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Halloween - The Aftermath: Chapter 2
🕑 Added 2022-04-06 16:30:01 +0000 UTCStars twinkling in the dark expanse of the Scottish sky gazed forlornly at the destructive dance that was unfolding right underneath. The shrill cries of various witches and wizards who were unlucky enough to taste defeat in front of literal flames from hell were agonizing, echoing throughout the valley, the voices chilling the souls of eight survivors who had managed to establish enough distance between themselves and the accursed flames so as to combat them to some extent.
Two hours had passed, and the Fiendfyre was still ravaging the small clearing, albeit severely weaker than before. The melted snow, the burnt land, and the ashen remains of trees painted an accurate picture of the destruction.
As Randolph Selwyn collapsed alongside seven other companions of himself, having managed to get rid of the accursed flames, in the end, his eyes sought out the outlines of those barricades that had managed to keep the pesky aurors safe. The bumps visible in the snow, silhouetted in the moonlight brought a snarl on the face of the blonde-haired wizard, his countenance one of abject wrath.
His anger grew as he looked around at the remaining members of their party. 8 exhausted wizards, over 20 dead, and not a single casualty on the side of the aurors. He grit his teeth in frustration. Never before had his team faced such a blow. Granted that the majority of them were new recruits who, in his opinion, were incapable of even donning a diaper, let alone take part in a battle, the numbers were still not what they should’ve been.
Nevertheless, they could not let the auror force escape, not when they were so efficiently cornered. There was a reason why they had employed their premier dark stone to erect those wards. They covered the entire mountain, and any mode of magical transport was not possible. The reinforcements that those aurors had certainly called for would take hours to reach their position. He realized that the perfect moment to strike was to strike now before the reinforcements managed to arrive. His dark face further darkened when he realized that he would have to ask for more personnel from the man who had been chosen as the leader.
Lucius Malfoy was a Tier I asshole. While the man had been a shrewd politician and possessed a slippery personality, his wandwork left a lot to be desired. No wonder the cunt barely survived any battle under the Dark Lord, always depending on his two minions to haul his ass out to safety. And now the same man had managed to become the leader of their organization. A man who didn't have the balls to use his given name, using the alias of some Frederic Jones, talk about cowardice.
Randolph had no doubt that the cunt became the leader solely because of his wealth, after all, an organization such as theirs needed massive funds to operate. But then he realized another reason was the leverage he had over the other senior members. No one knew what leverage he had over the likes of Bulstrode, Yaxley, Nott, or Rosier, but everyone knew that the blonde-haired slimeball had something to hold over them, and said wizards were reluctant to take a step against him.
Selwyn thought they should form a group and simply do away with the prick, and had gone to them once with the same idea. The warning he had gotten that day was one he would always remember. He couldn’t believe why they were so vehemently against taking that step. It wasn’t as if Malfoy was such an indispensable part of their hierarchy that his absence would spell doom for them, the contrary was true instead. However, he had received his final warning, and he wasn’t one to deliberately put his head inside a lion’s mouth.
With a resigned sigh, Selwyn shouted, “You, what’s your name?”
The rookie looked shocked at being addressed directly, before he stammered, “M-my n-name-”
“Yeah yeah, not interested,” Selwyn cut him off with a wave of his hand and fixed a scowl on his face.
“Listen up, copperhead, send an urgent message to the HQ. Explain what happened as tell them I’ve asked for immediate assistance,” the word left a bitter sense in his mouth, and he had to forcefully bury the expletives his mind had so effectively conjured.
“Leave no detail out, gotcha? Now scram,”
The rookie wasted no time and hobbled away. Selwyn gazed at his retreating back for a moment before pulling out a cigarette. Lighting it up with a flick of his wand, he took a long whiff and slowly exhaled.
‘Muggles might be filthy, but they sure have some fascinating stuff,’
*****
The atmosphere inside each trunk was one of apprehension. Despite the lights dimming to the lowest and the runes set for maximum comfort, none of the aurors could find the realm of Morpheus. Something quite understandable, given the fact that the enemy was barely away.
The barricades surely protected them, but only until their connection with the magical ley lines was intact. Once it was broken, it wouldn’t take them long to be exposed. Although the fiendfyre was enough to keep their enemies occupied for a few hours, by no means did it guarantee their safety.
James Potter released a sigh and sat upright on his bed. His duvet fell down on his lap as he rubbed his face with tired hands.
“Don’t think I’m gonna get any sleep tonight,” he muttered to himself before casting a tempus.
Another sigh followed when he realized not even half an hour had passed since they had ended their conference. Casting the duvet aside, he slid out of his bed and made his way out to the common area.
A small chuckle sounded as he saw Proudfoot sitting at the table, nursing a cup of coffee. Said auror looked up when he came in, before going back to his silent deliberation.
“Can’t sleep?” James muttered, taking a seat at another chair and looking outside the window. The trunk had a custom interior built-in, one which showed different landscapes depending on the time of the day and the current season. Something to admire, he thought, as he looked at the serene waterfall lit up under the bluish moonlight.
“Yeah, is it any wonder though?” Proudfoot remarked, taking a rather large gulp.
“It’s been half an hour since we got back,” James muttered, “Merlin knows how this night will pass,”
“Should we play Gobstones to pass time then, or maybe Exploding Snaps?” Proudfoot snarked, and James chuckled.
“I think we’re past that stage now, however, I won’t say no to a round of poker if you’re up for it,” James implored, summoning a deck of cards from the small rack near the door.
Proudfoot looked at the cards for a moment, before he shrugged.
“Ah fuck it, I’m up,”
“Nice,” James grinned, before pressing the tip of his wand at the side of his neck.
“Robards, Savage, I know you’re not asleep, GET YOUR ASSES OUT HERE!”
Proudfoot shook his head in exasperation.
“You can’t behave even in this serious situation, can you? It’s a good think Black is not here.”
James grinned, before looking up. Robards and Savage walked in, the latter having his usual stoic look on his face while the former sported Proudfoot’s exasperation.
“Really?”
“Why not? It’s not as if we’re going to sleep, so why not pass the time playing some poker?”
Robards shook his head with a resigned smile as he took a seat.
“Eh why not, let’s do this,” he remarked with a chuckle. Savage took his seat and James turned to look at him.
“C’mon Nick! Loosen up! You can be as stoic as you want once the battle starts. Merlin knows we’ve got to fuck them even harder in a few hours,”
“Hear hear!” Robards shouted, and Proudfoot joined with a chuckle. James grinned.
“Ready, gents?” James looked around, shuffling as he did so.
“Wait a minute, what about stakes? I’ve got no money here!” Proudfoot remarked, and Robards nodded sheepishly.
“Neither do I,” he muttered. James sighed.
“That’s a bummer, what to do then? Without stakes? Not happening,” he remarked.
“Do a truth or dare thing if you lose, higher the stakes, higher the level of question or dare,” the deep voice of Savage cut in, and the remaining three aurors turned around to look at him.
“Well well well, what do we have here? Looks like our man Nick is a man of culture, attaboy,” James slapped said wizard on the back.
“I’m ready,” Proudfoot said, and Robards nodded.
“Alright, here we go then,” and with that, James flicked his wand, the cards flying as he did so.
*****
An hour had passed since they started playing, and Proudfoot and Robards were already out for the round. Plenty of good ribbing had followed in the prior rounds, either teasing by asking embarrassing questions or daring to do something humiliating like giving someone a lap dance. Who knew Robards was such a pro?
Currently, James and Savage were engrossed, and Savage raised the stakes by two levels. The eyes of the other two widened.
“Oh confident, are we?” James remarked, looking at Savage who kept his stoic gaze trained on his senior. James wouldn’t admit but that gaze scared him sometimes.
He matched Savage’s stakes, raising the level by two.
“Let’s see ‘em,” James said, breaking the silence, as he laid the cards face down on the table.
“Ready?” He asked before he flipped them over.
“Straight, two to six,” Proudfoot remarked, looking over at Savage who was staring at the cards with narrowed eyes. James leaned back against his chair, crossing his arms and Savage placed the cards face down on the table.
Slowly, he turned them around. James’ eyes bugged out.
“The fuck!?”
Three exclamations rang out as Savage sat with a small smile on his face. The other three were standing straight, their eyes wide as they looked down at the table.
Full house, with three kings.
Savage had just won the round with the highest stakes. Robards and Proudfoot looked down at the cards before trailing their eyes up to see the disbelieving look on James’ face. They looked at each other before they laughed, hard.
“Oh-oh man! Your face...” Proudfoot wheezed out as Robards grabbed his shoulder for support.
“He looks like someone took his favorite Thunderbolt and burnt it down,” Robards chuckled.
James gave them a stink eye before taking his seat. The other two wizards slowly brought their laughter under control and sat down, still chuckling.
“Well,” he began, “now if you’re done laughing,” he glared at the two, causing them to chuckle again, “you win this one, Nick, so go ahead.”
Savage looked over at Proudfoot.
“Dare,” the said wizard barely hesitated, having gone out with the lowest stakes.
Savage nodded.
“Go and make us coffee. Without magic.”
Proudfoot sighed before he nodded and walked over to the open kitchenette right behind their table.
Robards had lost at a significantly higher level, and his face was apprehensive. Savage raised an eyebrow.
“D-dare,” he stammered, and Savage grinned. The two of them were taken aback. Savage never grinned.
“Take a vow to ask Emily Smith out once we’re outta here, Merlin knows you’re hopeless on your own,”
Robards’ eyes widened. James and Proudfoot guffawed loud.
“He got you there,” James laughed.
Sighing, the wizard in question nodded and agreed to ask Emily Smith out the next time he saw her.
“Now it’s James’ turn,” Robards was eager to get the attention off himself.
Savage turned to James, who had an easy grin on his face.
“Truth, ask away,”
Savage looked at him.
“What’s something you feel the most guilt about?” He whispered, and James felt his grin slip off his face. Proudfoot and Robards also stopped smiling, looking at James with concerned expressions on their faces.
James was staring down at his hands which were on his lap. The hall was encased in silence, with only the alight stove making barely any sound.
Slowly, James lifted his head with a sad smile on his face.
“Well, y’all know about my... ehm... condition,” James started somberly. The three wizards silently listened.
“That’s something I feel the most guilt about. That I acted oversmart on that assignment. That I was never able to give my wife what she deserved. Despite that, she always stood with me, always sporting a smile on her face. I know she’s been... dissatisfied... yet she never complained.”
The air was somber, no words outspoken as the occupants stared down in abject silence.
“And that’s something that has made me feel so guilty that I sometimes can’t explain. I’ve come so close to telling her to get some excitement somewhere else, Merlin knows she needs it, but then I get selfish. How can I ask my wife to lay with someone else to satiate her needs? And she’s never showed any intention to do that, nor has she ever complained. And that makes me feel so powerless that I can’t explain,”
They sat there in silence, and Proudfoot brought their coffee over. Small smiles were exchanged as he passed the mugs around.
“So,” Savage began, “how would you feel if she really did sleep with someone else?”
“Nick!” Robards hissed.
“It’s fine,” he said, slowly sipping his coffee, “It’d hurt, for sure, I mean knowing my wife slept with someone other than me would surely hurt, badly, but...”
He paused. The three wizards looked at him, not saying anything, just giving him time to formulate his words.
“... but I guess I’ll understand, I won’t be happy, but I won’t hate her either,”
The others smiled sadly. Proudfoot came up to James and clapped him on the back. James nodded at him and he took his seat beside him.
“It takes a big man to say that, James, you should be proud of yourself,” Proudfoot muttered, and the other two nodded.
“I’m sorry for that, James,” Savage whispered, looking at him, and James shook his head.
“It’s fine, admitting that makes my heart feel lighter,” he smiled.
The other three wizards smiled back, and James whipped his wand.
“Now enough of this morose vibe, up for another round?”
The three grinned.
*****
Another hour had passed, another few rounds of the game were followed by some more truths and dares, and they finally cast the cards aside. Currently, they were discussing their strategy for the upcoming fight. After their long poker session, the morale was high.
“Surely they are going to call for reinforcements. I reckon barely 10 of the old cunts would’ve been left. Now only if we knew just how many they would call for...” Robards muttered.
“How many aurors did they say were en route?” James asked, looking through a file.
“Two hundred, I guess that would be more than enough to take any reinforcement down,” Proudfoot was optimistic that they would manage to take down the ambushers as well as any others.
“That’s a fair assumption, but it depends on if they manage to get here in time. Remember, the dark stone ward nullifies any form of magical travel. Our guys won’t be able to bring even brooms. They have to trek all the way up here through the snow, and if their reinforcements arrive and engage ours, it would take even longer,” Savage put his observation forward, and James nodded.
Just as he was about to speak, he was cut off as a glowing lynx ambled inside.
‘We’ve started trekking now. The wards ended way outside the mountain and we were met by a few stragglers. Nothing serious, easily taken out. However, we expect heavy reinforcements from the enemy. Don’t engage, Potter. We’ll be there in six hours at most, defend till then,’
The deep baritone of Kingsley Shacklebolt faded, and James sat back on his chair.
“Well, there you have it, all we’ve to do is sit tight for a few more hours. Keep in mind though, at the first indication of attack, we’ll retaliate,”
The three nodded.
“Proudfoot, bring up the conference. It’s unlikely that the others would be sleeping,”
Proudfoot nodded and went up to the screen. Soon the other teams were visible, and James relayed the message. Everyone nodded seriously, knowing that the true battle was about to come.
*****
To be continued...
