Journey back To The Past and his Prime CH.4

As Emmeline closed her eyes, bracing herself for the spell coming towards her, a shimmering silver shield erupted in front of her body, absorbing the blast with a deafening crack. The explosion of energy sent a wave of heat through the air, but the barrier held strong, its surface rippling like liquid metal before fading away.

Ambrosius Nott staggered back in shock, his eyes narrowing in fury. "What!? Who did that?" he barked in surprise, whipping his head around to find the source of the interference. But before he could react, a small white sphere landed near his feet, pulsing with a soft glow.

It blinked once. Then twice.

And then it exploded.

A blinding burst of light flooded the clearing, forcing Nott and his companions to recoil, their hands flying to their faces to shield their eyes as they cried out in pain.

While the Death Eaters were stumbling around, cursing under their breath as they struggled to shake off the effects of the explosion, a sharp crack echoed through the air. In an instant, Harry Potter materialized between the disoriented Death Eater and the snatchers, his wand gripped tightly in his hand. Without wasting a second, he lunged forward, seizing Emmeline by the front of her robes.

"Hold on," he muttered to her, his voice disguised by a charm to safeguard his identity.

Another crack rang out, and before Nott or his companions could recover, Harry and Emmeline vanished into thin air. They reappeared behind a massive oak tree about a hundred feet away from the dark wizards, shrouded in darkness.

Emmeline gasped, trying to steady her breath. She couldn't understand what had just happened, completely taken aback by the sudden turn of events. One moment she was sure she was going to die as Nott launched an exploding curse towards her, but the next moment someone had conjured a shield and saved her. It had all happened so fast that she could barely process it.

Heart still pounding inside her chest, Emmeline lifted her gaze, desperate to find the identity of her rescuer. Was it one of her colleagues from the Order of the Phoenix? Did Professor Dumbledore have an inkling of what she was planning to do, so he had sent someone to keep an eye on her? The questions raced through her mind, but as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she found no answers as Emmeline realized she couldn't make out her rescuer's features—his face was concealed beneath the shadow of a hood.

"Who are you? How did you find me—" she started in curiosity, but her savior quickly pressed a finger to his lips, his eyes scanning their surroundings.

The figure shifted slightly, his wand gripped tightly in his fist as he peered into the darkness, keeping an eye on the Death Eaters. "No time for questions," he murmured, his voice low and urgent. "They'll recover any second now. We need to be quick and take them out as soon as possible."

Emmeline hesitated, her instincts warring between fear and trust. But something about him—his presence, his voice—felt familiar. Safe.

She swallowed hard and nodded. "Alright. What's the plan? What do we do?"

Underneath his disguise, Harry couldn't help but be impressed by Emmeline's calm and collected response. Clearly, she recognised the gravity of the situation and was prepared to follow his lead, despite not knowing who he was. Putting her curiosity aside, she was ready to focus on the important thing, their enemies. That kind of composure was rare—and in Harry's book, it was worth respecting.

During his years as an Auror, Harry had seen too many of his allies crumble under pressure—freezing up, making reckless mistakes, or succumbing to panic when faced with real danger. They would ignore his orders and would do as they wished. But to his pleasant surprise, Emmeline was different. Her steady response, despite the terror she had just endured, spoke volumes. She understood the stakes, kept her wits about her, and was ready to act.

Realizing that he had made the right decision to come save her, Harry asked her in a low voice, "First of all, tell me, how hurt are you? Can you fight in your condition?"

Emmeline hesitated, but then shook her head in response. "I'm alright. I think they broke one of my ribs, but I can still manage it," she replied before saying, "Unfortunately, I don't have my wand though. One of them took it when they captured me."

Harry sighed, his shoulders slumping a little. "Alright, then, here's what we're going to do. This is an invisibility cloak," he said as he pulled it from his robes, draping it over her shoulders. "Stay under it and keep yourself hidden. Don't make a noise no matter what. I'll go and deal with them."

Emmeline opened her mouth to protest, "Hey, you can't just—"

But Harry cut her off, his voice calm and measured. "Look, I get that you want to fight, that you want to give those arseholes exactly what they deserve. But without a wand, you won't be able to do anything. It's just not worth the risk."

Emmeline clenched her jaw, frustration flashing in her eyes. "So what? I'm just supposed to hide here while you handle everything?"

Harry exhaled sharply. "No, you're supposed to stay alive," he countered firmly. "I didn't go through the trouble of pulling you out of there just for you to throw yourself back into danger."

Emmeline let out an exhale. She hated to admit it, but he was right. Without a wand, she was as good as defenseless. Still, the thought of standing idly by while he faced the Death Eaters alone made her stomach twist. She was a member of the Order of the Phoenix

Harry noticed her hesitation because his voice softened. "Trust me. I've got this."

Emmeline studied him for a moment, still unable to see his face beneath the hood, but there was something in his tone—an unwavering confidence in his abilities that made her want to believe him.

Finally, she let out a slow breath and nodded. "Fine, go ahead. But if you get yourself killed, I swear I'll haunt you."

A small chuckle escaped Harry before he turned back toward the clearing, gripping his wand. "Noted. Now stay put."

And with that, he vanished into the shadows.

                                                                               oo0oo

After leaving Emmeline behind, Harry moved swiftly through the trees, his wand gripped tightly in his hand. Without breaking his stride, he quickly applied the disillusionment charm and silenced his footsteps.

By now, Nott and his companions had shaken off the effects of the flash bomb. The small sphere was one of George Weasley's inventions from the future, made specially for the Auror department—something Harry had painstakingly recreated after arriving in the past. It was a perfect tool to stun an enemy and take them by surprise. And judging by the lingering confusion on the Death Eater's faces, it had worked just as well here as it did in his time.

Even so, Nott and his companions were no longer disoriented, apart from occasionally rubbing their eyes. The three of them were standing in a tight defensive formation, backs pressed together, wands raised and ready. Harry could see a faint shimmer flickering in front of them, revealing the presence of shield charms.

As he crept closer to the group of dark wizards, Harry slipped behind a large boulder, keeping low to avoid detection. Peering over the edge, he could hear Ambrosius Nott barking orders at his two underlings. "Stay sharp both of you and keep your eyes peeled," the older wizard snapped, his voice low but edged with tension as his sharp grey eyes swept over his surroundings. "Whoever's out there isn't some wandering fool—this was planned. That wasn't just some accidental flash of light. They wanted to distract us so that they could grab Vance safely."

Yasmine, the female snatcher standing beside him, shifted uneasily. "Could be it's an Auror, my lord," she muttered in an Irish lilt, her grip tightening around her wand. "Wouldn't put it past 'em to be lurkin' about, waitin' for the right moment."

Her other companion scoffed loudly. "Nah, ain't no Auror, Yasmine," he said, spitting on the ground. "If it was, we'd be surrounded already. Nah, this is some bloke workin' alone tryin' to be a hero. But don't mean they ain't dangerous." He darted a wary glance around, sharp eyes scanning the dark. "I say we keep them shields up an' watch our flanks. No wild spell-slingin'—whoever this is, they'll be lookin' to pick us off, one by one."

Ambrosius turned his head slightly, a flicker of approval crossing his sharp features. "For once, you're using that brain of yours, Lawrence," he drawled, his voice low but carrying authority. "Reckless fools get themselves killed. We keep our defenses up, stay together, and force them to show themselves."

Laurence smirked, puffing up slightly at the rare praise, but he didn't let his guard drop. "Aye, that's what I'm sayin', m'lord. Stick close, keep our wands ready. If this fellow wants to play games in the dark? Fine. But in the end we'll make 'im regret ever crossing us."

From behind his hiding place, Harry frowned in disappointment. His enemies were proving to be smarter than he had expected. He had hoped Nott and his cronies would spread out in search of him, making them easier to be picked off one by one. Instead, they had chosen to stick together, their tight formation ruining his plan and forcing him to rethink his approach.

In the end, however, Harry realized that if they weren't going to separate on their own, he would just have to make them. Without doing so, he knew he stood little chance of winning. At the moment, he simply didn't have the stamina or magical reserves to take on three fully trained adult wizards at once and come out on top. Luckily, for Harry he already had a plan. The shield charms around Nott and his lackeys protected only their torsos but left them vulnerable below the waist.

Harry smirked from behind his hiding spot. This is going to be fun. he thought with excitement as his blood started singing at the prospect of the upcoming battle.

With a flick of his wand, Harry silently conjured a distraction—an illusion of movement in the trees behind them. Leaves rustled. A shadow darted through the underbrush.

Predictably, one of the Death Eaters spun toward it, wand at the ready.

Immediately, Harry struck, wasting no moment. "Bombarda!" he bellowed, aiming just in front of their feet. The earth around them exploded, hurling dirt and debris into the air. The force of the blast caused Nott and his companions to be lifted off their feet, tossed like rag dolls. One crashed hard onto his back, another tumbled sideways with a cry, while Nott himself barely managed to twist midair before slamming down onto his hands and knees.

Harry didn't waste a second. Even as they reeled from the impact, he was already moving, wand raised, ready to strike again before they could recover. He aimed at the nearest one—Lawrence.

'Levicorpus'

The nonverbal spell took effect instantly. A flash of magic shot from his wand, striking the snatcher before he could even think to defend himself. With a yelp, the burly man was yanked into the air by his ankle, his body twisting as he dangled helplessly upside down. His wand slipped from his grasp, tumbling toward the ground. Lawrence twisted and thrashed, trying to right himself, but it was useless—he was completely at Harry's mercy.

Harry didn't give him a chance to recover. His gaze flicked back over his shoulder to the massive boulder he had been using as cover. Without hesitation, he gave his wand a sharp flick. The rock trembled for a split second before launching forward with crushing force.

The snatcher barely had time to scream. The boulder slammed into him like a battering ram, hurling his helpless body through the air. He crashed into a large tree with a sickening thud, the impact shaking loose a flurry of leaves. His body crumpled against the trunk before sliding limply to the ground.

One down.

But Harry had no time to celebrate. He focused back on the battlefield. The remaining two Dark mages were already scrambling back to their feet, their wands snapping toward him, their expressions dark with fury.

"You killed him… You killed 'im!" the redhead shrieked—first to recover, her voice raw with fury as her gaze locked onto the broken, crumpled form of her lover. Trembling with rage, she pointed her wand at Harry.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A flash of sickly green light erupted from her wand, streaking toward Harry with deadly precision.

But he was already moving.

He dove to the side, rolling behind a fallen log just as the curse blasted past him, striking a tree behind him. The wood cracked and splintered as the powerful magic tore through it, leaving a blackened scorch mark in its wake.

Harry, however, didn't pay it any attention. His entire focus was on the fact that he needed to keep moving no matter what. He knew he no longer had the element of surprise on his side. His opponents were ready for him now. Even as Harry rolled away from the log, a Blasting Curse struck the log behind him. It detonated with a thunderous crack, sending razor-sharp splinters flying in all directions.

Harry quickly conjured a shield to save himself. Jagged shards of wood hit the magical barrier, bouncing off with sharp cracks. The force of the impact sent ripples through the shield, but it held firm.

Quickly getting to his feet, Harry tried to return some fire. But before he could lower his shield, another spell came hurtling towards him— a streak of purple light, fast and precise. Reacting on instinct, Harry twisted to the side, dispelling the shield just in time to dodge the incoming spell.

As he looked up, Harry's heart sank a little. As he had feared, by now both Nott and his red-haired underling were ready for him. The older wizard stood rigidly behind her, his mouth set into a grim line, ready to shield her from any counterattack while she unleashed spell after spell in his direction.

Harry barely had time to steady himself before another spell came flying at him.

"I'm gonna kill you, you feckin' bastard. I'll cut you into tiny little bits," Yasmine roared, her voice raw with fury as she slashed her wand through the air.

"Diffindo!"

"Confringo!"

"Crucio!"

"Extrahere Visceribus!"

Harry backpedaled furiously, his wand a blur as he deflected what he could and dodged the rest.

A slashing Diffindo carved through the air—he barely twisted aside in time. The heat of a Confringo singed his arm as he threw up a Protego, the shield buckling under the impact.

"Crucio!"

He lunged to the side, the curse missing him by inches, leaving the ground sizzling where it struck.

He batted away her last spell before retaliating with one of his own.

"Sectumsempra!" Harry yelled, A pale, razor-edged arc of light erupted from the tip of his Holly and Phoenix feather wand, slicing through the air toward his opponent.

But with a sharp flick, Nott deflected the spell, sending it hurtling harmlessly into the distance.

Harry swore under his breath. He realized he needed to take out the older Death Eater first if he wanted to have any chance of winning this duel. Already, he could feel himself getting tired, with his magical reserves starting to reach dangerously low levels.

So, acting quickly, Harry dodged the next volley of spells from the raving lunatic of a woman before waving his wand in the air, conjuring half a dozen birds the size of an eagle. The avians with razor sharp talons immediately took flight, heading straight towards Ambrosius from all directions.

With the older wizard busy, trying to fend off the vicious predators intent on slashing him to bits, Harry could finally focus his attention on his opponent. Rather than trying to shield against Yasmine's barrage of spells, he also decided to go on the offensive.

The two of them exchanged rapid spellfire, dodging only when necessary, otherwise swatting away the incoming curses with rapid wand movements. Then, finally, after an entire minute of volleying spells back and forth, Harry finally managed to clip the red-haired witch.

Yasmine's mouth opened in surprise as Harry's Sectumsempra struck true. A deep crimson line bloomed across her robes, and a heartbeat later, blood began to seep through the fabric.

She gasped, stumbling backward, her hand pressing against the wound as the pain registered. Her brown eyes—wild with shock and fury—locked onto Harry, her breath coming in ragged pants.

"You—" she choked, but Harry wasn't waiting to hear whatever insult or curse she had in store. He flicked his wand again, a deep violet arc of magic surged from his wand, crackling with raw energy.

The spell sliced through the air before Yasmine could react.

Her breath hitched—then her body went unnaturally still. A thin, dark line appeared across her neck, stark against her pale skin. For a moment, she simply stood there, as if her body refused to accept what had just happened.

Then, with a sickening slowness, her head tilted… then dropped. Harry watched dispassionately as her body followed, also dropping to the ground before turning his attention to his last opponent.

"Looks like it's just you and me now," Harry said coldly to Nott, glaring at the Death Eater.

The older wizard looked terrible. He stood hunched and panting, his once-pristine black robes now tattered and streaked with blood. Deep gashes ran along his arms and shoulders where the conjured birds had torn into him, his flesh raw and exposed. His right sleeve was completely shredded, revealing deep crimson lines where talons had raked across his skin. One particularly nasty wound on his cheek dripped blood, staining the corner of his mouth as he sneered at Harry.

'Good,' Harry thought as he raised his wand, prepared to start the fight. 'Let him sneer. Let him pretend he still has the upper hand.

A slow smirk ghosted across Harry's lips as he took a deliberate step forward. This wasn't just a fight anymore. This was a lesson.

"Come on then, Nott," Harry murmured, his voice dangerously soft. "Let's see how long that arrogance lasts."

                                                                           oo0oo

Emmeline Vance nearly jumped in surprise as her savior apparated beside her with a sharp, echoing crack.

"Merlin's beard! You nearly gave me a heart attack," she gasped, clutching her chest. Her wide eyes swept over him, taking in the disheveled robes, the faint scorch marks, and the thin trail of blood seeping from a cut on his arm.

She swallowed hard. "How did it go? Did you—" She hesitated, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Did you beat Nott?"

Emmeline's fingers tightened around the fabric of her robes as she waited for him to respond. For the last fifteen minutes, she had been trapped in the suffocating silence of the forest, helpless to do anything but wait. In the distance, flashes of spellfire had flickered through the darkness, but she hadn't been able to tell who had the upper hand. Every explosion, every crack of magic had sent her heart pounding in fear. Now, however, with her rescuer standing in front of her, she could only conclude that he had managed to defeat Nott and his cronies.

However, the question remained what had happened to Nott? Had he been struck down, left bleeding in the dirt? Or had he managed to escape, slinking away into the night to fight another day?

She needed to know. "What happened to him?"

Her savior exhaled slowly, then reached into his robes. Without a word, he pulled out a small glass jar and held it up for her to see. Inside, a slimy, warty toad squirmed feebly against the glass.

"He's right here," he said, his tone almost amused.

Emmeline blinked, momentarily lost before realization dawned. A small chuckle escaped her lips as she realized he had transfigured Nott into a toad.

She peered at the pathetic creature, watching it pathetically press itself against the glass, trying to get free.

"You didn't kill him?" she asked, unable to completely hide the disappointment in her voice.

He shook his head in response, pocketing it again. "He's quite close to the inner circle. I need him alive for information."

Emmeline huffed, pouting for a brief moment before something far more important crossed her mind. Her eyes widened.

"Did you find my wand?" she asked urgently.

In response, he tossed something through the air. She caught it instinctively, exhaling in relief as her fingers wrapped around the familiar aspen wood. A warmth spread through her hand, her magic practically singing at the reunion with their old friend.

She ran her fingers over the smooth surface, checking for any cracks or damage. Satisfied, she finally looked up.

Her savior hesitated for a moment before answering. "First, I need to get you somewhere safe. With your ribs broken, Apparating could be risky. I'd rather not have you Splinch yourself." His gaze flicked to the jar in his hand. "After that, I need to find a secure place to keep him."

Emmeline raised an eyebrow, glancing at the squirming toad. "I might be able to help with that."

He looked at her questioningly.

She gave a small, knowing smirk. "My place. It's warded, and in the middle of a muggle neighborhood. I doubt anyone would think to look for him there."

He studied her for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Let's go." He reached out, gripping her arm firmly as he helped her to her feet.

Just as she steadied herself, he hesitated. "I don't know where you live."

Emmeline frowned, realizing the issue. Obviously, her savior couldn't apparate to her house when he had never been there before. "Oh, that's a problem," she said after a second, "What should we do now?"

In response, he nodded his head, calm but expectant. "It's alright. Just think about it. Focus on your home—every detail of it—and look into my eyes."

Emmeline's heart skipped a beat as she realized what he was suggesting. Her savior knew how to perform legilimency. In the end, however, she decided to trust him. He had after all saved her life.

Emmeline closed her eyes for a second, concentrating, before opening them again. She looked up, peering into her savior's hood. She couldn't see anything inside past the darkness but it must've worked because she felt something soft brush against her mind before it quickly withdrew. Her savior then extended a hand towards her which she quickly accepted before the two of them disappeared from the forest with a loud crack.