"Because Neville still isn't much of a flier, and we are," Harry answered. They'd needed to fly in under cover of Invisibility charms, and were now on the roof of the building behind the shop they were watching. It had taken Harry about fifteen seconds into his first flight on the Comet two-ninety he and Ron had each been given as their Ministry issue broomstick to decide that if there was any way he could swing it, he'd be getting himself a new Firebolt. He promised himself that he'd look into that very soon.
"It's started," Ron whispered as they both heard a first explosion that was probably the front door being blown in, and then subsequent crashes and detonations as a fierce battle began. They couldn't see what was happening, and as they listened to the sounds of continuing fighting, Harry and Ron both looked on anxiously. Suddenly, the back door of the shop burst open, and two Wizards backed their way out of the doorway, a shield in front of them, as they continually sent streams of red and green light at the Aurors who must be pressing their own attack, judging by the bolts of energy coming the other way and either smashing into the shield, or the door frame, or missing completely and crashing into the building that Harry and Ron were hiding on the rooftop.
"Expelliarmus! Expelliarmus!" Harry thought in quick succession even as Ron sent two loudly shouted "Incarcerous" spells that bound both Wizards even as they looked up in shock and watched their wands fly high into the air toward Harry, who caught them both deftly. The next looks of shock were on Ron and Harry's faces when a green bolt of light hit one of the Wizards full in the chest, and he toppled over, dead.
Josh, Neville, and two other Aurors came through the open doorway, and the one Auror - Harry didn't even know his name yet, looked down at the body on the ground, his expression hard and uncaring. Josh and Neville looked up at Ron and Harry, both men nodding at them, and Neville's face looking as shocked as Ron and Harry felt.
"You should have come quietly Burke," the other Wizard said in a voice as cold as his expression.
"And you should be arrested for killing an unarmed, bound Wizard," Borgin spat at him. He barked out a dark laugh as he stared at the Auror, his expression just as cold as the other man's. "Oh that's right - you Aurors are above the law, aren't you? Unforgivable curses are only illegal for the rest of us. You're nothing but a pathetic, mudblood, cowardly cur yapping at your betters." He laughed again when his taunting turned the other Wizard's expression from cold detachment to livid anger, and the Auror pointed his wand at Borgin. "Go ahead, dog - do it!" he said derisively.
Harry, Ron, and Neville all had their wands pointed at their fellow Auror now, and the man was shaking with rage. Before any of them were forced to act, though, the other Auror who had come out of the shop with Joel, Neville, and the other man - a Witch with an eye-patch, put her hand firmly over her fellow Auror's wand hand, and with that touch alone, pulled him back from the edge.
"He doesn't deserve the easy way out," she told him. "Let the Wizengamot decide his fate."
Harry put his wand away as he watched the man nod curtly. The two Aurors took Borgin in hand and apparated to the Ministry of Magic, leaving Josh and Neville to deal with what the Wizard responsible had referred to as 'the casualty'. Harry and Ron both got on their brooms and flew to the ground to get further instructions.
"Neville and I will go back to Auror Headquarters with Burke's body," Josh decided. "You two guard the shop at least until we can get a team of curse breakers to come take a look around and decide what needs to be done with the place. Don't touch anything in there - in case you didn't notice, we lost a couple of Aurors to injuries in there, and one was just from being touched by a cursed medallion that Burke had thrown at him."
"Are they going to be okay?" Harry asked.
"I don't know yet," Josh answered. "Auror Proudfoot was able to apparate his partner to St. Mungo's despite his own injuries. When I find out about how they're doing, I'll pass that along to you."
Chapter 2: Revelation
Start from the beginning
