you some questions about some murders that have been happing around here."

"Don't know nothin' about that," said the bartender immediately. He obviously didn't really think about it.

"Have there been any strange things happening here lately?" asked Harry. "Any unusual people?"

"Aside from a load of Bobbies asking questions, nobody no," said the bartender nervously. "Nothing's been happening at all. Now if you don't mind I'm very busy, so leave me alone."

The man turned his back on Harry and begun to look busy although it was plain to see that he wasn't really doing anything. As Harry had seen it many times in the past, from the look in his eyes it was plain to see that the man was under the control of the Imperious curse, which would explain why he had detected dark magic here. Harry left the pub for now with the intention of coming back later when the pub was closed and the man was on his own. Then he would interrogate him further using magical means, most likely using Legilimency.

Once outside the pub Harry thought of where he would investigate next, but before he could decide a fairly youngish looking man exited the pub behind him. He must have been the guy sitting in the corner, Harry thought.

"Hey officer, maybe I can help you," said the man fearfully, as he constantly checked around to see if anyone was watching him.

Harry turned around to greet the man.

"You can? How so?" asked Harry.

"No one else is brave enough to talk to the law about it, but now things are getting desperate and someone needs to know what's happening," he said.

"And what is happening?" Harry asked.

"Not here," he said. "Come back to my place, well discuss it in private."

Harry agreed and followed the man back to his house which as it turned out was only a few doors down from where he had Apparated. The house was very clean and tidy, a complete contrast to the pub. Harry wiped his feet at the door and followed the man through to the large living room. It was well furnished with a big screen television surrounded by numerous pieces of equipment. Harry, having spent so much time in the wizarding world, could only identify what a couple of them were, but he was sure that all of it was very expensive. By the looks of the furniture and the way it was arranged it looked like the man lived alone.

"You know you don't strike me as the type to go drinking in a place like that," commented Harry.

"Well I didn't normally use to go in there, but as of late it's the only one that opens," the man said.

"What do I call you anyway," asked Harry.

"Most people just call be Bob," replied the man.

"So Bob," said Harry as he casually glanced at the still photographs on top of the mantelpiece. "What exactly has been happening in this village as of late?"

"Terrible things," said Bob, with a little fear in his voice.

"Can you be more specific?" asked Harry.

"Alright but if he heard I told you this I'd be a dead man," said Bob.

"Who is he?" asked Harry.

The man helped himself to a large brandy from a decanter he kept on the side in his living room. He downed it in one and then poured himself another one.

"Drink, officer?" asked Bob.

Being on duty, Harry politely refused. "No thank you." He didn't really like brandy anyway.

The man sat down on an armchair in front of the TV. Harry remained standing.

"A few days ago this man who just moved to the village came into the 'Rose and Crown' a pub I used to go to," began Bob. "Anyway he got into some disagreement with one of the other patrons; he pulled something out of his pocket, pointed a stick thing at the man, and said some weird words. Next thing you know the man is shrieking in agony on the floor."

"Go on," said Harry, with great interest.

"The landlord and a couple of other people confronted the man and asked him to stop but he didn't. They then tried to restrain him but before they could he turned the stick on the landlord and said something like 'abracadabra' and the next thing we knew he was dead. He told the rest of the pub to keep quiet or he would do the same to them. Naturally nobody argued with him after that."

"And the pub shut after that incident?" asked Harry.

"With the landlord gone of course they did, along with all the shops," said Bob. "Only the 'Hangman's Noose' stayed open. Almost everyone in the village is fearful to go out now in case they run into the man."

"Why does the 'Hangman's Noose' stay open?"

"I think the only reason is that Jack, the landlord, seems to be friendly with the stranger, helps him out with this and that, even gives him free drinks. Jack used to be a very friendly bloke, a real pillar of the community, but lately he's changed. You can't even have a decent conversation with him anymore."

"What can you tell me about this stranger? Does he have a name?"

"No one knows who he is or where he came from. As for looks he kept most of himself covered up in a black cloak."

"Did he have any identifying features?"

"Not really, no," Bob began but moments later said, "No I tell a lie, there was something. During the scuffle one of his sleeves got rolled up. He had some sort tattoo on his right arm. I couldn't see it very well from where I was sitting but it looked like a sort of skull."

"Interesting," thought Harry. "Have other police been to investigate?"

"A few others yes. One of them ended up dead and the others just left without asking anymore questions."

"Do you know where he lives?"

"I do. He lives...."

The man cut of mid sentence as he started to wane in and out of consciousness, screaming in fits. It took Harry a moment to realise what was happening to this man, as the same things started happening to him. He could feel any happy thoughts he had slowly dripping away. There was a Dementor nearby.

There was a loud crash as the front door broke of it hinges. The ghastly sight of a Dementor entered the living room and proceeded to where Bob was sitting, ready to do what must be the kiss of death. Strangely it ignored Harry completely thinking he must just be an ordinary muggle. Normally they could tell whether a person had magical blood in them but either Harry's disguise was so good or this Dementor had something wrong with it.

Luckily Harry wasn't just a muggle, and the Patronus Charm happened to be a speciality of his. "Expecto Patronum!" he shouted as a magnificent silvery stag appeared between him and the Dementor. "Go get him Prongs!"

Prongs charged antlers first at the Dementor, which sent him flying out of the front window in a hail of glass, which Harry repaired with a timely Reparo spell. Prongs followed him into the street and chased him down it, disappearing after a hundred yards. The Dementor wouldn't be back in a hurry.

Rushing over to Bob, Harry found him to be very weak, although thankfully still alive. Frantically he rushed into the kitchen and managed to find a bar of chocolate in one of the cupboards.

"Eat this, it will help," said Harry, as he offered the chocolate to Bob. Harry sketchily remembered those were more or less the same words that Remus had used on the train during his first encounter with a Dementor.

Bob looked baffled for a moment but ate the chocolate anyway. Warmth came back to him and he felt much better.

"Thanks," he said appreciatively. "What happened to me? I felt really weird for a moment, like I didn't have a happy thought in me. I was horrible."

Harry couldn't exactly tell Bob that a huge evil monster had just tried to suck out his soul, and since he wasn't very good at memory charms, he had to tell a convincing enough lie. "You must have caught the new flu that's been going around. It's been known to cause blackouts and feelings of nausea."

"I didn't know it was going around," said Bob. "Is it contagious?"

"Only via bodily fluids," said Harry, just making it up as he went.

"Oh," said Bob. "Does this flu give hallucinations too? I remember seeing a large animal like a deer in my living room."

"Yes, hallucinations are all part of it," said Harry, "but there's nothing to worry about. The flu will pass within a couple of days."

"Good," said Bob. "Now did I tell you where this man lives or not before I went all funny?"

"No you didn't"

"Well he lives at that big house on top of the hill at the end of the village. It lay empty for years as most people reckon it's haunted, but for some reason this guy bought it."

"Ok thanks," said Harry, "you've been a big help, you really have."

"Glad I could be of assistance," said Bob.

Harry left Bob's house, repairing the front door as he went, and made his way over the large house on top of the hill. It was a very foreboding looking place and unsurprisingly the readings on his Dark Detector when haywire as he got near. This had to be where this Death Eater was, and likely also where the Dementor came from. From the looks of the garden and the condition of the house, Bob was right when he said it hadn't been occupied in quite some time.

Approaching the front door of the house, Harry found it to be ajar, and with his wand at the ready, he slowly entered the house. Even though it was quite bright outside, little of the light seemed to permeate the house, as if it was trying to avoid it for some reason. He was in a large hall area and standing at the top of the large ornate staircase stood a lone figure bathed in shadow.

"So, a wizard finally comes to my humble abode," said the man.

Harry though he better do the undercover policeman routine for the time being, at least until he confirmed that the man was indeed a Death Eater.

"A wizard?," said Harry. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm from the police."

"Don't make me laugh," said the man. "My servant has already seen you use magic. Does the Patronus Charm ring any bells?"

"The Dementor is your servant?" said Harry. "The only people who can control them after they betrayed the Ministry are those that followed Voldemort, and since the man himself is gone, you must be a Death Eater."

"You say the Dark Lord's name as if it means nothing!" said the man angrily.

"It does mean nothing," said Harry confidently. "Voldemort is in the past now."

"Again you defile the name of the greatest sorcerer this world has ever known!" said the man. "You shall die for your heresy! Avada Kedavra!"

A bolt of green energy escaped from the wand of the Death Eater and rocketed straight at Harry. Thanks in part to his Auror training he was easily able to dodge the killing curse.

Harry retaliated. "Stupefy!"

The Death Eater was able to erect a shield charm in time and Harry's stunner bounced harmlessly of it.

"Impressive," said the Death Eater. "You must be an Auror."

"Yes, Auror Harry Potter at your service," Harry said smugly.

This seemed to enrage the Death Eater. "Potter?! Potter?! The same Potter that vanquished the Dark Lord himself?!"

"The very same," said Harry.

"You shall not be so fortunate this time, Potter," said the Death Eater. "My master shall be pleased when I bring back your dead body. Let us duel."

The Death Eater slowly walked down the stairs on the floor of the large hallway so that he was on the same level as Harry. It was now possible to see him properly; a pale man who looked like he didn't go outside much. Harry wasn't sure who he was, but he could have sworn they had met before.

"Standard to-the-death rules?" suggested Harry.

"Of course," said the Death Eater. "But don't be afraid to use the unforgivable curses; I most certainly won't."

"Let us begin then," said Harry.

Harry and the Death Eater bowed and squared each other off. They began to slowly walk round each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Harry had been in many duels in the past, including with Voldemort himself, and was quite confident with his abilities.

In the end it was the Death Eater that struck first. "Crucio!"

Harry was able to erect a shield in time. "Protego!" The spell rebounded off the shield and nearly ended up hitting the Death Eater.

"Your shield charm is most impressive, but can it block this? Avada Kedavra!"

Harry was able to dodge the curse and it hit the wall behind him, creating a sizable hole.

"You're going to have to do better than that," said Harry. "Offensio!"

A bright blue curse flew out of Harry's wand hitting the Death Eater straight in the chest, causing him to be blasted backwards by the force of the spell hitting the wall behind, dislodging plaster. The Offensio knock back spell was one of Harry's favourites.

The Death Eater picked himself up and dusted himself down. "That's very impressive, Potter," he said. Harry was really getting sick and tired of the Death Eaters repeated use of the word 'impressive'; one more reason to defeat him.

Before the Death Eater could recover from the blow and strike back, Harry quickly followed with a spell of his own. "Expelliarmus!" he shouted. The wand shot out of his foe's hand, sailed over to Harry and he deftly caught it with his spare hand.

"You will pay for that!" said the Death Eater.

"How?" mocked Harry. "I don't see how you're going to manage it without a wand."

"I don't need a wand," said the Death Eater. "Come to my aid, my servants!"

Harry thought that his servants obviously meant his Dementors, and he was right. Four of them appeared from different corners of the room and glided their way over to Harry. He could feel the very essence of happiness leaving him, but he had encountered greater numbers than this before and lived to tell the tale.

The Death Eater laughed. "Do you really think you can stop four Dementors?"

"I should think so," said Harry confidently. He summoned in his mind the happiest thing he could think of, his daughter. "Expecto Patronum!"

The welcome sight of Prongs erupted from Harry's wand.

"That's an impressive Patronus, Potter," said the Death Eater.

This was the last straw for Harry. "IF YOU BLOODY WELL SAY THE WORD 'IMPRESSIVE' ONE MORE TIME I'LL KILL YOU!" he shouted in rage.

Prongs meanwhile didn't need telling what do to as he instinctively charged at the nearest Dementor, sending him flying, and he then quickly turned his attention on the others. Soon all the Dementors were driven away, leaving Harry and the Death Eater alone in the dark hallway. Harry stood over the Death Eaters body, wand drawn.

"So," said the Death Eater, gasping for breath, "will you kill me?"

"I don't kill unless I have to," said Harry, "and you're almost over the line."

Harry pointed his wan straight at the Death Eater. "Stupefy!"

A bolt of red energy flew out of Harry's wand and hit the Death Eater at close range, which stunned him unconscious. With another quick spell, the Death Eater was bound by tight ropes which he could not easily escape from. Harry would need to take back him back to the Ministry for questioning, where he would also be put on trial and ultimately sentenced. Since he had killed and was known to associate with Dementors, his punishment would be quite severe.