Not Like You

July 23, 1992, 7:00 PM, Village du Phantasime, France

Harry Potter

Lightheadedness, pain and severe disorientation; those were the sensations that Harry was experiencing when he was forcibly brought back to a state of wakefulness.

“—rry!” A familiar, female voice called out to him, but he could barely focus on the worried tone. “Wake up, please! Harry!”

Is that… Tonks? Harry thought as he tried to tell her that he was fine, but only managed to groan. “Mmmf…”

“He’s up. Good. Let’s get him sitting up.” He heard Adam’s voice and felt himself being moved into a seated position against the wall. He tried to fidget away, but it was no use. He could barely move.

Harry decided that he didn’t like this at all— he would rather just go back to sleep.

If only this annoying strange, muffled noise in the background would stop, then he could topple over and rest easy again.

“Jus’.” He mumbled, trying hard to focus, but not finding much success in his endeavor. “Five more minutes.”

He heard a nervous chuckle from Adam, followed by the sound of something being whacked.

“Ow!” Adam cursed. “The fuck was that for, woman?”

“Language!” The female voice— Tonks, Harry realized— was sharp in its reply. “And he’s hurt!”

“He’s fine.” Adam said, and Harry felt something press lightly against the side of his head, making him flinch from the sudden pain. “Long as we keep him awake, anyway. Just a hit to his head.”

A hit to the head? Harry thought in bewilderment. What’s going on?

“You can’t use magic outside of—”

“—The French Ministry can suck my dick.” Adam cut her off before speaking again, removing pressure from his head. “But, whatever, you do it.”

Harry heard Tonks sigh, and then felt the pressure again. “Episkey.”

He felt his bruised head go very hot, and then very cold as the pain dissipated. The sensation quickly brought him back to reality, jogging his senses. The low background hum he’d been hearing sharpened itself enough that Harry realized that it was the panicked sound of a crowd of men, women and children.

Why would they… Harry thought before his mind focused itself in a horrifying instant of realization. His green eyes flew open and he tried to move.

“An explosion!” He cried as he was held down by Adam and Tonks. “Adam— we have to—”

“Calm. Down.” Adam cut through his panic with a harsh glare.

Harry opened his mouth to speak before blinking and looking around. Children cried and huddled against their parents, who were arguing with each other as well as their neighbors. The tent, which had been full of good cheer, wonder and anticipation was now curdling with worry, anger and fear.

“We have to run!” Someone called out from the center of the arena. Harry tried to get up, only to find that he didn’t have much control of his limbs, yet.

“Help me up?” Harry asked, and was quickly aided by the two. He saw a few of the wizards arguing with the Ringmaster.

Gone was the man in full control of the show; gone were the silly little smiles, the quips and the quirky laughter— in their place was just an old man, doing his best not to be overwhelmed by his own fear.

Around him stood the other performers, who were looking just as frightened, if not more. Even Riley, the fastest spellcaster he’d ever seen, seemed to be jittery and subdued.

It was a little disappointing, to be honest, but Harry supposed that being good at shooting things as a show was far different from actually fighting people who were trying to kill you.

Indeed, he remembered how confident he had felt up until he had to actually battle against the Seventh Years last month. If it hadn’t been for McGonagall, Adam and the general chaos of the situation, he would have been beaten rather quickly.

“We can’t escape.” Secutus said, bringing Harry back to reality with his somber tone. “Someone put an anti-Apparition spell up…”

“Damn it!” Another cried. “You can’t just sit around and do nothing! My daughter is out there!”

“My cousin, too!” “My uncle is still at the square!” A chorus of agreement met the woman’s statement, with Secutus shaking his head, sighing and pacing for a few moments.

“I am sorry.” Secutus said as he stopped and turned to the crowd. “But we cannot help you.”

The crowd started getting more and more panicked as droves of wizards and witches began to exit the tent, hoping to flee whatever chaos headed their way. Some, however, stayed in place, finding out of the way spots to hide in.

“This stupid crowd. These are circus performers, not trained officers— can’t expect them to fight hardened criminals.” Adam said as he shook his head and sat back down, going silent as he tried to think.

Harry felt a tingling on his hand and saw his newest companion, the butterfly he’d gotten just before the explosion. It looked at him for a moment before crawling up to his shoulder.

Harry was glad it hadn’t been hurt.

“What do we do?” Harry asked, still feeling a little weak but pushing Tonks’ hands off in order to try standing on his own.

He succeeded, though his legs felt like jelly in the process. No matter, he would push through it.

“I need to find my parents— Sirius, too.” Tonks said in a tone that brooked no argument. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if…”

She forced herself to stop speaking for a few moments as she got herself under control. Then, she pinned them with a look. “It’s not safe anymore. You two will—”

“No.” Harry objected immediately, feeling a strange desperation building within him at the very thought of doing nothing.

“I’m coming, too.” He added in hurriedly.

It was so strange. He’d barely known the man for a few months, but now the mere thought of losing Sirius seized his heart and filled it with fear and anguish.

I don’t want to be alone again. The thought arose within his mind but Harry ignored it. He wouldn’t fail. He couldn’t afford to.

“Harry…” Tonks said, looking both scared and angry. “I don’t know what’s out there. I can look after myself well enough, but I don’t know if I can look after you and Adam. You’re both eleven!”

“I’m almost twelve!” Harry felt compelled to say, but Tonks was having none of it.

“Not the point, idiot!” Tonks said, her hair color shifting to red. “Look at you! You can barely even stand, let alone move!”

“I’m getting over it. I can’t let anything happen to Sirius— not after…” Harry said, getting just as angry and forcing himself to get in the woman’s face.

“Harry, you can’t!”

“Says who!?”

“Says me!” Tonks was now shouting. “I’m the adult here, not you! I know what kind of people are out there!”

Harry didn’t say anything to that, only glaring at her in pure defiance. The woman looked like she wanted to rip her now red hair out.

“Adam, talk some sense into him!” Tonks said, turning to the other boy, who’d been silent with his eyes closed ever since he sat down. “You’re the smart one.”

Adam slowly opened his mismatched eyes, slowly blinking before speaking. “I know one thing. We can’t stay here.”

“Really?” Tonks’ face rippled and morphed, blowing up like a pufferfish for a few seconds before she got herself under control. “Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one?”

“Yes. I am the smart one.” Adam said without missing a beat, his eyes cool and calm. “Do either of you think it’s a good idea to stay in a flimsy enclosed tent while things are exploding and probably burning? Besides, this is a magic circus— the amount of flammable or explosive material in here alone must be insane. Fireworks? I’m sure they’ve got plenty of those stashed somewhere in a nice, very explodable pile.”

He took a breath before nodding to himself. “No. We have to go; this place is a deathtrap and a beacon for anyone wishing to attack.”

Harry noted that the nearby group has been listening in. They began to mutter amongst each other and left as soon as Adam finished his explanation.

He’s right. He thought as he looked around the tent. It’s a wonder this place hasn’t been attacked yet, but we can’t stay here.

Tonks sighed, calming down someone in the wake of the boy’s cold logic. She opened her mouth. “…Okay. Okay. What do you suggest then?”

Adam shared a look with her before checking the still-crowded path to the exit. It would at least be a minute before the majority of the tent’s occupants cleared out.

“If we didn’t need to look for our… family.” He said, hesitating as he said that last word. “I would have picked a direction— any direction— taken us away from the village and let the uh… fireworks run their course.”

“But the people here…” Harry said, only to receive a shake of the head from Adam.

“I’m not a superhero, Harry.” Adam said, addressing his friend before turning to Tonks. “I’m not here to save everyone— but we will find Sirius and Tonks’ parents. Agreed?”

Tonks stared at him for a moment.

“Mum’s going to kill me. There’s no time to waste though…” Tonks said as she hung her head for a moment in resignation before pulling it back up. Her hair turned a dark shade of brown as she raised her wand. “Fine. Adam’s right; this place isn’t safe anymore. We have to go through town… So stay with me. I’ll look after you— as best as I can.”

“Okay.” Harry said, pleased. “Good!”

“But!” Tonks stopped the boy with a glare. ”You have to promise to follow every command I give you. All right?”

“All right.” Harry said, but Tonks wasn’t done.

“If I tell you to duck, you duck. If I say jump, you jump. You’ll follow every order I give you.” Tonks said. ”You will follow me, I’ll lead the group. And… If I tell you to leave me and save yourselves, you’d better do it. Understand?”

“Tonks, I can’t—”

“Promise me.” Tonks said, insisting as she moved into Harry’s personal space. Her voice turned soft and brittle, then. “I won’t have your death on my conscience, kid… Promise me.”

“I… I promise.” Harry said, flinching at the young woman’s intensity. “I’ll do as you say.”

Tonks stared at him for a few seconds longer before nodding and letting go of his shoulders. She turned to Adam. “You too, Adam. Promise me.”

“No, but if I die under your protection, I forgive you.” Adam said, his focus entirely on his arm as he swirled his ebony wand around it. “Odgovor.”

“Now’s not the time for…” Tonks trailed off, closing her mouth as a glowing, silvery chain wound its way around the boy’s burn scar riddled arm, spiraling into the rough shape of a buckler attached to the back of his right hand. “Oh. Wow.”

Harry smiled a little at the sight; Adam had shown him the chains many times over at this point, but Harry hadn’t been able to replicate it— he supposed it was never meant to be.

Still, he always enjoyed seeing those chains come to life.

“So that’s your spell.” Tonks said in the ensuing silence. “I heard a lot about it.”

“You have, have you?” Adam looked away from his creation as he got to his feet and addressed her. “I won’t put myself in unnecessary harm, but no offense to you— I’m sure you’re very good, but no one can tell me what to do.”

That wasn’t what Tonks wanted to hear, though.

Still… Harry thought as the woman deflated. Arguing with Adam is one of the most pointless things to try. I’ve never met anyone more stubborn— he’s even crazier than I am.

“…You know what? Fine.” Tonks said, nodding to herself as she tried to get her annoyance under control. “One out of two—that’s fine. If you die, don’t you dare come back and haunt me.”

“I’d haunt your house and call you Nymphadora until the end of your days.” Adam said, and Harry couldn’t help but blurt out an incredulous laugh.

Even now, Adam is cracking jokes. Harry thought as he felt his heart lift. Maybe we can do this.

“Told you not to call me— Whatever! Whatever.” Tonks said and looked at the two boys, the moment of levity disappearing in the wake of what they would need to do. “Ready?”

Harry felt the fear rising in his chest but pushed it down and nodded. He took a step forward, glad that the weakness in his muscles had abated. “Ready.”

“Let’s find our family.” Adam said and started moving down the stairs, passing several families huddled with each other. Once they reached the ground floor, they were forced to stop to let a few people pass them by before getting to the exit, where a small group blocked the path.

They were too afraid to leave, it seemed.

“Oh for crying out loud…” Adam said. “Really?”

“Make way!” Tonks took the front, pushing through the throng of wizards and witches while ignoring their cries of protest. “Coming through!”

Harry and Adam followed her through the open gap, making sure to not step on people’s toes as they did so. A few seconds later, they cleared the group and found themselves outside, faced with a most unwelcome sight.

“This is…” Harry said as he gazed upon the destruction.

The small, but bustling French village they’d been in not twenty minutes prior looked nothing like the destroyed scape before them. The houses, taverns and buildings, which had been so elegant and inviting, now were in various states of damage.

Some were relatively intact, with chunks blown out of them, and others were reduced to mounds of rubble which now littered the streets filled with distraught wizards and witches attempting to flee the area for safety.

Fires burned in every corner, nook and cranny, casting putrid black smoke into the slowly darkening, sunset sky.

The village of dreams had turned into a veritable nightmare. Harry now understood why those people had stayed within the tent. Part of him wished to go back, but he suppressed it ruthlessly.

Courage.

Harry grit his teeth. “Who… Who could do something like this?”

Adam said nothing in reply, instead placing his hand on Harry’s shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. He murmured something to himself, but Harry didn’t hear it because Tonks growled out her own response.

“Grindelwald.” Tonks said, eyes narrowing. “Who else could it be…?”

Harry felt himself tense at the name. What chance did they have against someone who even Dumbledore had trouble against?

Adam’s expression, on the other hand, seemed oddly schooled. Then again, perhaps he was just trying to hide his own fear.

The boy could be hard to read sometimes.

Tonks began to lead the way, completely unaware of the thoughts boiling in Harry’s mind. “Remember your promise, Harry. If I tell you…”

Harry gulped and nodded as he and Adam followed her. “A—All right, Tonks. I’ll run.”

“You too, Adam.”

“Shut up and move.” Adam’s voice turned just as harsh as Harry remembered it when he’d fought the Fifth to Seventh years on that fateful day. “Do you know where they are? I wasn’t really listening to them but I assumed they’d join us in the fair, or at the tent.”

It was a sign of how bad the situation was that Tonks didn’t attempt to argue with the boy. “Still at the restaurant when the explosion happened, I reckon? My mum and dad do love their dessert.”

“Sirius, too.” Harry said, nodding in agreement. “They might still be there, you think?”

“It’s worth a shot. If they’re not, we’ll—” But Tonks cut herself off when a small group of young women stopped in front of them, shouting at them in French.

“C’est trop dangereux!” “Allez de l’autre côté!” “Ne venez pas ici!”

“What’re they saying?” Harry asked, feeling overwhelmed and bewildered. “Tonks? Adam.”

“They want us to go the other way.” She said with a frown. “I think.”

“Calme-toi.” Adam stepped forward with an expression so calm it caught their attention in an instant. He looked at the tallest one in the group. “Qu’est-ce qui c’est passé?”

He’s fluent in French? Harry thought in confusion. How could he have possibly mastered the language in an orphanage?

The woman was about to grab him by the shoulder and lead him away when she noticed the glowing chain around his arm; then, her eyes went to Harry, focusing on the scar on his forehead after a moment. It didn’t take a genius to know she’d recognized them.

“You are…!” The woman said in English but shut her mouth when Adam raised his hand, the chains clinking with the movement.

“Keep your voice down.” Adam said sharply, making her flinch. “Have you seen three people— two wizards and a witch… one’s in a black robe with red trimmings, the other two are in black and blue. Guys?”

“In their thirties, fourties.” Tonks added. “They were at the… Restaurant du Garreau.”

The three girls shook their heads, making Adam huff with frustration. He pointed towards the edge of the city. “Just go and find a place to hide. Allez-y.”

Adam walked past the now protesting women like they weren’t even there. A moment passed before both Tonks and Harry followed him, leaving them behind.

“People are so damn useless.” Adam muttered as he wordlessly shot a jet of water into a small blaze that was starting to spread to a building, putting it out with a loud hiss. “Those three didn’t even bother to put anything out.”

So much for not being a hero, huh. Harry thought in dark amusement as they went through the streets, asking for directions from anyone they came across and guiding them to safety. Well, Tonks and Adam did most of the work; Harry just pointed where they did, and that seemed to convince them well enough.

It wasn’t until five minutes later that they stopped by a corner and saw their first enemies; a duo of wizards setting fire to a few nearby shops. They wore black robes and masks which concealed their identities

Harry felt his anger rise, but was also oddly calm when he realized the place was empty. At least no people were being harmed…

“Stay calm.” Tonks said unnecessarily as she raised her wand. “On three— I’ll get the one on the right, you two get the one on the left. Don’t shout your spells. Okay?”

Both Harry and Adam nodded.

“One. Two…” Tonks began to quietly count as they slowly moved to a better position at the center of the street. “Three.”

“Stupefy.” Harry said in a low tone as the two beside him launched their spells silently. The three jets of red light flew true. One struck the man on the right, while two hit the man on the left, knocking both out flat.

“Well done.” Tonks said, smiling as she waved her wand, Summoning their wands to her. She held the two wands out for the boys. “Take them— in case you lose your own wand. Probably won’t even work near as well as yours but you never know.”

Adam took the left wand, his face scrunching in a grimace as Harry took the right. Almost immediately, he knew that it did not suit him at all.

One less weapon they have, though. Harry thought as Tonks pointed her wand at the two men, incanting. “Incarcerous.”

Within moments, the two wizards were bound tightly with no chance of escape.

Adam stepped forward and pointed his wand at a wizard’s face. He gave it a wave and frowned. “Won’t come off.”

“Must be a spell.” Tonks said, doing the same and concentrating for a few seconds before sighing. “I could break it, but we don’t really have the time for that. Let’s keep going.”

The trio shared a look before continuing on their path to the restaurant.

They only got five steps forward before Tonks suddenly twisted on her heel and silently shot two spells to a dark alleyway from her right. A moment later, Harry saw someone emerge, falling flat on their face— rather, mask. A third wand clattered towards her, which she picked up.

“I didn’t see him at all.” Adam murmured, looking at Tonks with newfound respect as she added the wizard to the other two. “Well done.”

Tonks nodded, chest puffing out in no small measure of pride before getting serious again. “Come on, we’re not too far from the restaurant now.”

Minutes passed until they finally reached the street the restaurant was located at. Once again, the street looked nothing like it had before, with fires and destroyed buildings being all that Harry could see.

Where were the Aurors? Wasn’t it their job to come to the aid of the people and maintain order? What were they doing?

“The building’s fine…” Adam said, gesturing at the intact restaurant.

“Still no sign of them, though.” Tonks said, shaking her head as worry began to enter her voice. “You think they’re…?”

She didn’t finish the sentence, but all three of the group knew what she meant. Before anyone could answer, The world flashed white.

“Brace!” The words barely left Adam’s mouth before the shockwave hit them. Harry, however, was ready this time; he planted his feet on the ground and shielded his own face as a barrier shimmered to life in front of them, jolting as large chunks of rubble collided with them before bouncing off and crashing into the street with a loud rumble.

He closed his eyes for a moment to blink the spots away. When he opened them again, he saw that the building a few houses down from the restaurant now had its top section completely blown off.

Papers fluttered in the wind, carried over to him by the sudden breeze; Harry was seized by the urge to grab one even as he was pulled to the side behind a large block of rubble.

“Quick, before they see us!”

He ignored Tonks’ hurried exclamations as he stared down at the moving image of a little girl. She couldn’t have been older than seven, but she was cute as a button, giving the camera a small, but wonderful smile. He imagined that she led a happy life, full of sweets, hugs, fun and even more sweets.

A drop of red fell onto the image, then another, and another, forcing Harry to look up. He felt his blood go cold when he saw the severed, mangled arm of a child no older than himself hanging precariously off the light fixture above.

Was it her? Harry didn’t know, but if it was…

This is too cruel… Harry thought, transfixed by the dangling arm before he was shaken back to reality by Adam.

“Wake up!” Adam shouted in his ear.

Harry cringed as he focused back on reality, seeing both Adam and Tonks lobbing spells into the distance, trying to sow chaos among their enemies. “We can worry about the dead later! You need to focus!”

“But…” Harry said, showing him the picture. “She’s..”

Adam looked like he was going to say something else, but a shriek came from the house right to their left. Harry didn’t hesitate, letting go of the photo and rushing to the aid of its source. He was already halfway there when the photo hit the ground.

“Harry!” Adam’s voice came from behind him, but Harry continued running, uncaring about his own fate.

I’m not like you, Adam. I won’t let anyone else die! Harry thought to himself. Not while I can do something about it.

oooo

Inside of the building, moments earlier…

Unknown Girl…

No one was coming to save her. She knew that now.

And how could she not? The corpse of her friend Claire was lying on a nearby table, her eyes forever open in a look of horror while her face was set in a rictus of pain.

The girl, however, had a more concerning problem in the man who was on top of her, busy undressing himself in preparation of an act she did her best to struggle against.

It seemed futile, however. Any attempt to push him off didn’t even phase the much larger man. The young girl cursed her weakness.

If only I had my wand, I’d at least have a fighting chance. She thought; she’d lost it somewhere in the square after the first explosion. She and Claire tried to find refuge in the ice cream parlor, but ended up finding a lot more than they bargained for.

“Let me go!” The girl cried out as she tried to gouge the bastard’s eyes out. Her hands scarcely touched his face before he slammed them down on the table, jarring her bones and causing her shoulder to flare in agony.

Even as she cried out, the man roughly threw her to the ground, where she crashed against the base of another table, sending spikes of agony through her back. “Little bitch!”

The girl groaned as she tried to crawl away, cringing as her skin was split by the shards of sharp glass on the floor. Her eyes widened as she felt hands on her ankles, pulling her back right through the shards and causing her to cry out again.

“Where do you think you’re going, bitch?” The foul man said as he opened her legs up, intending to do the deed right there and then. “No escape for you.”

The girl struggled some more, but realized that it wasn’t doing any good. Her blue eyes widened in terror as he began to undo his belt. She screamed as loud as she could, but was forced to stop when she felt his massive hand collide with the side of her face, dazing her and filling her head with a sharp, burning pain.

“Shut your mouth.” He snarled, moving to rip her pants off.

I’m going to end up like Claire. The girl thought, trying to push his hands off— or even do anything— but she was so dazed and weak that it was like a kitten trying to stop an onrushing bull.

Her pants were now off.

There was no hope. This was it. Any moment now and—

“Stupefy!” Someone yelled, and the girl cried in sheer joy as the ugly man on top of her was blasted away by a jet of red light, crashing into the tables on the other side of the shop with a few satisfying snaps.

At least, she tried to; addled and disoriented as she was, she only managed a pitiful groan with her eyes barely open. A few moments later, she felt the presence of someone beside her, causing another shiver of fear to go through her.

“Are you all right?” She heard the hoarse voice of a young English boy and dared to fully open her eyes. She was greeted with the worried, green eyes of someone who couldn’t have been older than twelve. “Hey. Can you hear me?”

She did her best to speak, but found that she couldn’t. Instead, she gave him a weak nod which seemed to double her vertigo.

“Come on.” The green-eyed boy said, trying to help her get up but it was no use. He wasn’t anywhere near strong enough, and his attempts only served to make her even more dizzy. “Let’s get you off of the floor— too much glass.”

The boy stopped for a moment before turning with a snarl. “Protego!”

A weak Shield Charm shimmered into existence, and the girl knew that it wouldn’t last for long. He must have only recently learned it.

At seemingly twelve years old, having learned such a spell was the mark of a magical genius. She flinched, however, as her unlikely hero’s barrier barely withstood three spells before a small crack began to farm. 

“Damn it.” She heard the boy whisper as he braced his wand hand and did his best to focus. “Not now!”

The Shield wavered as another spell struck it, before bursting into an uncountable amount of light particles. The girl began to lose hope again.

“Not bad for a wet-behind-the-ears brat, boy.” His attacker spoke in a rough, American accent.

He was flanked by a witch and another wizard and they were all wearing masks, just like the man who tried to… 

“Our leader could use young talent like you.” He continued, gesturing towards the boy. “Interested in joining up?”

The boy beside her froze at the offer before steeling himself for a fight he couldn’t possibly win. He didn’t bother giving them a reply, other than raising his wand.

“Expelli—” Harry cried, but that was as far as he got before he was forced to dive to the side, narrowly avoiding a spell. He managed to dodge two more before the final one struck him in the arm, dropping him to the floor with a cry of pain.

The girl heard the sound of wood clattering against the stone floor and felt her heart sink. The boy had lost his wand.

“Well done, Ursula.” The man said as he took a few steps forward in the room to survey it for any more wizards. His masked face turned towards her Stunned attacker, before going to her and her fallen savior. “Take the children; leave the fool here. He can take the blame while we make a getawa—”

“Stupefy!” The jet of red light struck the woman called Ursula in the chest, sending her careening into the wall behind her. She dropped to the floor, unconscious.

What? The girl thought in shock, seeing the boy holding his wand. Had he not lost his wand, after all?

The green eyed boy pointed his wand at the ringleader, only for him to freeze in place, snap his arms to his side and fall backwards with a bone rattling thud. The girl realized in dismay that he’d been hit with a Full Body-Bind Curse.

“That will be enough out of you, kid.” The American man said in irritation as he wordlessly Summoned the wand clutched in the boy’s frozen hand.

A moment later, he had revived his comrade. She heard murmurs exchanged between the two before he helped the woman get back to her feet.

“More trouble than you’re worth, boy. Let’s just kill him and be done with it. We’re only after the girl. Quickly, before he pulls any more sudden tricks.” He ordered.

“Yes, sir.” The third member of their little group said and took a step forward, ready to follow his orders.

The girl did her best to resist the urge to cry, but failed. She’d failed so utterly that day. She’d lost her wand, Claire was dead, and now her young savior was also about to die.

She slowly crawled to him, ignoring how the glass shards dug into her skin, how her blood covered the floor. Halfway there, she saw the boy’s eyes lock onto hers, as if beseeching her to stop and leave him to die so she could live.

The girl heeded his wordless gaze and stopped, her heart twisting in agony as she saw the wizard standing over her would-be hero.

“Finish it.”

I can’t just do nothing! The teenage girl thought, but she knew it was too late. She had failed, yet again.

“Avada—” The man stopped his incantation and lurched, stumbling a few steps forward and falling face first into the glass-covered floor, his body twitching erratically right in front of her.

The girl saw a strange, glowing silver set of chains exit his back, retracting towards the entrance her fallen savior had emerged from. She moved her gaze there, only to see…

Another boy? She thought in confusion as a small form walked through the shadow of the building. All she could see were the silver chains swirling around the person’s silhouette, as well as his right, glowing eye of white.

And it was furious.