42

Chapter 42

The patronus that declared the need for help was from the familiar voice of Melania Black. It took a long moment to process what needed to happen, but the life that had previously been drained from Charlus had come back as he whirled around with a death grip on his wand. His features were now contorted with rage as he barked out, "Monty take the family to Potter Manor and raise the wards to maximum strength. Dorea and I will see to Arcturus."

The wails of the Longbottom family could still be heard as Charlus began moving towards the door with a pale-faced Dorea following hot on his heels. Harry could hardly comprehend how such a night had fallen apart so quickly. Flashes of Bill and Fleur's wedding that had been attacked by Death Eaters crossed his mind as he remembered just how fast a beautiful evening could deteriorate. The panic, the uncertainty that had seized him in the moments they fled plagued his mind.

"They are coming." The voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt echoed.

The panic was instant as people began trampling over one another to escape. Black fog moving at a fast pace entered the massive wedding tent and the arrival of the Death Eaters was signaled by the killing curse taking the life of a red-head that Harry did not recognize.

Whipping his wand out to help he felt Remus Lupin wrap his arms around him to prevent him from helping. The screams to run were on deaf ears as he stood frozen. In horror, he watched Bill and Fleur duel with two Death Eaters attempting to escape with the rest of their guests. His heart lurched as he saw two other Death Eaters join the battle, and he escaped the arms of Remus attempting to assist the couple, but it was too late. A jet of green light struck the beautiful blonde in the chest causing Bill to roar in heartbreak and rage.

SLAP.

Harry blinked hard as his hand shot to his face. Someone was shaking his arm roughly and he snapped out of his thoughts to see Elaina looking at him with worried eyes, "Harry, your godfather."

Sirius? No, Sirius had been his godfather in his time. His trauma seemed to cloud his judgment as his eyes went to the fallen form of Harfang Longbottom. How had he allowed himself to become so distracted? How had he not noticed someone pointing their wand at the Longbottom Lord? How had he managed to take two people before Harry had surged forward to do something?

"HARRY!"

Elaina now had her hands on both of his shoulders, "Harry, your parents could need us! Arcturus is in trouble. I need you here."

Snapping out of his thoughts he finally nodded his head and began following the girl who was already practically running towards the Floo network. Monty however got in the way, "Wait a second, Harry."

"I've already wasted too much time." Harry said, attempting to move around the man that had attempted to lock him into place, "Let me go Monty."

"If Charlus wanted you there he would've told you."The man said sternly.

"What if he is there? Do you want to send dad to fight that madman with just mum's help?" Harry spat back.

Monty seemed surprised by the boy's tone, but shook his head standing strong, "If this Voldemort character is there then Charlus will cut him down."

"You have no idea what he is capable of!" Harry said, shoving his grandfather back in desperation. The man stumbled shortly and looked at Harry in shock, but the boy shook his head sadly at the man, "I'm not losing anyone else to him."

Without further thought, he chased after Elaina to the Floo network, but he didn't make it far before Frank was running at his side, "You won't make it out through the Floo Network. You need to make it to the grounds. I will show you."

Harry didn't understand until they came to the entrance hall where his eyes widened to see people fighting over Floo powder to escape. Cowards, Harry thought bitterly. Had the Death Eaters been attacking this crowd would have been easy targets. The wide eyes of Elaina seemed to show her trepidation about what would happen next, but he called to her and gestured for her to follow them as they pursued Frank through the panicking crowd.

They were out the front doors and running toward the woods in seconds. When they made it past a certain line Frank huffed, "We have cleared the wards. You are safe to apparate out of here."

Harry offered Frank a grateful nod before saying, "I'm sorry about your grandparents, Frank."

The teen wiped at his eyes which still had wet marks from the previous encounter before saying, "My family will get to the bottom of what happened tonight. That I can promise you, but go protect yours first, Harry, and be careful."

Offering a final grateful nod Harry offered his arm to his companion, "Are you ready?"

"Let's go." She said with determination.

.o.

Arcturus Black was sipping on an aged scotch that he broke out on special occasions. He had become too old for the parties his friends, family, or allies held, and Melania had come accustomed to the smaller gatherings that didn't raise the ruckus they enjoyed in their youth.

Taking a long sip, he took a sigh of content as the warm liquid gave him a satisfying chill. Glancing towards the clock he knew the New Year was coming and it was shaping up to be the best one in a long time. Charlus was back, and many of his old friends were coming together to prepare to crush a rising threat in their own backyard. It would be the last of his fighting years of that he was certain. He was likely already too old to be of such use, but when his mind went to thoughts of the Potter boy he nodded in content.

The boy was a powerhouse, and had fought him well on Christmas Day. He had also brought his best friend and sister back to the light of day and the Black Lord was grateful. The warnings the boy had brought were dire, but they had plenty of time to rectify the issues that had occurred in his time. If the boy could master the spells in the Black family grimoire he would be unstoppable.

'Yes, that will do' The man thought with a slight smile overtaking his features.

"What has you smiling this late, my love?" The voice of his wife said as she placed a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Things seemed grim for our house six months ago. I discovered a son of my house has run away due to one of my children being an incompetent parent and having a bitch for a wife." The man blustered working himself into a fit until the woman squeezed his shoulder taking the wind out of his sails, "With Bellatrix marrying into the Lestrange family I only saw doom in that arrangement. Now Narcissa is wanting to lock herself to the Malfoy boy, which was displeasing in itself before I found out he was kissing the arse of this heir of Slytherin. Andromeda is rebelling at every turn, and Regulus is so far under his mother's thumb that there is little hope of salvaging the boy. It was hard to think our house would rise above the coming challenges."

Taking a long sip from his drink he then grinned slightly, "Then Alphard was hired at Hogwarts, Charlus came back into the fold, Harry stepped into the picture, and I think the boy is a good influence on Sirius. Perhaps he will make the boy see that the whole family is not like his mother. I am told that he has been getting on well with Alphard which is a bonus. It is good to see some of the men in this family taking a forward role. Even my brother, Pollux, has been writing more."

"You should try and do something nice for Sirius and Harry, maybe even invite James Potter to do something fun. If we want to show the boys that we aren't as foul as Walburga or as impassive as Orion, then we need to show them that we care." The woman offered sagely.

Arcturus patted the hand that was resting on his shoulder after a moment of thought. He was hardly the sentimental type, but he wanted his family to know that he was there for him despite getting up there in age, "You're absolutely right. I should take the boys to one of the beach properties in Italy. I can send the Elves to clean it up and we can all spend some time together. Perhaps then I can show Sirius that the family is not turning its back on him."

"And what of Regulus?" The woman asked curiously.

"The boy is easily swayed. A new broomstick, a nice lunch, or tickets to a quidditch game, and he will be satisfied. I fear had I done that with Sirius when he was younger we never would've had the issues we face today. Never in my father's time did anyone run away. I think I have been too lax in my position, something I vow to change in the coming New Year."

The woman glanced towards the clock and smiled happily, "It will be the best year for our house in many years."

Arcturus rose to his feet gleefully, but before he could begin to propose a toast he felt a shift in the wards. Three arrivals started his confusion and created a frown on his face, "Were we expecting company?"

Melaina frowned at the change of demeanor and glanced towards the door expectantly, "Not that I am aware of."

Arcturus held his hand up for the woman to wait and his wand fell into his hands as he stepped out into the hallway to greet the unexpected guest. When he stepped out he let out a breath of relief, "Cygnus, Orion, to what do your mother and I owe the pleasure? Bella, is that you?"

The two sons of Arcturus Black stood tall as Bellatrix pushed her way to the front with a look of triumph on her face. Her black robes covered her back while the front seemed to be a leather sleeveless jacket. Regardless of the sleeveless jacket, she wore three-quarter sleeves that went down to her hands that seemed to be made of some type of armored material. Her dark hair was curled and styled to the perfection of a Pureblood Princess, but the look in her eyes was anything but innocent, "Hello grandfather, I carry a message from the Dark Lord."

Arcturus frowned at the young woman, "Since when does a daughter of my house become a messenger? I thought I made myself clear that we were to remain neutral."

Orion shrugged, "We heard you, but you didn't even ask for the opinions of your family. You allowed the Potter brat to dictate your emotions."

"Emotions stay out of negotiations. Something Harry did admirably. It is you who has allowed your judgment to be clouded by this man. This is irrelevant however, because I am the Lord of this house and have no need to consult with the rest of the family for their opinions. My word is the law in this family, regardless of the fact you have been given more freedom than I ever should've allowed."

Orion remained impassive while Cygnus stepped forward, "More freedom? You limit our access to the family vaults, attempt to interfere in our children's lives, and now you wish to prevent us from allying with an heir to Slytherin that has the power you could scarcely dream of."

"You think me a fool, boy? I have seen what real power looks like, and I know the type of corruption it can cause. I fought for this country in its hour of need and will be damned if anyone in my family supports a man that would bring civil war to our streets." Arcturus all but roared at the man.

Bellatrix finally held her hand up silencing the two men beside her. Arcturus glanced warily at the trio now. Clearly, Bellatrix was tasked with delivering the message, but were his two children sent here to persuade or intimidate him?

Bella offered the man a smile, "We have come tonight to implore you to see reason. The Dark Lord would like another meeting. He believes as well as we do that you can be shown the error in your ways. My Lord is going to change the world with his power. He is going to wipe out the muggle filth, and put those of lesser blood beneath our heels where they belong."

"I am your Lord." Arcturus seethed, "I am the Lord of this house. I am the Lord that pays for everything in this family. The Lord that would keep you from harm if any dared to lift a finger in your direction. All of you. This nonsense with that imposter Heir of Slytherin is at an end."

Bella slowly drew her wand making the man tense as she waved it across one of her sleeves making it unravel until a mark with a skull that had a serpent coming out of its head was displayed. Slowly the two men behind her did the same revealing the same symbol on their forearms.

His heart dropped as he realized what was coming, and her words all but confirmed it, "We have taken our vows to a new lord. I can swear to you that you will be given a high position in the Dark Lord ranks. You will be rewarded above all the others for seeing his way of things."

The woman's voice was attempting to be seductive as she inched towards the man, and it did nothing, but disgust the man as he stepped forward with a dangerous tone in his voice, "Listen to me. All three of you. I don't care what shit this man shoveled to you. I don't care what promises were made. You will renounce this bastard. You will not bow your head to any man. I didn't bow to Grindelwald, and I sure won't bow to any other little shit that dares to breathe down my neck."

Bellatrix was fuming as he spoke and her wand sparked dangerously, "You are making a big mistake, grandfather. We wanted you to see things our way, but if you refuse, if you continue to be stubborn, we will-"

"You will what?" The man questioned dangerously, finally pointing his wand in the direction of his granddaughter.

The two men behind the dark-haired young woman stirred in discomfort while she licked her lips in anticipation, "Find a new Lord Black that will listen."

Resolving himself to what would happen next he seethed out, "I will have all three of you cast out of the family before the night is over. There will be no Lord Black among you three."

Bellatrix finally smiled again, "I had hoped you would see it that way."

His eyes widened as the woman flashed her wand in his direction and a jet of green light came sailing towards him. Without thought of the consequences, Arcturus conjured dozens of black moths intercepting the curse, before he was hit with an impact curse that sent him flying backward through a wall.

The pain of such an impact caused him to groan. In his younger years he'd have bounced back with no issue, but approaching 80 meant his body ached as he found himself back on his feet. The screams of his wife forced him to find the strength to get back into the fight. As he inched his way back towards the hallway he heard Bella berating her father, "Kill him! He could use the wards to rip us apart."

The thought was certainly crossing his mind at the time, but he needed to know both of his sons were equally complacent in this thought. Orion had always been the least outspoken in the family. He did not wish to kill his children and grandchild if it could be avoided. If he could get word out for help perhaps things could be different.

Taking a deep breath he focused on his magic, deciding he would be brutal and efficient, but he could not bring himself to kill his family. He would incapacitate them if possible.

With quick flicks of his wrist, he summoned the moths once again and transfigured them into small blades that he came around the corner launching at his family. Bellatrix easily deflected them into the wall and Orion and Cygnus attempted to fire an assortment of curses at him, but easily he weaved them around and returned fire while caving the ceiling above them. This caused the trio to scatter and Arcturus launched a spell at Orion causing him to scream in fear as the illusionary magic took hold.

Bellatrix and Cygnus however didn't allow him one second longer to take down another as they barraged him with spellfire.

.o.

Charlus and Dorea arrived side by side with wands in hand outside of Grimmauld Place to find quite the scene. The neighborhood was on fire. Muggles were running in the streets and screams of agony filled the air. Dorea gripped the man's arm tightly, "Charlus…what do we do?"

Gritting his teeth he shook his head, "We get to Arcturus first, and then we mitigate damage to the best of our ability. I need you to get us through the wards."

Nodding her head she began to move forward as she whipped her wand in tight circles adjusting her outfit for the fight ahead while Charlus did the same to his trousers as he shed his cloak off into the street allowing the brisk winter air to rejuvenate him. His heart was pounding as he thought about the fate that may befall his brother if they didn't act quickly.

Moving towards the entrance to the house half the block was on fire with people attempting to escape the inferno, and their path was soon blocked by six men who arrived in a puff of dark smoke that came from the sky. Five of the men were in black robes with silver masks while the leader wore no mask, and instead displayed a sinister smile with red eyes bearing down on the arriving war vets.

Charlus didn't hesitate, "If you know what's good for you, and you wish to see the sunrise tomorrow you will leave immediately."

"Now, now, Mr. Potter, we should not intrude on family business." The man with no mask chided.

Dorea spat out with her wand in hand sparking dangerously, "That is my brother in there. He is my family."

"A family you ignored for so many years." The man said patronizingly.

The woman was now gripping her wand so tight her knuckles were white. A blast from the house had both arrivals gasping and Voldemort chuckled, "Ah that would be Bella. She is a fine witch. I trust she and her grandfather will work out their differences…or they won't."

This made the gathered men laugh while Charlus pointed his wand forward making the death eaters scramble for their wands as he called out, "Final warning. Move or die."

"I am done with warnings." The usually soft woman said as she launched her wand forward with a surge of water she conjured while Charlus electrified it and then summoned a gate to intercept several spells that rained down on them at once. The spells blew the gate to pieces, but Dorea was ready with a shield as Charlus swirled his wand around transfiguring the rubble into various swaths of destruction, and hurled them at his enemy.

Voldemort moved to engage the couple, but before he could, spells began coming from down the street taking out two Death Eaters on impact, and causing Voldemort himself to shield his other three followers.

Harry and Elaina were sprinting down the street throwing massive blasting curses in conjunction not giving the man a moment to breathe. Charlus didn't look the gift horse in the mouth as he pointed his wand toward the ground and with a mighty pull yanked the concrete up causing the world to shake as he paved a path of destruction.

Before the destruction arrived Voldemort held his wand close to his free hand creating a ball of dark energy before throwing his arms out at the same time causing a shock wave to send his four attackers back with no hope of shielding.

The man laughed as he surveyed the scene barking orders at his remaining followers, "Go inside and help Bella finish this. The Aurors will not be delayed forever."

The Potters and Elaina had found their way back to their feet however and were all looking furious over what had transpired as the man held out his arms in mock welcome greeting, "I have heard so much about this family's prowess. You killed my faithful followers tonight, as well as that night in Godric's Hollow, and on the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts. All of this has been for you. Poor Harfang Longbottom and Arcturus Black were just casualties in my path to bring us all here together. There will be no running tonight."

Harry felt the wards go up and his stomach sank. Charlus however glared at the man before turning his head slightly towards his wife, "Dorea, take Elaina inside and get your brother and his wife out of here. Harry and I will deal with this."

Dorea looked fearfully between her husband and her son, but another explosion from inside the house propelled her forward, dragging Elaina by the arm as they charged into the house. Voldemort for his part didn't even bother with looking at the departing females as he stared at the two men before him.

"Harry, Harry, Harry, you could've been a powerful ally to my cause. Unfortunately, you have upset many of my followers and killed more than I am willing to forgive even if you hadn't. I am afraid your story ends here. Fear not though, I will do my best to make the rest of your family see reason before I have to make them meet the same sticky end."

Charlus scoffed, "No Potter will ever join you. When my son and I kill you here tonight we will hunt down the rest of your followers and make sure they share your fate. You should never have stepped out of your hiding hole, Tom Riddle."

Voldemort seethed at his birth name and began the fight by hurling nearby debris towards the Potter men causing them to go on the defensive.

.o.

When Dorea and Elaina entered the house it was to unfriendly spellfire trying to clog up the door. Thankfully Elaina was quick with a shield and Dorea launched a black curse at the closest masked man causing him to wail in agony as he dropped to the ground writhing in pain.

This allowed the witches to push into the doorway and realized the state of the house was irrecoverable. Much of the ceiling had caved in, and parts of the house were on fire. Had they not immediately been barraged with spellfire Dorea would have been hurt over the destruction of her childhood home. That however was not an option as a dark red curse that could only be the torture curse was heading towards Elaina. The Black daughter however pulled some of the debris to intercept the curse while Elaina set the wreckage on fire and pushed it back to their attacker with a spin. The witches then both sent blasting curses that impacted the cloaked man allowing them to swarm the remaining attacker with a series of curses few would have kept up with.

With quick waves of her wand, Dorea began restoring the house around her in hopes of getting to the sounds of spellfire that came from the other side of the kitchen. The task was arduous but the scream of her brother spurred her forward.

This was unlike the battle at Godric's Hollow. They had expected them this time. Prepared for them. Divided their forces so they could not stand together. The Death Eaters were learning, but she had to get to her brother. She would stop his attackers, and get them to Potter Manor before returning to fight with her son and husband.

The witch beside her wasn't even hesitating to follow her every move as they weaved through the crumbling house. Elaina had been unshakable and despite her questionable past Dorea had come to trust the girl quickly. Being an empath gave her the ability to sense certain things, and knowing the young woman beside her was honorable was one of those things.

A wave of betrayal hit her suddenly when they came into the long hallway that would lead to her brother's office. A cackle of glee was heard in a feminine voice, while she cried, "Grandma, wants to play? Run while you still can from ickle Bella!"

Dorea's stomach dropped, Bellatrix? Voldemort had said this was a family matter, but she didn't understand initially. Dorea had guessed that the Death Eaters had found some way to breach the wards by some miracle, but now realization swept over her.

Firmly Dorea said, "Watch our backs. I will deal with this."

The witch had a furious tone that left no question in her voice. Dorea stalked forward into the study where Melania Black was overcome with a gleeful Bellatrix cursing her as the room crumbled around them. To her left was the body of Cygnus Black, and a comatose Orion Black. Surely they had not been involved in this madness?

"Bellatrix, enough!" Dorea barked out causing the younger woman to freeze as Melania collapsed in exhaustion.

Slowly the dark-haired girl turned to face her aunt, and grinned, "Hello auntie, it seems my lord was right that all of you would run to your Lord Black's aid."

Arcturus was on the ground twitching and moaning with his eyes rolled back into his head trying to find the strength to get up. Dorea recognized the effects of the Cruciatus curse and immediately spat out, "Our Lord Black you daft girl. You get one chance. Drop your wand, or I will kill you."

Bellatrix seemed gleeful by the offer as she now raised her wand to the woman, but Dorea didn't hesitate as she blasted the girl through the wall caving in the next room. The usually soft-spoken and kind woman was gone, and in her place stood the woman that killed Ivonne Rosier in the Great War.

Calling out over her shoulder to her backup Elaina came into the room looking ready for anything as the older woman commanded her, "Get my family to safety. I will see to it that you are not ambushed in your escape. Go out the back door to the kitchen and you will be able to apparate."

Elaina swallowed heavily, "I can't apparate all three of us, Dorea."

The woman nodded thinking quickly as she watched the wall carefully that Bellatrix had been banished through. Summoning a book from nearby she turned it into a portkey and tossed it to Elaina who fumbled it in her hands before nodding gratefully as she put an arm around a sobbing Melania Black and cast the levitation charm on Arcturus carefully trying to get him out while Dorea began putting the room back together to prevent the house from coming down on top of them.

No sooner had Elaina made it out of the room did the wall that Bellatrix had previously been banished through exploded forcing Dorea to shield herself from debris and slap away a purple curse she recognized as her family's magic. Bellatrix was standing there fuming with rage as she glared hatefully at the woman before her, "Where is she taking them?"

"It doesn't matter. You won't get to them." Dorea said calmly.

With a cry of frustration, Bellatrix launched a wide range of spells towards Dorea, which she shielded, dodged, and deflected. The girl was good, but Dorea had been training for a confrontation such as this. She remembered Harry telling her about how powerful Bellatrix was in his time, but it was clear the girl was still in the early stages of her training with Voldemort, because she dueled with her emotions and rage instead of her head.

Dorea was having little trouble deflecting or dismantling the girl's magic, but her speed was her greatest ally. It was a speed that Dorea had trouble slipping spells into, but before things could get heated the house was blasted apart and debris sent Dorea flying into a nearby wall.

.o.

Fighting this Voldemort was very different from the fight he had experienced in the graveyard, or even the fight he witnessed between the Headmaster and the Dark Lord. This Voldemort was fast, methodical, and destructive. This Voldemort was not having to adjust to a new body, or a soul that was split seven times. This was the Dark Lord that everyone had feared to the point that his name had become taboo long after he was gone.

While those thoughts may have been true, Charlus was proving he was every bit as capable of dueling the man to a standstill, and with Harry's assistance the duo had managed to make the man work for every inch of ground he attempted to win.

The block had been leveled at this point. Muggle first responders would take hours to get through with the amount of destruction they had caused in the duel. Harry had attempted to save the lives of the Muggles, but Voldemort demanded his full attention. The destruction they were causing with their duel was unavoidable if they wished to survive and the lives lost in the crossfire were horrific. If there were any survivors by the time this was over the department of magical catastrophes was about to have a very long few days, as well as the Obliviators.

Voldemort had displayed magic neither Potter had ever seen before and the men had worked together admirably to disarm every attempt the man made to lay waste to the surrounding area.

When Voldemort laughed and created a massive golem of fire Harry knew they were in trouble. Something like this could destroy the borough of Islington if they couldn't contain it. Charlus however roared out to Harry, "I will contain the fire, kill him!"

Seeing the battle of wills begin as Charlus attempted to wrestle with the fiendfyre controlled by Voldemort, Harry took a deep breath and leveled his wand with the Dark Lord who had his red eyes on him. Harry reared back to deal a devastating blow to the man, but before he could he felt an invasion of his mind, and he screamed out in pain as the man attempted to lance his mind with legilimency.

Quickly he tried to cover up visions of his past, but the memory from the wedding was fresh on his mind. Then the battle of Malfoy Manor. Then the fighting on the grounds of Hogwarts. Memories of violence swirled before his eyes as the Dark Lord attempted to unhinge him, but before he could get too far he felt the man exit his mind and when he opened his eyes he held his head with one hand as he attempted to push himself to his feet.

Charlus was standing over him protectively with his wand pointed at the surprised Voldemort. The cursed fire was gone, and Harry was uncertain how long the man had been in his mind. The Dark Lord continued to stare at Harry, before a twisted smile crossed his face, "Oh the secrets you carry my boy. A rare gift you possess to see the future. I will take so much from you. I see why you oppose me now, but if you think what you have seen is bad, then I assure you I am now capable of much worse."

"We can't let him escape." Harry said in a panic as he stumbled to his feet.

"Wait, Harry!" Charlus said, making the boy lower his wand as the wards lowered around them and dozens of pops went through the area.

The Aurors had arrived, but to no surprise Voldemort did not flee. He merely offered a bow of his head to Charlus who held his wand firmly in hand preparing to attack. An Auror that Harry instantly recognized as Alastor Moody cast the sonorus charm announcing, "Wand down and hands where we can see them."

Voldemort chuckled as he reversed the Auror's charm and cast one for himself, "Aurors, I plead with you all now to leave from this incident. The Potters and I have unfinished business, and I am afraid if you are not with me then you will be against me. I am afraid Lord Black and Longbottom found that out the hard way this evening."

Moody looked feral as he attempted to shout, but had seemingly lost the ability to do so. Voldemort continued to eye Harry as he called out, "I can see why your parents would hide you from me, boy. With those gifts at your disposal, you are almost too valuable for me to kill. For that reason, I offer you all one final night of peace. Bury your friends and family. My followers and I have shown the wizarding world what happens when you stand in our way. I AM LORD VOLDEMORT, and I am the Heir of Slytherin. When you speak my name, say it with fear. When you speak my name, know my followers will come for you. Stand against me, and die."

With that, the man cast a spell into the air causing the dark mark to appear and disappeared before the Aurors could even throw a spell.