HP: Fairborn Adventures

January 8th, 1978

The office of his charms professor had always been a fascinating place to visit for Albus. Its open, elegant architecture was more inviting than most other offices and the wide windows provided a spectacular view over the snow-covered grounds of the castle, similar to the Ravenclaw common room.

Three tall shelves emerged from the wall to his right. The first one was stacked to the brink with books and a collection of Charms Today issues, reaching back almost a decade. The second one held a wide variety of enchanted little trinkets, a few of them emitting a faint magical glow. The last shelf proudly displayed Filius Flitwick's achievements as a dueling master in the countless tournaments he attended before his return to Hogwarts.

A knock on the door had Albus exchange a quick glimpse with the charms professor: "That will probably be her."

"Right on time as usual." The half Goblin checked his watch and prepared himself with a small sigh, shifting on his seat: "Come in, please."

The door was opened and a young witch purposefully strode into the office. She radiated the sort of confidence that bordered on arrogance, with an air of haughtiness on her aristocratic features.

'Still a pureblood, through and through.'

Sharp blue eyes immediately took in her surroundings, twitching ever so slightly when they fell on the Headmaster before shifting back to her Head of House. "You wished to see me, sir?"

"Yes, please take a seat, Ms. McKinnon." Filius gestured for the remaining empty chair in front of his desk.

Marlene McKinnon tossed a long, blonde braid over one shoulder and sat down, smoothing out any wrinkles in the skirt of her uniform. Her gaze veered to Albus, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow expectantly. "Headmaster?"

"As I have announced last night already, the Headmaster has been informed of the incident that transpired at the end of the feast last night, Ms. McKinnon." Filius said: "Due to the current political climate your physical retaliation against Ms. Rosier could very well have more severe consequences than you might imagine, which is why I thought it was wise to let Professor Dumbledore join this meeting."

"Very well." The blonde's impassive mask remained on her face.

The charms professor regarded her silently for a few long seconds. "Ms. McKinnon, I have here the transcripts of your six and a half years at Hogwarts." Filius pulled a file out of his top drawer and flipped the first page: "Would you like to know why this file is so thin?"

"Please enlighten me, sir." The blonde said, her voice carrying the faintest trace of sarcasm.

"Not once in the first four and a half years do I find a single negative entry on you." Flitwick turned the first few pages: "You have been an exemplary student the moment you entered this Castle. You continuously received the praises of any Professor you've taken a class with, and even set a record for the most academically earned House points in two decades. Even your extracurricular activities on the Quidditch made you an asset for House Ravenclaw."

The tiniest snort escaped the young witch's lips. Her eyes sparkled in delight.

"Do you find something amusing, Ms. McKinnon?" Albus asked with a slight frown.

"No, I apologize, Headmaster, my nose was itching for a second. Please, continue."

Filius took a deep breath: "The very first entry that does not commend you was made by Professor Munrose during your OWL years. She took points from you after a spell practice escalated. Some of the following entries made by Professor Bletchley have been redacted since their legitimacy was questionable at most."

"I am forever grateful for keeping my record so spotless, Professor." The blonde commented.

"There is a reason why I'm showing you this track record, Ms. McKinnon." Ignoring her sarcastic remark, Filius closed the folder and regarded her critically: "We're trying to understand what exactly led a star pupil such as you to attack another student? Especially since you've never gotten into confrontations with peers or the staff before."

"Perhaps I was just forced to grow up." The blonde's eyes froze over.

"We're aware that your family has suffered among the most in this war, Ms. McKinnon, and you have our deepest condolences for that." Albus nodded sadly: "What happened to your brother Marcus and your parents is terribly wrong. However, in no way does that excuse using an almost lethal spell on a peer even after being provoked."

"Lethal is it now?" An eyebrow curled in curiosity.

"Ms. Rosier was very lucky and will still spend the first two week of term in the hospital wing." Albus replied seriously: "She has three broken ribs, one of which punctured her lungs, leading to heavy internal bleeding. You dislocated her left shoulder and both her legs broke during the fall. Your attack could have very well been lethal, Ms. McKinnon."

The girl remained silent, merely holding his eye almost challengingly.

'Very well then.'

"I know you've been taught extensively in the mind magicks by Mr. Peverell, my dear." Albus took on a more confrontational approach, hoping to provoke some sort of response.

He ignored his colleague's surprised gasp for breath, taking a small amount of satisfaction at seeing the blonde's eyes sparkle dangerously.

"After almost two years of practice, one's composure doesn't slip when faced with petty insults. Was there any other reason, aside from the obvious provocations, that led you to attack Ms. Rosier?" He poked even further: "Perhaps something more personal?"

"I can't say so, no." She shook her head: "Should there be. Headmaster?"

"Perhaps." Albus hummed: "Because coincidently, Ms. Rosier's uncle Evan Rosier was reported missing a few days after Lily Evans' house was attacked last summer. You are a very close friend of Ms. Evans, are you not? You and Mr. Peverell both."

"Evan Rosier." The blonde bit her bottom lip in concentration. "The name doesn't ring a bell. But as a dutiful citizen of Magical Britain, I will immediately contact the authorities shall I see him."

'You must be aware that sarcasm will not improve your situation, don't you?' Albus frowned.

"You're not making this any easier for us or yourself, Ms. McKinnon." Filius let out another long sigh and opened his draw once more, taking out a small golden badge: "Since you show no remorse for your actions and refuse any collaboration, I cannot return this badge to you in good faith. Having taught you for almost seven years, it pains me to do this, but your status as a Prefect is hereby reworked."

"I understand, Professor." The blonde replied.

"However, that is not all." Albus joined the conversation again: "As Ms. Rosier's Head of House, Professor Slughorn was forced to owl Elena's father, Lord Edward Rosier. Since the incident took place at Hogwarts, outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry, we explicitly asked Lord Rosier to let Hogwarts decide on a suitable discipline for you. Whether or not he abides by our request remains to be seen."

"Then I shall wish him the best of luck for when he contacts the DMLE." Ms. McKinnon flashed them a cold smile: "May I inquire as to what repercussions I'm facing? Are you going to expel me?"

'Perhaps I should.'

"No, you will not be expelled, Ms. McKinnon." Albus cleared his throat: "We'd like for you to start by visiting Ms. Rosier in the hospital wing and apologiz- "

"Not happening, Headmaster." The girl interrupted him: "We've already established that I don't feel remorse for what I did. Any apology would be ludicrous."

'What happened to you, my dear girl.' Albus sighed and exchanged another look with his charms master. 'Did Peverell truly corrupt you this much?'

"That is very disappointing to hear. You've already lost 50 points last night. I do not wish to punish an entire house for the actions of a single individual." Filius declared: "Therefore, you will be serving detention with me every other Saturday for the remainder of the term. Depending on your workload, we might reschedule our sessions once your NEWTs are approaching."

"Fine." The blonde shrugged, seemingly unbothered: "Is there anything else you'd like to discuss with me?"

"I understand that you're angry, my dear." Albus said: "There are moments where all of us lose our temper. What's more important is that we realize once we made a mistake and try to make amendments. What concerns me far greater than your brutal choice of spells is the fact that you don't show an ounce of remorse about doing it. I worry greatly about the path that you chose to walk down, Ms. McKinnon."

'And also about your companion for said path.'

"Not all of us can have your forgiving nature, Headmaster." McKinnon stood up and tossed her braid over one shoulder: "In your speech last night, you mentioned that dark times lay ahead of us. I do not feel guilty for choosing the path that takes me to my little sunset."

January 12th, 1978

Silver mist faded before his eyes like smoke in a breeze. Gawain Robards' face, the young Auror whose memory they had been given, vanished in a bright flame as the sharp claws of a large bird landed on his shoulder. The world flipped, and with a deep gasp for breath, Harry lifted his face off the Pensieve. His heart pounded wildly in his chest.

'This was not good.'

'This was in fact, very bad.'

He blinked up and found Marlene opposite him, chest heaving and lowering rapidly. The blonde's fingers trembled wildly as they curled into the runic carvings around the stone basis she clung to.

"She betrayed you! She betrayed us!" Dark shadows twisted in ice blue orbs. They began to sparkle with tears of anger: "My own Mother offered to tell him everything if only he allowed her to live!"

'While my mother begged him to take her life instead of mine.' He grimaced at the cruel irony.

"She died almost immediately after he entered her mind." Harry brought the tip of his wand to the surface of the Pensieve. He picked up the memory with a gentle stir and put it back into the small crystal vial Matthew sent it with: "But for the vow to be triggered, Voldemort must have seen something."

"It could've been anything! Any memory about you that was on the forefront of her mind!" Marlene was furious.

"No, not quite anything." Harry shook his head: "It must have been a part of the conversation covered by the vow she gave me that night. There's no way he'd know I'm capable of the Fidelius, since I didn't mention it. Voldemort shouldn't be able to make some of the most important connections, like me being the Parselmouth at Hogwarts."

"But there was tons of other sensitive information you mentioned!" Marlene snapped as she walked up and down in front of the Pensieve: "For example, how much you know about the Dark Mark or that you're aware of the Gaunt ancestry and his original name. He could've even seen that he's supposedly killed your parents which is the reason you returned to Britain!"

"It won't do us any good to speculate about it." Harry sighed, leaning against the small desk in Slytherin's study.

"At least my father stood with me until the very end." Marlene finally paused. Her breath started hitching: "He even sounded proud of his daughter for the tiniest moment... before- before..."

"Come here, love." He circled his arms around her waist and held her against his chest, patting her back while she shook with small sobs.

"I'm sorry." She wept. Tears trickled from her chin onto his uniform before she audibly sniffed her nose: "I vowed not to cry and I held it together for so long, but- but seeing it- "

"It's okay, really." Harry tucked any stray hairs behind her ear and offered a small handkerchief. He led her over to the chair and pulled her on his lap, gently rocking her body back and forth.

"Isn't it rather ironic how he always put family and his legacy first and still failed as a father so spectacularly?" Marlene wiped the tears away. She intertwined their fingers, bringing his hand up to her lips: "But I'm still thankful for the blessing he gave our union. I will try to remember him by that."

'Sounds familiar.' Harry hid a small smile.

"I saw that!" Marlene scowled at him: "I suppose I do sound like the old, crooked-nose fool already..."

"Now that you mention him- " He studied the tiny crystal vial on the nearby table: "There was a bit more to learn from this memory..."

"Dumbledore." Marlene grimaced. She didn't seem too fond of the Headmaster after her meeting a few days ago. "You told me that people kept saying that he was the only one Voldemort ever feared and never sought out a confrontation with. I didn't see any of that in this memory."

"Perhaps it's not that easy." Harry mused. "Dumbledore's objective was not to subdue Voldemort but to get as many people to safety as possible. From the only other duel I've ever witnessed between the two, I can confirm that they're fairly evenly matched in terms of power."

"But that was when Dumbledore wielded the Elder Wand and after Voldemort attained a new body." Marlene snorted: "Now he only has his greater experience and unrivaled knowledge of transfigurations going for him. I saw him on the back foot the entire time and still, people are calling him the Savior of the Red Wedding."

"Underestimating an enemy is an error Voldemort is known for making." Harry murmured: "Let's try not to step into his footsteps."

"We really have to consider the Headmaster as an enemy then?" Marlene gulped.

"I wish it was different, but his very nature leaves us no choice." Harry sighed in frustration: "The Headmaster's childhood dream never truly died. Dumbledore will always value the well-being of the many over that of a few individuals."

"The Greater Good." Marlene spat. Her fingers curled into his robes: "Because a small family of three means nothing when one hundred different families can be saved. Because grooming a young boy and raising him as a sacrifice is fine when the entire wizarding world might survive thanks to him."

'But I won't be a sacrifice this time around.'

"The moment I confide in Dumbledore is the moment he smells there's blood in the water." Harry swallowed a lump of unease: "If Dumbledore ever came to the same conclusion Croaker did- "

" -he would see you as perhaps an even bigger threat than Voldemort." Marlene finished for him. She became unnaturally still in his lap: "Why should he place the fate of the entire wizarding world in your selfish little hands when soon a boy will be born, who's destined to kill the Dark Lord once and for all? Sure, many people will die before that happens, but it will happen eventually. He won't leave a very certain outcome to chance..."

"Why risk countless lives, only for a lonely orphan to be reunited with his parents?" Heat bubbled in his stomach: "Dumbledore must never learn who I truly am or what the future holds. He wouldn't hesitate to tear my second chance away from me and ensure that events follow the very same order as they did the first time."

"We won't let him get that close." Marlene's soft hands crept around his neck and fisted in his hair: "If he becomes an obstacle in the path to our little sunset, then he must simply be removed."

'She truly means it.' Her blue orbs bored into his, sparkling heavy with emotion. Harry's breath caught in his lungs when her lips descended and came crashing against his own.

"You're right. It doesn't matter what web of schemes and grand plans he spins over our heads." He tightened his hold on her. "To reach our little sunset, we'll cut right through them."

January 16th, 1978

"You two look like you've seen a ghost," Marlene commented with a frown when James and Lily slipped onto the half-empty bench opposite her and Harry. "Did something happen?"

Harry's parents exchanged a small, worried glance and eyed their son, eyes shifting between him and her.

"You can go ahead." Harry placed his hand over hers on the table: "Marlene knows everything. I don't have any secrets from her."

With a nod, James spoke up frantically: "Dumbledore knows everything. He knows that we've been sneaking out during the full moons for years; he knows that the four of us are Animagi and use it to keep Remus company during his transformation."

The tip of the Elder Wand poked out from underneath his sleeve and soon a faint ripple of magic bubbled over their part of the Gryffindor house table.

"Slow down, Prongs, start from the beginning." Harry urged and shifted closer.

"Dumbledore called us into his office this morning." Lily explained nervously: "We didn't suspect anything because we've been having these frequent meetings ever since the beginning of the last term. He was quiet for almost a minute, simply looking at us and then he suddenly expressed his disappointment that James didn't come forth and shared his knowledge on secret passageways leaving the school."

"Fuck." Next to her, Harry cursed under his breath.

Marlene felt a tingle of heat bubbling up in her stomach, knowing exactly how the headmaster had acquired that knowledge: "How did you respond?"

"He didn't even give us an opportunity to respond. He was quite scary, honestly" James swallowed: "He said that he recognized that our goals were respectable and that Remus should really count himself lucky to have such loyal friends. However, due to security reasons, there will be no more late-night strolls under the full moon."

"Does he know about all of them?" Harry inquired.

"Well, he started counting the different passageways, all seven of them, one by one and asked us if we knew any more." James grimaced: "When I denied it, he asked me if I could bring him the Map to check himself. I have no idea how, Harry, but he somehow learned about it." The young man shuddered.

"Please tell me you didn't hand it over yet." Marlene groaned.

"He didn't." Lily shook her head and rolled her eyes: "James said that and I quote: 'The Map is part of the Marauder legacy and will only ever be passed down to the child of a Marauder so they may continue the glorious work their fathers started'."

"I bet Dumbledore didn't like that?" Harry grimaced.

"Not one bit." James swallowed heavily: "He warned me explicitly that each of the passageways has now been sealed by him personally. The one underneath the willow now has wards on it that will only ever allow Remus and Madam Pomfrey to pass it. 'Even your spectacular Cloak' won't let you pass through those wards, that's what he said."

'He's wrong about that. Death doesn't care about wards, not even from the great Albus Dumbledore' Marlene caught the ghost of a smile playing on her fiancé's expression before it returned into a deep frown.

"This is troublesome indeed." Harry nodded.

"It's unfair!" James complained: "The full moon is tonight and Remus will be all by himself! I get that the passageways are a security risk for the school; perhaps I should have shared them with Dumbledore earlier, but how can he be cruel enough to condemn Remus to this misery."

"I will think about something," Harry promised: "For now you should hide the Map and tell the others about what happened."

"I will cast some more protective charms on it." Lily nodded while standing up and taking James' hand: "And Harry- ." She glanced over her shoulder, shooting him a worried look. " -whatever you come with, be careful. Dumbledore didn't look like he was joking back then. I've never seen him so serious about something."

Marlene murmured the incantation for a few more anti-eavesdrop charms under her breath while waiting until the couple was out of ears' reach, then she turned to Harry, heat bubbling in her stomach: "He dared search through your parent's mind!"

"But we can't prove it." He frowned: "It's pointless to confront him. Dumbledore could have learned about all those things through other means."

"He knows about your father's Cloak; he knows about the connection the Potters have to the Peverells." Marlene said: "What if he also took a glimpse into your mother's mind and witnessed what you did for her after her parents' funeral?"

"The Hallows are mine; he will never wield either of them again. It might even be favorable that he now knows I haven't taken James' cloak for myself yet. It will disprove any of his Master of Death theories since I didn't make an effort to combine all three." Harry mused: "I'm more annoyed that it will be even more difficult to leave the school now. We had plans for tomorrow night after all..."

"More difficult?" Marlene echoed incredulously: "It's impossible now, Harry! We can pass through the wards with your cloak, but he will still be notified that two students have left the castle if he does a full count, which I bet he monitors every single night now. Without using any secret passageway to trick the wards into thinking we're still within bounds, there's no way for us to leave!"

"A good thing then that there's still a passageway left." A small triumphant gleam dwelled up in Harry's eyes: "It simply hasn't been created yet."

January 18th, 1978

Their steps echoed from the empty walls of the dark tunnel they passed through. He pointed the tip of his faintly glowing wand to the tiles on the ground, grimacing when he had to sidestep yet another small skeleton.

"Could you not have asked the Room for a clean secret passageway?"

"I think the Room understands the term 'secret' in a way that it can't just be as spotless as the Hospital Wing. It thinks we're going on an adventure; there's got to be some mystery to it." Harry chuckled: "We're almost through already."

"And are you sure this will work?" Marlene stepped next to him, tossing a braid of golden hair over her shoulder: "If this passageway seals itself before we return..."

"I asked the room to create it and keep it open for exactly one hour." Harry stiffened any remaining worries: "Besides, with Aurelius' Tome in the Room itself, no one new should be able to enter it."

They reached an ordinary wooden door at the end of the tunnel and he twisted the handle.

"Hogsmeade." Harry let his gaze roam over the small wizarding village at the feet of the mountain they appeared on. He turned around and inspected the harsh wall of rock that stretched behind him: "There should be a cave somewhere around here where Sirius hid during my fourth year."

"Perhaps a picnic some other time." Marlene levitated a small boulder on the threshold of the tunnel to keep the door open: "Let's go, love. We don't have much time."

"Do you know the place?"

"Of course." Marlene said: "We've been invited more than enough times to the Flints."

"One less obstacle." She brushed her lips over his and gently entwined their fingers, tightened her hold, and stepped forward.

They appeared with a soft snap on the open, gentle slope of a snow-covered hill at the edge of a thick pine forest. Several hedges and an old crumbling stone wall separated them from a symmetrical Georgian-era home and a black lake with frozen shores that stretched behind it.

'Quite a nice place.' Harry decided: 'Something similar for Marlene and I would be nice one day.'

They crept out from underneath the pine shadows and apparated down to the stone wall.

"Wards?" Marlene asked cautiously.

Harry touched the tip of the Elder Wand to one of the crumbling rocks and allowed for his magic to soak the wall. A visible, shivering barrier rippled and distorted for a moment. A soft tingle raced up his fingers: "There are anti-apparition wards, several layers, and anti-portkey ones as well."

He frowned when he felt another gentle tug: "They've also cast the Fianto Duri."

"Death doesn't care," Marlene whispered

'It's still an impressive feat of magic.' Harry considered: 'I've only ever seen Flitwick cast it successfully during the defense of Hogwarts.'

He wrapped the cold, smooth fabric of the third Hallow tightly around Marlene and himself. With a flick of the Elder Wand, the patch of snow-covered grass to their feet raised vertically until they could comfortably step on top of the wall and descend to the other side.

The air shimmered for a fraction of a second as they stepped through the wards. Harry shuddered at the uncomfortable feeling of ice cubes sliding down his bare skin.

"Some of our own for good measure," Marlene raised her pale hawthorn wand, its tip pointed towards the gloomy, gray sky. Harry shot an appreciative nod after she threw up anti-apparition and portkey wards of her own within the pre-existing layers to prevent escape.

"Homonum Revelio," Harry whispered, and pointed at the house.

"Five souls." Harry mused: "I expected no more than four."

"I know one of them is a house elf." Marlene shared: "She's old, but we have to make a family member call her and get rid of her once we're inside."

They crept over the lawn, which had been cleansed of any snow, to the large symmetrical building, and covered underneath a bay window on the ground floor.

'Alohomora.'

The window's handle clicked and an invisible force slowly dragged it downward. Harry climbed inside, lending Marlene hand to lift her up behind him.

It was quiet inside the house, so quiet Harry could hear the blood pumping through his veins and even the rhythmic beating of Marlene's heart if he only lingered to listen to it. Still, he couldn't help but enjoy the thrill of adrenaline that raced through his body. The wand in his palm demanded retribution for what had been taken from him.

Next to him, Marlene seemed to fare similarly. Her eyes sparkled in excitement; the slim length of hawthorn in her fingers drew small circles as she twirled it over and over.

Suddenly, a door creaked open to the left behind them. An elderly, woman in expansive dark green robes staggered to a halt, her eyes widened in recognition and her hand shot to the wand on her waist.

Harry reacted on instinct:

"Imperio!"

He drove the floating sensation into Lady Flint's mind, gently wiping away every thought and worry in her head, leaving nothing but a vague, untraceable happiness.

'Call for your house elf.' Harry infused her consciousness with faint whispers until she opened her mouth:

"Pimsy!"

"Mistress Flint called Pimsy, Miss?" An old elf quavered, bowing low until its nose almost touched the tiles.

'No risks.'

"Not quite I'm afraid," Harry apologized, stiffing a tiny flicker of remorse. "Avada Kedavra."

The bright beam of the Killing Curse illuminated everything in a painless instant of ghastly light. The wrinkled old elf collapsed as if the strings had been cut from his marionette. Harry spared the elf a single, long sad look before his face hardened again.

He pointed his wand at Lady Flint. "Tell me where the rest of the family is?"

"Everyone is in the dining room on the first floor." The woman answered dutifully, her eyes bland without a single sparkle.

"Good." A second flash of green illuminated the hallway and the old woman dropped to the tiles, where she remained motionless next to her elf.

"She and her friend Araminta Meliflua once tried to persuade father to voice his support for a Ministry Bill that reintroduced the sport of Muggle Hunting." Hatred gleamed in Marlene's eyes before she tore them away from the corpse.

"The name rings a bell. I think Sirius once mentioned he's related to her." Harry stepped over her: "Only three left now."

They strode swiftly down the corridor, sweeping past dull, plain tapestries depicting scenes of hunting, and many empty rooms until they came to a slightly more grand doorway: "This is it."

He waited until Marlene shot him a final nod before touching the doorway with the tip of his wand. It crumbled to fine dust, pooling and swirling about their feet as they stepped into the hall.

It was indeed the dining hall. Extravagant, pricey chairs encircled a mahogany table that stretched from their end of the room all the way to the other side underneath a collection of crystal chandeliers, bathing the scene in a warm light.

Their targets sat at the far end, at the table's head, which was located in front of a fireplace with two large paintings flanking either side. Three heads snapped towards them in surprise as they jumped up from their seats.

"What the- "

Harry whirled on the spot, unleashing a duo of piercing hexes that shattered the chair levitated to intercept them.

"Peverell and his bitch," Lord Reginald Flint hissed, pulling his wand smoothly from his robes and stepping beside his son: "The Dark Lord will honor me like no other when I bring you two to him."

A volley of bright orange curses raced towards them over the long, mahogany table. Harry stepped forward and flicked them casually aside from the tip of the Elder Wand, sending them to hiss and splash across the sparkling wooden cardboard.

Marlene smoothly danced around him, adding her own spells to his as they retaliated with brutal force. They advance further into the room step by step, separating and edging along the walls on either side.

"Elladora, get out of here!" The younger Flint called to his wife, motioning to the fireplace behind them. A bright blue beam left the tip of his wand. It melted two feet through the wall next to Harry's head and showered him with wooden shards.

"NO!" Marlene slashed her wand as if she attempted to bowl a strike, releasing a bright orb of compressed magic that surged underneath the table across the entire room. It detonated with a force that had Harry's ears ringing. The marble fireplace burst into splinters, hurling the three Flints forward and making them stagger against the table and chairs they covered behind.

Harry's piercing curse caught the son in the thigh and he stumbled, clutching at the gushing groove in his leg while hurling a storm of curses their way. Harry twisted away from where he stood and wrenched his wrist around with a roar.

The windows on the other side of the room cracked and shattered into thousand tiny shards. They launched inwards, catching Lord Flint by the throat and leaving a long, deep gash. Crimson splattered the green carpet. The man gurgled a mouthful of blood before dropping to the ground, his wand scattering over the floorboard.

"NO, FATHER!"

Harry effortlessly dodged the incoming green light, wrapped his magic into the air around Flint's shoulders, and yanked the Elder Wand upwards. A terrible crack echoed through the dining room and Flint screamed in pain as his limbs were torn from their sockets in a splatter of blood.

"The Dark Lord was right about you." He spat. "If there's hell, we'll all be waiting for you there."

"You'll be waiting for a while." A final piercing curse left a golf ball-sized hole where Flint's heart would have been, and the Death Eater dropped dead. "While I enjoy my sunset."

'Talking about sunsets.' He glanced over to the other side of the room where Marlene had the other witch cornered. The blonde landed a heavy strike on the brunette's upper torso, hurling her against the stone wall with a sickening crunch.

'Nice technique.'

All three spells that were sent back in retaliation spattered harmlessly across tapestries when Marlene dodged below them. She disarmed her opponent, snapping the wand the moment she caught it.

"Mercy, please!" Elladora Flint neé Travers clung to her side, face distorted in a painful grimace. The blue sleeve of her dress slid down her arm, revealing the corner of a black tattoo engraved into the pale flesh.

"Don't kill me! Please! I am with child!" Her eyes widened pleadingly at Marlene, one hand coming down to cover her lower abandon: "You're a witch just like, perhaps also a mother one day! You wouldn't kill an innocent baby, would you?"

Marlene's wand trembled for only a few seconds before her grip became firm again, eyes sparkling in amusement: "You almost got me there. But I know that your son Marcus turned two years old a few months ago… You're lucky we picked a day where he's with your family and not here."

"Again!" Elladora coughed a mouthful of blood: "I am with child again!"

"Really?" The blonde glimpsed over at him for a second waiting for his confirmation. Harry silently shook his head.

"You're lying." A small, cold smile played on Marlene's pink lips. "I'm afraid Marcus just wasn't meant to have any siblings..."

"How- how could... you kn -know that?"

"That is not something you'll ever have to worry about." Marlene raised her wand once more; the tip started glowing a faint green: "But you can be rest assured that your son will be a great Quidditch Captain one day."