The Boy Who Lived

FIRE! FIRE!

They landed outside an unfamiliar house in a formal garden, he was in defensive stance as soon as his feet touched the ground, despite the darkness of the night hiding their arrival. He gasped, immediately shielding his eyes from the bright blaze that licked at the windows of the large white house in front of him. The fire hadn't encompassed the building completely but it wouldn't be long. It was already into the roof and flames leaped skywards into the night, sending up an opaque pungent twisting column of black smoke that obliterating the stars above in the frosty May sky. He could hear the sirens of Muggle fire engines in the distance and he crushed the boundary Wards of the house without thinking about the power required for such magic.

'He can't be in there!' He had to shout above the crackle and spit and roar of the fire. Harry's jaw clenched; his stomach tight with sickness.

'Master Draco is being in the library, sir. There is extra Wards there, sir, but I is not knowing how long they is lasting.'

There was a loud BOOM! and Harry jumped in shock.

A firework exploded in the night sky in a shower of glittery silver sparkles that joined the furore. Off to the side of the house he could see the shadowy figures of men silhouetted by the blaze, they appeared to be masked. Bloody vigilantes! They were the bane of his life, the case so vague and unresolvable, he thought grimly. Another firework had been set off, sending up a sequence of lights which crackled as they split into a million sparks to join the glowing ash sent up by the raging inferno. Anger rose up inside Harry, mirroring the ferocity of the flames consuming the house. These so-called Do-Gooders gave him more work than the few straggling Death-Eaters that were still being rounded up. He wondered how they'd found out the location of Draco's's house. He pushed the anger down, he needed to control his emotions more than anything at a time like this. He could see the silhouetted dancing. Surely it was no coincidence that it was the anniversary of the Battle.

'BLOODY HELL!' Neville shouted beside him as he popped out of thin air next to Harry. His arrival was followed by Harry's team appearing in quick succession.

'TOO THE LEFT,' shouted Harry above the noise of crackling and ferocious fire. 'THERE'S POSSIBLY FIVE ATTACKERS ROUND THE FRONT. MAYBE MORE ON THE OTHER SIDE. YOU'RE IN CHARGE OF ROUNDING THEM UP.' He held out his arm to Ruby. 'COME ON THEN, WE CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER.'

'WAIT! YOU CAN'T GO IN THERE, THAT'S MADNESS, HARRY.'

'DRACO'S IN THERE.' And Ruby swirled Harry away into the middle of the maelstrom.

The heat inside the burning building was frightening, even in the Warded vicinity of the library. Harry immediately cast a cooling charm around his body. As soon as they landed, Ruby Disapparated away, leaving Harry alone in what felt like the middle of a witch's oven, the reflection of flames dancing along the edges of his glasses. He brushed his hair back from his eyes, sweat already pouring down his face. He briefly wondered if it was a trap until he saw the huddled figure of Draco on the floor, tucked against a towering bookshelf. He was barefoot but still in his work gear and had obviously been researching something considering the books that were open on the desk.

Harry's magic was already leaking wildly with his adrenalin coursing. The heat seemed to curve away from him as he cast another cooling charm. He summoned the contents of the desktop, shrinking it as it flew towards one of his deep pockets, barely considering at what he was doing as he rushed towards Draco.

The house creaked and groaned as the fire roared, the noise deafening. It was bending its power on the walls of the library like a thousand dragons raging against the wards to break them down. Somewhere, a window shattered and glass splintered inwards, it was the first breach of their protection. Harry saw Draco shudder at the sound and clench his arms tighter around his knees against the war outside the room, but he didn't lift his head.