Ashes of Armageddon

Severus found the compound without any difficulty. The tracking spells he had placed on the Cockatrice were beyond the scope of Percy and his men to detect.



The compound itself was nothing to look at, just a simple one-storey building in the middle of an enormous field, surrounded by a fence. A single enclosed walkway led from the gate to the building. In the field, the Cockatrice were roaming, issuing sharp, unhappy cries, clearly distressed by their new surroundings.



Hidden under the invisibility cloak, Severus lurked, and scanned the perimeter wards. Any attempt to tamper with the wards would set them off, and the most logical solution was to wait until someone was ready to enter the gate, and once the wards were lifted, to follow them inside.



He waited impatiently, keeping track of time, until finally a group of people, presumably Percy\'s Aurors, Apparated near the gate.



The gate opened, and a faint crackling sound advised Severus that the perimeter wards were lifted to allow them in.



He followed the Aurors in absolute silence, making sure to mask his footsteps as they were walking down the walkway towards the building.



Severus gazed through the fencing of the walkway into the barren field, and noticed the Cockatrice scurrying towards them. The creatures obviously sensed him under the Cloak.



The Aurors noticed the creatures\' approach as well, and stopped abruptly.



“What the hell?” one of the Aurors said grimly. “They look like they might attack.”



“Don\'t worry,” another Auror answered. “They can\'t break through to the walkway.”



“I don\'t like the way they are staring at us.”



“You took the vaccine, didn\'t you?”



“Yes, but I still don\'t like it.”



In absolute silence, Severus cast a Legilimency spell, gaining access to the animal\'s rudimentary mind.



He felt the creature\'s rage assault him, but to his surprise, the fury abated, once the Cockatrice recognized Severus\' presence. The Cockatrice withdrew, making no alerting noise of any kind.



“Goddamn animals,” the first Auror muttered. “Percy is completely mental to bring them here.”



Severus smirked slightly at the sentiment.



“Well, at least nobody in their right mind is going to try and run across the bloody field with those things in place.”



“Isn\'t that the truth.”



It took them a good ten minutes to reach the compound. Once there, Severus spent an hour listening to the conversations, and getting his bearings. He overheard that the walkway was sealed off, cutting off that route of departure.



Remaining cloaked, he studied the layout of the building, eventually locating the room where the children were kept. Serendipitously, the room itself was not guarded, saving Severus the trouble of having to cast an Imperius on an Auror.



He opened the door in absolute silence, and entered the room..



The two children were sound asleep, embracing each other tightly. Al was sniffling quietly in his sleep, and Hugo\'s arms were wrapped around him in comfort. Still covered by the cloak, Severus examined the room, scrambled the surveillance spells, and approached the children, given Hugo\'s shoulder a small shake.



Hugo\'s eyes opened wide as he saw Severus kneeling in front of the bed. Quickly, Severus pressed a finger against Hugo\'s lips, indicating for him to be silent. Hugo nodded, understanding, and sat up, cautiously letting go of Al.



Quietly, Severus cast a gentle spell on Al, putting him into deeper sleep, and then, a silencing charm around himself and Hugo.



“We can speak now,” Severus said quietly.



Hugo\'s eyes were shining with excitement and relief, as he rushed to Severus and threw his arms around him. “You are taking us home, aren\'t you?” Hugo demanded.



“Yes,” Severus said. “How are you doing? Are you injured?”



“No, we are all right,” Hugo answered. “What about Kreacher and Aunt Ginny? And my mum and dad?”



Severus decided not to mention Kreacher\'s and Ginny\'s deaths at this point. For the next half an hour, he needed Hugo to be focused and not emotionally distraught. “Everyone is looking for you both,” Severus said instead. “Everyone is very worried about you, and your parents miss you terribly. Can you tell me what happened at Aunt Ginny\'s house?”



“Yes,” Hugo said. “It was late, but Aunt Ginny firecalled Uncle Percy and they talked through the Floo behind a silencing charm. Then Uncle Percy knocked on the door an hour later, but when Aunt Ginny opened the door, strangers ran in. And then someone saw me and said, where\'s the other child, get the other child, and then, I realized they wanted to hurt Al, so I pulled out my wand and started hexing them,” Hugo said matter-of-factly. “Aunt Ginny screamed at Uncle Percy and called him slime, and she started fighting too, and Kreacher as well, but there were too many of them.”



Event though Hugo\'s story only confirmed what Severus had already surmised, he was still distraught to hear it from the child\'s lips. Rage coursed through him, but he kept his emotions in check, and gently asked,



“What happened next?”



“Uncle Percy was yelling at Aunt Ginny that the Council decided on this, and it was for the best, but she wasn\'t listening, she just kept fighting them. Then Kreacher fell on the floor, and I tried to run away, but somebody grabbed me,” Hugo said. “They wanted to Obliviate me, but the witch who was supposed to do it said I was too young, and then someone said, bring him along then.” Then they found Al, he was hiding in the bedroom upstairs. And then they brought us both here,” Hugo completed the story almost calmly, but his voice was shaking slightly.



“You fought for your cousin,” Severus softly said. “That was very brave.”



“I didn\'t win though.” Hugo seemed genuinely bothered by the fact that he had lost a fight against an elite team of Aurors.



“We are going to win now,” Severus said decisively. “Can you do a little bit more, Hugo? I can send you both home, but I will need your help to accomplish this.”



Hugo nodded. “What do you want me to do?”



“We are going to leave this building together. I have an invisibility cloak for you and Al, and one for myself. You are going to hold on to my hand, so that you know where we are going.”



Hugo nodded, understanding his intent instantly. “You don\'t want Al to know you are here. He doesn\'t like you much,” Hugo added with regret.



“That\'s right,” Severus said calmly. “I\'m afraid it would take too long to get him to trust me, and we don\'t have this kind of time right now. But he trusts you, doesn\'t he?”



“Yes,” Hugo said proudly. “He knows I fought for him. He knows I won\'t hurt him.”



“That\'s good,” Severus said, issuing a small sigh of relief. “We are going to head out of the building, and go into the field. The entire area has wards on it, preventing departure by Port-key, or Disapparition...”



Hugo\'s face betrayed his anxiety. “Then how are we going to escape?”



“My wand is very strong. I am going to push the wards open,” Severus explained. “When I do that, the port-key will take you and Al to a safe place.”



Hugo frowned instantly. “I\'ve read about it in the war books,” he declared. “That\'s a very bad idea. You won\'t be able to leave with us, you will need to hold the wards open until we leave. And then, the energy feedback from the wards will kill you.”



Severus almost swore under his breath. He had forgotten just how precocious this eight year old child was.



“That is true in most cases,” he said as reassuringly as possible, “but I am one of the strongest wizards alive, and I have the best wand in the world. The feedback from the wards won\'t kill me.”



Hugo stared at him doubtfully. “Really?” he asked.



“Yes, Hugo, really. The Elder Wand will not let deadly harm come to me. It protects its Master.”



“Oh,” Hugo whispered. “But you still won\'t be able to come with us!” The boy looked horrifyingly upset by the prospect.



“Not right away,” Severus conceded, “but I will be fine. Once you are safely returned, you will need to testify before the Wizengamot, and tell everyone what happened. After then, it\'s only a matter of time until I can come home as well.”



Hugo still looked unconvinced. “But what will happen to you here?” Hugo insisted. “If you stay behind, will they hurt you for helping us escape?”



“Absolutely not,” Severus said confidently. “I am very famous, and a war hero, after all.”



“You\'ll be in trouble though,” Hugo protested. “I don\'t like that.”



“I can talk my way out of trouble,” Severus said with a smug smirk. “I have been a spy for many years. I am very good at it.”



Hugo was studying his face intently with open concern. “What about after?” Hugo asked quietly.



“What do you mean?” Severus asked.



“Last time you saved me and my mum with the port-key, you were hiding from us afterwards,” Hugo reminded him. “If I help you now, and do as you say, are you going to do that again? Hide in your place at Christmas, and pretend you aren\'t there, until we leave?”



Severus stared at him, surprised how much Hugo was troubled by that memory.



“I would never do that again,” Severus said softly, drawing Hugo back into a tight embrace. “If you help me now, I will never hide from you and your mum again. I promise.”



“All right,” Hugo whispered.



“There is one more thing,” Severus said, pulling out two small vials out of his pocket. “There will be creatures outside, called the Cockatrice. They petrify people with their gaze. This is a vaccine. You need to drink it.”



Hugo shivered uncomfortably. “Do we have to go outside?” he asked plaintively. “Can\'t you push the wards open here?”



“I could,” Severus said, “but it would be more risky. It can take a few minutes to achieve the desired effect, and I would rather have some distance between us and your captors, when I work on opening the wards.”



Hugo nodded unhappily.



“Don\'t be afraid,” Severus said. “The creatures won\'t harm us. The vaccine works. Harry and I spent a year sharing an island with the Cockatrice.”



“I am not afraid!” Hugo denied vehemently, grabbing the vials from Severus. “Al needs to drink the vaccine too, doesn\'t he?”



“Either that, or he\'ll need to keep his eyes shut the entire time,” Severus said seriously. “I think it\'s best if he drinks it.”



“No problem,” Hugo said. “He\'ll do anything I tell him. He likes me.”



“Good,” Severus said very softly. “Hugo, you must understand, we have no time to waste. Pushing the wards open can be a difficult matter, and once I do so, the action will be noticed by everyone here. The moment I let go of your hand, you must turn the port-key and leave. Do not delay, do not look back at me, and do not look around. Look only at Al, your own hands, and the port-key. Do you understand?”



“I understand,” Hugo confirmed. He looked shaken up, but he was managing very well.



“Good,” Severus said. “Let\'s get started.”



Severus covered himself up with Hermione\'s Demiguise cloak, and gave Harry\'s cloak to Hugo. He watched in absolute silence while Hugo whispered to Al, and Al nodded trustingly. A few minutes later, both boys drank the vaccine, and covered themselves up by the Invisibility Cloak. Another moment later, Hugo\'s invisible hand touched Severus\', and their fingers laced together.



They walked out of the building without an incident.



Cold wind struck against them when they exited into the field, and Severus could feel the shiver running through Hugo\'s fingers. He squeezed Hugo\'s hand tightly and reassuringly.



The Cockatrice sensed them crossing the field, and began moving towards them. Quickly, Severus established a Legilimency connection with the animals, requesting them to keep their distance. The Cockatrice complied, forming a loose circle around them. Severus barely managed to suppress a groan. Should anyone look at the field, and see the animals assembled in a circle, they would wonder instantly as to what, or who, invisible to human eye, was contained within that circle.



However, luck appeared to be on their side, and nobody was looking, as far as Severus could tell.



Severus drew his wand again. He focused the flow of magical energy on the wards. It took a lot of focus and concentration, and he felt the energy of the wards pushing against him with shocking strength. He redoubled his efforts, and finally, the wards yielded to his assault.



Severus let go of Hugo\'s hand, and held the wards open.



For a second he feared that he had taken too long. He heard the screams, as the opening of the wards alerted the Aurors to what was happening. He saw people running in their direction, with their wands drawn, but he focused all of his remaining energy on holding the wards open, even as the energy feedback pushing against him through his wand was threatening to overwhelm him.



A barely noticeable flash indicated Hugo\'s and Al\'s departure. Just then, the final backlash of energy from the wards struck against him, and Severus collapsed on his back, the wand flying out of his hand. Stunned to find himself still alive, and still conscious, he rolled to his side, and searched around blindly in the darkness, attempting to locate the wand.



He heard hexes and curses cast in his general direction, and then, he saw one of the Cockatrice flying in between him and the assailants in an attempt to shield him from harm.



The creature\'s enormous wing was the last thing he saw out of the corner of his eye when the aftereffects of exertion finally caught up with him, and he blacked out.



To Be Continued...