Rat in the Castle
It was the day after the students had returned from the Christmas holiday and the Great Hall was filled to capacity for the evening meal. The students and staff were chatting about what their holiday when the sound of thunder was heard and the shock of it felt through the castle. The only problem with this was; one, it wasn't' storming outside. Two, the thunder came from the lower levels of the castle.
"Headmaster." Snape said.
"Prefects, do not let anyone out of the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall, you, and the staff to your right stay here with the students. The rest of you come with me." Professor Dumbledore announced.
Before they reached the main doors an auror barged in. He was bleeding from the top of his head and his robes were now rags. "He's here. Harry Potter is in the dungeons." The auror announced before collapsing on the floor.
Professor Snape ran from the hall, wand drawn and ready to confront his former pupil. He had long hoped to have to deal with Potter, now he could not wait to deal with him. So intent was he that Snape didn't hear Dumbledore calling for him to stop.
~~**~~ ~~**~~ ~~**~~
"Where is Peter Pettigrew?" Harry Potter yelled at the auror he was clutching by his collar. When the man failed to answer Harry tossed him aside and check on the other men that were in the room. Harry had managed to infiltrate the caste utilizing a secret passage long thought to be blocked off. Truth be told it was blocked until Harry rectified that situation. Then, utilizing Rita Skeeter's information, Harry found his way into the dungeon where Peter Pettigrew was. He stood momentarily unnoticed as he decided how best to handle this situation. As he looked at the prisoner though he made a very astute observation. The person in the dungeon was not Peter Pettigrew. Harry cursed as he realized that it was an auror using Poly Juice.
The explosion that rocked the castle was in fact the result of the aurors' trying to curse Harry. While he didn't have his crystals deployed, the seven aurors (either Rita had lied to him or they'd upped their security since she last saw the measures) all tried to curse Harry at one time. Unfortunately for them all seven of their wands mysteriously blew up in their hands. The seven aurors' lay strung about on the ground. Some missing their wand hands.
When the aurors couldn't answer his questions Harry departed for another part of the dungeon.
"I know you're here somewhere Peter. I will find you." Harry yelled. His voice echoing through the corridor.
~~**~~ ~~**~~ ~~**~~
"Where is he?" Harry yelled aloud. Sensing someone approaching Harry motioned with his hand and eight crystals leapt from their storage pouch and assumed a defensive position around him.
"Finite Incantatum." Snape yelled. The spell stopped at the barrier created by the crystals. He hadn't expected the spell to work, but thought it was worth a try.
"Serpensotia." Snape called out. A large snake appeared from the wand and landed on the ground in front of Harry.
Harry simply looked at the reptile, then, utilizing his gift acquired from Lord Voldermort, told the snake to go away.
Reaching into his robes Snape grasped, drew, and tossed a vial at Harry. The vial stopped in mid air between two of the crystals. Harry then set the vial down on the ground. Raising his arm to Snape, Harry pointed a clenched fist at the man, then motioned like he was swatting a fly and watched as Severus Snape flew through the air and landed at the feet of Albus Dumbledore and several of the other teachers.
"I stalled him for you." Snape muttered as he looked up at Albus Dumbledore.
"Thank you Severus." Albus replied. "Harry, there's no escape." Albus informed him. "Surrender and I'm sure you will be shown leniency."
"You sure have a high opinion of the Wizengamot. I doubt that they'd show me leniency even if you vouched for me. which you're not. As for being unable to escape. we'll just see about that." Harry said.
Looking above his head, Harry waved his hand and the ceiling exploded upwards. Harry then levitated up through the opening followed closely by his crystals. As his head popped through the opening Harry found himself in a large room surrounded by aurors.
"You know, if this keeps up I'm going to think you people just don't like me." Harry announced in a mock sad tone.
The aurors started to advance on Harry, wands drawn. Harry anticipated that Dumbledore might have figured out how to defeat his anti-magic field and decided now would be an excellent time to make a hasty exit. After clearing the hole in the floor Harry spoke in parseltongue and the aurors watched in horror as a basalisk reared its head from the opening in the floor. The aurors hastily dropped to the floor, attempting not to look the beast in its eyes. Harry chuckled and casually strolled across the room muttering something in snake language. When he looked back he laughed as a room full of the ministries best aurors were cowering in fear of a giant snake. A snake that was truly only an illusion. The image of the basalisk vanished the moment Harry closed the door and fused the lock.
~~**~~ ~~**~~ ~~**~~
Harry shook his head as he thought, What a waste of time this trip has been. Could this be anymore of a giant cluster.
"Going somewhere Harry?" Remus Lupin asked the younger man. Harry turned around and noticed that Lupin, Tonks and Sirus were surrounding him. They were armed with crossbows as opposed to their wands and all were aimed at Harry's chest.
"Yes... I'm going home." Harry informed him.
"Give up Harry, don't make us hurt you." Sirius said in an unconvincing tone.
Harry quickly analyzed the situation. Lupin was on Harry's left, Tonks on his right. Sirius was standing right in front of the him. Harry could see the confusion in Sirius' eyes. Harry then twitched. Lupin and Tonks immediately released their arrows and watched as Harry simply caught the arrows in mid air with his hands. Sirius pulled his trigger but Harry dropped the two arrows in his hands and caught the arrow aimed for his heart with his left hand mere inches from its target. Harry then snapped it like a twig.
Reaching into his cloak he drew the same two knives that he used against the Ministry hit wizards last year. He spun the blades in his hands, caught the grips, and criss-crossed the blades.
"Move now!" Harry demanded.
Lupin and Tonks did as Harry ordered. Sirius stood his ground.
"Last chance Black." Harry informed him in an angry tone.
"You won't hurt me Harry, you don't have it in you." Sirius told him as he looked into his godson's eyes.
Harry lowered his blades and looked away as he thought about his godfather's statement for a second. Sirius then moved slowly towards Harry reaching for one of the blades. Harry slammed the knuckle guard into Sirius's face. He leaned over and saw blood oozing from his godfathers face.
"You Bastard! You thought I had it in me thirteen years ago. You think you know me? Well I've got news for you. You were wrong then, and you're wrong now!" Harry yelled.
"You sent me to Azkaban for ten years. You knew what it was like. You knew what Dementors did to me and you let them send me anyways! I didn't have the benefit of an animagus form to save me though did I Sirius?!" Harry screamed at the top of his lungs.
Tonks tossed her crossbow at Harry and then attempted to tackle Harry. Her foe sidestepped the bow and delivered a strike to the older woman's face sending her roughly to the ground. Remus had taken the opportunity to reload his weapon and fired at Harry. Harry stepped the other way, cut the arrow in half, then closed the distance and severed Remus' crossbow with another slash. Sheathing his blades he moved in, kicked Remus in his left shin. The werewolf reflexively bent down and Harry delivered a spinning kick to his head sending the man-wolf to the floor.
By this time Dumbledore and the staff had arrived and were surrounding Harry. The aurors from the neighboring chamber had blown the door open and were encircling the young man as well.
Sirius had risen at this point, and was standing in front of Harry again. Harry looked around him quickly and then to Sirius. "I forgave you for switching secret keepers with Peter. Your decision cost me my parents, my childhood, and my happiness but I forgave you." He said taking a small step away from his godfather.
"I wonder if my parents will ever forgive you for sending me to Azkaban for ten years Sirius." Harry spat at the bleeding man.
"For you, Albus, and Remus to think I could ever side with the man that murdered them.. you must be the stupidest wizards on the face of the earth."
"Now." Albus declared.
Professor McGonagall hit a tuning fork against one of the metal suits of armor and immediately afterwards Professor Flintwick cast a charm on the instrument. The eight crystals that surrounded Harry Potter instantly shattered into little shards.
"It's over Harry." Dumbledore stated again.
"Hardly." Harry informed him a smirk on his face.
Before anyone could yell stupefy, Harry had squatted down and shot up towards the ceiling. The staff was stunned and aurors were equally stupefied when mid jump Harry Potter vanished from sight.
"He didn't use a spell, and didn't appear to have his cloak Albus, do you know what he did?" Minerva McGonagall asked.
"No. If it's magic it is a spell I am unfamiliar with." Dumbledore answered.
"How did you shatter the crystals Albus?" Amos Diggory asked making his presence known.
"The crystals do not remove magic, they simply absorb large amounts of magic. Residing in Hogwarts, and fending off all the spells cast in Harry's direction, the crystals were simply over taxed. The magically enhanced tuning fork you saw simply shattered that which was on the verge of cracking." Albus informed the Minister.
"Where is Potter now though?" Amos asked.
"He must still be in the castle, not very far I'd imagine." An auror announced. "Spread out, conduct a through search."
"How did you know he'd come here?" Amos inquired.
"It became apparent to me that Harry might eventually seek out Peter for retribution for what he did to his parents. Therefore I had an auror pretend to be Peter and allowed Rita Skeeter to find out about his whereabouts to draw Harry to us." Dumbledore answered.
"Genuis. Are you sure Potter can't leave the castle?" Amos asked.
"There is always a way, but I assure you that all the secret passage ways are blocked and the main doors are secure."
"Sir, there is one thing I should mention to you." An auror reported.
"We never got around to placing unbreakable charms on the third floor.."
Before the man could complete the sentence Harry Potter had rematerialized and was swing from a chandler. Harry crouched like a ball and crashing through a third floor window.
"Never mind." The auror said and dashed to the main doors.
Harry didn't wait for the guards to leave the castle, the first chance he got he made his way to his exit point.
"So much for keeping him contained." Albus muttered.
"He can't get very far on foot Albus. If you were Potter where would you go?" Amos asked aloud.
"The Quidditch Pitch." Sirius managed to state once Madam Pomfrey healed his nose and he could talk regularly.
~~**~~ ~~**~~ ~~**~~
As he arrived at his departure spot Harry sat down and caught his breath for a moment. He had been fighting non-stop for over thirty minutes and the last part of his escape had very draining.
Harry had several abilities that no one was aware of, two of them gave him distinct advantage over the ministry. Since they were on the Hogwarts grounds none of them could apparate. The only way they could possibly keep up with him was to use Port Keyes, run, fly on brooms or use thestrals. Since none of the Ministry was prone to using brooms he had nothing to fear there. No one could run fast enough to keep up with him, and they wouldn't know where to set the destination for a Port Key. He had also ensured that the thestrals were fast asleep prior to entering the castle. As he prepared to leave he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Harry turned and came face to face with the one person he was hoping to avoid for Ginny's sake.
"Harry." The red head greeted in a cold tone.
"Ron." Harry acknowledged.
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