72 Kidnapping

(Riddle Manor - Little Hangleton, on Halloween)

A group of 50 people stood around a boiling pot; some wore torn, muddy clothes while the leader, standing in front, had a muscular build and wore a spotless new shirt compared to his companions. It was evening, with golden rays streaking the sky, yet the cold and eerie atmosphere of the manor persisted.

A baby crib was placed in front of the werewolves. Most bowed down, not daring to look at the baby, while only the leader, on his knees, gazed at him. An elf and a man stood beside the crib.

"You're back, Greyback. I thought you wouldn't show up in England after you ran with your tail between your legs upon seeing Dumbledore last time."

Greyback trembled at the voice of the monstrous child before him. He hadn't believed Barty Crouch Jr. when he mentioned that the Dark Lord was looking for him, but the man was convincing, showing Greyback the Dark Mark, which he lacked, as Voldemort looked down on creatures like werewolves.

Usually, others feared an Alpha werewolf like him, but in front of a terrifying dark wizard like Voldemort, he felt powerless. They had multiple spells to fight vampires and werewolves, but he had numbers, one reason they operated in packs.

"Lord Avery called me for the protection of his family, my lord. He feared someone was targeting him, as Lord Parkinson and two other family heads were killed."

After a few seconds of silence, the baby spoke again. "I was the one who killed them. They had already betrayed me. At least their deaths created enough distraction to gather some potion materials. It was fun to torture someone after a long time."

Greyback shivered. He had high magic immunity, but spells like the Cruciatus Curse affected werewolves more due to their enhanced senses. The curse was the Dark Lord's favorite for punishment. He had suffered much in the past, but the experience only made him stronger and more bloodthirsty.

"What can I do for you, my Lord?" he asked fearfully.

"Today will be a very special day, Greyback. I want you to attack Hogsmeade village. Kill people, create chaos, do anything you want, just be loud enough to keep Dumbledore away from Hogwarts for at least 10 minutes. If you fail, you all die."

He had no choice. It wasn't a request; it was an order he had to follow. But keeping Dumbledore away for 10 minutes was too challenging, even for 50 fully grown werewolves.

Seeing his worried expression, Voldemort said, "Don't worry. There will be more dark creatures waiting outside the village. It's impossible for your lot to keep him away for that long on your own."

Greyback sighed. "Thank you for your generosity, my lord."

He wasn't thankful at all. He wanted to kill Avery this second for calling him back to this wretched place. At least he was free back then. Avery had promised him women and wealth, and Greyback had come running for those promises, as it was getting harder to live on the outskirts of Austria. But right now, those jungles felt like heaven to him.

[Great Hall, Halloween party - Agustus Peverell POV]

Everyone was dressed in costumes; some students wore skinny skeleton suits, while others donned pumpkin masks.

I sat at the Slytherin table, clad in an 18th-century high-collar black suit with a touch of makeup to appear pale. Yes, I was dressed as a noble vampire, with my sword Ceziel (the Greengrass sword) at my waist. I could feel joy radiating from the sword; it seemed she had missed me.

I glanced ahead. My Dora wore a gothic dress, her teeth visible as she growled, blood red lipstick. She was my partner, Mrs. Noble Vampire.

The twins had chosen scarecrow costumes, while Cedric opted for a werewolf. Surprisingly, he glared at me due to my outfit. Flipping him off, I looked to my side.

Ignoring the sparkly, I was surprised to see Daphne dressed as a Banshee, wearing an old dress with skeletons and a temporary tattoo on her face. Her cold expression didn't do her any favors; many first years avoided her.

Astoria wore a dress with red blood stains, portraying a deceased girl. However, she was too cute and innocent for such attire, appearing odd.

The cutest was Luna, in a lion costume. Glancing to my left, I saw her attempting to eat pudding with her paws. And failing miserably.

I smiled at her. "Here, let me help you," I offered.

She smiled back and handed me her precious pudding.

Taking out a spoon, I fed her, feeling Tori's glare from my right. Sigh, both lolis.

"Can I take your hand home with me?" Luna asked, rubbing her paws.

"Why's that?" I inquired curiously.

"You make pudding taste better... No, I feel better when you feed me," she said with a serious expression. Luna possessed more power of destruction than me; she had just shattered my heart with sweetness.

As we enjoyed dinner, Dumbledore apparated away from his seat. I wonder why?

[POV END]

[Harry Potter's POV]

Since the start of the year, I had ignored Peverell as per my godfather's request, who was scared of him. But my godmother, Alice, liked him a lot since he was the one who healed them.

I felt conflicted. I was grateful to him for healing her. She loved me a lot, and Neville was a lot more cheerful and confident too. He even started calling me his little brother, which was both annoying and nice.

As I thought about him, I realized he had helped me a lot – freeing Sirius, saving me, and healing Alice. I wasn't in a place to judge his actions, so I stopped being angry at him and felt ashamed of my own actions and prejudice against Slytherin, as he mostly acted cruel towards people that wants to harm him or his family.

"Mate, let's ditch this. I heard George mention pumpkin cake," Ron said, whispering to me.

Hermione turned back and glared at him. "We promised him, Ron. We have to keep our word," she said, resuming her walk.

We were invited by Nearly Headless Nick to his party, but Ron, who was initially very excited, became depressed upon hearing about the moldy food. He was trying to convince me to join him.

"We can't, mate. I've asked Nev to save food for us. Don't worry about it," I reassured him.

"Thanks, mate. You're the best," he said, patting my back.

"Don't thank me, thank Nev."

"I sure will. He has changed a lot, hasn't he?"

"Yes, and I'm proud of him," I said, hearing him snort.

"Little brother bragging about his big brother, I see," je teased, putting him in a mock lock until he tapped out, glaring at me.

Meanwhile, Hermione seemed to be breathing fire in anger. She had been like this ever since she stopped talking to Peverell.

As we walked towards the corridor, a small creature appeared beside me.

"Potter boy, Master wants you," the creature said in a surprising voice.

I glanced at Hermione, who looked confused too.

"A house-elf? What do you want?" Ron exclaimed, knowing something Hermione didn't.

The elf shot light from its fingers, rendering both my friends unconscious. I quickly took out my wand and fired a stunning spell, causing the elf to disappear, much to my surprise.

I heard a pop behind me. As I turned around, the elf grabbed my leg and made me disappear.

[End of POV]

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Sigh, I have a test on Monday, it is fucking important, that's why I was inconsistent this week, I'll make up by uploading daily after that. Wish me luck, cause I fucking need it.

Seeya.